Project description:Endogenous retroviruses (ERV), comprising a substantial portion of the vertebrate genome, are remnants of ancient genetic invaders. ERV with near-intact coding potential reactivate in B cell-deficient mice. Here, we employed an antigen-baiting strategy to enrich B cells reactive to ERV surface antigens. We identified ERV-reactive B-1 cells expressing germline-encoded natural IgM antibodies in naïve mice, the level of which further increases upon innate immune sensor stimulation. B cell receptor repertoire profiling of ERV-reactive B-1 cells revealed increased usage of Igh VH gene that gives rise to glycan-specific antibodies targeting terminal N-acetylglucosamine moieties on ERV glycoproteins, which further engage the complement pathway to protect the host from ERV emergence. These same antibodies also recognize glycoproteins of other enveloped viruses, but not self-proteins. These results reveal an innate antiviral mechanism of germline-encoded antibodies with broad reactivity to enveloped viruses, whose absence leads to the emergence of infectious ERV.
Project description:The ability to leverage antibodies to agonize disease relevant biological pathways has the potential to unlock new drug targets for clinical investigation. While antibodies have been successful as antagonists, immune mediators, and targeting agents, they are not readily effective at recapitulating the biological activity of natural ligands. Among the important determinants of antibody agonist activity is the geometry of target receptor engagement. Herein, we describe a novel engineering approach inspired by a naturally occurring Fab-Fab homotypic interaction that constrains IgG in a unique i-shaped conformation. i-shaped antibody (iAb) engineering enables potent intrinsic agonism of five tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) targets. When applied to bispecific antibodies against the heterodimeric IL-2 receptor pair, constrained bispecific IgG formats recapitulate IL-2 agonist activity. Thus, iAb engineering represents a new tool to tune agonist antibody function and this work provides a framework for the development of intrinsic antibody agonists with the potential for generalization across broad receptor classes.
Project description:One of the most common genetic backgrounds for mice used as model to investigate human diseases is the BALB/c strain. This work is aimed to characterize the pattern of natural anti-carbohydrate antibodies present in serum of BALB/c mice by printed glycan array technology. Natural antibodies from serum of BALB/c mice interacted with at least 70 glycans from a library of 419 different carbohydrate structures. However, only a restricted number of these (12, ~17%) were highly recognized by natural antibodies, and shared by more than 80% of mice under examination. This conserved pattern differed dramatically from that of humans. This finding together with not identical repertoires of antibodies between individual mice should be specially considered when mouse models are intended to be used for investigation of human natural antibodies in different biomedical research and diagnostic contexts.
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:Increasing evidence suggests that antibodies (Abs) can have protective roles in M. tuberculosis (Mtb) infection but knowledge of the most relevant protective antigens and epitopes in humans is limited. Using novel glycan arrays, we establish that human serum IgG induced against the M. tuberculosis (Mtb) capsular polysacharide arabinomannan (AM) in natural Mtb infection is highly heterogeneous in its binding specificity and differs in both its reactivity to oligosaccharide (OS) motifs within AM and its functions between BCG vaccination and/or controlled (latent) versus uncontrolled (TB) M. tuberculosis infection. We show that anti-AM IgG from asymptomatic but not diseased individuals is protective, and provide data suggesting a role of IgG2 and specific AM oligosaccharides. Filling a gap in the current knowledge of protective antigens in humans, our human data support the key role of the M. tuberculosis surface glycan AM and suggest the importance of targeting specific glycan epitopes within AM in antibody-mediated immunity against TB.
Project description:Natural antibodies, which arise without known immune exposure, have been described that specifically recognize cells dying from apoptosis but their role in innate immunity remains poorly understood. Herein, we show that the immune response to neo-antigenic determinants on apoptotic thymocytes is dominated by antibodies to oxidation-associated antigens, phosphorylcholine (PC), a head group that becomes exposed during programmed-cell death, and malondialdehyde (MDA), a reactive aldehyde degradation product of polyunsaturated lipids produced following exposure to reactive-oxidation species. While natural antibodies to apoptotic cells in naïve adult mice were dominated by PC and MDA specificities, the amounts of these antibodies were substantially boosted by treatment of mice with apoptotic cells. Moreover, the relative amounts of PC and MDA antibodies was affected by VH gene inheritance. Antibody interactions with apoptotic-cells also mediated the recruitment of C1q, which alone can promote apoptotic-cell phagocytosis by immature dendritic cells. Significantly, IgM-antibodies to both PC and MDA were primary factors in determining the efficiency of serum-dependent apoptotic-cell phagocytosis. Hence, we demonstrate a mechanism by which certain natural antibodies that recognize neo-antigens on apoptotic cells, in naïve mice and those induced by immune exposure to apoptotic-cells, can enhance the functional capabilities of immature dendritic cells for phagocytic engulfment of apoptotic cells. Keywords: Natural antibodies, Inflammation, Complement, Apoptosis
Project description:Natural antibodies, which arise without known immune exposure, have been described that specifically recognize cells dying from apoptosis but their role in innate immunity remains poorly understood. Herein, we show that the immune response to neo-antigenic determinants on apoptotic thymocytes is dominated by antibodies to oxidation-associated antigens, phosphorylcholine (PC), a head group that becomes exposed during programmed-cell death, and malondialdehyde (MDA), a reactive aldehyde degradation product of polyunsaturated lipids produced following exposure to reactive-oxidation species. While natural antibodies to apoptotic cells in naM-CM-/ve adult mice were dominated by PC and MDA specificities, the amounts of these antibodies were substantially boosted by treatment of mice with apoptotic cells. Moreover, the relative amounts of PC and MDA antibodies was affected by VH gene inheritance. Antibody interactions with apoptotic-cells also mediated the recruitment of C1q, which alone can promote apoptotic-cell phagocytosis by immature dendritic cells. Significantly, IgM-antibodies to both PC and MDA were primary factors in determining the efficiency of serum-dependent apoptotic-cell phagocytosis. Hence, we demonstrate a mechanism by which certain natural antibodies that recognize neo-antigens on apoptotic cells, in naM-CM-/ve mice and those induced by immune exposure to apoptotic-cells, can enhance the functional capabilities of immature dendritic cells for phagocytic engulfment of apoptotic cells. Keywords: Natural antibodies, Inflammation, Complement, Apoptosis In the study presented here, a total of 11 custom-spotted protein slides were hybridized with a T15 IgM monoclonal antibody at three different concentrations, an isotype control IgM, 2 slides were hybridized with serum from naM-QM-^Wve mice, 2 slides incubated with serum from mice immunized with apoptotic cells, 2 slides were incubated with serum from mice immunized with saline, and a negative control slide with no antibody hybridized
Project description:Recent outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle-East respiratory syndrome along with the threat of a future coronavirus pandemic underscore the importance of finding ways to neutralize these viruses. The trimeric spike transmembrane glycoprotein S mediates entry into host cells and is the major target of neutralizing antibodies. To understand the humoral immune response elicited upon natural infections with coronaviruses, we structurally characterized the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV S glycoproteins in complex with neutralizing antibodies isolated from human survivors using cryo electron microscopy and characterized the site-specific N-linked glycan profile of the recombinant S proteins with LC-MS/MS using EThcD fragmentation. Although the two antibodies studied blocked attachment to the host cell receptor, only the anti-SARS-CoV S antibody triggered premature fusogenic conformational changes via receptor functional mimicry. These results provide a structural framework for understanding coronavirus neutralization by human antibodies and shed light on the coronavirus fusion activation pathway which appears to take place through a receptor-driven ratcheting mechanism.
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.