Enhanced opsonisation of Rhesus D-positive human red blood cells by recombinant polymeric immunoglobulin G anti-G antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Anti-RhD antibodies (anti-D) are important in the prophylaxis of haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN) due to RhD incompatibility. Current preparations of anti-D are sourced from hyperimmune human plasma, so its production carries a risk of disease and is dependent on donor availability. Despite the efforts to develop a monoclonal preparation with similar prophylactic properties to the plasma-derived anti-D, no such antibody is yet available. Here we studied the agglutinating, opsonic and haemolytic activities of two recombinant polymeric immunoglobulins (Ig) against the G antigen of the Rh complex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recombinant polymeric anti-G IgG1 (IgG1µtp) and IgG3 (IgG3µtp) were produced in vitro, purified by protein G-affinity chromatography, and analysed by gel electrophoresis. Their agglutinating, opsonic and haemolytic activities were evaluated using haemagglutination, erythrophagocytosis, and complement activation assays. RESULTS: The recombinant IgG1µtp and IgG3µtp anti-G antibodies ranged from 150,000 to 1,000,000 Da in molecular weight, indicating the formation of polymeric IgG. No complement activation or haemolytic activity was detected upon incubation of RhD-positive red-blood cells with the polymeric anti-G IgG. Both polymers were better opsonins than a prophylactic preparation of plasma-derived anti-D. DISCUSSION: The enhanced opsonic properties of the polymeric anti-G IgG1µtp and IgG3µtp could allow them to mediate the clearance of RhD-positive red blood cells from circulation more efficiently than natural or other synthetic prophylactic anti-D options. Their inability to induce complement-mediated haemolysis would be prophylactically convenient and is comparable in vitro to that of the available plasma-derived polyclonal anti-D preparations. The described properties suggest that polymeric antibodies like these (but with anti-D specificity) may be testable candidates for prophylaxis of HDFN caused by anti-D.

Novel antibody-based proteins for cancer immunotherapy.

The relative success of monoclonal antibodies in cancer immunotherapy and the vast manipulation potential of recombinant antibody technology have encouraged the development of novel antibody-based antitumor proteins. Many insightful reagents have been produced, mainly guided by studies on the mechanisms of action associated with complete and durable remissions, results from experimental animal models, and our current knowledge of the human immune system. Strikingly, only a small percent of these new reagents has demonstrated clinical value. Tumor burden, immune evasion, physiological resemblance, and cell plasticity are among the challenges that cancer therapy faces, and a number of antibody-based proteins are already available to deal with many of them. Some of these novel reagents have been shown to specifically increase apoptosis/cell death of tumor cells, recruit and activate immune effectors, and reveal synergistic effects not previously envisioned. In this review, we look into different approaches that have been followed during the past few years to produce these biologics and analyze their relative success, mainly in terms of their clinical performance. The use of antibody-based antitumor proteins, in combination with standard or novel therapies, is showing significant improvements in objective responses, suggesting that these reagents will become important components of the antineoplastic protocols of the future.

Decreased survival of human breast cancer cells expressing HER2/neu on in vitro incubation with an anti-HER2/neu antibody fused to C5a or C5a desArg.

Treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu)-expressing breast cancer patients with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against HER2/neu improves the outcome of chemotherapy. In cases in which remission is observed, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) seems to be one of the main mechanisms of anti-HER2/neu mAb action, implicating Fc gamma receptors (Fc gamma Rs) in this tumoricidal activity. In vitro and in vivo studies have revealed that anti-HER2/neu-mediated ADCC is mainly accomplished by polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN). C5a, a cleavage product of the complement component C5, modulates Fc gamma R expression via upregulation of activating and downregulation of inhibitory Fc gamma Rs. C5a also recruits PMNs to sites of inflammation and increases PMN survival. To enhance the recruitment and activation of C5a receptor-bearing cells into the tumor microenvironment, we developed antibody fusion proteins composed of a human IgG3 anti-HER2/neu antibody genetically fused to C5a [anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a)] or to its derivative, C5a(desArg) [anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a(desArg))]. Both fusion proteins were expressed, properly assembled, and secreted by murine myeloma cells, and displayed chemotactic activity on human PMN. Under comparable conditions, anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a(desArg)) increased the survival of PMN more efficiently than anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a) or C5a(desArg). Surprisingly, incubation of the fusion proteins with breast cancer cells that overexpress HER2/neu (SK-BR-3) induced cell death at a dose at which the anti-HER2/neu IgG3 antibody was innocuous. In the presence of human peripheral blood leukocytes as effector cells, both fusion proteins induced tumor cell death more efficiently than anti-HER2/neu IgG3. These data suggest that anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a) and anti-HER2/neu IgG3-(C5a(desArg)) fusion proteins possess novel properties that could be useful in cancer immunotherapy.

Recombinant polymeric IgG anti-Rh: a novel strategy for development of direct agglutinating reagents.

Anti-Rh alloantibodies are used in research and clinic laboratories to define the Rh antigenic profile of human blood samples. IgM anti-Rh antibodies directly agglutinate Rh-positive RBCs. Anti-Rh antibodies of the IgG isotype bind to Rh antigens with a higher intrinsic affinity than IgM and sensitize RBCs, but do not induce direct hemagglutination. The aim of this work was to produce IgG anti-Rh possessing direct hemagglutinating properties of IgM. To achieve this goal, recombinant antibody technology was used to construct genes encoding Ig light and heavy chains that will form polymers with anti-Rh specificity. Expression vectors and liposome-mediated DNA transfer were used to generate transfectomas secreting human recombinant IgG3 anti-Rh. ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and hemagglutination were used to identify and characterize the recombinant antibody produced. Thus, a recombinant polymeric IgM-like IgG3 anti-Rh antibody was produced that directly agglutinates RBCs with specificity identical to that of the parent non-agglutinating IgG. The results obtained suggest that the technology used here to generate polymeric IgM-like IgG3 anti-Rh antibodies can be applied to produce Rh blood typing reagents. This approach might also be used to develop reagents for which cell surface antigen binding and agglutination or aggregation is required.

Risk of adverse post-transplant events after kidney allograft transplantation as predicted by CTLA-4 +49 and TNF-alpha -308 single nucleotide polymorphisms: a preliminary study.

Genetic differences between donor and recipient HLA haplotypes are of major importance for transplant rejection. Other genetic variations occurring in genes encoding cytokines and costimulatory molecules also appear to exert an influence on the manner the host immune system recognizes the allograft. The aims of this work were: 1) to study selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the loci encoding the T-cell regulatory molecule CTLA-4 (CD152), and the cytokines interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 in a sample of healthy volunteers and a group of kidney-transplanted patients; and 2) to investigate whether an association exists between any of the SNPs studied and acute or chronic rejection, or non-responsiveness to steroid treatment during episodes of acute rejection (AR) after kidney allograft transplantation. When healthy volunteers were compared with transplanted patients, no significant differences were found in the distribution of genetic frequencies for any of the SNPs analyzed. However, in transplanted patients who received a kidney from a living related donor (KdTxL), a statistically significant association was found between carrying the CTLA-4 +49 A/A genotype and protection from experiencing acute rejection. No such association was found in the group of transplanted patients who received a kidney from a cadaveric non-related donor (KdTxCad). In both, KdTxL and KdTxCad patients, responsiveness to steroid treatment during acute rejection was also in association with the CTLA-4 (+49A/G) SNP. The CTLA-4 +49G allele was found at a very low frequency among steroid-resistant compared with steroid-sensitive patients. Finally, a statistically significant association was found between the presence of the TNF-alpha -308A allele and protection to suffer from chronic rejection. The genetic differences found may serve as risk predictors of adverse post-transplant events.

[A and B blood group-specific monoclonal antibodies. Production and evaluation as ABO-blood typing reagents]. / Producción de anticuerpos monoclonales con especificidad por los grupos sanguíneos A y B. Evaluación de su uso como reactivos hemoclasificadores.

The Monoclonal Antibody (MoAb) technology has been successfully applied to develop reagents for human blood group classification. There is no production of this kind of reagents in Venezuela, and the local demand (blood banks and clinical laboratories) is mainly supplied with imported material. Considering this we decided to apply MoAb techniques to generate murine hybridomas secreting anti-A or anti-B specific MoAb. MoAb obtained were characterized and produced in enough quantity to perform validation studies as blood typing reagents. Out of 22 hybridomas that were initially selected, 11 were anti-A secretors and 11 were anti-B secretors. Four MoAb were further characterized: Au18Kt3F, MG3 (both IgM anti-A), SS4.5 (IgG1 anti-B) and BB2-3 (IgM anti-B). Conditions were also established for growing the hybridomas Au18Kt3F and BB2-3 in the bioreactors "miniPerm" and "Tecnomouse", allowing for scale-up production of these MoAb. Avidity and specificity were estimated for each one, and the results were comparable to those obtained from commercially available reagents, making feasible its use as blood typing reagents.

Influence of the isotype of the light chain on the properties of IgG.

It is widely appreciated that the isotype of the H chain of the Ab molecule influences its functional properties. We have now investigated the contribution of the isotype of the L chain to the structural and functional properties of the Ab molecule. In these studies, the L chain variable region of a murine anti-dansyl Ab was joined to either human kappa or lambda constant region domains and expressed with mouse-human chimeric H chains of the four human IgG isotypes. The resulting Abs were secreted as fully assembled molecules although, as has been previously observed, IgG4 with either kappa or lambda L chains was also secreted as HL half-molecules. However, the isotype of the L chain can influence the kinetics of intracellular assembly with IgG1lambda, IgG2lambda, and IgG4lambda assembling more slowly than their kappa counterparts. The isotype of the L chain also influenced the susceptibility of the interchain disulfide bonds to attack by reducing agents with variable effects, depending on the isotype of the H chains. For IgG2, but not for IgG1, -3, and -4, the isotype of the L chain influenced the rate of clearance in mice, with IgG2lambda having a shorter in vivo half-life than IgG2kappa. Only slight differences were also observed between lambda and kappa molecules in their kinetics of binding to and dissociation from the hapten dansyl. These studies demonstrate that the isotype of the L chain has only a slight impact on the structural and functional properties of variable region identical Abs.