Name: construction of synthetic phage displayed fab library with tailored diversity
Uploaded: 2018-05-01T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Construction of Synthetic Phage Displayed Fab Library with Tailored Diversity at JoVE.com

The authors appreciate Dr. Frederic Fellouse from the Sidhu lab for critical comments on Kunkel&#39;s method based synthetic Fab phage library construction. The authors appreciate Mrs. Alevtina Pavlenco and other members from the Sidhu lab for valuable help of preparing high-efficiency electro-competent E. coli cells and high quality dU-ssDNA. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.: 81572698, 31771006) to DW and by ShanghaiTech University (Grant No.: F-0301-13-005) to Laboratory of Antibody Engineering.

NOTE: Filter sterile tips must be used throughout when dealing with phage to avoid contamination to pipette gun and surrounding area. Aseptic area or hood must be used when handling with bacteria and phage experiments. Phage experiment area must be cleaned up using 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) followed by 70% ethanol to avoid phage contamination. For making serial dilutions in this protocol, new tips should be used for each dilution.
1. E. Coli SS320 Electro-competent Cell Preparatio...

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To construct high diversity, phage-displayed Fab libraries, quality control check points are needed to monitor various stages of the construction process, including the competency of electro-competent cells, quality of the dU-ssDNA template, efficiency of CCC-dsDNA synthesis, titer after electroporation, Fab folding, and amino acid diversity of CDRs by sequence analysis of Fab-phage clones.
High yield and purity of dU-ssDNA is essential for high mutagenesis rate. In our experience, phage induc...

mAbs have broad applications ranging from basic research to disease diagnostics and therapeutics. As of 2016, more than 60 mAbs have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for clinical treatment of autoimmune diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases1,2.
In 1975, Kohler and Milstein reported a technique for the continuous generation of antibodies of a single clonal specificity from a cellular source referred to as &#39;hybridomas&#39; and this technique has subsequently become a cornerstone in medicine and industry3,4. Generation of mAbs by this method requires various steps including antigen production, mouse immunization, extraction of B lymphocytes, fusion of B cells with myeloma cells to form immortal hybridoma cells, clone selection, and for therapeutic applications, humanization is required to avoid human anti-mouse antibody (HAMA)4,5. However, for this technology, antigens including toxins, pathogens, and highly conserved proteins are relatively ineffective in triggering an in vivo immune response for mAb production5.
In 1978, Hutchison et al. reported the use of an oligonucleotide to direct mutagenesis of a residue in a single-stranded bacteriophage virus6. In 1985, Smith reported that foreign gene fragments can be fused in frame with the gene encoding phage coat protein III and can thus be displayed on the phage surface without compromising its infectivity7. These pioneering works laid a foundation for the subsequent construction of phage-displayed antibody libraries in immune, na&#239;ve, and synthetic forms with the formats of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and antigen-binding fragment (Fab) for therapeutic mAb development8,9. From the technical point of view, phage display-based antibody development offers a complementary approach to hybridoma-based mAb development that can help to circumvent the limitations some antigens can pose and the humanization process that hybridoma-derived antibodies often require5. As of 2016, 6 phage display-derived mAbs have been approved in the market including Humira, one of the most successful mAbs used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and many phage display-derived antibody candidates are currently at various stages of clinical investigation10.
For immune and na&#239;ve phage antibody libraries, the diversity of complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) in light and heavy chain is derived from the natural immune repertoire (i.e., from B cells). In contrast, the diversity of CDRs in synthetic phage antibody libraries is entirely artificial. Synthetic approaches to library construction provide precise control over the design of sequence diversity and offer opportunities for mechanistic studies of antibody structure and function11,12. Moreover, the framework for synthetic libraries can be optimized before library construction to facilitate downstream, large-scale industrial development11,12.
In 1985, Kunkel reported a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) template-based mutagenesis approach to introduce site-directed mutations into M13 bacteriophage efficiently13. This approach was subsequently used widely for construction of phage-displayed libraries. Chemically synthesized DNA oligonucleotides designed to introduce diversity into Fab CDRs are incorporated into a phagemid with an antibody backbone template. In this process, the phagemid is expressed as a uracil-containing ssDNA (dU-ssDNA) and the oligonucleotides are annealed onto the CDRs and extended to synthesize double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in the presence of T7 DNA polymerase and T4 DNA ligase. Finally, generated ds-DNA can be introduced into Escherichia coli by electroporation.
For high diversity, phage-displayed library construction, high-voltage electroporation of a two-component mixture of electro-competent cells and covalently closed circular dsDNA (CCC-dsDNA) should be prepared carefully. Sidhu et al. modified the preparation of electro-competent cells and DNA from traditional methods and greatly improved library diversity14.
In this protocol, we describe a method for construction of synthetic phage-displayed Fab libraries with diversities of 109-1010 obtainable with a single electroporation. Figure 1 shows an overview of library construction including: 1) high-efficiency electro-competent cell preparation; 2) extraction of dU-ssDNA; 3) Kunkel&#39;s method based oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis; 4) electroporation and calculation of library size; 5) protein A/L-based ELISA for folding and functional diversity evaluation; and 6) DNA sequence analysis of diversity. All the reagents, strains and equipment are listed in the Material&#39;s Table. Table 1 shows the reagent setup.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Reagents</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.0 M H3PO4</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>AC29570</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.0 M Tris, pH 8.0</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>15568-025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10 mM ATP</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>18330-019</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100 mM dithiothreitol</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>BP172</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100 mM dNTP mix</td>
			<td>GE Healthcare</td>
			<td>28-4065-60</td>
			<td>solution containing 25 mM each of dATP, dCTP, dGTP and dTTP.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3,3&#8217;,5,5&#8217;-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)</td>
			<td>Kirkegaard &#38; Perry Laboratories Inc</td>
			<td>50-76-02</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50X TAE</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>24710030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Agarose</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>BP160</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Carbenicillin, carb</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C1389</td>
			<td>100 mg/mL in water,&#160; 0.22 &#956;m filter-sterilize, work concentration: 100 &#956;g/mL.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Chloramphenicol, cmp</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C0378</td>
			<td>100 mg/mL in ethanol, 0.22 &#956;m filter-sterilize, work concentration: 10 &#956;g/mL.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA 0.5 M, pH 8.0</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>AM9620G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Granulated agar</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>J637-500G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>H2O2 peroxidase substrate</td>
			<td>Kirkegaard &#38; Perry Laboratories Inc</td>
			<td>50-65-02</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>K2HPO4</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>795488</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Kanamycin, kan</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>AC61129</td>
			<td>50 mg/mL in water,&#160; 0.22 &#956;m filter-sterilize, work concentration: 50 &#956;g/mL.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>KH2PO4</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P2222</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Na2HPO4</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>94046</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Alfa Aesar</td>
			<td>U19C015</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nanodrop</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>ND2000C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaOH</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>SS256</td>
			<td>! CAUTION NaOH causes burns.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NON-Fat Powdered Milk</td>
			<td>Sangon Biotech</td>
			<td>A600669</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PEG-8000</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>BP233</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protein A-HRP conjugate</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>101123</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QIAprep Spin M13 Kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>22704</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28706</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QIAquick PCR Purification Kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28104</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant Protein L</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>77679</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>T4 DNA polymerase</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>M0203S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>T4 polynucleotide kinase</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>M0201S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>T7 DNA polymerase</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>M0274S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tetracycline, tet</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>T7660</td>
			<td>50 mg/mL in water, 0. 22 &#956;m filter-sterilize, work concentration: 10 &#956;g/mL.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tryptone</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>0123-07-5</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween-20</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P2287</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultrapure glycerol</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>15514-011</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Uridine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>U3750</td>
			<td>25 mg/mL in ethanol, work concentration: 0.25 &#956;g/mL.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Yeast extract</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>DF0127-08</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Name</td>
			<td>Company </td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Strains</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>E.coli CJ236</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>E4141</td>
			<td>Genotype: dut-&#160; ung-&#160; thi-1 relA1 spoT1 mcrA/pCJ105(F&#39; camr). Used for preparation of dU-ssDNA.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>E.coli SS320</td>
			<td>Lucigen</td>
			<td>60512</td>
			<td>Genotype: [F&#39;proAB+lacIq lacZ&#916;M15 Tn10 (tetr)] hsdR mcrB araD139 &#916;(araABC-leu)7679 &#916;lacX74 galUgalK rpsL thi. Optimized for high-efficiency electroporation and filamentous bacteriophage production.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>M13KO7</td>
			<td>New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>N0315S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Name</td>
			<td>Company </td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.2-cm gap electroporation cuvette</td>
			<td>BTX</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96-well 2mL Deep-well plates</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>278743</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96-well Maxisorp immunoplates</td>
			<td>Nunc</td>
			<td>151759</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Baffled flasks</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Benchtop centrifuge</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5811000096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge bottles</td>
			<td>Nalgene</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ECM-630 electroporator</td>
			<td>BTX</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnetic stir bars</td>
			<td>Nalgene</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thermo Fisher centrifuge</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>High speed shaker</td>
			<td>TAITEK</td>
			<td>MBR-034P</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microplate shaker</td>
			<td>QILINBEIER</td>
			<td>QB-9002</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Liquid handler for 96 and 384 wells</td>
			<td>RAININ</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mutil-channel pipette</td>
			<td>RAININ</td>
			<td>E4XLS</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Amicon concentrator</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>UFC803096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

construction of synthetic phage displayed fab library with tailored diversity

Demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in basic research and medicine is increasing yearly. Hybridoma technology has been the dominant method for mAb development since its first report in 1975. As an alternative technology, phage display methods for mAb development are increasingly attractive since Humira, the first phage-derived antibody and one of the best-selling mAbs, was approved for clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in 2002. As a non-animal based mAb development technology, phage display bypasses antigen immunogenicity, humanization, and animal maintenance that are required from traditional hybridoma technology based antibody development. In this protocol, we describe a method for construction of synthetic phage-displayed Fab libraries with diversities of 109-1010 obtainable with a single electroporation. This protocol consists of: 1) high-efficiency electro-competent cell preparation; 2) extraction of uracil-containing single-stranded DNA (dU-ssDNA); 3) Kunkel&#39;s method based oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis; 4) electroporation and calculation of library size; 5) protein A/L-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for folding and functional diversity evaluation; and 6) DNA sequence analysis of diversity.

Following the flow chart of the Fab library construction (see Figure 1), we prepared M13KO7 helper phage pre-infected E. coli SS320 electro-competent cells. The efficiency of these electro-competent cells is estimated as 2 X 109 cfu/&#181;g when the Fab phagemid backbone for library construction was used (Figure 4).
The uracil incorporation efficienc...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Construction of Synthetic Phage Displayed Fab Library with Tailored Diversity at JoVE.com

Construction of Synthetic Phage Displayed Fab Library with Tailored Diversity

This protocol describes a detailed procedure for the construction of a phage-displayed synthetic antibody library with tailored diversity. Synthetic antibodies have broad applications from basic research to disease diagnostics and therapeutics.

Demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in basic research and medicine is increasing yearly. Hybridoma technology has been the dominant method for mAb ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to provide readers detailed hands-on experience in constructing a phage displayed synthetic human antibody library with tailored diversity. Synthetic phage displayed antibody libraries have great potential for replace traditionally hybridoma-based techniques for therapeutic monoclonal antibody development by bypassing the need for animal immunization and the subsequent antibody humanization. The advantage of synthetic antibody library is that tailored diversity is introduced into an antibody framework using insight into positional diversity that support high affinity interaction and desirable protein properties.Beyond the practical utility, synthetic antibody libraries can also be used to experimentally probe the role of specific amino acids in biomolecular interactions, thus supporting their own continuous improvement. This procedure will be demonstrated by graduate student named Zhenwei Zhong and Doctor Shin-chen Hou from our laboratory. To be

construction-synthetic-phage-displayed-fab-library-with-tailored

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

'Bioluminescent' Reporter Phage for the Detection of Category A Bacterial Pathogens

Yersinia pestis and Bacillus anthracis are Category A bacterial pathogens that are the causative agents of the plague and anthrax, respectively 1. Although the natural occurrence of both diseases&#39; is now relatively rare, the possibility of terrorist groups using these pathogens as a bioweapon is real. Because of the disease&#39;s inherent communicability, rapid clinical course, and high mortality rate, it is critical that an outbreak be detected quickly. Therefore methodologies that provide rapid detection and diagnosis are essential to ensure immediate implementation of public health measures and activation of crisis management.
Recombinant reporter phage may provide a rapid and specific approach for the detection of Y. pestis and B. anthracis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently use the classical phage lysis assays for the confirmed identification of these bacterial pathogens 2-4. These assays take advantage of naturally occurring phage which are specific and lytic for their bacterial hosts. After overnight growth of the cultivated bacterium in the presence of the specific phage, the formation of plaques (bacterial lysis) provides a positive identification of the bacterial target. Although these assays are robust, they suffer from three shortcomings: 1) they are laboratory based; 2) they require bacterial isolation and cultivation from the suspected sample, and 3) they take 24-36 h to complete. To address these issues, recombinant &#34;light-tagged&#34; reporter phage were genetically engineered by integrating the Vibrio harveyi luxAB genes into the genome of Y. pestis and B. anthracis specific phage 5-8. The resulting luxAB reporter phage were able to detect their specific target by rapidly (within minutes) and sensitively conferring a bioluminescent phenotype to recipient cells. Importantly, detection was obtained either with cultivated recipient cells or with mock-infected clinical specimens 7.
For demonstration purposes, here we describe the method for the phage-mediated detection of a known Y. pestis isolate using a luxAB reporter phage constructed from the CDC plague diagnostic phage &#934;A1122 6,7 (Figure 1). A similar method, with minor modifications (e.g. change in growth temperature and media), may be used for the detection of B. anthracis isolates using the B. anthracis reporter phage W&#946;::luxAB 8. The method describes the phage-mediated transduction of a biolumescent phenotype to cultivated Y. pestis cells which are subsequently measured using a microplate luminometer. The major advantages of this method over the traditional phage lysis assays is the ease of use, the rapid results, and the ability to test multiple samples simultaneously in a 96-well microtiter plate format.
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/2740/2740fig1.jpg" /> 
Figure 1. Detection schematic. The phage are mixed with the sample, the phage infects the cell, luxAB are expressed, and the cell bioluminesces. Sample processing is not necessary; the phage and cells are mixed and subsequently measured for light.

A simple method for the identification of priority bacterial pathogens is to use genetically engineered reporter phage. These reporter phage, which are specific to their particular host species, are capable of rapidly transducing a bioluminescent signal response to host cells. Herein, we describe the use of reporter phage for the detection of Yersinia pestis.

Yersinia pestis and Bacillus anthracis are Category A bacterial pathogens that are the causative agents of the plague and anthrax, respectively 1. ...

Live Cell Imaging of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae using Automated Time-lapse Microscopy

During the last few years scientists became increasingly aware that average data obtained from microbial population based experiments are not representative of the behavior, status or phenotype of single cells. Due to this new insight the number of single cell studies rises continuously (for recent reviews see 1,2,3). However, many of the single cell techniques applied do not allow monitoring the development and behavior of one specific single cell in time (e.g. flow cytometry or standard microscopy).
Here, we provide a detailed description of a microscopy method used in several recent studies 4, 5, 6, 7, which allows following and recording (fluorescence of) individual bacterial cells of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae through growth and division for many generations. The resulting movies can be used to construct phylogenetic lineage trees by tracing back the history of a single cell within a population that originated from one common ancestor. This time-lapse fluorescence microscopy method cannot only be used to investigate growth, division and differentiation of individual cells, but also to analyze the effect of cell history and ancestry on specific cellular behavior. Furthermore, time-lapse microscopy is ideally suited to examine gene expression dynamics and protein localization during the bacterial cell cycle. The method explains how to prepare the bacterial cells and construct the microscope slide to enable the outgrowth of single cells into a microcolony. In short, single cells are spotted on a semi-solid surface consisting of growth medium supplemented with agarose on which they grow and divide under a fluorescence microscope within a temperature controlled environmental chamber. Images are captured at specific intervals and are later analyzed using the open source software ImageJ.

Live Cell Imaging of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae using Automated Time-lapse Microscopy

This protocol provides a step-by-step procedure to monitor single cell behavior of different bacteria in time using automated fluorescence time-lapse microscopy. Furthermore, we provide guidelines how to analyze the microscopy images.

During the last few years scientists became increasingly aware that average data obtained from microbial population based experiments are not ...

Separation of Single-stranded DNA, Double-stranded DNA and RNA from an Environmental Viral Community Using Hydroxyapatite Chromatography

Viruses, particularly bacteriophages (phages), are the most numerous biological entities on Earth1,2. Viruses modulate host cell abundance and diversity, contribute to the cycling of nutrients, alter host cell phenotype, and influence the evolution of both host cell and viral communities through the lateral transfer of genes 3. Numerous studies have highlighted the staggering genetic diversity of viruses and their functional potential in a variety of natural environments. 
Metagenomic techniques have been used to study the taxonomic diversity and functional potential of complex viral assemblages whose members contain single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and RNA genotypes 4-9. Current library construction protocols used to study environmental DNA-containing or RNA-containing viruses require an initial nuclease treatment in order to remove nontargeted templates 10. However, a comprehensive understanding of the collective gene complement of the virus community and virus diversity requires knowledge of all members regardless of genome composition. Fractionation of purified nucleic acid subtypes provides an effective mechanism by which to study viral assemblages without sacrificing a subset of the community&#x2019;s genetic signature. 
Hydroxyapatite, a crystalline form of calcium phosphate, has been employed in the separation of nucleic acids, as well as proteins and microbes, since the 1960s11. By exploiting the charge interaction between the positively-charged Ca2+ ions of the hydroxyapatite and the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the nucleic acid subtypes, it is possible to preferentially elute each nucleic acid subtype independent of the others. We recently employed this strategy to independently fractionate the genomes of ssDNA, dsDNA and RNA-containing viruses in preparation of DNA sequencing 12. Here, we present a method for the fractionation and recovery of ssDNA, dsDNA and RNA viral nucleic acids from mixed viral assemblages using hydroxyapatite chromotography.

We describe an efficient method to separate single-stranded DNA, double-stranded DNA and RNA molecules from environmental viral communities. Nucleic acids are fractionated using hydroxyapatite chromatography with increasing concentrations of phosphate-containing buffers. This method permits the isolation of all viral nucleic acid types from environmental samples.

Viruses, particularly bacteriophages (phages), are the most numerous biological entities on Earth1,2.  Viruses modulate host cell abundance and diversity, ...

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda

The system comprising bacteriophage (phage) lambda and the bacterium E. coli has long served as a paradigm for cell-fate determination1,2. Following the simultaneous infection of the cell by a number of phages, one of two pathways is chosen: lytic (virulent) or lysogenic (dormant)3,4. We recently developed a method for fluorescently labeling individual phages, and were able to examine the post-infection decision in real-time under the microscope, at the level of individual phages and cells5. Here, we describe the full procedure for performing the infection experiments described in our earlier work5. This includes the creation of fluorescent phages, infection of the cells, imaging under the microscope and data analysis. The fluorescent phage is a "hybrid", co-expressing wild- type and YFP-fusion versions of the capsid gpD protein. A crude phage lysate is first obtained by inducing a lysogen of the gpD-EYFP (Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein) phage, harboring a plasmid expressing wild type gpD. A series of purification steps are then performed, followed by DAPI-labeling and imaging under the microscope. This is done in order to verify the uniformity, DNA packaging efficiency, fluorescence signal and structural stability of the phage stock. The initial adsorption of phages to bacteria is performed on ice, then followed by a short incubation at 35&deg;C to trigger viral DNA injection6. The phage/bacteria mixture is then moved to the surface of a thin nutrient agar slab, covered with a coverslip and imaged under an epifluorescence microscope. The post-infection process is followed for 4 hr, at 10 min interval. Multiple stage positions are tracked such that ~100 cell infections can be traced in a single experiment. At each position and time point, images are acquired in the phase-contrast and red and green fluorescent channels. The phase-contrast image is used later for automated cell recognition while the fluorescent channels are used to characterize the infection outcome: production of new fluorescent phages (green) followed by cell lysis, or expression of lysogeny factors (red) followed by resumed cell growth and division. The acquired time-lapse movies are processed using a combination of manual and automated methods. Data analysis results in the identification of infection parameters for each infection event (e.g. number and positions of infecting phages) as well as infection outcome (lysis/lysogeny). Additional parameters can be extracted if desired.

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda

This article describes the procedure for preparing a fluorescently-labeled version of bacteriophage lambda, infection of E. coli bacteria, following the infection outcome under the microscope, and analysis of infection results.

The system comprising bacteriophage (phage) lambda and the bacterium E. coli has long served as a paradigm for cell-fate determination1,2. Following the ...

Scalable High Throughput Selection From  Phage-displayed Synthetic Antibody Libraries

The demand for antibodies that fulfill the needs of both basic and clinical research applications is high and will dramatically increase in the future. However, it is apparent that traditional monoclonal technologies are not alone up to this task. This has led to the development of alternate methods to satisfy the demand for high quality and renewable affinity reagents to all accessible elements of the proteome. Toward this end, high throughput methods for conducting selections from phage-displayed synthetic antibody libraries have been devised for applications involving diverse antigens and optimized for rapid throughput and success. Herein, a protocol is described in detail that illustrates with video demonstration the parallel selection of Fab-phage clones from high diversity libraries against hundreds of targets using either a manual 96 channel liquid handler or automated robotics system. Using this protocol, a single user can generate hundreds of antigens, select antibodies to them in parallel and validate antibody binding within 6-8 weeks. Highlighted are: i) a viable antigen format, ii) pre-selection antigen characterization, iii) critical steps that influence the selection of specific and high affinity clones, and iv) ways of monitoring selection effectiveness and early stage antibody clone characterization. With this approach, we have obtained synthetic antibody fragments (Fabs) to many target classes including single-pass membrane receptors, secreted protein hormones, and multi-domain intracellular proteins. These fragments are readily converted to full-length antibodies and have been validated to exhibit high affinity and specificity. Further, they have been demonstrated to be functional in a variety of standard immunoassays including Western blotting, ELISA, cellular immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation and related assays. This methodology will accelerate antibody discovery and ultimately bring us closer to realizing the goal of generating renewable, high quality antibodies to the proteome.

A method is described with visual accompaniment for conducting scalable, high throughput selections from phage-displayed combinatorial synthetic antibody libraries against hundreds of antigens simultaneously. Using this parallel approach, we have isolated antibody fragments that exhibit high affinity and specificity for diverse antigens that are functional in standard immunoassays.

The demand for antibodies that fulfill the needs of both basic and clinical research applications is high and will dramatically increase in the future. ...

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Current investigations into phage-host interactions are dependent on extrapolating knowledge from (meta)genomes. Interestingly, 60 - 95% of all phage sequences share no homology to current annotated proteins. As a result, a large proportion of phage genes are annotated as hypothetical. This reality heavily affects the annotation of both structural and auxiliary metabolic genes. Here we present phenomic methods designed to capture the physiological response(s) of a selected host during expression of one of these unknown phage genes. Multi-phenotype Assay Plates (MAPs) are used to monitor the diversity of host substrate utilization and subsequent biomass formation, while metabolomics provides bi-product analysis by monitoring metabolite abundance and diversity. Both tools are used simultaneously to provide a phenotypic profile associated with expression of a single putative phage open reading frame (ORF). Representative results for both methods are compared, highlighting the phenotypic profile differences of a host carrying either putative structural or metabolic phage genes. In addition, the visualization techniques and high throughput computational pipelines that facilitated experimental analysis are presented.

Here, we present phenomic approaches for the functional characterization of putative phage genes. Techniques include a developed assay capable of monitoring host anabolic metabolism, the Multi-phenotype Assay Plates (MAPs), in addition to the established method of metabolomics, capable of measuring effects to catabolic metabolism.

Current investigations into phage-host interactions are dependent on extrapolating knowledge from (meta)genomes. Interestingly, 60 - 95% of all phage ...

Analysis of Lymphocyte Extravasation Using an In Vitro Model of the Human Blood-brain Barrier

Lymphocyte extravasation into the central nervous system (CNS) is critical for immune surveillance. Disease-related alterations of lymphocyte extravasation might result in pathophysiological changes in the CNS. Thus, investigation of lymphocyte migration into the CNS is important to understand inflammatory CNS diseases and to develop new therapy approaches. Here we present an in vitro model of the human blood-brain barrier to study lymphocyte extravasation. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) are confluently grown on a porous polyethylene terephthalate transwell insert to mimic the endothelium of the blood-brain barrier. Barrier function is validated by zonula occludens immunohistochemistry, transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements as well as analysis of evans blue permeation. This model allows investigation of the diapedesis of rare lymphocyte subsets such as CD56brightCD16dim/- NK cells. Furthermore, the effects of other cells, cytokines and chemokines, disease-related alterations, and distinct treatment regimens on the migratory capacity of lymphocytes can be studied. Finally, the impact of inflammatory stimuli as well as different treatment regimens on the endothelial barrier can be analyzed.

Analysis of Lymphocyte Extravasation Using an In Vitro Model of the Human Blood-brain Barrier

Here, we describe a human blood-brain barrier model enabling to investigate lymphocyte transmigration into the central nervous system in vitro.

Lymphocyte extravasation into the central nervous system (CNS) is critical for immune surveillance. Disease-related alterations of lymphocyte ...

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 ...

Replication of the Ordered, Nonredundant Library of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14 Transposon Insertion Mutants

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a phenotypically and genotypically diverse and adaptable Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitous in human environments. P. aeruginosa is able to form biofilms, develop antibiotic resistance, produce virulence factors, and rapidly evolve in the course of a chronic infection. Thus P. aeruginosa can cause both acute and chronic, difficult to treat infections, resulting in significant morbidity in certain patient populations. P. aeruginosa strain PA14 is a human clinical isolate with a conserved genome structure that infects a variety of mammalian and nonvertebrate hosts making PA14 an attractive strain for studying this pathogen. In 2006, a nonredundant transposon insertion mutant library containing 5,459 mutants corresponding to 4,596 predicted PA14 genes was generated. Since then, distribution of the PA14 library has allowed the research community to better understand the function of individual genes and complex pathways of P. aeruginosa. Maintenance of library integrity through the replication process requires proper handling and precise techniques. To that end, this manuscript presents protocols that describe in detail the steps involved in library replication, library quality control and proper storage of individual mutants.

Replication of the Ordered, Nonredundant Library of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14 Transposon Insertion Mutants

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection causes significant morbidity in vulnerable hosts. The nonredundant transposon insertion mutant library of P. aeruginosa strain PA14, designated as PA14NR Set, facilitates analysis of gene functionality in numerous processes. Presented here is a protocol to generate high-quality copies of the PA14NR Set mutant library.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a phenotypically and genotypically diverse and adaptable Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitous in human environments. P. aeruginosa ...

Application of Consistent Massage-Like Perturbations on Mouse Calves and Monitoring the Resulting Intramuscular Pressure Changes

Massage is generally recognized to be beneficial for relieving pain and inflammation. Although previous studies have reported anti-inflammatory effects of massage on skeletal muscles, the molecular mechanisms behind are poorly understood. We have recently developed a simple device to apply local cyclical compression (LCC), which can generate intramuscular pressure waves with varying amplitudes. Using this device, we have demonstrated that LCC modulates inflammatory responses of macrophages in situ and alleviates immobilization-induced muscle atrophy. Here, we describe protocols for the optimization and application of LCC as a massage-like intervention against immobilization-induced inflammation and atrophy of skeletal muscles of mouse hindlimbs. The protocol that we have developed can be useful for investigating the mechanism underlying beneficial effects of physical exercise and massage. Our experimental system provides a prototype of the analytical approach to elucidate the mechanical regulation of muscle homeostasis, although further development needs to be made for more comprehensive studies.

Here we describe the protocols for applying defined mechanical loads to mouse calves and for monitoring the concomitant intramuscular pressure changes. The experimental systems that we have developed can be useful for investigating the mechanism behind the beneficial effects of physical exercise and massage.

Massage is generally recognized to be beneficial for relieving pain and inflammation. Although previous studies have reported anti-inflammatory effects of ...