Prophylactic and Therapeutic Efficacy of Avian Antibodies Against Influenza Virus H5N1 and H1N1 in Mice

Background

Pandemic influenza poses a serious threat to global health and the world economy. While vaccines are currently under development, passive immunization could offer an alternative strategy to prevent and treat influenza virus infection. Attempts to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been made. However, passive immunization based on mAbs may require a cocktail of mAbs with broader specificity in order to provide full protection since mAbs are generally specific for single epitopes. Chicken immunoglobulins (IgY) found in egg yolk have been used mainly for treatment of infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Because the recent epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) strain H5N1 has resulted in serious economic losses to the poultry industry, many countries including Vietnam have introduced mass vaccination of poultry with H5N1 virus vaccines. We reasoned that IgY from consumable eggs available in supermarkets in Vietnam could provide protection against infections with HPAIV H5N1.

Methods and Findings

We found that H5N1-specific IgY that are prepared from eggs available in supermarkets in Vietnam by a rapid and simple water dilution method cross-protect against infections with HPAIV H5N1 and related H5N2 strains in mice. When administered intranasally before or after lethal infection, the IgY prevent the infection or significantly reduce viral replication resulting in complete recovery from the disease, respectively. We further generated H1N1 virus-specific IgY by immunization of hens with inactivated H1N1 A/PR/8/34 as a model virus for the current pandemic H1N1/09 and found that such H1N1-specific IgY protect mice from lethal influenza virus infection.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that readily available H5N1-specific IgY offer an enormous source of valuable biological material to combat a potential H5N1 pandemic. In addition, our study provides a proof-of-concept for the approach using virus-specific IgY as affordable, safe, and effective alternative for the control of influenza outbreaks, including the current H1N1 pandemic.     

Therapeutic Use of Antimelanoma Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (MAb) to tumor-associated antigens are attracting much attention for tumor therapy. Melanomas belong to the tumors most studied in this respect, and several melanoma-associated antigens have been studied in great detail. These include the melanoma-associated glycoprotein p97, the melanoma-associated proteoglycan, and glycolipid antigens. Although none of the antigens is absolutely specific for tumor, the degree of relative specificity appears to be sufficient to use several of the melanoma antigens as therapeutic “targets”. Antimelanoma MAb can be applied therapeutically in several ways. The most straightforward approach is use of MAb without further modification. MAb which kill melanoma cells in the presence of human serum as the source of complement or mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity with human natural killer (NK) cells or macrophages as effectors are logical choices for this. Some cases of partial or even complete regression of metastatic melanoma have been observed in patients treated with such MAb. Combinations of such MAb with interleukin 2 (IL-2) or other immunological response modifiers are of great interest. Alternatively, one may use antimelanoma MAb (or fragments prepared from MAb) as carriers of antitumor agents, including radioactive isotopes, toxins, or chemotherapeutic drugs. Although it is premature to make any conclusions about the efficacy of such conjugates, we are optimistic that it will be feasible by using the right combination of MAb and antitumor agent to achieve therapeutic benefit. Another approach is to develop therapeutic “vaccines” for active immunization, once an antigen characterized by using a MAb has proven to have a relatively high level of tumor selectively. Anti-idiotypic antibodies and live recombinant viruses inducing tumor antigen expression in infected cells provide alternative strategies to this approach.     

Structure and Function Analysis of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies against Dengue Virus Type 2

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most prevalent insect-transmitted viral disease in humans globally, and currently no specific therapy or vaccine is available. Protection against DENV and other related flaviviruses is associated with the development of antibodies against the viral envelope (E) protein. Although prior studies have characterized the neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against DENV type 2 (DENV-2), none have compared simultaneously the inhibitory activity against a genetically diverse range of strains in vitro, the protective capacity in animals, and the localization of epitopes. Here, with the goal of identifying MAbs that can serve as postexposure therapy, we investigated in detail the functional activity of a large panel of new anti-DENV-2 mouse MAbs. Binding sites were mapped by yeast surface display and neutralization escape, cell culture inhibition assays were performed with homologous and heterologous strains, and prophylactic and therapeutic activity was evaluated with two mouse models. Protective MAbs localized to epitopes on the lateral ridge of domain I (DI), the dimer interface, lateral ridge, and fusion loop of DII, and the lateral ridge, C-C′ loop, and A strand of DIII. Several MAbs inefficiently inhibited at least one DENV-2 strain of a distinct genotype, suggesting that recognition of neutralizing epitopes varies with strain diversity. Moreover, antibody potency generally correlated with a narrowed genotype and serotype specificity. Five MAbs functioned efficiently as postexposure therapy when administered as a single dose, even 3 days after intracranial infection of BALB/c mice. Overall, these studies define the structural and functional complexity of antibodies against DENV-2 with protective potential.Dengue virus (DENV), a member of the Flaviviridae family of RNA viruses, is related to several other human pathogens of global concern, including yellow fever and tick-borne, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. DENV infection in humans occurs after Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito inoculation and results in clinical disease, ranging from a febrile illness (dengue fever [DF]) to a life-threatening hemorrhagic and capillary leak syndrome (dengue hemorrhagic fever [DHF]/dengue shock syndrome [DSS]). Globally, there is significant diversity among DENV strains, including four distinct serotypes (DENV type 1 [DENV-1], DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) that differ at the amino acid level by 25 to 40%. Additional complexity occurs within each serotype, as genotypes vary from one another by up to 3% at the amino acid level (21, 49). No approved antiviral treatment is currently available, and several candidate tetravalent vaccines remain in clinical development (reviewed in reference 11). Because of the increased geographic range of its mosquito vectors, urbanization, and international travel, DENV continues to spread worldwide and now causes an estimated 50 to 100 million infections and 250,000 to 500,000 cases of DHF/DSS per year, with 2.5 billion people at risk (68).DENV is an enveloped icosahedral virus with a single-stranded, positive-polarity RNA genome. The 10.7-kb genome is translated as a single polyprotein, which is cleaved into three structural proteins (capsid [C], premembrane/membrane [prM/M], and envelope [E]) and seven nonstructural (NS) proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5) by host and viral proteases. The mature DENV virion is ∼500 Å in diameter, with a highly organized outer protein shell, a 50-Å lipid membrane bilayer, and a nucleocapsid core (26). Mature DENV virions are covered by 90 anti-parallel E protein homodimers, arranged flat along the surface with quasi-icosahedral symmetry. The immature virion, which lacks cleavage of the prM protein, has a rough surface with 60 spikes each composed of three prM-E heterodimers (7, 73). Exposure to mildly acidic conditions in the trans-Golgi network promotes virus maturation through a structural rearrangement of the flavivirus E proteins and cleavage of prM to M by a furin-like protease (29, 66, 69, 70). The ectodomain of DENV E protein is comprised of three discrete domains (34-36, 39). Domain I (DI) is a central, eight-stranded β-barrel, which contains a single N-linked glycan in most DENV strains. DII is a long, finger-like protrusion from DI, with the highly conserved fusion peptide at its distal end and a second N-linked glycan that recognizes DC-SIGN (37, 38, 46, 59). DIII, which adopts an immunoglobulin-like fold, has been suggested to contain cell surface receptor recognition sites (5, 64, 71). Several groups have recently defined contact residues for type-specific, subcomplex-specific, and cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that recognize DIII of DENV-2 (16, 17, 31, 47, 57, 61). Type-specific MAbs with neutralizing activity against DENV-2 localized to the BC, DE, and FG loops on the lateral ridge of DIII, whereas subcomplex-specific MAbs recognized an adjacent epitope centered on the connecting A strand of DIII at residues K305, K307, and K310.To date, no study has compared the in vitro inhibitory activity of MAbs in cells against a genetically diverse range of DENV-2 strains and their protective capacity in animals. Here, we had the goal of generating strongly neutralizing MAbs that would recognize virtually all DENV-2 strains and function as a possible postexposure therapy. Twenty-four new anti-DENV-2 mouse MAbs were generated with moderate or strong neutralizing activity against the homologous virus in cell culture assays. Binding sites were mapped for the majority of these by yeast surface display, identifying distinct epitopes in regions in DI (lateral ridge), DII (dimer interface, lateral ridge, and fusion loop), and DIII (lateral ridge, C-C′ loop, and A strand). Several MAbs failed to neutralize efficiently at least one DENV-2 strain of a distinct genotype, suggesting that antibody recognition of neutralizing epitopes varies among DENV-2 genotypes.To begin to assess the utility of this new panel of inhibitory MAbs as possible therapeutics against DENV-2, we evaluated their protective capacity in a stringent intracranial challenge model in BALB/c mice. Among the 16 neutralizing MAbs tested in mice, most were protective when given as prophylaxis. Seven of these had postexposure therapeutic activity when administered as a single dose by intraperitoneal route even 3 days after intracranial infection. For the MAbs with the greatest therapeutic potential, protection was confirmed with an antibody-enhanced vascular leakage mouse model (2, 72) of DENV-2 infection.     

抗胆汁螺杆菌单克隆抗体的制备

目的制备抗胆汁螺杆菌单克隆抗体（McAbs）。方法用胆汁螺杆菌B2m株皮下免疫BALB/c小鼠,采用杂交瘤技术进行融合。以酶联免疫吸附实验（ELISA）筛选抗胆汁螺杆菌单克隆杂交瘤细胞株并初步鉴定其特异性;免疫印迹试验测定单抗所结合的抗原表位;免疫双向扩散试验确定IgG亚类;腹腔接种法、辛酸-硫酸铵盐析法大量制备、纯化单克隆抗体。结果经过ELISA筛选获得11个阳性杂交瘤细胞株,其效价最高达1：4×10^5以上,并与实验动物常见的15种病原菌呈阴性反应;IgG亚类为IgG2a和IgG2b;免疫印迹试验显示,6株（A-F）与胆汁螺杆菌大约相对分子质量（172、0、21、30、52、66）×10^3的抗原特异结合,5株（G-K）皆与胆汁螺杆菌、幽门螺杆菌等三种螺杆菌大约相对分子质量（52、82）×10^3的抗原呈阳性反应,表明A-F株针对的是胆汁螺杆菌特异性抗原,G-K株可能具有属特异性。结论筛选的单克隆抗体具有较高的特异性和敏感性,所结合的抗原为胆汁螺杆菌或螺杆菌的免疫优势抗原,为进一步的种、属生物学特性研究、菌株分型及血清学检测方法建立等奠定了基础。     

Cross-Reactivity and Neutralizing Ability of Monoclonal Antibodies against Microcystins

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the microcystin-leucine-arginine variant (MCYST-LR), a cyclic peptide toxin of the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa, were prepared from cloned hybridoma cell lines. The specificity of the MAbs and their ability to neutralize the toxin were investigated by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by a neutralizing test in mice, respectively. All MAbs reacted with MCYST-LR and also with the microcystin-arginine-arginine variant (MCYST-RR), 3, 7-didesmethylmicrocystin (MCYST-3, 7-dDMLR) and 7-desmethylmicrocystin (MCYST-7-DMLR). Furthermore, the antibodies reacted with cell-extracts of toxic and non-toxic M. aeruginosa strains. The MAbs can apparently recognize the common configuration, but not the variant-specific structure, in the microcystin molecules. The non-toxic strains apparently contain some substance(s) related antigenically to microcystin. The in vivo toxin-neutralizing ability of MAbs was minimal.     

Generation of Monoclonal Antibodies against Highly Conserved Antigens

Background

Therapeutic antibody development is one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical industry. Generating high-quality monoclonal antibodies against a given therapeutic target is very crucial for the success of the drug development. However, due to immune tolerance, some proteins that are highly conserved between mice and humans are not very immunogenic in mice, making it difficult to generate antibodies using a conventional approach.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this report, the impaired immune tolerance of NZB/W mice was exploited to generate monoclonal antibodies against highly conserved or self-antigens. Using two highly conserved human antigens (MIF and HMGB1) and one mouse self-antigen (TNF-alpha) as examples, we demonstrate here that multiple clones of high affinity, highly specific antibodies with desired biological activities can be generated, using the NZB/W mouse as the immunization host and a T cell-specific tag fused to a recombinant antigen to stimulate the immune system.

Conclusions/Significance

We developed an efficient and universal method for generating surrogate or therapeutic antibodies against “difficult antigens” to facilitate the development of therapeutic antibodies.     

番茄环斑病毒单克隆抗体的制备

以纯化的番茄环斑病毒(Tomato ringspot virus,ToRSV)为抗原,注射免疫BALB/c小鼠,将免疫小鼠脾细胞与小鼠骨髓瘤细胞Sp2/0进行融合,经多次细胞筛选及克隆化,获得3株(A8、B7和G9)可分泌抗ToRSV单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株,并以之分别制备小鼠腹水单克隆抗体。经酶联免疫吸附试验检测表明,该3株杂交瘤细胞腹水抗体效价在10-5～10-6之间,且均具有与ToRSV反应的特异性。     

用基因疫苗制备H9亚型禽流感病毒单克隆抗体

用H9亚型禽流感病毒(AIV)HA基因反转录cDNA第一链PCR扩增其HA基因,PCR产物与pcDNA3.1( )质粒构建重组质粒作为基因疫苗免疫8周龄Balb/C小鼠,细胞融合后用血凝抑制试验(HI)和ELISA试验检测细胞培养上清,各获得一株阳性细胞株,经3次亚克隆后都能稳定分泌H9AIV特异性抗体。特异性检测与NDV、H5亚型AIV、产蛋下降综合症(EDS76)病毒毒株没有反应,2株单抗经亚型鉴定均为IgG2b,轻链的亚型为kappa链。所获得的单克隆抗体将在禽流感快速诊断和疾病预警监控中发挥重要作用。     

单克隆抗体生产的新时代

由fd噬菌体与质粒重组载体噬菌粒(phagemid)构建大容量,高效筛选的表面表达抗体基因片段文库,经突变、模仿体内B细胞亲和力成熟过程(affinity maturation)以免疫亲和层析筛选高亲和力特异抗体片段.取代单克隆抗体,应用于免疫分析诊断.     

靶向人白介素-6蛋白的治疗性单克隆抗体研究进展*

白介素-6(interleukin-6,IL-6)作为一种多效的细胞因子,参与机体内众多生理与病理过程。研究表明,IL-6首先与自身受体(IL-6R、gp130)形成异源六聚体复合物,进而激活下游信号转导通路,最终发挥生物学功能。 IL-6信号通路异常活化及功能失调与多种疾病密切相关,如自身免疫疾病、慢性炎症、恶性肿瘤等。另外IL-6的异常表达在新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)细胞因子风暴综合征(CSS)中也扮演重要角色。一般而言,阻断IL-6信号通路上的各关键节点,均可用于IL-6相关疾病的治疗。有别于阻断IL-6R或gp130等公共受体分子,阻断IL-6蛋白的治疗性单克隆抗体特异性更高,在临床研究中,部分品种显示出其独有的治疗特点及有益的疗效。现阶段只有1个靶向IL-6蛋白的单克隆抗体药物获美国FDA批准上市,以及超过8个治疗性单克隆抗体在临床研究阶段。重点对国内外靶向人IL-6蛋白的治疗性单克隆抗体及其临床应用进行综述。     

天然属性抗LDL 及oxLDL IgM 亚类抗体的制备与鉴定

目的:制备天然属性抗低密度脂蛋白(LDL)及抗氧化低密度脂蛋白(oxLDL)IgM亚类抗体。方法:给予Babl/c小鼠高胆固醇饮食,4周后取脾细胞直接与SP2/0细胞融合,以纯化的LDL及oxLDL为抗原,对阳性杂交瘤细胞生长孔进行间接ELISA筛选。鉴定杂交瘤上清的免疫球蛋白亚类,进而采用免疫沉淀和免疫印迹法对获得的抗体进行免疫学反应性鉴定。结果:杂交瘤细胞分泌的抗LDL及抗oxLDL的天然抗体通过ELISA法被筛选出来,可以与LDL或oxLDL发生高亲和力结合,经过4次克隆化,最终获得2株稳定分泌天然抗LDL的抗体,命名为5G8和2H7,及1株稳定抗oxLDL的抗体,命名为3A6,3株抗体均属于IgM亚类,无交叉反应,可以满足免疫印迹、免疫沉淀等实验要求。结论:成功制备了抗LDL及抗oxLDL IgM亚类抗体,为研究天然抗体在体内脂质代谢和相关心脑血管疾病如动脉粥样硬化等发生发展中的作用提供了重要的研究工具。     

天然属性抗LDL及oxLDL IgM亚类抗体的制备与鉴定

目的：制备天然属性抗低密度脂蛋白（LDL）及抗氧化低密度脂蛋白（oxLDL）IgM亚类抗体。方法：给予Babl/c小鼠高胆固醇饮食,4周后取脾细胞直接与SP2/0细胞融合,以纯化的LDL及oxLDL为抗原,对阳性杂交瘤细胞生长孔进行间接ELISA筛选。鉴定杂交瘤上清的免疫球蛋白亚类,进而采用免疫沉淀和免疫印迹法对获得的抗体进行免疫学反应性鉴定。结果：杂交瘤细胞分泌的抗LDL及抗oxLDL的天然抗体通过ELISA法被筛选出来,可以与LDL或oxLDL发生高亲和力结合,经过4次克隆化,最终获得2株稳定分泌天然抗LDL的抗体,命名为5G8和2H7,及1株稳定抗oxLDL的抗体,命名为3A6,3株抗体均属于IgM亚类,无交叉反应,可以满足免疫印迹、免疫沉淀等实验要求。结论：成功制备了抗LDL及抗oxLDL IgM亚类抗体,为研究天然抗体在体内脂质代谢和相关心脑血管疾病如动脉粥样硬化等发生发展中的作用提供了重要的研究工具。     

Monoclonal Antibodies against Pectin: Recognition of a Conformation Induced by Calcium

Monoclonal antibodies have been produced that recognize a conformation of homopolygalacturonic acid (pectic acid) induced by an optimum concentration of calcium and sodium of about 1 and 150 millinormal, respectively. The epitope recognized is probably part of the dimers of pectin chains associated according to the `egg box' model.     

Evaluating Therapeutic Efficacy against Cancer Stem Cells: New Challenges Posed by a New Paradigm

Current measures of anticancer drug efficacy reflect bulk cell killing and are poorly suited to detect activity against cancer stem cells (CSCs), which sustain tumor growth. The CSC paradigm necessitates a reexamination of methodologies used to evaluate clinical efficacy of anticancer therapies, as well as strategies employed during preclinical drug development.