Structural basis of recognition in the immune response

Conformational changes in C1q upon binding to IgG oligomers

The interaction between C1q and immune complexes is inhibited by 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) in the concentration range of 2-4 mM. ANS binds to Clq with a 20-fold higher affinity than to IgG [(1986) Mol. Immunol. 23, 39-44] and therefore it is possible to label only C1q with ANS in the presence of IgG. Under such conditions no inhibition is observed. Addition of monomer IgG to a solution of C1q-bound ANS did not significantly alter the fluorescence of the ANS. However when oligomeric IgG was added there was a 2-fold increase in fluorescence over the same IgG concentration range. When C1q was pretreated with diethylpyrocarbonate there was little change in the fluorescence when IgG oligomers were added to C1q:ANS solutions. These results suggest that C1q undergoes conformational changes upon binding to IgG oligomers.

The interaction of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulphonate with human C1q

C1q has 12 binding sites for 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulphonate (ANS), two per peripheral subunit. This number increases to 18 upon weak-acid-induced conformational transition in the globular heads. One ANS binding site is present in each C gamma 2 domain of human IgG. ANS is bound by C1q with a higher affinity (Ka = 2.07 X 10(6) M-1) than by the Fc fragment (Ka = 9.07 X 10(4) M-1) of human IgGl. Hence the inhibitory capacity of C1q binding to IgG immune complexes of ANS probably reflects its preferential binding to the globular heads of C1q. The characteristics of ANS-C1q binding may in part explain the hydrophobic component of the C1q-IgG interaction. It is suggested that an ionic-hydrophobic two-step process is involved in the contact between C1q and IgG.

Human aglycosyl-IgG exhibits increased hydrophobicity. Binding/fluorescence studies with 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS)

Human monoclonal, aglycosyl-IgG produced in vitro in the presence of tunicamycin, was compared with its native and acid pH-altered counterparts for their respective abilities to bind the fluorescent hydrophobicity probe, 8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate. A novel technique based on continuous-flow dynamic dialysis (Sparrow et al., 1982, Anal. Biochem. 123:255-264) allowed binding studies under non-equilibrium conditions. While the native IgG conformation exhibits two, weak ANS binding sites (ca. 10(3) l/mol), aglycosyl-IgG has one weak and one moderate affinity (least squares average Ka = 2 X 10(4) l/mol) site, and the acid conformer binds yet another two ANS molecules with moderate affinity (4 X 10(4) l/mol). Increases in affinity and in the number of sites correlate roughly with increased relative percent fluorescence by conventional fluorimetry. The fluorescence lifetime of ANS bound to altered IgGs is about 10% longer (T2 = 15 nsec by time-resolved fluorimetry) than that for native IgG. All populations also exhibit a rapid decay component (T1 = 3 nsec) analogous to that seen for ANS in 50% aqueous dioxane. Results are discussed in relation to structural role(s) for IgG-linked heterosaccharides.

Electrostatic and hydrophobic effects in chromatography of rabbit IgG immunoglobulins on aminohexyl sepharose substituted with bis-(p-chlorophenyl)- acetic acid

The binding interactions of rabbit IgG immunoglobulins with bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-acetic acid (DDA) substituted aminohexyl Sepharose (AHS) (DDA-AHS) at low ionic strength are under the influence of pH, temp, ionic strength and their antibody specificity. The IgG molecules held on a DDA-AHS column in the presence of 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) at 4 degrees C could be stepwise eluted by the addition of 0.01 M acetate buffers (pH 5.5, 5.0 and 4.5) followed by 3 M NaClO4, a chaotropic reagent. The adsorbability of IgG molecules by the DDA-AHS column was reinforced at temps higher than 4 degrees C and at increasing NaCl concns ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 M. The antibody specificity and, perhaps, binding affinity greatly affected this binding system. On the basis of these results, it was evident that both the DDA ligand and charged groups (omega-amino and isourea groups) took part in the binding interactions between IgG molecules and the agarose derivative at low ionic strength. Thus the binding interactions of rabbit IgG immunoglobulins with DDA-AHS at low ionic strength are assumed to be due to hydrophobic plus electrostatic interactions. It was also observed that the binding site on the surface of IgG molecules at low ionic strength was located only in the Fab region.

Interaction of C1q with DNA

With the aim of clarifying the relationship between the activation of the first component of complement (C1) by immunoglobulin and by polyanions, the mode of interaction of C1q with DNA was investigated by structural and inhibition studies. DNA inhibits C1q binding to IgG immune complexes (ICs) through binding to C1q rather than to IgG, as seen from two lines of evidence. Firstly, DNA does not bind to ICs under conditions where full binding to C1q is observed. Secondly, at I - 0.15, DNA inhibits more strongly when mixed first with C1q rather than with ICs. The inhibition of C1q-IgG binding by DNA is subject to kinetic factors. Firstly, DNA is not an effective inhibitor if added after C1q has bound to ICs. This at least in part reflects a portion of the IgG-bound C1q that exchanges only very slowly with free C1q. Secondly, the relative rates of association of C1q to DNA and ICs at different ionic strengths are important in determining whether inhibition is observed. The existence of a kinetic effect in the inhibition by DNA means that inhibition experiments cannot be used to establish whether DNa binds to the same site on C1q as IgG. This question was therefore approached by structural studies. Precipitation of C1q with DNA was greatly diminished by heat or pH 4.45 denaturation of C1q, by pepsin digestion to remove the globular heads, and by limited modification with 1, 2-cyclohexanedione. In contrast, extensive modification with methyl acetimidate only had a limited effect. In these respects the structural requirements for C1q-DNA precipitation were similar to those for C1q-Igg binding, as would be consistent with binding of DNA and IgG to nearby or overlapping sites on C1q. In view of residual DNA-precipitating activity in the pepsin fragment preparation of C1q, there is the possibility that there are additional DNA sites on the collagenous tails.

Chromatographic analysis of the hydrophobic interactions of rabbit IgG immunoglobulins and their papain-digested fragments by bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-acetic acid coupled to aminohexyl sepharose

The present study revealed that the IgG immunoglobulins of normal or non-immune rabbit IgG and anti-bovine serum albumin, anti-ovalbumin, anti-bovine IgG and anti-p-chlorobenzoic acid antibodies could non-specifically bind to bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-acetic acid (DDA) coupled to omega-amino-hexyl Sepharose (AHS) by the use of strengthened hydrophobic interactions dependent on the concentration of NaCl. The main binding site on the adsorbent of DDA-substituted AHS (DDA-AHS) was found to be the DDA ligand. The hydrophobic potency of the DDA ligand was thought to be more effective than that of p-chlorobenzoic acid coupled to AHS. Out study also demonstrated that two different binding sites capable of interacting the DDA ligand were contained in IgG molecules. One was located in the Fc region and the other in the Fab region. The former had an ability to adhere to the DDA-AHS adsorbent in the presence of NaCl of 3 M or over, while the latter showed heterogeneous binding behavior depending upon its antibody specificity. Differences in the chromatographic distribution among the whole IgG immunoglobulins including anti-DDA antibody were found by a hydrophobic salting-out chromatography (HSOC) method on a DDA-AHS column. It was therefore assumed that when whole IgG proteins were subjected to HSOC on a DDA-AHS column, the hydrophobic binding site in the Fc region played a decisive role at high salt concentrations of 3 M or over, while the hydrophobic binding site in the Fab region played a major role at intermediate and low salt concentrations of 2 M or below. Thus, by taking advantage of this HSOC method, whole IgG or its Fab molecules possessing very strongly hydrophobic binding sites to promote high quantum yields of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (ANS) fluorescence can be easily separated. We concluded that the ligand of DDA is a probe for the hydrophobic regions in IgG immunoglobulins.