Production of anti-amoxicillin ScFv antibody and simulation studying its molecular recognition mechanism for penicillins

Enantioselectivity regulation of antibody against chiral herbicide metolachlor based on interaction at chiral center

Enantioselective antibodies have emerged as great potential biomaterials in the fields of immunoassays and chiral separation. However, cross-reactivity of antibodies to the distomer may severely restrict the application. Comprehending the interaction mechanism between antibodies and enantiomers could be beneficial to produce superior enantioselective antibodies. In this study, a pair of recombinant antibodies (RAbs) against metolachlor enantiomers at chiral carbon (αSS-MET and αSR-MET) were generated and characterized. The αSS-MET-RAb and αSR-MET-RAb showed comparable sensitivity and specificity to the parental monoclonal antibodies by icELISA, with IC50 values of 3.45 and 223.77 ng/mL, respectively. Moreover, the complex structures of RAbs and corresponding eutomer were constructed and analyzed, and site-specific mutagenesis was utilized to verify the reliability of the enantioselective mechanism elucidated. It demonstrated that the strength of the interaction between the chiral center region of eutomer and the antibody was the key factor for the enantioselectivity of antibody. Increasing this interaction could limit the conformational adjustment of the distomer in a specific chiral recognition cavity, thus decreasing the affinity of the antibody to the distomer. This work provided the in-depth analysis of enantioselective mechanism for two RAbs and paved the way to regulate antibody enantioselective performance for immunoassays of chiral compounds.

Mechanisms of Action and Limitations of Monoclonal Antibodies and Single Chain Fragment Variable (scFv) in the Treatment of Cancer

Monoclonal antibodies are among the most effective tools for detecting tumor-associated antigens. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 36 therapeutic antibodies for developing novel alternative therapies that have significant success rates in fighting cancer. However, some functional limitations have been described, such as their access to solid tumors and low interaction with the immune system. Single-chain variable fragments (scFv) are versatile and easy to produce, and being an attractive tool for use in immunotherapy models. The small size of scFv can be advantageous for treatment due to its short half-life and other characteristics related to the structural and functional aspects of the antibodies. Therefore, the main objective of this review was to describe the current situation regarding the mechanisms of action, applications, and limitations of monoclonal antibodies and scFv in the treatment of cancer.

Single-chain fragment variable produced by phage display technology: Construction, selection, mutation, expression, and recent applications in food safety

Immunoassays are reliable, efficient, and accurate methods for the analysis of small-molecule harmful substances (such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, and biological toxins) that may be present in food. However, traditional polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies are limited by animal hosts and hinder further development of immunoassays. With the gradual application of phage display technology as an efficient in vitro selection technology, the single-chain fragment variable (scFv) now provides an exciting alternative to traditional antibodies. Efficiently constructed scFv source libraries and specifically designed biopanning schemes can now yield scFvs possessing specific recognition capabilities. A rational mutation strategy further enhances the affinity of scFv, and allows it to reach a level that cannot be achieved by immunization. Finally, appropriate prokaryotic expression measures ensure stable and efficient production of scFv. Therefore, when developing excellent scFvs, it is necessary to focus on three key aspects of this process that include screening, mutation, and expression. In this review, we analyze in detail the preparation and affinity improvement process for scFv and provide insights into the research progress and development trend of scFv-based immunoassay methods for monitoring small-molecule harmful substances.

Development of Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay With scFv to Detect Fumonisin Bs in Maize and Simultaneous Study of Their Molecular Recognition Mechanism

In this study, a fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) was developed based on the single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) for fumonisin B_s (FB_s). The scFvs were prepared from FB_s-specific monoclonal antibody secreting hybridomas (4F5 and 4B9). The established FPIA could determine the sum of fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) and fumonisin B₂ (FB₂) within a short time. The IC₅₀ of FPIA for the detection of FB₁ and FB₂ were 29.36 ng/ml and 1,477.82 ng/ml with 4F5 scFv, and 125.16 ng/ml and 30.44 ng/ml with 4B9 scFv, so the 4B9 scFv was selected for detection of FB₁ and FB₂ in maize samples with a limit of detection of 441.54 μg/kg and 344.933 μg/kg. The recoveries ranged from 84.7 to 104.1% with a coefficient of variation less than 14.1% in spiked samples, and the result of the FPIA method was in good consistency with that of HPLC-MS/MS. To supply a better understanding of the immunoassay results, the interactions mechanism of scFvs-FB_s was further revealed by the homology modelling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic simulation. It was indicated that six complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) were involved in 4B9 scFv recognition, forming a narrow binding cavity, and FB₁/FB₂ could be inserted into this binding cavity stably through strong hydrogen bonds and other interactions. While in 4F5 scFv, only the FB₁ stably inserted in the binding pocket formed by four CDRs through strong hydrogen bonds, and FB₂ did not fit the binding cavity due to the lack of hydroxyl at C10, which is the key recognition site of 4F5 scFv. Also, the binding energy of FB₂-4B9 scFv complex is higher than the FB₂-4F5 scFv complex. This study established a FPIA method with scFv for the detection of FB₁ and FB₁ in maize, and systematically predicted recognition mechanism of FB_s and scFvs, which provided a reference for the better understanding of the immunoassay mechanism.

Preparation and Directed Evolution of Anti-Ciprofloxacin ScFv for Immunoassay in Animal-Derived Food

An immunized mouse phage display scFv library with a capacity of 3.34 × 10⁹ CFU/mL was constructed and used for screening of recombinant anti-ciprofloxacin single-chain antibody for the detection of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in animal-derived food. After four rounds of bio-panning, 25 positives were isolated and identified successfully. The highest positive scFv-22 was expressed in E. coli BL21. Then, its recognition mechanisms were studied using the molecular docking method. The result showed the amino acid residue Val160 was the key residue for the binding of scFv to CIP. Based on the results of virtual mutation, the scFv antibody was evolved by directional mutagenesis of contact amino acid residue Val160 to Ser. After the expression and purification, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IC-ELISA) based on the parental and mutant scFv was established for CIP, respectively. The IC50 value of the assay established with the ScFv mutant was 1.58 ng/mL, while the parental scFv was 26.23 ng/mL; this result showed highly increased affinity, with up to 16.6-fold improved sensitivity. The mean recovery for CIP ranged from 73.80% to 123.35%, with 10.46% relative standard deviation between the intra-assay and the inter-assay. The RSD values ranged between 1.49% and 9.81%. The results indicate that we obtained a highly sensitive anti-CIP scFv by the phage library construction and directional evolution, and the scFv-based IC-ELISA is suitable for the detection of CIP residue in animal-derived edible tissues.

Rapid detection of 21 β-lactams using an immunochromatographic assay based on the mutant BlaR-CTD protein from Bacillus Licheniformis

In this study, a gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) based on a penicillin receptor protein (PBP) is proposed to simultaneously detect penicillin, cephalosporin, and carbapenem antibiotics in milk and chicken.

Construction, expression and functional analysis of anti-clenbuterol codon-optimized scFv recombinant antibody

The construction, expression and functional analysis of codon-optimized single-chain variable fragment (coscFv) against clenbuterol (CBL) prepared from the Escherichia coli system is described. First, the ionic concentration for coscFv expression was optimized through single-factor experiments. Then, the extraction conditions of inclusion bodies were optimized, and coscFv was affinity-purified. Finally, the functional analysis of coscFv was elucidated by indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) and molecular docking. After optimizing the ionic concentration, the yield of coscFv increased from 21.69% to 23.26%. The molecular weight of coscFv was determined to be approximately 27 kDa according to the SDS-PAGE and Western blot assay. The percentage of coscFv was as high as 43.9% after the inclusion bodies were extracted, washed, and dissolved. Functional analysis indicated that the coscFv recognized CBL, and the 50% inhibition average concentration of CBL (IC₅₀) was 4.22 ± 0.01 (n = 3) ng/mL. The binding site between coscFv and CBL consisted of Asp33H, Met34H, Ser50H, Arg52H, Tyr57H, Leu59H, Asp99H, and Tyr93L. Our study confirms that coscFv can bind with CBL through the key amino acid residues and can be used to sensitively detect CBL.

Production and Directional Evolution of Antisarafloxacin ScFv Antibody for Immunoassay of Fluoroquinolones in Milk

A recombinant antisarafloxacin ScFv antibody was produced by direct transformation of its gene into Rosetta-gami(DE3) for expression, and then its recognition mechanisms for 12 fluoroquinolones were studied using the molecular docking method. On the basis of the results of virtual mutation, the ScFv antibody was evolved by directional mutagenesis of contact amino acid residue Tyr99 to His. The ScFv mutant showed highly increased affinity for the 12 drugs with up to sevenfold improved sensitivity. Finally, the mutant was used to develop an indirect competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for determination of the 12 drugs in milk. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.3-8.0 ng/mL; the ties were in the range of 5-106%, and the recoveries from the standard fortified blank milk were in the range of 62.0-89.3%. This is the first study reporting the evolution of an ScFv antibody using a directional mutagenesis strategy based on virtual mutation.