Large-scale antibody immune response mapping of splenic B cells and bone marrow plasma cells in a transgenic mouse model.

Molecular characterization of antibody immunity and human antibody discovery is mainly carried out using peripheral memory B cells, and occasionally plasmablasts, that express B cell receptors (BCRs) on their cell surface. Despite the importance of plasma cells (PCs) as the dominant source of circulating antibodies in serum, PCs are rarely utilized because they do not express surface BCRs and cannot be analyzed using antigen-based fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Here, we studied the antibodies encoded by the entire mature B cell populations, including PCs, and compared the antibody repertoires of bone marrow and spleen compartments elicited by immunization in a human immunoglobulin transgenic mouse strain. To circumvent prior technical limitations for analysis of plasma cells, we applied single-cell antibody heavy and light chain gene capture from the entire mature B cell repertoires followed by yeast display functional analysis using a cytokine as a model immunogen. We performed affinity-based sorting of antibody yeast display libraries and large-scale next-generation sequencing analyses to follow antibody lineage performance, with experimental validation of 76 monoclonal antibodies against the cytokine antigen that identified three antibodies with exquisite double-digit picomolar binding affinity. We observed that spleen B cell populations generated higher affinity antibodies compared to bone marrow PCs and that antigen-specific splenic B cells had higher average levels of somatic hypermutation. A degree of clonal overlap was also observed between bone marrow and spleen antibody repertoires, indicating common origins of certain clones across lymphoid compartments. These data demonstrate a new capacity to functionally analyze antigen-specific B cell populations of different lymphoid organs, including PCs, for high-affinity antibody discovery and detailed fundamental studies of antibody immunity.

Mapping monoclonal anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody repertoires against diverse coronavirus antigens.

Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have emerged continuously, challenging the effectiveness of vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. Moreover, the possibility of the appearance of a new betacoronavirus with high transmissibility and high fatality is reason for concern. In this study, we used a natively paired yeast display technology, combined with next-generation sequencing (NGS) and massive bioinformatic analysis to perform a comprehensive study of subdomain specificity of natural human antibodies from two convalescent donors. Using this screening technology, we mapped the cross-reactive responses of antibodies generated by the two donors against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other betacoronaviruses. We tested the neutralization potency of a set of the cross-reactive antibodies generated in this study and observed that most of the antibodies produced by these patients were non-neutralizing. We performed a comparison of the specific and non-specific antibodies by somatic hypermutation in a repertoire-scale for the two individuals and observed that the degree of somatic hypermutation was unique for each patient. The data from this study provide functional insights into cross-reactive antibodies that can assist in the development of strategies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and divergent betacoronaviruses.

Strategies to Screen Anti-AQP4 Antibodies from Yeast Surface Display Libraries.

A rapid and effective method to identify disease-specific antibodies from clinical patients is important for understanding autoimmune diseases and for the development of effective disease therapies. In neuromyelitis optica (NMO), the identification of antibodies targeting the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) membrane protein traditionally involves the labor-intensive and time-consuming process of single B-cell sorting, followed by antibody cloning, expression, purification, and analysis for anti-AQP4 activity. To accelerate patient-specific antibody discovery, we compared two unique approaches for screening anti-AQP4 antibodies from yeast antibody surface display libraries. Our first approach, cell-based biopanning, has strong advantages for its cell-based display of native membrane-bound AQP4 antigens and is inexpensive and simple to perform. Our second approach, FACS screening using solubilized AQP4 antigens, permits real-time population analysis and precision sorting for specific antibody binding parameters. We found that both cell-based biopanning and FACS screening were effective for the enrichment of AQP4-binding clones. These screening techniques will enable library-scale functional interrogation of large natively paired antibody libraries for comprehensive analysis of anti-AQP4 antibodies in clinical samples and for robust therapeutic discovery campaigns.

Antibody screening at reduced pH enables preferential selection of potently neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2.

Antiviral monoclonal antibody (mAb) discovery enables the development of antibody-based antiviral therapeutics. Traditional antiviral mAb discovery relies on affinity between antibody and a viral antigen to discover potent neutralizing antibodies, but these approaches are inefficient because many high affinity mAbs have no neutralizing activity. We sought to determine whether screening for anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs at reduced pH could provide more efficient neutralizing antibody discovery. We mined the antibody response of a convalescent COVID-19 patient at both physiological pH (7.4) and reduced pH (4.5), revealing that SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were preferentially enriched in pH 4.5 yeast display sorts. Structural analysis revealed that a potent new antibody called LP5 targets the SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain supersite via a unique binding recognition mode. Our data combine with evidence from prior studies to support antibody screening at pH 4.5 to accelerate antiviral neutralizing antibody discovery.

Functional Profiling of Antibody Immune Repertoires in Convalescent Zika Virus Disease Patients.

The re-emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) caused widespread infections that were linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults and congenital malformation in fetuses, and epidemiological data suggest that ZIKV infection can induce protective antibody responses. A more detailed understanding of anti-ZIKV antibody responses may lead to enhanced antibody discovery and improved vaccine designs against ZIKV and related flaviviruses. Here, we applied recently-invented library-scale antibody screening technologies to determine comprehensive functional molecular and genetic profiles of naturally elicited human anti-ZIKV antibodies in three convalescent individuals. We leveraged natively paired antibody yeast display and NGS to predict antibody cross-reactivities and coarse-grain antibody affinities, to perform in-depth immune profiling of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibody repertoires in peripheral blood, and to reveal virus maturation state-dependent antibody interactions. Repertoire-scale comparison of ZIKV VLP-specific and non-specific antibodies in the same individuals also showed that mean antibody somatic hypermutation levels were substantially influenced by donor-intrinsic characteristics. These data provide insights into antiviral antibody responses to ZIKV disease and outline systems-level strategies to track human antibody immune responses to emergent viral infections.

Paired heavy and light chain signatures contribute to potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralization in public antibody responses.

Understanding protective mechanisms of antibody recognition can inform vaccine and therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2. We discovered a new antibody, 910-30, that targets the SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 receptor binding site as a member of a public antibody response encoded by IGHV3-53/IGHV3-66 genes. We performed sequence and structural analyses to explore how antibody features correlate with SARS-CoV-2 neutralization. Cryo-EM structures of 910-30 bound to the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer revealed its binding interactions and ability to disassemble spike. Despite heavy chain sequence similarity, biophysical analyses of IGHV3-53/3-66 antibodies highlighted the importance of native heavy:light pairings for ACE2 binding competition and for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization. We defined paired heavy:light sequence signatures and determined antibody precursor prevalence to be ~1 in 44,000 human B cells, consistent with public antibody identification in several convalescent COVID-19 patients. These data reveal key structural and functional neutralization features in the IGHV3-53/3-66 public antibody class to accelerate antibody-based medical interventions against SARS-CoV-2. HIGHLIGHTS: A molecular study of IGHV3-53/3-66 public antibody responses reveals critical heavy and light chain features for potent neutralizationCryo-EM analyses detail the structure of a novel public antibody class member, antibody 910-30, in complex with SARS-CoV-2 spike trimerCryo-EM data reveal that 910-30 can both bind assembled trimer and can disassemble the SARS-CoV-2 spikeSequence-structure-function signatures defined for IGHV3-53/3-66 class antibodies including both heavy and light chainsIGHV3-53/3-66 class precursors have a prevalence of 1:44,000 B cells in healthy human antibody repertoires.

Structure-Based Design with Tag-Based Purification and In-Process Biotinylation Enable Streamlined Development of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Molecular Probes.

Biotin-labeled molecular probes, comprising specific regions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike, would be helpful in the isolation and characterization of antibodies targeting this recently emerged pathogen. To develop such probes, we designed constructs incorporating an N-terminal purification tag, a site-specific protease-cleavage site, the probe region of interest, and a C-terminal sequence targeted by biotin ligase. Probe regions included full-length spike ectodomain as well as various subregions, and we also designed mutants to eliminate recognition of the ACE2 receptor. Yields of biotin-labeled probes from transient transfection ranged from ~0.5 mg/L for the complete ectodomain to >5 mg/L for several subregions. Probes were characterized for antigenicity and ACE2 recognition, and the structure of the spike ectodomain probe was determined by cryo-electron microscopy. We also characterized antibody-binding specificities and cell-sorting capabilities of the biotinylated probes. Altogether, structure-based design coupled to efficient purification and biotinylation processes can thus enable streamlined development of SARS-CoV-2 spike-ectodomain probes.