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Hennigan JN, Menacho-Melgar R, Sarkar P, Golovsky M, Lynch MD. Scalable, Robust, High-throughput Expression & Purification of Nanobodies Enabled by 2-Stage Dynamic Control. Metab Eng 2024:S1096-7176(24)00102-2. [PMID: 39059674 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2024.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Nanobodies are single-domain antibody fragments that have garnered considerable use as diagnostic and therapeutic agents as well as research tools. However, obtaining pure VHHs, like many proteins, can be laborious and inconsistent. High level cytoplasmic expression in E. coli can be challenging due to improper folding and insoluble aggregation caused by reduction of the conserved disulfide bond. We report a systems engineering approach leveraging engineered strains of E. coli, in combination with a two-stage process and simplified downstream purification, enabling improved, robust, soluble cytoplasmic nanobody expression, as well as rapid cell autolysis and purification. This approach relies on the dynamic control over the reduction potential of the cytoplasm, incorporates lysis enzymes for purification, and can also integrate dynamic expression of protein folding catalysts. Collectively, the engineered system results in more robust growth and protein expression, enabling efficient scalable nanobody production, and purification from high throughput microtiter plates, to routine shake flask cultures and larger instrumented bioreactors. We expect this system will expedite VHH development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Payel Sarkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC
| | | | - Michael D Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC.
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2
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Rodriguez Rodriguez ER, Nordvang RT, Petersson M, Rendsvig JKH, Arendrup EW, Fernández Quintero ML, Jenkins TP, Laustsen AH, Thrane SW. Fit-for-purpose heterodivalent single-domain antibody for gastrointestinal targeting of toxin B from Clostridium difficile. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5035. [PMID: 38923049 PMCID: PMC11201815 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), such as VHHs, are increasingly being developed for gastrointestinal (GI) applications against pathogens to strengthen gut health. However, what constitutes a suitable developability profile for applying these proteins in a gastrointestinal setting remains poorly explored. Here, we describe an in vitro methodology for the identification of sdAb derivatives, more specifically divalent VHH constructs, that display extraordinary developability properties for oral delivery and functionality in the GI environment. We showcase this by developing a heterodivalent VHH construct that cross-inhibits the toxic activity of the glycosyltransferase domains (GTDs) from three different toxinotypes of cytotoxin B (TcdB) from lineages of Clostridium difficile. We show that the VHH construct possesses high stability and binding activity under gastric conditions, in the presence of bile salts, and at high temperatures. We suggest that the incorporation of early developability assessment could significantly aid in the efficient discovery of VHHs and related constructs fit for oral delivery and GI applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcus Petersson
- Bactolife A/SCopenhagen EastDenmark
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | | | | | | | - Timothy P. Jenkins
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Andreas H. Laustsen
- Bactolife A/SCopenhagen EastDenmark
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
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3
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Pourliotopoulou E, Karampatakis T, Kachrimanidou M. Exploring the Toxin-Mediated Mechanisms in Clostridioides difficile Infection. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1004. [PMID: 38792835 PMCID: PMC11124097 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12051004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and colitis, with increasing incidence and healthcare costs. Its pathogenesis is primarily driven by toxins produced by the bacterium C. difficile, Toxin A (TcdA) and Toxin B (TcdB). Certain strains produce an additional toxin, the C. difficile transferase (CDT), which further enhances the virulence and pathogenicity of C. difficile. These toxins disrupt colonic epithelial barrier integrity, and induce inflammation and cellular damage, leading to CDI symptoms. Significant progress has been made in the past decade in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of TcdA, TcdB, and CDT, which provide insights into the management of CDI and the future development of novel treatment strategies based on anti-toxin therapies. While antibiotics are common treatments, high recurrence rates necessitate alternative therapies. Bezlotoxumab, targeting TcdB, is the only available anti-toxin, yet limitations persist, prompting ongoing research. This review highlights the current knowledge of the structure and mechanism of action of C. difficile toxins and their role in disease. By comprehensively describing the toxin-mediated mechanisms, this review provides insights for the future development of novel treatment strategies and the management of CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evdokia Pourliotopoulou
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | | | - Melania Kachrimanidou
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;
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4
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Liu ML, Liang XM, Jin MY, Huang HW, Luo L, Wang H, Shen X, Xu ZL. Food-Borne Biotoxin Neutralization in Vivo by Nanobodies: Current Status and Prospects. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:10753-10771. [PMID: 38706131 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c02257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Food-borne biotoxins from microbes, plants, or animals contaminate unclean, spoiled, and rotten foods, posing significant health risks. Neutralizing such toxins is vital for human health, especially after food poisoning. Nanobodies (Nbs), a type of single-domain antibodies derived from the genetic cloning of a variable domain of heavy chain antibodies (VHHs) in camels, offer unique advantages in toxin neutralization. Their small size, high stability, and precise binding enable effective neutralization. The use of Nbs in neutralizing food-borne biotoxins offers numerous benefits, and their genetic malleability allows tailored optimization for diverse toxins. As nanotechnology continues to evolve and improve, Nbs are poised to become increasingly efficient and safer tools for toxin neutralization, playing a pivotal role in safeguarding human health and environmental safety. This review not only highlights the efficacy of these agents in neutralizing toxins but also proposes innovative solutions to address their current challenges. It lays a solid foundation for their further development in this crucial field and propels their commercial application, thereby contributing significantly to advancements in this domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Ling Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Xiao-Min Liang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Ming-Yu Jin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- School of Life and Health Technology, Dongguan, University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Hui-Wei Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Lin Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Xing Shen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Zhen-Lin Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Research Center for Green Development of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
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5
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McComb S, Arbabi-Ghahroudi M, Hay KA, Keller BA, Faulkes S, Rutherford M, Nguyen T, Shepherd A, Wu C, Marcil A, Aubry A, Hussack G, Pinto DM, Ryan S, Raphael S, van Faassen H, Zafer A, Zhu Q, Maclean S, Chattopadhyay A, Gurnani K, Gilbert R, Gadoury C, Iqbal U, Fatehi D, Jezierski A, Huang J, Pon RA, Sigrist M, Holt RA, Nelson BH, Atkins H, Kekre N, Yung E, Webb J, Nielsen JS, Weeratna RD. Discovery and preclinical development of a therapeutically active nanobody-based chimeric antigen receptor targeting human CD22. MOLECULAR THERAPY. ONCOLOGY 2024; 32:200775. [PMID: 38596311 PMCID: PMC10914482 DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies targeting B cell-restricted antigens CD19, CD20, or CD22 can produce potent clinical responses for some B cell malignancies, but relapse remains common. Camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs or nanobodies) are smaller, simpler, and easier to recombine than single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) used in most CARs, but fewer sdAb-CARs have been reported. Thus, we sought to identify a therapeutically active sdAb-CAR targeting human CD22. Immunization of an adult Llama glama with CD22 protein, sdAb-cDNA library construction, and phage panning yielded >20 sdAbs with diverse epitope and binding properties. Expressing CD22-sdAb-CAR in Jurkat cells drove varying CD22-specific reactivity not correlated with antibody affinity. Changing CD28- to CD8-transmembrane design increased CAR persistence and expression in vitro. CD22-sdAb-CAR candidates showed similar CD22-dependent CAR-T expansion in vitro, although only membrane-proximal epitope targeting CD22-sdAb-CARs activated direct cytolytic killing and extended survival in a lymphoma xenograft model. Based on enhanced survival in blinded xenograft studies, a lead CD22sdCAR-T was selected, achieving comparable complete responses to a benchmark short linker m971-scFv CAR-T in high-dose experiments. Finally, immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry confirm tissue and cellular-level specificity of the lead CD22-sdAb. This presents a complete report on preclinical development of a novel CD22sdCAR therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott McComb
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mehdi Arbabi-Ghahroudi
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kevin A. Hay
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Division of Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian A. Keller
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, The Ottawa Hospital/University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sharlene Faulkes
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Rutherford
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, The Ottawa Hospital/University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of Hematopathology and Transfusion Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital/University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tina Nguyen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Alex Shepherd
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Cunle Wu
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Anne Marcil
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Annie Aubry
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Devanand M. Pinto
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shalini Raphael
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ahmed Zafer
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Qin Zhu
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Susanne Maclean
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Anindita Chattopadhyay
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Komal Gurnani
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Rénald Gilbert
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Christine Gadoury
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Umar Iqbal
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dorothy Fatehi
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Anna Jezierski
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jez Huang
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Robert A. Pon
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mhairi Sigrist
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert A. Holt
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Brad H. Nelson
- Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Harold Atkins
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Natasha Kekre
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Eric Yung
- Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - John Webb
- Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Julie S. Nielsen
- Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Risini D. Weeratna
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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6
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Campidelli C, Bruxelle JF, Collignon A, Péchiné S. Immunization Strategies Against Clostridioides difficile. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1435:117-150. [PMID: 38175474 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-42108-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is an important healthcare but also a community-associated disease. CDI is considered a public health threat and an economic burden. A major problem is the high rate of recurrences. Besides classical antibiotic treatments, new therapeutic strategies are needed to prevent infection, to treat patients, and to prevent recurrences. If fecal transplantation has been recommended to treat recurrences, another key approach is to elicit immunity against C. difficile and its virulence factors. Here, after a summary concerning the virulence factors, the host immune response against C. difficile, and its role in the outcome of disease, we review the different approaches of passive immunotherapies and vaccines developed against CDI. Passive immunization strategies are designed in function of the target antigen, the antibody-based product, and its administration route. Similarly, for active immunization strategies, vaccine antigens can target toxins or surface proteins, and immunization can be performed by parenteral or mucosal routes. For passive immunization and vaccination as well, we first present immunization assays performed in animal models and second in humans and associated clinical trials. The different studies are presented according to the mode of administration either parenteral or mucosal and the target antigens and either toxins or colonization factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Campidelli
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-François Bruxelle
- CIRI-Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm U1111, CNRS UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Anne Collignon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Severine Péchiné
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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7
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Bratkovič T, Zahirović A, Bizjak M, Rupnik M, Štrukelj B, Berlec A. New treatment approaches for Clostridioides difficile infections: alternatives to antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation. Gut Microbes 2024; 16:2337312. [PMID: 38591915 PMCID: PMC11005816 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2337312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile causes a range of debilitating intestinal symptoms that may be fatal. It is particularly problematic as a hospital-acquired infection, causing significant costs to the health care system. Antibiotics, such as vancomycin and fidaxomicin, are still the drugs of choice for C. difficile infections, but their effectiveness is limited, and microbial interventions are emerging as a new treatment option. This paper focuses on alternative treatment approaches, which are currently in various stages of development and can be divided into four therapeutic strategies. Direct killing of C. difficile (i) includes beside established antibiotics, less studied bacteriophages, and their derivatives, such as endolysins and tailocins. Restoration of microbiota composition and function (ii) is achieved with fecal microbiota transplantation, which has recently been approved, with standardized defined microbial mixtures, and with probiotics, which have been administered with moderate success. Prevention of deleterious effects of antibiotics on microbiota is achieved with agents for the neutralization of antibiotics that act in the gut and are nearing regulatory approval. Neutralization of C. difficile toxins (iii) which are crucial virulence factors is achieved with antibodies/antibody fragments or alternative binding proteins. Of these, the monoclonal antibody bezlotoxumab is already in clinical use. Immunomodulation (iv) can help eliminate or prevent C. difficile infection by interfering with cytokine signaling. Small-molecule agents without bacteriolytic activity are usually selected by drug repurposing and can act via a variety of mechanisms. The multiple treatment options described in this article provide optimism for the future treatment of C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomaž Bratkovič
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Abida Zahirović
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maruša Bizjak
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Rupnik
- National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Prvomajska 1, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Borut Štrukelj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleš Berlec
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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8
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Yeh YH, Kelly VW, Pour RR, Sirk SJ. A molecular toolkit for heterologous protein secretion across Bacteroides species. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.14.571725. [PMID: 38168418 PMCID: PMC10760143 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.14.571725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Bacteroides species are abundant and prevalent stably colonizing members of the human gut microbiota, making them a promising chassis for developing long-term interventions for chronic diseases. Engineering these bacteria as on-site production and delivery vehicles for biologic drugs or diagnostics, however, requires efficient heterologous protein secretion tools, which are currently lacking. To address this limitation, we systematically investigated methods to enable heterologous protein secretion in Bacteroides using both endogenous and exogenous secretion systems. Here, we report a collection of secretion carriers that can export functional proteins across multiple Bacteroides species at high titers. To understand the mechanistic drivers of Bacteroides secretion, we characterized signal peptide sequence features as well as post-secretion extracellular fate and cargo size limit of protein cargo. To increase titers and enable flexible control of protein secretion, we developed a strong, self-contained, inducible expression circuit. Finally, we validated the functionality of our secretion carriers in vivo in a mouse model. This toolkit should enable expanded development of long-term living therapeutic interventions for chronic gastrointestinal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hsuan Yeh
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Vince W. Kelly
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Rahman Rahman Pour
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Present address: Perlumi, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Shannon J. Sirk
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Lead Contact
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9
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Vance DJ, Rudolph MJ, Davis SA, Mantis NJ. Structural Basis of Antibody-Mediated Inhibition of Ricin Toxin Attachment to Host Cells. Biochemistry 2023; 62:3181-3187. [PMID: 37903428 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies, JB4 and SylH3, neutralize ricin toxin (RT) by inhibiting the galactose-specific lectin activity of the B subunit of the toxin (RTB), which is required for cell attachment and entry. It is not immediately apparent how the antibodies accomplish this feat, considering that RTB consists of two globular domains (D1, D2) each divided into three homologous subdomains (α, β, γ) with the two functional galactosyl-specific carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) situated on opposite poles (subdomains 1α and 2γ). Here, we report the X-ray crystal structures of JB4 and SylH3 Fab fragments bound to RTB in the context of RT. The structures revealed that neither Fab obstructed nor induced detectable conformational alterations in subdomains 1α or 2γ. Rather, JB4 and SylH3 Fabs recognize nearly identical epitopes within an ancillary carbohydrate recognition pocket located in subdomain 1β. Despite limited amino acid sequence similarity between SylH3 and JB4 Fabs, each paratope inserts a Phe side chain from the heavy (H) chain complementarity determining region (CDR3) into the 1β CRD pocket, resulting in local aromatic stacking interactions that potentially mimic a ligand interaction. Reconciling the fact that stoichiometric amounts of SylH3 and JB4 are sufficient to disarm RTB's lectin activity without evidence of allostery, we propose that subdomain 1β functions as a "coreceptor" required to stabilize glycan interactions principally mediated by subdomains 1α and 2γ. Further investigation into subdomain 1β will yield fundamental insights into the large family of R-type lectins and open novel avenues for countermeasures aimed at preventing toxin uptake into vulnerable tissues and cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Vance
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12208, United States
| | - Michael J Rudolph
- New York Structural Biology Center, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Simon A Davis
- New York Structural Biology Center, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Nicholas J Mantis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12208, United States
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10
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Bharathkar SK, Miller MJ, Stadtmueller BM. Engineered Secretory Immunoglobulin A provides insights on antibody-based effector mechanisms targeting Clostridiodes difficile. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.08.566291. [PMID: 37986930 PMCID: PMC10659285 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.08.566291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Secretory (S) Immunoglobin (Ig) A is the predominant mucosal antibody, which mediates host interactions with commensal and pathogenic microbes, including Clostridioides difficile. SIgA adopts a polymeric IgA structure that is bound by secretory component (SC). Despite significance, how SIgA supports diverse effector mechanisms is poorly characterized and SIgA-based therapies nonexistent. We engineered chimeric (c) SIgAs, in which we replaced SC domain D2 with a single domain antibody or a monomeric fluorescent protein, allowing us to investigate and enhance SIgA effector mechanisms. cSIgAs exhibited increased neutralization potency against C. difficile toxins, promoted bacterial clumping and cell rupture, and decreased cytotoxicity. cSIgA also allowed us to visualize and/or quantify C. difficile morphological changes and clumping events. Results reveal mechanisms by which SIgA combats C. difficile infection, demonstrate that cSIgA design can modulate these mechanisms, and demonstrate cSIgA's adaptability to modifications that might target a broad range of antigens and effector mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Kumar Bharathkar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Michael J. Miller
- Carle R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology
- Department of food science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Beth M. Stadtmueller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 USA
- Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 USA
- Carle R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology
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11
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Kim DY, Kandalaft H, Lowden MJ, Yang Q, Rossotti MA, Robotham A, Kelly JF, Hussack G, Schrag JD, Henry KA, Tanha J. Sequence tolerance of immunoglobulin variable domain framework regions to noncanonical intradomain disulfide linkages. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105278. [PMID: 37742917 PMCID: PMC10641266 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Most immunoglobulin (Ig) domains bear only a single highly conserved canonical intradomain, inter-β-sheet disulfide linkage formed between Cys23-Cys104, and incorporation of rare noncanonical disulfide linkages at other locations can enhance Ig domain stability. Here, we exhaustively surveyed the sequence tolerance of Ig variable (V) domain framework regions (FRs) to noncanonical disulfide linkages. Starting from a destabilized VH domain lacking a Cys23-Cys104 disulfide linkage, we generated and screened phage-displayed libraries of engineered VHs, bearing all possible pairwise combinations of Cys residues in neighboring β-strands of the Ig fold FRs. This approach identified seven novel Cys pairs in VH FRs (Cys4-Cys25, Cys4-Cys118, Cys5-Cys120, Cys6-Cys119, Cys22-Cys88, Cys24-Cys86, and Cys45-Cys100; the international ImMunoGeneTics information system numbering), whose presence rescued domain folding and stability. Introduction of a subset of these noncanonical disulfide linkages (three intra-β-sheet: Cys4-Cys25, Cys22-Cys88, and Cys24-Cys86, and one inter-β-sheet: Cys6-Cys119) into a diverse panel of VH, VL, and VHH domains enhanced their thermostability and protease resistance without significantly impacting expression, solubility, or binding to cognate antigens. None of the noncanonical disulfide linkages identified were present in the natural human VH repertoire. These data reveal an unexpected permissiveness of Ig V domains to noncanonical disulfide linkages at diverse locations in FRs, absent in the human repertoire, whose presence is compatible with antigen recognition and improves domain stability. Our work represents the most complete assessment to date of the role of engineered noncanonical disulfide bonding within FRs in Ig V domain structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae Young Kim
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hiba Kandalaft
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael J Lowden
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Qingling Yang
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martin A Rossotti
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna Robotham
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - John F Kelly
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph D Schrag
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kevin A Henry
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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12
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Kordus SL, Kroh HK, Rodríguez RC, Shrem RA, Peritore-Galve FC, Shupe JA, Wadzinski BE, Lacy DB, Spiller BW. Nanobodies against C. difficile TcdA and TcdB reveal unexpected neutralizing epitopes and provide a toolkit for toxin quantitation in vivo. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011496. [PMID: 37871122 PMCID: PMC10621975 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and nosocomial infection in the United States. The symptoms of C. difficile infection (CDI) are associated with the production of two homologous protein toxins, TcdA and TcdB. The toxins are considered bona fide targets for clinical diagnosis as well as the development of novel prevention and therapeutic strategies. While there are extensive studies that document these efforts, there are several gaps in knowledge that could benefit from the creation of new research tools. First, we now appreciate that while TcdA sequences are conserved, TcdB sequences can vary across the span of circulating clinical isolates. An understanding of the TcdA and TcdB epitopes that drive broadly neutralizing antibody responses could advance the effort to identify safe and effective toxin-protein chimeras and fragments for vaccine development. Further, an understanding of TcdA and TcdB concentration changes in vivo can guide research into how host and microbiome-focused interventions affect the virulence potential of C. difficile. We have developed a panel of alpaca-derived nanobodies that bind specific structural and functional domains of TcdA and TcdB. We note that many of the potent neutralizers of TcdA bind epitopes within the delivery domain, a finding that could reflect roles of the delivery domain in receptor binding and/or the conserved role of pore-formation in the delivery of the toxin enzyme domains to the cytosol. In contrast, neutralizing epitopes for TcdB were found in multiple domains. The nanobodies were also used for the creation of sandwich ELISA assays that allow for quantitation of TcdA and/or TcdB in vitro and in the cecal and fecal contents of infected mice. We anticipate these reagents and assays will allow researchers to monitor the dynamics of TcdA and TcdB production over time, and the impact of various experimental interventions on toxin production in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L. Kordus
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Heather K. Kroh
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Rubén Cano Rodríguez
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Rebecca A. Shrem
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - F. Christopher Peritore-Galve
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - John A. Shupe
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Brian E. Wadzinski
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - D. Borden Lacy
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Benjamin W. Spiller
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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13
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Yu S, Zhang L, Wang A, Jin Y, Zhou D. Nanobodies: the Potential Application in Bacterial Treatment and Diagnosis. Biochem Pharmacol 2023:115640. [PMID: 37315818 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
An infection caused by bacteria is one of the main factors that poses a threat to human health. A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted that bacteria that cause blood infections have become increasingly drug-resistant. Therefore, it is crucial to research and develop new techniques for detecting and treating these infections. Since their discovery, nanobodies have exhibited numerous outstanding biological properties. They are easy to express, modify, and have high stability, robust permeability and low immunogenicity, all of which indicate their potential as a substitute. Nanobodies have been utilized in a variety of studies on viruses and cancer. This article primarily focuses on nanobodies and introduces their characteristics and application in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Northwest A&F University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China; Department of Animal Engineering, Yangling Vocational&Technical College, Xianyang, China
| | - Aihua Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
| | - Yaping Jin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Northwest A&F University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Dong Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
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14
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Karaman E, Eyüpoğlu AE, Mahmoudi Azar L, Uysal S. Large-Scale Production of Anti-RNase A VHH Expressed in pyrG Auxotrophic Aspergillus oryzae. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:4778-4795. [PMID: 37367053 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45060304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanobodies, also referred to as VHH antibodies, are the smallest fragments of naturally produced camelid antibodies and are ideal affinity reagents due to their remarkable properties. They are considered an alternative to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with potential utility in imaging, diagnostic, and other biotechnological applications given the difficulties associated with mAb expression. Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) is a potential system for the large-scale expression and production of functional VHH antibodies that can be used to meet the demand for affinity reagents. In this study, anti-RNase A VHH was expressed under the control of the glucoamylase promoter in pyrG auxotrophic A. oryzae grown in a fermenter. The feature of pyrG auxotrophy, selected for the construction of a stable and efficient platform, was established using homologous recombination. Pull-down assay, size exclusion chromatography, and surface plasmon resonance were used to confirm the binding specificity of anti-RNase A VHH to RNase A. The affinity of anti-RNase A VHH was nearly 18.3-fold higher (1.9 nM) when expressed in pyrG auxotrophic A. oryzae rather than in Escherichia coli. This demonstrates that pyrG auxotrophic A. oryzae is a practical, industrially scalable, and promising biotechnological platform for the large-scale production of functional VHH antibodies with high binding activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elif Karaman
- Beykoz Institute of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Bezmialem Vakif University, 34820 Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Health Sciences, Bezmialem Vakif University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Alp Ertunga Eyüpoğlu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bogazici University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Lena Mahmoudi Azar
- Beykoz Institute of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Bezmialem Vakif University, 34820 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serdar Uysal
- Beykoz Institute of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Bezmialem Vakif University, 34820 Istanbul, Turkey
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15
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Hussack G, Rossotti MA, van Faassen H, Murase T, Eugenio L, Schrag JD, Ng KKS, Tanha J. Structure-guided design of a potent Clostridiodes difficile toxin A inhibitor. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1110541. [PMID: 36778856 PMCID: PMC9909335 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1110541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Crystal structures of camelid heavy-chain antibody variable domains (VHHs) bound to fragments of the combined repetitive oligopeptides domain of Clostridiodes difficile toxin A (TcdA) reveal that the C-terminus of VHH A20 was located 30 Å away from the N-terminus of VHH A26. Based on this observation, we generated a biparatopic fusion protein with A20 at the N-terminus, followed by a (GS)6 linker and A26 at the C-terminus. This A20-A26 fusion protein shows an improvement in binding affinity and a dramatic increase in TcdA neutralization potency (>330-fold [IC 50]; ≥2,700-fold [IC 99]) when compared to the unfused A20 and A26 VHHs. A20-A26 also shows much higher binding affinity and neutralization potency when compared to a series of control antibody constructs that include fusions of two A20 VHHs, fusions of two A26 VHHs, a biparatopic fusion with A26 at the N-terminus and A20 at the C-terminus (A26-A20), and actoxumab. In particular, A20-A26 displays a 310-fold (IC 50) to 29,000-fold (IC 99) higher neutralization potency than A26-A20. Size-exclusion chromatography-multiangle light scattering (SEC-MALS) analyses further reveal that A20-A26 binds to TcdA with 1:1 stoichiometry and simultaneous engagement of both A20 and A26 epitopes as expected based on the biparatopic design inspired by the crystal structures of TcdA bound to A20 and A26. In contrast, the control constructs show varied and heterogeneous binding modes. These results highlight the importance of molecular geometric constraints in generating highly potent antibody-based reagents capable of exploiting the simultaneous binding of more than one paratope to an antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Hussack
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Martin A. Rossotti
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tomohiko Murase
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Luiz Eugenio
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Joseph D. Schrag
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Kenneth K.-S. Ng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: Kenneth K.-S. Ng,
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Life Sciences Division, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Jamshid Tanha,
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16
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Dengue virus infection - a review of pathogenesis, vaccines, diagnosis and therapy. Virus Res 2023; 324:199018. [PMID: 36493993 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.199018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The transmission of dengue virus (DENV) from an infected Aedes mosquito to a human, causes illness ranging from mild dengue fever to fatal dengue shock syndrome. The similar conserved structure and sequence among distinct DENV serotypes or different flaviviruses has resulted in the occurrence of cross reaction followed by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Thus far, the vaccine which can provide effective protection against infection by different DENV serotypes remains the biggest hurdle to overcome. Therefore, deep investigation is crucial for the potent and effective therapeutic drugs development. In addition, the cross-reactivity of flaviviruses that leads to false diagnosis in clinical settings could result to delay proper intervention management. Thus, the accurate diagnostic with high specificity and sensitivity is highly required to provide prompt diagnosis in respect to render early treatment for DENV infected individuals. In this review, the recent development of neutralizing antibodies, antiviral agents, and vaccine candidates in therapeutic platform for DENV infection will be discussed. Moreover, the discovery of antigenic cryptic epitopes, principle of molecular mimicry, and application of single-chain or single-domain antibodies towards DENV will also be presented.
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17
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Rossotti MA, Trempe F, van Faassen H, Hussack G, Arbabi-Ghahroudi M. Isolation and Characterization of Single-Domain Antibodies from Immune Phage Display Libraries. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2702:107-147. [PMID: 37679618 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring heavy chain antibodies (HCAbs) in Camelidae species were a surprise discovery in 1993 by Hamers et al. Since that time, antibody fragments derived from HCAbs have garnered considerable attention by researchers and biotechnology companies. Due to their biophysico-chemical advantages over conventional antibody fragments, camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs, VHHs, nanobodies) are being increasingly utilized as viable immunotherapeutic modalities. Currently there are multiple VHH-based therapeutic agents in different phases of clinical trials in various formats such as bi- and multivalent, bi- and multi-specific, CAR-T, and antibody-drug conjugates. The first approved VHH, a bivalent humanized VHH (caplacizumab), was approved for treating rare blood clotting disorders in 2018 by the EMA and the FDA in 2019. This was followed by the approval of an anti-BCMA VHH-based CAR-T cell product in 2022 (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; CARVYKTI™) and more recently a trivalent antitumor necrosis factor alpha-based VHH drug (ozoralizumab; Nanozora®) in Japan for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In this chapter we provide protocols describing the latest developments in isolating antigen-specific VHHs including llama immunization, construction of phage-displayed libraries, phage panning and screening of the soluble VHHs by ELISA, affinity measurements by surface plasmon resonance, functional cell binding by flow cytometry, and additional validation by immunoprecipitation. We present and discuss comprehensive, step-by-step methods for isolating and characterization of antigen-specific VHHs. This includes protocols for expression, biotinylation, purification, and characterization of the isolated VHHs. To demonstrate the feasibility of the entire strategy, we present examples of VHHs previously isolated and characterized in our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Rossotti
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Frederic Trempe
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mehdi Arbabi-Ghahroudi
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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18
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Lowden MJ, Lei EK, Hussack G, Henry KA. Applications of High-Throughput DNA Sequencing to Single-Domain Antibody Discovery and Engineering. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2702:489-540. [PMID: 37679637 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3381-6_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies have made it possible to interrogate antibody repertoires to unprecedented depths, typically via sequencing of cDNAs encoding immunoglobulin variable domains. In the absence of heavy-light chain pairing, the variable domains of heavy chain-only antibodies (HCAbs), referred to as single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), are uniquely amenable to NGS analyses. In this chapter, we provide simple and rapid protocols for producing and sequencing multiplexed immunoglobulin variable domain (VHH, VH, or VL) amplicons derived from a variety of sources using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Generation of such amplicon libraries is relatively inexpensive, requiring no specialized equipment and only a limited set of PCR primers. We also present several applications of NGS to sdAb discovery and engineering, including: (1) evaluation of phage-displayed sdAb library sequence diversity and monitoring of panning experiments; (2) identification of sdAbs of predetermined epitope specificity following competitive elution of phage-displayed sdAb libraries; (3) direct selection of B cells expressing antigen-specific, membrane-bound HCAb using antigen-coupled magnetic beads and identification of antigen-specific sdAbs, and (4) affinity maturation of lead sdAbs using tandem phage display selection and NGS. These methods can easily be adapted to other types of proteins and libraries and expand the utility of in vitro display technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Lowden
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Eric K Lei
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kevin A Henry
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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Raeisi H, Azimirad M, Asadzadeh Aghdaei H, Yadegar A, Zali MR. Rapid-format recombinant antibody-based methods for the diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile infection: Recent advances and perspectives. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1043214. [PMID: 36523835 PMCID: PMC9744969 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1043214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile, the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea, has been continuously reported as a worldwide problem in healthcare settings. Additionally, the emergence of hypervirulent strains of C. difficile has always been a critical concern and led to continuous efforts to develop more accurate diagnostic methods for detection of this recalcitrant pathogen. Currently, the diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI) is based on clinical manifestations and laboratory tests for detecting the bacterium and/or its toxins, which exhibit varied sensitivity and specificity. In this regard, development of rapid diagnostic techniques based on antibodies has demonstrated promising results in both research and clinical environments. Recently, application of recombinant antibody (rAb) technologies like phage display has provided a faster and more cost-effective approach for antibody production. The application of rAbs for developing ultrasensitive diagnostic tools ranging from immunoassays to immunosensors, has allowed the researchers to introduce new platforms with high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, DNA encoding antibodies are directly accessible in these approaches, which enables the application of antibody engineering to increase their sensitivity and specificity. Here, we review the latest studies about the antibody-based ultrasensitive diagnostic platforms for detection of C. difficile bacteria, with an emphasis on rAb technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamideh Raeisi
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Azimirad
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Yadegar
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Zali
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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20
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Qin Q, Liu H, He W, Guo Y, Zhang J, She J, Zheng F, Zhang S, Muyldermans S, Wen Y. Single Domain Antibody application in bacterial infection diagnosis and neutralization. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1014377. [PMID: 36248787 PMCID: PMC9558170 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1014377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing antibiotic resistance to bacterial infections causes a serious threat to human health. Efficient detection and treatment strategies are the keys to preventing and reducing bacterial infections. Due to the high affinity and antigen specificity, antibodies have become an important tool for diagnosis and treatment of various human diseases. In addition to conventional antibodies, a unique class of “heavy-chain-only” antibodies (HCAbs) were found in the serum of camelids and sharks. HCAbs binds to the antigen through only one variable domain Referred to as VHH (variable domain of the heavy chain of HCAbs). The recombinant format of the VHH is also called single domain antibody (sdAb) or nanobody (Nb). Sharks might also have an ancestor HCAb from where SdAbs or V-NAR might be engineered. Compared with traditional Abs, Nbs have several outstanding properties such as small size, high stability, strong antigen-binding affinity, high solubility and low immunogenicity. Furthermore, they are expressed at low cost in microorganisms and amenable to engineering. These superior properties make Nbs a highly desired alternative to conventional antibodies, which are extensively employed in structural biology, unravelling biochemical mechanisms, molecular imaging, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In this review, we summarized recent progress of nanobody-based approaches in diagnosis and neutralization of bacterial infection and further discussed the challenges of Nbs in these fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Qin
- Department of General Surgery, Center for Microbiome Research of Med-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Center for Biomedical Research, Institute of Future Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Wenbo He
- Department of General Surgery, Center for Microbiome Research of Med-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yucheng Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jiaxin Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Junjun She
- Department of General Surgery, Center for Microbiome Research of Med-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fang Zheng
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Sicai Zhang
- Center for Biomedical Research, Institute of Future Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Serge Muyldermans
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yurong Wen
- Department of General Surgery, Center for Microbiome Research of Med-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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21
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Arsenal of nanobodies shows broad-spectrum neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in vitro and in vivo in hamster models. Commun Biol 2022; 5:933. [PMID: 36085335 PMCID: PMC9461429 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03866-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanobodies offer several potential advantages over mAbs for the control of SARS-CoV-2. Their ability to access cryptic epitopes conserved across SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) and feasibility to engineer modular, multimeric designs, make these antibody fragments ideal candidates for developing broad-spectrum therapeutics against current and continually emerging SARS-CoV-2 VoCs. Here we describe a diverse collection of 37 anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein nanobodies extensively characterized as both monovalent and IgG Fc-fused bivalent modalities. The nanobodies were collectively shown to have high intrinsic affinity; high thermal, thermodynamic and aerosolization stability; broad subunit/domain specificity and cross-reactivity across existing VoCs; wide-ranging epitopic and mechanistic diversity and high and broad in vitro neutralization potencies. A select set of Fc-fused nanobodies showed high neutralization efficacies in hamster models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, reducing viral burden by up to six orders of magnitude to below detectable levels. In vivo protection was demonstrated with anti-RBD and previously unreported anti-NTD and anti-S2 nanobodies. This collection of nanobodies provides a potential therapeutic toolbox from which various cocktails or multi-paratopic formats could be built to combat multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants. Isolation and extensive characterization of a collection of 37 anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein nanobodies show broad neutralization efficacies in vitro and in vivo in a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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22
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Camels' biological fluids contained nanobodies: promising avenue in cancer therapy. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:279. [PMID: 36071488 PMCID: PMC9449263 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02696-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major health concern and accounts for one of the main causes of death worldwide. Innovative strategies are needed to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancers. Recently, there has been an evolving interest in utilizing nanobodies of camel origin as therapeutic tools against cancer. Nanotechnology uses nanobodies an emerging attractive field that provides promises to researchers in advancing different scientific sectors including medicine and oncology. Nanobodies are characteristically small-sized biologics featured with the ability for deep tissue penetration and dissemination and harbour high stability at high pH and temperatures. The current review highlights the potential use of nanobodies that are naturally secreted in camels’ biological fluids, both milk and urine, in the development of nanotechnology-based therapy for treating different typesQuery of cancers and other diseases. Moreover, the role of nano proteomics in the invention of novel therapeutic agents specifically used for cancer intervention is also illustrated.
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23
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Gelfat I, Aqeel Y, Tremblay JM, Jaskiewicz JJ, Shrestha A, Lee JN, Hu S, Qian X, Magoun L, Sheoran A, Bedenice D, Giem C, Manjula-Basavanna A, Pulsifer AR, Tu HX, Li X, Minus ML, Osburne MS, Tzipori S, Shoemaker CB, Leong JM, Joshi NS. Single domain antibodies against enteric pathogen virulence factors are active as curli fiber fusions on probiotic E. coli Nissle 1917. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010713. [PMID: 36107831 PMCID: PMC9477280 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteric microbial pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Shigella and Cryptosporidium species, take a particularly heavy toll in low-income countries and are highly associated with infant mortality. We describe here a means to display anti-infective agents on the surface of a probiotic bacterium. Because of their stability and versatility, VHHs, the variable domains of camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies, have potential as components of novel agents to treat or prevent enteric infectious disease. We isolated and characterized VHHs targeting several enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) virulence factors: flagellin (Fla), which is required for bacterial motility and promotes colonization; both intimin and the translocated intimin receptor (Tir), which together play key roles in attachment to enterocytes; and E. coli secreted protein A (EspA), an essential component of the type III secretion system (T3SS) that is required for virulence. Several VHHs that recognize Fla, intimin, or Tir blocked function in vitro. The probiotic strain E. coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) produces on the bacterial surface curli fibers, which are the major proteinaceous component of E. coli biofilms. A subset of Fla-, intimin-, or Tir-binding VHHs, as well as VHHs that recognize either a T3SS of another important bacterial pathogen (Shigella flexneri), a soluble bacterial toxin (Shiga toxin or Clostridioides difficile toxin TcdA), or a major surface antigen of an important eukaryotic pathogen (Cryptosporidium parvum) were fused to CsgA, the major curli fiber subunit. Scanning electron micrographs indicated CsgA-VHH fusions were assembled into curli fibers on the EcN surface, and Congo Red binding indicated that these recombinant curli fibers were produced at high levels. Ectopic production of these VHHs conferred on EcN the cognate binding activity and, in the case of anti-Shiga toxin, was neutralizing. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential of the curli-based pathogen sequestration strategy described herein and contribute to the development of novel VHH-based gut therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia Gelfat
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Allston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yousuf Aqeel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline M. Tremblay
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Justyna J. Jaskiewicz
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anishma Shrestha
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James N. Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shenglan Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xi Qian
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Loranne Magoun
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Abhineet Sheoran
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Daniela Bedenice
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Colter Giem
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Avinash Manjula-Basavanna
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Amanda R. Pulsifer
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hann X. Tu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xiaoli Li
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Marilyn L. Minus
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Marcia S. Osburne
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Saul Tzipori
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Charles B. Shoemaker
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John M. Leong
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Stuart B. Levy Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Neel S. Joshi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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24
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Raeisi H, Azimirad M, Nabavi-Rad A, Asadzadeh Aghdaei H, Yadegar A, Zali MR. Application of recombinant antibodies for treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection: Current status and future perspective. Front Immunol 2022; 13:972930. [PMID: 36081500 PMCID: PMC9445313 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.972930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), known as the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, is regarded as one of the most common healthcare-associated bacterial infections worldwide. Due to the emergence of hypervirulent strains, development of new therapeutic methods for C. difficile infection (CDI) has become crucially important. In this context, antibodies have been introduced as valuable tools in the research and clinical environments, as far as the effectiveness of antibody therapy for CDI was reported in several clinical investigations. Hence, production of high-performance antibodies for treatment of CDI would be precious. Traditional approaches of antibody generation are based on hybridoma technology. Today, application of in vitro technologies for generating recombinant antibodies, like phage display, is considered as an appropriate alternative to hybridoma technology. These techniques can circumvent the limitations of the immune system and they can be exploited for production of antibodies against different types of biomolecules in particular active toxins. Additionally, DNA encoding antibodies is directly accessible in in vitro technologies, which enables the application of antibody engineering in order to increase their sensitivity and specificity. Here, we review the application of antibodies for CDI treatment with an emphasis on recombinant fragment antibodies. Also, this review highlights the current and future prospects of the aforementioned approaches for antibody-mediated therapy of CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamideh Raeisi
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Azimirad
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Nabavi-Rad
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Yadegar
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- *Correspondence: Abbas Yadegar, ;
| | - Mohammad Reza Zali
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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25
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Kordus SL, Thomas AK, Lacy DB. Clostridioides difficile toxins: mechanisms of action and antitoxin therapeutics. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:285-298. [PMID: 34837014 PMCID: PMC9018519 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00660-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive anaerobe that can cause a spectrum of disorders that range in severity from mild diarrhoea to fulminant colitis and/or death. The bacterium produces up to three toxins, which are considered the major virulence factors in C. difficile infection. These toxins promote inflammation, tissue damage and diarrhoea. In this Review, we highlight recent biochemical and structural advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that govern host-toxin interactions. Understanding how C. difficile toxins affect the host forms a foundation for developing novel strategies for treatment and prevention of C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L. Kordus
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA,Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA,These authors contributed equally: Shannon L. Kordus, Audrey K. Thomas
| | - Audrey K. Thomas
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA,Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA,These authors contributed equally: Shannon L. Kordus, Audrey K. Thomas
| | - D. Borden Lacy
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA,Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA,The Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare, System, Nashville, TN, USA,
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26
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Chen B, Basak S, Chen P, Zhang C, Perry K, Tian S, Yu C, Dong M, Huang L, Bowen ME, Jin R. Structure and conformational dynamics of Clostridioides difficile toxin A. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/6/e202201383. [PMID: 35292538 PMCID: PMC8924006 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study presents a complete structural model of TcdA holotoxin and sheds new lights into the conformational dynamics of TcdA and its roles in TcdA intoxication. Clostridioides difficile toxin A and B (TcdA and TcdB) are two major virulence factors responsible for diseases associated with C. difficile infection (CDI). Here, we report the 3.18-Å resolution crystal structure of a TcdA fragment (residues L843–T2481), which advances our understanding of the complete structure of TcdA holotoxin. Our structural analysis, together with complementary single molecule FRET and limited proteolysis studies, reveal that TcdA adopts a dynamic structure and its CROPs domain can sample a spectrum of open and closed conformations in a pH-dependent manner. Furthermore, a small globular subdomain (SGS) and the CROPs protect the pore-forming region of TcdA in the closed state at neutral pH, which could contribute to modulating the pH-dependent pore formation of TcdA. A rationally designed TcdA mutation that trapped the CROPs in the closed conformation showed drastically reduced cytotoxicity. Taken together, these studies shed new lights into the conformational dynamics of TcdA and its roles in TcdA intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baohua Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sujit Basak
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Changcheng Zhang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Kay Perry
- NE-CAT and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
| | - Songhai Tian
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clinton Yu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lan Huang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Mark E Bowen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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27
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Laughlin TM, Horn JR. Engineering pH-Sensitive Single-Domain Antibodies. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2446:269-298. [PMID: 35157278 PMCID: PMC9924069 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2075-5_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in expanding an antibody beyond high affinity and specificity. One such feature is custom regulation of the binding event, such as pH-dependent control. Here, we provide a methodology for generating single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) that bind their antigen in a pH-dependent fashion. As each sdAb is unique, we start by providing the conceptual framework for designing a combinatorial histidine scanning library within a sdAb-antigen-binding interface. Methods are provided to create a phage display library, containing up to 1 × 1010 unique members where each permutation of histidine substitution is sampled within the confines of the specified interface region(s). Finally, we describe phage display protocols for the selection and analysis of unique pH-dependent sdAb clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tosha M. Laughlin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University
| | - James R. Horn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University,Corresponding author: James R. Horn, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115,
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28
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Lowden MJ, van Faassen H, Raphael S, Ryan S, Hussack G, Henry KA. Facile Affinity Maturation of Single-Domain Antibodies Using Next-Generation DNA Sequencing. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2446:245-268. [PMID: 35157277 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2075-5_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Binding affinity is one of the primary determinants of antibody function. Here, we provide a protocol for simple and rapid affinity maturation of single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) using tandem phage display selection and next-generation DNA sequencing. The sequence of a model camelid sdAb directed against Clostridioides difficile toxin A (A26.8) was diversified using either random or site-saturation mutagenesis and cloned into a phagemid vector upstream of gene 3. The resulting phage-displayed sdAb libraries were panned against C. difficile toxin A and the panning outputs interrogated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Through bioinformatic analyses, we were able to identify individual affinity-enhancing amino acid substitutions in the sdAb complementarity-determining regions that, when combined, resulted in affinity improvements of approximately 10-fold. The advantages of this method are that it does not require extensive screening and characterization of individual clones, nor structural information on the mechanism of the sdAb:antigen interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Lowden
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shalini Raphael
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kevin A Henry
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Life Sciences Division, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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29
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Wicke N, Bedford MR, Howarth M. Gastrobodies are engineered antibody mimetics resilient to pepsin and hydrochloric acid. Commun Biol 2021; 4:960. [PMID: 34381153 PMCID: PMC8358037 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-based targeting reagents, such as antibodies and non-antibody scaffold proteins, are rapidly inactivated in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Hydrochloric acid in gastric juice denatures proteins and activates pepsin, concentrations of which reach 1 mg/mL in the mammalian stomach. Two stable scaffold proteins (nanobody and nanofitin), previously developed to be protease-resistant, were completely digested in less than 10 min at 100-fold lower concentration of pepsin than found in the stomach. Here we present gastrobodies, a protein scaffold derived from Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI). SBTI is highly resistant to the challenges of the upper GI tract, including digestive proteases, pH 2 and bile acids. Computational prediction of SBTI's evolvability identified two nearby loops for randomization, to create a potential recognition surface which was experimentally validated by alanine scanning. We established display of SBTI on full-length pIII of M13 phage. Phage selection of gastrobody libraries against the glucosyltransferase domain of Clostridium difficile toxin B (GTD) identified hits with nanomolar affinity and enzyme inhibitory activity. Anti-GTD binders retained high stability to acid, digestive proteases and heat. Gastrobodies show resilience to exceptionally harsh conditions, which should provide a foundation for targeting and modulating function within the GI tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Wicke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Mark Howarth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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30
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Roth KDR, Wenzel EV, Ruschig M, Steinke S, Langreder N, Heine PA, Schneider KT, Ballmann R, Fühner V, Kuhn P, Schirrmann T, Frenzel A, Dübel S, Schubert M, Moreira GMSG, Bertoglio F, Russo G, Hust M. Developing Recombinant Antibodies by Phage Display Against Infectious Diseases and Toxins for Diagnostics and Therapy. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:697876. [PMID: 34307196 PMCID: PMC8294040 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.697876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies are essential molecules for diagnosis and treatment of diseases caused by pathogens and their toxins. Antibodies were integrated in our medical repertoire against infectious diseases more than hundred years ago by using animal sera to treat tetanus and diphtheria. In these days, most developed therapeutic antibodies target cancer or autoimmune diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic was a reminder about the importance of antibodies for therapy against infectious diseases. While monoclonal antibodies could be generated by hybridoma technology since the 70ies of the former century, nowadays antibody phage display, among other display technologies, is robustly established to discover new human monoclonal antibodies. Phage display is an in vitro technology which confers the potential for generating antibodies from universal libraries against any conceivable molecule of sufficient size and omits the limitations of the immune systems. If convalescent patients or immunized/infected animals are available, it is possible to construct immune phage display libraries to select in vivo affinity-matured antibodies. A further advantage is the availability of the DNA sequence encoding the phage displayed antibody fragment, which is packaged in the phage particles. Therefore, the selected antibody fragments can be rapidly further engineered in any needed antibody format according to the requirements of the final application. In this review, we present an overview of phage display derived recombinant antibodies against bacterial, viral and eukaryotic pathogens, as well as microbial toxins, intended for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Daniel Ralph Roth
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Esther Veronika Wenzel
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,Abcalis GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Maximilian Ruschig
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephan Steinke
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nora Langreder
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Philip Alexander Heine
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Kai-Thomas Schneider
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rico Ballmann
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Viola Fühner
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Stefan Dübel
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,Abcalis GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany.,YUMAB GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Maren Schubert
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Federico Bertoglio
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Giulio Russo
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,Abcalis GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michael Hust
- Institut für Biochemie, Biotechnologie und Bioinformatik, Abteilung Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,YUMAB GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
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31
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Lai JY, Lim TS. Infectious disease antibodies for biomedical applications: A mini review of immune antibody phage library repertoire. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 163:640-648. [PMID: 32650013 PMCID: PMC7340592 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Antibody phage display is regarded as a critical tool for the development of monoclonal antibodies for infectious diseases. The different classes of antibody libraries are classified based on the source of repertoire used to generate the libraries. Immune antibody libraries are generated from disease infected host or immunization against an infectious agent. Antibodies derived from immune libraries are distinct from those derived from naïve libraries as the host's in vivo immune mechanisms shape the antibody repertoire to yield high affinity antibodies. As the immune system is constantly evolving in accordance to the health state of an individual, immune libraries can offer more than just infection-specific antibodies but also antibodies derived from the memory B-cells much like naïve libraries. The combinatorial nature of the gene cloning process would give rise to a combination of natural and un-natural antibody gene pairings in the immune library. These factors have a profound impact on the coverage of immune antibody libraries to target both disease-specific and non-disease specific antigens. This review looks at the diverse nature of antibody responses for immune library generation and discusses the extended potential of a disease-specified immune library in the context of phage display.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yi Lai
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
| | - Theam Soon Lim
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia; Analytical Biochemistry Research Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
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32
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Cox AD, St Michael F, Aubry A, Strong PCR, Hayes AC, Logan SM. Comparison of polysaccharide glycoconjugates as candidate vaccines to combat Clostridiodes (Clostridium) difficile. Glycoconj J 2020; 38:493-508. [PMID: 32789783 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-020-09937-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Two known Clostridiodes (Clostridium) difficile surface antigens, a lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and a polysaccharide (PS-II) were isolated and purified in order to prepare glycoconjugate vaccines to the carrier protein human serum albumin utilising a reductive amination strategy. Mice and rabbits were immunized with a prime and two boost strategy and the resulting sera were examined for their ability to recognise the purified homologous antigens and subsequently killed whole cells of C. difficile strains and other Clostridia species. Immunisation derived antisera from rabbits and mice, recognised all strains of C. difficile vegetative cells examined, with generally similar titers from animals that received the LTA or the PS-II conjugates. Sera raised to the LTA conjugates were able to recognise other Clostridia species C. butyricum, C. bifermentans and C. subterminale whereas sera raised to the PS-II conjugates were not. These LTA and PS-II sera recognised live cells in an immunofluorescence assay and were also able to recognise the spore form of the bacterium. This study has confirmed that the LTA and PS-II polysaccharides are both highly conserved surface polymers of C. difficile that are easily accessible to the immune system and as such may have potential as vaccine antigens or as targets for therapeutics to combat C. difficile infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Cox
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
| | - F St Michael
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - A Aubry
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - P C R Strong
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - A C Hayes
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - S M Logan
- Vaccine Program, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
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33
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van Faassen H, Ryan S, Henry KA, Raphael S, Yang Q, Rossotti MA, Brunette E, Jiang S, Haqqani AS, Sulea T, MacKenzie CR, Tanha J, Hussack G. Serum albumin‐binding V
H
Hs with variable pH sensitivities enable tailored half‐life extension of biologics. FASEB J 2020; 34:8155-8171. [DOI: 10.1096/fj.201903231r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henk van Faassen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Kevin A. Henry
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Shalini Raphael
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Qingling Yang
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Martin A. Rossotti
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Eric Brunette
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Susan Jiang
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Arsalan S. Haqqani
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Traian Sulea
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Montréal QC Canada
| | - C. Roger MacKenzie
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre National Research Council Canada Ottawa ON Canada
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34
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Cairns CM, van Faassen H, St. Michael F, Aubry A, Henry KA, Rossotti MA, Logan SM, Hussack G, Gisch N, Hogendorf WFJ, Pedersen CM, Cox AD. Development and Characterization of Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for Clostridiodes (Clostridium) difficile Lipoteichoic Acid. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:1050-1058. [PMID: 32191024 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.0c00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Clostridiodes (Clostridium) difficile is an anaerobic Gram-positive, spore-forming nosocomial, gastrointestinal pathogen causing C. difficile-associated disease with symptoms ranging from mild cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea to fatal pseudomembranous colitis. We developed murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for a conserved cell surface antigen, lipoteichoic acid (LTA)of C. difficile. The mAbs were characterized in terms of their thermal stability, solubility, and their binding to LTA by surface plasmon resonance and competitive ELISA. Synthetic LTA molecules were prepared in order to better define the minimum epitope required to mimic the natural antigen, and three repeat units of the polymer were required for optimal recognition. One of the murine mAbs was chimerized with human constant region domains and was found to recognize the target antigen identically to the mouse version. These mAbs may be useful as therapeutics (standalone, in conjunction with known antitoxin approaches, or as delivery vehicles for antibody drug conjugates targeting the bacterium), as diagnostic agents, and in infection control applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle M. Cairns
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Frank St. Michael
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Annie Aubry
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Kevin A. Henry
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Martin A. Rossotti
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Susan M. Logan
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Nicolas Gisch
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Priority Research Area Infections, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, 23845 Borstel, Germany
| | | | | | - Andrew D. Cox
- Vaccine and Emerging Infections Research, Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
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35
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Zimmermann I, Egloff P, Hutter CAJ, Kuhn BT, Bräuer P, Newstead S, Dawson RJP, Geertsma ER, Seeger MA. Generation of synthetic nanobodies against delicate proteins. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:1707-1741. [PMID: 32269381 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0304-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Here, we provide a protocol to generate synthetic nanobodies, known as sybodies, against any purified protein or protein complex within a 3-week period. Unlike methods that require animals for antibody generation, sybody selections are carried out entirely in vitro under controlled experimental conditions. This is particularly relevant for the generation of conformation-specific binders against labile membrane proteins or protein complexes and allows selections in the presence of non-covalent ligands. Sybodies are especially suited for cases where binder generation via immune libraries fails due to high sequence conservation, toxicity or insufficient stability of the target protein. The procedure entails a single round of ribosome display using the sybody libraries encoded by mRNA, followed by two rounds of phage display and binder identification by ELISA. The protocol is optimized to avoid undesired reduction in binder diversity and enrichment of non-specific binders to ensure the best possible selection outcome. Using the efficient fragment exchange (FX) cloning method, the sybody sequences are transferred from the phagemid to different expression vectors without the need to amplify them by PCR, which avoids unintentional shuffling of complementary determining regions. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), the efficiency of each selection round is monitored to provide immediate feedback and guide troubleshooting. Our protocol can be carried out by any trained biochemist or molecular biologist using commercially available reagents and typically gives rise to 10-30 unique sybodies exhibiting binding affinities in the range of 500 pM-500 nM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwan Zimmermann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Linkster Therapeutics AG, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Egloff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Linkster Therapeutics AG, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cedric A J Hutter
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benedikt T Kuhn
- Institute of Biochemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Philipp Bräuer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon Newstead
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Roger J P Dawson
- Linkster Therapeutics AG, Zurich, Switzerland.,Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eric R Geertsma
- Institute of Biochemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Markus A Seeger
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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36
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Omersa N, Podobnik M, Anderluh G. Inhibition of Pore-Forming Proteins. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:E545. [PMID: 31546810 PMCID: PMC6784129 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11090545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Perforation of cellular membranes by pore-forming proteins can affect cell physiology, tissue integrity, or immune response. Since many pore-forming proteins are toxins or highly potent virulence factors, they represent an attractive target for the development of molecules that neutralize their actions with high efficacy. There has been an assortment of inhibitors developed to specifically obstruct the activity of pore-forming proteins, in addition to vaccination and antibiotics that serve as a plausible treatment for the majority of diseases caused by bacterial infections. Here we review a wide range of potential inhibitors that can specifically and effectively block the activity of pore-forming proteins, from small molecules to more specific macromolecular systems, such as synthetic nanoparticles, antibodies, antibody mimetics, polyvalent inhibitors, and dominant negative mutants. We discuss their mechanism of inhibition, as well as advantages and disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neža Omersa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Marjetka Podobnik
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Gregor Anderluh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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37
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Giau VV, Lee H, An SSA, Hulme J. Recent advances in the treatment of C. difficile using biotherapeutic agents. Infect Drug Resist 2019; 12:1597-1615. [PMID: 31354309 PMCID: PMC6579870 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s207572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent health care–associated bacterial infections in the developed world. The emergence of new, more virulent strains has led to greater morbidity and resistance to standard therapies. The bacterium is readily transmitted between people where it can asymptomatically colonize the gut environment, and clinical manifestations ranging from frequent watery diarrhea to toxic megacolon can arise depending on the age of the individual or their state of gut dysbiosis. Several inexpensive approaches are shown to be effective against virulent C. difficile in research settings such as probiotics, fecal microbiota transfer and immunotherapies. This review aims to highlight the current advantages and limitations of the aforementioned approaches with an emphasis on recent studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vo Van Giau
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 461-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyon Lee
- Department of Neurology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Seong Soo A An
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 461-701, Republic of Korea
| | - John Hulme
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 461-701, Republic of Korea
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38
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Simeon R, Jiang M, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Yu H, Zhang Y, Meng R, Peng Z, Jakana J, Zhang J, Feng H, Chen Z. Selection and characterization of ultrahigh potency designed ankyrin repeat protein inhibitors of C. difficile toxin B. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000311. [PMID: 31233493 PMCID: PMC6590788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major nosocomial disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathology of CDI stems primarily from the 2 C. difficile-secreted exotoxins-toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB)-that disrupt the tight junctions between epithelial cells leading to the loss of colonic epithelial barrier function. Here, we report the engineering of a series of monomeric and dimeric designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) for the neutralization of TcdB. The best dimeric DARPin, DLD-4, inhibited TcdB with a half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 4 pM in vitro, representing an approximately 330-fold higher potency than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-TcdB monoclonal antibody bezlotoxumab in the same assay. DLD-4 also protected mice from a toxin challenge in vivo. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies revealed that the 2 constituent DARPins of DLD-4-1.4E and U3-bind the central and C-terminal regions of the delivery domain of TcdB. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies showed that the DARPins 1.4E and U3 interfere with the interaction between TcdB and its receptors chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) and frizzled class receptor 2 (FZD2), respectively. Our cryo-EM studies revealed a new conformation of TcdB (both apo- and DARPin-bound at pH 7.4) in which the combined repetitive oligopeptides (CROPS) domain points away from the delivery domain. This conformation of the CROPS domain is in stark contrast to that seen in the negative-stain electron microscopy (EM) structure of TcdA and TcdB at the same pH, in which the CROPS domain bends toward and "kisses" the delivery domain. The ultrapotent anti-TcdB molecules from this study serve as candidate starting points for CDI drug development and provide new biological tools for studying the pathogenicity of C. difficile. The structural insights regarding both the "native" conformation of TcdB and the putative sites of TcdB interaction with the FZD2 receptor, in particular, should help accelerate the development of next-generation anti-C. difficile toxin therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudo Simeon
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Mengqiu Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ana M. Chamoun-Emanuelli
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Hua Yu
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, Maryland, United Sates of America
| | - Yongrong Zhang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, Maryland, United Sates of America
| | - Ran Meng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zeyu Peng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Joanita Jakana
- National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Junjie Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Hanping Feng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, Maryland, United Sates of America
| | - Zhilei Chen
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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39
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Single-Domain Antibodies Represent Novel Alternatives to Monoclonal Antibodies as Targeting Agents against the Human Papillomavirus 16 E6 Protein. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092088. [PMID: 31035322 PMCID: PMC6539864 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately one fifth of all malignancies worldwide are etiologically associated with a persistent viral or bacterial infection. Thus, there is a particular interest in therapeutic molecules which use components of a natural immune response to specifically inhibit oncogenic microbial proteins, as it is anticipated they will elicit fewer off-target effects than conventional treatments. This concept has been explored in the context of human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16)-related cancers, through the development of monoclonal antibodies and fragments thereof against the viral E6 oncoprotein. Challenges related to the biology of E6 as well as the functional properties of the antibodies themselves appear to have precluded their clinical translation. Here, we addressed these issues by exploring the utility of the variable domains of camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies (denoted as VHHs). Through construction and panning of two llama, immune VHH phage display libraries, a pool of potential VHHs was isolated. The interactions of these with recombinant E6 were further characterized using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting under denaturing and native conditions, and surface plasmon resonance. Three VHHs were identified that bound recombinant E6 with nanomolar affinities. Our results lead the way for subsequent studies into the ability of these novel molecules to inhibit HPV16-infected cells in vitro and in vivo.
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40
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Kim DY, Kandalaft H, Hussack G, Raphael S, Ding W, Kelly JF, Henry KA, Tanha J. Evaluation of a noncanonical Cys40-Cys55 disulfide linkage for stabilization of single-domain antibodies. Protein Sci 2019; 28:881-888. [PMID: 30803088 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Incorporation of noncanonical disulfide linkages into single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) has been shown to enhance thermostability and other properties. Here, we evaluated the effects of introducing a novel disulfide linkage formed between Cys residues at IMGT positions 40 and 55 on the melting temperatures (T m s), reversibility of thermal unfolding, solubility, and antigen-binding affinities of three types of sdAbs (VH H, VH , and VL domains). The Cys40-Cys55 disulfide linkage was tolerated by 9/9 VH Hs, 12/12 VH s, and 2/11 VL s tested and its formation was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Using circular dichroism, we found that the Cys40-Cys55 disulfide linkage increased sdAb T m by an average of 10.0°C (range: 0-21.8°C). However, enhanced thermostability came at the cost of a partial loss of refolding ability upon thermal denaturation as well as, for some sdAbs, significantly decreased solubility and antigen-binding affinity. Thus, Cys40/Cys55 can be added to the panel of known locations for introducing stabilizing noncanonical disulfide linkages into antibody variable domains, although its effects should be tested empirically for individual sdAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae Young Kim
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Hiba Kandalaft
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Shalini Raphael
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Wen Ding
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - John F Kelly
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Kevin A Henry
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
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41
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del Rio B, Redruello B, Fernandez M, Martin MC, Ladero V, Alvarez MA. Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Live Delivery System for the in situ Production of Nanobodies in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract. Front Microbiol 2019. [PMCID: PMC6346216 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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42
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Camelid single-domain antibodies raised by DNA immunization are potent inhibitors of EGFR signaling. Biochem J 2019; 476:39-50. [PMID: 30455372 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Up-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a hallmark of many solid tumors, and inhibition of EGFR signaling by small molecules and antibodies has clear clinical benefit. Here, we report the isolation and functional characterization of novel camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs or VHHs) directed against human EGFR. The source of these VHHs was a llama immunized with cDNA encoding human EGFR ectodomain alone (no protein or cell boost), which is notable in that genetic immunization of large, outbred animals is generally poorly effective. The VHHs targeted multiple sites on the receptor's surface with high affinity (K D range: 1-40 nM), including one epitope overlapping that of cetuximab, several epitopes conserved in the cynomolgus EGFR orthologue, and at least one epitope conserved in the mouse EGFR orthologue. Interestingly, despite their generation against human EGFR expressed from cDNA by llama cells in vivo (presumably in native conformation), the VHHs exhibited wide and epitope-dependent variation in their apparent affinities for native EGFR displayed on tumor cell lines. As fusions to human IgG1 Fc, one of the VHH-Fcs inhibited EGFR signaling induced by EGF binding with a potency similar to that of cetuximab (IC50: ∼30 nM). Thus, DNA immunization elicited high-affinity, functional sdAbs that were vastly superior to those previously isolated by our group through protein immunization.
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43
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Evaluation of protective effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 on toxicity and colonization of Clostridium difficile in human epithelial cells in vitro. Anaerobe 2018; 55:142-151. [PMID: 30576791 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2018] [Revised: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection is a range of toxin - mediated intestinal diseases that is often acquired in hospitals and small communities in developed countries. The main virulence factors of C. difficile are two exotoxins, toxin A and toxin B, which damage epithelial cells and manifest as colonic inflammation and mild to severe diarrhea. Inhibiting C. difficile adherence, colonization, and reducing its toxin production could substantially minimize its pathogenicity and lead to faster recovery from the disease. This study investigated the efficacy of probiotic secreted bioactive molecules from Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5, in decreasing C. difficile attachment and cytotoxicity in human epithelial cells in vitro. L. acidophilus La-5 cell-free supernatant (La-5 CFS) was used to treat the hypervirulent C. difficile ribotype 027 culture with subsequent monitoring of cytotoxicity and adhesion. In addition, the effect of pretreating cell lines with La-5 CFS in protecting cells from the cytotoxicity of C. difficile culture filtrate or bacterial cell attachment was examined. La-5 CFS substantially reduced the cytotoxicity and cytopathic effect of C. difficile culture filtrate on HT-29 and Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, La-5 CFS significantly reduced attachment of the C. difficile bacterial cells on both cell lines. It was also found that pretreatment of cell lines with La-5 CFS effectively protected cell lines from cytotoxicity and adherence of C. difficile. Our study suggests that La-5 CFS could potentially be used to prevent and cure C. difficile infection and relapses.
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44
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Hussack G, Ryan S, van Faassen H, Rossotti M, MacKenzie CR, Tanha J. Neutralization of Clostridium difficile toxin B with VHH-Fc fusions targeting the delivery and CROPs domains. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208978. [PMID: 30540857 PMCID: PMC6291252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of antibody-based therapies are being considered for controlling bacterial infections, including Clostridium difficile by targeting toxins A and B. In an effort to develop novel C. difficile immunotherapeutics, we previously isolated several single-domain antibodies (VHHs) capable of toxin A neutralization through recognition of the extreme C-terminal combined repetitive oligopeptides (CROPs) domain, but failed at identifying neutralizing VHHs that bound a similar region on toxin B. Here we report the isolation of a panel of 29 VHHs targeting at least seven unique epitopes on a toxin B immunogen composed of a portion of the central delivery domain and the entire CROPs domain. Despite monovalent affinities as high as KD = 70 pM, none of the VHHs tested were capable of toxin B neutralization; however, modest toxin B inhibition was observed with VHH-VHH dimers and to a much greater extent with VHH-Fc fusions, reaching the neutralizing potency of the recently approved anti-toxin B monoclonal antibody bezlotoxumab in in vitro assays. Epitope binning revealed that several VHH-Fcs bound toxin B at sites distinct from the region recognized by bezlotoxumab, while other VHH-Fcs partially competed with bezlotoxumab for toxin binding. Therefore, the VHHs described here are effective at toxin B neutralization when formatted as bivalent VHH-Fc fusions by targeting toxin B at regions both similar and distinct from the bezlotoxumab binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Henk van Faassen
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martin Rossotti
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - C. Roger MacKenzie
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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45
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Haqqani AS, Thom G, Burrell M, Delaney CE, Brunette E, Baumann E, Sodja C, Jezierski A, Webster C, Stanimirovic DB. Intracellular sorting and transcytosis of the rat transferrin receptor antibody OX26 across the blood-brain barrier in vitro is dependent on its binding affinity. J Neurochem 2018; 146:735-752. [PMID: 29877588 PMCID: PMC6175443 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a formidable obstacle to the delivery of therapeutics to the brain. Antibodies that bind transferrin receptor (TfR), which is enriched in brain endothelial cells, have been shown to cross the BBB and are being developed as fusion proteins to deliver therapeutic cargos to brain targets. Various antibodies have been developed for this purpose and their in vivo evaluation demonstrated that either low affinity or monovalent receptor binding re-directs their transcellular trafficking away from lysosomal degradation and toward improved exocytosis on the abluminal side of the BBB. However, these studies have been performed with antibodies that recognize different TfR epitopes and have different binding characteristics, preventing inter-study comparisons. In this study, the efficiency of transcytosis in vitro and intracellular trafficking in endosomal compartments were evaluated in an in vitro BBB model for affinity variants (Kd from 5 to174 nM) of the rat TfR-binding antibody, OX26. Distribution in subcellular fractions of the rat brain endothelial cells was determined using both targeted quantitative proteomics-selected reaction monitoring and fluorescent imaging with markers of early- and late endosomes. The OX26 variants with affinities of 76 and 108 nM showed improved trancytosis (Papp values) across the in vitro BBB model compared with a 5 nM OX26. Although ~40% of the 5 nM OX26 and ~35% of TfR co-localized with late-endosome/lysosome compartment, 76 and 108 nM affinity variants showed lower amounts in lysosomes and a predominant co-localization with early endosome markers. The study links bivalent TfR antibody affinity to mechanisms of sorting and trafficking away from late endosomes and lysosomes, resulting in improvement in their transcytosis efficiency. OPEN PRACTICES Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials Badge. For more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/ Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14193.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsalan S. Haqqani
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - George Thom
- Antibody Discovery and Protein EngineeringMedImmune, Milstein BuildingGranta ParkCambridgeUK
| | - Matthew Burrell
- Antibody Discovery and Protein EngineeringMedImmune, Milstein BuildingGranta ParkCambridgeUK
| | - Christie E. Delaney
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Eric Brunette
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Ewa Baumann
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Caroline Sodja
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Anna Jezierski
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
| | - Carl Webster
- Antibody Discovery and Protein EngineeringMedImmune, Milstein BuildingGranta ParkCambridgeUK
| | - Danica B. Stanimirovic
- National Research Council of CanadaHuman Health Therapeutics Research CentreOttawaONCanada
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46
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47
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Guo YF, Shu L, Tan ZJ. Role of intestinal Clostridium in pathogenesis and treatment of diarrhea. Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2018; 26:693-699. [DOI: 10.11569/wcjd.v26.i12.693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium is a group of facultative anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal tract and is closely related to many diseases. By producing toxins and gas, Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens can induce diarrhea. Clostridium butyricum, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and other probiotics, Clostridium toxin vaccine, antibiotics, fecal bacteria transplantation, and other means are the main methods which are clinically used to inhibit the proliferation of harmful Clostridium and restore the balance of intestinal flora. In this paper, we will review the role of intestinal Clostridium in the pathogenesis and treatment of diarrhea to promote the exploration of new therapeutic methods for diarrhea caused by intestinal Clostridium infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Fang Guo
- the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China
| | - Lan Shu
- the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China
| | - Zhou-Jin Tan
- Department of Microbiology, Hu'nan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan Province, China
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48
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Haqqani AS, Delaney CE, Brunette E, Baumann E, Farrington GK, Sisk W, Eldredge J, Ding W, Tremblay TL, Stanimirovic DB. Endosomal trafficking regulates receptor-mediated transcytosis of antibodies across the blood brain barrier. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2018; 38:727-740. [PMID: 29140158 PMCID: PMC5888858 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x17740031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Current methods for examining antibody trafficking are either non-quantitative such as immunocytochemistry or require antibody labeling with tracers. We have developed a multiplexed quantitative method for antibody 'tracking' in endosomal compartments of brain endothelial cells. Rat brain endothelial cells were co-incubated with blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing FC5, monovalent FC5Fc or bivalent FC5Fc fusion antibodies and control antibodies. Endosomes were separated using sucrose-density gradient ultracentrifugation and analyzed using multiplexed mass spectrometry to simultaneously quantify endosomal markers, receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) receptors and the co-incubated antibodies in each fraction. The quantitation showed that markers of early endosomes were enriched in high-density fractions (HDF), whereas markers of late endosomes and lysosomes were enriched in low-density fractions (LDF). RMT receptors, including transferrin receptor, showed a profile similar to that of early endosome markers. The in vitro BBB transcytosis rates of antibodies were directly proportional to their partition into early endosome fractions of brain endothelial cells. Addition of the Fc domain resulted in facilitated antibody 'redistribution' from LDF into HDF and additionally into multivesicular bodies (MVB). Sorting of various FC5 antibody formats away from late endosomes and lysosomes and into early endosomes and a subset of MVB results in increased antibody transcytosis at the abluminal side of the BBB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsalan S Haqqani
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Christie E Delaney
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Eric Brunette
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ewa Baumann
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - William Sisk
- 2 2191 Biogen Inc ., Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John Eldredge
- 2 2191 Biogen Inc ., Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Wen Ding
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tammy-Lynn Tremblay
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Danica B Stanimirovic
- 1 National Research Council of Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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49
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Camelid Single-Domain Antibodies (VHHs) against Crotoxin: A Basis for Developing Modular Building Blocks for the Enhancement of Treatment or Diagnosis of Crotalic Envenoming. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10040142. [PMID: 29596324 PMCID: PMC5923308 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10040142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxic effects triggered by crotalic envenoming are mainly related to crotoxin (CTX), composed of a phospholipase A2 (CB) and a subunit with no toxic activity (CA). Camelids produce immunoglobulins G devoid of light chains, in which the antigen recognition domain is called VHH. Given their unique characteristics, VHHs were selected using Phage Display against CTX from Crotalus durissus terrificus. After three rounds of biopanning, four sequence profiles for CB (KF498602, KF498603, KF498604, and KF498605) and one for CA (KF498606) were revealed. All clones presented the VHH hallmark in FR2 and a long CDR3, with the exception of KF498606. After expressing pET22b-VHHs in E. coli, approximately 2 to 6 mg of protein per liter of culture were obtained. When tested for cross-reactivity, VHHs presented specificity for the Crotalus genus and were capable of recognizing CB through Western blot. KF498602 and KF498604 showed thermostability, and displayed affinity constants for CTX in the micro or nanomolar range. They inhibited in vitro CTX PLA2 activity, and CB cytotoxicity. Furthermore, KF498604 inhibited the CTX-induced myotoxicity in mice by 78.8%. Molecular docking revealed that KF498604 interacts with the CA–CB interface of CTX, seeming to block substrate access. Selected VHHs may be alternatives for the crotalic envenoming treatment.
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50
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Sulea T, Hussack G, Ryan S, Tanha J, Purisima EO. Application of Assisted Design of Antibody and Protein Therapeutics (ADAPT) improves efficacy of a Clostridium difficile toxin A single-domain antibody. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2260. [PMID: 29396522 PMCID: PMC5797146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20599-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Assisted Design of Antibody and Protein Therapeutics (ADAPT) is an affinity maturation platform interleaving predictions and testing that was previously validated on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This study expands the applicability of ADAPT to single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), a promising class of recombinant antibody-based biologics. As a test case, we used the camelid sdAb A26.8, a VHH that binds Clostridium difficile toxin A (TcdA) relatively weakly but displays a reasonable level of TcdA neutralization. ADAPT-guided A26.8 affinity maturation resulted in an improvement of one order of magnitude by point mutations only, reaching an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 2 nM, with the best binding mutants having similar or improved stabilities relative to the parent sdAb. This affinity improvement generated a 6-fold enhancement of efficacy at the cellular level; the A26.8 double-mutant T56R,T103R neutralizes TcdA cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 12 nM. The designed mutants with increased affinities are predicted to establish novel electrostatic interactions with the antigen. Almost full additivity of mutation effects is observed, except for positively charged residues introduced at adjacent positions. Furthermore, analysis of false-positive predictions points to general directions for improving the ADAPT platform. ADAPT guided the efficacy enhancement of an anti-toxin sdAb, an alternative therapeutic modality for C. difficile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Traian Sulea
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H4P 2R2, Canada.,Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Greg Hussack
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Enrico O Purisima
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H4P 2R2, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1Y6, Canada.
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