More than 370-Fold Increase in Antibody Affinity to Estradiol-17ß by Exploring Substitutions in the VH-CDR3.

Antibodies that specifically target biomarkers are essential in clinical diagnosis. Genetic engineering has assisted in designing novel antibodies that offer greater antigen-binding affinities, thus providing more sensitive immunoassays. We have succeeded in generating a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) targeted estradiol-17ß (E2) with more than 370-fold improved affinity, based on a strategy focusing the complementarity-determining region 3 in the VH domain (VH-CDR3). Systematic exploration of amino acid substitutions therein, using a clonal array profiling, revealed a cluster of four substitutions, containing H99P and a serial substitution E100eN-I100fA-L100gQ that lead to a 90-fold increase in E2-binding affinity. This substitution quartet in the VH-CDR3, combined with the substitution cluster I29V/L36M/S77G in the VL domain, resulted in a scFv fragment with a further increase in the affinity (Ka, 3.2 × 1010 M-1). This enabled a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay capable of detecting up to 0.78 pg/assay. The current study has, thus, focused on the significance of reevaluating the potential of mutagenesis targeting the VH-CDR3, and encouraging the production and use of engineered antibodies that enable enhanced sensitivities as next-generation diagnostic tools.

Purification of Emu IgY for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Use Based on Monoclonal Secondary Antibodies Specific to Emu IgY.

The emu is the second largest ratite; thus, their sera and egg yolks, obtained after immunization, could provide therapeutic and diagnostically important immunoglobulins with improved production efficiency. Reliable purification tools are required to establish a pipeline for supplying practical emu-derived antibodies, the majority of which belongs to the immunoglobulin Y (IgY) class. Therefore, we generated a monoclonal secondary antibody specific to emu IgY. Initially, we immunized an emu with bovine serum albumin multiply haptenized with 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) groups. Polyclonal emu anti-DNP antibodies were partially purified using conventional precipitation method and used as antigen for immunizing a BALB/c mouse. Splenocytes were fused with myeloma cells and a hybridoma clone secreting a desirable secondary antibody (mAb#2-16) was established. The secondary antibody bound specifically to emu-derived IgY, distinguishing IgYs from chicken, duck, ostrich, quail, and turkey, as well as human IgGs. Affinity columns immobilizing the mAb#2-16 antibodies enabled purification of emu IgY fractions from sera and egg yolks via simple protocols, with which we succeeded in producing IgYs specific to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein with a practical binding ability. We expect that the presented purification method, and the secondary antibody produced in this study, will facilitate the utilization of emus as a novel source of therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies.

Enantioselective Monoclonal Antibodies for Detecting Ketamine to Crack Down on Illicit Use.

Ketamine (KT) is a chiral anesthetic agent, (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of which differ in their pharmacological properties. KT has become one of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the world, thus, rapid and feasible on-site testing is required to crack down on the illicit use. Although immunochemical approach with specific antibodies is promising for this purpose, in practice anti-KT antibodies are difficult to obtain. We here disclose generation of monoclonal antibodies against KT. Mice were immunized with either (a) commercially-available or (b) in-house-prepared KT-albumin conjugates. Splenocytes from these mouse groups (a and b) were separately fused with P3/NS1/1-Ag4-1 myeloma cells. After standard screening and cloning, we established 5 hybridoma clones: 2 were derived from group-a mice [generating Ab-KT(a)#2 and #37] and 3 were from group-b mice [generating Ab-KT(b)#9, #13, and #45]. These antibodies exhibited practical performance in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems. When (±)-KT·hydrochloride (HCl) was used as the competitor, dose-response curves showed midpoint values of 30 and 70 ng/assay (a-series antibodies) and 2.0-3.0 ng/assay (b-series antibodies). Remarkably, the a-series antibodies were specific for (S)-KT·HCl, while the b-series antibodies were specific for (R)-KT·HCl. Ab-KT(a)#2 (Ka, 7.5×107 M-1) and Ab-KT(b)#45 (Ka, 7.7×108 M-1) exhibited the highest enantioselectivity for each group, and cross-reactivity with the (R)- and (S)-antipodes was 1.3 and 1.7%, respectively. The hybridomas established here are also valuable as a source of genetic information for the anti-KT antibodies, which is required for progressing to next-generation technologies using genetically engineered antibodies.

Antibodies and Engineered Antibody Fragments against M13 Filamentous Phage to Facilitate Phage-Display-Based Molecular Breeding.

Antibodies are essential for characterizing various analytes. "Molecular-breeding" approaches enable rapid generation of antibody mutants with desirable antigen-binding abilities. Typically, prototype antibodies are converted to single-chain Fv fragments (scFvs), and random mutations are genetically introduced to construct molecular libraries with a vast diversity. Improved species therein are then isolated via phage display genotype-phenotype-connecting systems to separate them from a large excess of nonspecific scFvs. During these experiments, counting of phage particles is routinely performed. However, current methods depend on the time-consuming overnight cultivation of phage-infected bacteria on agar plates to estimate phage numbers as plaque-forming units (pfu) or colony-forming units, the results of which fluctuate considerably. Immunochemical systems capturing phage particles should be a more convenient and robust alternative. We therefore generated monoclonal antibodies against M13 filamentous phage, which is commonly used for phage display, by employing hybridoma technology. Combinatorial use of two such antibodies (Ab-M13#53 and #71; both specific to the major coat protein pVIII) enabled development of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that could measure ca. 107-1010 phage pfu/mL. To construct a more convenient system, Ab-M13#71 was converted to the scFv form and further fused with an alkaline phosphatase variant. Using this fusion protein, the sandwich ELISA enabled rapid (within 90 min) and reliable phage counting without reducing the sensitivity, and the results were reasonably consistent with those of infection-based methods. The present anti-phage antibodies and scFvs might also enable visualization of individual phage particles by combining them with sensitive fluorescent staining.

One-Shot In Vitro Evolution Generated an Antibody Fragment for Testing Urinary Cotinine with More Than 40-Fold Enhanced Affinity.

Immunoassays for cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, in the urine are useful for monitoring the degree of tobacco smoke exposure. However, hybridoma-based anti-cotinine antibodies lack sufficient binding affinity to perform practically sensitive measurements, and thus most cotinine assays still rely on polyclonal antibodies. Here, we describe the generation of a mutant single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) that was used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine urinary cotinine levels in passive smokers. A "wild-type" scFv (scFv-wt) with a Ka value of 2.7 × 107 M-1 (at 4 °C) was prepared by linking the VH and VL domains in a mouse anti-cotinine antibody. "One-shot" random mutagenesis on the scFv-wt gene by error-prone PCR generated mutant scFv genes, which were expressed on phage particles. Repeated panning directed toward mutants with slower off-rates selected scFv clones that showed improved sensitivity in an ELISA system. One of these mutants (scFv#m1-54) with five amino acid substitutions showed more than a 40-fold enhanced Ka (1.2 × 109 M-1 at 4 °C) and, thus, was used to monitor human urinary cotinine. A limited amount of soluble scFv was reacted with urine specimens (or cotinine standards) at 4 °C for 120 min in microwells on which cotinine residues had been immobilized. The midpoint of the dose-response curves under optimized conditions (0.27 ng/assay) was more than 100-fold lower than the ELISA results obtained using scFv-wt. The limit of detection (8.4 pg/assay) corresponded to 0.17 ng/mL urinary cotinine, which was satisfactorily low for testing the threshold levels for passive smoke exposure. The assay values for volunteers correlated with the values determined using a commercial assay kit. This study evidently showed the potential of a molecular breeding approach, in which simple in vitro evolution might generate superior antibody reagents as cloned proteins, overcoming the limited molecular diversity inherent to conventional immunization-based antibodies.

A Single-Step "Breeding" Generated a Diagnostic Anti-cortisol Antibody Fragment with Over 30-Fold Enhanced Affinity.

Cortisol levels in bodily fluids represent a useful index for pituitary-adrenal function, and thus practical anti-cortisol antibodies are required. We have studied "antibody-breeding" approaches, which involve in vitro evolution of antibodies to improve their antigen-binding performances. Here, we produced an antibody fragment to measure serum cortisol levels with over 30-fold enhanced affinity after single mutagenesis and selection steps. A mouse anti-cortisol antibody, Ab-CS#3, with insufficient affinity for practical use, was chosen as the prototype antibody. A "wild-type" single-chain Fv fragment (wt-scFv; Ka, 3.4×108 M-1) was prepared by bacterial expression of a fusion gene combining the VH and VL genes for this antibody. Then, random point mutations were generated separately in VH or VL by error-prone PCR, and the resulting products were used to assemble scFv genes, which were displayed on filamentous phages. Repeated panning of the phage library identified a mutant scFv (scFv#m1-L10) with an over 30-fold enhanced affinity (Ka 1.2×1010 M-1). Three amino acid substitutions (Cys49Ser, Leu54Pro, and Ser63Gly) were observed in its VL sequence. In a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the mutant scFv generated dose-response curves with measuring range ca. 0.03-0.6 ng/assay cortisol, midpoint of which (0.15 ng/assay) was 7.3-fold lower than that of wt-scFv. Although cortisone, 11-deoxycortisol, and prednisolone showed considerable cross-reactivity, the mutant scFv should enable sensitive routine cortisol assays, except for measurement after metyrapone or high-dose of prednisolone administrations. Actually, cortisol levels of control sera obtained with the scFv-based ELISA were in the reference range.

Antibody Fragments for On-Site Testing of Cannabinoids Generated via in Vitro Affinity Maturation.

Law enforcement against illicit use of cannabis and related substances requires rapid, feasible, and reliable tools for on-site testing of cannabinoids. Notably, methods based on cannabinoid-specific antibodies enable efficient screening of multiple specimens. Antibody engineering may accelerate development of modern and robust testing systems. Here, we used in vitro affinity maturation to generate a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) that recognizes with high affinity the psychoactive cannabinoid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). A mouse monoclonal antibody against THC, Ab-THC#33, with Ka 6.2×107 M-1 (as Fab fragment) was established by the hybridoma technique. Then, a "wild-type" scFv (wt-scFv) with Ka, 1.1×107 M-1 was prepared by bacterial expression of a fusion gene combining the VH and VL genes for Ab-THC#33. Subsequently, random point mutations in VH and VL were generated separately, and the resulting products were assembled into mutant scFv genes, which were then phage-displayed. Repeated panning identified a mutant scFv (scFv#m1-36) with 10-fold enhanced affinity (Ka 1.1×108 M-1) for THC, in which only a single conservative substitution (Ser50Thr) was present at the N-terminus of the VH-complementarity-determining region 2 (CDR2) sequence. In competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the mutant scFv generated dose-response curves with midpoint 0.27 ng/assay THC, which was 3-fold lower than that of wt-scFv. Even higher reactivity with a major THC metabolite, 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, indicated that the mutant scFv will be useful for testing not only THC in confiscated materials, but also the metabolite in urine. Indeed, the antibody fragment is potentially suitable for use in advanced on-site testing platforms for cannabinoids.

Gaussia Luciferase as a Genetic Fusion Partner with Antibody Fragments for Sensitive Immunoassay Monitoring of Clinical Biomarkers.

In this study, we show the utility of Gaussia luciferase (GLuc), which is much smaller than previously found luciferases, as the fusion partner with artificial antibody species for developing sensitive immunoassay systems. As an example, we constructed a bioluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (BL-ELISA) system determining the major glucocorticoid cortisol. A monoclonal antibody was newly elicited against a cortisol-albumin conjugate, and the genes encoding its variable domains (VH and VL) were cloned and combined to encode a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv). scFv was then linked to the wild-type GLuc gene or that encoding GLuc mutants reported to show improved emission kinetics and expressed in the periplasmic space of several Escherichia coli strains. Notably, the wild-type GLuc fusion protein (scFv-wtGLuc) showed the most suitable luminescent properties for BL-ELISAs. In our system, scFv-wtGLuc was reacted competitively with the analyte and immobilized cortisol moieties, and the bound GLuc activity was monitored with coelenterazine as the substrate. Successful batch-type luminescence detection was achieved using a plate reader without built-in injectors. The midpoint and limit of detection in a typical dose-response curve were 4.1 and 0.26 pg/assay, respectively, thus exhibiting much more sensitivity than conventional cortisol immunoassays. Serum cortisol levels (as the sum with cortisone) for healthy subjects, determined without any pretreatment, were compatible with reported reference ranges. The scFv-wtGLuc probe was stable over a year under storage as periplasmic extracts at -30 °C or with repeated freeze-thawing. These results suggest that GLuc fusions with antibody fragments might serve as useful and highly sensitive immunoassay probes in various clinical settings.

Generation of novel anti-apoE monoclonal antibodies that selectively recognize apoE isoforms.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a regulator of lipid metabolism, cholesterol transport, and the clearance and aggregation of amyloid ß in the brain. The three human apoE isoforms apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4 only differ in one or two residues. Nevertheless, the functions highly depend on the isoform types and lipidated states. Here, we generated novel anti-apoE monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and obtained an apoE4-selective mAb whose epitope is within residues 110-117. ELISA and bio-layer interferometry measurements demonstrated that the dissociation constants of mAbs are within the nanomolar range. Using the generated antibodies, we successfully constructed sandwich ELISA systems, which can detect all apoE isoforms or selectively detect apoE4. These results suggest the usability of the generated anti-apoE mAbs for selective detection of apoE isoforms.

Anti-idiotype scFv-enzyme fusion proteins: a clonable analyte-mimicking probe for standardized immunoassays targeting small biomarkers.

Most immunoassays use probes that convert concentrations of analytes into signal intensity. To prepare the probes, analytes are usually linked to a reporter protein (e.g., enzymes) with the aid of chemical reagents. However, these conventional methods yield a mixture of heterogeneous products and consequently reduce assay performance. "Clonable" homogeneous probes, i.e., recombinant molecules in which a target protein is genetically fused to a reporter with a defined coupling ratio, are now available for analyzing protein biomarker concentrations. Here, we have expanded this strategy to measure small biomarkers (haptens) by genetically fusing proteinaceous molecules that mimic target haptens with enzymes. 11-Deoxycortisol (11-DC) was chosen as the model hapten, and the ß-type anti-idiotype antibodies (ßId-Abs) that recognize the paratope of anti-hapten antibodies were used as the target hapten mimic. The V(H) and V(L) genes of a ßId-Ab, targeting a mouse anti-11-DC antibody (CET-M8), were assembled to encode a single-chain Fv fragment (ßId-scFv), which was then fused with a gene encoding a variant of alkaline phosphatase. The product, ßId-scFv-ALP' protein, had satisfactory enzyme activity and bound to CET-M8 in a competitive manner with 11-DC. A colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 11-DC, based on the competitive reaction between the analyte and ßId-scFv-ALP' against immobilized CET-M8, was found to be sensitive (limit of detection = 22 pg/assay) and specific (cross-reactivity with cortisol, 0.24%) for clinical use and could be used to determine serum 11-DC levels after a simple solvent extraction. The anti-idiotype scFv-enzyme fusion proteins proposed here can be prepared reproducibly as homogeneous products with a 1:1 coupling ratio and would facilitate standardization of immunoassays for small biomarkers.

"Breeding" diagnostic antibodies for higher assay performance: a 250-fold affinity-matured antibody mutant targeting a small biomarker.

Conventional immunization-based antibodies are not always applicable to monitor trace amounts of clinical biomarkers due to insufficient antigen-binding affinity. The development of in vitro affinity maturation for native antibodies has paved the way to solve this problem, but there has been minimal success in obtaining improved antibody mutants for small molecule biomarkers (haptens). We here describe a "molecular breeding" approach, in which a practical anti-hapten antibody mutant has successfully been generated from a prototype antibody with poor binding properties. Random point mutations were introduced by error-prone polymerase chain reaction in the V(H) and V(L) genes of a second-generation mutant of a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) that binds estradiol-17ß (E2), whose parent mouse Fab fragment showed poor affinity for E2 (Ka = 5.2 × 10(7) M(-1)). The resulting scFv gene library was expressed on filamentous phage particles. Phage clones with strong E2 binding were isolated with dissociation-independent methods using newly developed reagents. The binding characteristics and clinical applicability of the soluble scFvs prepared from the selected clones were examined in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We finally obtained a third-generation scFv mutant, scFv#m3-a18 (11 amino acid substitutions), which showed ~250-fold greater Ka (1.3 × 10(10) M(-1)) than the parent Fab, and yielded sensitive ELISA dose-response curves for E2 (limit of detection < 0.5 pg/assay) with practical specificity. The average human serum E2 levels, determined after acetonitrile extraction, were compatible with reported reference ranges. The present results will prompt a new era for preparing diagnostic reagents.

Intramolecular interaction kinetically regulates fibril formation by human and mouse α-synuclein.

Regulation of α-synuclein (αS) fibril formation is a potent therapeutic strategy for αS-related neurodegenerative disorders. αS, an intrinsically disordered 140-residue intraneural protein, comprises positively charged N-terminal, hydrophobic non-amyloid ß component (NAC), and negatively charged C-terminal regions. Although mouse and human αS share 95% sequence identity, mouse αS forms amyloid fibrils faster than human αS. To evaluate the kinetic regulation of αS fibrillation, we examined the effects of mismatched residues in human and mouse αS on fibril formation and intramolecular interactions. Thioflavin T fluorescence assay using domain-swapped or C-terminal-truncated αS variants revealed that mouse αS exhibited higher nucleation and fibril elongation than human αS. In mouse αS, S87N substitution in the NAC region rather than A53T substitution is dominant for enhanced fibril formation. FÓ§rester resonance energy transfer analysis demonstrated that the intramolecular interaction of the C-terminal region with the N-terminal and NAC regions observed in human αS is perturbed in mouse αS. In mouse αS, S87N substitution is responsible for the perturbed interaction. These results indicate that the interaction of the C-terminal region with the N-terminal and NAC regions suppresses αS fibril formation and that the human-to-mouse S87N substitution in the NAC region accelerates αS fibril formation by perturbing intramolecular interaction.

The Patrol Yeast: A new biosensor armed with antibody-receptor chimera detecting a range of toxic substances associated with food poisoning.

Baker's yeast is an attractive host with established safety and stability characteristics. Many yeast-based biosensors have been developed, but transmembrane signal transduction has not been used to detect membrane-impermeable substances using antigen-antibody interactions. Therefore, we created Patrol Yeast, a novel yeast-based immunosensor of various targets, particularly toxic substances in food. A membrane-based yeast two-hybrid system using split-ubiquitin was successfully used to detect practically important concentration ranges of caffeine and aflatoxins using separated variable regions of an antibody. Moreover, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 was detected using a specific single-chain antibody, in which Zymolyase was added to partially destroy the cell wall. The incorporation of secreted Cypridina luciferase reporter further simplified the signal detection procedures without cell lysis. The methodology is more cost-effective and faster than using mammalian cells. The ability to detect various targets renders Patrol Yeast a valuable tool for ensuring food and beverage safety and addressing other environmental and technological issues.

Derivatization-assisted immunoassays: application for group-specific detection of potent methamphetamine and amphetamine enantiomers.

Reliable and feasible tools for detecting (S)-methamphetamine [(S)-MAP] and (S)-amphetamine [(S)-AP] are required for regulating their illicit circulation. Antibodies that react equally to these stimulants are desirable for this purpose, but have been difficult to generate because of the crucial difference between their characteristic structures: i.e., N-methylamino (MAP) and amino (AP) groups. Furthermore, their small molecular masses (Mr < 150) have hampered the generation of high-affinity antibodies. To overcome these problems, we converted (S)-MAP and -AP into their 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl carbamate forms, Teoc-(S)-MAP and -AP, respectively, as surrogate analytes. The Teoc-derivatization not only increases their molecular masses, but also masks their structural differences. We generated a novel monoclonal antibody that showed a satisfactory affinity to Teoc-(S)-MAP residues (Kd = 13 nM as the IgG form) and developed a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using microplates containing immobilized Teoc-(S)-MAP residues. Almost overlapping dose-response curves were obtained for Teoc-(S)-MAP and -AP, with the limit of detection of 0.078 and 0.10 ng per assay, respectively. A fixed amount of test powder sample (1 mg) was derivatized with Teoc-O-succinimidyl for 5 min, and subjected to ELISA using Teoc-(S)-MAP as the calibration standard. Under this protocol, (S)-MAP and -AP were converted to their Teoc derivatives with 30% and 34% yield, respectively, determined using ELISA as "Teoc-(S)-MAP equivalent," being distinguished from the derivatization products of (R)-MAP, (R)-AP, ephedrine, (S)-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, tyramine, dopamine, and ß-alanine. This ELISA detected as little as 10 µg of (S)-MAP and -AP, and (S)-MAP in urine obtained from (S)-MAP-administered rats. Immunochromatography devices were also developed using gold nanoparticles coated with the monoclonal antibody, with which 0.10 mg of (S)-MAP and -AP was detected by the naked eye. We conclude that the present derivatization-assisted immunoassays may be useful for the detection of (S)-MAP and/or -AP in early stage screening of suspicious substances.

Toward in vivo imaging of heart disease using a radiolabeled single-chain Fv fragment targeting tenascin-C.

Antibodies specific to a particular target molecule can be used as analytical reagents, not only for in vitro immunoassays but also for noninvasive in vivo imaging, e.g., immunoscintigraphies. In the latter case, it is important to reduce the size of antibody molecules in order to achieve suitable in vivo "diagnostic kinetics" and generate higher-resolution images. For these purposes, single-chain Fv fragments (scFvs; M(r) < 30 kDa) have greater potential than intact immunoglobulins (~150 kDa) or Fab (or Fab') fragments (~50 kDa). Our recent observation of enhanced tenascin-C (Tnc) expression at sites of cardiac repair after myocardial infarction prompted us to develop a radiolabeled scFv against Tnc for in vivo imaging of heart disease. We cloned the genes encoding the heavy and light chain variable domains of the mouse anti-Tnc monoclonal antibody 4F10, and combined them to create a single gene. The resulting scFv-4F10 gene was expressed in E. coli cells to produce soluble scFv proteins. scFv-4F10 has an affinity for Tnc (K(a) = 3.5 × 10(7) M(-1)), similar to the Fab fragment of antibody 4F10 (K(a) = 1.3 × 10(7) M(-1)) and high enough to be of practical use. A cysteine residue was then added to the C-terminus to achieve site-specific (111)In labeling via a chelating group. The resulting (111)In-labeled scFv was administered to a rat model of acute myocardial infarction. Biodistribution and quantitative autoradiographic studies indicated higher uptake of the radioactivity at the infarcted myocardium than the noninfarcted one. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) provided in vivo cardiac images that coincided with the ex vivo observations. Our results will promote advances in diagnostic strategies for heart disease.

Antibody engineering toward high-sensitivity high-throughput immunosensing of small molecules.

Clinical and environmental analyses often require immunochemical detection and quantification of small molecules (haptens) that are available as biomarkers. However, the affinity ceilings of conventional anti-hapten antibodies, which are produced by immunizing animals, prevent subfemtomole-range determinations with competitive immunoassay formats. "Sandwich-type" noncompetitive (immunometric) assays allow for sensitive determinations of macromolecules (subattomole-range) and the direct relationship between analyte amount and signal intensity provides higher accessibility to modern high-throughput sensing systems. Unfortunately, sandwich-type assays require that analytes have at least two epitopes, and thus are not applicable to haptens. Antibody engineering, i.e., genetic manipulation of antibody molecules, could provide artificially improved reagents that enable us to overcome these limitations. In this review, we summarize recent successful developments and applications of engineered antibodies for sensitive and high-throughput hapten sensing.

The VH framework region 1 as a target of efficient mutagenesis for generating a variety of affinity-matured scFv mutants.

In vitro affinity-maturation potentially generates antibody fragments with enhanced antigen-binding affinities that allow for developing more sensitive diagnostic systems and more effective therapeutic agents. Site-directed mutagenesis targeting "hot regions," i.e., amino acid substitutions therein frequently increase the affinities, is desirable for straightforward discovery of valuable mutants. We here report two "designed" site-directed mutagenesis (A and B) targeted the N-terminal 1-10 positions of the VH framework region 1 that successfully improved an anti-cortisol single-chain Fv fragment (Ka, 3.6 × 108 M-1). Mutagenesis A substituted the amino acids at the position 1-3, 5-7, 9 and 10 with a limited set of substitutions to generate only 1,536 different members, while mutagenesis B inserted 1-6 random residues between the positions 6 and 7. Screening the resulting bacterial libraries as scFv-phage clones with a clonal array profiling system provided 21 genetically unique scFv mutants showing 17-31-fold increased affinity with > 109 M-1 Ka values. Among the mutants selected from the library A and B, scFv mA#18 (with five-residue substitutions) and mB1-3#130 (with a single residue insertion) showed the greatest Ka value, 1.1 × 1010 M-1.

Derivatization-assisted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for identifying hallucinogenic mushrooms with enhanced sensitivity.

A sensitive immunochemical method for identifying hallucinogenic mushrooms (magic mushrooms) is required for regulating their illicit use. We have previously generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that targets psilocin (Psi), the major psychoactive compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms, and developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, this ELISA failed to achieve the expected low-picomole-range sensitivity, as a result of insufficient affinity of the mAb to Psi. It is recognized that haptenic antigens with a larger molecular mass tend to induce antibodies with higher affinities. Thus, we herein report a "derivatization-assisted ELISA," in which the "real analyte" Psi was determined as a "surrogate analyte," the tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether analog thereof (TBS/Psi) having a 1.6-fold greater molecular mass (Mr 318.53) than Psi. A novel mAb against TBS/Psi, prepared by immunizing mice with a TBS/Psi-albumin conjugate showed a 69-fold higher affinity to TBS/Psi residues (Ka = 3.6 × 107 M-1 as IgG) than that of our previous mAb against Psi. This mAb consequently enabled a competitive ELISA for measuring TBS/Psi with the desired sensitivity: the dose-response curve midpoint (12.1 pmol per assay) was >100-fold lower than that of the previous ELISA for determining Psi. Extracts of dried mushroom powders were mixed with TBS triflate for 30 min at room temperature, converting Psi into TBS/Psi in approximately 50% yield. The reaction mixture was then subjected to an ELISA using the anti-TBS/Psi mAb to determine TBS/Psi. Psilocybe cubensis, a species of hallucinogenic mushrooms, gave rise to positive signals, indicating the presence of Psi therein in the expected quantity, while no detectable response was observed for four kinds of edible mushrooms available in the markets.

NanoLuc luciferase as a suitable fusion partner of recombinant antibody fragments for developing sensitive luminescent immunoassays.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are essential for monitoring various biomarkers. Competitive and noncompetitive (sandwich) assay formats are used to determine hapten and macromolecule levels, respectively. Both formats require more sensitive detection of reporter enzymes for greater assay sensitivities. We previously reported the utility of wild-type Gaussia luciferase (wtGLuc) as a fusion partner with antibody single-chain Fv fragments (scFvs) for developing sensitive luminescent ELISAs. Here, we evaluated utility of NanoLuc luciferase (NLuc), a recently developed luciferase, as fusion partner with scFvs from the view of comparison with wtGLuc and a mutant of alkaline phosphatase (ALP'). Thyroxine (T4) and T4-labeled albumin were chosen as model haptenic and macromolecular antigens, respectively. An in-house-prepared anti-T4 scFv was fused with NLuc, wtGLuc, or ALP'. The scFv-NLuc fusion protein showed 47-fold and 29-fold lower limit of detection [LOD; 59 zmol (per assay)] than the wtGLuc- and ALP'-fusions, respectively. In a competitive T4 ELISA, the NLuc-fusion showed 9.3- and 6.3-fold lower LOD, (0.67 pg) than the wtGLuc- and ALP'-fusions, respectively, with a higher specificity in clinical applications. A typical colorimetric ELISA using a peroxidase-labeled second antibody showed 70-fold higher LOD than NLuc-based ELISA. Another advantage of the NLuc-fusion was shown in the sandwich assays; the LOD of T4-labeled albumin (5.0 fmol) was >6-fold lower than that of the other luminescent ELISAs. In an additional sandwich assay developed to count bacteriophage particles, NLuc enabled more sensitive determination than wtGLuc, whereas ALP' showed nearly equivalent performance. Its slowest alteration rate for light intensity after starting the enzyme reaction should enable robust batch-by-batch assay operations. Thus, we concluded that scFv-NLuc fusions serve as suitable probes in various types of immunoassays and may facilitate higher sensitivities with practical specificities.