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Arras P, Zimmermann J, Lipinski B, Valldorf B, Evers A, Elter D, Krah S, Doerner A, Guarnera E, Siegmund V, Kolmar H, Pekar L, Zielonka S. Bovine ultralong CDR-H3 derived knob paratopes elicit potent TNF-α neutralization and enable the generation of novel adalimumab-based antibody architectures with augmented features. Biol Chem 2024; 405:461-470. [PMID: 38373142 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2023-0370] [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: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
In this work we have generated cattle-derived chimeric ultralong CDR-H3 antibodies targeting tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) via immunization and yeast surface display. We identified one particular ultralong CDR-H3 paratope that potently neutralized TNF-α. Interestingly, grafting of the knob architecture onto a peripheral loop of the CH3 domain of the Fc part of an IgG1 resulted in the generation of a TNF-α neutralizing Fc (Fcknob) that did not show any potency loss compared with the parental chimeric IgG format. Eventually, grafting this knob onto the CH3 region of adalimumab enabled the engineering of a novel TNF-α targeting antibody architecture displaying augmented TNF-α inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Arras
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
- Biomolecular Immunotherapy, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Strasse 4, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
- Targeted mRNA Delivery, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jasmin Zimmermann
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Britta Lipinski
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
- Biomolecular Immunotherapy, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Strasse 4, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Bernhard Valldorf
- Targeted mRNA Delivery, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Andreas Evers
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Desislava Elter
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Simon Krah
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Achim Doerner
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Enrico Guarnera
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Vanessa Siegmund
- Early Protein Supply & Characterization, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Applied Biochemistry, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Strasse 4, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lukas Pekar
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stefan Zielonka
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany
- Biomolecular Immunotherapy, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Peter-Grünberg-Strasse 4, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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Clarke JD, Douangamath A, Mikolajek H, Bonnet-Di Placido M, Ren J, Fry EE, Stuart DI, Hammond JA, Owens RJ. The impact of exchanging the light and heavy chains on the structures of bovine ultralong antibodies. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2024; 80:154-163. [PMID: 38958188 PMCID: PMC11229553 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x2400606x] [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: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The third complementary-determining regions of the heavy-chain (CDR3H) variable regions (VH) of some cattle antibodies are highly extended, consisting of 48 or more residues. These `ultralong' CDR3Hs form β-ribbon stalks that protrude from the surface of the antibody with a disulfide cross-linked knob region at their apex that dominates antigen interactions over the other CDR loops. The structure of the Fab fragment of a naturally paired bovine ultralong antibody (D08), identified by single B-cell sequencing, has been determined to 1.6 Å resolution. By swapping the D08 native light chain with that of an unrelated antigen-unknown ultralong antibody, it is shown that interactions between the CDR3s of the variable domains potentially affect the fine positioning of the ultralong CDR3H; however, comparison with other crystallographic structures shows that crystalline packing is also a major contributor. It is concluded that, on balance, the exact positioning of ultralong CDR3H loops is most likely to be due to the constraints of crystal packing.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Clarke
- The Division of Structural BiologyUniversity of OxfordRoosevelt DriveOxfordOX3 7BNUnited Kingdom
- Macromolecular CrystallographyDiamond Light SourceHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotOX11 0DEUnited Kingdom
- ImmunogeneticsThe Pirbright InstituteAsh RoadPirbrightWokingGU24 0NFUnited Kingdom
| | - Alice Douangamath
- Macromolecular CrystallographyDiamond Light SourceHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotOX11 0DEUnited Kingdom
| | - Halina Mikolajek
- Macromolecular CrystallographyDiamond Light SourceHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotOX11 0DEUnited Kingdom
- CrystallographyThe Research Complex at HarwellHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotOX11 0FAUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Jingshan Ren
- The Division of Structural BiologyUniversity of OxfordRoosevelt DriveOxfordOX3 7BNUnited Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth E. Fry
- The Division of Structural BiologyUniversity of OxfordRoosevelt DriveOxfordOX3 7BNUnited Kingdom
| | - Dave I. Stuart
- The Division of Structural BiologyUniversity of OxfordRoosevelt DriveOxfordOX3 7BNUnited Kingdom
- Macromolecular CrystallographyDiamond Light SourceHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotOX11 0DEUnited Kingdom
| | - John A. Hammond
- ImmunogeneticsThe Pirbright InstituteAsh RoadPirbrightWokingGU24 0NFUnited Kingdom
| | - Raymond J. Owens
- The Division of Structural BiologyUniversity of OxfordRoosevelt DriveOxfordOX3 7BNUnited Kingdom
- Structural Biology, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, DidcotOX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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Trommer J, Lesniowski F, Buchner J, Svilenov HL. Specific features of a scaffolding antibody light chain. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4990. [PMID: 38607241 PMCID: PMC11010950 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4990] [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: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The antigen-binding sites in conventional antibodies are formed by hypervariable complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) from both heavy chains (HCs) and light chains (LCs). A deviation from this paradigm is found in a subset of bovine antibodies that bind antigens via an ultra-long CDR. The HCs bearing ultra-long CDRs pair with a restricted set of highly conserved LCs that convey stability to the antibody. Despite the importance of these LCs, their specific features remained unknown. Here, we show that the conserved bovine LC found in antibodies with ultra-long CDRs exhibits a distinct combination of favorable physicochemical properties such as good secretion from mammalian cells, strong dimerization, high stability, and resistance to aggregation. These physicochemical traits of the LCs arise from a combination of the specific sequences in the germline CDRs and a lambda LC framework. In addition to understanding the molecular architecture of antibodies with ultra-long CDRs, our findings reveal fundamental insights into LC characteristics that can guide the design of antibodies with improved properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Trommer
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA) and School of Natural Sciences, Department of BiosciencesTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Florian Lesniowski
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA) and School of Natural Sciences, Department of BiosciencesTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Johannes Buchner
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA) and School of Natural Sciences, Department of BiosciencesTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Hristo L. Svilenov
- Center of Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA) and School of Natural Sciences, Department of BiosciencesTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
- Present address:
Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesGhent UniversityOttergemsesteenweg 460Ghent9000Belgium
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Kuravsky M, Gibbons GF, Joyce C, Scott-Tucker A, Macpherson A, Lawson ADG. Modular design of bi- and multi-specific knob domain fusions. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1384467. [PMID: 38605965 PMCID: PMC11008599 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1384467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The therapeutic potential of bispecific antibodies is becoming widely recognised, with over a hundred formats already described. For many applications, enhanced tissue penetration is sought, so bispecifics with low molecular weight may offer a route to enhanced potency. Here we report the design of bi- and tri-specific antibody-based constructs with molecular weights as low as 14.5 and 22 kDa respectively. Methods Autonomous bovine ultra-long CDR H3 (knob domain peptide) modules have been engineered with artificial coiled-coil stalks derived from Sin Nombre orthohantavirus nucleocapsid protein and human Beclin-1, and joined in series to produce bi- and tri-specific antibody-based constructs with exceptionally low molecular weights. Results Knob domain peptides with coiled-coil stalks retain high, independent antigen binding affinity, exhibit exceptional levels of thermal stability, and can be readily joined head-to-tail yielding the smallest described multi-specific antibody format. The resulting constructs are able to bind simultaneously to all their targets with no interference. Discussion Compared to existing bispecific formats, the reduced molecular weight of the knob domain fusions may enable enhanced tissue penetration and facilitate binding to cryptic epitopes that are inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Furthermore, they can be easily produced at high yield as recombinant products and are free from the heavy-light chain mispairing issue. Taken together, our approach offers an efficient route to modular construction of minimalistic bi- and multi-specifics, thereby further broadening the therapeutic scope for knob domain peptides.
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Li K, He Y, Wang L, Li P, Bao H, Huang S, Zhou S, Zhu G, Song Y, Li Y, Wang S, Zhang Q, Sun P, Bai X, Zhao Z, Lou Z, Cao Y, Lu Z, Liu Z. Conserved antigen structures and antibody-driven variations on foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype A revealed by bovine neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011811. [PMID: 37983290 PMCID: PMC10695380 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011811] [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: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype A is antigenically most variable within serotypes. The structures of conserved and variable antigenic sites were not well resolved. Here, a historical A/AF72 strain from A22 lineage and a latest A/GDMM/2013 strain from G2 genotype of Sea97 lineage were respectively used as bait antigen to screen single B cell antibodies from bovine sequentially vaccinated with A/WH/CHA/09 (G1 genotype of Sea97 lineage), A/GDMM/2013 and A/AF72 antigens. Total of 39 strain-specific and 5 broad neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) were isolated and characterized. Two conserved antigenic sites were revealed by the Cryo-EM structures of FMDV serotype A with two bnAbs W2 and W125. The contact sites with both VH and VL of W125 were closely around icosahedral threefold axis and covered the B-C, E-F, and H-I loops on VP2 and the B-B knob and H-I loop on VP3; while contact sites with only VH of W2 concentrated on B-B knob, B-C and E-F loops on VP3 scattering around the three-fold axis of viral particle. Additional highly conserved epitopes also involved key residues of VP158, VP1147 and both VP272 / VP1147 as determined respectively by bnAb W153, W145 and W151-resistant mutants. Furthermore, the epitopes recognized by 20 strain-specific neutralization antibodies involved the key residues located on VP3 68 for A/AF72 (11/20) and VP3 175 position for A/GDMM/2013 (9/19), respectively, which revealed antigenic variation between different strains of serotype A. Analysis of antibody-driven variations on capsid of two virus strains showed a relatively stable VP2 and more variable VP3 and VP1. This study provided important information on conserve and variable antigen structures to design broad-spectrum molecular vaccine against FMDV serotype A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Yong He
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Pinghua Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Huifang Bao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Shulun Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Shasha Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Guoqiang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Yali Song
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Sheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Qianliang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Pu Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Xingwen Bai
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Zhixun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Zhiyong Lou
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yimei Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Zengjun Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
| | - Zaixin Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou (P.R. China)
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Huang R, Warner Jenkins G, Kim Y, Stanfield RL, Singh A, Martinez-Yamout M, Kroon GJ, Torres JL, Jackson AM, Kelley A, Shaabani N, Zeng B, Bacica M, Chen W, Warner C, Radoicic J, Joh J, Dinali Perera K, Sang H, Kim T, Yao J, Zhao F, Sok D, Burton DR, Allen J, Harriman W, Mwangi W, Chung D, Teijaro JR, Ward AB, Dyson HJ, Wright PE, Wilson IA, Chang KO, McGregor D, Smider VV. The smallest functional antibody fragment: Ultralong CDR H3 antibody knob regions potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303455120. [PMID: 37722054 PMCID: PMC10523490 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303455120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cows produce antibodies with a disulfide-bonded antigen-binding domain embedded within ultralong heavy chain third complementarity determining regions. This "knob" domain is analogous to natural cysteine-rich peptides such as knottins in that it is small and stable but can accommodate diverse loops and disulfide bonding patterns. We immunized cattle with SARS-CoV-2 spike and found ultralong CDR H3 antibodies that could neutralize several viral variants at picomolar IC50 potencies in vitro and could protect from disease in vivo. The independent CDR H3 peptide knobs were expressed and maintained the properties of the parent antibodies. The knob interaction with SARS-CoV-2 spike was revealed by electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry and established ultralong CDR H3-derived knobs as the smallest known recombinant independent antigen-binding fragment. Unlike other vertebrate antibody fragments, these knobs are not reliant on the immunoglobulin domain and have potential as a new class of therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqi Huang
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA92127
| | | | - Yunjeong Kim
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Robyn L. Stanfield
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Amrinder Singh
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Maria Martinez-Yamout
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Gerard J. Kroon
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Jonathan L. Torres
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Abigail M. Jackson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Abigail Kelley
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA92127
| | - Namir Shaabani
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | | | | | - Wen Chen
- Ligand Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA92121
| | | | | | - Joongho Joh
- School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY40202
| | - Krishani Dinali Perera
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Huldah Sang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Tae Kim
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Jianxiu Yao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Fangzhu Zhao
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Devin Sok
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Dennis R. Burton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Jeff Allen
- Ligand Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA92121
| | | | - Waithaka Mwangi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | - Donghoon Chung
- School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY40202
| | - John R. Teijaro
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Andrew B. Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - H. Jane Dyson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Peter E. Wright
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Ian A. Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Kyeong-Ok Chang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS66506
| | | | - Vaughn V. Smider
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA92127
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA92037
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7
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Ott JA, Mitchell C, Sheppard M, Deiss TC, Horton JMC, Haakenson JK, Huang R, Kelley AR, Davis BW, Derr JN, Smider VV, Criscitiello MF. Evolution of immunogenetic components encoding ultralong CDR H3. Immunogenetics 2023; 75:323-339. [PMID: 37084012 PMCID: PMC10119515 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-023-01305-9] [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: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
The genomes of most vertebrates contain many V, D, and J gene segments within their Ig loci to construct highly variable CDR3 sequences through combinatorial diversity. This nucleotide variability translates into an antibody population containing extensive paratope diversity. Cattle have relatively few functional VDJ gene segments, requiring innovative approaches for generating diversity like the use of ultralong-encoding IGHV and IGHD gene segments that yield dramatically elongated CDR H3. Unique knob and stalk microdomains create protracted paratopes, where the antigen-binding knob sits atop a long stalk, allowing the antibody to bind both surface and recessed antigen epitopes. We examined genomes of twelve species of Bovidae to determine when ultralong-encoding IGHV and IGHD gene segments evolved. We located the 8-bp duplication encoding the unique TTVHQ motif in ultralong IGHV segments in six Bovid species (cattle, zebu, wild yak, domestic yak, American bison, and domestic gayal), but we did not find evidence of the duplication in species beyond the Bos and Bison genera. Additionally, we analyzed mRNA from bison spleen and identified a rich repertoire of expressed ultralong CDR H3 antibody mRNA, suggesting that bison use ultralong IGHV transcripts in their host defense. We found ultralong-encoding IGHD gene segments in all the same species except domestic yak, but again not beyond the Bos and Bison clade. Thus, the duplication event leading to this ultralong-encoding IGHV gene segment and the emergence of the ultralong-encoding IGHD gene segment appears to have evolved in a common ancestor of the Bos and Bison genera 5-10 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeannine A Ott
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Christian Mitchell
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Morgan Sheppard
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Thad C Deiss
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - J M Cody Horton
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jeremy K Haakenson
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, 92127, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ruiqi Huang
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, 92127, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | | | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - James N Derr
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Vaughn V Smider
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, 92127, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Michael F Criscitiello
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA.
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8
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Ramirez Valdez K, Nzau B, Dorey-Robinson D, Jarman M, Nyagwange J, Schwartz JC, Freimanis G, Steyn AW, Warimwe GM, Morrison LJ, Mwangi W, Charleston B, Bonnet-Di Placido M, Hammond JA. A Customizable Suite of Methods to Sequence and Annotate Cattle Antibodies. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1099. [PMID: 37376488 PMCID: PMC10302312 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11061099] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying the antibody response to infection or vaccination is essential for developing more effective vaccines and therapeutics. Advances in high-throughput antibody sequencing technologies and immunoinformatic tools now allow the fast and comprehensive analysis of antibody repertoires at high resolution in any species. Here, we detail a flexible and customizable suite of methods from flow cytometry, single cell sorting, heavy and light chain amplification to antibody sequencing in cattle. These methods were used successfully, including adaptation to the 10x Genomics platform, to isolate native heavy-light chain pairs. When combined with the Ig-Sequence Multi-Species Annotation Tool, this suite represents a powerful toolkit for studying the cattle antibody response with high resolution and precision. Using three workflows, we processed 84, 96, and 8313 cattle B cells from which we sequenced 24, 31, and 4756 antibody heavy-light chain pairs, respectively. Each method has strengths and limitations in terms of the throughput, timeline, specialist equipment, and cost that are each discussed. Moreover, the principles outlined here can be applied to study antibody responses in other mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Nzau
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright GU24 0NF, UK
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | | | | | - James Nyagwange
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright GU24 0NF, UK
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme CGMRC, Kilifi P.O. Box 230-80108, Kenya
| | | | | | | | - George M Warimwe
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme CGMRC, Kilifi P.O. Box 230-80108, Kenya
| | - Liam J Morrison
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
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9
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Adams R, Joyce C, Kuravskiy M, Harrison K, Ahdash Z, Balmforth M, Chia K, Marceddu C, Coates M, Snowden J, Goursaud E, Ménochet K, van den Elsen J, Payne RJ, Lawson ADG, Scott-Tucker A, Macpherson A. Serum albumin binding knob domains engineered within a V H framework III bispecific antibody format and as chimeric peptides. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1170357. [PMID: 37251411 PMCID: PMC10213618 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1170357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Serum albumin binding is an established mechanism to extend the serum half-life of antibody fragments and peptides. The cysteine rich knob domains, isolated from bovine antibody ultralong CDRH3, are the smallest single chain antibody fragments described to date and versatile tools for protein engineering. Methods Here, we used phage display of bovine immune material to derive knob domains against human and rodent serum albumins. These were used to engineer bispecific Fab fragments, by using the framework III loop as a site for knob domain insertion. Results By this route, neutralisation of the canonical antigen (TNFα) was retained but extended pharmacokinetics in-vivo were achieved through albumin binding. Structural characterisation revealed correct folding of the knob domain and identified broadly common but non-cross-reactive epitopes. Additionally, we show that these albumin binding knob domains can be chemically synthesised to achieve dual IL-17A neutralisation and albumin binding in a single chemical entity. Conclusions This study enables antibody and chemical engineering from bovine immune material, via an accessible discovery platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Adams
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | - Callum Joyce
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | | | - Katriona Harrison
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Zainab Ahdash
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | | | - Kelda Chia
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | | | - Matthew Coates
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | - James Snowden
- Early Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Richard J. Payne
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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10
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Passon M, De Smedt S, Svilenov HL. Principles of antibodies with ultralong complementarity-determining regions and picobodies. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 64:108120. [PMID: 36764335 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to other species, cattle possess exceptional antibodies with ultra-long complementarity-determining regions (ulCDRs) that can consist of 40-70 amino acids. The bovine ulCDR is folded into a stalk and a disulfide-rich knob domain. The binding to the antigen is via the 3-6 kDa knob. There exists an immense sequence and structural diversity in the knob that enables binding to different antigens. Here we summarize the current knowledge of the ulCDR structure and provide an overview of the approaches to discover ulCDRs against novel antigens. Furthermore, we outline protein engineering approaches inspired by the natural ulCDRs. Finally, we discuss the enormous potential of using isolated bovine knobs, also named picobodies, as the smallest antigen-binding domains derived from natural antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Passon
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Stefaan De Smedt
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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11
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Joyce C, Speight L, Lawson ADG, Scott-Tucker A, Macpherson A. Phage Display of Bovine Ultralong CDRH3. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2681:83-97. [PMID: 37405644 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3279-6_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Phage display is an in vitro technique used in the discovery of monoclonal antibodies that has been used successfully in the discovery of both camelid VHH and shark variable new antigen receptor domains (VNAR). Bovines also contain a unique "ultralong CDRH3" with a conserved structural motif, comprising a knob domain and β-stalk. When removed from the antibody scaffold, either the entire ultralong CDRH3 or the knob domain alone, is typically capable of binding an antigen, to produce antibody fragments that are smaller than both VHH and VNAR. By extracting immune material from bovine animals and specifically amplifying knob domain DNA sequences by PCR, knob domain sequences can be cloned into a phagemid vector producing knob domain phage libraries. Target-specific knob domains can be enriched by panning the libraries against an antigen of interest. Phage display of knob domains exploits the link between phage genotype and phenotype and could prove to be a high throughput method to discover target-specific knob domains, helping to explore the pharmacological properties of this unique antibody fragment.
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12
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Jenkins GW, Safonova Y, Smider VV. Germline-Encoded Positional Cysteine Polymorphisms Enhance Diversity in Antibody Ultralong CDR H3 Regions. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 209:2141-2148. [PMID: 36426974 PMCID: PMC9940733 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Ab "ultralong" third H chain complementarity-determining regions (CDR H3) appear unique to bovine Abs and may enable binding to difficult epitopes that shorter CDR H3 regions cannot easily access. Diversity is concentrated in the "knob" domain of the CDR H3, which is encoded by the DH gene segment and sits atop a β-ribbon "stalk" that protrudes far from the Ab surface. Knob region cysteine content is quite diverse in terms of total number of cysteines, sequence position, and disulfide bond pattern formation. We investigated the role of germline cysteines in production of a diverse CDR H3 structural repertoire. The relationship between DH polymorphisms and deletions relative to germline at the nucleotide level, as well as diversity in cysteine and disulfide bond content at the structural level, was ascertained. Structural diversity is formed through (1) DH polymorphisms with altered cysteine positions, (2) DH deletions, and (3) new cysteines that arise through somatic hypermutation that form new, unique disulfide bonds to alter the knob structure. Thus, a combination of mechanisms at both the germline and somatic immunogenetic levels results in diversity in knob region cysteine content, contributing to remarkable complexity in knob region disulfide patterns, loops, and Ag binding surface.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yana Safonova
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; and
| | - Vaughn V Smider
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA
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13
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Burke MJ, Scott JNF, Minshull TC, Gao Z, Manfield I, Savic S, Stockley PG, Calabrese AN, Boyes J. A bovine antibody possessing an ultralong complementarity-determining region CDRH3 targets a highly conserved epitope in sarbecovirus spike proteins. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102624. [PMID: 36272646 PMCID: PMC9678781 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Broadly neutralizing antibodies have huge potential as novel antiviral therapeutics due to their ability to recognize highly conserved epitopes that are seldom mutated in viral variants. A subset of bovine antibodies possess an ultralong complementarity-determining region (CDR)H3 that is highly adept at recognizing such conserved epitopes, but their reactivity against Sarbecovirus Spike proteins has not been explored previously. Here, we use a SARS-naïve library to isolate a broadly reactive bovine CDRH3 that binds the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and all SARS-CoV-2 variants. We show further that it neutralizes viruses pseudo-typed with SARS-CoV Spike, but this is not by competition with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding. Instead, using differential hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that it recognizes the major site of vulnerability of Sarbecoviruses. This glycan-shielded cryptic epitope becomes available only transiently via interdomain movements of the Spike protein such that antibody binding triggers destruction of the prefusion complex. This proof of principle study demonstrates the power of in vitro expressed bovine antibodies with ultralong CDRH3s for the isolation of novel, broadly reactive tools to combat emerging pathogens and to identify key epitopes for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Burke
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - James N F Scott
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C Minshull
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Zeqian Gao
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Iain Manfield
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Sinisa Savic
- National Institute for Health Research, Leeds Biomedical Research Centre and Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Peter G Stockley
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Antonio N Calabrese
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Joan Boyes
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
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14
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Hawkins A, Joyce C, Brady K, Hold A, Smith A, Knight M, Howard C, van den Elsen J, Lawson AD, Macpherson A. The proximity of the N- and C- termini of bovine knob domains enable engineering of target specificity into polypeptide chains. MAbs 2022; 14:2076295. [PMID: 35634719 PMCID: PMC9154775 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2076295] [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] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cysteine-rich knob domains can be isolated from the ultralong heavy-chain complementarity-determining region (CDR) 3, which are unique to a subset of bovine antibodies, to create antibody fragments of ~4 kDa. Advantageously, the N- and C- termini of these small binding domains are in close proximity, and we propose that this may offer a practical route to engineer extrinsic binding specificity into proteins. To test this, we transplanted knob domains into various loops of rat serum albumin, targeting sites that were distal to the interface with the neonatal Fc receptor. Using knob domains raised against the clinically validated drug target complement component C5, we produced potent inhibitors, which exhibit an extended plasma half-life in vivo via attenuated renal clearance and neonatal Fc receptor-mediated avoidance of lysosomal catabolism. The same approach was also used to modify a Camelid VHH, targeting a framework loop situated at the opposing end of the domain to the CDRs, to produce a small, single-chain bispecific antibody and a dual inhibitor of Complement C3 and C5. This study presents new protein inhibitors of the complement cascade and demonstrates a broadly applicable method to engineer target specificity within polypeptide chains, using bovine knob domains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Callum Joyce
- Early Solutions UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, UK
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Kevin Brady
- Early Solutions UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, UK
| | - Adam Hold
- Early Solutions UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, UK
| | - Alan Smith
- Biotech Solutions, UCB Biopharma UK, Slough, UK
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15
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Wu M, Zhao H, Tang X, Zhao W, Yi X, Li Q, Sun X. Organization and Complexity of the Yak (Bos Grunniens) Immunoglobulin Loci. Front Immunol 2022; 13:876509. [PMID: 35615368 PMCID: PMC9124968 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.876509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
As important livestock in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, yak provides meat and other necessities for Tibetans living. Plateau yak has resistance to diseases and stress, yet is nearly unknown in the structure and expression mechanism of yak immunoglobulin loci. Based on the published immunoglobulin genes of bovids (cattle, sheep and goat), the genomic organization of the yak immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) and immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) were described. The assemblage diversity of IgH, Igλ and Igκ in yak was similar to that in bovids, and contributes little to the antibody lineage compared with that in humans and mice. Somatic hypermutation (SHM) had a greater effect on immunoglobulin diversity in yak than in goat and sheep, and in addition to the complementarity-determining region (CDR), some loci in the framework region (FR) also showed high frequency mutations. CDR3 diversity showed that immunological lineages in yak were overwhelmingly generated through linkage diversity in IgH rearrangements. The emergence of new high-throughput sequencing technologies and the yak whole genome (2019) publication have greatly improved our understanding of the immune response in yaks. We had a more comprehensive analysis of yak immunoglobulin expression diversity by PE300, which avoided the disadvantage of missing low-frequency recombination in traditional Sanger sequencing. In summary, we described the schematic structure of the genomic organization of yak IgH loci and IgL loci. The analysis of immunoglobulin expression diversity showed that yak made up for the deficiency of V(D)J recombinant diversity by junctional diversity and CDR3 diversity. In addition, yak, like cattle, also had the same ultra-long IgH CDR3 (CDR3H), which provided more contribution to the diverse expression of yak immunoglobulin. These findings might provide a theoretical basis for disease resistance breeding and vaccine development in yak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingli Wu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Haidong Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiaoqin Tang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Wanxia Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiaohua Yi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Qi Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiuzhu Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- *Correspondence: Xiuzhu Sun,
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16
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Safonova Y, Shin SB, Kramer L, Reecy J, Watson CT, Smith TPL, Pevzner PA. Variations in antibody repertoires correlate with vaccine responses. Genome Res 2022; 32:791-804. [PMID: 35361626 PMCID: PMC8997358 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276027.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
An important challenge in vaccine development is to figure out why a vaccine succeeds in some individuals and fails in others. Although antibody repertoires hold the key to answering this question, there have been very few personalized immunogenomics studies so far aimed at revealing how variations in immunoglobulin genes affect a vaccine response. We conducted an immunosequencing study of 204 calves vaccinated against bovine respiratory disease (BRD) with the goal to reveal variations in immunoglobulin genes and somatic hypermutations that impact the efficacy of vaccine response. Our study represents the largest longitudinal personalized immunogenomics study reported to date across all species, including humans. To analyze the generated data set, we developed an algorithm for identifying variations of the immunoglobulin genes (as well as frequent somatic hypermutations) that affect various features of the antibody repertoire and titers of neutralizing antibodies. In contrast to relatively short human antibodies, cattle have a large fraction of ultralong antibodies that have opened new therapeutic opportunities. Our study reveals that ultralong antibodies are a key component of the immune response against the costliest disease of beef cattle in North America. The detected variants of the cattle immunoglobulin genes, which are implicated in the success/failure of the BRD vaccine, have the potential to direct the selection of individual cattle for ongoing breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Safonova
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California 92093, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Sung Bong Shin
- U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA-ARS, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933, USA
| | - Luke Kramer
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - James Reecy
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - Corey T Watson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA
| | - Timothy P L Smith
- U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA-ARS, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933, USA
| | - Pavel A Pevzner
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California 92093, USA
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17
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Klewinghaus D, Pekar L, Arras P, Krah S, Valldorf B, Kolmar H, Zielonka S. Grabbing the Bull by Both Horns: Bovine Ultralong CDR-H3 Paratopes Enable Engineering of 'Almost Natural' Common Light Chain Bispecific Antibodies Suitable For Effector Cell Redirection. Front Immunol 2022; 12:801368. [PMID: 35087526 PMCID: PMC8787767 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.801368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of antibodies found in cattle comprises ultralong CDR-H3 regions of up to 70 amino acids. Interestingly, this type of immunoglobulin usually pairs with the single germline VL gene, V30 that is typically very conserved in sequence. In this work, we have engineered ultralong CDR-H3 common light chain bispecific antibodies targeting Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) on tumor cells as well as Natural Cytotoxicity Receptor NKp30 on Natural Killer (NK) cells. Antigen-specific common light chain antibodies were isolated by yeast surface display by means of pairing CDR-H3 diversities following immunization with a single V30 light chain. After selection, EGFR-targeting paratopes as well as NKp30-specific binders were combined into common light chain bispecific antibodies by exploiting the strand-exchange engineered domain (SEED) technology for heavy chain heterodimerization. Biochemical characterization of resulting bispecifics revealed highly specific binding to the respective antigens as well as simultaneous binding to both targets. Most importantly, engineered cattle-derived bispecific common light chain molecules elicited potent NK cell redirection and consequently tumor cell lysis of EGFR-overexpressing cells as well as robust release of proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ. Taken together, this data is giving clear evidence that bovine bispecific ultralong CDR-H3 common light chain antibodies are versatile for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Klewinghaus
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lukas Pekar
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Paul Arras
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Simon Krah
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Bernhard Valldorf
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Development, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stefan Zielonka
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
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18
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Mechanistic principles of an ultra-long bovine CDR reveal strategies for antibody design. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6737. [PMID: 34795299 PMCID: PMC8602281 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27103-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies bind antigens via flexible loops called complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). These are usually 6-20 residues long. However, some bovine antibodies have ultra-long CDRs comprising more than 50 residues organized in a stalk and a disulfide-rich knob. The design features of this structural unit and its influence on antibody stability remained enigmatic. Here, we show that the stalk length is critical for the folding and stability of antibodies with an ultra-long CDR and that the disulfide bonds in the knob do not contribute to stability; they are important for organizing the antigen-binding knob structure. The bovine ultra-long CDR can be integrated into human antibody scaffolds. Furthermore, mini-domains from de novo design can be reformatted as ultra-long CDRs to create unique antibody-based proteins neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha variant of concern with high efficiency. Our findings reveal basic design principles of antibody structure and open new avenues for protein engineering.
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19
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Pekar L, Klewinghaus D, Arras P, Carrara SC, Harwardt J, Krah S, Yanakieva D, Toleikis L, Smider VV, Kolmar H, Zielonka S. Milking the Cow: Cattle-Derived Chimeric Ultralong CDR-H3 Antibodies and Their Engineered CDR-H3-Only Knobbody Counterparts Targeting Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Elicit Potent NK Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity. Front Immunol 2021; 12:742418. [PMID: 34759924 PMCID: PMC8573386 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.742418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, we have generated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific cattle-derived ultralong CDR-H3 antibodies by combining cattle immunization with yeast surface display. After immunization, ultralong CDR-H3 regions were specifically amplified and grafted onto an IGHV1-7 scaffold by homologous recombination to facilitate Fab display. Antigen-specific clones were readily obtained by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and reformatted as chimeric antibodies. Binning experiments revealed epitope targeting of domains I, II, and IV of EGFR with none of the generated binders competing with Cetuximab, Matuzumab, or EGF for binding to EGFR. Cattle-derived chimeric antibodies were potent in inducing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against EGFR-overexpressing tumor cells with potencies (EC50 killing) in the picomolar range. Moreover, most of the antibodies were able to significantly inhibit EGFR-mediated downstream signaling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a minor fraction of CDR-H3 knobs derived from generated antibodies was capable of independently functioning as a paratope facilitating EGFR binding when grafted onto the Fc part of human IgG1. Besides slightly to moderately diminished capacities, these engineered Knobbodies largely retained main properties of their parental antibodies such as cellular binding and triggering of ADCC. Hence, Knobbodies might emerge as promising tools for biotechnological applications upon further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Pekar
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Daniel Klewinghaus
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Paul Arras
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stefania C. Carrara
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Julia Harwardt
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Simon Krah
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Desislava Yanakieva
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lars Toleikis
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Vaughn V. Smider
- The Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Stefan Zielonka
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
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Two Cross-Protective Antigen Sites on Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O Structurally Revealed by Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies from Cattle. J Virol 2021; 95:e0088121. [PMID: 34406868 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00881-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious virus that infects cloven-hoofed animals. Neutralizing antibodies play critical roles in antiviral infection. Although five known antigen sites that induce neutralizing antibodies have been defined, studies on cross-protective antigen sites are still scarce. We mapped two cross-protective antigen sites using 13 bovine-derived broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bnAbs) capable of neutralizing 4 lineages within 3 topotypes of FMDV serotype O. One antigen site was formed by a novel cluster of VP3-focused epitopes recognized by bnAb C4 and C4-like antibodies. The cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the FMDV-OTi (O/Tibet/99)-C4 complex showed close contact with VP3 and a novel interprotomer antigen epitope around the icosahedral 3-fold axis of the FMDV particle, which is far beyond the known antigen site 4. The key determinants of the neutralizing function of C4 and C4-like antibodies on the capsid were βB (T65), the B-C loop (T68), the E-F loop (E131 and K134), and the H-I loop (G196), revealing a novel antigen site on VP3. The other antigen site comprised two group epitopes on VP2 recognized by 9 bnAbs (B57, B73, B77, B82, F28, F145, F150, E46, and E54), which belong to the known antigen site 2 of FMDV serotype O. Notably, bnAb C4 potently promoted FMDV RNA release in response to damage to viral particles, suggesting that the targeted epitope contains a trigger mechanism for particle disassembly. This study revealed two cross-protective antigen sites that can elicit cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies in cattle and provided new structural information for the design of a broad-spectrum molecular vaccine against FMDV serotype O. IMPORTANCE FMDV is the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which is one of the most contagious and economically devastating diseases of domestic animals. The antigenic structure of FMDV serotype O is rather complicated, especially for those sites that can elicit a cross-protective neutralizing antibody response. Monoclonal neutralization antibodies provide both crucial defense components against FMDV infection and valuable tools for fine analysis of the antigenic structure. In this study, we found a cluster of novel VP3-focused epitopes using 13 bnAbs against FMDV serotype O from natural host cattle, which revealed two cross-protective antigen sites on VP2 and VP3. Antibody C4 targeting this novel epitope potently promoted viral particle disassembly and RNA release before infection, which may indicate a vulnerable region of FMDV. This study reveals new structural information about cross-protective antigen sites of FMDV serotype O, providing valuable and strong support for future research on broad-spectrum vaccines against FMD.
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Macpherson A, Birtley JR, Broadbridge RJ, Brady K, Schulze MSED, Tang Y, Joyce C, Saunders K, Bogle G, Horton J, Kelm S, Taylor RD, Franklin RJ, Selby MD, Laabei M, Wonfor T, Hold A, Stanley P, Vadysirisack D, Shi J, van den Elsen J, Lawson ADG. The Chemical Synthesis of Knob Domain Antibody Fragments. ACS Chem Biol 2021; 16:1757-1769. [PMID: 34406751 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cysteine-rich knob domains found in the ultralong complementarity determining regions of a subset of bovine antibodies are capable of functioning autonomously as 3-6 kDa peptides. While they can be expressed recombinantly in cellular systems, in this paper we show that knob domains are also readily amenable to a chemical synthesis, with a co-crystal structure of a chemically synthesized knob domain in complex with an antigen showing structural equivalence to the biological product. For drug discovery, following the immunization of cattle, knob domain peptides can be synthesized directly from antibody sequence data, combining the power and diversity of the bovine immune repertoire with the ability to rapidly incorporate nonbiological modifications. We demonstrate that, through rational design with non-natural amino acids, a paratope diversity can be massively expanded, in this case improving the efficacy of an allosteric peptide. As a potential route to further improve stability, we also performed head-to-tail cyclizations, exploiting the proximity of the N and C termini to synthesize functional, fully cyclic antibody fragments. Lastly, we highlight the stability of knob domains in plasma and, through pharmacokinetic studies, use palmitoylation as a route to extend the plasma half-life of knob domains in vivo. This study presents an antibody-derived medicinal chemistry platform, with protocols for solid-phase synthesis of knob domains, together with the characterization of their molecular structures, in vitro pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Macpherson
- UCB Pharma, Slough SL1 3WE, U.K
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
| | | | | | | | | | - Yalan Tang
- UCB-Ra Pharma, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Callum Joyce
- UCB Pharma, Slough SL1 3WE, U.K
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
| | | | | | - John Horton
- Peptide Protein Research, Bishops Waltham SO32 1QD, U.K
| | | | | | | | | | - Maisem Laabei
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
| | - Toska Wonfor
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
| | | | | | | | | | - Jean van den Elsen
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
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22
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Di Y, Cai S, Zheng S, Huang J, Du L, Song Y, Zhang M, Wang Z, Yu G, Ren L, Han H, Zhao Y. Reshaping the murine immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoire with bovine DH genes. Immunology 2021; 165:74-87. [PMID: 34428313 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13407] [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: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Having a limited number of VH segments, cattle rely on uniquely long DH gene segments to generate CDRH3 length variation (3-70 aa) far greater than that in humans or mice. Bovine antibodies with ultralong CDRH3s (>50 aa) possess unusual structures and abilities to bind to special antigens. In this study, we replaced most murine endogenous DH segments with bovine DH genes, generating a mouse line termed B-DH. The use of bovine DH genes significantly increased the length variation of CDRH3 and consequently the Ig heavy chain repertoire in B-DH mice. However, no ultralong CDRH3 was observed in B-DH mice, suggesting that other factors, in addition to long DH genes, are also involved in the formation of ultralong CDRH3. The B-DH mice mounted a normal humoral immune response to various antigens, although the B-cell developmental paradigm was obviously altered compared with wild-type mice. Additionally, B-DH mice are not predisposed to the generation of autoantibodies despite the interspecies DH gene replacement. The B-DH mice reported in this study provide a unique model to answer basic questions regarding the synergistic evolution of DH and VH genes, VDJ recombination and BCR selection in B-cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Di
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuyi Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shunan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinwei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Lijuan Du
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Song
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Guotao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Liming Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Haitang Han
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaofeng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Therapeutic Antibodies Targeting Potassium Ion Channels. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021; 267:507-545. [PMID: 33963460 DOI: 10.1007/164_2021_464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies combine specificity and high affinity binding with excellent pharmacokinetic properties and are rapidly being developed for a wide range of drug targets including clinically important potassium ion channels. Nonetheless, while therapeutic antibodies come with great promise, K+ channels represent particularly difficult targets for biologics development for a variety of reasons that include their dynamic structures and relatively small extracellular loops, their high degree of sequence conservation (leading to immune tolerance), and their generally low-level expression in vivo. The process is made all the more difficult when large numbers of antibody candidates must be screened for a given target, or when lead candidates fail to cross-react with orthologous channels in animal disease models due to their highly selective binding properties. While the number of antibodies targeting potassium channels in preclinical or clinical development is still modest, significant advances in the areas of protein expression and antibody screening are converging to open the field to an avalanche of new drugs. Here, the opportunities and constraints associated with the discovery of antibodies against K+ channels are discussed, with an emphasis on novel technologies that are opening the field to exciting new possibilities for biologics development.
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He Y, Li K, Cao Y, Sun Z, Li P, Bao H, Wang S, Zhu G, Bai X, Sun P, Liu X, Yang C, Liu Z, Lu Z, Rao Z, Lou Z. Structures of Foot-and-mouth Disease Virus with neutralizing antibodies derived from recovered natural host reveal a mechanism for cross-serotype neutralization. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009507. [PMID: 33909694 PMCID: PMC8081260 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of a universal vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is hindered by cross-serotype antigenic diversity and by a lack of knowledge regarding neutralization of the virus in natural hosts. In this study, we isolated serotype O-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) (F145 and B77) from recovered natural bovine hosts by using the single B cell antibody isolation technique. We also identified a serotype O/A cross-reacting NAb (R50) and determined virus-NAb complex structures by cryo-electron microscopy at near-atomic resolution. F145 and B77 were shown to engage the capsid of FMDV-O near the icosahedral threefold axis, binding to the BC/HI-loop of VP2. In contrast, R50 engages the capsids of both FMDV-O and FMDV-A between the 2- and 5-fold axes and binds to the BC/EF/GH-loop of VP1 and to the GH-loop of VP3 from two adjacent protomers, revealing a previously unknown antigenic site. The cross-serotype neutralizing epitope recognized by R50 is highly conserved among serotype O/A. These findings help to elucidate FMDV neutralization by natural hosts and provide epitope information for the development of a universal vaccine for cross-serotype protection against FMDV. FMDV is the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease, one of the most contagious and economically devastating diseases of cloven-hoofed animals. The antigenic diversities of the currently known epitopes throughout FMDV serotypes and the lack of understanding of FMDV neutralization in natural hosts limit the development of a vaccine that is able to provide cross-serotype protection. In this work, we isolated FMDV serotype O-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) (F145 and B77) and a serotype O/A cross-reacting NAb (R50) from recovered natural bovine hosts and determined virus-NAb complex structures by cryo-electron microscopy at near-atomic resolution. Structures of virus-NAb complex reveal F145 and B77 engage the capsid of FMDV-O near the icosahedral threefold axis. In contrast, R50 engages the capsids of both FMDV-O and FMDV-A between the 2- and 5-fold axes, revealing a previously unknown antigenic site. This is the first time to present structure details of FMDV neutralization by natural hosts. And this work also provides epitope information for the development of a universal vaccine for cross-serotype protection against FMDV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong He
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yimei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zixian Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Pinghua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huifang Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Guoqiang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xingwen Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Pu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xuerong Liu
- China Agricultural Vet Biology and Technology Co. Ltd., Lanzhou, China
| | - Cheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zaixin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- * E-mail: (ZL); (ZL); (ZR); (ZL)
| | - Zengjun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, National Foot-and-Mouth Diseases Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- * E-mail: (ZL); (ZL); (ZR); (ZL)
| | - Zihe Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (ZL); (ZL); (ZR); (ZL)
| | - Zhiyong Lou
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science & Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (ZL); (ZL); (ZR); (ZL)
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25
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Prabakaran P, Chowdhury PS. Landscape of Non-canonical Cysteines in Human V H Repertoire Revealed by Immunogenetic Analysis. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107831. [PMID: 32610132 PMCID: PMC7326410 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human antibody repertoire data captured through next-generation sequencing (NGS) has enabled deeper insights into B cell immunogenetics and paratope diversity. By analyzing large public NGS datasets, we map the landscape of non-canonical cysteines in human variable heavy-chain domains (VHs) at the repertoire level. We identify remarkable usage of non-canonical cysteines within the heavy-chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR-H3) and other CDRs and framework regions. Furthermore, our study reveals the diversity and location of non-canonical cysteines and their associated motifs in human VHs, which are reminiscent of and more complex than those found in other non-human species such as chicken, camel, llama, shark, and cow. These results explain how non-canonical cysteines strategically occur in the human antibodyome to expand its paratope space. This study will guide the design of human antibodies harboring disulfide-stabilized long CDR-H3s to access difficult-to-target epitopes and influence a paradigm shift in developability involving non-canonical cysteines. NGS-based non-canonical cysteine landscape in human VHs 1 to 8 non-canonical cysteines and up to 30% in long CDR-H3s An array of potential disulfide motifs adds paratope diversity Non-canonical cysteines in human VHs are reminiscent of lower animals
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26
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Macpherson A, Scott-Tucker A, Spiliotopoulos A, Simpson C, Staniforth J, Hold A, Snowden J, Manning L, van den Elsen J, Lawson ADG. Isolation of antigen-specific, disulphide-rich knob domain peptides from bovine antibodies. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000821. [PMID: 32886672 PMCID: PMC7498065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
As a novel alternative to established surface display or combinatorial chemistry approaches for the discovery of therapeutic peptides, we present a method for the isolation of small, cysteine-rich domains from bovine antibody ultralong complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). We show for the first time that isolated bovine antibody knob domains can function as autonomous entities by binding antigen outside the confines of the antibody scaffold. This yields antibody fragments so small as to be considered peptides, each stabilised by an intricate, bespoke arrangement of disulphide bonds. For drug discovery, cow immunisations harness the immune system to generate knob domains with affinities in the picomolar to low nanomolar range, orders of magnitude higher than unoptimized peptides from naïve library screening. Using this approach, knob domain peptides that tightly bound Complement component C5 were obtained, at scale, using conventional antibody discovery and peptide purification techniques. This study describes a method for the isolation of knob domains (a disulfide-rich domain found in the ultra-long CDRH3 of a subset of bovine antibodies) to create a uniquely small antibody fragment. With a molecular weight 3-6 KDa, the knob domain fragment is so small as to be considered a peptide. This approach uniquely harnesses the bovine immune system to affinity maturate peptides in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Macpherson
- UCB, Slough, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jean van den Elsen
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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Barroso R, Morrison WI, Morrison LJ. Molecular Dissection of the Antibody Response: Opportunities and Needs for Application in Cattle. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1175. [PMID: 32595642 PMCID: PMC7304342 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving understanding of the bovine adaptive immune response would equip researchers to more efficiently design interventions against pathogens that impact upon food security and animal welfare. There are features of the bovine antibody response that differ substantially from other mammalian species, including the best understood models in the human and mouse. These include the ability to generate a functionally diverse immunoglobulin response despite having a fraction of the germline gene diversity that underpins this process in humans and mice, and the unique structure of a subset of immunoglobulins with "ultralong" HCDR3 domains, which are of significant interest with respect to potential therapeutics, including against human pathogens. However, a more detailed understanding of the B cell response and the production of an effective antibody response in the bovine is currently hampered by the lack of reagents for the B cell lineage. In this article we outline the current state of knowledge and capabilities with regard to B cell and antibody responses in cattle, highlight resource gaps, and summarize recent advances that have the potential to fundamentally advance our understanding of this process in the bovine host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Barroso
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - W Ivan Morrison
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - Liam J Morrison
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom
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28
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Smider BA, Smider VV. Formation of ultralong DH regions through genomic rearrangement. BMC Immunol 2020; 21:30. [PMID: 32487018 PMCID: PMC7265228 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-020-00359-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cow antibodies are very unusual in having exceptionally long CDR H3 regions. The genetic basis for this length largely derives from long heavy chain diversity (DH) regions, with a single “ultralong” DH, IGHD8–2, encoding over 50 amino acids. Many bovine IGHD regions have sequence similarity but have several nucleotide repeating units that diversify their lengths. Genomically, most DH regions exist in three clusters that appear to have formed from DNA duplication events. However, the relationship between the genomic arrangement and long CDR lengths is unclear. Results The DH cluster containing IGHD8–2 underwent a rearrangement and deletion event in relation to the other clusters in the region corresponding to IGHD8–2, with possible fusion of two DH regions and expansion of short repeats to form the ultralong IGHD8–2 gene. Conclusions Length heterogeneity within DH regions is a unique evolutionary genomic mechanism to create immune diversity, including formation of ultralong CDR H3 regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brevin A Smider
- The Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, 92127, USA
| | - Vaughn V Smider
- The Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA, 92127, USA. .,The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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29
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Stanfield RL, Berndsen ZT, Huang R, Sok D, Warner G, Torres JL, Burton DR, Ward AB, Wilson IA, Smider VV. Structural basis of broad HIV neutralization by a vaccine-induced cow antibody. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba0468. [PMID: 32518821 PMCID: PMC7253169 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to HIV have been very challenging to elicit by vaccination in wild-type animals. Here, by x-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and site-directed mutagenesis, we structurally and functionally elucidate the mode of binding of a potent bnAb (NC-Cow1) elicited in cows by immunization with the HIV envelope (Env) trimer BG505 SOSIP.664. The exceptionally long (60 residues) third complementarity-determining region of the heavy chain (CDR H3) of NC-Cow1 forms a mini domain (knob) on an extended stalk that navigates through the dense glycan shield on Env to target a small footprint on the gp120 CD4 receptor binding site with no contact of the other CDRs to the rest of the Env trimer. These findings illustrate, in molecular detail, how an unusual vaccine-induced cow bnAb to HIV Env can neutralize with high potency and breadth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn L. Stanfield
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Zachary T. Berndsen
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ruiqi Huang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
- Taurus Biosciences LLC, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
| | - Devin Sok
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gabrielle Warner
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
- Taurus Biosciences LLC, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
| | - Jonathan L. Torres
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Dennis R. Burton
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andrew B. Ward
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ian A. Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- IAVI, Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Vaughn V. Smider
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Applied Biomedical Science Institute, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
- Taurus Biosciences LLC, San Diego, CA 92127, USA
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Burke MJ, Stockley PG, Boyes J. Broadly Neutralizing Bovine Antibodies: Highly Effective New Tools against Evasive Pathogens? Viruses 2020; 12:v12040473. [PMID: 32331321 PMCID: PMC7232318 DOI: 10.3390/v12040473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Potent antibody-mediated neutralization is critical for an organism to combat the vast array of pathogens it will face during its lifetime. Due to the potential genetic diversity of some viruses, such as HIV-1 and influenza, standard neutralizing antibodies are often ineffective or easily evaded as their targets are masked or rapidly mutated. This has thwarted efforts to both prevent and treat HIV-1 infections and means that entirely new formulations are required to vaccinate against influenza each year. However, some rare antibodies isolated from infected individuals confer broad and potent neutralization. A subset of these broadly neutralizing antibodies possesses a long complementarity-determining 3 region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (CDR H3). This feature generates unique antigen binding site configurations that can engage conserved but otherwise inaccessible epitope targets thus neutralizing many viral variants. Remarkably, ultralong CDR H3s are a common feature of the cow antibody repertoire and are encoded by a single variable, diversity, joining (VDJ) recombination that is extensively diversified prior to antigen exposure. Recently, it was shown that cows rapidly generate a broadly neutralizing response upon exposure to HIV-1 and this is primarily mediated by these novel ultralong antibody types. This review summarises the current knowledge of these unusual CDR H3 structures and discusses their known and potential future uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Burke
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (M.J.B.); (P.G.S.)
| | - Peter G. Stockley
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (M.J.B.); (P.G.S.)
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Joan Boyes
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; (M.J.B.); (P.G.S.)
- Correspondence:
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