Autoantibodies to the ribosomal P proteins react with a plasma membrane-related target on human cells.

Autoantibodies to ribosomal P-proteins are present in 12-16% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and are associated with neuropsychiatric disease. As the ribosomal P proteins are located in the cytoplasm, the pathogenic effects of their cognate autoantibodies are unclear. In this study affinity-purified anti-P autoantibodies were used to explore the cell surface of several types of human and animal cells. Immunofluorescence as well as EM immunogold analysis demonstrated, on the surface of human hepatoma cells, the presence of an epitope that is antigenically related to the immunodominant carboxy terminus of P-proteins. The presence of this epitope was also demonstrated on the surface of human neuroblastoma cells and, to a lesser extent, on human fibroblasts. Furthermore, the Western blot technique revealed in purified human and animal plasma membranes a 38-kD protein that is closely related or identical with ribosomal P0 protein. The availability of reactive P peptide on the surface of cells makes possible the direct effect of autoantibodies on the function and viability of cells that express this antigenic target. This delineates one of the possible impacts of anti-P antibodies in disease expression.

A reliable, rapid and inexpensive two-color fluorescence assay to monitor serum cytotoxicity in xenotransplantation.

Removal and/or neutralization of preformed anti-pig antibodies in non-human primate blood have been shown to prevent the hyperacute rejection of transplanted pig organs. The purpose of this study was to establish a suitable in vitro method that would allow for screening and comparison of various agents and methods potentially useful in the prevention of hyperacute rejection. The pig kidney cell line (PK15), pig aortic endothelial cell line (AG08472), and a primary culture of endothelial cells explanted from a pig aorta were incubated with either human or baboon sera. Complement-dependent cytotoxic activity of human and baboon sera was determined on all three types of pig cells using a two-color fluorescence assay and compared with the conventional 51Chromium (51Cr)-release assay. The assay was also performed on PK15 cells as a 2-chambered slide assay and compared with a microcytotoxicity assay performed in Terasaki trays. Using the microcytotoxicity assay, a 1-step assay utilizing endogenous complement was compared with a 2-step assay where rabbit complement was added. Of the three types of cells studied, PK15 cells were the most sensitive to cytotoxic injury, followed by AG cells and the primary endothelial culture. Good correlation between the 51Cr-release and the two-color fluorescence method was documented. There was good agreement between the results obtained using the 2-chambered slide method and the microcytotoxicity assay, as there was between the 1- and the 2-step assays. The 1- and 2-step assays provided information on the level and efficacy of endogenous complement. We conclude that the two-color fluorescence assay is suitable for the rapid and inexpensive screening of therapeutic interventions that might be useful in the prevention of hyperacute xenograft rejection, and that PK15 cells are suitable for use in this assay.

Monoclonal antiidiotypic antibodies neutralize cytotoxic effects of anti-alphaGal antibodies.

The aims of this study were to produce and characterize mouse monoclonal antiidiotypic antibodies (AIAs) that specifically bind human antipig (anti-alphaGal) antibodies and to select those AIAs that neutralize the cytotoxicity of human or baboon serum to pig (PK15) cells. Mice were immunized with human anti-pig antibodies, and hybridomas were produced using conventional techniques. From a total of 480 clones, 11 produced AIAs that bound with high affinity to human anti-alpha Gal IgG and F(ab')2 fragments, and individually reduced serum cytotoxicity to pig cells by 40 - 90%. Seven of the AIAs also bound to human peripheral B lymphocytes (that express the same idiotypes as the antibodies produce). Several combinations of two or three AIAs provided 100% protection of PK15 cells. Selected AIAs injected intravenously into baboons reduced the cytotoxicity of subsequently drawn sera by 50--80% for >48 hr. The cytotoxicity studies also indicated that there are at least two dominant idiotypes expressed in the human anti-alphaGal population. We conclude that AIAs against anti-alphaGal antibodies could be successfully used in 1) preoperative characterization of a recipient's anti-alphaGal profile, (2) prevention of hyperacute rejection of a pig organ, and (3) specific immunosuppression through elimination of anti-alphaGal-producing B lymphocytes.

Clinical validation of the "in silico" prediction of immunogenicity of a human recombinant therapeutic protein.

Antibodies elicited by protein therapeutics can cause serious side effects in humans. We studied immunogenicity of a recombinant fusion protein (FPX) consisting of two identical, biologically active, peptides attached to human Fc fragment. EpiMatrix, an in silico epitope-mapping tool, predicted promiscuous T-cell epitope(s) within the 14-amino-acid carboxy-terminal region of the peptide portion of FPX. On administration of FPX in 76 healthy human subjects, 37% developed antibodies after a single injection. A memory T-cell response against the above carboxy-terminus of the peptide was observed in antibody-positive but not in antibody-negative subjects. Promiscuity of the predicted T-cell epitope(s) was confirmed by representation of all common HLA alleles in antibody-positive subjects. As predicted by EpiMatrix, HLA haplotype DRB1*0701/1501 was associated with the highest T-cell and antibody response. In conclusion, in silico prediction can be successfully used to identify Class II restricted T-cell epitopes within therapeutic proteins and predict immunogenicity thereof in humans.

Murine and human antibodies to native DNA that cross-react with the A and D SnRNP polypeptides cause direct injury of cultured kidney cells.

Murine monoclonal and human affinity-purified Abs to native DNA (anti-nDNA) that cross-react with the A and D SnRNP polypeptides were analyzed for direct injurious effects against cultured pig kidney (PK15) cells under ordinary cell-culture conditions. Of the two murine nephritogenic Abs derived from NZB/NZW F1 mice (BWds1 and BWds3), BWds1 initially bound to the cell surface and subsequently penetrated into cells localizing in nuclei and cytoplasm. BWds3 was consistently and abundantly associated with the surface of live cells without penetration. In the presence of rabbit C, BWds3 caused massive cell lysis (85% dead cells) whereas BWds1 had only a modest lytic effect (24% dead cells). One of the nonpathogenic murine anti-nDNA Abs (5GD5) that did not cross-react with the A and D polypeptides showed no interaction with PK-15 cells and had no injurious effects. Affinity-purified autoantibodies to nDNA isolated from two SLE patients with high anti-nDNA titers and clinically active lupus nephritis showed properties similar to the murine mAbs. They both strongly cross-reacted with the A and D SnRNP polypeptides and interacted with live PK-15 cells. One of them (Cr) penetrated into live cells and localized within cytoplasm and nuclei whereas the other (Pe) bound mostly to the cell surface and caused significant cell lysis in the presence of C. Results of this study suggest that the nephritogenic murine anti-nDNA as well as subpopulations of human anti-nDNA Abs could exert their injurious influence through direct interactions with kidney cells using two different pathogenic mechanisms (i.e., C-mediated cytotoxicity and potential cell cycle dysfunctions. Interestingly, cross-reactivity of anti-nDNA Abs with the A and D SnRNP polypeptides appears to be a prerequisite for their direct pathogenicity.

Binding and specificity of major immunoglobulin classes of preformed human anti-pig heart antibodies.

Preformed human anti-pig antibodies isolated from perfused pig hearts were used to analyze the binding of various immunoglobulin classes to cultured pig kidney cells. All anti-pig immunoglobulins (i.e., IgG, IgA, and IgM) were localized on the cell surface by the use of an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Anti-pig immunoglobulins also competed for the pig cell surface epitopes with Griffonia simplicifolia lectin (GS-I-B4), which is specific for alpha-galactosyl residues. This study provides further evidence that preformed human antibodies recognizing alpha-galactosyl-containing epitopes (anti-gal antibodies) could be an important factor in hyperacute rejection of pig organs.

Autoantibodies to ribosomal P proteins penetrate into live hepatocytes and cause cellular dysfunction in culture.

Abs to ribosomal P protein have been shown to bind a membrane form of the P0 38-kDa ribosomal phosphoprotein. This study shows that after affinity-purified Abs to ribosomal P proteins bind living HepG2 cells, they then penetrate these live cells and cause cellular dysfunction. Binding and penetration of anti-P Abs is the property of F(ab')2 fragments as well as whole IgG molecules showing that neither binding nor penetration depends on Fc fragments or their cognate receptors. Confocal microscopy shows that internalized Ab concentrates in perinuclear vesicles (presumably lysosomes), but substantial quantities of Ab are also found in the cytosol. This intracellular Ab adversely affects the synthesis of apolipoprotein B resulting in a threefold increase in cellular cholesterol with lipid droplet accumulation as seen in some chronic liver diseases. It also has a profound inhibitory effect on global protein synthesis as measured by [35S]methionine incorporation. These studies therefore describe a model of cellular injury effected by specific Ab to ribosomal "P" protein that may underlie certain forms of autoimmune hepatic diseases.

Lupus autoantibodies to double-stranded DNA cross-react with ribosomal protein S1.

One cDNA clone (G7) was isolated from a lambda gt11 human liver cDNA library by the reaction with a serum containing anti-dsDNA Abs and was ligated into pGEX-1 lambda T vector. All the 10 SLE sera with anti-dsDNA, 2 samples of human monoclonal anti-dsDNA (33.C9 and 33.H11), and 2 affinity-purified anti-dsDNA Abs recognized the glutathione S-transferase fusion protein expressed by G7 (G7-FP). Ab binding to the recombinant protein expressed by G7 (G7-RP) and to G7-FP was inhibited completely by calf thymus dsDNA. The cDNA was 1314 nucleotides in length and contained an open reading frame encoding 352 amino acids. However, it seems to be a partial length cDNA because the affinity-purified Ab from G7-FP recognized only a 104-kDa protein on Western blot using MOLT4 cell extract. The nucleotide sequence of G7 was homologous (99% identity) to a cDNA encoding human ribosomal protein (r-protein) S1 homologue mRNA. The encoded protein contains repeating residues as a feature of r-proteins S1. Cytoplasmic and nucleolar staining of 33.H11 on indirect immunofluorescence (IF) using HEP 2 cells was inhibited by both G7-RP and calf thymus dsDNA. On ELISA, 33.H11 had a higher affinity for G7-RP than for DNA while 33.C9 had a higher affinity for DNA than for G7-RP and binds nuclei on IF. We conclude that G7 encodes a portion of human r-protein S1 and anti-dsDNA Abs cross-react with this protein.