Variable region heavy chain glycosylation determines the anticoagulant activity of a factor VIII antibody.

BACKGROUND: N-glycosylation occurs in the variable region of about 10% of antibodies but the role of carbohydrate at this location is still poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the function of N-glycosylation in the variable region of the heavy chain of a human monoclonal antibody, mAb-LE2E9, that partially inhibits factor VIII (FVIII) activity during coagulation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Enzymatic deglycosylation indicated that the oligosaccharides do not determine the affinity of the antibody but enhance its FVIII neutralizing activity. A mutant antibody lacking the N-glycosylation site in the variable region of the heavy chain inhibited FVIII activity by up to 40%, while inhibition by the native antibody was 80%. To evaluate the physiological effect of such a FVIII inhibition, we investigated the ability of the mutant antibody devoid of N-glycosylation in the variable region to prevent thrombosis in mice with a strong prothombotic phenotype resulting from a type II deficiency mutation in the heparin binding site of antithrombin. Despite its moderate inhibition of FVIII activity, the mutant antibody significantly prevented thrombosis in treated animals. We also carried out glycan analysis of native and mutant antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Modification of glycosylation in the variable region of antibodies contributes to the diversity of FVIII type II inhibition possibly by steric hindrance of the active site of FVIII by glycans, and may provide a novel strategy to modulate the functional activity of therapeutic antibodies.

Generation and characterization of urokinase receptor-deficient mice.

Mice homozygously deficient for the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) receptor (u-PAR-1-) were generated by homologous recombination in D3, embryonic stem cells. The genomic sequences comprising exon 2 through 5 of the u-PAR gene were replaced by the neomycin resistance gene, resulting in inactivation of both u-PAR splice variants. The inactivated u-PAR allele was transmitted via mendelian inheritance, and fertility. Inactivation of u-PAR was confirmed by the absence of binding of rabbit anti-murine u-PAR or of an aminoterminal fragment of murine u-PA (mu-PA.1-48) to u-PAR-1- embryonic fibroblasts and macrophages. u-PAR-1- mice displayed normal lysis of a murine plasma clot injected via the jugular vein. Invasion of macrophages into the peritoneal cavity after thioglycollate stimulation was similar in u-PAR-1- and u-PAR-1- mice. u-PAR-1- peritoneal macrophages had a threefold decreased initial rate of u-PA-mediated plasminogen activation in vitro but degraded extracellular matrix proteins in vitro as efficiently as u-PAR-1- macrophages.

Accessory signalling by B7-1 for T cell activation induced by anti-CD2: evidence for IL-2-independent CTL generation and CsA-resistant cytokine production.

Resting T cells can be activated by selected pairs of anti-CD2 MoAb. Activation is dependent on the presence of accessory cells, which can be replaced by either anti-CD28, or by the combination of IL-1 beta and IL-6. The present study was undertaken to investigate accessory signalling by B7-1, the natural ligand of CD28, in this pathway of T cell activation. 3T6 mouse fibroblasts were transfected with human B7-1 and used as accessory cells in cultures of purified resting human T cells. In the presence of a stimulating pair of anti-CD2 MoAb, T cell proliferation, production of cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, GM-CSF, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha), and generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes were all supported by B7-1(+) 3T6 cells but not by control 3T6 cells. Blocking studies with anti-IL-2 + anti-IL-2R MoAb revealed both IL-2-dependent and IL-2-independent CTL generation after B7-1-mediated costimulation. Moreover, a partial or complete resistance to inhibition with CsA was observed for IL-2 production and CTL generation respectively in the presence of the costimulatory signal derived from B7-1-CD28 interaction. Anti-CD2 MoAb with B7-1 costimulation could directly induce proliferation, IL-2 production and generation of CTL activity in highly purified CD8+ T cells without the help of CD4+ T cells. We conclude that CD28 ligation with the natural ligand B7-1 provides a strong accessory signal for CD4 and CD8 cell activation through CD2.

Ligation of leukocyte function-associated (LFA) molecule-1 provides an accessory signal for T-cell activation with pokeweed mitogen.

The ligation between leucocyte-Function-Associated Molecule 1 (LFA-1) and Intercellular Adhesion Molecules (ICAM) is thought to be an important component in the stimulatory interaction between antigen-presenting cells (APC) and T cells. Similar to antigenic stimulation, T-cell stimulation with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) is highly dependent on monocytes as accessory cells. This is partly a consequence of the requirement for mitogen presentation by the monocytes. The study described here addressed the question of whether LFA-1 ligation by accessory cells influences the activation of T cells with PWM. To avoid multiple costimulatory interactions between T cells and monocytes, experiments were performed with purified T cells, which were stimulated with PWM bound on autologous red blood cells (PWM-RBC). Binding on the RBC substituted partly for PWM presentation by the monocytes. Anti-LFA-1 MoAbs were presented in the immobilized form in order to mimick LFA-1 ligation by cell-bound ICAM. Three out of three different MoAbs against the beta-chain of the LFA-1 molecule (CD18) and two out of three MoAbs against the alpha-chain (CD11a) had an enhancing effect on T-cell proliferation. Proliferation was increased further by simultaneous addition of interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6. Ligation of the LFA-1 molecule was found to enhance IL-2 production and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production. The results suggest that interaction of LFA-1 with ICAM on the monocytes contributes to the accessory signal activity of monocytes in T-cell activation with PWM.

Human T lymphocyte activation by pokeweed mitogen induces production of TNF-alpha and GM-CSF and helper signaling by IL-1 and IL-6 results in IL-2-dependent T cell growth.

Pokeweed mitogen (PWM) is widely used as an inducer of polyclonal immunoglobulin production, but little attention has been paid to the effects of this lectin on T lymphocytes. In the present study, we analysed the effects of PWM on cytokine production by isolated resting T cells, as well as the involvement of cytokines as accessory signals in PWM-induced T cell activation. The conditions necessary to induce proliferation and production of IL-2, TNF-alpha and GM-CSF by purified T cells, completely depleted of monocytes, B cells and NK cells, could be created by immobilizing PWM through absorption on autologous red blood cells (PWM-RBC), while soluble PWM was totally inactive. IL-4 or IL-6 were not detected in the supernatants. In the presence of PWM-RBC (but not of soluble PWM), T cell proliferation and IL-2 production could strongly and consistently be enhanced by recombinant IL-1 beta and IL-6. On the other hand, the production of TNF-alpha and GM-CSF was not influenced by IL-1 beta and IL-6. Anti-Tac mAb (against the p55 IL-2R) completely inhibited T cell proliferative responses induced by PWM-RBC, thus proving the IL-2-dependency of proliferation. There was no evidence for involvement of IL-4 as a growth factor. In conclusion, PWM directly stimulates human T cells and this results in production of several cytokines including IL-2, GM-CSF and TNF-alpha, and at least one of them (IL-2) is further upregulated by IL-1 beta/IL-6 from accessory cells.

Simultaneous ligation of CD5 and CD28 on resting T lymphocytes induces T cell activation in the absence of T cell receptor/CD3 occupancy.

The T cell surface molecules CD5 and CD28 have been shown to be receptors for accessory signals in T cell activation. We here demonstrate that in the absence of any other activating stimulus, simultaneous ligation of CD5 and CD28 by mAb induces polyclonal T cell activation. Immobilization of the anti-CD28 and anti-CD5 mAb was an essential requirement for T cell stimulation. This was done either through coating of the culture plates with goat anti-mouse Ig, or by coculture with mitomycin C-treated Fc gamma R-bearing P815 mouse mastocytoma cells. Most importantly, T cells could also be stimulated with B7, the natural ligand of CD28, and anti-CD5 presented on irradiated 3T6 mouse fibroblasts co-transfected with human Fc gamma RII and with B7. Neither immobilized mAb 9.3 (anti-CD28) nor any of four different anti-CD5 mAb were mitogenic as a sole stimulus. Immobilized mAb identifying CD4, CD7, or LFA-1 were not co-mitogenic with either mAb 9.3 or one of the anti-CD5 mAb. The T cell proliferation induced by cross-linking of CD5 and CD28 is IL-2-dependent, as was demonstrated by the cell-surface expression of the p55 chain of the IL-2R, the production of IL-2, and inhibition of the proliferative response by the anti-IL-2R mAb anti-Tac. CD5/CD28 ligation induced production of TNF-alpha, but not of IL-4, and did not induce modulation of the TCR/CD3 complex. Expression of IL-2R (p55) and of CD69 preferentially occurred on CD29-low naive cells, and indicated that about 50% of the cultured cells were activated. Cell proliferation was not increased by adding monocytes to the cultures and it was inhibited by PKC inhibitors (H7 and staurosporine) and by cyclosporine A. In conclusion, our data provide evidence for a pathway of Ag-independent T cell activation via CD5 and CD28, which preferentially stimulates native T cells.