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Bela-Ong DB, Kim J, Thompson KD, Jung TS. Leveraging the biotechnological promise of the hagfish variable lymphocyte receptors: tools for aquatic microbial diseases. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 150:109565. [PMID: 38636740 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
The jawless vertebrates (agnathans/cyclostomes) are ancestral animals comprising lampreys and hagfishes as the only extant representatives. They possess an alternative adaptive immune system (AIS) that uses leucine-rich repeats (LRR)-based variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) instead of the immunoglobulin (Ig)-based antigen receptors of jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes). The different VLR types are expressed on agnathan lymphocytes and functionally resemble gnathostome antigen receptors. In particular, VLRB is functionally similar to the B cell receptor and is expressed and secreted by B-like lymphocytes as VLRB antibodies that bind antigens with high affinity and specificity. The potential repertoire scale of VLR-based antigen receptors is believed to be at least comparable to that of Ig-based systems. VLR proteins inherently possess characteristics that render them excellent candidates for biotechnological development, including tractability to recombinant approaches. In recent years, scientists have explored the biotechnological development and utility of VLRB proteins as alternatives to conventional mammalian antibodies. The VLRB antibody platform represents a non-traditional approach to generating a highly diverse repertoire of unique antibodies. In this review, we first describe some aspects of the biology of the AIS of the jawless vertebrates, which recognizes antigens by means of unique receptors. We then summarize reports on the development of VLRB-based antibodies and their applications, particularly those from the inshore hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri) and their potential uses to address microbial diseases in aquaculture. Hagfish VLRB antibodies (we call Ccombodies) are being developed and improved, while obstacles to the advancement of the VLRB platform are being addressed to utilize VLRBs effectively as tools in immunology. VLRB antibodies for novel antigen targets are expected to emerge to provide new opportunities to tackle various scientific questions. We anticipate a greater interest in the agnathan AIS in general and particularly in the hagfish AIS for greater elucidation of the evolution of adaptive immunity and its applications to address microbial pathogens in farmed aquatic animals and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis B Bela-Ong
- Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases, Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaesung Kim
- Earwynbio Co., Ltd., 206 Sungjangjiwon-dong, 991 Worasan-ro, Munsan, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52839, Republic of Korea
| | - Kim D Thompson
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ, UK, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Tae Sung Jung
- Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases, Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52828, Republic of Korea; Earwynbio Co., Ltd., 206 Sungjangjiwon-dong, 991 Worasan-ro, Munsan, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52839, Republic of Korea.
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Liu Y, Budylowski P, Dong S, Li Z, Goroshko S, Leung LYT, Grunebaum E, Campisi P, Propst EJ, Wolter NE, Rini JM, Zia A, Ostrowski M, Ehrhardt GRA. SARS-CoV-2-Reactive Mucosal B Cells in the Upper Respiratory Tract of Uninfected Individuals. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 207:2581-2588. [PMID: 34607939 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory pathogen that can cause severe disease in at-risk populations but results in asymptomatic infections or a mild course of disease in the majority of cases. We report the identification of SARS-CoV-2-reactive B cells in human tonsillar tissue obtained from children who were negative for coronavirus disease 2019 prior to the pandemic and the generation of mAbs recognizing the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein from these B cells. These Abs showed reduced binding to Spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants and did not recognize Spike proteins of endemic coronaviruses, but subsets reacted with commensal microbiota and exhibited SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing potential. Our study demonstrates pre-existing SARS-CoV-2-reactive Abs in various B cell populations in the upper respiratory tract lymphoid tissue that may lead to the rapid engagement of the pathogen and contribute to prevent manifestations of symptomatic or severe disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanling Liu
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Shilan Dong
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sofiya Goroshko
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leslie Y T Leung
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eyal Grunebaum
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paolo Campisi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Evan J Propst
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nikolas E Wolter
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James M Rini
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Amin Zia
- dYcode.bio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mario Ostrowski
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Götz R A Ehrhardt
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
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