Human monoclonal anti-D secreting heterohybridomas from peripheral B lymphocytes expanded in the CD40 system

[Towards an industrial control of the cloning of lymphocytes B human for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies stemming from the human repertoire]

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are efficient drugs for treating infectious, inflammatory and cancer diseases. Antibodies secreted by human lymphocytes that have been isolated from either peripheral blood or tissues present the definite interest of being part of the physiological or disease-related response to antigens present in the human body. However, attempts to generate hybridomas with human B cells have been largely unsuccessful, and cloning of human B cells has been achieved only via their inefficient immortalization with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). However, recent progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of polyclonal B cell activation has dramatically increased the capacity to clone human B cells. In particular, activation of human naïve and memory B cells through CD40 or memory B cells only through TLR9 was shown to greatly facilitate their immortalization by EBV. Industrial development based on these observations will soon provide large collections of high affinity human mAbs of every isotype directly selected by the human immune system directed to recognize epitopes relevant for individual patients. Moreover, after CD40 activation, these mAbs will cover the full human repertoire, including the natural auto-immune repertoire. Full characterization of the biological activity of these mAbs will in turn bring useful information for selecting vaccine epitopes. This breakthrough in human B cell cloning opens the way into new areas for therapeutic use of mAbs.

Hybridoma populations enriched for affinity-matured human IgGs yield high-affinity antibodies specific for botulinum neurotoxins

The affinity-matured human antibody repertoire may be ideal as a source for antibody therapeutics against infectious diseases and bioterror agents. Hybridoma methods for cloning these antibodies have many potential advantages, including convenience, high-yield antibody expression, and the ability to capture the antibodies in their native configurations. However, they have been hindered by hybridoma instability and limited accessibility of antigen-specific, class-switched human B-cells. Here, we describe an efficient, three-step method that uses human peripheral blood B-cells to produce stable hybridoma populations that are highly-enriched for affinity-matured human IgG antibodies. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are (a) selected for expression of CD27, a marker of post-germinal center B-cells, (b) cultured in vitro to promote B-cell proliferation and class-switching, and (c) fused to a genetically modified myeloma cell line. Using this strategy, we cloned 5 IgG antibodies that bind botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT), the causes of the food-borne paralytic illness, botulism, and Category A Select Bioterror agents. Two of these antibodies bind BoNT with low picomolar affinities. One (30B) is the first high-affinity human antibody to bind serotype B BoNT, and another (6A) is able to neutralize a lethal dose of serotype A BoNT in vivo in pre- and post-exposure models. This optimized hybridoma method will broadly enable access to the native human antibody repertoire.

Exploring the native human antibody repertoire to create antiviral therapeutics

Native human antibodies are defined as those that arise naturally as the result of the functioning of an intact human immune system. The utility of native antibodies for the treatment of human viral diseases has been established through experience with hyperimmune human globulins. Native antibodies, as a class, differ in some respects from those obtained by recombinant library methods (phage or transgenic mouse) and possess distinct properties that may make them ideal therapeutics for human viral diseases. Methods for cloning native human antibodies have been beset by technical problems, yet many antibodies specific for viral antigens have been cloned. In the present review, we discuss native human antibodies and ongoing improvements in cloning methods that should facilitate the creation of novel, potent antiviral therapeutics obtained from the native human antibody repertoire.

Establishment of human heterohybridoma and lymphoblastoid cell lines specific for the Rh D and C antigens

Human monoclonal antibodies specific for the D antigen of the Rh system are valuable tools for blood group typing and prevention of erythroblastosis. In this study, peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from an Rh-negative woman immunized with Rh-positive fetuses were immortalized with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) secreting antibodies to Rh antigens were generated. The presence of specific antibody was assessed by direct haemagglutination using Rh-positive, papain-treated red blood cells (RBCs), and the production of human antibody was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Specificities of the antibodies were determined by a panel of RBCs of known Rh phenotypes. Five LCLs produced antibody specific for the D antigen, and one LCL showed specificity towards the C antigen of the Rh blood group system. High-titre anti-Rh antibody-producing LCLs were subsequently selected and fused with a human x mouse heteromyeloma cell line. A hybridoma line producing human antibody of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) isotype, which strongly reacted with the D antigen, was established. The hybridoma was cloned, and the monoclone has been stable for growth and antibody production during 8 months of continuous culture, with a mean antibody concentration of 11.5 microg mL-1 and haemagglutination titre of 1/20 480. This antibody was not able to agglutinate a sample of native weak D RBCs (Du); however, agglutination was achieved with papain-treated Du RBCs. Immunoprecipitation of the D antigen by this antibody, followed by Western blot analysis, did not reveal any immobilized D-specific polypeptide. As this human antibody readily agglutinates D+ RBCs in saline, it has the potential to be used as an efficient reagent in routine blood group typing.

Modulations of anti-D affinity following promiscuous binding of the heavy chain with naïve light chains

BACKGROUND

It is generally accepted that the antibody heavy (H) chain is more important than the light (L) chain for determining antigen specificity. In the case of anti-D, the predominant role of H chains in antigen binding is well recognized, but much less is known about the function of L chains. In this work, the contribution of L chains from non-D-immunized donors to the specificity and reactivity of anti-Ds was studied with L-chain shuffling.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A kappa L chain library was recombined with the H chain of the 43F10 anti-D in a phagemid vector system (pComb3H, Scripps Institute). D-specific F(ab) phages were selected by panning on RBCs. Soluble F(ab)s were prepared, and their reactivity was assessed by RBC agglutination. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the variable region of the L chains were analyzed.

RESULTS

The L chains of the six D-specific 43F10 F(ab) clones studied used five different germline genes from three Vkappa families and three different Jkappa segments. The L chains were all cationic with isoelectric points ranging from 8.1 to 10.2.

CONCLUSION

The 43F10 anti-D H chain could bind promiscuously to a diversity of L chains from non-D-immunized donors without losing the D-antigen specificity. Relationships between the anti-D affinity and the cationic charge of the L chain as well as with the presence of an arginine residue in the L-chain complementarity-determining region 1 were observed.

The human immune response to red blood cell antigens as revealed by repertoire cloning

A major goal of current immunologic research is to develop specific therapeutic strategies by which the enormous diversity in immune response can be enhanced, attenuated, or eliminated, depending on the particular disease process. For nearly a century, the human immune response to red blood cell antigens has served as a paradigm for understanding the pathophysiology of autoimmune disorders and alloimmune reactions to foreign cells and tissues. Recent developments in molecular biology have facilitated the expression of immune repertoires in the form of immunoglobulin Fab fragments on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage. Such approaches have provided powerful means for producing monoclonal antibodies for research, clinical, and therapeutic applications. Our laboratory has combined these techniques with novel cell-surface selection methods to isolate extraordinarily large arrays of human antibodies to the clinically relevant red blood cell Rh(D) antigen. Our results have provided a comprehensive genetic and serologic analysis of anit-Rh(D) antibodies within single alloimmunized individuals thereby offering new insights into the development of human immune repertoires.

Isolation of cell surface-specific human monoclonal antibodies using phage display and magnetically-activated cell sorting: applications in immunohematology

A method is described for the isolation of filamentous phage-displayed human monoclonal antibodies directed at unpurifiable cell surface-expressed molecules. To optimize the capture of antigen-specific phage and minimize the binding of irrelevant phage antibodies, a simultaneous positive and negative selection strategy is employed. Cells bearing the antigen of interest are pre-coated with magnetic beads and diluted into an excess of unmodified antigen-negative cells. Following incubation of the cell admixture with a Fab/phage library, the antigen-positive cell population is retrieved using magnetically-activated cell sorting and antigen-specific Fab/phage are eluted and propagated in bacterial culture. Utilizing this protocol with magnetically-labeled Rh(D)-positive and excess unlabeled Rh(D)-negative human red blood cells and a Fab/phage library constructed from human peripheral blood lymphocytes, dozens of unique clinically-useful gamma 1 kappa and gamma 1 lambda anti-Rh(D) antibodies were isolated from a single alloimmunized individual. This cell-surface selection method is readily adaptable for use in other systems, such as for the identification of putative tumor-specific antigens and provides a rapid (< 1 month), high-yield approach for isolating self-replicative antibody reagents directed at novel or conformationally-dependent cell-surface epitopes.