Cloning, expression, and characterization of single-chain variable fragment antibody against mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in recombinant Escherichia coli

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species, is a worldwide contaminant of food and feedstuffs. The DON-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli. The variable regions of the heavy chain (V(H)) and light chain (V(L)) cloned from the hybridoma 3G7 were connected with a flexible linker using an overlap extension polymerase chain reaction. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the anti-DON V(H) was a member of the V(H) III gene family IA subgroup and the V(L) gene belonged to the Vlambda gene family II subgroup. Extensive efforts to express the functional scFv antibody in E. coli have been made by using gene fusion and chaperone coexpression. Coexpression of the molecular chaperones (DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE) allowed soluble expression of the scFv. The scFv antibody fused with hexahistidine residues at the C-terminus was purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Soluble scFv antibody produced in this manner was characterized for its antigen-binding characteristics. Its biological affinity as antibody was measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis and proved to be significant but weaker than that of the whole anti-DON mAb.     

Construction and high-level expression of a single-chain Fv antibody fragment specific for acidic isoferritin in Escherichia coli

A functional single-chain Fv antibody fragment (scFv) specific for acidic isoferritin (AIF) was produced at high level in Escherichia coli. The variable regions of heavy chain (V(H)) and light chain (V(L)) from the hybridoma 4c9 were connected with a flexible linker using an assembly polymerase chain reaction. The construct of V(H)-linker-V(L) was inserted into a phagemid pCANTAB 5 E followed by selection with the Recombinant Phage Antibody System (RPAS). Anti-AIF scFv gene from the recombinant phagemid pCAN4c9 was subcloned into pET28a fused to N-terminal His-tag sequence in frame and overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). With an on-column refolding procedure based on Ni-chelating chromatography, the active anti-AIF scFv was recovered efficiently from inclusion bodies with a refolding yield of approximate 75% confirmed by spectrophotometer. The activity of refolded scFv was determined through sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed anti-AIF scFv retains the specific binding activity to AIF with an affinity constant of 7.29 x 10(-8) mol l(-1). The overall yield of anti-AIF scFv with bioactivity in E. coli flask culture was more than 60 mg l(-1).     

Functional expression of single-chain variable fragment antibody against c-Met in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli

c-Met, a high affinity receptor for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor, shown to be overexpressed in a variety of malignant cells, is a potential biomarker as well as a therapeutic target. Thus, single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) specific for c-Met is expected to be efficiently employed in the clinical treatment or imaging of many cancer cells. Here, we constructed the expression system for anti-c-Met scFv fused with T7 tag at its N-terminus using pET vector and investigated the expression conditions to achieve a functional and soluble expression of the scFv in the cytoplasm of recombinant Escherichia coli. The redox potential of E. coli cytoplasm was the most critical factor for the functional expression of anti-c-Met scFv. The employment of a host with oxidizing cytoplasm, E. coli trxB/gor double mutant, improved the productivity of functional anti-c-Met scFv by approximately 10-fold compared to the production of anti-c-Met scFv in the reducing cytoplasm of wild type E. coli. Productivity of functional anti-c-Met scFv could be further enhanced by co-expressing molecular chaperones such as GroELS, trigger factor, and DsbC with the scFv. Coexpression of DsbC increased the yield of functional anti-c-Met scFv about 2.5-fold in the cytoplasm of E. coli trxB/gor mutant compared to the production of scFv without DsbC coexpression. Lowering the IPTG concentration from 1 to 0.05 mM led to the slight enhancement, approximately 1.6-fold, of productivity of functional scFv. Although the use of low temperature for anti-c-Met scFv expression increased the ratio of soluble scFv fraction to insoluble fraction, productivity of soluble scFv decreased owing to the significant reduction of expression rate. The addition of 0.5 M sucrose in the medium inhibited the formation of intracellular insoluble anti-c-Met scFv. To purify the anti-c-Met scFv simply, we fused hexahistidine at the C-terminus of scFv and purified the scFv showing 98% of purity through the interaction between Ni2+ and histidine.     

Cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of a novel single-chain variable fragment antibody against the 2-nitrobenzaldehyde derivative of a furaltadone metabolite in Escherichia coli

Furaltadone is an illicit veterinary drug that shows toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects, as does its metabolite 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidone (AMOZ)(1). Recombinant antibodies with desirable affinity and specificity that can replace polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies are important factors for effective AMOZ immunoassays. In the present study, a novel single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody against the 2-nitrobenzaldehyde derivative of AMOZ (NPAMOZ) was prepared and characterized. The scFv gene was cloned into the pET-22b(+) expression vector, and 6His-tagged scFv antibodies expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), which were then purified by nickel nitrilotriacetic acid column chromatography. Characterization of the target protein by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blotting, and a novel indirect competitive chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (icCLEIA) showed that the scFv antibody was ～27kDa and exhibited HRP-anti-His-tag antibody-recognized activity. The final purity, yield and mg of this scFv antibody after ultrafiltration concentration were 97%, 20% and 29.1mg, respectively. The icCLEIA indicated that the antibody competitively combined with NPAMOZ, exhibiting an IC(50) value of 1.46±0.01 ng/ml (n=6). Cross-reactivity studies revealed that the antibody showed desirable specificity to NPAMOZ and little reactivity to analogs except the parent furaltadone. In summary, these findings suggested that the prepared recombinant scFv antibody can be used for future immunoassay screening for AMOZ.     

Overproduction of anti-Tn antibody MLS128 single-chain Fv fragment in Escherichia coli cytoplasm using a novel pCold-PDI vector

Overproduction of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli is often hampered by their failure to fold correctly, leading to their accumulation within inclusion bodies. To overcome the problem, a variety of techniques aimed at soluble expression have been developed including low temperature expression and/or fusion of soluble tags and chaperones. However, a general protocol for bacterial expression of disulfide bond-containing proteins has hitherto not been established. Single chain Fv fragments (scFvs) are disulfide bond-containing proteins often difficult to express in soluble forms in E. coli. We here examine in detail the E. coli expression of a scFv originating from an anti-carbohydrate MLS128 antibody as a model system. We combine three techniques: (1) tagging scFv with thioredoxin, DsbC and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), (2) expressing the proteins at low temperature using the pCold vector system, and (3) using Origami E. coli strains with mutations in the thioredoxin reductase and glutathione reductase genes. We observed a high expression level of soluble MLS128-scFv in the Origami strain only when PDI is used as a tag. The recombinant protein retains full binding activity towards synthetic carbohydrate antigens. The developed "pCold-PDI" vector has potential for overproduction of other scFvs and disulfide-containing proteins in the Origami strains.     

Generation of single-chain Fv antibody fragments against Mu-2-related death-inducing gene in Escherichia coli

Molecular Biology Reports - Mu-2-related death-inducing (MuD) gene is involved in apoptosis in tumor cells. Although we have previously produced mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that specifically...     

Bacterial aspects associated with the expression of a single-chain antibody fragment in Escherichia coli

The bacterial expression of a single-chain antibody fragment, designated L6 sFv, was examined. Periplasmic targeting resulted in the production of a correctly folded protein that bound tumor antigen. However, immediately after induction at either 30°C or 37°C there was a significant loss in bacterial viability, which was followed by a loss in absorbance. The loss in absorbance correlated with cell lysis and release of the L6 sFv into the culture supernatant. The kinetics of appearance of L6 sFv in the supernatant paralleled that of periplasmic \-lactamase and confirmed an initial loss of cell-wall integrity prior to cell lysis. Bacteria incubated at 30°C produced approximately threefold more correctly folded antibody fragment because of an increase in the number of cells/A ₆₆₀ at the lower incubation temperature. More than 95% of the L6 sFv, made at either incubation temperature, was incorrectly folded. Osmotic-shock procedures did not release L6 sFv. However, in situ subtilisin susceptibility experiments with bacterial spheroplasts confirmed a periplasmic location. French press disruption resulted in the release of correctly but not incorrectly folded material. Membrane fractionation revealed that the incorrectly folded L6 sFv remained associated with both the inner and outer membrane. These results demonstrate that, in this system, antibody fragment expression resulted initially in cell death, which was followed by release of protein into the culture supernatant and eventually cell lysis. It is also suggested that membrane association in the periplasmic space may impede proper folding.     

Expression of a single-chain antibody against indole-3-acetic acid in Escherichia coli

A hybridoma cell line that produces a monoclonal antibody specific for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was prepared. The DNA fragments coding the variable regions of the light and the heavy chains of the antibody were prepared by PCR using the cDNA of the antibody as a template. A chimera DNA for a single chain variable fragment (scFv) was constructed, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The scFv antibody expressed in E. coli as well as the original monoclonal antibody showed a specific binding to IAA.     

Functional expression of a single-chain antibody fragment against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in Escherichia coli

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family plays an important role in cell growth and signaling and alteration of its function has been demonstrated in many different kinds of cancer. Receptor dimerization is necessary for the HER signal transduction pathway and tyrosine kinase activity. Recently, several monoclonal antibodies have been developed to directly interfere with ligand–HER receptor binding and receptor dimerization. A single chain variable fragment (ScFv) is a valuable alternative to an intact antibody. This report describes the production and purification of an ScFv specific for domain II of the HER2 receptor in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cytoplasm. The majority of expressed of anti-her2his-ScFv protein was produced as inclusion bodies. A Ni-NTA affinity column was used to purify the anti-her2his-ScFv protein. The molecular weight of anti-her2his-ScFv protein was estimated to be approximately 27 kDa, as confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting assay. The anti-her2his-ScFv showed near 95 % purity and reached a yield of approximately 29 mg/l in flask fermentation. The purified anti-her2his-ScFv showed its biological activity by binding to HER2 receptor on the surface of BT-474 cells. This ScFv may be a potential pharmaceutical candidate for targeting tumour cells overexpressing HER2 receptor.     

Generation of high-affinity chicken single-chain Fv antibody fragments for measurement of the Pseudonitzschia pungens toxin domoic acid

Antibody-based assay systems are now accepted by regulatory authorities for detection of the toxins produced by phytoplankton that accumulate in shellfish tissues. However, the generation of suitable antibodies for sensitive assay development remains a major challenge. We have examined the potential of using the chicken immune system to generate high-affinity, high-specificity recombinant antibody fragments against phytotoxins. Following immunization of the chicken with domoic acid-bovine serum albumin, a single-chain antibody variable region (scFv) gene library was generated from single V(H) and V(L) genes isolated from the immune cells in the spleen and bone marrow. scFvs reacting with domoic acid were isolated by phage display and affinity matured by light chain shuffling, resulting in an approximate 10-fold increase in sensitivity. The isolated scFvs were effectively expressed in Escherichia coli and readily purified by affinity chromatography. They were then used to develop a convenient and sensitive indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for domoic acid, with a 50% effective dose of 156 ng/ml, which could be used reliably with shellfish extracts. This study demonstrates that chickens provide a valuable model system for the simplified, rapid generation of high-affinity recombinant antibody fragments with specificity for small toxin molecules.     

Expression of a single-chain Fv antibody against abscisic acid creates a wilty phenotype in transgenic tobacco

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) participates in the control of several important physiological processes in plants such as stomata regulation, seed dormancy and stress tolerance. A new strategy was developed to study these phenomena by blocking abscisic acid with intracellularly expressed specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies. Here evidence is presented that the expression of single-chain Fv antibodies against abscisic acid in the endoplasmic reticulum of transgenic tobacco cells leads to a wilty phenotype. Stomatal conductance is increased at high CO₂ concentrations dependent on the level of antibody expression in leaves. Symptoms of abscisic acid deficiency were generated in the transformants although they have even higher levels of abscisic acid than wild-type plants.     

Biochemical characterization of single-chain chimeric plasminogen activators consisting of a single-chain Fv fragment of a fibrin-specific antibody and single-chain urokinase.

K12G0S32 is a 57-kDa recombinant single-chain chimeric plasminogen activator consisting of scFv-K12Go, a single-chain variable-region antigen-binding fragment (Fv) of the monoclonal antibody MA-15C5, which is specific for fragment D-dimer of human cross-linked fibrin, and a low-molecular-mass (33 kDa) urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA-33k) containing amino acids Ala132-Leu411 (Holvoet, P., Laroche, Y., Lijnen, H. R., Van Cauwenberghe, R., Demarsin, E., Brouwers, E., Matthyssens, G. & Collen D. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 19717-19724). In addition, the Arg156-Phe157 thrombin-cleavage site in the u-PA moiety of K12G0S32 is removed by substitution of Phe157 with Asp. In the present study, the fibrinolytic potency of K12G0S32, determined in a system composed of a 125I-fibrin-labeled human plasma clot submerged in citrated plasma, was found to be only twofold higher than that of intact single-chain u-Pa (rscu-PA), but 17-fold higher than that of rscu-PA(M), a variant of rscu-PA in which the thrombin-cleavage site was removed by substitution of Phe157 with Asp. The fibrinolytic potency of K12G0S32T, with an intact thrombin-cleavage site, was 6-15-fold higher than that of rscu-PA. Conversion of 1 microM single-chain K12G0S32 or rscu-PA(M) into their two-chain derivatives with plasmin occurred at a rate of 1.0 +/- 0.15 nmol.min-1.nmol plasmin-1 and 0.85 +/- 0.074 nmol.min-1.nmol plasmin-1, compared to 14 +/- 2.3 nmol.min-1.nmol plasmin-1 and 18 +/- 2.6 nM.min-1.nmol plasmin-1 for K12G0S32T and rscu-PA, respectively. Purified fragment D-dimer of human cross-linked fibrin inhibited the fibrinolytic potency of single-chain K12G0S32T, but not of two-chain K12G0S32T, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the fibrinolytic potencies of two-chain K12G0S32 and K12G0S32T were not significantly higher than those of recombinant two-chain u-PA (rtcu-PA) or of rtcu-PA(M). These findings suggest that the 59-fold increase in fibrinolytic potency of K12G0S32T, relative to that of rscu-PA(M), is due both to targeting of the activator to the clot via the single-chain Fv fragment (sixfold increase) and to a more efficient conversion of single-chain K12G0S32T to its two-chain derivative (eightfold increase). Thus, targeting to clots by means of fibrin-specific antibodies results in a significant increase of the fibrinolytic potency of single-chain but not of two-chain u-PA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Cloning, expression and identification by immunohistochemistry of humanized single-chain variable fragment antibody against hepatitis C virus core protein

Expression of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies on the surface of bacteriophage is widely used to prepare antibodies with pre-defined specificities. A phage antibody library containing the gene for scFv antibody against Hepatitis C virus core protein was panned with core protein immobilized on microtiter plate wells. After five rounds of panning 60 phage clones specific to core protein were obtained and one selected clone was sequenced. It was found that the specifically detected antigen consists of 774bp and is capable of encoding 257 amino acids in the patients but not in healthy persons.     

Cloning, purification and bioactivity assay of human CD28 single-chain antibody in Escherichia coli

Engineered single chain antibodies have become a powerful source of immunotherapy against a wide range of diseases. Here, we present the generation of human CD28 single-chain antibody gene (CD28-ScFv), which contained variable fragments of heavy chain and light chain (VH and VL) of the anti-CD28 antibody, and a linking peptide (Gly4Ser)3 inserted in the middle of VH and VL. The fused gene CD28-ScFv was successfully expressed in BL21 (DE3) cells and confirmed by western blotting assay. The molecular weight of CD28-ScFv was 43 kDa and the major fraction was expressed as an insoluble body. By dissolving the insoluble bodies, renaturing in vitro and purifying with a Ni-NTA affinity column, highly purified expression products of CD28-ScFv were obtained. This product could recognize and bind to CD28+ positive T cells. The proliferation capacity of peripheral blood T cells was increased by purified CD28-ScFv. In this study, we improved orthodox renaturing techniques by combining the dilution renaturation with phase gradient dialysis. With this new method, highly purified CD28-ScFv products were developed and biological activity of the products was similar to that of the mouse monoclonal anti-human CD28 antibody.     

Gene cloning, bacterial expression, in vitro refolding, and characterization of a single-chain Fv antibody against PreS1(21-47) fragment of HBsAg

The murine monoclonal antibody 125E11 is an IgG which recognizes PreS1(21-47) fragment of large hepatitis B surface antigen. It has been successfully used for clinical detection of HBV virion in serum of hepatitis B patients. In present study, the genes of variable region in heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) of 125E11 have been cloned. Sequence analysis of cloned VH gene and VL gene showed that they had general characterization of immunoglobin variable region genes. According to Kabat classification, VH gene and VL gene belong to VH10 family, subgroup IIID and Vkappa family subgroup I, respectively. An expression vector of 125E11 single-chain Fv antibody fusion protein, in which VH and VL peptide were connected by a flexible linker (Gly(4)Ser)(3), was constructed. The scFv fusion protein was highly expressed in Escherichia coli mainly in inclusion body form. Using urea and pH gradient gel filtration method, the refolding of scFv was efficiently achieved. The refolding efficiency reached about 11% and 2.7 mg refolded scFv was obtained from 1L of culture. The binding activity and specificity of 125E11 scFv against PreS1(21-47)-containing antigen were also analyzed.     

Characterization of a chimeric plasminogen activator consisting of a single-chain Fv fragment derived from a fibrin fragment D-dimer-specific antibody and a truncated single-chain urokinase

An Mr 57,000 single-chain chimeric plasminogen activator, K12G0S32, consisting of a variable region fragment (Fv) derived from the fibrin fragment D-dimer-specific monoclonal antibody MA-15C5 and of a 33-kDa (amino acids Ala132 to Leu411) recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rscu-PA-33k) was studied. K12G0S32, secreted by infected Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells at a rate of 1.5 micrograms/10(6) cells/48 h, was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. It was obtained essentially as a single-chain molecule with a Ka = 5.5 x 10(9) M-1 for immobilized fragment D-dimer, similar to that of MA-15C5. The specific activity of both its single-chain and two-chain forms on fibrin plates was 100,000 IU/mg of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) equivalent. Activation of plasminogen by two-chain K12G0S32 obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Km = 2.9 +/- 0.6 microM and a k2 = 3.7 +/- 0.6 s-1 (mean +/- S.D.; n = 3), as compared to Km = 12 microM and k2 = 4.8 s-1 for rtcu-PA-32k (recombinant low Mr two-chain u-PA consisting of amino acids Leu144 to Leu411). Single-chain K12G0S32 induced a dose- and time-dependent lysis of a 125I-fibrin-labeled human plasma clot immersed in citrated human plasma; 50% lysis in 2 h was obtained with 0.70 +/- 0.07 micrograms/ml (mean +/- S.D.; n = 5), as compared with 8.8 +/- 0.1 micrograms/ml for rscu-PA-32k (recombinant low Mr single-chain u-PA consisting of amino acids Leu144 to Leu411) (mean +/- S.D.; n = 3). With two-chain K12G0S32, 50% clot lysis in 2 h required 0.25 +/- 0.03 micrograms/ml (mean +/- S.D.; n = 3), as compared with only 0.62 +/- 0.04 micrograms/ml (mean +/- S.D.; n = 2) for rtcu-PA-32k. These results indicate that low Mr single-chain u-PA can be targeted to a fibrin clot with a single-chain Fv fragment of a fibrin-specific antibody, resulting in a 13-fold increase of the fibrinolytic potency of the single-chain form and a 2.5-fold increase of the potency of the two-chain form.     

Genome-scale metabolic model-based engineering of Escherichia coli enhances recombinant single-chain antibody fragment production

Biotechnology Letters - Escherichia coli is an attractive and cost-effective cell factory for producing recombinant proteins such as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs). AntiEpEX-scFv is a...