Recombinant expression and purification of human placental growth factor 1 and specific camel heavy chain polyclonal antibody preparation

Placental growth factor (PlGF) is a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. Unlike VEGF, PlGF is dispensable for normal cell development as well as playing various roles in pathological angiogenesis which occurs in tissue ischemia, inflammation, and malignancy. The PlGF-1 has been considered as a potential candidate for the diagnosis and targeting of pathological angiogenesis. Camelidae serum contains an important fraction of functional antibodies, called heavy-chain antibodies (HcAbs) that are naturally devoid of light chains. Camelid HcAbs recognize their cognate antigens by a single variable-domain, referred to as VHH or Nanobody.Here, we describe the expression and purification of recombinant human PlGF-1 (rhPlGF-1). This protein was subsequently used for the preparation of camel heavy chain polyclonal antibody against rhPlGF-1.The recombinant expression plasmid pET-26b-hPlGF-1 was introduced into Escherichia coli BL21 cells to express the rhPlGF-1 protein. Purified rhPlGF-1 was used to immunize camel, the specific reactivity of HcAb was determined with ELISA and western blot. Western blot analysis indicated that the antiserum specifically reacted to the recombinant protein. The rhPlGF-1 protein and its antibody may be used for the development of detection assays needed for clinical research.     

基于细胞的抗单增李斯特菌单域重链抗体的筛选及鉴定

【目的】获得针对单增李斯特菌的特异性单域重链抗体,并对筛选过程中特异性克隆的富集规律进行分析,为筛选具有种属特异性的噬菌体展示抗体提供参考。【方法】采用固相筛选技术,以热灭活的单增李斯特菌菌体为抗原,通过四轮常规筛选和一轮消减筛选,从驼源天然噬菌体展示文库中筛选针对单增李斯特菌的单域重链抗体。采用Phage-ELISA法,对后四轮筛选洗脱物中随机挑选的噬菌体进行鉴定,阳性克隆进行基因测序及结合特异性分析。通过多序列比对分析将获得的基因序列进行分组和统计。【结果】成功筛选到2株单增李斯特菌特异性的单域重链抗体。【结论】在优化的筛选条件下,基于全细胞的筛选方法能够获得特异性识别单增李斯特菌的单域重链抗体,消减筛选对于去除非特异性克隆是有效的和必要的。     

Expression and production of llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragments (VHHs) by Aspergillus awamori

We report the expression and production of llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragments (V_HHs) by Aspergillus awamori. Fragments encoding V_HHs were cloned in a suitable Aspergillus expression vector and transformants secreting V_HH fragments were analysed for integrated gene copy-numbers, mRNA levels and protein production. Functional V_HHs were detected in the culture medium, indicating the feasibility of producing this type of protein in a fungal expression system. Secreted V_HHs were subjected to (extracellular) degradation, which could be partially prevented by the addition of BSA to the culture medium.An erratum to this article can be found at     

国内酿酒酵母分子遗传与育种研究40年

酿酒酵母作为最简单的真核生物,是研究真核生物基本生命规律的重要模式系统,也是生物产业领域非常重要的微生物细胞工厂。在《微生物学通报》创刊40周年之际,本文综述了国内40年来在酿酒酵母分子遗传学与育种研究的重要进展,如分子遗传学研究手段的建立、重要功能基因的分析、重要生命过程的遗传基础和调控机制,以及酵母菌育种技术的建立与应用等。     

Concerted evolution of mammalian cardiac myosin heavy chain genes

We have recently determined the complete nucleotide sequences of the cardiac - and -myosin heavy chain (MyHC) genes from both human and Syrian hamster. These genomic sequence data were used to study the molecular evolution of the cardiac MyHC genes.Between the - and -MyHC genes, multiple gene conversion events were detected by (1) maximum parsimony tree analyses, (2) synonymous substitution analyses, and (3) detection of pairwise identity of intron sequences. Approximately half of the 40 cardiac MyHC exons have undergone concerted evolution through the process of gene conversion with the other half undergoing divergent evolution. Gene conversion occurred more often in exons encoding the a-helical myosin rod domain than in the globular head domain, and an apparent directional bias was also observed, with transfer of genetic material occurring more often from to .     

家蚕超长链脂肪酸延长酶基因Bmelo424的克隆及功能分析

超长链脂肪酸延长酶家族基因影响生物体的多种生理功能。文中克隆了家蚕的一个该家族成员Bmelo424基因,其ORF为558 bp。该基因的蛋白序列预测有4个跨膜结构域,并有6个丝氨酸磷酸化位点、8个苏氨酸磷酸化位点和4个酪氨酸磷酸化位点,其亚细胞定位于内质网中,二级结构分析结果显示其α-螺旋和β-折叠股分别占26.7%和20%。荧光定量PCR结果显示Bmelo424基因在家蚕各组织均有表达,尤其在头部表达量最高。通过在酿酒酵母中异源表达Bmelo424基因的方法研究其对脂肪酸延伸的作用,GC-MS结果表明,携带pYES2-Bmelo424重组质粒的酿酒酵母的C16:1n-7脂肪酸含量有显著提高,而C16:0、C18:0和C18:1n-9的含量下降。温度胁迫结果显示,Bmelo424基因能够提高酿酒酵母的低温适应能力,但却降低其高温适应能力。这为探究家蚕Bmelo424基因的功能提供了参考。     

Influence of growth temperature on the production of antibody Fab fragments in different microbes: a host comparative analysis

Microorganisms encounter diverse stress conditions in their native habitats but also during fermentation processes, which have an impact on industrial process performance. These environmental stresses and the physiological reactions they trigger, including changes in the protein folding/secretion machinery, are highly interrelated. Thus, the investigation of environmental factors, which influence protein expression and secretion is still of great importance. Among all the possible stresses, temperature appears particularly important for bioreactor cultivation of recombinant hosts, as reductions of growth temperature have been reported to increase recombinant protein production in various host organisms. Therefore, the impact of temperature on the secretion of proteins with therapeutic interest, exemplified by a model antibody Fab fragment, was analyzed in five different microbial protein production hosts growing under steady-state conditions in carbon-limited chemostat cultivations. Secretory expression of the heterodimeric antibody Fab fragment was successful in all five microbial host systems, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, Trichoderma reesei, Escherichia coli and Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis. In this comparative analysis we show that a reduction of cultivation temperature during growth at constant growth rate had a positive effect on Fab 3H6 production in three of four analyzed microorganisms, indicating common physiological responses, which favor recombinant protein production in prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic microbes.     

利用SPT3的定向进化提高工业酿酒酵母乙醇耐受性

利用对转录因子的定向进化可对多基因控制的性状进行有效的代谢工程改造。本研究对酿酒酵母负责胁迫相关基因转录的SAGA复合体成分SPT3编码基因进行易错PCR随机突变,并研究了SPT3的定向进化对酿酒酵母乙醇耐性的影响。将SPT3的易错PCR产物连接改造的pYES2.0表达载体并转化酿酒酵母Saccharomyces cerevisiae4126,构建了突变体文库。通过筛选在高浓度乙醇中耐受性提高的突变株,获得了一株在10%(V/V)乙醇中生长较好的突变株M25。该突变株利用125g/L的葡萄糖进行乙醇发酵时,终点乙醇产量比对照菌株提高了11.7%。由此表明,SPT3是对酿酒酵母乙醇耐性进行代谢工程改造的一个重要的转录因子。     

Production of bifunctional proteins by Aspergillus awamori: llama variable heavy chain antibody fragment (V(HH)) R9 coupled to Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase (ARP)

The Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase gene (arp) was genetically fused to either the 5′- or 3′-terminal ends of the gene encoding llama variable heavy chain antibody fragment V_HH R9, resulting in the fusion expression cassettes ARP-R9 or R9-ARP. Aspergillus awamori transformants were obtained which produced up to 30 mg l⁻¹ fusion protein in the culture medium. Both fusion proteins showed peroxidase activity in an ABTS activity test. Considerable amounts of fusion protein were detected intracellularly, suggesting that the fungus encounters problems in secreting these kind of proteins. ELISA experiments showed that ARP-R9 was less able to bind its antigen, the azo-dye RR6, as compared to R9-ARP. Furthermore, in contrast to R9-ARP, ARP-R9 bound to RR6 did not show peroxidase activity anymore. These results indicate that fusion of ARP to the C-terminus of the antibody fragment V_HH R9 (R9-ARP) is the preferred orientation.     

重金属结合肽（蛋白）的结构分析

金属离子与金属结合肽（蛋白）的相互作用与应用研究,一直是生物无机化学的重点和热点,也是分子间相互作用研究领域的难点。本研究利用ClustalX、BLAST等生物信息技术与方法对大量已知的重金属结合肽进行分析与数据挖掘。确定筛选获得的重金属结合肽常富含His,无Cys,无金属结合肽模式序列,进化不保守;部分氨基酸序列结构（如六肽）可在蛋白数据库中找到相似序列。序列特征主要为Zn^2＋相关的转录因子。本研究为重金属结合蛋白-重金属离子的相互作用分析简化为重金属结合肽-重金属离子的结构模拟与分析提供了重要的理论基础和研究手段。     

Molecular evolution of antibody affinity for sensitive detection of botulinum neurotoxin type A

Botulism is caused by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the most poisonous substance known. Potential use of BoNT as a biothreat agent has made development of sensitive assays for toxin detection and potent antitoxin for treatment of intoxication a high priority. To improve detection and treatment of botulism, molecular evolution and yeast display were used to increase the affinity of two neutralizing single chain Fv (scFv) antibodies binding BoNT serotype A (BoNT/A). Selection of yeast displayed scFv libraries was performed using methods to select for both increased association rate constant (k(on)) and decreased dissociation rate constants (k(off)). A single cycle of error prone mutagenesis increased the affinity of the 3D12 scFv 45-fold from a K(D) of 9.43x10(-10)M to a K(D) of 2.1x10(-11)M. Affinity of the HuC25 scFv was increased 37-fold from 8.44x10(-10)M to 2.26x10(-11)M using libraries constructed by both random and site directed mutagenesis. scFv variable region genes were used to construct IgG for use in detection assays and in vivo neutralization studies. While IgG had the same relative increases in affinity as scFv, (35-fold and 81-fold, respectively, for 3D12 and HuC25) higher solution equilibrium binding constants were observed for the IgG, with the 3D12 K(D) increasing from 6.07x10(-11)M to 1.71x10(-12)M and the HuC25 K(D) increasing from 4.51x10(-11)M to 5.54x10(-13)M. Affinity increased due to both an increase in k(on), as well as slowing of k(off). Higher affinity antibodies had increased sensitivity, allowing detection of BoNT/A at concentrations as low as 1x10(-13)M. The antibodies will also allow testing of the role of affinity in in vivo toxin neutralization and could lead to the generation of more potent antitoxin.     

植物螯合肽及其在重金属耐性中的作用

综述植物螯合肽的生物合成及其在重金属耐性中的作用．有毒重金属在土壤中的积累不仅影响作物的生长和产量形成,而且严重威胁农产品的安全性．植物对重金属的耐性和积累在种间和基因型之间存在着很大的差异,在重金属胁迫条件下植物螯合肽(PC)的合成是植物对胁迫的一种适应性反应,耐性基因型合成较多的PC谷胱苷肽是合成PC的前体,PC可与重金属螯合,并进一步转运至液泡贮存,使细胞质的重金属浓度降低,从而达到解毒效果．重金属诱导植物合成PC的遗传机理和生化途径有赖于分子生物学的深入研究,cD-敏感型拟南芥突变体Cad1-1(缺失GSH)和Cad2-1(缺失PC合成诱导酶)的分离及相关研究,佐证了PC在Cd-解毒中起关键作用．对PC在重金属污染土壤或水体的植物修复和农作物安全生产中的意义进行了讨论．     

Phage-displayed antibody libraries of synthetic heavy chain complementarity determining regions

A structure-based approach was used to design libraries of synthetic heavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDRs). The CDR libraries were displayed as either monovalent or bivalent single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) with a single heavy chain variable domain scaffold and a fixed light chain variable domain. Using the structure of a parent antibody as a guide, we restricted library diversity to CDR positions with significant exposure to solvent. We introduced diversity with tailored degenerate codons that ideally only encoded for amino acids commonly observed in natural antibody CDRs. With these design principles, we reasoned that we would produce libraries of diverse solvent-exposed surfaces displayed on stable scaffolds with minimal structural perturbations. The libraries were sorted against a panel of proteins and yielded multiple unique binding clones against all six antigens tested. The bivalent library yielded numerous unique sequences, while the monovalent library yielded fewer unique clones. Selected scFvs were converted to the Fab format, and the purified Fab proteins retained high affinity for antigen. The results support the view that synthetic heavy chain diversity alone may be sufficient for the generation of high-affinity antibodies from phage-displayed libraries; thus, it may be possible to dispense with the light chain altogether, as is the case in natural camelid immunoglobulins.     

Isolation of human antibody repertoires with preservation of the natural heavy and light chain pairing

The humoral immune system in higher vertebrates is unique in its ability to generate highly diverse antibody responses against most pathogens as well as against certain malignancies. Several technologies have been developed to exploit this vast source of potentially therapeutic antibodies, including hybridoma technology, phage display and yeast display. Here, we present a novel, high-throughput technology (the Symplex Technology) for rapid direct cloning and identification of human antigen-specific high-affinity antibodies from single antibody-producing cells of immune individuals. The utility of the technology was demonstrated by isolation of diverse sets of unique high-affinity antibodies against tetanus toxoid and influenza virus from immunized volunteers. Hence, the Symplex Technology is a new method for the rapid isolation of high-affinity antibodies directly from humans.     

人源抗EPO基因工程抗体重链可变区的克隆和鉴定

利用噬菌体抗体显示技术筛选 EPO的人源抗体 ,得到了抗 EPO的人源抗体的重链基因。此抗体基因在噬菌体表面呈现的抗体分子具有良好的抗体活性和特异性。为制备完整的、具有更高亲和力的抗体打下了基础。