Phosphorylation of phase-separated p62 bodies by ULK1 activates a redox-independent stress response.

NRF2 is a transcription factor responsible for antioxidant stress responses that is usually regulated in a redox-dependent manner. p62 bodies formed by liquid-liquid phase separation contain Ser349-phosphorylated p62, which participates in the redox-independent activation of NRF2. However, the regulatory mechanism and physiological significance of p62 phosphorylation remain unclear. Here, we identify ULK1 as a kinase responsible for the phosphorylation of p62. ULK1 colocalizes with p62 bodies, directly interacting with p62. ULK1-dependent phosphorylation of p62 allows KEAP1 to be retained within p62 bodies, thus activating NRF2. p62S351E/+ mice are phosphomimetic knock-in mice in which Ser351, corresponding to human Ser349, is replaced by Glu. These mice, but not their phosphodefective p62S351A/S351A counterparts, exhibit NRF2 hyperactivation and growth retardation. This retardation is caused by malnutrition and dehydration due to obstruction of the esophagus and forestomach secondary to hyperkeratosis, a phenotype also observed in systemic Keap1-knockout mice. Our results expand our understanding of the physiological importance of the redox-independent NRF2 activation pathway and provide new insights into the role of phase separation in this process.

Lactic acidosis induces metabolic and phenotypic reprogramming in cholangiocarcinoma cells via the upregulation of thrombospondin-1.

The high glycolytic activity of cancer cells leads to lactic acidosis (LA) in the tumor microenvironment. LA is not merely a consequence of metabolic activities but also has functional roles in metabolic reprogramming and cancer progression. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells exhibit a high dependency on glycolysis for survival and growth, but the specific effects of LA on cellular characteristics remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that long-term LA (LLA) reprograms the metabolic phenotype of CCA cells from glycolytic to oxidative and enhances their migratory activity. In CCA cell culture, short-term LA (24 h) showed a growth inhibitory effect, while extended LA exposure for more than 2 weeks (LLA) led to enhanced cell motility. Coincidentally, LLA enhanced the respiratory capacity with an increase in mitochondrial mass. Inhibition of mitochondrial function abolished LLA-induced cell motility, suggesting that metabolic remodeling affects the phenotypic outcomes. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that LLA upregulated genes associated with cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), including thrombospondin-1 (THBS1), which encodes a pro-EMT-secreted protein. Inhibition of THBS1 resulted in the suppression of both LLA-induced cell motility and respiratory capacity. Moreover, high THBS1 expression was associated with poor survival in patients with CCA. Collectively, our study suggests that the increased expression of THBS1 by LLA promotes phenotypic alterations, leading to CCA progression.

Lactic acidosis promotes aggressive features of cholangiocarcinoma cells via upregulating ALDH1A3 expression through EGFR axis.

AIMS: Lactic acidosis (LA) generated in tumor microenvironment promotes tumor metastasis and drug resistance. This study aimed to demonstrate the impacts and the mechanisms of LA on aldehyde dehydrogenase1A3 (ALDH1A3) in promoting aggressiveness and gemcitabine resistance in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell lines. The clinical relevance and the molecular pathway related to the upregulation of ALDH1A3 in LA cells will be revealed. MAIN METHODS: ALDH1A3 expression and its clinical significances in CCA tissues were analyzed using the GEO databases. Human CCA cell lines, KKU-213A-LA and KKU-213B-LA maintained in the LA medium were studied and compared with its parental cells cultured in normal medium. Aggressive features-proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and gemcitabine response were determined. Expression of ALDH1A3, EGFR and the downstream effectors were analyzed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. KEY FINDINGS: ALDH1A3 was upregulated in patient CCA tissues and correlated with LDHA and shorter survival of CCA patients. mRNA and protein of ALDH1A3 were increased in LA cells. Attenuation of ALDH1A3 expression by siRNA significantly reduced cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and gemcitabine resistance of LA cells, and gemcitabine resistant cells. The EGF/EGFR signaling via Erk and STAT3 was pinned to be involved in the induction of ALDH1A3 expression in LA cells. The transcriptomic analysis from TCGA dataset supported the links between LDHA, EGFR and ALDH1A3 in several tumor tissues. SIGNIFICANCE: Lactic acidosis upregulated EGFR and ALDH1A3 expression, leading to the aggressiveness of CCA cells. The EGFR/ALDH1A3 axis could be a novel therapeutic target to eradicate metastatic CCA.

Loss of the transcription repressor ZHX3 induces senescence-associated gene expression and mitochondrial-nucleolar activation.

Cellular senescence is accompanied by metabolic and epigenomic remodeling, but the transcriptional mechanism of this process is unclear. Our previous RNA interference-based screen of chromatin factors found that lysine methyltransferases including SETD8 and NSD2 inhibited the senescence program in cultured fibroblasts. Here, we report that loss of the zinc finger and homeobox protein 3 (ZHX3), a ubiquitously expressed transcription repressor, induced senescence-associated gene expression and mitochondrial-nucleolar activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing analyses of growing cells revealed that ZHX3 was enriched at the transcription start sites of senescence-associated genes such as the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (ARF-p16INK4a) gene and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) coding genes. ZHX3 expression was consistently downregulated in cells with replicative or oncogene-induced senescence. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics identified 28 proteins that interacted with ZHX3, including ATP citrate lyase and RNA metabolism proteins. Loss of ZHX3 or ZHX3-interaction partners by knockdown similarly induced the expression of p16INK4a and rRNA genes. Zhx3-knockout mice showed upregulation of p16INK4a in the testes, thymus and skeletal muscle tissues, together with relatively short survival periods in males. These data suggested that ZHX3 plays an essential role in transcriptional control to prevent cellular senescence.

Expression of leukotriene B4 receptor 1 defines functionally distinct DCs that control allergic skin inflammation.

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor 1 (BLT1) is a chemotactic G protein-coupled receptor expressed by leukocytes, such as granulocytes, macrophages, and activated T cells. Although there is growing evidence that BLT1 plays crucial roles in immune responses, its role in dendritic cells remains largely unknown. Here, we identified novel DC subsets defined by the expression of BLT1, namely, BLT1hi and BLT1lo DCs. We also found that BLT1hi and BLT1lo DCs differentially migrated toward LTB4 and CCL21, a lymph node-homing chemoattractant, respectively. By generating LTB4-producing enzyme LTA4H knockout mice and CD11c promoter-driven Cre recombinase-expressing BLT1 conditional knockout (BLT1 cKO) mice, we showed that the migration of BLT1hi DCs exacerbated allergic contact dermatitis. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis revealed that BLT1hi DCs preferentially induced Th1 differentiation by upregulating IL-12p35 expression, whereas BLT1lo DCs accelerated T cell proliferation by producing IL-2. Collectively, the data reveal an unexpected role for BLT1 as a novel DC subset marker and provide novel insights into the role of the LTB4-BLT1 axis in the spatiotemporal regulation of distinct DC subsets.

High glucose-ROS conditions enhance the progression in cholangiocarcinoma via upregulation of MAN2A2 and CHD8.

Diabetes is a major risk factor in the development and progression of several cancers including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the molecular mechanism by which hyperglycemia potentiates progression of CCA is not clearly understood. Here, we showed that a high glucose condition significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and promoted aggressive phenotypes of CCA cells, including proliferation and migration activities. Mannosidase alpha class 2a member 2 (MAN2A2), was upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in a high glucose- and ROS-dependent manner. In addition, cell proliferation and migration were significantly reduced by MAN2A2 knockdown. Based on our proteome and in silico analyses, we further found that chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 8 (CHD8) was induced by ROS signaling and regulated MAN2A2 expression. Overexpression of CHD8 increased MAN2A2 expression, while CHD8 knockdown dramatically reduced proliferation and migration as well as MAN2A2 expression in CCA cells. Moreover, both MAN2A2 and CHD8 were highly expressed with positive correlation in CCA tumor tissues. Collectively, these data suggested that high glucose conditions promote CCA progression through ROS-mediated upregulation of MAN2A2 and CHD8. Thus, glucose metabolism is a promising therapeutic target to control tumor progression in patients with CCA and diabetes.

Cellular Senescence Variation by Metabolic and Epigenomic Remodeling.

Cellular senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest accompanied by unique secretory actions, which influences tissue formation, tumor suppression and aging in vivo. Recent evidences suggest that metabolic and epigenomic reprogram cooperatively creates phenotypic differences of senescent cells, which may provide new clues to control aging processes.

Leukotriene A4 hydrolase deficiency protects mice from diet-induced obesity by increasing energy expenditure through neuroendocrine axis.

Obesity is a health problem worldwide, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) is important for energy expenditure. Here, we explored the role of leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4 H), a key enzyme in the synthesis of the lipid mediator leukotriene B4 (LTB4 ), in diet-induced obesity. LTA4 H-deficient (LTA4 H-KO) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) showed a lean phenotype, and bone-marrow transplantation studies revealed that LTA4 H-deficiency in non-hematopoietic cells was responsible for this lean phenotype. LTA4 H-KO mice exhibited greater energy expenditure, but similar food intake and fecal energy loss. LTA4 H-KO BAT showed higher expression of thermogenesis-related genes. In addition, the plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid hormone concentrations, as well as HFD-induced catecholamine secretion, were higher in LTA4 H-KO mice. In contrast, LTB4 receptor (BLT1)-deficient mice did not show a lean phenotype, implying that the phenotype of LTA4 H-KO mice is independent of the LTB4 /BLT1 axis. These results indicate that LTA4 H mediates the diet-induced obesity by reducing catecholamine and thyroid hormone secretion.

The NSD2/WHSC1/MMSET methyltransferase prevents cellular senescence-associated epigenomic remodeling.

Senescent cells may possess the intrinsic programs of metabolic and epigenomic remodeling, but the molecular mechanism remains to be clarified. Using an RNAi-based screen of chromatin regulators, we found that knockdown of the NSD2/WHSC1/MMSET methyltransferase induced cellular senescence that augmented mitochondrial mass and oxidative phosphorylation in primary human fibroblasts. Transcriptome analysis showed that loss of NSD2 downregulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes in a retinoblastoma protein (RB)-mediated manner. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses further revealed that NSD2 was enriched at the gene bodies of actively transcribed genes, including cell cycle-related genes, and that loss of NSD2 decreased the levels of histone H3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) at these gene loci. Consistent with these findings, oncogene-induced or replicative senescent cells showed reduced NSD2 expression together with lower H3K36me3 levels at NSD2-enriched genes. In addition, we found that NSD2 gene was upregulated by serum stimulation and required for the induction of cell cycle-related genes. Indeed, in both mouse and human tissues and human cancer cell lines, the expression levels of NSD2 were positively correlated with those of cell cycle-related genes. These data reveal that NSD2 plays a pivotal role in epigenomic maintenance and cell cycle control to prevent cellular senescence.

Leukotriene B4 receptor 1 exacerbates inflammation following myocardial infarction.

Leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1), a high-affinity G-protein-coupled receptor for leukotriene B4 (LTB4 ), is expressed on various inflammatory cells and plays critical roles in several inflammatory diseases. In myocardial infarction (MI), various inflammatory cells are known to be recruited to the infarcted area, but the function of BLT1 in MI is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of BLT1 in MI and the therapeutic effect of a BLT1 antagonist, ONO-4057, on MI. Mice with infarcted hearts showed increased BLT1 expression and LTB4 levels. BLT1-knockout mice with infarcted hearts exhibited attenuated leukocyte infiltration, proinflammatory cytokine production, and cell death, which led to reduced mortality and improved cardiac function after MI. Bone-marrow transplantation studies showed that BLT1 expressed on bone marrow-derived cells was responsible for the exacerbation of inflammation in infarcted hearts. Furthermore, ONO-4057 administration attenuated the inflammatory responses in hearts surgically treated for MI, which resulted in reduced mortality and improved cardiac function after MI. Our study demonstrated that BLT1 contributes to excessive inflammation after MI and could represent a new therapeutic target for MI.

Computational analysis of morphological and molecular features in gastric cancer tissues.

Biological morphologies of cells and tissues represent their physiological and pathological conditions. The importance of quantitative assessment of morphological information has been highly recognized in clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. In this study, we used a supervised machine learning algorithm wndchrm to classify hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained images of human gastric cancer tissues. This analysis distinguished between noncancer and cancer tissues with different histological grades. We then classified the H&E-stained images by expression levels of cancer-associated nuclear ATF7IP/MCAF1 and membranous PD-L1 proteins using immunohistochemistry of serial sections. Interestingly, classes with low and high expressions of each protein exhibited significant morphological dissimilarity in H&E images. These results indicated that morphological features in cancer tissues are correlated with expression of specific cancer-associated proteins, suggesting the usefulness of biomolecular-based morphological classification.

α1-Acid Glycoprotein Attenuates Adriamycin-Induced Nephropathy via CD163 Expressing Macrophage Induction.

Background: Recent clinical studies have shown that proteinuria is a critical factor in the progression of CKD and onset of cardiovascular disease. Inflammation and infiltration of macrophages into renal tissue are implicated as causes of proteinuria. α1-Acid glycoprotein (AGP), an acute-phase plasma protein, is leaked into the urine in patients with proteinuria. However, the relationship between urinary leakage of AGP, renal inflammation, and proteinuria remains unclear. Methods: Human AGP (hAGP) was exogenously administrated for 5 consecutive days to adriamycin-induced nephropathy model mice. Results: Adriamycin treatment increased urinary AGP, accompanied by decreased plasma AGP in mice. Exogenous hAGP administration to adriamycin-treated mice suppressed proteinuria, renal histologic injury, and inflammation. hAGP administration increased renal CD163 expression, a marker of anti-inflammatory macrophages. Similar changes were observed in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells treated with hAGP. Even in the presence of LPS, hAGP treatment increased CD163/IL-10 expression in differentiated THP-1 cells. Conclusions: AGP alleviates proteinuria and renal injury in mice with proteinuric kidney disease via induction of CD163-expressing macrophages with anti-inflammatory function. The results demonstrate that endogenous AGP could work to protect against glomerular disease. Thus, AGP supplementation could be a possible new therapeutic intervention for patients with glomerular disease.

BLT1 mediates commensal bacteria-dependent innate immune signals to enhance antigen-specific intestinal IgA responses.

Leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1) triggers the migration of granulocytes and activated T cells; however, its role in B-cell function remains unclear. Here we report that BLT1 is required to induce the production of antigen-specific IgA against oral vaccine through mediating innate immune signals from commensal bacteria. B cells acquire BLT1 expression during their differentiation to IgA+ B cells and plasma cells in Peyer's patches and the small intestinal lamina propria, respectively. BLT1 KO mice exhibited impaired production of antigen-specific fecal IgA to oral vaccine despite normal IgG responses to systemically immunized antigen. Expression of MyD88 was decreased in BLT1 KO gut B cells and consequently led to diminished proliferation of commensal bacteria-dependent plasma cells. These results indicate that BLT1 enhances the proliferation of commensal bacteria-dependent IgA+ plasma cells through the induction of MyD88 and thereby plays a key role in the production of antigen-specific intestinal IgA.

Leukotriene B4 promotes neovascularization and macrophage recruitment in murine wet-type AMD models.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive chronic disease of the central retina, is associated with aging and is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Here, we demonstrate that leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor 1 (BLT1) promotes laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in a mouse model for wet-type AMD. CNV was significantly less in BLT1-deficient (BLT1-KO) mice compared with BLT1-WT controls. Expression of several proangiogenic and profibrotic factors was lower in BLT1-KO eyes than in BLT1-WT eyes. LTB4 production in the eyes was substantially increased in the early phase after laser injury. BLT1 was highly expressed in M2 macrophages in vitro and in vivo, and ocular BLT1+ M2 macrophages were increased in the aged eyes after laser injury. Furthermore, M2 macrophages were rapidly attracted by LTB4 and subsequently produced VEGF-A- through BLT1-mediated signaling. Consequently, intravitreal injection of M2 macrophages augmented CNV formation, which was attenuated by BLT1 deficiency. Thus, laser-induced injury to the retina triggered LTB4 production and attracted M2 macrophages via BLT1, leading to development of CNV. A selective BLT1 antagonist (CP105696) and 3 LTB4 inhibitors (zileuton, MK-886, and bestatin) reduced CNV in a dose-dependent manner. CP105696 also inhibited the accumulation of BLT1+ M2 macrophages in the laser-injured eyes of aged mice. Together, these results indicate that the LTB4-BLT1 axis is a potentially novel therapeutic target for CNV of wet-type AMD.

Profiling of bioactive lipids in different dendritic cell subsets using an improved multiplex quantitative LC-MS/MS method.

Lipids are an energy source and key components of the cell membrane; however, they are also bioactive mediators of physiological and pathophysiological phenomena. Quantification of bioactive lipids is not easy because they have diverse chemical properties and are present in trace amounts. Here, we improved a multiplex method of quantifying bioactive lipids, thereby enabling measurement of 90 compounds simultaneously. We then used this system to quantify bioactive lipids produced by two subsets of dendritic cells (DCs): all-trans retinoic acid-treated DCs (RA-DCs) (a type of tolerogenic DC (tDC)) and conventional DCs (cDCs). We found that cDCs produced inflammatory lipid mediators such as leukotrienes, whereas RA-DCs produced anti-inflammatory lipid mediators such as prostaglandin I2. Consistent with this, cDCs expressed larger amounts of mRNA encoding 5-lipoxygenase and LTA4 hydrolase (both responsible for leukotriene biosynthesis) and RA-DCs produced larger amounts of mRNA encoding prostaglandin I2 synthase. Taken together, the results suggest that the method is useful for clarifying the roles of bioactive lipids during immune responses.

Development of Kupffer cell targeting type-I interferon for the treatment of hepatitis via inducing anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions.

Because of its multifaceted anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, delivering type-I interferon to Kupffer cells has the potential to function as a novel type of therapy for the treatment of various types of hepatitis. We report herein on the preparation of a Kupffer cell targeting type-I interferon, an albumin-IFNα2b fusion protein that contains highly mannosylated N-linked oligosaccharide chains, Man-HSA(D494N)-IFNα2b, attached by combining albumin fusion technology and site-directed mutagenesis. The presence of this unique oligosaccharide permits the protein to be efficiently, rapidly and preferentially distributed to Kupffer cells. Likewise IFNα2b, Man-HSA(D494N)-IFNα2b caused a significant induction in the mRNA levels of IL-10, IL-1Ra, PD-L1 in RAW264.7 cells and mouse isolated Kupffer cells, and these inductions were largely inhibited by blocking the interferon receptor. These data indicate that Man-HSA(D494N)-IFNα2b retained the biological activities of type-I interferon. Man-HSA(D494N)-IFNα2b significantly inhibited liver injury in Concanavalin A (Con-A)-induced hepatitis model mice, and consequently improved their survival rate. Moreover, the post-administration of Man-HSA(D494N)-IFNα2b at 2 h after the Con-A challenge also exerted hepato-protective effects. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates the therapeutic effectiveness and utility of Kupffer cell targeting type-I interferon against hepatitis via its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions.

Inhibition of Local Macrophage Growth Ameliorates Focal Inflammation and Suppresses Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Macrophages play a central role in various stages of atherosclerotic plaque formation and progression. The local macrophages reportedly proliferate during atherosclerosis, but the pathophysiological significance of macrophage proliferation in this context remains unclear. Here, we investigated the involvement of local macrophage proliferation during atherosclerosis formation and progression using transgenic mice, in which macrophage proliferation was specifically suppressed. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Inhibition of macrophage proliferation was achieved by inducing the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B, also known as p27kip, under the regulation of a scavenger receptor promoter/enhancer. The macrophage-specific human p27kip Tg mice were subsequently crossed with apolipoprotein E-deficient mice for the atherosclerotic plaque study. Results showed that a reduced number of local macrophages resulted in marked suppression of atherosclerotic plaque formation and inflammatory response in the plaque. Moreover, fewer local macrophages in macrophage-specific human p27kip Tg mice helped stabilize the plaque, as evidenced by a reduced necrotic core area, increased collagenous extracellular matrix, and thickened fibrous cap. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide direct evidence of the involvement of local macrophage proliferation in formation and progression of atherosclerotic plaques and plaque stability. Thus, control of macrophage proliferation might represent a therapeutic target for treating atherosclerotic diseases.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug delays corneal wound healing by reducing production of 12-hydroxyheptadecatrienoic acid, a ligand for leukotriene B4 receptor 2.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used to reduce inflammation by suppressing cyclooxygenases (COXs). NSAID eye drops are frequently prescribed after ocular surgery to reduce inflammation and pain, but this treatment has clinically significant side effects, including corneal ulcer and perforation. The molecular mechanisms underlying these side effects remain unknown. Recently, the COX product 12(S)-hydroxyheptadeca-5Z,8E,10E-trienoic acid (12-HHT) was identified as an endogenous ligand for leukotriene B4 receptor 2 (BLT2), which is important in maintenance of epithelial homeostasis. We hypothesized that NSAID-dependent corneal damage is caused by reduced production of 12-HHT. Diclofenac eye drops decreased the abundance of downstream products of COX and delayed corneal wound healing in BALB/c mice. Expression of BLT2 was observed in murine ocular tissues including cornea, and in human corneal epithelial cell line and human primary corneal epithelial cells. In BLT2-knockout mice, corneal wound healing was delayed, but the diclofenac-dependent delay in corneal wound healing disappeared. 12-HHT accelerated wound closure both in BLT2-transfected corneal cell line and human primary corneal epithelial cells. Thus, our results reveal that NSAIDs delay corneal wound healing by inhibiting 12-HHT production, and suggest that stimulation of the 12-HHT/BLT2 axis represents a novel therapeutic approach to corneal wound healing.

Biochemical and immunological characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody against mouse leukotriene B4 receptor 1.

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor 1 (BLT1) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed in various leukocyte subsets; however, the precise expression of mouse BLT1 (mBLT1) has not been reported because a mBLT1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) has not been available. In this study, we present the successful establishment of a hybridoma cell line (clone 7A8) that produces a high-affinity mAb for mBLT1 by direct immunization of BLT1-deficient mice with mBLT1-overexpressing cells. The specificity of clone 7A8 was confirmed using mBLT1-overexpressing cells and mouse peripheral blood leukocytes that endogenously express BLT1. Clone 7A8 did not cross-react with human BLT1 or other G protein-coupled receptors, including human chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4. The 7A8 mAb binds to the second extracellular loop of mBLT1 and did not affect LTB4 binding or intracellular calcium mobilization by LTB4. The 7A8 mAb positively stained Gr-1-positive granulocytes, CD11b-positive granulocytes/monocytes, F4/80-positive monocytes, CCR2-high and CCR2-low monocyte subsets in the peripheral blood and a CD4-positive T cell subset, Th1 cells differentiated in vitro from naïve CD4-positive T cells. This mAb was able to detect Gr-1-positive granulocytes and monocytes in the spleens of naïve mice by immunohistochemistry. Finally, intraperitoneal administration of 7A8 mAb depleted granulocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood. We have therefore succeeded in generating a high-affinity anti-mBLT1 mAb that is useful for analyzing mBLT1 expression in vitro and in vivo.

Generation and characterization of a human-mouse chimeric high-affinity antibody that detects the DYKDDDDK FLAG peptide.

DYKDDDDK peptide (FLAG) is a useful tool for investigating the function and localization of proteins whose antibodies (Abs) are not available. We recently established a high-affinity monoclonal antibody (mAb) for FLAG (clone 2H8). The 2H8 Ab is highly sensitive for detecting FLAG-tagged proteins by flowcytometry and immunoprecipitation, but it can yield nonspecific signals in immunohistochemistry of mouse tissues because it is of mouse origin. In this study, we reduced nonspecific signals by generating a chimeric 2H8 Ab with Fc fragments derived from human immunoglobulin. We fused a 5' terminal cDNA fragments for the Fab region of 2H8 mAb with 3' terminal cDNA fragments for Fc region of human IgG1. We transfected both chimeric plasmids and purified the resulting human-mouse chimeric 2H8. The chimeric 2H8 Ab successfully detected FLAG-tagged proteins in flowcytometry with anti-human IgG secondary Ab with comparable sensitivity to 2H8 mAb. Importantly, chimeric 2H8 detected specific FLAG peptide signals without nonspecific signals in immunohistochemical analysis with mouse tissues. This human-mouse chimeric high-affinity anti-FLAG Ab will prove useful for future immunohistochemical analysis of mouse tissues.