Forced expression of AID facilitates the isolation of class switch variants from hybridoma cells

Development of functional antibodies against influenza B virus by activation-induced cytidine deaminase in hybridoma cells

• Class-switch recombination was mimicked in hybridomas by controllable expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase. • IgG antibodies were generated through this system in an anti-Flu B IgM hybridoma 7G1. • IgG1 and IgG2a subtypes of 7G1 present improved antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo.

Mimicking the germinal center reaction in hybridoma cells to isolate temperature-selective anti-PEG antibodies

Modification of antibody class and binding properties typically requires cloning of antibody genes, antibody library construction, phage or yeast display and recombinant antibody expression. Here, we describe an alternative “cloning-free” approach to generate antibodies with altered antigen-binding and heavy chain isotype by mimicking the germinal center reaction in antibody-secreting hybridoma cells. This was accomplished by lentiviral transduction and controllable expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) to generate somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination in antibody genes coupled with high-throughput fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of hybridoma cells to detect altered antibody binding properties. Starting from a single established hybridoma clone, we isolated mutated antibodies that bind to a low-temperature structure of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a polymer widely used in nanotechnology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. FACS of AID-infected hybridoma cells also facilitated rapid identification of class switched variants of monoclonal IgM to monoclonal IgG. Mimicking the germinal center reaction in hybridoma cells may offer a general method to identify and isolate antibodies with altered binding properties and class-switched heavy chains without the need to carry out DNA library construction, antibody engineering and recombinant protein expression.

The constant region contributes to the antigenic specificity and renal pathogenicity of murine anti-DNA antibodies

Affinity for DNA and cross-reactivity with renal antigens are associated with enhanced renal pathogenicity of lupus autoantibodies. In addition, certain IgG subclasses are enriched in nephritic kidneys, suggesting that isotype may determine the outcome of antibody binding to renal antigens. To investigate if the isotype of DNA antibodies affects renal pathogenicity by influencing antigen binding, we derived IgM, IgG1, IgG2b and IgG2a forms of the PL9-11 antibody (IgG3 anti-DNA) by in vitro class switching or PCR cloning. The affinity and specificity of PL9-11 antibodies for nuclear and renal antigens were analyzed using ELISA, Western blotting, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), binding to mesangial cells, and glomerular proteome arrays. Renal deposition and pathogenicity were assayed in mice injected with PL9-11 hybridomas. We found that PL9-11 and its isotype-switched variants had differential binding to DNA and chromatin (IgG3>IgG2a>IgG1>IgG2b>IgM) by direct and competition ELISA, and SPR. In contrast, in binding to laminin and collagen IV the IgG2a isotype actually had the highest affinity. Differences in affinity of PL9-11 antibodies for renal antigens were mirrored in analysis of specificity for glomeruli, and were associated with significant differences in renal pathogenicity in vivo and survival. Our novel findings indicate that the constant region plays an important role in the nephritogenicity of antibodies to DNA by affecting immunoglobulin affinity and specificity. Increased binding to multiple glomerular and/or nuclear antigens may contribute to the renal pathogenicity of anti-DNA antibodies of the IgG2a and IgG3 isotype. Finally, class switch recombination may be another mechanism by which B cell autoreactivity is generated.

Molecular characterization of hybridoma subclones spontaneously switching at high frequencies in vitro

The hybridoma technology allows the production of large quantities of specific antibodies of a single isotype. Since different isotypes have special effector functions and are distributed distinctively throughout the body, it is often useful to have a library of switch variants from the original monoclonal antibody. We have shown previously that forced expression of activation induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in hybridomas increased their very low frequency of class switch recombination (CSR) in vitro only approximately 7-13 fold. Since we had previously identified rare hybridoma subclones that spontaneously switched at more than 100 times higher frequencies, we have now examined those higher switching variants to search for ways to further increase the frequency of isotype switching in vitro. AID was not responsible for the approximately 100 fold increase in CSR, so we used whole-genome gene expression profiling to provide a platform for studying candidate molecular pathways underlying spontaneous CSR in hybridomas.