RESUMO
Due to their exceptional solubility and stability, nanobodies have emerged as powerful building blocks for research tools and therapeutics. However, their generation in llamas is cumbersome and costly. Here, by inserting an engineered llama immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus into IgH-deficient mice, we generate a transgenic mouse line, which we refer to as 'LamaMouse'. We demonstrate that LamaMice solely express llama IgH molecules without association to Igκ or λ light chains. Immunization of LamaMice with AAV8, the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, IgE, IgG2c, and CLEC9A enabled us to readily select respective target-specific nanobodies using classical hybridoma and phage display technologies, single B cell screening, and direct cloning of the nanobody-repertoire into a mammalian expression vector. Our work shows that the LamaMouse represents a flexible and broadly applicable platform for a facilitated selection of target-specific nanobodies.
Assuntos
Camelídeos Americanos , Cadeias Pesadas de Imunoglobulinas , Camundongos Transgênicos , Anticorpos de Domínio Único , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus , Animais , Anticorpos de Domínio Único/genética , Anticorpos de Domínio Único/imunologia , Camelídeos Americanos/imunologia , Cadeias Pesadas de Imunoglobulinas/genética , Cadeias Pesadas de Imunoglobulinas/imunologia , Camundongos , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/imunologia , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/genética , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/química , Lectinas Tipo C/metabolismo , Lectinas Tipo C/imunologia , Lectinas Tipo C/genética , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Imunoglobulina E/imunologia , Humanos , Dependovirus/genética , Dependovirus/imunologia , Imunoglobulina G/imunologia , COVID-19/imunologia , Linfócitos B/imunologiaRESUMO
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) accumulation in the arterial wall contributes to atherosclerosis initiation and progression1. Activin A receptor-like type 1 (ACVRL1, called activin-like kinase receptor (ALK1)) is a recently identified receptor that mediates LDL entry and transcytosis in endothelial cells (ECs)2,3. However, the role of this pathway in vivo is not yet known. In the present study, we show that genetic deletion of ALK1 in arterial ECs of mice substantially limits LDL accumulation, macrophage infiltration and atherosclerosis without affecting cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Moreover, a selective monoclonal antibody binding ALK1 efficiently blocked LDL transcytosis, but not bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP9) signaling, dramatically reducing plaque formation in LDL receptor knockout mice fed a high-fat diet. Thus, our results demonstrate that blocking LDL transcytosis into the endothelium may be a promising therapeutic strategy that targets the initiating event of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.