Cloning and expression of functional single-chain Fv antibodies directed against NIa and coat proteins of potato virus Y

A Novel Specific Single-Chain Variable Fragment Diagnostic System for Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), one of the most important viral marine pathogens worldwide, has a broad range of hosts, such as members of the families Salmonidae and Paralichthyidae. In addition to being highly contagious, VHSV causes high lethality. The transmission of VHSV can be both vertical and horizontal. In fish, the resolution of VHSV infection is challenging. Thus, early diagnosis of VHSV infections is critical, especially in fish farms that have a high population of juvenile fish. Serological methods are commonly used to detect viral antigens. However, limited serological methods are available for marine viruses. In this study, a VHSV-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv), E5, was selected using the yeast surface display and phage display systems. scFv, a type of recombinant antibody, comprises a variable heavy chain ([Formula: see text]) and a variable light chain ([Formula: see text]) connected by a polypeptide linker. An scFv clone was selected from the VHSV glycoprotein-expressing yeast cells using the bio-panning method. The scFv-encoding gene was subcloned and expressed in the Escherichia coli expression system. The binding affinity of the expressed and purified scFv protein was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting. Thus, this study reported a method to identify VHSV-specific scFv using bio-panning that can be utilized to develop a diagnostic system for other viruses.

Expression and characterization of a recombinant broadly-reactive monoclonal antibody against group 1 and 2 influenza viruses

Production of broadly-reactive antibodies is critical for universal immunodiagnosis of rapidly-evolving influenza viruses. Most monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are generated in mice using the hybridoma technology which involves labor- and time-consuming screening and low yield issues. In this study, a recombinant antibody based on a broadly-reactive mAb against the hemagglutinin (HA) stalk of H7N9 avian influenza virus was expressed in CHO cells and its biological characteristics, cross-reactivity and epitope recognition were identified. The variable genes of the parental antibody were amplified and cloned into the antibody-expressing plasmids containing the constant genes of murine IgG1. The recombinant antibody was expressed in high yield and purity in CHO cells and showed similar features to the parental antibody, including negative hemagglutination inhibition activity against H7N9 virus and high binding activity with the H7N9 HA protein. Notably, the recombinant antibody exhibited a broad reactivity with different influenza subtypes belonging to group 1 and group 2, which was associated with its recognition of a highly-conserved epitope in the stalk, as observed for the parental antibody. Our results suggest that cell-based antibody expression system can be utilized as an important alternative to the hybridoma technology for antibody production for influenza virus diagnostics.

Development of novel detection system for sweet potato leaf curl virus using recombinant scFv

Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) causes yield losses in sweet potato cultivation. Diagnostic techniques such as serological detection have been developed because these plant viruses are difficult to treat. Serological assays have been used extensively with recombinant antibodies such as whole immunoglobulin or single-chain variable fragments (scFv). An scFv consists of variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) chains joined with a short, flexible peptide linker. An scFv can serve as a diagnostic application using various combinations of variable chains. Two SPLCV-specific scFv clones, F7 and G7, were screened by bio-panning process with a yeast cell which expressed coat protein (CP) of SPLCV. The scFv genes were subcloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The binding affinity and characteristics of the expressed proteins were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using SPLCV-infected plant leaves. Virus-specific scFv selection by a combination of yeast-surface display and scFv-phage display can be applied to detection of any virus.

Engineered Antibody Fragments for Immunodiagnosis of Papaya ringspot virus

The present study was undertaken to clone and express the genes encoding antibody to the recombinant coat protein (rCP) of Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and to assess the engineered antibody for the detection of PRSV. A 33-kDa rCP of PRSV, which was produced in Escherichia coli, generated PRSV specific antibody in immunized mouse. The heavy and light chain variable domain genes (VH and VL) of 351 and 360 nucleotides, respectively, were cloned from the mRNA isolated from the spleen of the immunized mouse with rCP of PRSV. The VH and VL belong to the family IgG1 and kappa chain, respectively, and contained the framework regions and complementarity determining regions. The VH and VL genes were individually used to develop the expression constructs in pET28a (+) vector and 14-kDa proteins were obtained in E. coli. The amount of purified VH and VL proteins was 3-4 mg/l of bacterial culture. Both the antibody fragments recognized PRSV in the crude sap; however, the VL antibody fragment showed higher affinity to PRSV. The mixture of VH and VL detected PRSV as effectively as polyclonal antibody. The recombinant antibody fragments mixture detected PRSV in the field samples with 100 % accuracy in dot immunobinding assay (DIBA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sensitivity of the detection of PRSV using antibody fragments was 1.0 and 10.0 ng in DIBA and ELISA, respectively. The results showed successful isolation of functional single-domain antibody encoding genes to PRSV directly from the immunized spleen cells of mouse. This study for the first time demonstrates application of bacterial expressed recombinant antibody fragments in immunodiagnosis of PRSV.

A Strategy for Generating a Broad-Spectrum Monoclonal Antibody and Soluble Single-Chain Variable Fragments against Plant Potyviruses

Potyviruses are major pathogens that often cause mixed infection in calla lilies. To reduce the time and cost of virus indexing, a detection method for the simultaneous targeting of multiple potyviruses was developed by generating a broad-spectrum monoclonal antibody (MAb) for detecting the greatest possible number of potyviruses. The conserved 121-amino-acid core regions of the capsid proteins of Dasheen mosaic potyvirus (DsMV), Konjak mosaic potyvirus (KoMV), and Zantedeschia mild mosaic potyvirus (ZaMMV) were sequentially concatenated and expressed as a recombinant protein for immunization. After hybridoma cell fusion and selection, one stable cell line that secreted a group-specific antibody, named C4 MAb, was selected. In the reaction spectrum test, the C4 MAb detected at least 14 potyviruses by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the variable regions of the heavy (VH) and light (VL) chains of the C4 MAb were separately cloned and constructed as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) for expression in Escherichia coli. Moreover, the pectate lyase E (PelE) signal peptide of Erwinia chrysanthemi S3-1 was added to promote the secretion of C4 scFvs into the medium. According to Western blot analysis and I-ELISA, the soluble C4 scFv (VL-VH) fragment showed a binding specificity similar to that of the C4 MAb. Our results demonstrate that a recombinant protein derived from fusion of the conserved regions of viral proteins has the potential to produce a broad-spectrum MAb against a large group of viruses and that the PelE signal peptide can improve the secretion of scFvs in E. coli.

Engineered single-chain variable fragment antibody for immunodiagnosis of groundnut bud necrosis virus infection

Few studies have been done on engineered antibodies for diagnosis of tospovirus infections. The present study was undertaken to develop a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) for specific diagnosis of infection by groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV), the most prevalent serogroup IV tospovirus in India. Heavy chain (372 nucleotide [nt]) and light chain (363 nt) variable region clones obtained from a hybridoma were used to make an scFv construct that expressed a ~29-kDa protein in E. coli. The scFv specifically detected GBNV in field samples of cowpea, groundnut, mung bean, and tomato, and it did not recognize watermelon bud necrosis virus, a close relative of GBNV belonging to tospovirus serogroup IV. This study for the first time demonstrated the application of a functional scFv against a serogroup-IV tospovirus.

A stable cytosolic expression of VH antibody fragment directed against PVY NIa protein in transgenic potato plant confers partial protection against the virus

The expression of recombinant antibodies in transgenic plants has been proved to be an efficient approach for large-scale production. However, the stability of these molecules and their accumulation level depend on their molecular properties and cellular targeting. The expression of single-domain antibody fragment (VH) can be advantageous since it offers small length, high expression, solubility and stability. It can therefore be preferred to other antibody derivatives avoiding the expression difficulties related to immunoglobulin domain folding via the formation of disulfide bridge. This report describes the production of transgenic potato plants expressing a VH antibody directed against the NIa protease of potato virus Y. The antibody was driven by the constitutive CaMV 35S RNA promoter. The expression cassette was transferred into potato plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. All transgenic lines showed detectable levels of VH protein confirming the efficient translation and stability of this protein. The cellular localisation of the VH antibody was investigated. Transgenic and control plants were transferred in the greenhouse and mechanically inoculated by PVY(o) suspension. Some of the transgenic lines showed delayed symptoms at the first period post inoculation and then displayed a recovery phenomenon while the virions were still detected in the leaves.