Application of a PEG/salt aqueous two-phase partition system for the recovery of monoclonal antibodies from unclarified transgenic tobacco extract

Aqueous two-phase partition systems (ATPS) have been widely used for the separation of a large variety of biomolecules. In the present report, the application of a polyethylene glycol/phosphate (PEG/phosphate) ATPS for the separation of anti-HIV monoclonal antibodies 2G12 (mAb 2G12) and 4E10 (mAb 4E10) from unclarified transgenic tobacco crude extract was investigated. Optimal conditions that favor opposite phase partitioning of plant debris/mAb as well as high recovery and purification were found to be 13.1% w/w (PEG 1500), 12.5% w/w (phosphate) at pH 5 with a phase ratio of 1.3 and 8.25% w/w unclarified tobacco extract load. Under these conditions, mAb 2G12 and mAb 4E10 were partitioned at the bottom phosphate phase with 85 and 84% yield and 2.4- and 2.1-fold purification, respectively. The proposed ATPS was successfully integrated in an affinity-based purification protocol, using Protein A, yielding antibodies of high purity and yield. In this study, ATPS was shown to be suitable for initial protein recovery and partial purification of mAb from unclarified transgenic tobacco crude extract.     

Postnatal development in cynomolgus monkeys following prenatal exposure to natalizumab,an α4 integrin inhibitor

BACKGROUND : Natalizumab is a humanized monoclonal IgG4 antibody to human α4 integrin that blocks the interaction of α4β1 and α4β7 integrins with their ligands, including fibronectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and mucosal addressin cellular adhesion molecule-1. Because α4 integrins and their ligands are widely involved in mammalian development, lymphopoeisis, and hematopoiesis, natalizumab may interfere with these processes. METHODS : The effects of prenatal exposure to natalizumab on postnatal development were assessed in cynomolgus monkeys at doses of 0 and 30 mg/kg administered intravenously every other day from gestational day (GD) 20 to 70 or GD 20 to term. Infants were delivered by natural birth and evaluated for general health, survival, development, and immunological structure and function at 12 or 18 months. RESULTS : An increase in abortions was seen in the first cohort of natalizumab-treated dams (39.3 vs. 7.1% in the controls) but not in the second cohort (33.3, 37.5%). Infants in the term treatment group had elevated lymphocyte (∼150%) and nucleated red blood cell counts (∼400%), consistent with the pharmacological effect of natalizumab, and reductions in platelet counts (∼28%), which were reversible following clearance of natalizumab. No anemia was observed. Infants in the term treatment group had significantly increased spleen weights at 12 months but not at 18 months. All other experimental observations in infants from natalizumab-treated dams were comparable with those of controls. CONCLUSION : Natalizumab had no adverse effects on the general health, survival, development, or immunological structure and function of infants born to dams treated with natalizumab during pregnancy. Birth Defects Res (Part B) 86: 144-156, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

肺腺癌靶向性超氧化物歧化酶的构建及功能分析

临床上,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)的低肿瘤细胞定位能力限制了其在抗肿瘤领域的广泛应用,这一直是国内外学者们试图解决的难点.研究中,以基因工程方法连接念珠藻Fe-SOD(iron-superoxidedismutase)基因和抗SPC-A-1肺腺癌LC-1ScFv(singlechainFv)基因,并融合表达获得了SOD-ScFv融合蛋白.纯化后SOD-ScFv表现出SOD和ScFv的双重活性.SPC-A-1肺腺癌细胞中,融合蛋白的异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC)染色追踪和自由基含量分析表明,SOD-ScFv具备识别SPC-A-1肺腺癌细胞、透膜并清除胞内自由基的功能,最终达到抑制肿瘤细胞生长的目的.研究提出的靶向抗肿瘤机制将克服临床上SOD无目标趋向性和难于进入实体瘤的两大应用局限性,并提供了一种利用LC-1ScFv来靶向投递抗肿瘤药物的思路.     

抗欧亚活血丹凝集素特异性多克隆抗体的制备

欧亚活血丹外源凝集素(Gleheda)是分离自欧亚活血丹 (Glechoma hederacea) 叶片中的一种糖基化植物新蛋白. 如同其他糖基化蛋白,通过免疫学方法探测 Gleheda 的过程中通常受到一些不相干糖蛋白的妨碍,为此制定了抗 Gleheda 特异性多克隆抗体的纯化方案. 免疫血清蛋白经硫酸铵选择性沉淀后,分别以 Gleheda 和刺槐外源凝集蛋白 (RPA) 结合在 Sepharose 4B作为亲和配体,采用亲和层析法连续纯化 2 次,然后进一步采用离子交换层析 Q Fast Flow 提纯. 经每一步骤提纯得到的抗体组分对 Gleheda 的特异性,均同时采用双向免疫扩散检验和 Western blot 分析. 结果表明,以 Gleheda 为配体,亲和纯化制备得到的抗体组分对叶片粗提物中的许多植物 (糖) 蛋白仍然表现交叉反应. 为除去由植物糖蛋白中的聚糖所引起这些非特异性交叉反应抗体,接着以 RPA 为配体再次进行亲和纯化,Western blot 分析显示,抗体的特异性得到提高但并非除去了所有非特异性交叉反应的抗体. 最后进一步采用离子交换层析制备得到仅抗 Gleheda 蛋白的特异性抗体组分,此抗体组分适用于免疫探测研究. 该抗体纯化制备程序简易而高效,而且不需要昂贵的设备.     

Membrane-transferring sequences of the HIV-1 Gp41 ectodomain assemble into an immunogenic complex

The membrane-proximal stem region of gp41 has been postulated to host the two conserved membrane-transferring domains that promote HIV-1 fusion: the amino-terminal fusion peptide (FP) and the highly aromatic pre-transmembrane sequence. Our results confirm that the hydrophobic FP and membrane-proximal sequences come into contact and form structurally defined complexes. These complexes are immunogenic and evoke responses in rabbits that compete with the recognition of native functional gp41 by the 2F5 monoclonal antibody. We conclude that co-assembly of the FP and the pre-transmembrane sequences might exert a constraint that helps maintain a gp41 stem region pre-fusion structure.     

Cytokine and antibody responses of reactivated murine toxoplasmosis upon administration of dexamathasone

Toxoplasma gondii has been shown to result in life-threatening encephalitis in immunocompromised patients after reactivation of dormant parasites. In order to obtain information on immune responses related to this phenomenon, BALB/c mice were infected with 25 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii, then, treated orally with dexamethasone (Toxo/Dexa-treated group) in order to reactivate the chronic toxoplasmosis. None of the T. gondii-infected mice died during the experimental periods, whereas the Toxo/Dexa-treated mice evidenced a significant attenuation of survival periods. Toxoplasma-specific IgG2a, IgA and IgM titers in sera were significantly depressed in the Toxo/Dexa-treated mice; however, the IgG1 sera titers were similar to those seen in the Toxoplasma-infected mice. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8 alpha + T cells in the Toxo/Dexa-treated mice were significantly reduced 2 weeks after dexamethasone treatment. IFN-gamma and IL-10 production levels in the Toxo/Dexa-treated mice were depressed significantly, whereas IL-4 production was increased temporarily. The expression levels of the Toxoplasma-specific P30 and B1 genes were found to have been increased in the Toxo/Dexa-treated mice in comparison with the Toxoplasmainfected mice. Collectively, the findings of this study demonstrate that reactivation of murine toxoplasmosis as the result of dexamethasone treatment induced a depression in Th1 immune responses, whereas Th2 immune responses were not significantly influenced.     

Development of rabbit monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for detection of site-specific histone modifications and their application in analyzing overall modification levels

In addition to DNA sequence information,site-specific histone modifications are another important determinant ofgene expression in a eukaryotic organism.We selected four modification sites in common histones that are known tosignificantly impact chromatin function and generated monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies that recognize each of thosesite-specific modifications.We used these antibodies to demonstrate that the site-specific histone modification levelsremain relatively constant in different organs of the same organism.We also compared the levels of selected histonemodifications among several representative organisms and found that site-specific modifications are highly variable amongdifferent organisms,providing new insight into the evolutionary divergence of specific histone modifications.     

HIV-1抗体蛋白印迹确认与核酸检测复核对比研究

应用病毒核酸载量法NASBA和HIV-1 RNA的巢式逆转录PCR(nested RT-PCR)法与HIV抗体蛋白印迹(WB)方法,对经过初筛的44例HIV-1抗体阳性标本进行了对照检测研究。发现了2例(gp160、p24)和1例(gp160g、p120p、66、p24)的特殊阳性样本,经NASBA法和该RT-PCR法核酸检测为阴性;WB确认的4例gp160阳性带、1例p24、p17阳性带和13例p24阳性带,经NASBA法和该RT-PCR法核酸检测也为阴性;而WB确认的其余全部带型的抗体阳性标本经过NASBA法和该RT-PCR法检测均为阳性。该研究表明对只有gp160p、24和gp160、gp120p、66、p24的特殊阳性标本和以p24为主的抗体不确定标本需要用RT-PCR或NASBA方法进行核酸检测,以进一步确认。     

TBa多克隆抗体的制备及其重组蛋白免疫活性的鉴定

目的:TBa(tartary buckwheat allergen)是苦荞麦中的主要过敏原。为了研究TBa的结构与功能关系并鉴定其重组蛋白的特异性免疫活性。方法:采用之前从种子中分离纯化的天然TBa作为抗原免疫小鼠,制备抗血清,建立了类似竞争酶联免疫吸附检测TBa的分析方法。结果:对重组TBa的免疫活性鉴定表明,采用该方法制备的多克隆抗体能满足重组TBa的免疫活性鉴定,这为下一步研究其免疫学功能奠定了基础。     

Purification of Specific Cell Population by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)

Experimental and clinical studies often require highly purified cell populations. FACS is a technique of choice to purify cell populations of known phenotype. Other bulk methods of purification include panning, complement depletion and magnetic bead separation. However, FACS has several advantages over other available methods. FACS is the preferred method when very high purity of the desired population is required, when the target cell population expresses a very low level of the identifying marker or when cell populations require separation based on differential marker density. In addition, FACS is the only available purification technique to isolate cells based on internal staining or intracellular protein expression, such as a genetically modified fluorescent protein marker. FACS allows the purification of individual cells based on size, granularity and fluorescence. In order to purify cells of interest, they are first stained with fluorescently-tagged monoclonal antibodies (mAb), which recognize specific surface markers on the desired cell population (1). Negative selection of unstained cells is also possible. FACS purification requires a flow cytometer with sorting capacity and the appropriate software. For FACS, cells in suspension are passed as a stream in droplets with each containing a single cell in front of a laser. The fluorescence detection system detects cells of interest based on predetermined fluorescent parameters of the cells. The instrument applies a charge to the droplet containing a cell of interest and an electrostatic deflection system facilitates collection of the charged droplets into appropriate collection tubes (2). The success of staining and thereby sorting depends largely on the selection of the identifying markers and the choice of mAb. Sorting parameters can be adjusted depending on the requirement of purity and yield. Although FACS requires specialized equipment and personnel training, it is the method of choice for isolation of highly purified cell populations.