Development of an enzyme-linked immunoassay for the quantification of YKL-40 (cartilage gp-39) in guinea pig serum using hen egg yolk antibodies

Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 have similar allergenic activity and are substantially redundant

BACKGROUND

The moderately homologous (approx. 60%) proteins Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 are the most potent peanut allergens. This study was designed to define the relative individual contributions of Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 to the overall allergenic activity of a crude peanut extract (CPE).

METHODS

Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 were removed from CPE by gel filtration chromatography. Ara h 2.01, Ara h 2.02 and Ara h 6 were further purified (>99%). The potency of each allergen and the ability of these allergens to reconstitute the allergenic activity of CPE depleted of Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 was measured with RBL SX-38 cells sensitized with IgE from sensitized peanut allergic patients.

RESULTS

The potency of the native proteins were significantly different (p < 0.0001) although not dramatically so, with a rank order of Ara h 2.01 > Ara h 2.02 > Ara h 6. The addition of either purified Ara h 2 or Ara h 6 independently at their original concentration to CPE depleted of both Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 restored 80-100% of the original CPE allergenic activity. Addition of both Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 consistently completely restored the allergenic activity of CPE.

CONCLUSIONS

These studies indicate that either Ara h 2 or Ara h 6 independently can account for most of the allergenic activity in a CPE and demonstrate important redundancy in the allergenic activity of these related molecules.

Stimulation of IgY responses in gene gun immunized laying hens by combined administration of vector DNA coding for the target antigen Botulinum toxin A1 and for avian cytokine adjuvants

DNA immunization is a convenient and effective way of inducing a specific antibody response. In mammals, co-administration of vectors encoding immunostimulatory cytokines can enhance the humoral response resulting in elevated antibody titers. We therefore set out to investigate the effect using avian interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and avian interleukin 6 (IL-6) as genetic adjuvants when immunizing laying hens. A BoNT A1 holotoxoid DNA immunogen carrying two inactivating mutations was evaluated for its ability to induce a specific and sustained IgY antibody response. Both the holotoxoid and the cytokine sequences were codon-optimized. In vitro, the proteins were efficiently expressed in transfected HEK 293T cells and the cytokines were secreted into the culture supernatants. Whereas eggs from hens immunized via gene gun using a prime boost strategy showed no differences in their total IgY content, the specific αBoNT A1 response was slightly elevated up to 1.4× by the IL-1β adjuvant vector and increased by 3.8× by the IL-6 vector. Finally, although hens receiving the IL-1β adjuvant had laying capacities above the average, hens receiving the IL-6 adjuvant experienced laying problems.

Monitoring of laying capacity, immunoglobulin Y concentration, and antibody titer development in chickens immunized with ricin and botulinum toxins over a two-year period

One of the key benefits in using chickens for immunization is the high yield of antibodies obtainable. It is known that egg production decreases over time, while animal maintenance costs remain stable. It would, however, be desirable to keep hens as long as possible to obtain maximal amounts of antibodies. To identify a suitable length of time that animals can be kept and to optimize the cost:yield ratio, we monitored the number of eggs laid, the total amount of chicken IgY, and the specific antibody titer from individually prepared eggs over a 2-yr period. The plant toxin ricin and the Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins type A and B were used to immunize 4 chickens. The number of eggs laid in 2 yr was approximately 600 per hen (about 80% of the maximum egg number), yielding about 20 to 40 g of total IgY per hen. A stable antibody titer of 1:100,000 to 1:1,000,000, as measured by ELISA, was obtained following up to 11 injections of 10 to 20 microg of immobilized native toxin. Laying capacities were found to decrease, on average, from 7 eggs/wk at the point of first immunization to 2 eggs/wk after more than 2 yr. In parallel, the yield of total and specific IgY increased over time, so that the antibody recovery remained high, even after prolonged immunization times. Using purified IgY preparations, classical immunological assays such as ELISA and Western blotting were performed. Furthermore, the IgY showed neutralizing capacity when used to block the functional activity of the toxins both in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of the total IgY content over time demonstrated a complex biological oscillation (and the antigen-specific titer), with a shorter time period of around 7 d (circaseptan rhythm). In summary, we successfully immunized chickens with ricin and botulinum neurotoxins and monitored laying capacity, IgY concentration, and specific antibody titer over an extended period of 2 yr.

Application of biomarkers in the clinical development of new drugs for chondroprotection in destructive joint diseases: a review

Emerging evidence supports the concept that biochemical markers are clinically useful non-invasive diagnostic tools for the monitoring of changes in cartilage turnover in patients with destructive joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Epidemiological studies demonstrated that measurements of different degradation products of proteins in the extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage in urine or serum samples are (1) increased in OA or RA patients compared with healthy individuals, (2) correlate with disease activity, and (3) are predictive for the rate of changes in radiographic measures of cartilage loss. The present review provides an updated list of available biomarkers and summarize the research data arguing for their clinical utility. In addition, it addresses the question whether or not the monitoring of biomarkers during different treatment modalities could be a useful approach to characterize the chondro-protective effects of approved and candidate drugs. Finally, it briefly reviews the in vitro/ex vivo experimental settings - isolated chondrocyte cultures and articular cartilage explants - that can assist in the verification of novel markers, but also studies assessing direct effects of drug candidates on chondrocytes. Collectively, biomarkers may acquire a function as established efficacy parameters in the clinical development of novel chondro-protective agents.

Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies Specific for the γ Chain of Human Hemoglobin for Diagnosis of Thalassemia

Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) technology was used to generate anti-hemoglobin Bart's (Hb Bart's) IgY antibodies (Abs) for development into an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for thalassemia diagnosis. Hb Bart's purified from the hemolysate of a patient with Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis (homozygous alpha-thalassemia) was used to immunize a chicken via the pectoralis muscle. After water dilution and sodium sulfate precipitation, 40 to 70 mg of IgY could be extracted from an egg. IgY, first detected in sera 2 weeks after immunization, reached the highest titer at week 4, and the titer remained stable for at least 2 weeks before declining. The pattern of Ab response in the yolk was the same as in the serum but was somewhat delayed. The IgY Abs produced reacted with gamma globin, Hb Bart's, Hb F, normal cord hemolysate (Hbs F plus A), and Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis (Hbs Bart's plus Portland) and to a lesser degree with beta globin, Hb A, Hb A2 and adult hemolysate (Hbs A plus A2), but the Abs did not react with alpha globin. Immunoaffinity purification with Hb A coupled to Sepharose was used to isolate an unbound IgY that reacted with Hb F, Hb Bart's, and gamma globin, and this IgY was used to develop an ELISA test for thalassemia diagnosis. The results of direct ELISA analyses of 336 hemolysate samples from individuals with various known thalassemia genotypes and phenotypes and from healthy individuals confirmed the specificity of the polyclonal Abs for Hbs containing Hb F and Hb Bart's. This specificity, which was due to the Abs' strong reactivity in cases of pathologic thalassemic diseases and weak reactivity in cases of nonpathologic thalassemic diseases, depended on the levels of Hb Bart's and Hb F.

Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY-technology): a review of progress in production and use in research and human and veterinary medicine

The production of antibodies (Abs) in chickens and the extraction of specific Abs from egg yolk (IgY Abs) are increasingly attracting the interest of the scientific community, as demonstrated by the significant growth of the IgY literature. This review offers detailed and comprehensive information about IgY-technology, including: a) possibilities for hen keeping in accordance with the Three Rs principles; b) new insights into the IgY transfer mechanism from blood to yolk as a biological basis for the technology; c) the comparative characteristics of IgY Abs and IgG Abs; d) the high efficacy of the technique, in view of the extraordinary amount of IgY Ab produced by one hen in one year (between 20 g and 40 g IgY in total); e) comparisons between the efficacies of IgY Abs and IgG Abs (rabbit, sheep, mouse) in several immunological assays; f) immunisation protocols, as well as the most commonly used IgY-extraction procedures; g) new possibilities for application in human and veterinary medicine, including strategies for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection or fatal intestinal diseases in children, particularly in poor countries, for reducing the use of antibiotics, and, in Asia and South America, for producing Abs against snake, spider and scorpion venoms; and h) the use of IgY Abs in various fields of research, also taking into consideration recent developments in South America (particularly Argentina and Cuba) and in Asia.

High binding capacity of cyclophilin B to chondrocyte heparan sulfate proteoglycans and its release from the cell surface by matrix metalloproteinases: possible role as a proinflammatory mediator in arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To study cyclophilin B, a protein newly identified as a secretion product of cultured chondrocytes, in the context of chondrocyte pathobiology.

METHODS

Cyclophilin B was purified by sequential chromatographic processing of the secretion medium of cultured guinea pig chondrocytes. Its presence both at the surface of chondrocyte monolayers and in cartilage was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Binding sites at the surface of chondrocytes were characterized by Scatchard plot analysis using (125)I-labeled cyclophilin B, and by glycosidase treatments. The release of cyclophilin B from chondrocytes by activated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was studied by Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Cyclophilin B was present at the surface of cultured chondrocytes and within cartilage, both in cells and in the extracellular matrix, with a particularly intense staining in the superficial layer. It was secreted constitutively by chondrocytes and cartilage explants. Its secretion was enhanced after treatment with its pharmacologic binding partner, cyclosporin A (CSA). Experiments with (125)I-labeled cyclophilin B demonstrated the presence of high-capacity, low-affinity, NaCl-sensitive binding sites at the surface of chondrocytes. Cell-bound cyclophilin B could be released by heparinase treatment, demonstrating binding to pericellular heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). Chondroitinase or keratanase treatments had no effect. MMPs 1, 2, 3, 9, and 13 released intact cyclophilin B from the cell surface, probably by cleavage of HSPGs. This effect was reversed by the broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, marimastat.

CONCLUSION

Cyclophilin B is a secreted CSA-binding protein involved in inflammatory events. It can induce chemotaxis in human neutrophils and T lymphocytes. The finding that cyclophilin B is an intrinsic component of cartilage and that it can be released by MMPs suggests that it has a role in the pathogenesis of arthritic diseases, even more so since its signaling receptor is present within the inflamed joint both on T cells and in the rheumatoid synovium.

YKL-40 (cartilage gp-39) induces proliferative events in cultured chondrocytes and synoviocytes and increases glycosaminoglycan synthesis in chondrocytes

YKL-40 (cartilage gp-39), is a mammalian glycoprotein related in sequence to chitinases. Its function is unknown, but it is thought to be involved in tissue remodeling. Immunocytochemical staining of YKL-40 in guinea pig chondrocytes (GPC), rabbit chondrocytes (RC), and rabbit synoviocytes (RS) was higher in dividing cells than in confluent cells, suggesting a participation of YKL-40 in cell cycle events. As assessed by the MTT assay, YKL-40 at 1.9-7.6 nM had dose-dependent mitogenic activity toward the three cell types. At 7.6 nM, YKL-40 increased the number of cells of 42% in GPC, 75% in RC, and 86% in RS after 72 h. YKL-40 also stimulated total proteoglycan synthesis by chondrocytes in a dose-dependent manner as assessed by Na[35SO4] incorporation and cetylpyridinium chloride precipitation. At 9.4 nM, YKL-40 increased proteoglycan synthesis of 42% in GPC and 58% in RC after 24 h. The growth factor properties of YKL-40 may explain the increased tissue remodeling associated with high levels of YKL-40 in joint diseases, and possibly, in malignant pathologies such as breast cancer or colorectal cancer.