1
|
Ros F, Offner S, Klostermann S, Thorey I, Niersbach H, Breuer S, Zarnt G, Lorenz S, Puels J, Siewe B, Schueler N, Dragicevic T, Ostler D, Hansen-Wester I, Lifke V, Kaluza B, Kaluza K, van Schooten W, Buelow R, Tissot AC, Platzer J. Rabbits transgenic for human IgG genes recapitulating rabbit B-cell biology to generate human antibodies of high specificity and affinity. MAbs 2020; 12:1846900. [PMID: 33228444 PMCID: PMC7780963 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2020.1846900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Transgenic animals incorporating human antibody genes are extremely attractive for drug development because they obviate subsequent antibody humanization procedures required for therapeutic translation. Transgenic platforms have previously been established using mice, but also more recently rats, chickens, and cows and are now in abundant use for drug development. However, rabbit-based antibody generation, with a strong track record for specificity and affinity, is able to include gene conversion mediated sequence diversification, thereby enhancing binder maturation and improving the variance/selection of output antibodies in a different way than in rodents. Since it additionally frequently permits good binder generation against antigens that are only weakly immunogenic in other organisms, it is a highly interesting species for therapeutic antibody generation. We report here on the generation, utilization, and analysis of the first transgenic rabbit strain for human antibody production. Through the knockout of endogenous IgM genes and the introduction of human immunoglobulin sequences, this rabbit strain has been engineered to generate a highly diverse human IgG antibody repertoire. We further incorporated human CD79a/b and Bcl2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) genes, which enhance B-cell receptor expression and B-cell survival. Following immunization against the angiogenic factor BMP9 (Bone Morphogenetic Proteins 9), we were able to isolate a set of exquisitely affine and specific neutralizing antibodies from these rabbits. Sequence analysis of these binders revealed that both somatic hypermutation and gene conversion are fully operational in this strain, without compromising the very high degree of humanness. This powerful new transgenic strategy will allow further expansion of the use of endogenous immune mechanisms in drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Ros
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Sonja Offner
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Klostermann
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Informatics, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Irmgard Thorey
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Helmut Niersbach
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Breuer
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Grit Zarnt
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Lorenz
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | | | - Basile Siewe
- THE JACKSON LABORATORY JMCRS, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Schueler
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Tajana Dragicevic
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Dominique Ostler
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Imke Hansen-Wester
- Supplier Quality Management, Global External Quality Roche Diagnostics GmbH , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Valeria Lifke
- Personalized Healthcare Solution, Immunoassay Development and System Integration, Roche Diagnostics GmbH , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Brigitte Kaluza
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Klaus Kaluza
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Alain C Tissot
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| | - Josef Platzer
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich , Penzberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Meier D, Kelus AS. In utero suppression of kappa 2 isotype in homozygous bas/bas rabbits through embryo transfer. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOGENETICS : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY AND IMMUNOGENETICS 1992; 19:33-40. [PMID: 1567813 DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-313x.1992.tb00045.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Allotypes of rabbit Ig provide a useful tool for the study of quantitative expression of alternative allelic forms. In the rabbit, maternal Ig is transmitted to the foetus and protects the immunologically immature newborn during several of the first weeks of life. Induced maternal antibodies directed towards a paternally inherited allotype of the offspring can influence the expression of that allotype drastically. Normal Ig level in heterozygous allotype suppressed animals is provided by increased expression of the alternative allele. On the other hand, allotype suppression in homozygous animals leads to increased expression of non-allelic alternative gene products. We quantitatively analysed the expression of bas, a marker on the kappa 2 light chain isotype of the mutant strain Basilea, in homozygous bas/bas rabbits which had been fostered in utero of b4/b6 mothers producing anti-bas. All of the offspring studied expressed the kappa 2 isotype at a very low level at two months of age, and, in some individuals, bas was hardly expressed after 6 to 12 months. A suppressed rabbit, which was immunized to produce auto-antibodies against bas, continued to do so for at least 2.5 years. The long duration of homozygous bas suppression contrasts with homozygous suppression of other allotypes (CL kappa 1 and VHa) which generally lasts for a much shorter period.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Meier
- Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hole NJ, Young-Cooper GO, Mage RG. Mapping of the duplicated rabbit immunoglobulin kappa light chain locus. Eur J Immunol 1991; 21:403-9. [PMID: 1671838 DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830210223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The rabbit has two isotypic forms of the immunoglobulin kappa light chain, K1 and K2, which probably arose by duplication. In the normal rabbit, only traces of K2 light chains are produced. However, K2 levels are elevated in allotype-suppressed rabbits and in the Basilea strain which does not produce K1 because of a K1 mRNA splice site mutation. Previous cloning and sequencing showed that each isotype has its own set of J kappa genes but it was not known whether the two isotypes utilize shared or separate sets of V kappa genes. In addition, although genetic linkage of allotypes associated with the K1 and K2 genes has been demonstrated, physical linkage had not been previously demonstrated by overlapping cosmid or phage clones. We used pulsed field and transverse alternating field electrophoresis to obtain megabase maps and to estimate the size of the duplication of the rabbit kappa light chain locus. We found that the two C kappa genes are about 1 megabase apart. One explanation for the poor expression of K2, could be great physical distance from V kappa genes. However, we found that there are V kappa, J kappa and C kappa 2 genes within a approximately 105-kb fragment. Thus, physical distance of V kappa from C kappa 2 may not be the basis for poor K2 expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N J Hole
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hayzer DJ, Young-Cooper GO, Mage RG, Jaton JC. cDNA clones encoding immunoglobulin lambda chains from rabbit expressing the phenotype c7. Eur J Immunol 1990; 20:2707-12. [PMID: 2125274 DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830201227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A cDNA library derived from spleen cells of an unimmunized rabbit expressing the c7 phenotype of Ig lambda chains (c7+, c21-) was screened with V lambda or C lambda probes of a lambda light chain bearing c21 epitopes. The nucleotide sequences of three hybridizing clones were found to be identical within the V lambda, J lambda and C lambda regions. The V lambda region was 97% similar to that of the functional germ-line gene V lambda 2, and the C lambda region was identical to that of gene C lambda 6, recently identified. Gene C lambda 6 exhibited four codon differences when compared with gene C lambda 5, the latter encoding c21 epitopes. The data presented here and in the accompanying report (Jaton, J.-C. et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 1990, 20:2713) support the view that gene C lambda 6 encodes the C region of c7 lambda chains and that c7 and c21 markers designate two distinct isotypic forms of lambda chains. On the basis of comparative Southern blotting analyses and restriction maps of cloned genomic regions containing V lambda and C lambda genes, a scheme is proposed to account for the c7- and c21- phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D J Hayzer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical Center of the University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hole NJ, Lamoyi E, Komatsu M, Harindranath N, Young-Cooper GO, Mage RG. Linked genetic markers of the rabbit kappa light chain are not linked to the Tcr beta chain genes. Immunogenetics 1988; 28:99-107. [PMID: 2899549 DOI: 10.1007/bf00346157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In order to investigate linkage, we used serum allotypes of the two rabbit C kappa isotypes and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the genes for V kappa, C kappa, and T-cell receptor C beta. The inheritance of these genetic markers was studied through backcross and F2 matings. Southern analysis and hybridization of genomic DNA with a C kappa probe detected a 5 kb Pst I fragment linked to expression of the K2bas1 allotype and the presence of the kappa 1bbas gene and a 6.6 kb Pst I fragment linked to the expression of the K1b9 allotype, the presence of the kappa 2bas2 gene and lack of expression of the K2bas1 allotype. A V kappa probe detected a 1.3 kb Eco RI fragment linked to the presence of the kappa 1bbas gene and expression of the K2bas1 allotype. In contrast, the 9 or 14 kb Eco RI RFLP (C beta a or C beta b) detected with a Tcr beta chain probe segregated independently from C kappa allotypes and RFLPs. It has previously been found that C kappa and C beta are also unlinked in man, whereas in the mouse they are linked at a distance of approximately 8 centimorgans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N J Hole
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mage RG, McCartney-Francis NL, Komatsu M, Lamoyi E. Evolution of genes for allelic and isotypic forms of immunoglobulin kappa chains and of the genes for T-cell receptor beta chains in rabbits. J Mol Evol 1987; 25:292-9. [PMID: 3118045 DOI: 10.1007/bf02603113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
New insights into the evolution of the families of genes encoding immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) have come from molecular genetic studies. In contrast to human and mouse, rabbits were shown to have two genes for the constant region of immunoglobulin light chains (C kappa 1 and C kappa 2 isotypes) and complex allelic variants of K1 (allotypes). Although K1 allotype protein sequences differed at up to 41% of the amino acid positions, 3' untranslated, 5', and 3' flanking regions were conserved, and in the coding regions 78-80% of the codons with differences had replacement changes. Proportions of silent changes and changes in noncoding regions were comparable. Thus, in spite of their markedly different protein sequences, the K1b4, b5, and b9 allotypes appeared to be products of allelic genes. Molecular genetic analyses suggested that they may have undergone rapid divergence after an ancestral K2-like gene duplicated. Some rabbits were found to have two similar T-cell receptor C beta genes as do humans and many strains of mice, but others appeared to have three different C beta. In addition, we found allotypic forms of C beta. Some of the C beta allotypic differences occurred at positions where analogous C kappa allotypic differences were found. We also found V beta in mouse and human that were more similar to rabbit V beta than closely linked rabbit genes were to each other. This contrasts with rabbit immunoglobulin VH gene sequences that reflect concerted evolution. The data suggested that T-cell receptor V beta genes duplicated prior to mammalian radiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R G Mage
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
McCartney-Francis N, Young-Cooper G, Alexander C, Mage RG. Expression of K2 isotype mRNA in normal and Basilea rabbits. Mol Immunol 1987; 24:357-64. [PMID: 3116401 DOI: 10.1016/0161-5890(87)90177-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Molecular genetic techniques were used to study the regulated expression of the kappa light chains in the rabbit. Two isotypic kappa genes, kappa 1 and kappa 2, have been identified in the genome of all rabbits; however, the majority of secreted immunoglobulins produced by most domestic rabbits bear only K1 light chains. S1 nuclease protection experiments utilizing a single-stranded cDNA probe encoding the K2 constant region were performed to identify K2 mRNA in normal rabbits and in the mutant Basilea rabbit strain in which K2 light chains were first described. Varying amounts of K2 message were observed in the non-Basilea samples, between 0.05-1% of the K2 RNA found in a comparable preparation of Basilea RNA. Evidence for alternatively spliced messages was also noted. In addition, a K2 oligonucleotide probe is described which will distinguish between the K2 allotypic forms, bas1 and bas2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N McCartney-Francis
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kelus AS, Weiss S. Mutation affecting the expression of immunoglobulin variable regions in the rabbit. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1986; 83:4883-6. [PMID: 3014517 PMCID: PMC323847 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.83.13.4883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We have found a variant of the allotype allele a2 in the rabbit, which presumably arose by mutation, that segregates as expected for an allele at the a locus. This allele is called "ali" and the corresponding rabbit strain is called "Alicia." In heterozygous animals (ali/a1 and ali/a3) the concentration of a2 molecules is lower by a factor of 1000 than in standard a2/a2 homozygotes. In homozygous ali/ali individuals the a2 concentration varies with age--i.e., very low in young rabbits and higher in older ones--but it never reaches normal levels. The low level of a2 is compensated by increased amounts of a-negative molecules. Southern blot analysis did not reveal any gross changes in the intron between JH and C mu (joining region of immunoglobulin heavy chain and constant region of immunoglobulin mu chain) or in the number of VH gene segments encoding a locus specificities. We suggest that the ali phenotype is due to a mutation in a control element.
Collapse
|