Developmental regulation of IgM secretion: the role of the carboxy-terminal cysteine

B lymphocytes do not secrete IgM, and plasma cells only secrete IgM polymers. Here we show that both events are attributable to the tailpiece found at the carboxyl terminus of mus chains, and we specifically implicate Cys-575. Thus, if Cys-575 was mutated, IgM was secreted by B cells. Similarly, a mutant IgG containing a mus tailpiece became largely retained within the cell; secretion was restored upon mutation of the tailpiece cysteine. Removal of Cys-575 also allowed hypersecretion of monomeric IgM by plasmacytoma cells. Following further removal of Cmu1, heavy chains were secreted in the absence of light chains. Thus, in B and plasma cells, Cys-575 is involved both in the polymerization of IgM and in intracellular retention of unpolymerized intermediates.

The Croonian lecture, 1989. Antibodies: a paradigm for the biology of molecular recognition

The hallmark of the antibody response to antigenic challenge is its remarkable specificity. In his Croonian Lecture in 1905, Ehrlich recognized it as a biological puzzle, but considered it inconceivable that animals could produce substances capable of specific recognition of toxins that the species had never encountered before. It took the largest part of the following 70 years to begin to understand the chemical base of the biological puzzle. Even more recently, the genetic base of the underlying events has been clarified. Unique genetic rearrangements of the DNA initiate the biological diversity of somatic cells; this provides an initial source of antigen recognition. The remarkable specificity is the result of an antigen-driven Darwinian selection of proliferating clones, operating on further diversity that is generated by a high rate of point mutations in specific genes. Although the complexity of the biological events underlying the process remain largely unknown, the knowledge gained so far provides insights into alternative approaches to the production of new antibodies.

A single-step procedure for cloning and selection of antibody-secreting hybridomas

A procedure is described which permits high-yield direct cloning of newly established hybridomas on STO fibroblast feeders in soft agarose. Several thousand independent clones are typically obtained from each fusion (1 X 10(8) spleen cells). These are screened using a colony replica assay in which secreted antibodies diffuse through an agar overlay and bind to antigen immobilised on nitrocellulose. Bound antibodies are then detected with enzyme-labelled second antibody. The procedure is fast and efficient and permits the isolation and selection of antigen-specific clones in less than 2 weeks from fusion. It has been successfully employed for the derivation and selection of high-affinity anti-hapten antibodies. Other potential applications of the assay are in the detection of non-immobilised antigens by an indirect method using anti-globulin on nitrocellulose, in the generation of bispecific antibodies and the selection and characterisation of antibody specificities generated by the expression of antibody fragments in bacteria or yeasts.

A physical map linking the five CD1 human thymocyte differentiation antigen genes

Human CD1 is a family of thymocyte differentiation antigens which consist of heavy chains with mol. wts between 43 and 49 kd binding to beta 2 microglobulin. They are distant relatives of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II products. Five human CD1 genes have been described. Three (CD1A, -B and -C) code for the serologically defined CD1a, -b and -c antigens. The protein products of the other two genes, CD1D and CD1E, remain unknown. All CD1 genes are located on chromosome 1 and hence are independent of the MHC locus. In this paper, the tight linkage of the CD1 genes has been established by pulse field gel electrophoresis, cosmid cloning and walking techniques. The 190 kb of DNA linking all five CD1 genes has been spanned by 14 overlapping cosmids. The order of the genes in the CD1 complex is CD1D-CD1A-CD1C-CD1B-CD1E, and, with the exception of CD1B, they are arranged in the same transcriptional orientation. The genes are evenly spaced in the complex except for the distance between CD1D and CD1A, which is two to three times greater than the average.

The rabbit CD1 and the evolutionary conservation of the CD1 gene family

A comparison of the genes encoding the CD1 leucocyte differentiation antigens in man and mouse shows important differences which prompted us to analyze the CD1 genes of the rabbit. We have found that the rabbit genome contains multiple CD1 loci. Upon cloning and sequencing, one of these loci was found to encode the known rabbit CD1-like antigen (R-Ta) and to be closely related to the human CD1b gene, which is absent in the mouse, while a second rabbit gene is closely related to both the human R3 and the mouse CD1 genes. The data reinforce the notion of the existence of two classes of CD1 genes, one of which is conserved in all species, while the other, albeit also evolutionarily old, has been deleted in mice as well as in other rodents.

Phorbol esters potentiate the induction of class I HLA expression by interferon alpha

We have studied the effect of phorbol esters on the induction of class I histocompatibility antigen (HLA) expression by interferons (IFNs) in the T-cell line MOLT-4 and in the MOLT-4 mutant YHHH. Addition of IFN-alpha to phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate-pretreated MOLT-4 cells causes a greater than 20-fold increase in the expression of class I HLA, as compared to a 4- to 7-fold IFN-alpha-induced increase in control cells. Pretreatment with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate does not alter the class I HLA response to IFN-gamma or the responses of other IFN-induced genes. This effect of phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate reproduces in MOLT-4 cells the phenotype of the mutant YHHH, which also displays a selective enhanced class I HLA response to IFN-alpha. Pretreatment of YHHH with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate does not affect any of the responses induced by IFN. These findings suggest the existence of a phorbol ester-sensitive factor, inducible in MOLT-4 and constitutively expressed or modified in YHHH, which operates in the pathway of induction of class I HLA by IFN-alpha but not in the pathway used by IFN-gamma.

Two classes of CD1 genes

Herein, we report the DNA sequence of two human CD1 genes, R2 and R3, distinct from those encoding the CD1a, -b and -c antigens. Both genes appear to have an exon/intron structure analogous to the previously analyzed CD1 genes and to be functional on the basis of their sequence. Analysis of the variability patterns, potential intramolecular interactions and predicted secondary structure profile on an alignment of all known CD1 alpha chains suggest some shared structural features with major histocompatibility complex class I molecules in the alpha 1 domains but substantial differences in the alpha 2 domains. Sequence comparison shows that, while R2 is most related to CD1a, -b and -c, albeit to a somewhat lower degree than the latter are to themselves, R3 is more homologous to mouse than to human CD1, suggesting the existence of two functional classes within the CD1 gene family. We propose to retain the non-committal R2 and R3 names until the putative antigens have been identified and their tissue distribution has been established.

Two steps in the intracellular transport of IgD are sensitive to energy depletion

The secretory pathway of murine IgD can be dissected by the use of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), which inhibits two distinct steps of intracellular transport. The newly synthesized IgD that accumulates at the first step contains high mannose type oligosaccharides which are partially trimmed. The IgD arrested at this step is less processed than the IgD arrested by treatment with monensin. The properties of this biosynthetic intermediate are consistent with inhibition of Ig passage from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. A second CCCP-sensitive step exists in the biosynthesis of IgD, and is characterized by delta-chains that are resistant to endoglycosidase H and contain galactose. This indicates that this second step occurs during or after the passage through the trans-Golgi compartment. The galactose-containing oligosaccharides of the delta-chains arrested at this step do not contain fucose (as do mature, secreted delta-chains). Fucosylation is not inhibited by CCCP, nor is the secretion of fucose-containing delta-chains. These results show that terminal sugars are added to secretory IgD in at least two transport compartments, separable by their sensitivity to CCCP. The inhibition of the secretory pathway at both steps is reversible; upon removal of the drug the arrested IgD is processed normally and is secreted. The sensitivity to CCCP probably reflects transport steps that are sensitive to even partial depletion of ATP, because treatments with other inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation yield similarly arrested Ig molecules. Thus, by using the protonophore CCCP, we demonstrate two energy-requiring steps in IgD transport which seem to be at two transitions in the secretory pathway. One step is during the passage from the endoplasmic reticulum to the mid-Golgi compartment and the other step is during Ig passage through the trans-Golgi, or subsequent transport to the cell surface.

Two steps in the intracellular transport of IgD are sensitive to energy depletion

The secretory pathway of murine IgD can be dissected by the use of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), which inhibits two distinct steps of intracellular transport. The newly synthesized IgD that accumulates at the first step contains high mannose type oligosaccharides which are partially trimmed. The IgD arrested at this step is less processed than the IgD arrested by treatment with monensin. The properties of this biosynthetic intermediate are consistent with inhibition of Ig passage from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. A second CCCP-sensitive step exists in the biosynthesis of IgD, and is characterized by delta-chains that are resistant to endoglycosidase H and contain galactose. This indicates that this second step occurs during or after the passage through the trans-Golgi compartment. The galactose-containing oligosaccharides of the delta-chains arrested at this step do not contain fucose (as do mature, secreted delta-chains). Fucosylation is not inhibited by CCCP, nor is the secretion of fucose-containing delta-chains. These results show that terminal sugars are added to secretory IgD in at least two transport compartments, separable by their sensitivity to CCCP. The inhibition of the secretory pathway at both steps is reversible; upon removal of the drug the arrested IgD is processed normally and is secreted. The sensitivity to CCCP probably reflects transport steps that are sensitive to even partial depletion of ATP, because treatments with other inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation yield similarly arrested Ig molecules. Thus, by using the protonophore CCCP, we demonstrate two energy-requiring steps in IgD transport which seem to be at two transitions in the secretory pathway. One step is during the passage from the endoplasmic reticulum to the mid-Golgi compartment and the other step is during Ig passage through the trans-Golgi, or subsequent transport to the cell surface.

Mouse CD1 is distinct from and co-exists with TL in the same thymus

Human CD1 antigens have a similar tissue distribution and overall structure to (mouse) TL. However recent data from human CD1 suggest that the mouse homologue is not TL. Since no human TL has been conclusively demonstrated, we have analysed the murine CD1 genes. Two closely linked genes are found in a tail to tail orientation and the limited polymorphism found shows that, as in humans, the CD1 genes are not linked to the MHC. Both genes are found to be equally transcribed in the thymus, but differentially in other cell types. The expression in liver, especially, does not parallel CD1 in humans. This demonstrates conclusively that CD1 and TL are distinct and can co-exist in the same thymus. It is paradoxical that despite the structural similarity between mouse and human CD1, the tissue distribution of human CD1 is closer to TL. The possibility of a functional convergence between MHC molecules and CD1 is discussed.

Sensitive and high resolution in situ hybridization to human chromosomes using biotin labelled probes: assignment of the human thymocyte CD1 antigen genes to chromosome 1

A method for in situ hybridization originally developed for mapping genes in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans has been adapted for high resolution cytological mapping of genes in the human. The probe DNAs are labelled by incorporation of biotin dUTP and the site of hybridization detected by immunofluorescence. For the accurate assignment of the hybridization signal to chromosome bands, visualized by staining with Hoechst 33258, a heterologous ribosomal DNA probe is also included in the hybridization reaction. These rDNA signals are used as fiducial markers when aligning the two fluorescent images. We demonstrate the method by assignment of the human thymocyte CD1 antigen genes to human chromosome 1q22-23.

Isolation of a fragment of tau derived from the core of the paired helical filament of Alzheimer disease

A substantially enriched preparation of Alzheimer paired helical filaments (PHFs) has been used as a starting point for biochemical studies. Pronase treatment, which strips off adhering proteins, leaves a resistant core that is structurally intact. This has been used to raise a monoclonal antibody that decorates the filament core. The antibody has been used to follow the extraction of two peptide fragments (9.5 and 12 kDa) by immunoblotting. The link between the PHF as a morphological entity and these peptides has been established independently by photoaffinity labeling with a chemical ligand to the PHF core. Sequence analysis of these peptides was used to design oligonucleotide probes for cloning a cognate cDNA, which leads to its identification as human microtubule-associated tau protein. The sequencing of the 9.5- and 12-kDa peptides shows they are derived from a conserved region of tau containing three repeating segments. Since these fragments have been copurified with the Pronase-resistant core and are only released by subsequent steps, the corresponding part of the tau molecule must be tightly bound in the PHF core.

Reshaping human antibodies: grafting an antilysozyme activity

The production of therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies by hybridoma technology has proved difficult, and this has prompted the "humanizing" of mouse monoclonal antibodies by recombinant DNA techniques. It was shown previously that the binding site for a small hapten could be grafted from the heavy-chain variable domain of a mouse antibody to that of a human myeloma protein by transplanting the hypervariable loops. It is now shown that a large binding site for a protein antigen (lysozyme) can also be transplanted from mouse to human heavy chain. The success of such constructions may be facilitated by an induced-fit mechanism.

Differential expression and interferon response of HLA class I genes in thymocyte lines and response variants

cDNA clones which seem to represent the alleles of HLA-A and -B expressed by the thymoma MOLT-4 have been isolated and used as locus-specific probes to measure the corresponding mRNA levels in MOLT-4 and other human thymocyte lines, and the effect of interferon (IFN)-alpha and -gamma on these levels. It is shown in MOLT-4, and in its derived line YHHH, that HLA-B mRNA levels are undetectable before treatment but respond to IFN-alpha and -gamma more markedly than those of HLA-A. This differential induction is best shown with YHHH, which is hypersensitive to IFN-alpha, where the HLA-B mRNA levels increase to a level threefold those of HLA-A. Other thymocyte lines tested also showed preferential induction by IFN-alpha of HLA-B, although the basal levels of HLA-A and -B tended to be similar. The effect of the altered ratio of HLA-A to -B mRNA on surface expression of the antigens and the correlation between basal level expression and inducibility are discussed.

Regulation of membrane IgM expression in secretory B cells: translational and post-translational events

IgM secreting cells express little or no membrane IgM. This is not always due to absence of the relevant mRNA. To investigate the synthesis and processing of membrane (micron) and secreted (microseconds) polypeptides in secretory B cells, myeloma cells were transfected either with a plasmid containing an intact mu gene or with one only capable of directing micron (not microseconds) mRNA synthesis. Although myeloma transfectants could make abundant levels of micron mRNA, they did not express IgM on the cell surface. In the myeloma host, micron mRNA is translated some 5-fold less efficiently than microseconds mRNA. However, this translational control does not totally preclude micron synthesis, indicating post-translational regulatory events. No difference between micron and microseconds chains could be detected in their rate of assembly with light chains or in their stability, although both types of heavy chain were degraded more rapidly when synthesized in the absence of light chain, or when the hydrophobic nature of the leader sequence was destroyed by site-directed mutagenesis. However, whereas intracellular microseconds chains in IgM-secreting plasmacytoma were found to be concentrated in the Golgi, the micron chains were mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Retention in the endoplasmic reticulum is also observed for both micron and microseconds when synthesized in the absence of light chain. We propose that it is the expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum that accompanies B cell to plasma cell differentiation which is in part responsible for the down-regulation of surface IgM expression. Such a mechanism may also affect the expression of other surface proteins.

Structure and expression of the human thymocyte antigens CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c

The CD1 human antigens are a family of at least three components, CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c, that are characteristic of the cortical stage of thymocyte maturation. CD1a was originally named HTA1 or T6 and thought to be the human equivalent of mouse Tla. The genes coding for all three have now been identified by transfection into mouse cells. The transfectants express the surface antigens that can then be recognized by the corresponding cluster of monoclonal antibodies used to define the three members of CD1. The full sequence of the genomic DNA is described for all three. The intron-exon structure of CD1a is deduced by comparison with a near-full-length cDNA clone. Similar structures are proposed for the other two, largely based on sequence homology. An unusually long 5'-untranslated exon (280 bases long) is highly conserved between the three genes, suggesting an important but unknown function. CD1c has a duplicated form of this exon that is thought to be spliced out. The major homology between the three antigens is in the beta 2-microglobulin-binding domain. The general relatedness to major histocompatibility complex class I and class II molecules is significant but low, with no section of higher homology to mouse Tla.

Activation of memory and virgin B cell clones in hyperimmune animals

To study the long-term memory response, BALB/c mice were allowed to rest for over a year after a secondary immunization with the hapten 2-phenyl-oxazol-5-one (phOx). For the tertiary immunization two different protocols were used. In one protocol mice were injected i.v. and 3 days later spleen cells were fused to a nonproducing hybridoma line. PhOx-specific hybridomas were established and the sequence of the heavy and light chain mRNA was determined. This tertiary response resembled the diversity pattern of the secondary response with a further increase both in somatic mutations and in the average dissociation constant. The high number of somatic mutations demonstrates the persistence of memory B cell clones over a long time period. In the second protocol mice were boosted with an i.p. injection of alumprecipitated antigen phOx and 7 or 14 days later spleen cells were fused. Sequence analysis of heavy and light chain mRNA showed that these tertiary response antibody molecules had surprisingly few somatic mutations, indicating an activation of virgin B cell clones in these hyperimmunized animals. The maturation of these newly stimulated B cell clones seems to follow somewhat similar rules to those found for the primary response. It appears therefore that the two immunization protocols reflect the response of memory and virgin B cells, respectively.

The regulation of membrane-bound and secreted immunoglobulins in the human lymphoid cell line LICR-LON and human hybridomas

The synthesis of membrane-bound and secreted immunoglobulin was investigated in the human line LICR-LON-HMy2, a cell line often used for the derivation of human hybridomas. PAGE-SDS analysis of immunoprecipitates obtained from 35S-methionine labelled cell lysates shows that LICR-LON synthesize a hitherto undetected membrane form of IgG (with a heavy chain of mol. wt 62,000) in addition to the secretor form of IgG already described (55,000 heavy chain). Tunicamycin treatment, pulse-chase experiments and Western blot analysis showed that both chains are synthesized as independent proteins. Hybridomas obtained after fusion of LICR-LON and human peripheral blood lymphocytes retained the ability of the parental cell line to synthesize gamma m and gamma s. Some of these hybrids synthesize and secrete IgM which presumably originates from the parental B-lymphocytes. Precipitation and PAGE-SDS analysis of membrane proteins after iodination of intact cells revealed only one heavy chain band, corresponding in size to that of the gamma m. No indication of the synthesis of the membrane form of IgM was found in the hybrids. These data show that the parental (lymphoid) phenotype (m and s-IgG) is codominant with the more differentiated phenotype (s-IgM) of the fusion partner cell (plasma cell). These observations are compatible with a class-specific m-s regulation operating on a different chromatin structure at the expressed Ig loci of each parental chromosome.

The induction of class I HLA by interferon-alpha is independent of the cell cycle, but the expression is enhanced by a G1/S block

The induction of class I HLA expression by interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was studied in lymphoid cells arrested or traversing different stages of the cell cycle. Exponential cultures of MOLT-4 cells and the MOLT-4 cell variant YHHH were treated with the cell cycle inhibitors aphidicolin and colcemid to obtain cell populations arrested in G1/S and G2/M, respectively, and also cells traversing from S to M and vice versa. Cytofluorimetry with the monoclonal antibody YTH/76.3 (which specifically detects those class I molecules which are most susceptible to IFN-alpha induction) was used to quantitate the class I HLA response to IFN-alpha. The results showed that the response to IFN-alpha is not restricted to a given stage of the cell cycle. These studies also revealed that when the cells were arrested at G1/S, the absolute level of class I HLA expression was enhanced 2-3-fold, both in the presence or absence of either IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma. Therefore, even when absolute levels changed, the ratio of IFN-induced expression to basal expression remained constant at all cell cycle stages. The level of expression of another surface antigen (the CD1 antigen HTA-1) was not affected by the G1/S block. The results were confirmed by dot blot hybridization of poly(A)+ RNA using cDNA-specific probes. These findings suggest that the effect of IFN-alpha is continuous throughout the cell cycle but that a G1-dependent event determines the extent of class I HLA expression, and leads to a synergistic superinduction by IFN in G1/S-arrested cells.

Isolation of CD1 genes: a family of major histocompatibility complex-related differentiation antigens

CD1 differentiation antigens are defined by a group of monoclonal antibodies that characterize immature human thymocytes. A cloned cDNA has been used to identify CD1 genes in a human genomic library. Five CD1 genes have been isolated, and Southern blot analysis suggests that these represent all the cross-hybridizing human CD1 genes. They share a highly conserved exon, which is homologous to the beta 2-microglobulin-binding domain (alpha 3) of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. In this domain, amino acid sequences are 71-88% homologous. However, the homology between CD1 and MHC class I alpha 3 domains is only 21%. This is the same degree of homology as between either of them and the class II beta 2 domain, which does not bind beta 2-microglobulin. The evolutionary implications of these results are discussed.

Luminescent detection method for immunodot, Western, and Southern blots

An anti-peroxidase-anti-biotin hybrid hybridoma rat cell line, capable of producing a bispecific monoclonal antibody, has been derived to explore its use in conjunction with a luminol immunodetection system. Luminescence was detected using x-ray film. The method was sufficiently sensitive and effective, but was less sensitive than autoradiographic methods using high-specific-activity 32P-labeled probes. Exposure times, on the other hand, were of the order of seconds rather than days. The direct binding of both peroxidase and biotin by the bispecific monoclonal antibody is simpler but less sensitive than the more conventional indirect method using a commercial peroxidase coupled with anti-rat antibody as a developing antibody.