Name: peptide scanning-assisted identification of a monoclonal antibody-recognized linear b-cell epitope
Uploaded: 2017-03-24T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Peptide Scanning-assisted Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody-recognized Linear B-cell Epitope at JoVE.com

The authors thank Miss Ching-Chun Lin and Miss Diana Lin of the Core Facility of the Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB) of Academia Sinica for offering their expertise on peptide synthesis and DNA sequencing, respectively. This study was supported by Academia Sinica.

1. Preparation of Monoclonal Antibody
<ol>
	<li>Culture the RG-M56 mouse monoclonal hybridoma cells2 in serum-free medium in 175T flasks at 37 &#186;C with 5% CO2 supplement. Collect the supernatant when the color of the medium turns yellow after five days of incubation. 
	NOTE: Hybridoma cells were cultured in serum-free medium to avoid antibody contamination from fetal bovine serum.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the supernatant at 4,500 x g for 30 min at 4 &#186;C and discard the cell d...

<ol>
	<li>Milstein, C., Kohler, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Clonal+variations+of+myelomatous+cells+(proceedings).">Clonal variations of myelomatous cells (proceedings).</a> Minerva Med. 68 (50), 3453 (1977).</li><li>Lai, Y. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vitro+neutralization+by+monoclonal+antibodies+against+yellow+grouper+nervous+necrosis+virus+(YGNNV)+and+immunolocalization+of+virus+infection+in+yellow+grouper+Epinephelus+awoara+(Temminck+&amp;+Schlegel).">In vitro neutralization by monoclonal antibodies against yellow grouper nervous necrosis virus (YGNNV) and immunolocalization of virus infection in yellow grouper Epinephelus awoara (Temminck &amp; Schlegel).</a> J Fish Dis. 24 (4), 237-244 (2001).</li><li>Chen, C. W., Wu, M. S., Huang, Y. J., Cheng, C. 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S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Propagation+of+yellow+grouper+nervous+necrosis+virus+(YGNNV)+in+a+new+nodavirus-susceptible+cell+line+from+yellow+grouper,+Epinephelus+awoara+(Temminck+&amp;+Schlegel),+brain+tissue.">Propagation of yellow grouper nervous necrosis virus (YGNNV) in a new nodavirus-susceptible cell line from yellow grouper, Epinephelus awoara (Temminck &amp; Schlegel), brain tissue.</a> J Fish Dis. 24 (5), 299-309 (2001).</li><li>Lougee, E., Morjaria, S., Shaw, O., Collins, R., Vaughan, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+approach+to+HLA+typing+designed+for+solid+organ+transplantation:+epityping+and+its+application+to+the+HLA-A+locus.">A new approach to HLA typing designed for solid organ transplantation: epityping and its application to the HLA-A locus.</a> Int J Immunogenet. 40 (6), 445-452 (2013).</li><li>Radulovich, N., Leung, L., Tsao, M. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Modified+gateway+system+for+double+shRNA+expression+and+Cre/lox+based+gene+expression.">Modified gateway system for double shRNA expression and Cre/lox based gene expression.</a> BMC Biotechnol. 11, 24 (2011).</li><li>Froger, A., Hall, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transformation+of+plasmid+DNA+into+E.+coli+using+the+heat+shock+method.">Transformation of plasmid DNA into E. coli using the heat shock method.</a> J Vis Exp. (6), e253 (2007).</li><li>Pronobis, M. I., Deuitch, N., Peifer, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Miraprep:+A+Protocol+that+Uses+a+Miniprep+Kit+and+Provides+Maxiprep+Yields.">The Miraprep: A Protocol that Uses a Miniprep Kit and Provides Maxiprep Yields.</a> PLoS One. 11 (8), e0160509 (2016).</li><li>Metzker, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Emerging+technologies+in+DNA+sequencing.">Emerging technologies in DNA sequencing.</a> Genome Res. 15 (12), 1767-1776 (2005).</li><li>Chiu, C. C., John, J. A., Hseu, T. H., Chang, C. Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Expression+of+ayu+(Plecoglossus+altivelis)+Pit-1+in+Escherichia+coli:+its+purification+and+immunohistochemical+detection+using+monoclonal+antibody.">Expression of ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) Pit-1 in Escherichia coli: its purification and immunohistochemical detection using monoclonal antibody.</a> Protein Expr Purif. 24 (2), 292-301 (2002).</li><li>Atassi, M. Z. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antigenic+structures+of+proteins.+Their+determination+has+revealed+important+aspects+of+immune+recognition+and+generated+strategies+for+synthetic+mimicking+of+protein+binding+sites.">Antigenic structures of proteins. Their determination has revealed important aspects of immune recognition and generated strategies for synthetic mimicking of protein binding sites.</a> Eur J Biochem. 145 (1), 1-20 (1984).</li><li>Opuni, K. F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mass+spectrometric+epitope+mapping.">Mass spectrometric epitope mapping.</a> Mass Spectrom Rev. , (2016).</li><li>Chang, C. Y., Chiu, C. C., Christopher John, J. A., Liao, I. C., Lea&#241;o, E. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> The Aquaculture of Groupers. , 207-224 (2008).</li><li>Conti-Tronconi, B. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Alpha-bungarotoxin+and+the+competing+antibody+WF6+interact+with+different+amino+acids+within+the+same+cholinergic+subsite.">Alpha-bungarotoxin and the competing antibody WF6 interact with different amino acids within the same cholinergic subsite.</a> Biochemistry. 30 (10), 2575-2584 (1991).</li><li>Briggs, S., Price, M. R., Tendler, S. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fine+specificity+of+antibody+recognition+of+carcinoma-associated+epithelial+mucins:+antibody+binding+to+synthetic+peptide+epitopes.">Fine specificity of antibody recognition of carcinoma-associated epithelial mucins: antibody binding to synthetic peptide epitopes.</a> Eur J Cancer. 29 (2), 230-237 (1993).</li><li>Chen, N. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Crystal+Structures+of+a+Piscine+Betanodavirus:+Mechanisms+of+Capsid+Assembly+and+Viral+Infection.">Crystal Structures of a Piscine Betanodavirus: Mechanisms of Capsid Assembly and Viral Infection.</a> PLoS Pathog. 11 (10), e1005203 (2015).</li><li>Badani, H., Garry, R. F., Wimley, W. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Peptide+entry+inhibitors+of+enveloped+viruses:+The+importance+of+interfacial+hydrophobicity.">Peptide entry inhibitors of enveloped viruses: The importance of interfacial hydrophobicity.</a> Biochim Biophys Acta. , (2014).</li><li>Qureshi, N. M., Coy, D. H., Garry, R. F., Henderson, L. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+a+putative+cellular+receptor+for+HIV-1+transmembrane+glycoprotein+using+synthetic+peptides.">Characterization of a putative cellular receptor for HIV-1 transmembrane glycoprotein using synthetic peptides.</a> AIDS. 4 (6), 553-558 (1990).</li></ol>

This protocol offers a rapid and straightforward technique to identify a mAb-recognized linear epitope. Taking into consideration the cost of peptide synthesis and the production efficiency of synthesizing peptides, the antigenic region of the virus coat protein was reduced by expressing serially truncated recombinant proteins before peptide scanning analysis. As such, the reliable and efficient E. coli pET expression system was used to produce these serially truncated recombinant proteins, as recombinant protei...

In the immune system, the recombination of V, D, and J segments allows for antibodies to create tremendous variations of complementarity determining regions (CDRs) for binding to various antigens to protect the host from pathogenic infection. The neutralizing defense of antibodies against antigens depends on the spatial complementarity between the CDRs of the antibodies and the epitopes of the antigens. Therefore, an understanding of this molecular interaction will assist prophylactic vaccine design and therapeutic peptide drug development. However, this neutralization interaction may be influenced both by multiple antigenic domains from one single antigen and by multiple CDRs of antibodies, which consequently make the epitope determination process more complex. Fortunately, the development of hybridoma technology, which fuses individual antibody-producing cells with myeloma cells, allows for a constantly dividing batch of cells to secrete one specific antibody, known as a monoclonal antibody (mAb)1. Hybridoma cells produce these pure, high-affinity mAbs to bind to a single antigenic domain of a specific antigen. With the relationship of the antigen-antibody established, several approaches, including peptide scanning, can be used to determine the epitope of an antigen using its corresponding mAb. Recent developments in synthetic peptide technology have made the peptide scanning technique more accessible and more convenient to perform. Briefly, a set of overlapping synthetic peptides are produced according to a target antigen sequence and are associated to a solid-supported membrane for mAb hybridization. Peptide scanning not only offers a simple way to map the antibody binding region, but also facilitates amino acid (aa) mutagenesis through residue scanning or substitution to evaluate the binding interaction between each aa residue of the epitope peptide and the CDRs of the antibody.
Here, the present study describes a protocol for the efficient identification of the linear epitope of the yellow grouper nervous necrosis virus (YGNNV) coat protein using a neutralizing mAb2,3,4. The protocol includes mAb preparation, construction and expression of serially truncated recombinant proteins, synthetic overlapping peptide design, dot-blot hybridization, alanine scanning, and substitution mutagenesis. Considering the high cost of peptide synthesis, the step of serially truncating the recombinant proteins of a desired target protein was modified, and the antigenic region was narrowed down to around 100 to 200 aa residues before the synthetic peptide array dot-blot analysis was performed.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Hybrid-SFM medium</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12045-076</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbeccos&#39;s Phophate-Buffered Saline (PBS)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>21600-069</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pfu DNA Polymerase&#160;</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>EP0502&#160;</td>
			<td>Including buffers</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>T4 DNA Ligase</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>10799009001</td>
			<td>Including buffers</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NdeI&#160;</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>R0111S</td>
			<td>Including buffers</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>XhoI&#160;</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>R0146S</td>
			<td>Including buffers</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pET-20b(+) vector</td>
			<td>Novagen, Merck Millipore</td>
			<td>69739</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>E.coli DH-5&#945; competent cell</td>
			<td>RBC Bioscience</td>
			<td>RH617</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>E.coli BL-21(DE3) competent cell</td>
			<td>RBC Bioscience</td>
			<td>RH217</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ampicillin</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>0339-25G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LB broth&#160;</td>
			<td>Invitrongen</td>
			<td>12780-052</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isopropylthio-&#946;-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG)</td>
			<td>MDBio, Inc.</td>
			<td>101-367-93-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Methanol</td>
			<td>Merck Millipore</td>
			<td>106009</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polyoxyethylene 20 Sorbitan Monolaurate (Tween-20)</td>
			<td>J.T.Baker</td>
			<td>X251-07</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D2650</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycine</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>0167-5KG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris</td>
			<td>Affymetrix, USB</td>
			<td>75825</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>0241-1KG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>0105-1KG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycerol</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>0854-1L</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaN3</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S2002-500G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BCIP/NBT</td>
			<td>PerkinElmer</td>
			<td>NEL937001PK</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat Anti-Mouse IgG, Fc fragment antibody</td>
			<td>Jackson ImmunoResearch</td>
			<td>115-055-008</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Immobilon-P (Polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDF)</td>
			<td>Merck Millipore</td>
			<td>IPVH00010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protein G Agarose Fast Flow</td>
			<td>Merck Millipore</td>
			<td>16-266</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QIAquick PCR Purification kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28106</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>UVP BioSpectrum 600 Image System</td>
			<td>UVP</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VisionWorks LS Analysis Software Ver 6.8</td>
			<td>UVP</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MyCycler thermal cycler</td>
			<td>BioRad</td>
			<td>1709713</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

peptide scanning-assisted identification of a monoclonal antibody-recognized linear b-cell epitope

The identification of an antigenic epitope by the immune system allows for the understanding of the protective mechanism of neutralizing antibodies that may facilitate the development of vaccines and peptide drugs. Peptide scanning is a simple and efficient method that straightforwardly maps the linear epitope recognized by a monoclonal antibody (mAb). Here, the authors present an epitope determination methodology involving serially truncated recombinant proteins, synthetic peptide design, and dot-blot hybridization for the antigenic recognition of nervous necrosis virus coat protein using a neutralizing mAb. This technique relies on the dot-blot hybridization of synthetic peptides and mAbs on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The minimum antigenic region of a viral coat protein recognized by the RG-M56 mAb can be narrowed down by step-by-step trimmed peptide mapping onto a 6-mer peptide epitope. In addition, alanine scanning mutagenesis and residue substitution can be performed to characterize the binding significance of each amino acid residue making up the epitope. The residues flanking the epitope site were found to play critical roles in peptide conformation regulation. The identified epitope peptide may be used to form crystals of epitope peptide-antibody complexes for an x-ray diffraction study and functional competition, or for therapeutics.

The goal of this experiment was to identify an epitope through dot blotting using mAb. To rapidly and efficiently narrow down the antigenic region recognized by mAb, the full-length and serially truncated YGNNV recombinant coat proteins with a 6xHis fusion tag at the C-terminus were expressed from an E. coli PET expression system10 (Figure 1A). The resulting recombinant proteins were spotted onto the PVDF membrane using RG-M56 mAb and anti...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Peptide Scanning-assisted Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody-recognized Linear B-cell Epitope at JoVE.com

Peptide Scanning-assisted Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody-recognized Linear B-cell Epitope

Here, the authors present a simple and efficient protocol to define a linear antigenic epitope using a purified monoclonal antibody and peptide scanning through dot-blot hybridization. The identified epitope can then be used in therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

The identification of an antigenic epitope by the immune system allows for the understanding of the protective mechanism of neutralizing antibodies that ...

The overall goal of this protocol is to identify a monoclonal antibody-recognized linear B-cell epitope using serially truncated recombinant proteins and peptide scanning by dot-blot hybridization. This method can help answer key questions concerning the molecule interaction between antigen and the antibody. The main advantages of this technique are its simplicity and efficiency.The identifying epitope can then be used in fuller investigations such as in therapeutical and diagnostic applications. Demonstrating the procedure will be Chien-Wen Chen, a post doctorate from my laboratory. To begin, grow RGM56 mouse monoclonal hybridoma cells in a hybrid serum free medium.Maintain cell cultures in 175 T flasks at 37 degrees Celsius 5%carbon dioxide. After five days of incubation, collect the culture medium after it has turned yellow and centrifuge the supernatant at 4, 500 times G for 30 minutes at four degrees Celsius. Then, discard the pelleted cell debris to obtain the antibody in solution.Next, add two milliliters of 50%protein G agro slurry to a five milliliter column and equilibrate the resin with 10 milliliters of ice cold PBS, equaling 10 volumes of preloaded resin. Load 200 milliliters of the previously prepared antibody solution onto the equilibrated column and discard the fraction that passes through the column. Using 10 milliliters of ice cold PBS, wash the column twice.Finally, to loot the antibody from the resin, add 10 milliliters of millimolar glycerin solution at pH 2.7 to the column. Collect 900 microliter fractions in microcentrifuge tubes previously filled with 100 microliters of 10X neutralization buffer. Store the purified antibody in 50%glycerol solution supplemented with sodium azide at minus 20 degrees Celsius.Prepare the constructs and transform E.coli BL21 cells as described in the text protocol. Then, transfer a single colony into a 15 milliliter tube containing three milliliters of LB broth supplemented with 100 micrograms per milliliter ampicillin and loosely cap the tube. Incubate the culture at 37 degrees Celsius with 150 RPM shaking.Monitor the optical density of the culture at 600 nanometers. When it reaches about 0.6, cool the culture to 25 degrees Celsius. Then, add IPTG at a final concentration of 0.4 millimolar to induce the expression of the recombinant protein.Incubate the culture for another four hours at 25 degrees Celsius with 200 RPM shaking. After incubation, transfer one milliliter of the bacterial culture into a microcentrifuge tube. Centrifuge the cells at 12, 000 times G for one minute and discard the supernatant.Pipetting up and down with a micropipette, resuspend the cell pellet in 100 microliters of denaturation buffer. And mix the resulting suspension by vigorous vortexing to obtain a ready to use recombinant protein sample. To proceed with dot-blot hybridization, dissolve each synthetic peptide in DMSO to obtain 10 milligram per milliliter solutions.Then, activate the PVDF membrane in methanol for two minutes and equilibrate it with modified Towbin buffer for another two minutes. Rinse a piece of chromatography paper with modified Towbin buffer and lay the equilibrated PVDF membrane on it. Let the membrane sit until the buffer disappears from its surface.Using a 10 microliter tip, add two microliters of each peptide or recombinant protein sample onto the membrane and let it air dry for 10 minutes. Spotting a symbol onto the membrane is the most critical step in this protocol. Loading a precise amount of a sample onto a small area of the PVDF membrane needs careful attention.Next, block the membrane in TBST buffer supplemented with 5%nonfat milk for 30 minutes at room temperature with gentle shaking. Dilute the RGM56 monoclonal antibody in TBST buffer supplemented with 5%nonfat milk. And add the antibody solution to the membrane.Incubate the membrane at 37 degrees Celsius for one hour with gentle shaking. After incubation, remove the antibody solution. And wash the membrane twice in TBST buffer for five minutes with gentle shaking.Then, add to the membrane the solution of the secondary antibody diluted in TBST buffer with 5%nonfat milk. Incubate the membrane for one hour at 37 degrees Celsius with gentle shaking. Upon incubation, discard the antibody solution and wash the membrane in TBST buffer twice for five minutes with gentle shaking.Then, develop the membrane with the substrate solution at room temperature for 15 minutes in the dark. When the signal appears, stop the reaction by washing the membrane with doubly distilled water. After air drying the membrane, capture the dot-blot image using an imaging system.Finally, using image analysis software measure the intensity of each dot-blot. Presented here is the full length nervous necrosis virus code protein comprising amino acids one through 338 along with its serially truncated variants. To confirm the expression of the proteins in the transformed bacterial cells, dot-blot analysis using anti-6XHis antibody was performed showing the presence of all the proteins under investigation.Then, the recombinant proteins were analyzed by dot-blot hybridization in which the RG-M56 monoclonal antibody was used. The analysis revealed that the protein epitope recognized by the antibody is found in peptide 195 to 338. Finally, an epitope consisting of 20 or eight amino acid residues was identified by peptide scanning.Alanine scanning showed that substitutions of valine residues at positions 197 and 199 as well as a cystine at 201 abolished the epitope's binding capability and dot-blot hybridization. Similarly, the decreased binding affinity was observed in binding intensity analysis confirming that the identified residues are essential for the epitope's binding to the RGM56 monoclonal antibody. This peptide identification technique can be used to develop therapeutical peptide drugs or peptide medicines.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

Peptide:MHC Tetramer-based Enrichment of Epitope-specific T cells

A basic necessity for researchers studying adaptive immunity with in vivo experimental models is an ability to identify T cells based on their T cell antigen receptor (TCR) specificity. Many indirect methods are available in which a bulk population of T cells is stimulated in vitro with a specific antigen and epitope-specific T cells are identified through the measurement of a functional response such as proliferation, cytokine production, or expression of activation markers1. However, these methods only identify epitope-specific T cells exhibiting one of many possible functions, and they are not sensitive enough to detect epitope-specific T cells at naive precursor frequencies. A popular alternative is the TCR transgenic adoptive transfer model, in which monoclonal T cells from a TCR transgenic mouse are seeded into histocompatible hosts to create a large precursor population of epitope-specific T cells that can be easily tracked with the use of a congenic marker antibody2,3. While powerful, this method suffers from experimental artifacts associated with the unphysiological frequency of T cells with specificity for a single epitope4,5. Moreover, this system cannot be used to investigate the functional heterogeneity of epitope-specific T cell clones within a polyclonal population.
	The ideal way to study adaptive immunity should involve the direct detection of epitope-specific T cells from the endogenous T cell repertoire using a method that distinguishes TCR specificity solely by its binding to cognate peptide:MHC (pMHC) complexes. The use of pMHC tetramers and flow cytometry accomplishes this6, but is limited to the detection of high frequency populations of epitope-specific T cells only found following antigen-induced clonal expansion. In this protocol, we describe a method that coordinates the use of pMHC tetramers and magnetic cell enrichment technology to enable detection of extremely low frequency epitope-specific T cells from mouse lymphoid tissues3,7. With this technique, one can comprehensively track entire epitope-specific populations of endogenous T cells in mice at all stages of the immune response.

This protocol describes the use of peptide:MHC tetramers and magnetic microbeads to isolate low frequency populations of epitope-specific T cells and analyze them by flow cytometry. This method enables the direct study of endogenous T cell populations of interest from in vivo experimental systems.

A  basic necessity for researchers studying adaptive immunity with in vivo experimental models is an  ability to identify T cells based on their T cell ...

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners

Specific short peptides derived from motifs found in full-length proteins, in our case HIV-1 Nef, not only retain their biological function, but can also competitively inhibit the function of the full-length protein. A set of 20 Nef scanning peptides, 20 amino acids in length with each overlapping 10 amino acids of its neighbor, were used to identify motifs in Nef responsible for its induction of apoptosis. Peptides containing these apoptotic motifs induced apoptosis at levels comparable to the full-length Nef protein. A second peptide, derived from the Secretion Modification Region (SMR) of Nef, retained the ability to interact with cellular proteins involved in Nef's secretion in exosomes (exNef). This SMRwt peptide was used as the "bait" protein in co-immunoprecipitation experiments to isolate cellular proteins that bind specifically to Nef's SMR motif. Protein transfection and antibody inhibition was used to physically disrupt the interaction between Nef and mortalin, one of the isolated SMR-binding proteins, and the effect was measured with a fluorescent-based exNef secretion assay. The SMRwt peptide's ability to outcompete full-length Nef for cellular proteins that bind the SMR motif, make it the first inhibitor of exNef secretion. Thus, by employing the techniques described here, which utilize the unique properties of specific short peptides derived from motifs found in full-length proteins, one may accelerate the identification of functional motifs in proteins and the development of peptide-based inhibitors of pathogenic functions.

Techniques to dissect the mechanisms underlying the secretion of HIV-1 Nef in exosomes are described. Specific short peptides derived from Nef and protein transfection were exploited to determine the structure, function, and binding partners of Nef&#x2019;s Secretion Modification Region. These procedures have general relevance in many mechanistic studies.

Specific short  peptides derived from motifs found in full-length proteins, in our case HIV-1  Nef, not only retain their biological function, but can ...

Isolation of Precursor B-cell Subsets from Umbilical Cord Blood

Umbilical cord blood is highly enriched for hematopoietic progenitor cells at different lineage commitment stages. We have developed a protocol for isolating precursor B-cells at four different stages of differentiation. Because genes are expressed and epigenetic modifications occur in a tissue specific manner, it is vital to discriminate between tissues and cell types in order to be able to identify alterations in the genome and the epigenome that may lead to the development of disease. This method can be adapted to any type of cell present in umbilical cord blood at any stage of differentiation.	
This method comprises 4 main steps. First, mononuclear cells are separated by density centrifugation. Second, B-cells are enriched using biotin conjugated antibodies that recognize and remove non B-cells from the mononuclear cells. Third the B-cells are fluorescently labeled with cell surface protein antibodies specific to individual stages of B-cell development. Finally, the fluorescently labeled cells are sorted and individual populations are recovered. The recovered cells are of sufficient quantity and quality to be utilized in downstream nucleic acid assays.

Here we describe a protocol for isolating subsets of precursor B-cells from umbilical cord blood. A sufficient quantity and quality of nucleic acids may be extracted from the cells and used in subsequent assays utilizing DNA or RNA.

Umbilical cord blood is highly enriched for hematopoietic progenitor cells at different lineage commitment stages. We have developed a protocol for ...

Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells

The thymus is a vital organ for T lymphocyte development. Of thymic stromal cells, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are particularly crucial at multiple stages of T cell development: T cell commitment, positive selection and negative selection. However, the function of TECs in the thymus remains incompletely understood. In the article, we provide a method to isolate TEC subsets from fresh mouse thymus using a combination of mechanical disruption and enzymatic digestion. The method allows thymic stromal cells and thymocytes to be efficiently released from cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix connections and to form a single-cell suspension. Using the isolated cells, multiparameter flow cytometry can be applied to identification and characterization of TECs and dendritic cells. Because TECs are a rare cell population in the thymus, we also describe an effective way to enrich and purify TECs by depleting thymocytes, the most abundant cell type in the thymus. Following the enrichment, cell sorting time can be decreased so that loss of cell viability can be minimized during purification of TECs. Purified cells are suitable for various downstream analyses like Real Time-PCR, Western blot and gene expression profiling. The protocol will promote research of TEC function and as well as the development of in vitro T cell reconstitution.

Here we describe an efficient method for isolation, identification, and purification of mouse thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The protocol can be utilized for studies of thymus function for normal T cell development, thymus dysfunction, and T cell reconstitution.

The thymus is a vital organ for T lymphocyte development. Of thymic stromal cells, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are particularly crucial at multiple ...

Generation of Murine Monoclonal Antibodies by Hybridoma Technology

Monoclonal antibodies are universal binding molecules and are widely used in biomedicine and research. Nevertheless, the generation of these binding molecules is time-consuming and laborious due to the complicated handling and lack of alternatives. The aim of this protocol is to provide one standard method for the generation of monoclonal antibodies using hybridoma technology. This technology combines two steps. Step 1 is an appropriate immunization of the animal and step 2 is the fusion of B lymphocytes with immortal myeloma cells in order to generate hybrids possessing both parental functions, such as the production of antibody molecules and immortality. The generated hybridoma cells were then recloned and diluted to obtain stable monoclonal cell cultures secreting the desired monoclonal antibody in the culture supernatant. The supernatants were tested in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for antigen specificity. After the selection of appropriate cell clones, the cells were transferred to mass cultivation in order to produce the desired antibody molecule in large amounts. The purification of the antibodies is routinely performed by affinity chromatography. After purification, the antibody molecule can be characterized and validated for the final test application. The whole process takes 8 to 12 months of development, and there is a high risk that the antibody will not work in the desired test system.

An optimized protocol is presented for the generation of monoclonal antibodies based on the hybridoma technology. Mice were immunized with an immunoconjugate. Spleen cells were fused by PEG and an electric impulse with immortal myeloma cells. Antibody-producing hybridoma cells were selected by HAT and antigen-specific ELISA screening.

Monoclonal antibodies are universal binding molecules and are widely used in biomedicine and research. Nevertheless, the generation of these binding ...

Generation of Escape Variants of Neutralizing Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies

Influenza viruses exhibit a remarkable ability to adapt and evade the host immune response. One way is through antigenic changes that occur on the surface glycoproteins of the virus. The generation of escape variants is a powerful method in elucidating how viruses escape immune detection and in identifying critical residues required for antibody binding. Here, we describe a protocol on how to generate influenza A virus escape variants by utilizing human or murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the viral hemagglutinin (HA). With the use of our technique, we previously characterized critical residues required for the binding of antibodies targeting either the head or stalk of the novel avian H7N9 HA. The protocol can be easily adapted for other virus systems. Analyses of escape variants are important for modeling antigenic drift, determining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) conferring resistance and virus fitness, and in the designing of vaccines and/or therapeutics.

We describe a method by which we identify critical residues required for the binding of human or murine monoclonal antibodies that target the viral hemagglutinin of influenza A viruses. The protocol can be adapted to other virus surface glycoproteins and their corresponding neutralizing antibodies.

Influenza viruses exhibit a remarkable ability to adapt and evade the host immune response. One way is through antigenic changes that occur on the surface ...

Purification of Viral DNA for the Identification of Associated Viral and Cellular Proteins

The goal of this protocol is to isolate herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA from infected cells for the identification of associated viral and cellular proteins by mass spectrometry. Although proteins that interact with viral genomes play major roles in determining the outcome of infection, a comprehensive analysis of viral genome associated proteins was not previously feasible. Here we demonstrate a method that enables the direct purification of HSV-1 genomes from infected cells. Replicating viral DNA is selectively labeled with modified nucleotides that contain an alkyne functional group. Labeled DNA is then specifically and irreversibly tagged via the covalent attachment of biotin azide via a copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition or click reaction. Biotin-tagged DNA is purified on streptavidin-coated beads and associated proteins are eluted and identified by mass spectrometry. This method enables the selective targeting and isolation of HSV-1 replication forks or whole genomes from complex biological environments. Furthermore, adaptation of this approach will allow for the investigation of various aspects of herpesviral infection, as well as the examination of the genomes of other DNA viruses.

The goal of this protocol is to specifically tag and selectively isolate viral DNA from infected cells for the characterization of viral genome associated proteins.

The goal of this protocol is to isolate herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA from infected cells for the identification of associated viral and ...

Overlapping Peptide Library to Map Qa-1 Epitopes in a Protein

Qa-1 (HLA-E in human) belongs to a group of non-classical major histocompatibility complex 1b (MHC-Ib) molecules. Recent data suggest that Qa-1 molecules play important roles in surveying cells for structural and functional integrity, inducing immune regulation, and limiting immune responses to viral infections. Additionally, functional augmentation of Qa-1-restricted CD8+ T cells through epitope immunization has shown therapeutic effects in several autoimmune disease animal models, e.g. experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, collagen-induced arthritis, and non-obese diabetes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method that can efficiently and quickly identify functional Qa-1 epitopes in a protein. Here, we describe a protocol that utilizes Qa-1-restricted CD8+ T cell lines specific for an overlapping peptide (OLP) library for determining Qa-1 epitopes in a protein. This OLP library contains 15-mer overlapping peptides that cover the whole length of a protein, and adjacent peptides overlap by 11 amino acids. Using this protocol, we recently identified a 9-mer Qa-1 epitope in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). This newly mapped MOG Qa-1 epitope was shown to induce epitope-specific, Qa-1-restricted CD8+ T cells that enhanced myelin-specific immune regulation. Therefore, this protocol is useful for future investigation of novel targets and functions of Qa-1-restricted CD8+ T cells.

Qa-1 (HLA-E in human) belongs to a group of non-classical major histocompatibility complex 1b molecules. Immunization with Qa-1-binding epitopes has been shown to augment tissue-specific immune regulation and ameliorate several autoimmune diseases. Herein we describe an overlapping peptide library strategy for the identification of Qa-1 epitopes in a protein.

Qa-1 (HLA-E in human) belongs to a group of non-classical major histocompatibility complex 1b (MHC-Ib) molecules. Recent data suggest that Qa-1 molecules ...

Generation of Discriminative Human Monoclonal Antibodies from Rare Antigen-specific B Cells Circulating in Blood

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are powerful tools useful for both fundamental research and in biomedicine. Their high specificity is indispensable when the antibody needs to distinguish between highly related structures (e.g., a normal protein and a mutated version thereof). The current way of generating such discriminative mAbs involves extensive screening of multiple Ab-producing B cells, which is both costly and time consuming. We propose here a rapid and cost-effective method for the generation of discriminative, fully human mAbs starting from human blood circulating B lymphocytes. The originality of this strategy is due to the selection of specific antigen binding B cells combined with the counter-selection of all other cells, using readily available Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC). Once specific B cells are isolated, cDNA (complementary deoxyribonucleic acid) sequences coding for the corresponding mAb are obtained using single cell Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technology and subsequently expressed in human cells. Within as little as 1 month, it is possible to produce milligrams of highly discriminative human mAbs directed against virtually any desired antigen naturally detected by the B cell repertoire.

We describe a method for the production of human antibodies specific for an antigen of interest, starting from rare B cells circulating in human blood. Generation of these natural antibodies is efficient and rapid, and the antibodies obtained can discriminate between highly related antigens.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are powerful tools useful for both fundamental research and in biomedicine. Their high specificity is indispensable when the ...

Zika Virus Specific Diagnostic Epitope Discovery

High-density peptide microarrays allow screening of more than six thousand peptides on a single standard microscopy slide. This method can be applied for drug discovery, therapeutic target identification, and developing of diagnostics. Here, we present a protocol to discover specific Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostic peptides using a high-density peptide microarray. A human serum sample validated for ZIKV infection was incubated with a high-density peptide microarray containing the entire ZIKV protein translated into 3,423 unique 15 linear amino acid (aa) residues with a 14-aa residue overlap printed in duplicate. Staining with different secondary antibodies within the same array, we detected peptides that bind to Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies present in serum. These peptides were selected for further validation experiments. In this protocol, we describe the strategy followed to design, process, and analyze a high-density peptide microarray.

In this protocol, we describe a technique to discover Zika virus specific diagnostic peptides using a high-density peptide microarray. This protocol can readly be adapted for other emerging infectious diseases.

High-density peptide microarrays allow screening of more than six thousand peptides on a single standard microscopy slide. This method can be applied for ...