Lynda J. Partridge

Localisation of the monocyte-binding region on human immunoglobulin G.

Earlier studies, which provided indirect evidence for the involvement of the C gamma 2 domain of human immunoglobulin G (IgG) in human immunoglobulin G (IgG) in human monocyte binding, have been extended to further localise the site of interaction on human IgG. A number of IgGs from several different species and fragments of human IgGs were assayed for ability to inhibit the interaction of radio-labelled human IgG and the human monocyte. By comparison of the amino-acid sequences of those IgGs found to exhibit relatively tight, intermediate or weak binding to human monocyte Fc receptors we are able to postulate a possible monocyte-binding site on human IgG. In addition, the results have implications for the applicability of monoclonal antibodies and antisera when used in the presence of human monocytes and possibly macrophages.

Tetraspanins in Viral Infections: a Fundamental Role in Viral Biology?

The tetraspanins are a broadly expressed superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins with over 30 members found in humans and with homologues conserved through distantly related species, including insects, sponges, and fungi. Members of this family appear to form large integrated signaling complexes or tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs) by their association with a variety of transmembrane and intracellular signaling/cytoskeletal proteins (49). These interactions link tetraspanins to an array of physiological functions and, in consequence, to numerous endogenous pathologies, including cancer development and inherited disorders (Table ​(Table11). TABLE 1. Members of the tetraspanin superfamily with reported links to pathologiesa Tetraspanins are also known to have roles in the pathology of infectious diseases such as diphtheria, malaria, and numerous viral infections (Table ​(Table1).1). The literature currently indicates that specific tetraspanin family members are selectively associated with specific viruses and affect multiple stages of infectivity, from initial cellular attachment to syncytium formation and viral particle release. Thus, the relationship of tetraspanins with viruses appears to be particularly complex. Here, we will consider this data in the context of recent developments in tetraspanin biology, particularly in our understanding of the architecture and function of TEMs. With the benefit of recent insights into tetraspanin function in cell fusion events and intracellular trafficking, we discuss common features of tetraspanin/viral associations which indicate a fundamental role for TEMs in a number of viral infections. We will also consider the existing therapeutic strategies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), focusing on the potential therapeutic value of targeting TEMs, using peptide reagents based on tetraspanin extracellular regions.

A Burkholderia pseudomallei toxin inhibits helicase activity of translation factor eIF4A.

A toxin associated with a disease often observed in Vietnam veterans is identified and characterized. The structure of BPSL1549, a protein of unknown function from Burkholderia pseudomallei, reveals a similarity to Escherichia coli cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1. We found that BPSL1549 acted as a potent cytotoxin against eukaryotic cells and was lethal when administered to mice. Expression levels of bpsl1549 correlate with conditions expected to promote or suppress pathogenicity. BPSL1549 promotes deamidation of glutamine-339 of the translation initiation factor eIF4A, abolishing its helicase activity and inhibiting translation. We propose to name BPSL1549 Burkholderia lethal factor 1.

Turnover-based in vitro selection and evolution of biocatalysts from a fully synthetic antibody library

This report describes the selection of highly efficient antibody catalysts by combining chemical selection from a synthetic library with directed in vitro protein evolution. Evolution started from a naive antibody library displayed on phage made from fully synthetic, antibody-encoding genes (the Human Combinatorial Antibody Library; HuCAL-scFv). HuCAL-scFv was screened by direct selection for catalytic antibodies exhibiting phosphatase turnover. The substrate used was an aryl phosphate, which is spontaneously transformed into an electrophilic trapping reagent after cleavage. Chemical selection identified an efficient biocatalyst that then served as a template for error-prone PCR (epPCR) to generate randomized repertoires that were subjected to further selection cycles. The resulting superior catalysts displayed cumulative mutations throughout the protein sequence; the ten-fold improvement of their catalytic proficiencies (>1010 M−1) resulted from increased kcat values, thus demonstrating direct selection for turnover. The strategy described here makes the search for new catalysts independent of the immune system and the antibody framework.

Recombinant extracellular domains of tetraspanin proteins are potent inhibitors of the infection of macrophages by human immunodeficiency virus type 1

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of human macrophages can be inhibited by antibodies which bind to the tetraspanin protein CD63, but not by antibodies that bind to other members of the tetraspanin family. This inhibitory response was limited to CCR5 (R5)-tropic virus and was only observed using macrophages, but not T cells. Here, we show that recombinant soluble forms of the large extracellular domain (EC2) of human tetraspanins CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD151 produced as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase (GST) can all potently and completely inhibit R5 HIV-1 infection of macrophages with 50% inhibitory concentration values of 0.11 to 1.2 nM. Infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells could also be partly inhibited, although higher concentrations of EC2 proteins were required. Inhibition was largely coreceptor independent, as macrophage infections by virions pseudotyped with CXCR4 (X4)-tropic HIV-1 or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-G glycoproteins were also inhibited, but was time dependent, since addition prior to or during, but not after, virus inoculation resulted in potent inhibition. Incubation with tetraspanins did not decrease CD4 or HIV-1 coreceptor expression but did block virion uptake. Colocalization of fluorescently labeled tetraspanin EC2 proteins and HIV-1 virions within, and with CD4 and CXCR4 at the cell surfaces of, macrophages could be detected, and internalized tetraspanin EC2 proteins were directed to vesicular compartments that contained internalized dextran and transferrin. Collectively, the data suggest that the mechanism of inhibition of HIV-1 infection by tetraspanins is at the step of virus entry, perhaps via interference with binding and/or the formation of CD4-coreceptor complexes within microdomains that are required for membrane fusion events.

Molecular recognition of antibody (IgG) by cellular Fc receptor (FcRI)

Earlier studies from this and other laboratories have provided indirect evidence for the involvement of the C gamma 2 domain of human IgG in the binding of IgG to the high affinity monocyte Fc receptor (FcRI). Two approaches have been used to extend these studies and to further localize the site of interaction on human IgG. Firstly, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against different epitopes on IgG were assayed for their capacity to inhibit the binding of radiolabelled IgG to human monocytes or U937 cells. The capacity of the MAbs to interact with their respective epitopes on FcR-bound IgG was also studied using indirect radiobinding and immunofluorescence assays. Secondly, a number of IgGs from several different species and fragments of human IgGs were assayed for their ability to inhibit the binding of radiolabelled IgG to human monocytes. The amino acid sequences of those IgGs exhibiting relatively tight, intermediate or weak binding to monocyte FcRs were compared. On the basis of these studies a possible monocyte FcR-binding site on human IgG is postulated, involving the lower hinge region of IgG (residues Leu 234-Ser 239) with possible involvement of the nearby N-proximal bend and two beta-strands (Gly 316-Lys 338).

The Role of the N-terminal Domain of the Complement Fragment Receptor C5L2 in Ligand Binding

C5L2 is a new cellular receptor found to interact with the human anaphylatoxins complement factor C5a and its C-terminal cleavage product C5a des Arg. The classical human C5a receptor (C5aR) preferentially binds C5a, with a 10–100-fold lower affinity for C5a des Arg. In contrast, C5L2 binds both ligands with nearly equal affinity. C5aR presents acidic and tyrosine residues in its N terminus that interact with the core of C5a while a hydrophobic pocket formed by the transmembrane helices interacts with residues in the C terminus of C5a. Here, we have investigated the molecular basis for the increased affinity of C5L2 for C5a des Arg. Rat and mouse C5L2 preferentially bound C5a des Arg, whereas rodent C5aR showed much higher affinity for intact C5a. Effective peptidic and non-peptidic ligands for the transmembrane hydrophobic pocket of C5aR were poor inhibitors of ligand binding to C5L2. An antibody raised against the N terminus of human C5L2 did not affect the binding of C5a to C5L2 but did inhibit C5a des Arg binding. A chimeric C5L2, containing the N terminus of C5aR, had little effect on the affinity for C5a des Arg. Mutation of acidic and tyrosine residues in the N terminus of human C5L2 revealed that 3 residues were critical for C5a des Arg binding but had little involvement in C5a binding. C5L2 thus appears to bind C5a and C5a des Arg by different mechanisms, and, unlike C5aR, C5L2 uses critical residues in its N-terminal domain for binding only to C5a des Arg.

Distinct roles for tetraspanins CD9, CD63 and CD81 in the formation of multinucleated giant cells

Members of the tetraspanin superfamily of proteins are implicated in a variety of complex cell processes including cell fusion. However, the contribution of individual tetraspanins to these processes has proved difficult to define. Here we report the use of recombinant extracellular regions of tetraspanins to investigate the role of specific members of this family in the fusion of monocytes to form multinucleated giant cells (MGC). In contrast to their positive requirement in sperm–egg fusion, previous studies using antibodies and knockout mice have indicated a negative regulatory role for tetraspanins CD9 and CD81 in this process. In an in vitro model of fusion using human monocytes, we have confirmed observations that antibodies to CD9 and CD81 enhance MGC formation; however, in contrast to previous investigations, we found that all members of a panel of antibodies to CD63 inhibited fusion. Moreover, recombinant proteins corresponding to the large extracellular domains (EC2s) of CD63 and CD9 inhibited MGC formation, whereas the EC2s of CD81 and CD151 had no effect. The potent inhibition of fusion and binding of labelled CD63 EC2 to monocytes under fusogenic conditions suggest a direct interaction with a membrane component required for fusion. Our findings indicate that the tetraspanins CD9, CD63 and CD81 are all involved in MGC formation, but play distinct roles.

Strategies for targeting tetraspanin proteins: potential therapeutic applications in microbial infections.

The identification of novel targets and strategies for therapy of microbial infections is an area of intensive research due to the failure of conventional vaccines or antibiotics to combat both newly emerging diseases (e.g. viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and new influenza strains, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and entrenched, pandemic diseases exemplified by HIV. One clear approach to this problem is to target processes of the host organism rather than the microbe. Recent data have indicated that members of the tetraspanin superfamily, proteins with a widespread distribution in eukaryotic organisms and 33 members in humans, may provide such an approach.Tetraspanins traverse the membrane four times, but are distinguished from other four-pass membrane proteins by the presence of conserved charged residues in the transmembrane domains and a defining ‘signature’ motif in the larger of the two extracellular domains (the EC2). They characteristically form promiscuous associations with one another and with other membrane proteins and lipids to generate a specialized type of microdomain: the tetraspanin-enriched microdomain (TEM). TEMs are integral to the main role of tetraspanins as ‘molecular organizers’ involved in functions such as membrane trafficking, cell-cell fusion, motility, and signaling. Increasing evidence demonstrates that tetraspanins are used by intracellular pathogens as a means of entering and replicating within human cells. Although previous investigations focused mainly on viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV, it is now becoming clear that other microbes associate with tetraspanins, using TEMs as a ‘gateway’ to infection.In this article we review the properties and functions of tetraspanins/TEMs that are relevant to infective processes and discuss the accumulating evidence that shows how different pathogens exploit these properties in infection and in the pathogenesis of disease. We then investigate the novel and exciting possibilities of targeting tetraspanins for the treatment of infectious disease, using specific antibodies, recombinant EC2 domains, small-molecule mimetics, and small interfering RNA. Such therapies, directed at host-cell molecules, may provide alternative options for combating fast-mutating or newly emerging pathogens, where conventional approaches face difficulties.

The use of anti-IgG monoclonal antibodies in mapping the monocyte receptor site on IgG

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against epitopes on the C gamma 1, C gamma 2, C gamma 3 and C gamma 2-C gamma 3 interface regions of human IgG were used to attempt to localize the monocyte Fc receptor (FcR) binding site. The MAbs have been assayed for their capacity to inhibit the interaction between 125I-labelled IgG (125I-IgG) and human monocytes or human histiocytic lymphoma U937 cells. Two MAbs specific for epitopes on the N-terminal region of the C gamma 2 domain, and one MAb recognizing an epitope in the C gamma 2-C gamma 3 inter-domain region inhibited binding of 125I-IgG to monocyte FcRs. The remaining MAbs, against a C-terminal C gamma 3 domain epitope, another C gamma 2/C gamma 3 region epitope and the G1m(f) allotope on the C gamma 1 domain did not inhibit the interaction. The capacity of the MAbs to bind to their respective epitopes on cell surface FcR-bound IgG was also studied, using indirect radiobinding and immunofluorescence assays. All of the MAbs, except those with C gamma 2 domain specificities, were able to detect FcR-bound IgG under these conditions. The results confirm the role of the C gamma 2 domain in the interaction of IgG with monocytes and demonstrate that epitopes in the C gamma 3 and C gamma 2-C gamma 3 regions are not involved in the binding site.