Bilingualism and Lexical Representation

Forty-eight Hindi-English bilinguals completed two blocks of trials where each trial involved presentation of a letter string requiring a lexical decision. In the first block subjects were exposed to 22 words and 11 non-words in either English or Hindi. In the second block the original words were repeated in either the same language or in the alternative language. In this block the old (repeated) words were mixed with 22 new words, and 22 non-words. Twelve subjects were included in each of the four groups given by the factorial combination of blocks and languages. Reaction time in the lexical decision task was facilitated when words were repeated in the same language (109 and 125 ms in the English-English and Hindi-Hindi groups respectively), but little or no facilitation was observed in the inter-lingual conditions (-22 and 23 ms in the Hindi-English and English-Hindi conditions respectively). The results support the view that lexical representation in bilinguals is language-specific.

Versatile vectors for direct cloning and ligation-independent cloning of PCR-amplified fragments for surface display on filamentous bacteriophages

We have constructed phagemid and phage-based vectors which can be used for both direct (T/A) and ligation-independent cloning (LIC) of PCR products for surface display of encoded peptides/proteins fused with the gIII protein of the filamentous bacteriophages M13 and fd-tet. The vectors harbour a DNA cassette consisting of the lacZ alpha fragment inserted between the +2 and +3 codons of gIIIp. The lacZ alpha fragment is flanked by several restriction enzyme recognition sites which can be used for conventional blunt- and cohesive-end cloning in addition to T/A cloning and LIC. The cloning strategies lead to the loss of the lacZ alpha fragment facilitating the selection of the recombinants in XGal plates. The efficiency of direct (T/A) cloning and LIC for surface display in both vectors was evaluated using PCR-amplified fragments encoding a variety of different proteins which included the Fc-binding domain of protein A, the ADP-ribosylation domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A and a single-chain antibody fragment. The cloning efficiency obtained was 75-85% using the two strategies as monitored by restriction enzyme analysis of the recombinant white colonies on XGal plates. The expression of encoded proteins in recombinants, which were displayed as gIIIp fusions, was found to be 10% in case of T/A cloning but more than 90% in case of LIC.

Monoclonal antibodies against a minor and the major coat proteins of filamentous phage M13: their application in phage display

We have produced monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which react with a minor and the major coat proteins of filamentous phage M13 and have characterised them by combining the techniques of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. These coat proteins are the minor coat protein, gIIIp, the product of gene III and the major coat protein, gVIIIp, the product of gene VIII. Both gIIIp and gVIIIp are important in the context of 'phage display' of foreign peptides/proteins as fusions to these proteins. The anti-gIIIp MAbs were able to detect native gIIIp as well as the fusion proteins comprising foreign proteins and gIIIp in ELISA and on Western blot, indicating their utility for studying the expression of foreign proteins in phage display. Similarly anti-gVIIIp MAbs detected gVIIIp both in ELISA and on Western blot. In an 'affinity capture phage ELISA', phages that were captured by virtue of the interaction between the foreign protein (ligand fused to the gIIIp and displayed on the phage surface) and the immobilised counterpart (receptor), could be easily detected using anti-gVIIIp MAbs. Considering the potential of 'phage display' technology in protein engineering, these antibodies should find wide applications.

Construction and characterization of M13 bacteriophages displaying functional IgG-binding domains of staphylococcal protein A

Staphylococcal protein A (SPA) is ranked as a versatile probe in immunoassays because of its immunoglobulin G (IgG)-binding capability. However, poor binding of SPA to the IgG of some laboratory animals and its inability to bind human IgG3 restricts its universal utility. In the present study, DNA encoding the four IgG-binding domains of SPA (E, D, A and B) or the B domain alone has been fused, in separate phagemid vectors, to the 5' end of gene 111 of the phage M13. Upon infection by helper phage M13KO7, phagemid particles encapsulating single-stranded DNA were produced. Dot immunoblot and Western blot analyses showed the presence of fusion proteins on the M13 surface. Binding of rabbit IgG-horseradish peroxidase (IgG-HRP) complex to the phage particles confirmed that the fusion proteins possessed functional IgG-binding domains. The interaction of these phages with immobilised human IgG and its various subclasses was studied by the phage capture immunoassay where the captured phages were detected by a monoclonal antibody to the major coat protein encoded by gene VIII (gVIII). The phages showed maximal binding to IgG1 kappa, followed by IgG2 kappa, and showed negligible binding to the IgG3 kapa and IgG3 lambda subclasses. The specificity of IgG-binding phages was confirmed in a phage capture and elution assay where the binding of these phages to immobilised human IgG1 kapa weas abolished in the presence of excess of soluble protein A. Moreover, IgG-binding phages could be enriched approx. 1000-fold over non-specific phages in a single round of panning.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Construction and characterization of M13 bacteriophages displaying gp120 binding domains of human CD4

The envelope glycoprotein, gp120, on the surface of HIV interacts with the human CD4 molecule and thus helps the virus in gaining entry into the T-helper cells. To display the gp120 binding domains of human CD4 on the surface of the bacteriophage M13, two types of vectors have been constructed. In these, the first 176 amino acids of the human CD4 have been fused with the minor coat protein, gIIIp, of M13 bacteriophage for surface display. The Western blot analysis revealed that using the phage based vector, M13CD41923, all the copies of gIIIP (3-5 per virion) were present as fusion protein indicating multivalent display. In the phagemid based vector, phage particles were produced only upon infection of the cells carrying pVCCD43426, with the helper phage, M13KO7. Thus these phage particles carried both, the fusion protein as well as the unfused gIIIp, as shown by Western blot analysis. The presence of large amount of unfused gIIIp ensured that the phage particles did not display more than one fusion protein per phage particle, thus leading to monovalent display. Phage particles produced by both vectors could be captured on immobilized gp120, thereby showing that the displayed CD4 domains were functional.

An expression system for secretion and purification of a genetically engineered thermostable chimera of protein A and alkaline phosphatase

A chimera between gene segments of Protein A and a mutated alkaline phosphatase (lysine328 mutated to alanine) of Escherichia coli has been constructed. This chimeric gene was cloned in a T7 promoter-based IPTG-inducible expression vector. The chimeric protein was expressed in E. coli and was efficiently secreted into the periplasm, from which it could be easily purified by a combination of ion-exchange and gel permeation chromatography. The purified chimera was found to be thermostable and exhibited both IgG binding and high alkaline phosphatase activity. It was used as a probe in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and results indicate that it is a promising substitute for secondary antibodies in enzyme-linked immunoassays.