Project description:A peptide library was displayed on Ab MHC class II allele expressed on yeast. TCRs of interest were used to select and enrich for cognate peptide-MHC.
Project description:A peptide library was displayed on Db MHC class I allele expressed on yeast. TCRs of interest were used to select and enrich for cognate peptide-MHC.
Project description:Objectives How HLA-B27 contributes towards arthritis susceptibility is still unclear, but effects on the response to bacteria unrelated to the classical antigen presenting role of B27 have been suggested. This study investigated whether HLA-B27 modulates the innate response to LPS, a component shared between all Gram –ve bacteria that can trigger reactive arthritis. Methods Pools of U937 transfectants expressing either HLA-B27, HLA-A2, or the expression plasmid alone were differentiated with PMA and stimulated with LPS. Supernatants were analysed for TNF-alpha secretion and the gene expression profiles of unstimulated and LPS stimulated cells were determined by microarray analysis. Changes in gene expression that are indicative of an unfolded protein response were also analysed by quantitative PCR. Results TNF-alpha secretion, a biological marker of the inflammatory response to LPS, was not significantly different between U937-B27 and U937-control. No differences in gene expression between unstimulated U937- B27 and U937-control lines were detected. Both U937-control and U937-B27 exhibited a stereotypic response to LPS. Only 1 gene, OAS2, was differentially expressed by these cell lines, and this was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Analysis of XBP-1 splicing suggested that a small increase in the unfolded protein response is induced following LPS stimulation, but this increase was seen in all transfectants. Conclusions The expression of B27 does not profoundly alter gene expression following LPS stimulation. Therefore, additional signals, such as those provided by cytokines or intracellular infection, may be required to reveal any influence of B27 expression on the inflammatory response. Keywords: antigen response
Project description:Production of an ostrich-derived phage display library to capture the ostrich-derived single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies
Project description:Combinatory antibody library display technologies have been invented and successfully implemented for the selection and engineering of therapeutic antibodies. Precise targeting of important epitopes on the protein of interest is essential for such isolated antibodies to serve as effective modulators of molecular interactions. We developed a strategy to efficiently isolate antibodies against a specific epitope on a target protein from a yeast display antibody library using dengue virus envelope protein domain III as a model target. A domain III mutant protein with a key mutation inside a cross-reactive neutralizing epitope was designed, expressed, and used in the competitive panning of a yeast display naïve antibody library. All the yeast display antibodies that bound to the wild type domain III but not to the mutant were selectively sorted and characterized. Two unique clones were identified and showed cross-reactive binding to envelope protein domain IIIs from different serotypes. Epitope mapping of one of the antibodies confirmed that its epitope overlapped with the intended neutralizing epitope. This novel approach has implications for many areas of research where the isolation of epitope-specific antibodies is desired, such as selecting antibodies against conserved epitope(s) of viral envelope proteins from a library containing high titer, high affinity non-neutralizing antibodies, and targeting unique epitopes on cancer-related proteins.
Project description:Uveitis describes a heterogeneous group of inflammatory eye diseases characterized by infiltration of leukocytes into the uveal tissues. uveitis associated with the HLA haplotype B27 (HLA-B27) is a common subtype of uveitis and a prototypical ocular immune-mediated disease. Local immune mechanisms driving human uveitis are poorly characterized mainly due to the limited available biomaterial and subsequent technical limitations. Here, we provide the first high-resolution characterization of intraocular leukocytes in HLA-B27 positive (n=3) and negative (n=2) anterior uveitis and an infectious endophthalmitis control (n=1) by combining single cell RNA-sequencing with flow cytometry and protein analysis. Ocular cell infiltrates consisted primarily of lymphocytes in both subtypes of uveitis and of myeloid cells in infectious endophthalmitis. HLA-B27 positive uveitis exclusively featured a plasmacytoid and classical dendritic cells (cDC) infiltrate. Moreover, cDCs were central in predicted local cell-cell communication. This suggests a unique pattern of ocular leukocyte infiltration in HLA-B27 positive uveitis with relevance of dendritic cells.