Regulation of B lymphocyte activation by the Fc portion of immunoglobulin

Murine splenic B lymphocytes are induced to proliferate and undergo polyclonal activation in the presence of Fc fragments, AHGG, antigen-antibody complexes, and CH₃ fragments derived from plasmin digestion of human Ig. The unifying feature of the polyclonal antibody response induced by these agents is that in all cases a portion of the constant region of the Ig molecule (ie, Fc region) is present. Fragments of Ig lacking the Fc piece, such as Fab and F(ab′)₂ were found not to be stimulatory. In addition, a model is proposed to account for the regulatory effects of antigen-antibody complexes on an ongoing humoral immune response.     

家蚕抗真菌因子BmSPI39对球孢白僵菌入侵的表达响应

【目的】制备家蚕Bombyx mori抗真菌因子BmSPI39的多克隆抗体,分析BmSPI39对球孢白僵菌Beauveria bassiana入侵的表达响应。【方法】利用原核表达和固定化镍离子亲和层析技术获得高纯度的BmSPI39重组蛋白,利用胶内活性染色检测重组蛋白BmSPI39对枯草杆菌Bacillus subtilis蛋白酶A的抑制活性;利用重组蛋白BmSPI39,通过免疫新西兰大白兔制备BmSPI39的多克隆抗体。基于家蚕开放性数据库SilkDB 3.0,分析BmSPI39在4龄第3天至化蛹后1 d家蚕免疫相关组织体壁、中肠和脂肪体中的时空表达特征。利用制备的BmSPI39抗体通过Western blot分析感染球孢白僵菌不同时间后家蚕幼虫和蛹体壁中BmSPI39应答球孢白僵菌入侵的表达响应。【结果】胶内活性染色结果显示,重组BmSPI39蛋白能够强烈抑制枯草杆菌蛋白酶A的活性。酶联免疫吸附结果显示,BmSPI39抗血清的抗体效价达1∶128 000。Western blot和胶内活性染色结果显示,纯化后的BmSPI39抗体能够有效结合不同多聚体化状态下的BmSPI39抗原蛋白。BmSPI39表达数据的热图分析显示,BmSPI39在游走期和预蛹期的家蚕体壁中有表达,在预蛹期的脂肪体中的表达量较高,但在各发育阶段的中肠中均不表达。Western blot分析结果表明,家蚕幼虫体壁中的BmSPI39的表达在感染球孢白僵菌后84 h上调表达,108和120 h下调表达。【结论】本研究成功制备了BmSPI39的多克隆抗体。BmSPI39蛋白的表达能够响应球孢白僵菌入侵,可能参与蛹期家蚕抵御真菌入侵的过程。     

斑马鱼Fbxl5基因多克隆抗体的制备与检测

Fbxl5为F-box基因家族的一员,目前研究发现其与心脏的发育有关。为了在斑马鱼模型中进一步研究该基因的功能,有必要制备其多克隆抗体。通过桥式PCR扩增出亲水性和特异性均好的斑马鱼Fbxl5基因片段,将其克隆入表达载体pET-28a,转化至大肠杆菌Rosseta中。用IPTG诱导Fbxl5重组质粒得到His-Fbxl5的融合蛋白。这个融合蛋白用Ni-IDA凝胶柱亲和纯化,将纯化的His-Fbxl5融合蛋白免疫新西兰大白兔制备多克隆抗体。使用Western Blot检测,获得了Fbxl5原核表达重组融合蛋白及高效价的特异性兔抗Fbxl5多克隆抗体。随后检测了Fbxl5在斑马鱼胚胎和成体组织中蛋白的表达,通过基因芯片分析在Fbxl5-MO和Std胚胎样品的mRNA含量差异.所得结果显示获得了较高效价和特异性好的斑马鱼Fbxl5多克隆抗体,为Fbxl5功能的进一步研究奠定了基础。     

二点委夜蛾非典型嗅觉受体AlepOrco的基因克隆、原核表达及多克隆抗体制备

【目的】非典型嗅觉受体(olfactory receptor co-receptor, Orco)与典型嗅觉受体共同形成离子通道,在昆虫嗅觉识别中具有至关重要的作用。本研究旨在克隆和表达二点委夜蛾Athetis lepigone Orco基因,明确其分子特性,为进一步研究该基因在二点委夜蛾中的功能奠定基础。【方法】将二点委夜蛾雌雄成虫触角转录组数据建立本地数据库,通过生物信息学分析获得二点委夜蛾Orco同源基因AlepOrco;利用RT-PCR方法克隆二点委夜蛾AlepOrco基因全长,并在pGEX-6P-1/BL21(DE3)系统中进行了该基因开放阅读框(ORF)的原核表达,制备多克隆抗体,用Western blot检测抗体特异性;利用qPCR技术检测该基因在二点委夜蛾雌雄成虫不同组织(喙、触角、去除触角和喙的头、胸、腹、足和翅)中的表达谱。【结果】获得了二点委夜蛾AlepOrco的cDNA(GenBank登录号:MN583125)全长序列,开放阅读框长1 422 bp,编码473个氨基酸,序列中有7个跨膜结构区,预测等电点为8.59,分子量为53.40 kD。SDS-PAGE和Western blot分析结果表明AlepOrco能够在大肠杆菌Escherichia coli中高效表达。利用制备的多克隆抗体对二点委夜蛾AlepOrco进行Western blot检测,其能够特异识别成虫触角中AlepOrco蛋白。qPCR结果表明,AlepOrco在二点委夜蛾雌雄成虫不同组织间具有相似的表达模式,都是在触角中的相对表达量最大,在翅中的表达量最小。【结论】克隆并原核表达了二点委夜蛾非典型嗅觉受体基因AlepOrco,制备的多克隆抗体能够特异识别二点委夜蛾成虫触角中的AlepOrco。结果为深入了解二点委夜蛾AlepOrco基因的结构和功能奠定了基础。     

褐飞虱flightin的原核表达及其差异表达检测

flightin最早发现于果蝇Drosophila melanogaster的间接飞行肌中,并且定位于粗肌丝。这种蛋白对维持肌节的结构和功能起到了重要的作用,但其在具有长短翅型分化的褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens Stl的不同翅型间差异并不清楚。本研究以长翅型雌虫褐飞虱cDNA为模板,通过PCR扩增得到褐飞虱flightin基因ORF全长,将其连接到表达载体pGEX-6P-1中以与谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)融合表达。将表达载体转入大肠杆菌表达株Rosseta,在不同温度、不同浓度IPTG的条件下诱导表达flightin,得到了最优表达条件,获得了高水平可溶性表达。在用GST抗体进行Western blotting验证GST-flightin融合重组蛋白表达的正确性后,我们通过GST柱纯化了的GST-flightin,进而用纯化后的蛋白免疫新西兰兔制备了高特异性的多克隆抗体。最后,我们用制备的多克隆抗体检测了长、短翅型雌成虫和不同发育阶段的褐飞虱体内flightin的表达差异。结果显示,flightin仅在长翅型成虫中表达,在短翅型雌成虫中未检测到其明显表达,而且flightin只在成虫期表达。本研究为进一步研究褐飞虱的flightin与其它蛋白互作、翅肌发育和翅型分化打下了基础。     

Characterization of the complex formed between a potent neutralizing ovine-derived polyclonal anti-TNFα Fab fragment and human TNFα

TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) is an early mediator in the systemic inflammatory response to infection and is therefore a therapeutic target in sepsis. AZD9773 is an ovine-derived, polyclonal anti-TNFα Fab fragment derived from a pool of serum and currently being developed as a treatment for severe sepsis and septic shock. In the present study, we show that although AZD9773 has a modest affinity for TNFα in a binding assay, the K_i in a cell-based assay is approximately four orders of magnitude lower. We show using SEC (size exclusion chromatography) that the maximum size of the complex between AZD9773 and TNFα is consistent with approximately 12 Fabs binding to one TNFα trimer. A number of approaches were taken to map the epitopes recognized by AZD9773. These revealed that a number of different regions on TNFα are involved in binding to the polyclonal Fab. The data suggest that there are probably three epitopes per monomer that are responsible for most of the inhibition by AZD9773 and that all three can be occupied at the same time in the complex. We conclude that AZD9773 is clearly demonstrated to bind to multiple epitopes on TNFα and suggest that the polyclonal nature may account, at least in part, for the very high potency observed in cell-based assays.     

苦荞黄酮-3-羟化酶截短体的原核表达与多克隆抗体制备

为了制备苦荞黄酮-3-羟化酶的多克隆抗体,该研究以苦荞种子灌浆期cDNA文库中获得的苦荞黄酮-3-羟化酶基因截短体(truncated Flavanone-3-hydroxylase,TrF3 H)序列为基础,采用PCR扩增F3 H的截短序列编码区(TrF3 H),构建了原核表达载体pET47b-TrF3 H,并转化入大肠杆菌Rosetta(DE3)plysS中进行诱导表达,将经钴离子螯合层析柱纯化后的目的蛋白切胶回收后制备了高效价的多克隆抗体。结果表明:pET47b-TrF3 H在大肠杆菌Rosetta(DE3)plysS中以包涵体的形式高效表达。蛋白质印迹显示,制备的多克隆抗体能特异识别其对应的抗原,天然的黄酮-3-羟化酶蛋白在苦荞的未成熟种子中大量表达。原核表达体系的建立和多克隆抗体的制备为进一步探讨F3H在苦荞中功能奠定了基础。     

Characterization of a Degraded Product Derived from Serratia piscatorum Polysaccharide by Ultrasonication

Acidic polysaccharide, PLS F–II, was prepared from Serratia piscatorum polysaccharide, PLS N–I, by a sequence of ultrasonication and gel filtration and was examined for chemical composition and biological activity.

The purified PLS F–II preparation was shown to be homogeneous by ultracentrifugation, zone electrophoresis and column chromatography. The molecular weight was estimated to be about 2 × 10⁴ by the Archibald method. PLS F–II was composed of l-rhamnose, d-galactose and d-galacturonic acid in the molar ratio of 2: 1: 1 and was partially acylated on the galacturonic acid residues.

PLS F–II was found to enhance the antibody formation in mice, although it showed no anti-inflammatory activity.     

Polyclonal antibodies for specific detection of tobacco host cell proteins can be efficiently generated following RuBisCO depletion and the removal of endotoxins

The production of biopharmaceutical proteins in plants requires efficient downstream processing steps that remove impurities such as host cell proteins (HCPs) and adventitious endotoxins produced by bacteria during transient expression. We therefore strived to develop effective routines for endotoxin removal from plant extracts and the subsequent use of the extracts to generate antibodies detecting a broad set of HCPs. At first, we depleted the superabundant protein ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) for which PEG precipitation achieved the best results, preventing a dominant immune reaction against this protein. We found that a mixture of sera from rabbits immunized with pre‐depleted or post‐depleted extracts detected more HCPs than the individual sera used alone. We also developed a powerful endotoxin removal procedure using Polymyxin B for extracts from wild type plants or a combination of fiber‐flow filtration and EndoTrap Blue for tobacco plants infiltrated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The antibodies we generated will be useful for quality and performance assessment in future process development and the methods we present can easily be transferred to other expression systems rendering them useful in the field of plant molecular farming.