CD72 is an inhibitory pattern recognition receptor that recognizes ribosomes and suppresses production of anti-ribosome autoantibody.

B cell responses to nucleic acid-containing self-antigens that involve intracellular nucleic acid sensors play a crucial role in autoantibody production in SLE. CD72 is an inhibitory B cell co-receptor that down-regulates BCR signaling, and prevents the development of SLE. We previously showed that CD72 recognizes the RNA-containing self-antigen Sm/RNP, a target of SLE-specific autoantibodies, and induces B cell tolerance to Sm/RNP by specifically inhibiting B cell response to this self-antigen. Here, we address whether CD72 inhibits B cell response to ribosomes because the ribosome is an RNA-containing self-antigen and is a target of SLE-specific autoantibodies as well as Sm/RNP. We demonstrate that CD72 recognizes ribosomes as a ligand, and specifically inhibits BCR signaling induced by ribosomes. Although conventional protein antigens by themselves do not induce proliferation of specific B cells, ribosomes induce proliferation of B cells reactive to ribosomes in a manner dependent on RNA. This proliferative response is down-regulated by CD72. These results suggest that ribosomes activate B cells by inducing dual signaling through BCR and intracellular RNA sensors and that CD72 inhibits B cell response to ribosomes. Moreover, CD72-/- but not CD72+/+ mice spontaneously produce anti-ribosome autoantibodies. Taken together, CD72 induces B cell self-tolerance to ribosomes by recognizing ribosomes and inhibiting RNA-dependent B cell response to this self-antigen. CD72 appears to prevent development of SLE by inhibiting autoimmune B cell responses to multiple RNA-containing self-antigens. Because these self-antigens but not protein self-antigens induce RNA-dependent B cell activation, self-tolerance to RNA-containing self-antigens may require a distinct tolerance mechanism mediated by CD72.

Elucidation of binding mechanism, affinity, and complex structure between mWT1 tumor-associated antigen peptide and HLA-A*24:02.

We have applied our advanced computational and experimental methodologies to investigate the complex structure and binding mechanism of a modified Wilms' Tumor 1 (mWT1) protein epitope to the understudied Asian-dominant allele HLA-A*24:02 (HLA-A24) in aqueous solution. We have applied our developed multicanonical molecular dynamics (McMD)-based dynamic docking method to analyze the binding pathway and mechanism, which we verified by comparing the highest probability structures from simulation with our experimentally solved x-ray crystal structure. Subsequent path sampling MD simulations elucidated the atomic details of the binding process and indicated that first an encounter complex is formed between the N-terminal's positive charge of the 9-residue mWT1 fragment peptide and a cluster of negative residues on the surface of HLA-A24, with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule preferring a predominantly closed conformation. The peptide first binds to this closed MHC conformation, forming an encounter complex, after which the binding site opens due to increased entropy of the binding site, allowing the peptide to bind to form the native complex structure. Further sequence and structure analyses also suggest that although the peptide loading complex would help with stabilizing the MHC molecule, the binding depends in a large part on the intrinsic affinity between the MHC molecule and the antigen peptide. Finally, our computational tools and analyses can be of great benefit to study the binding mechanism of different MHC types to their antigens, where it could also be useful in the development of higher affinity variant peptides and for personalized medicine.

Structural analysis of the water channel AQP2 by single-particle cryo-EM.

Water channels, which are small membrane proteins almost entirely buried in lipid membranes, are challenging research targets for single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a powerful technique routinely used to determine the structures of membrane proteins. Because the single-particle method enables structural analysis of a whole protein with flexible parts that interfere with crystallization, we have focused our efforts on analyzing water channel structures. Here, utilizing this system, we analyzed the structure of full-length aquaporin-2 (AQP2), a primary regulator of vasopressin-dependent reabsorption of water at the renal collecting ducts. The 2.9 Å resolution map revealed a cytoplasmic extension of the cryo-EM density that was presumed to be the highly flexible C-terminus at which the localization of AQP2 is regulated in the renal collecting duct cells. We also observed a continuous density along the common water pathway inside the channel pore and lipid-like molecules at the membrane interface. Observations of these constructions in the AQP2 structure analyzed without any fiducial markers (e.g., a rigidly bound antibody) indicate that single-particle cryo-EM will be useful for investigating water channels in native states as well as in complexes with chemical compounds.

Recognition Mechanism of a Novel Gabapentinoid Drug, Mirogabalin, for Recombinant Human α2δ1, a Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Subunit.

Mirogabalin is a novel gabapentinoid drug with a hydrophobic bicyclo substituent on the γ-aminobutyric acid moiety that targets the voltage-gated calcium channel subunit α2δ1. Here, to reveal the mirogabalin recognition mechanisms of α2δ1, we present structures of recombinant human α2δ1 with and without mirogabalin analyzed by cryo-electron microscopy. These structures show the binding of mirogabalin to the previously reported gabapentinoid binding site, which is the extracellular dCache_1 domain containing a conserved amino acid binding motif. A slight conformational change occurs around the residues positioned close to the hydrophobic group of mirogabalin. Mutagenesis binding assays identified that residues in the hydrophobic interaction region, in addition to several amino acid binding motif residues around the amino and carboxyl groups of mirogabalin, are critical for mirogabalin binding. The A215L mutation introduced to decrease the hydrophobic pocket volume predictably suppressed mirogabalin binding and promoted the binding of another ligand, L-Leu, with a smaller hydrophobic substituent than mirogabalin. Alterations of residues in the hydrophobic interaction region of α2δ1 to those of the α2δ2, α2δ3, and α2δ4 isoforms, of which α2δ3 and α2δ4 are gabapentin-insensitive, suppressed the binding of mirogabalin. These results support the importance of hydrophobic interactions in α2δ1 ligand recognition.

Structures of oxygen dissociation intermediates of 400 kDa V2 hemoglobin provide coarse snapshots of the protein allostery.

Ever since the historic discovery of the cooperative oxygenation of its multiple subunits, hemoglobin (Hb) has been among the most exhaustively studied allosteric proteins. However, the lack of structural information on the intermediates between oxygenated and deoxygenated forms prevents our detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of its allostery. It has been difficult to prepare crystals of intact oxy-deoxy intermediates and to individually identify the oxygen saturation for each subunit. However, our recent crystallographic studies have demonstrated that giant Hbs from annelids are suitable for overcoming these problems and can provide abundant information on oxy-deoxy intermediate structures. Here, we report the crystal structures of oxy-deoxy intermediates of a 400 kDa Hb (V2Hb) from the annelid Lamellibrachia satsuma, following up on a series of previous studies of similar giant Hbs. Four intermediate structures had average oxygen saturations of 78%, 69%, 55%, and 26%, as determined by the occupancy refinement of the bound oxygen based on ambient temperature factors. The structures demonstrate that the cooperative oxygen dissociation is weaker, large ternary and quaternary changes are induced at a later stage of the oxygen dissociation process, and the ternary and quaternary changes are smaller with local perturbations. Nonetheless, the overall structural transition seemed to proceed in the manner of the MWC two-state model. Our crystallographic snapshots of the allosteric transition of V2Hb provide important experimental evidence for a more detailed understanding of the allostery of Hbs by extension of the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) model.

Lithocholic Acid Amides as Potent Vitamin D Receptor Agonists.

1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1α,25(OH)2D3, 1] is an active form of vitamin D3 and regulates various biological phenomena, including calcium and phosphate homeostasis, bone metabolism, and immune response via binding to and activation of vitamin D receptor (VDR). Lithocholic acid (LCA, 2) was identified as a second endogenous agonist of VDR, though its potency is very low. However, the lithocholic acid derivative 3 (Dcha-20) is a more potent agonist than 1α,25(OH)2D3, (1), and its carboxyl group has similar interactions to the 1,3-dihydroxyl groups of 1 with amino acid residues in the VDR ligand-binding pocket. Here, we designed and synthesized amide derivatives of 3 in order to clarify the role of the carboxyl group. The synthesized amide derivatives showed HL-60 cell differentiation-inducing activity with potency that depended upon the substituent on the amide nitrogen atom. Among them, the N-cyanoamide 6 is more active than either 1 or 3.

Varying the Directionality of Protein Catalysts for Aldol and Retro-Aldol Reactions.

Natural aldolase enzymes and created retro-aldolase protein catalysts often catalyze both aldol and retro-aldol reactions depending on the concentrations of the reactants and the products. Here, we report that the directionality of protein catalysts can be altered by replacing one amino acid. The protein catalyst derived from a scaffold of a previously reported retro-aldolase catalyst, catalyzed aldol reactions more efficiently than the previously reported retro-aldolase catalyst. The retro-aldolase catalyst efficiently catalyzed the retro-aldol reaction but was less efficient in catalyzing the aldol reaction. The results indicate that protein catalysts with varying levels of directionality in usually reversibly catalyzed aldol and retro-aldol reactions can be generated from the same protein scaffold.

Coarse snapshots of oxygen-dissociation intermediates of a giant hemoglobin elucidated by determining the oxygen saturation in individual subunits in the crystalline state.

Cooperative oxygen binding of hemoglobin (Hb) has been studied for over half a century as a representative example of the allostericity of proteins. The most important problem remaining to be solved is the lack of structural information on the intermediates between the oxygenated and deoxygenated forms. In order to characterize the intermediate structures, it is necessary to obtain intermediate-state crystals, determine their oxygen saturations and then determine the oxygen saturations of each of their constituent subunits, all of which are challenging issues even now. Here, intermediate forms of the 400 kDa giant Hb from the tubeworm Oligobrachia mashikoi are reported. To overcome the above problems without any artificial modifications to the protein or prosthetic groups, intermediate crystals of the giant Hb were prepared from fully oxygenated crystals by a soaking method. The oxygen saturation of the crystals was measured by in situ observation with a microspectrophotometer using thin plate crystals processed by an ultraviolet laser to avoid saturation of absorption. The oxygen saturation of each subunit was determined by occupancy refinement of the bound oxygen based on ambient temperature factors. The obtained structures reveal the detailed relationship between the structural transition and oxygen dissociation. The dimer subassembly of the giant Hb shows strong correlation with the local structural changes at the heme pockets. Although some local ternary-structural changes occur in the early stages of the structural transition, the associated global ternary-structural and quaternary-structural changes might arise at about 50% oxygen saturation. The models based on coarse snapshots of the allosteric transition support the conventional two-state model of Hbs and provide the missing pieces of the intermediate structures that are required for full understanding of the allosteric nature of Hbs in detail.

Cutinases from thermophilic bacteria (actinomycetes): From identification to functional and structural characterization.

Thermophilic cutinases are mainly obtained from thermophilic actinomycetes, and are categorized into two groups, i.e., those with higher (>70°C) or lower (<70°C) thermostabilities. The thermostabilities of cutinases are highly relevant to their ability to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Many crystal structures of thermophilic cutinases have been solved, showing that their overall backbone structures are identical, irrespective of their ability to hydrolyze PET. One of the unique properties of cutinases is that metal ion-binding on the enzyme's surface both elevates their melting temperatures and activates the enzyme. In this chapter, we introduce the methodology for the identification and cloning of thermophilic cutinases from actinomycetes. For detailed characterization of cutinases, we describe the approach to analyze the intricate dynamics of the enzyme, based on its crystal structures complexed with metal ions and model substrates using a combination of experimental and computational techniques.

Molecular interactions of the CTLA-4 cytoplasmic region with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase SH2 domains.

During T-cell regulation, T-cell receptors and CD28 lead to signaling activation, while T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is known to lead to downregulation, similar to programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). In the cytoplasmic tails of CD28 and CTLA-4, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) binds to the consensus sequence including phosphotyrosine via SH2 domains, N- and C-terminal SH2 domains (nSH2 and cSH2), of its regulatory subunit, p85. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of a CTLA-4-derived phosphopeptide in complex with a Cys-substituted mutant of cSH2, C656S/C659V/C670L, at a 1.1 Å resolution. Phosphotyrosine of the bound peptide is tightly accommodated by the residues Arg631, Arg649, Ser651, and Ser652, similar to the cSH2 wild-type recognition mode of CD28, as reported previously. Upon the Cys mutation, the cSH2 thermal stability increased while the CTLA-4 binding affinity slightly changed. The binding experiments also showed that the binding affinity of CTLA-4 by cSH2 was approximately two orders of magnitude lower than that of CD28. Similar to CD28 binding, the CTLA-4 binding affinity of nSH2 was lower than that of cSH2. The complex structure of nSH2 and CTLA-4 was modeled, and compared with the crystal structure of cSH2 mutant and CTLA-4. The difference in the binding affinity between CD28 and CTLA-4, along with the difference between nSH2 and cSH2, could be explained by the 3D structures, which would be closely correlated with the respective T-cell signaling.

Multiple structural states of Ca2+-regulated PET hydrolase, Cut190, and its correlation with activity and stability.

An enzyme, Cut190, from a thermophilic isolate, Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190 could depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The catalytic activity and stability of Cut190 and its S226P/R228S mutant, Cut190*, are regulated by Ca2+ binding. We previously determined the crystal structures of the inactive mutant of Cut190*, Cut190*S176A, in complex with metal ions, Ca2+ and Zn2+, and substrates, monoethyl succinate and monoethyl adipate. In this study, we determined the crystal structures of another mutant of Cut190*, Cut190**, in which the three C-terminal residues of Cut190* are deleted, and the inactive mutant, Cut190**S176A, in complex with metal ions. In addition to the previously observed closed, open and engaged forms, we determined the ejecting form, which would allow the product to irreversibly dissociate, followed by proceeding to the next cycle of reaction. These multiple forms would be stable or sub-stable states of Cut190, regulated by Ca2+ binding, and would be closely correlated with the enzyme function. Upon the deletion of the C-terminal residues, we found that the thermal stability increased while retaining the activity. The increased stability could be applied for the protein engineering of Cut190 for PET depolymerization as it requires the reaction above the glass transition temperature of PET.

Structural basis of mutants of PET-degrading enzyme from Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190 with high activity and thermal stability.

The cutinase-like enzyme from the thermophile Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190, Cut190, is a good candidate to depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET) efficiently. We previously developed a mutant of Cut190 (S226P/R228S), which we designated as Cut190* that has both increased activity and stability and solved its crystal structure. Recently, we showed that mutation of D250C/E296C on one of the Ca2+ -binding sites resulted in a higher thermal stability while retaining its polyesterase activity. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of Cut190* mutants, Q138A/D250C-E296C/Q123H/N202H, designated as Cut190*SS, and its inactive S176A mutant, Cut190*SS_S176A, at high resolution. The overall structures were similar to those of Cut190* and Cut190*S176A reported previously. As expected, Cys250 and Cys296 were closely located to form a disulfide bond, which would assuredly contribute to increase the stability. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments and 3D Reference Interaction Site Model calculations showed that the metal-binding properties of the Cut190*SS series were different from those of the Cut190* series. However, our results show that binding of Ca2+ to the weak binding site, site 1, would be retained, enabling Cut190*SS to keep its ability to use Ca2+ to accelerate the conformational change from the closed (inactive) to the open (active) form. While increasing the thermal stability, Cut190*SS could still express its enzymatic function. Even after incubation at 70°C, which corresponds to the glass transition temperature of PET, the enzyme retained its activity well, implying a high applicability for industrial PET depolymerization using Cut190*SS.

Lithocholic Acid Derivatives as Potent Vitamin D Receptor Agonists.

Lithocholic acid (2) was identified as a second endogenous ligand of vitamin D receptor (VDR), though its activity is very weak. In this study, we designed novel lithocholic acid derivatives based on the crystal structure of VDR-ligand-binding domain (LBD) bound to 2. Among the synthesized compounds, 6 bearing a 2-hydroxy-2-methylprop-1-yl group instead of the 3-hydroxy group at the 3α-position of 2 showed dramatically increased activity in HL-60 cell differentiation assay, being at least 10 000 times more potent than lithocholic acid (2) and 3 times more potent than 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1). Although the binding affinities of 6 and its epimer 7 were less than that of 1, their transactivation activities were greater than that of 1. X-ray structure analyses of VDR LBD bound to 6 or 7 showed that the binding positions of these compounds in the ligand-binding pocket are similar to that of 1.

A Guillain-Barré syndrome-associated SIGLEC10 rare variant impairs its recognition of gangliosides.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), including its variant Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), is an acute peripheral neuropathy that involves autoimmune mechanisms leading to the production of autoantibodies to gangliosides; sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids. Although association with various genetic polymorphisms in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is shown in other autoimmune diseases, GBS is an exception, showing no such link. No significant association was found by genome wide association studies, suggesting that GBS is not associated with common variants. To address the involvement of rare variants in GBS, we analyzed Siglec-10, a sialic acid-recognizing inhibitory receptor expressed on B cells. Here we demonstrate that two rare variants encoding R47Q and A108V substitutions in the ligand-binding domain are significantly accumulated in patients with GBS. Because of strong linkage disequilibrium, there was no patient carrying only one of them. Recombinant Siglec-10 protein containing R47Q but not A108V shows impaired binding to gangliosides. Homology modeling revealed that the R47Q substitution causes marked alteration in the ligand-binding site. Thus, GBS is associated with a rare variant of the SIGLEC10 gene that impairs ligand binding of Siglec-10. Because Siglec-10 regulates antibody production to sialylated antigens, our finding suggests that Siglec-10 regulates development of GBS by suppressing antibody production to gangliosides, with defects in its function predisposing to disease.

Three-dimensional structure of a high affinity anti-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl antibody possessing a glycine residue at position 95 of the heavy chain.

Antibodies possessing high affinity and specificity are desired as therapeutic reagents and biosensor materials. Such antibodies are often obtained from immunized animals through the process referred to as affinity maturation where antibody affinity increases with time after immunization. Somatic hypermutation (SHM) was shown to be involved in this process; however, structural basis of affinity maturation has not well been understood yet. We analyzed the crystal structure of a high affinity anti-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl antibody, C6, possessing Gly at position 95 of heavy chain and 17 amino acid replacements by SHM. Here, we discuss how the amino acid residues at position 95, introduced at a junction of VH and DH gene segments during gene-recombination, as well as those replaced by SHM contribute to increasing the affinity by comparing the C6 structure with that of a germline low affinity antibody, N1G9, possessing Tyr at position 95.

Structural and functional properties of Grb2 SH2 dimer in CD28 binding.

Growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2) is an adaptor protein that plays a critical role in cellular signal transduction. It contains a central Src homology 2 (SH2) domain flanked by two Src homology 3 (SH3) domains. Binding of Grb2 SH2 to the cytoplasmic region of CD28, phosphorylated Tyr (pY) containing the peptide motif pY-X-N-X, is required for costimulatory signaling in T cells. In this study, we purified the dimer and monomer forms of Grb2 SH2, respectively, and analyzed their structural and functional properties. Size exclusion chromatography analysis showed that both dimer and monomer exist as stable states. Thermal stability analysis using circular dichroism showed that the dimer mostly dissociates into the monomer around 50°C. CD28 binding experiments showed that the affinity of the dimer to the phosphopeptide was about three fold higher than that of the monomer, possibly due to the avidity effect. The present crystal structure analysis of Grb2 SH2 showed two forms; one is monomer at 1.15 Å resolution, which is currently the highest resolution analysis, and another is dimer at 2.00 Å resolution. In the dimer structure, the C-terminal region, comprising residues 123-152, was extended towards the adjacent molecule, in which Trp121 was the hinge residue. The stable dimer purified using size exclusion chromatography would be due to the C-terminal helix "swapping". In cases where a mutation caused Trp121 to be replaced by Ser in Grb2 SH2, this protein still formed dimers, but lost the ability to bind CD28.

Dual conformation of the ligand induces the partial agonistic activity of retinoid X receptor α (RXRα).

1-[(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)amino]benzotriazole-5-carboxylic acid (CBt-PMN), a partial agonist of retinoid X receptor (RXR), has attracted attention due to its potential to treat type 2 diabetes and central nervous system diseases with reduced adverse effects of existing full agonists. Herein, we report the crystal structure of CBt-PMN-bound ligand-binding domain of human RXRα (hRXRα) and its biochemical characterization. Interestingly, the structure is a tetramer in nature, in which CBt-PMNs are clearly found binding in two different conformations. The dynamics of the hRXRα/CBt-PMN complex examined using molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the flexibility of the AF-2 interface depends on the conformation of the ligand. These facts reveal that the dual conformation of CBt-PMN in the complex is probably the reason behind its partial agonistic activity.

Structural Dynamics of the PET-Degrading Cutinase-like Enzyme from Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190 in Substrate-Bound States Elucidates the Ca2+-Driven Catalytic Cycle.

A cutinase-type polyesterase from Saccharomonospora viridis AHK190 (Cut190) has been shown to degrade the inner block of polyethylene terephthalate. A unique feature of Cut190 is that its function and stability are regulated by Ca2+ binding. Our previous crystal structure analysis of Cut190S226P showed that one Ca2+ binds to the enzyme, which induces large conformational changes in several loop regions to stabilize an open conformation [Miyakawa, T., et al. (2015) Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 99, 4297]. In this study, to analyze the substrate recognition mechanism of Cut190, we determined the crystal structure of the inactive form of a Cut190 mutant, Cut190*S176A, in complex with calcium ions and/or substrates. We found that three calcium ions bind to Cut190*S176A, which is supported by analysis using native mass spectrometry experiments and 3D Reference Interaction Site Model calculations. The complex structures with the two substrates, monoethyl succinate and monoethyl adipate (engaged and open forms), presumably correspond to the pre- and post-reaction states, as the ester bond is close to the active site and pointing outward from the active site, respectively, for the two complexes. Ca2+ binding induces the pocket to open, enabling the substrate to access the pocket more easily. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that a post-reaction state in the engaged form presumably exists between the experimentally observed forms, indicating that the substrate would be cleaved in the engaged form and then requires the enzyme to change to the open form to release the product, a process that Ca2+ can greatly accelerate.

25 S-Adamantyl-23-yne-26,27-dinor-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: Synthesis, Tissue Selective Biological Activities, and X-ray Crystal Structural Analysis of Its Vitamin D Receptor Complex.

Both 25 R- and 25 S-25-adamantyl-23-yne-26,27-dinor-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (4a and 4b) were stereoselectively synthesized by a Pd(0)-catalyzed ring closure and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling between enol-triflate 7 and alkenyl-boronic ester 8. The 25 S isomer (4b) showed high vitamin D receptor (VDR) affinity (50% of that of the natural hormone 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 1) and transactivation potency (kidney HEK293, 90%). In endogenous gene expression, it showed high cell-type selectivity for kidney cells (HEK293, CYP24A1 160% of 1), bone cells (MG63, osteocalcin 64%), and monocytes (U937, CAMP 96%) over intestine (SW480, CYP24A1 8%) and skin (HaCaT, CYP24A1 7%) cells. The X-ray crystal structural analysis of 4b in complex with rat VDR-ligand binding domain (LBD) showed the highest Cα positional shift from the 1/VDR-LBD complex at helix 11. Helix 11 of the 4b and 1 VDR-LBD complexes also showed significant differences in surface properties. These results suggest that 4b should be examined further as another candidate for a mild preventive osteoporosis agent.

CD22-Binding Synthetic Sialosides Regulate B Lymphocyte Proliferation Through CD22 Ligand-Dependent and Independent Pathways, and Enhance Antibody Production in Mice.

Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs) are expressed in various immune cells and most of them carry signaling functions. High-affinity synthetic sialoside ligands have been developed for various Siglecs. Therapeutic potentials of the nanoparticles and compounds that contain multiple numbers of these sialosides and other reagents such as toxins and antigens have been demonstrated. However, whether immune responses can be regulated by monomeric sialoside ligands has not yet been known. CD22 (also known as Siglec-2) is an inhibitory molecule preferentially expressed in B lymphocytes (B cells) and is constitutively bound and functionally regulated by α2,6 sialic acids expressed on the same cell (cis-ligands). Here, we developed synthetic sialosides GSC718 and GSC839 that bind to CD22 with high affinity (IC50 ~100 nM), and inhibit ligand binding of CD22. When B cells are activated by B cell antigen receptor (BCR) ligation, both GSC718 and GSC839 downregulate proliferation of B cells, and this regulation requires both CD22 and α2,6 sialic acids. This result suggests that these sialosides regulate BCR ligation-induced B cell activation by reversing endogenous ligand-mediated regulation of CD22. By contrast, GSC718 and GSC839 augment B cell proliferation induced by TLR ligands or CD40 ligation, and this augmentation requires CD22 but not α2,6 sialic acids. Thus, these sialosides appear to enhance B cell activation by directly suppressing the inhibitory function of CD22 independently of endogenous ligand-mediated regulation. Moreover, GSC839 augments B cell proliferation that depends on both BCR ligation and CD40 ligation as is the case for in vivo B cell responses to antigens, and enhanced antibody production to the extent comparable to CpG oligonuleotides or a small amount of alum. Although these known adjuvants induce production of the inflammatory cytokines or accumulation of inflammatory cells, CD22-binding sialosides do not. Thus, synthetic sialosides that bind to CD22 with high-affinity modulate B cell activation through endogenous ligand-dependent and independent pathways, and carry an adjuvant activity without inducing inflammation.