Project description:Infection and vaccination repeatedly expose individuals to antigens that are conserved between influenza virus subtypes. Nevertheless, antibodies recognizing conserved influenza epitopes greatly outnumber antibodies reactive against variable epitopes. Elucidating factors contributing to the paucity of broadly reactive influenza antibodies remains a major obstacle for developing a universal influenza vaccine. Here, we report that inducing broadly reactive influenza antibodies increases autoreactive antibodies in humans and mice and exacerbates disease in four distinct models of autoimmune disease. Importantly, transferring broadly reactive influenza antibodies augments disease in the presence of inflammation or autoimmune susceptibility. Further, broadly reactive influenza antibodies spontaneously arise in mice with defects in B cell tolerance. Together, these data suggest that self-tolerance mechanisms limit the prevalence of broadly reactive influenza antibodies, which can exacerbate disease in the context of additional risk factors.
Project description:Broadly protective antibodies against highly variable pathogens are very important for design of vaccines and therapeutics. We report that by administering two heterotypic influenza hemagglutinins (HAs) to mice by time difference, monoclonal antibodies can be obtained that bind strongly to both heterotypic influenza HAs. More interestingly, it was able to bind widely to the untreated subtype of HA.
Project description:Human antibody responses to AM/LAM are heterogenous and knowledge of reactivity to specific glycan epitopes at the monoclonal level is limited. Using novel glycan arrays, we characterized very high affinity monoclonal antibodies to AM/LAM, determined these mAbs are non-competing, and recognized distinct glycan epitopes. distinct from other anti-AM/LAM mAbs reported.
Project description:Many human monoclonal antibodies that neutralize multiple clades of HIV-1 are polyreactive and bind avidly to mammalian autoantigens. Indeed, the generation of neutralizing antibodies to the 2F5 and 4E10 epitopes of HIV-1 gp41 in man may be proscribed by immune tolerance since mice expressing the VH and VL regions of 2F5 have a block in B-cell development characteristic of central tolerance. This developmental blockade implies the presence of tolerizing autoantigens that are mimicked by the membrane-proximal external region of HIV-1 gp41. Here we identify human kynureninase (KYNU) and splicing factor 3b subunit 3 (SF3B3) as the primary conserved, vertebrate self-antigens recognized by the 2F5 and 4E10 antibodies, respectively. 2F5 binds the H4 domain of KYNU which contains the complete 2F5 linear epitope (ELDKWA). 4E10 recognizes a conformational epitope of SF3B3 that is strongly dependent on hydrophobic interactions. Opossums carry a rare KYNU H4 domain that abolishes 2F5 binding, but retain all SF3B3 4E10 epitopes. Immunization of opossums with HIV-1 gp140 induced extraordinary titers of serum antibody to the 2F5 ELDKWA epitope but little or nothing to the 4E10 determinant. Identification of structural motif shared by vertebrates and HIV-1 provides direct evidence that immunological tolerance can impair humoral responses to HIV-1. The invitrogen protoarray that contains >9,400 recombinant human proteins was used to identify self-ligands that are recognized by broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies 2F5 and 4E10. An isotype-matched human myeloma protein (151K, Southern Biotech) was used as control.
Project description:Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is initiated when natural IgM antibodies recognize neo-epitopes that are revealed on ischemic cells. The target molecules and mechanisms whereby these neo-epitopes become accessible to recognition are not well understood. Proposing that isolated intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) may carry IR-related neo-epitopes, we used in vitro IEC binding assays to screen hybridomas created from B cells of unmanipulated wild type C57BL/6 mice. We identified a novel IgM monoclonal antibody (mAb B4) that reacted with the surface of IEC by flow cytometric analysis and was alone capable of causing complement activation, neutrophil recruitment and intestinal injury in otherwise IR-resistant Rag1-/- mice. Monoclonal Ab B4 was found to specifically recognize mouse annexin IV. Pre-injection of recombinant annexin IV blocked IR injury in wild type C57BL/6 mice, demonstrating the requirement for recognition of this protein in order to develop IR injury in the context of a complex natural antibody repertoire. Humans were also found to exhibit IgM natural antibodies that recognize annexin IV. These data in toto identify annexin IV as a key ischemia-related target antigen that is recognized by natural Abs in a pathologic process required in vivo to develop intestinal IR injury. Keywords: Natural antibodies, Annexin, Ischemia Reperfusion, Inflammation, Complement In the study presented here, a total of 4 custom spotted antigen slides were hybridized with known antibodies.
Project description:Influenza A viruses (IAVs) present major public health threats from annual seasonal epidemics and pandemics as well as from viruses adapted to a variety of animals including poultry, pigs, and horses. Vaccines that broadly protect against all such IAVs, so-called “universal” influenza vaccines, do not currently exist, but are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrated that an inactivated, multivalent whole virus vaccine, delivered intramuscularly or intranasally, was broadly protective against challenges with multiple IAV hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes in both mice and ferrets. The vaccine is comprised of four beta-propiolactone-inactivated low pathogenicity avian influenza A virus subtypes of H1N9, H3N8, H5N1, or H7N3. Vaccinated mice and ferrets demonstrated substantial protection against a variety of IAVs, including the 1918 H1N1 strain, the highly pathogenic avian H5N8 strain, and H7N9. We also observed protection against challenge with antigenically variable and heterosubtypic avian, swine, and human viruses. Compared to mock vaccinated animals, vaccinated mice and ferrets demonstrated marked reductions in viral titers, lung pathology, and host inflammatory responses. This vaccine approach indicates the feasibility of eliciting broad, heterosubtypic IAV protection and identifies a promising candidate for influenza vaccine clinical development.
Project description:Influenza A viruses (IAVs) present major public health threats from annual seasonal epidemics and pandemics as well as from viruses adapted to a variety of animals including poultry, pigs, and horses. Vaccines that broadly protect against all such IAVs, so-called “universal” influenza vaccines, do not currently exist, but are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrated that an inactivated, multivalent whole virus vaccine, delivered intramuscularly or intranasally, was broadly protective against challenges with multiple IAV hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes in both mice and ferrets. The vaccine is comprised of four beta-propiolactone-inactivated low pathogenicity avian influenza A virus subtypes of H1N9, H3N8, H5N1, or H7N3. Vaccinated mice and ferrets demonstrated substantial protection against a variety of IAVs, including the 1918 H1N1 strain, the highly pathogenic avian H5N8 strain, and H7N9. We also observed protection against challenge with antigenically variable and heterosubtypic avian, swine, and human viruses. Compared to mock vaccinated animals, vaccinated mice and ferrets demonstrated marked reductions in viral titers, lung pathology, and host inflammatory responses. This vaccine approach indicates the feasibility of eliciting broad, heterosubtypic IAV protection and identifies a promising candidate for influenza vaccine clinical development.
Project description:Current flu vaccine induces strong response to plastic and higly variable hemagglutinin (HA) head. However, response to conserved epitopes in HA elicited by current vaccine or infection is very limited. We hypothesized that change the relative "molarity" of immunodominant epitopes and conserved domain might increase response to conserved domains. Therfore, we made a library with the most ommunodominant domian Sb site randomized and tested its efficacy in vivo. Here we show the diversity of the library.
Project description:This study aimed to identify proteolytic fragments of gluten proteins recognized by recombinant IgG1 monoclonal antibodies generated from single IgA plasma cells of celiac disease lesions. Peptides bound by monoclonal antibodies in complex gut-enzyme digests of gluten treated with the deamidating enzyme transglutaminase 2, were identified by mass spectrometry after antibody pull-down with protein G beads. The antibody bound peptides were long deamidated peptide fragments that contained the substrate recognition sequence of transglutaminase 2. Characteristically, the fragments contained epitopes with the sequence QPEQPFP and variants thereof in multiple copies, and they typically also harbored many different gluten T-cell epitopes. In the pull-down setting where antibodies were immobilized on a solid phase, peptide fragments with multivalent display of epitopes were targeted. This scenario resembles the situation of the B-cell receptor on the surface of B cells. Conceivably, B cells of celiac disease patients select gluten epitopes that are repeated multiple times in long peptide fragments generated by gut digestive enzymes. As the fragments also contain many different T-cell epitopes, this will lead to generation of strong antibody responses by effective presentation of several distinct T-cell epitopes and establishment of T-cell help to B cells.
Project description:Influenza viruses escape immunity due to rapid antigenic evolution, which requires vaccination strategies that allow for broadly protective antibody responses. Here, we demonstrate that the lipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) expressed on germinal center (GC) B cells is essential for the production of high-affinity antibodies. Mechanistically, Gb3 binds and disengages CD19 from its chaperone CD81 for subsequent translocation to the B cell receptor (BCR) complex to trigger signaling. Moreover, this lipid regulates MHC-II expression to increase diversity of T follicular helper (Tfh) and GC B cells reactive with subdominant epitopes. In influenza infection, Gb3 promotes broadly reactive antibody responses and cross-protection. Thus, we show that Gb3 determines affinity as well as breadth in B cell immunity and propose this lipid as potential vaccine adjuvant against viral infection.