Ann-Christin Malmborg

Real time analysis of antibody-antigen reaction kinetics.

Surface plasmon resonance, i.e. detection of changes in refractive index on a surface, was used in a biosensor to evaluate the dissociation/association rate and affinity constants of human monoclonal IgG and IgM antibodies and Tab fragments. The results showed that an observed difference in affinity constants between intact and fragmented IgG anti‐tetanus antibody was related to approximately 10‐fold differences in dissociation rate constants, since the association rate constants were in the same range, i.e. 2–3×105 (m‐1s‐1). Affinity constants, as determined by conventional solid phase enzyme immunoassays, were substantially higher than the constants produced by the biosensor. Human monoclonal IgM anti‐Tnα antibodies showed, furthermore, one order of magnitude higher association rate constants, as compared with the IgG antibodies, but since the dissociation rate constants were more than ten times higher, the resulting affinity constants of the anti‐carbohydrate IgM antibodies were still somewhat lower than those of the IgG antibodies.

BIAcore as a tool in antibody engineering

The BIAcore biosensor provides a simple and rapid approach for analysing recombinant antibodies and phage displayed antibody libraries. In this review we describe the application of the biosensor in the screening of recombinant antibody fragments, kinetic selection of phage displayed antibodies, characterization and epitope mapping of monoclonal antibodies and their fragments.

Does endogenous glycosylation prevent the use of mouse monoclonal antibodies as cancer therapeutics

Monoclonal antibodies have many potential therapeutic benefits. However, when applied to humans, mouse monoclonal antibodies have several disadvantages. Here Carl Borrebaeck and colleagues describe a strategy to overcome the anti-Gal activity, thought to be one of the reasons why mouse mAbs have a limited half-life.

Selection of binders from phage displayed antibody libraries using the BIAcore™ biosensor

In this report we show that phage displayed antibodies can be selected based on dissociation rate constants, using a BIAcore biosensor. To demonstrate the principle, two Fab phage stocks displaying antibodies specific for hen egg lysozyme or phenyloxazolone were mixed in a ratio of 1:10 and injected over the biosensor chip containing immobilized lysozyme. Antigen-specific bound phages were eluted and analysed for specificity and phage titer. This procedure enriched for phages carrying specific antibodies. Selection of high affinity binders from phage libraries was then demonstrated with the BIAcore when phages were eluted and collected at different time points. Soluble antibody fragments were subsequently expressed and their kinetic parameters were determined. The time of elution was directly proportional to the affinity, due to decreased dissociation rate constants. This procedure offers a rapid and simple approach for selecting binders from phage libraries differing in antibody dissociation rate constants.

Selection of phage displayed antibodies based on kinetic constants

The display of antibody fragments on the surface of filamentous bacteriophages and the selection of binders from antibody libraries have provided powerful tools to generate human antibodies. We reported recently a new concept (SAP system) for the selection of specific phages by linking antigenic recognition and phage replication, using a soluble fusion protein containing the antigen and a fragment of the M13 coat protein 3. In this investigation, a model library has been composed using six different antibody fragments which were characterized individually regarding their kass, kdiss and Ka. All Fab fragments were specific for a 15 amino acid region of the V3 loop of gp120 (HIV-1). We demonstrated that the SAP system could discriminate between the kinetic parameters of each clone, using different selection strategies. Phages expressing high affinity clones were selected preferentially using low doses of antigen but clones of lower affinity also could be selected by increasing the antigen concentration or using a preselection procedure. Phages expressing antibody fragment with high association or low dissociation rate constants were retrieved by utilizing short contact times between antigen and antibody or antigen-chase conditions.

In vitro immunization of naive human B cells yields high affinity immunoglobulin G antibodies as illustrated by phage display.

In vitro antibody responses to a synthetic immunogen, consisting of both a B cell [V3 loop of gp120 from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1)] and a T‐helper epitope (15 amino acids of tetanus toxoid) was studied. The in vitro activation was performed by primary and secondary in vitro immunizations, using lymphocytes obtained from uninfected, seronegative donors. Analysis of the in vitro immune response demonstrated an antigen‐specific isotype switch, which was dependent on the presence of antigen‐specific T‐helper cells, CD40 ligation and antigen. Antibody libraries were constructed from cells derived directly from the naive donors, or from primary or secondary in vitro immunized B cells. Five libraries were displayed on filamentous phage and selected for anti‐V3‐specific Fab fragments, using a selection approach that linked recognition and phage replication. A panel of 19 recombinant antigen‐specific Fab, representing different phases of the humoral in vitro immune response, were sequenced, expressed and analysed using a biosensor. Recombinant Fab fragments derived from cultures on day 12 exhibited an increase in affinity of close to two orders of magnitude compared to those obtained from cells primary immunized for 7 days. This study provides the first evidence that an antigen‐specific in vitro immune response can yield high‐affinity immunoglobulinG antibodies.

The Phage Infection Process: a Functional Role for the Distal Linker Region of Bacteriophage Protein 3

ABSTRACT The filamentous bacteriophage infects Escherichia coliby interaction with the F pilus and the TolQRA complex. The virus-encoded protein initiating this process is the gene 3 protein (g3p). The g3p molecule can be divided into three different domains separated by two glycine-rich linker regions. Though there has been extensive evaluation of the importance of the diverse domains of g3p, no proper function has so far been assigned to these linker regions. Through the design of mutated variants of g3p that were displayed on the surface of bacteriophage, we were able to elucidate a possible role for the distal glycine-rich linker region. A phage that displayed a g3p comprised of only the N1 domain, the first linker region, and the C-terminal domain was able to infect cells at almost the same frequency as the wild-type phage. This infection was proven to be dependent on the motif between amino acid residues 68 and 86 (i.e., the first glycine-rich linker region of g3p) and on F-pilus expression.

REAL-TIME ANALYSIS OF OCT PROTEIN-OCTAMER INTERACTION AND TRANSCRIPTION COMPLEX ASSEMBLY

Specific interactions between the protein-binding sequence of the immunoglobulin transcription regulatory element, the octamer, and Oct proteins have been investigated using a biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance. By analysis of in vitro translated Oct1 and Oct2A with a consensus octamer probe, it was shown that the affinity constant, association rate constant and dissociation rate constant of Oct1 were higher than for Oct2A. The biggest difference was in the association rate constants, but this difference was reduced when an octamer motif containing a point mutation was used as a probe. Elements in the octamer flanking sequence could increase the on-rate of Oct proteins to a mutated octamer while not decreasing the off-rate. Oct-octamer interaction in whole nuclear extracts could be detected readily in the biosensor and adapter interactions with template bound proteins were revealed. Thus, biosensor analysis represent a fast and convenient alternative approach to study specific protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions in analysis of transcriptional regulation.

Applications for Purification and Screening

Receptor protein-tyrosine kinases (RTKs) , as receptors for many growth and differentiation factors, have critical functions for many biological processes. Whereas RTKs can be categorized into many families, every RTK has a kinase domain, whose amino acid sequence is conserved among RTKs, in an intercellular portion. However, in the extracellular portion, RTKs have ligand-binding domains which are quite different between families.