scholarly journals Reprogramming the antigen specificity of B cells using genomeediting technologies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Voss ◽  
Alicia Gonzalez-Martin ◽  
Raiees Andrabi ◽  
Roberta P. Fuller ◽  
Ben Murrell ◽  
...  

We have developed a method to introduce novel paratopes into the human antibody repertoire by modifying the immunoglobulin genes of mature B cells directly using genome editing technologies. We used CRISPR-Cas9 in a homology directed repair strategy, to replace the heavy chain (HC) variable region in B cell lines with that from an HIV broadly neutralizing antibody, PG9. Our strategy is designed to function in cells that have undergone VDJ recombination using any combination of variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) genes. The modified locus expresses PG9 HC which pairs with native light chains resulting in the cell surface expression of HIV specific B cell receptors (BCRs). Endogenous activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in engineered cells allowed for Ig class switching and generated BCR variants with improved anti-HIV neutralizing activity. Thus, BCRs engineered in this way retain the genetic flexibility normally required for affinity maturation during adaptive immune responses.

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Voss ◽  
Alicia Gonzalez-Martin ◽  
Raiees Andrabi ◽  
Roberta P Fuller ◽  
Ben Murrell ◽  
...  

We have developed a method to introduce novel paratopes into the human antibody repertoire by modifying the immunoglobulin (Ig) genes of mature B cells directly using genome editing technologies. We used CRISPR-Cas9 in a homology directed repair strategy, to replace the heavy chain (HC) variable region in B cell lines with that from an HIV broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb), PG9. Our strategy is designed to function in cells that have undergone VDJ recombination using any combination of variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) genes. The modified locus expresses PG9 HC which pairs with native light chains (LCs) resulting in the cell surface expression of HIV specific B cell receptors (BCRs). Endogenous activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in engineered cells allowed for Ig class switching and generated BCR variants with improved HIV neutralizing activity. Thus, BCRs engineered in this way retain the genetic flexibility normally required for affinity maturation during adaptive immune responses. Peripheral blood derived primary B cells from three different donors were edited using this strategy. Engineered cells could bind the PG9 epitope and sequenced mRNA showed PG9 HC transcribed as several different isotypes after culture with CD40 ligand and IL-4.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (10) ◽  
pp. 3318-3325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pasqualucci ◽  
Roberta Guglielmino ◽  
Jane Houldsworth ◽  
Jessica Mohr ◽  
Said Aoufouchi ◽  
...  

Abstract Somatic hypermutation (SHM) targets primarily the immunoglobulin variable region (IgV) genes in germinal center (GC) B cells, thereby allowing antibody affinity maturation. A malfunction of SHM, termed aberrant somatic hypermutation (ASHM), was found in about 50% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), leading to mutations in the 5′ sequences of multiple genes, including oncogenes. Although the SHM mechanism is largely unknown, it was shown to require the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) gene. AID mRNA is expressed in GC B cells and GC-derived lymphomas, but the pattern of expression of the AID protein is not known. Using 2 specific antibodies, here we show that the AID protein can be detected in GC centroblasts and their transformed counterpart (Burkitt lymphoma) but not in pre-GC B cells and post-GC neoplasms, including B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma. DLBCLs displayed variable levels of AID expression, which did not correlate with IgV ongoing hypermutation, ASHM, or disease subtype. Finally, both in normal and malignant B cells the AID protein appeared predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. These results indicate that the AID protein is specifically expressed in normal and transformed GC B cells; nonetheless, its predominantly cytoplasmic localization suggests that additional mechanisms may regulate its function and may be altered during lymphomagenesis. (Blood. 2004;104:3318-3325)


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1046.1-1046
Author(s):  
L. Schlicher ◽  
P. Kulig ◽  
M. Murphy ◽  
M. Keller

Background:Cenerimod is a potent, selective, and orally active sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) modulator that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2b study in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (NCT03742037). S1P1 receptor modulators sequester circulating lymphocytes within lymph nodes, thereby reducing pathogenic autoimmune cells (including B lymphocytes) in the blood stream and in inflamed tissues. Extensive clinical experience has become available for the nonselective S1P receptor modulator fingolimod in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, supporting this therapeutic concept for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.Objectives:Although the effect of S1P-receptor modulators in reducing peripheral B cells is well documented1,2, the role of the S1P1 receptor on this cell type is only incompletely understood. In this study, the mode of action of cenerimod on primary human B cells was investigated in a series of in vitro experiments, including S1P1 receptor cell surface expression and chemotaxis towards S1P. Moreover, S1P1 expression following B cell activation in vitro was studied. As glucocorticoids (GC) are frequently used in the treatment of patients with autoimmune disorders including SLE, the potential influence of GC on the mode of action of cenerimod was evaluated.Methods:Primary human B lymphocytes from healthy donors were isolated from whole blood. In one set of experiments, cells were treated with different concentrations of cenerimod to measure S1P1 receptor internalization by flow cytometry. In a second set of experiments, isolated B cells were activated using different stimuli or left untreated. Cells were then analysed for S1P1 and CD69 cell surface expression and tested in a novel real-time S1P-mediated migration assay. In addition, the effect of physiological concentrations of GCs (prednisolone and prednisone) on cenerimod activity in preventing S1P mediated migration was tested.Results:In vitro, cenerimod led to a dose-dependent internalization of the S1P1 receptor on primary human B lymphocytes. Cenerimod also blocked migration of nonactivated and activated B lymphocytes towards S1P in a concentration-dependent manner, which is in line with the retention of lymphocytes in the lymph node and the reduction of circulating lymphocytes observed in the clinical setting. Upon B cell activation, which was monitored by CD69 upregulation, a simultaneous downregulation of S1P1 expression was detected, leading to less efficient S1P-directed cell migration. Importantly, physiological concentrations of GC did not affect the inhibitory activity of cenerimod on B cell migration.Conclusion:These results show that cenerimod, by modulating S1P1, blocks B lymphocyte migration towards its natural chemoattractant S1P and demonstrate compatibility of cenerimod with GC. These results are consistent with results of comparable experiments done previously using primary human T lymphocytes.References:[1]Nakamura M et al., Mult Scler. 2014 Sep; 20(10):1371-80.[2]Strasser DS et al., RMD Open 2020;6:e001261.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (571) ◽  
pp. eaao7194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Wilhelm ◽  
Ella Levit-Zerdoun ◽  
Johanna Jakob ◽  
Sarah Villringer ◽  
Marco Frensch ◽  
...  

Bacterial lectins are typically multivalent and bind noncovalently to specific carbohydrates on host tissues to facilitate bacterial adhesion. Here, we analyzed the effects of two fucose-binding lectins, BambL fromBurkholderia ambifariaand LecB fromPseudomonas aeruginosa, on specific signaling pathways in B cells. We found that these bacterial lectins induced B cell activation, which, in vitro, was dependent on the cell surface expression of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) and its co-receptor CD19, as well as on spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) activity. The resulting release of intracellular Ca2+was followed by an increase in the cell surface abundance of the activation marker CD86, augmented cytokine secretion, and subsequent cell death, replicating all of the events that are observed in vitro upon canonical and antigen-mediated B cell activation. Moreover, injection of BambL in mice resulted in a substantial, BCR-independent loss of B cells in the bone marrow with simultaneous, transient enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly), as well as an increase in the numbers of splenic B cells and myeloid cells. Together, these data suggest that bacterial lectins can initiate polyclonal activation of B cells through their sole capacity to bind to fucose.


eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Cizmeci ◽  
Giuseppe Lofano ◽  
Evan Rossignol ◽  
Anne-Sophie Dugast ◽  
Dongkyoon Kim ◽  
...  

A minor subset of individuals infected with HIV-1 develop antibody neutralization breadth during the natural course of the infection, often linked to chronic, high-level viremia. Despite significant efforts, vaccination strategies have been unable to induce similar neutralization breadth and the mechanisms underlying neutralizing antibody induction remain largely elusive. Broadly neutralizing antibody responses can also be found in individuals who control HIV to low and even undetectable plasma levels in the absence of antiretroviral therapy, suggesting that high antigen exposure is not a strict requirement for neutralization breadth. We therefore performed an analysis of paired heavy and light chain B-cell receptor (BCR) repertoires in 12,591 HIV-1 envelope-specific single memory B-cells to determine alterations in the BCR immunoglobulin gene repertoire and B-cell clonal expansions that associate with neutralizing antibody breadth in 22 HIV controllers. We found that the frequency of genomic mutations in IGHV and IGLV was directly correlated with serum neutralization breadth. The repertoire of the most mutated antibodies was dominated by a small number of large clones with evolutionary signatures suggesting that these clones had reached peak affinity maturation. These data demonstrate that even in the setting of low plasma HIV antigenemia, similar to what a vaccine can potentially achieve, BCR selection for extended somatic hypermutation and clonal evolution can occur in some individuals suggesting that host-specific factors might be involved that could be targeted with future vaccine strategies.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 1049-1049
Author(s):  
Shoshana Levy ◽  
Chiung-Chi Kuo ◽  
Yael Sagi ◽  
Homer Chen ◽  
Neta Kela-Madar ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1049 Introduction: A 6-year-old girl, who was diagnosed with a primary antibody deficiency, had B cells lacking surface CD19. However, both her CD19 alleles were normal and the impairment was actually caused by a homozygous exon splice site mutation in CD81 (1). The patient's B cells also lacked surface CD81 and produced an immature glycosylated CD19 protein that was retained intracellularly. Interestingly, this human deficiency differed from that of CD81 knockout mice as the latter still express a low level of CD19 on their B cells. Methods: We used an EBV-transformed B cell line from this patient to better understand i) the difference between the human and mouse CD81 deficiencies and ii) how CD81 controls the trafficking of CD19 to the cell surface. We reasoned that the truncated human CD81 mutant (CD81mut) protein might be expressed intracellularly. Indeed, whereas most anti-CD81 mAbs did not recognize CD81mut, we identified one that bound the mutated form and used it in this study. We also expressed the human CD81mut in a CD81-deficient mouse B cell line to determine if it could negatively regulate CD19 surface expression. Results: We show that the CD81mut protein is indeed expressed intracellularly in the patient's EBV-transformed B cells. We then used a proximity ligation assay to demonstrate that the truncated CD81mut protein interacts intracellularly with CD19. However, this interaction with the CD81mut protein abrogated carbohydrate maturation and the trafficking of CD19 to cell surface. We therefore expressed the CD81mut in CD81KO mouse B cells, which still express low levels of surface CD19, and found that it did not exert a dominant negative effect on CD19 surface expression. Finally, we used this reconstitution system to identify specific CD81 domains that restored carbohydrate maturation and cell surface expression of the CD19 molecule in the patient's B cells. Conclusion: This specific case of antibody deficiency was manifested because of lack of surface expression of CD19, an important B cell signaling molecule. However, the maturation of CD19 and its trafficking to the cell surface require the presence of specific domains of the tetraspanin CD81 molecule. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1699-1705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Nagai ◽  
Rintaro Shimazu ◽  
Hirotaka Ogata ◽  
Sachiko Akashi ◽  
Katsuko Sudo ◽  
...  

RP105 is a B-cell surface molecule that has been recently assigned as CD180. RP105 ligation with an antibody induces B-cell activation in humans and mice, leading to proliferation and up-regulation of a costimulatory molecule, B7.2/CD86. RP105 is associated with an extracellular molecule, MD-1. RP105/MD-1 has structural similarity to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MD-2. TLR4 signals a membrane constituent of Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). MD-2 is indispensable for TLR4-dependent LPS responses because cells expressing TLR4/MD-2, but not TLR4 alone, respond to LPS. RP105 also has a role in LPS responses because B cells lacking RP105 show hyporesponsiveness to LPS. Little is known, however, regarding whether MD-1 is important for RP105-dependent LPS responses, as MD-2 is for TLR4. To address the issue, we developed mice lacking MD-1 and generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the protein. MD-1–null mice showed impairment in LPS-induced B-cell proliferation, antibody production, and B7.2/CD86 up-regulation. These phenotypes are similar to those of RP105-null mice. The similarity was attributed to the absence of cell surface RP105 on MD-1–null B cells. MD-1 is indispensable for cell surface expression of RP105. A role for MD-1 in LPS responses was further studied with anti–mouse MD-1 mAbs. In contrast to highly mitogenic anti-RP105 mAbs, the mAbs to MD-1 were not mitogenic but antagonistic on LPS-induced B-cell proliferation and on B7.2 up-regulation. Collectively, MD-1 is important for RP105 with respect to B-cell surface expression and LPS recognition and signaling.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (28) ◽  
pp. 7846-7851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry G. Lin ◽  
Zhaoqing Ba ◽  
Zhou Du ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Jiazhi Hu ◽  
...  

Developing B lymphocytes undergo V(D)J recombination to assemble germ-line V, D, and J gene segments into exons that encode the antigen-binding variable region of Ig heavy (H) and light (L) chains. IgH and IgL chains associate to form the B-cell receptor (BCR), which, upon antigen binding, activates B cells to secrete BCR as an antibody. Each of the huge number of clonally independent B cells expresses a unique set of IgH and IgL variable regions. The ability of V(D)J recombination to generate vast primary B-cell repertoires results from a combinatorial assortment of large numbers of different V, D, and J segments, coupled with diversification of the junctions between them to generate the complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) for antigen contact. Approaches to evaluate in depth the content of primary antibody repertoires and, ultimately, to study how they are further molded by secondary mutation and affinity maturation processes are of great importance to the B-cell development, vaccine, and antibody fields. We now describe an unbiased, sensitive, and readily accessible assay, referred to as high-throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing-adapted repertoire sequencing (HTGTS-Rep-seq), to quantify antibody repertoires. HTGTS-Rep-seq quantitatively identifies the vast majority of IgH and IgL V(D)J exons, including their unique CDR3 sequences, from progenitor and mature mouse B lineage cells via the use of specific J primers. HTGTS-Rep-seq also accurately quantifies DJH intermediates and V(D)J exons in either productive or nonproductive configurations. HTGTS-Rep-seq should be useful for studies of human samples, including clonal B-cell expansions, and also for following antibody affinity maturation processes.


Author(s):  
Valentyn Oksenych

B lymphocyte development includes two DNA recombination processes, the V(D)J recombination of immunoglobulin (Igh) gene variable region and class switching when the Igh constant regions are changed from IgM to IgG, IgA, or IgE. The V(D)J recombination is required for successful maturation of B cells from pro-B to pre-B to immature-B and then to mature B cells in the bone marrow. The CSR occurs outside the bone marrow when mature B cells migrate to peripheral lymphoid organs, such as spleen and lymph nodes. Both V(D)J recombination and CSR depend on an “open chromatin” state that makes DNA accessible to specific enzymes, recombination activating gene (RAG), and activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Acetyltransferases GCN5 and PCAF possess redundant functions acetylating histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9). Here, we generated by complex breeding a mouse model with B cells lacking both GCN5 and PCAF. We found that double-deficient mice possess low levels of mature B cells in the bone marrow and peripheral organs, accumulation of pro-B cells in bone marrow, and reduced CSR levels. We concluded that both GCN5 and PCAF are required for B cell development in vivo.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 2815-2822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Miura ◽  
Rintaro Shimazu ◽  
Kensuke Miyake ◽  
Sachiko Akashi ◽  
Hirotaka Ogata ◽  
...  

Abstract RP105 was originally discovered as a mouse B-cell surface molecule that transmits an activation signal. The signal leads to resistance against irradiation-induced apoptosis and massive B-cell proliferation. Recently, we found that mouse RP105 is associated with another molecule, MD-1. We have isolated here the human MD-1 cDNA. We show that human MD-1 is also associated with human RP105 and has an important role in cell surface expression of RP105. We also describe a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) that recognizes human RP105. Expression of RP105 is restricted to CD19+ B cells. Histological studies showed that RP105 is expressed mainly on mature B cells in mantle zones. Germinal center cells are either dull or negative. RP105 is thus a novel human B-cell marker that is preferentially expressed on mature B cells. Moreover, the anti-RP105 MoAb activates B cells, leading to increases in cell size, expression of a costimulatory molecule CD80, and DNA synthesis. The B-cell activation pathway using RP105 is conserved in humans. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.


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