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Bela-Ong DB, Kim J, Thompson KD, Jung TS. Leveraging the biotechnological promise of the hagfish variable lymphocyte receptors: tools for aquatic microbial diseases. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 150:109565. [PMID: 38636740 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
The jawless vertebrates (agnathans/cyclostomes) are ancestral animals comprising lampreys and hagfishes as the only extant representatives. They possess an alternative adaptive immune system (AIS) that uses leucine-rich repeats (LRR)-based variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) instead of the immunoglobulin (Ig)-based antigen receptors of jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes). The different VLR types are expressed on agnathan lymphocytes and functionally resemble gnathostome antigen receptors. In particular, VLRB is functionally similar to the B cell receptor and is expressed and secreted by B-like lymphocytes as VLRB antibodies that bind antigens with high affinity and specificity. The potential repertoire scale of VLR-based antigen receptors is believed to be at least comparable to that of Ig-based systems. VLR proteins inherently possess characteristics that render them excellent candidates for biotechnological development, including tractability to recombinant approaches. In recent years, scientists have explored the biotechnological development and utility of VLRB proteins as alternatives to conventional mammalian antibodies. The VLRB antibody platform represents a non-traditional approach to generating a highly diverse repertoire of unique antibodies. In this review, we first describe some aspects of the biology of the AIS of the jawless vertebrates, which recognizes antigens by means of unique receptors. We then summarize reports on the development of VLRB-based antibodies and their applications, particularly those from the inshore hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri) and their potential uses to address microbial diseases in aquaculture. Hagfish VLRB antibodies (we call Ccombodies) are being developed and improved, while obstacles to the advancement of the VLRB platform are being addressed to utilize VLRBs effectively as tools in immunology. VLRB antibodies for novel antigen targets are expected to emerge to provide new opportunities to tackle various scientific questions. We anticipate a greater interest in the agnathan AIS in general and particularly in the hagfish AIS for greater elucidation of the evolution of adaptive immunity and its applications to address microbial pathogens in farmed aquatic animals and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis B Bela-Ong
- Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases, Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaesung Kim
- Earwynbio Co., Ltd., 206 Sungjangjiwon-dong, 991 Worasan-ro, Munsan, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52839, Republic of Korea
| | - Kim D Thompson
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ, UK, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Tae Sung Jung
- Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases, Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52828, Republic of Korea; Earwynbio Co., Ltd., 206 Sungjangjiwon-dong, 991 Worasan-ro, Munsan, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52839, Republic of Korea.
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Nie M, Feng B, Liu C, Tu Y, Chen X, Wu F. Production and characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies of lamprey pore-forming protein. Protein Expr Purif 2021; 190:106008. [PMID: 34744017 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.106008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In the most primitive jawless vertebrate lamprey, the complement-dependent cytotoxicity regulated by variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) plays an important role in the adaptive immunity. Our previous studies have shown that the lamprey pore-forming protein (LPFP) acted as the terminal effector of VLR to lyse and kill the target cells. Here, the recombinant GST-LPFP protein was expressed and purified in prokaryotic expression system, and then used as the immunogen to produce mouse monoclonal antibody and rabbit polyclonal antibody. With these antibodies, we proved that LPFP existed as homodimers in the lamprey serum, and could be recruited to the membrane of target cells after stimulation. In conclusion, the antibodies we produced could specifically recognize the LPFP protein, which could be the useful tools to further study the pore-forming mechanism of LPFP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Nie
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bo Feng
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yijun Tu
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoni Chen
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fenfang Wu
- Department of Central Laboratory, Shenzhen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China.
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McKitrick TR, Eris D, Mondal N, Aryal RP, McCurley N, Heimburg-Molinaro J, Cummings RD. Antibodies from Lampreys as Smart Anti-Glycan Reagents (SAGRs): Perspectives on Their Specificity, Structure, and Glyco-genomics. Biochemistry 2020; 59:3111-3122. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b01015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tanya R. McKitrick
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Deniz Eris
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Nandini Mondal
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Rajindra P. Aryal
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Nathanael McCurley
- Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization, Georgia State University, 58 Edgewood Ave Rm 341, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, United States
| | - Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Richard D. Cummings
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, National Center for Functional Glycomics, CLS 11087-3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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