Functional characterization of Schistosoma mansoni fucosyltransferases in Nicotiana benthamiana plants

Helminth parasites secrete a wide variety of immunomodulatory proteins and lipids to dampen host immune responses. Many of these immunomodulatory compounds are modified with complex sugar structures (or glycans), which play an important role at the host–parasite interface. As an example, the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni produces highly fucosylated glycan structures on glycoproteins and glycolipids. Up to 20 different S. mansoni fucosyltransferase (SmFucT) genes can be found in genome databases, but thus far only one enzyme has been functionally characterized. To unravel the synthesis of highly fucosylated N-glycans by S. mansoni, we examined the ability of ten selected SmFucTs to modify N-glycans upon transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. All enzymes were localized in the plant Golgi apparatus, which allowed us to identify the SmFucTs involved in core fucosylation and the synthesis of complex antennary glycan motifs. This knowledge provides a starting point for investigations into the role of specific fucosylated glycan motifs of schistosomes in parasite-host interactions. The functionally characterized SmFucTs can also be applied to synthesize complex N-glycan structures on recombinant proteins to study their contribution to immunomodulation. Furthermore, this plant expression system will fuel the development of helminth glycoproteins for pharmaceutical applications or novel anti-helminth vaccines

Fluorescent T7 display phages obtained by translational frameshift

Lytic phages form a powerful platform for the display of large cDNA libraries and offer the possibility to screen for interactions with almost any substrate. To visualize these interactions directly by fluorescence microscopy, we constructed fluorescent T7 phages by exploiting the flexibility of phages to incorporate modified versions of its capsid protein. By applying translational frameshift sequences, helper plasmids were constructed that expressed a fixed ratio of both wild-type capsid protein (gp10) and capsid protein fused to enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP). The frameshift sequences were inserted between the 3′ end of the capsid gene and the sequence encoding EYFP. Fluorescent fusion proteins are only formed when the ribosome makes a −1 shift in reading frame during translation. Using standard fluorescence microscopy, we could sensitively monitor the enrichment of specific binders in a cDNA library displayed on fluorescent T7 phages. The perspectives of fluorescent display phages in the fast emerging field of single molecule detection and sorting technologies are discussed

Molecular cloning of human dendritic cell associated lectin-1 (DECTIN-1) isoform genes, expression and localization as a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion in caco-2 cell line

The human Dectin-1 molecule known as a β-glucan receptor is an immune cell surface receptor implicated in the immunological defense against fungal and other pathogens. Dectin-1 is a type II transmemebrane receptor with a single extracellular carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD), a stalk region which separates the CRD from the membrane and an immunoreceptor tyrosine activation motif in its cytoplasmic tail. The objectives of the present study were isolation of the Dectin-1 genes from the human monocyte complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA), cloning of the isolated human Dectin-1 isoform transcripts into the mammalian expression vector, make a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion, expression and sub-cellular localization of the GFP fusion in the mammalian cell line. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Vector NTI sequence analysis revealed six transcripts from a human monocyte cDNA. Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) analysis showed the transcripts are member of the human Dectin-1 gene family. Sequence alignment analysis using contig express and ClustalW revealed a 100% sequence similarity with the human Dectin-1 isoform A, B and F with a size of 741, 603 and 232 bp, respectively and another one transcript (193 bp) which do not homologous with the six isoforms. Cloning of the four isolated human Dectin-1 isoform transcripts into the mammalian expression vector at the 3’end of cytomegalovirus promoter (CMVp) and the GFP was ligated at the 3’end of the cloned Dectin-1 gene. The ligation experiment was proven by restriction enzyme digestion. Transient transfection of the plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA’s) that contain the chimeric human Dectin-1 isoform-GFP fusion transcripts into a Caco-2 cells were conducted and after 24 h of nucleofection. The tissue culture plate cells were examined by fluorescent microscope and all the tested samples showed green fluorescence signal. Transfection efficiency of 40.2 to 58.0% and 70.7 to 82.8% cell viability were recorded using flow cytometry assay at 48 h of post nucleofection on cells that were cultured on tissue culture plate. Localization of fused GFP was assessed using a laser scanning confocal microscopy after 24 h of transfection on cells that were cultured on a chambered tissue culture coverglass and revealed the GFP is localized on the cell membrane.Keywords: Cloning, GFP, human DECTIN-1 isoforms, localization, RT-PCR, transfectio

Serological Differentiation of Plant-parasitic Nematode Species with Polyclonal and Monoclonal Antibodies

Although several attempts have been made to differentiate nematode species with polyclonal antisera, these efforts thus far have met with limited success because of extensive crossreactivities of the sera. Since the hybridoma technique offers the opportunity to develop more specific serological reagents, some research groups have recently started to apply this technology to the problem of species identification in nematology. Monoclonal antibodies (MA) that differentiate the potato-cyst nematodes Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida, as well as MA specific for Meloidogyne species, have been developed. The possibilities of developing serodiagnostic tools for identification of nematodes recovered from soil samples and the implications of such monitoring of nematode infestations in view of integrated control of plant-parasitic nematodes are discussed

Rapid screening and scaled manufacture of immunogenic virus-like particles in a tobacco BY-2 cell-free protein synthesis system

Several vaccine platforms have been developed to fight pathogenic threats, with Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) representing a very promising alternative to traditional platforms. VLPs trigger strong and lasting humoral and cellular immune responses with fewer safety concerns and higher stability than other platforms. The use of extensively characterized carrier VLPs modified with heterologous antigens was proposed to circumvent the viral complexity of specific viruses that could lead to poor VLP assembly and yields. Although carrier VLPs have been successfully produced in a wide variety of cell-based systems, these are limited by low protein yields and protracted clone selection and optimization workflows that limit VLP screening approaches. In response, we have demonstrated the cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) of several variants of the hepatitis B core (HBc) carrier VLP using a high-yielding tobacco BY-2 lysate (BYL). High VLP yields in the BYL system allowed in-depth characterization of HBc variants. Insertion of heterologous sequences at the spike region of the HBc monomer proved more structurally demanding than at the N-terminus but removal of the C-terminal domain allowed higher particle flexibility and insert acceptance, albeit at the expense of thermal and chemical stability. We also proved the possibility to scale the CFPS reaction up to 1L in batch mode to produce 0.45 grams of the native HBc VLP within a 48-hour reaction window. A maximum yield of 820 µg/ml of assembled VLP particles was observed at the 100µl scale and most remarkably the CFPS reaction was successfully scaled from 50µl to 1L without any reduction in protein yield across this 20,000-fold difference in reaction volumes. We subsequently proved the immunogenicity of BYL-derived VLPs, as flow cytometry and microscopy clearly showed prompt recognition and endocytosis of fluorescently labelled VLPs by human dendritic cells. Triggering of inflammatory cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was also quantitated using a multiplex assay. This research establishes BYL as a tool for rapid production and microscale screening of VLP variants with subsequent manufacturing possibilities across scales, thus accelerating discovery and implementation of new vaccine candidates using carrier VLPs

Glyco-Engineering Plants to Produce Helminth Glycoproteins as Prospective Biopharmaceuticals: Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Prospects

Glycoproteins are the dominant category among approved biopharmaceuticals, indicating their importance as therapeutic proteins. Glycoproteins are decorated with carbohydrate structures (or glycans) in a process called glycosylation. Glycosylation is a post-translational modification that is present in all kingdoms of life, albeit with differences in core modifications, terminal glycan structures, and incorporation of different sugar residues. Glycans play pivotal roles in many biological processes and can impact the efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins. The majority of biopharmaceuticals are based on human glycoproteins, but non-human glycoproteins, originating from for instance parasitic worms (helminths), form an untapped pool of potential therapeutics for immune-related diseases and vaccine candidates. The production of sufficient quantities of correctly glycosylated putative therapeutic helminth proteins is often challenging and requires extensive engineering of the glycosylation pathway. Therefore, a flexible glycoprotein production system is required that allows straightforward introduction of heterologous glycosylation machinery composed of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases to obtain desired glycan structures. The glycome of plants creates an ideal starting point for N- and O-glyco-engineering of helminth glycans. Plants are also tolerant toward the introduction of heterologous glycosylation enzymes as well as the obtained glycans. Thus, a potent production platform emerges that enables the production of recombinant helminth proteins with unusual glycans. In this review, we discuss recent advances in plant glyco-engineering of potentially therapeutic helminth glycoproteins, challenges and their future prospects

Re-evaluation of IL-10 signaling reveals novel insights on the contribution of the intracellular domain of the IL-10R2 chain

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that plays a key role in maintainingimmune homeostasis. IL-10-mediated responses are triggered upon binding to a heterodimericreceptor complex consisting of IL-10 receptor (IL-10R)1 and IL-10R2. Engagementof the IL-10R complex activates the intracellular kinases Jak1 and Tyk2, but the exact rolesof IL-10R2 and IL-10R2-associated signaling via Tyk2 remain unclear. To elucidate the contributionof IL-10R2 and its signaling to IL-10 activity, we re-evaluated IL-10-mediatedresponses on bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, macrophages and mast cells. By usingbone marrow from IL-10R-/- mice it was revealed that IL-10-mediated responses depend onboth IL-10R1 and IL-10R2 in all three cell types. On the contrary, bone marrow-derived cellsfrom Tyk2-/- mice showed similar responses to IL-10 as wild-type cells, indicating that signalingvia this IL-10R2-associated kinase only plays a limited role. Tyk2 was shown to controlthe amplitude of STAT3 activation and the up-regulation of downstream SOCS3 expression.SOCS3 up-regulation was found to be cell-type dependent and correlated with the lack ofearly suppression of LPS-induced TNF-α in dendritic cells. Further investigation of the IL-10R complex revealed that both the extracellular and intracellular domains of IL-10R2 influencethe conformation of IL-10R1 and that both domains were required for transducing IL-10 signals. This observation highlights a novel role for the intracellular domain of IL-10R2 inthe molecular mechanisms of IL-10R activation

A functional polymeric immunoglobulin receptor in chicken (Gallus gallus) indicates ancient role of secretory IgA in mucosal immunity.

Animals are continuously threatened by pathogens entering the body through natural openings. Here we show that in chicken ( Gallus gallus ), secretory IgA (sIgA) protects the epithelia lining these natural cavities. A gene encoding a chicken polymeric Ig receptor ( GG-pIgR ), a key component of sIgA, was identified, and shown to be expressed in the liver, intestine and bursa of Fabricius. All motifs involved in pIgR function are present, with a highly conserved Ig-binding motif in the first Ig-like domain. Physical association of GG-pIgR with pIgA in bile and intestine demonstrates that this protein is a functional receptor. Thus, as shown for mammals, this receptor interacts with J-chain-containing polymeric IgA (pIgA) at the basolateral epithelial cell surface resulting in transcytosis and subsequent cleavage of the pIgR, releasing sIgA in the mucosal lumen. Interestingly, the extracellular portion of GG-pIgR protein comprises only four Ig-like domains, in contrast with the five domain structure found in mammalian pIgR genes. The second Ig-like domain of mammalian pIgR does not have an orthologous domain in the chicken gene. The presence of pIgR in chicken suggests that this gene has evolved before the divergence of birds and reptiles, indicating that secretory Igs may have a prominent role in first line defence in various non-mammalian species