scholarly journals Structural basis of malaria transmission blockade by a monoclonal antibody to gamete fusogen HAP2

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Feng ◽  
Xianchi Dong ◽  
Adam DeCosta ◽  
Yang Su ◽  
Fiona Angrisano ◽  
...  

HAP2 is a transmembrane gamete fusogen found in multiple eukaryotic kingdoms and is structurally homologous to viral class II fusogens. Studies in Plasmodium have suggested that HAP2 is an attractive target for vaccines that block transmission of malaria. HAP2 has three extracellular domains, arranged in the order D2, D1, and D3. Here, we report monoclonal antibodies against the D3 fragment of Plasmodium berghei HAP2 and crystal structures of D3 in complex with Fab fragments of two of these antibodies, one of which blocks fertilization of Plasmodium berghei in vitro and transmission of malaria in mosquitoes. We also show how this Fab binds the complete HAP2 ectodomain with electron microscopy. The two antibodies cross-react with HAP2 among multiple plasmodial species. Our characterization of the Plasmodium D3 structure, HAP2 ectodomain architecture, and mechanism of inhibition provide insights for the development of a vaccine to block malaria transmission.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Feng ◽  
Xianchi Dong ◽  
Adam DeCosta ◽  
Yang Su ◽  
Fiona Angrisano ◽  
...  

HAP2 is a transmembrane gamete fusogen found in multiple eukaryotic kingdoms and is structurally homologous to viral class II fusogens. Studies in Plasmodium have suggested that HAP2 is an attractive target for vaccines that block transmission of malaria. HAP2 has three extracellular domains, arranged in the order D2, D1, and D3. Here, we report monoclonal antibodies against the D3 fragment of Plasmodium berghei HAP2 and crystal structures of D3 in complex with Fab fragments of two of these antibodies, one of which blocks fertilization of Plasmodium berghei in vitro and transmission of malaria in mosquitos. We also show how this Fab binds the complete HAP2 ectodomain with electron microscopy. The two antibodies cross-react with HAP2 among multiple plasmodial species. Our characterization of the Plasmodium D3 structure, HAP2 ectodomain architecture, and mechanism of inhibition provide insights for the development of a vaccine to block malaria transmission.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6866-6874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urszula Cendrowska ◽  
Paulo Jacob Silva ◽  
Nadine Ait-Bouziad ◽  
Marie Müller ◽  
Zekiye Pelin Guven ◽  
...  

Increasing evidence suggests that amyloid polymorphism gives rise to different strains of amyloids with distinct toxicities and pathology-spreading properties. Validating this hypothesis is challenging due to a lack of tools and methods that allow for the direct characterization of amyloid polymorphism in hydrated and complex biological samples. Here, we report on the development of 11-mercapto-1-undecanesulfonate-coated gold nanoparticles (NPs) that efficiently label the edges of synthetic, recombinant, and native amyloid fibrils derived from different amyloidogenic proteins. We demonstrate that these NPs represent powerful tools for assessing amyloid morphological polymorphism, using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The NPs allowed for the visualization of morphological features that are not directly observed using standard imaging techniques, including transmission electron microscopy with use of the negative stain or cryo-EM imaging. The use of these NPs to label native paired helical filaments (PHFs) from the postmortem brain of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as amyloid fibrils extracted from the heart tissue of a patient suffering from systemic amyloid light-chain amyloidosis, revealed a high degree of homogeneity across the fibrils derived from human tissue in comparison with fibrils aggregated in vitro. These findings are consistent with, and strongly support, the emerging view that the physiologic milieu is a key determinant of amyloid fibril strains. Together, these advances should not only facilitate the profiling and characterization of amyloids for structural studies by cryo-EM, but also pave the way to elucidate the structural basis of amyloid strains and toxicity, and possibly the correlation between the pathological and clinical heterogeneity of amyloid diseases.


Parasitology ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tomavo ◽  
G. Couvreur ◽  
M. A. Leriche ◽  
A. Sadak ◽  
A. Achbarou ◽  
...  

SUMMARYA striking feature of toxoplasmic seroconversion is the prominent and early IgM response to a low molecular weight antigen of 4–5 kDa. Two different monoclonal antibodies directed against the 4–5 kDa antigen have been generated and used to characterize this molecule. Using these monoclonal antibodies, we could demonstrate the surface localization of the lowMrantigen by immunofluorescence and immuno-electron microscopy assays. By immunoblotting, we observed that one of the monoclonal antibodies was unable to recognize the 4–5 kDa antigen in tachyzoites propagated in cell culture, indicating an epitope variability betweenToxoplasma gondiitachyzoites grownin vivoandin vitro. We discuss the implications of this latter finding in the design of diagnostic reagents.


2016 ◽  
Vol 473 (24) ◽  
pp. 4699-4713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Malito ◽  
Paola Lo Surdo ◽  
Daniele Veggi ◽  
Laura Santini ◽  
Heather Stefek ◽  
...  

Factor H-binding protein (fHbp) is an important antigen of Neisseria meningitidis that is capable of eliciting a robust protective immune response in humans. Previous studies on the interactions of fHbp with antibodies revealed that some anti-fHbp monoclonal antibodies that are unable to trigger complement-mediated bacterial killing in vitro are highly co-operative and become bactericidal if used in combination. Several factors have been shown to influence such co-operativity, including IgG subclass and antigen density. To investigate the structural basis of the anti-fHbp antibody synergy, we determined the crystal structure of the complex between fHbp and the Fab (fragment antigen-binding) fragment of JAR5, a specific anti-fHbp murine monoclonal antibody known to be highly co-operative with other monoclonal antibodies. We show that JAR5 is highly synergic with monoclonal antibody (mAb) 12C1, whose structure in complex with fHbp has been previously solved. Structural analyses of the epitopes recognized by JAR5 and 12C1, and computational modeling of full-length IgG mAbs of JAR5 and 12C1 bound to the same fHbp molecule, provide insights into the spatial orientation of Fc (fragment crystallizable) regions and into the possible implications for the susceptibility of meningococci to complement-mediated killing.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Sautto ◽  
Nicasio Mancini ◽  
Giacomo Gorini ◽  
Massimo Clementi ◽  
Roberto Burioni

More than 150 arboviruses belonging to different families are known to infect humans, causing endemic infections as well as epidemic outbreaks. Effective vaccines to limit the occurrence of some of these infections have been licensed, while for the others several new immunogens are under development mostly for their improvements concerning safety and effectiveness profiles. On the other hand, specific and effective antiviral drugs are not yet available, posing an urgent medical need in particular for emergency cases. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of several infectious diseases as well as in preliminaryin vitroandin vivomodels of arbovirus-related infections. Given their specific antiviral activity as well-tolerated molecules with limited side effects, mAbs could represent a new therapeutic approach for the development of an effective treatment, as well as useful tools in the study of the host-virus interplay and in the development of more effective immunogens. However, before their use as candidate therapeutics, possible hurdles (e.g., Ab-dependent enhancement of infection, occurrence of viral escape variants) must be carefully evaluated. In this review are described the main arboviruses infecting humans and candidate mAbs to be possibly used in a future passive immunotherapy.


AIDS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas F. Lake ◽  
Takashi Kawamura ◽  
Takami Tomiyama ◽  
W. Edward Robinson ◽  
Yoh-ichi Matsumoto ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Burastero ◽  
C. Paolucci ◽  
D. Breda ◽  
G. Monasterolo ◽  
R. E. Rossi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Bühlmann CAST 2000 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is a potentially useful assay for measuring sulfidoleukotrienes released in vitro by allergen-challenged basophils. However, we observed that the positive-control reagent yielded positive signals in cell-free systems. These false-positive results depended on using a mouse anti-FcεRI monoclonal antibody and were prevented by degranulation-inducing reagents other than mouse monoclonal antibodies.


Hybridoma ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Holmes ◽  
Julie A. Abrahamson ◽  
Niam Al-Mahdi ◽  
Sherin S. Abdel-Meguid ◽  
Yen Sen Ho

1996 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-489
Author(s):  
Lilian Terezinha de Queiroz Leite ◽  
Mauricio Resende ◽  
Wanderley de Souza ◽  
Elizabeth R.S. Camargos ◽  
Matilde Cota Koury

Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) ivere produced against an etbylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) extract of Leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae being characterized by gel precipitation as IgM and IgG (IgGl and IgG2b). The EDTA extract was detected as several bands by silver staining in SDS-PAGE. In the Western blot the bands around 20 KDa reacted with a monoclonal antibody, 47B4D6, and was oxidized by periodate and was not digested by pronase, suggesting that the determinant is of carbohydrate nature, lmmunocytochemistry, using colloidal gold labeling, showed that an EDTA extract determinant recognized by monoclonal antibody 47B4D6, is localized under the outer envelope of serovar icterohaemorrhagiae. Hoe AIAB raised against the EDTA extract was not able to protect hamsters from lethal challenge with virulent homologous leptospires.


1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 2843-2850 ◽  
Author(s):  
G I Evan ◽  
G K Lewis ◽  
J M Bishop

We isolated a series of monoclonal antibodies which were raised against a bacterially expressed protein, bp37v-myb, and coded for by part of the avian v-myb gene. These monoclonal antibodies recognized a range of antigenic specificities on bp37v-myb, and this was reflected in their differing specificities for the gene products of the v-myb, c-myb, and E26 viral oncogenes. One monoclonal antibody recognized, in addition to the v-myb and c-myb gene products, a conserved nuclear protein found in all tested cells. We describe the characterization of these monoclonal antibodies.


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