We have adapted an in vitro model of the human blood-brain barrier, the immortalized human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3), to quantitatively measure protein transcytosis. After validating the receptor-mediated transport using transferrin, the system was used to measure transcytosis rates of antibodies directed against potential brain shuttle receptors. While an antibody to the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) was exclusively recycled to the apical compartment, the fate of antibodies to the transferrin receptor (TfR) was determined by their relative affinities at extracellular and endosomal pH. An antibody with reduced affinity at pH5.5 showed significant transcytosis, while pH-independent antibodies of comparable affinities at pH 7.4 remained associated with intracellular vesicular compartments and were finally targeted for degradation.

Background: Serum paraoxonases (PONs) comprise a family of mammalian detoxifying lactonases with different substrate specificities. Results: A newly identified bacterial PON and the reconstructed ancestor of mammalian PONs are quorum-quenching lactonases. Conclusion: PONs originated from quorum-quenching lactonases that later acquired new detoxifying functions. Significance: The evolutionary history of detoxifying enzymes may explain their ambiguous and overlapping specificity profiles.

Serum paraoxonases (PONs) are calcium-dependent lactonases with anti-atherogenic and detoxification functions. Here we describe the directed evolution and characterization of recombinant variants of serum paraoxonase PON3 that express in an active and soluble manner in Escherichia coli. These variants were obtained by combining family shuffling and phylogeny-based mutagenesis: the limited diversity of accessible, cloned PON3 genes was complemented by spiking the shuffling reaction with ancestor/consensus mutations, mutations to residues that comprise the consensus or appear in the predicted ancestors of the PON family. We screened the resulting libraries for PON3's lactonase activity while ensuring that the selected variants retained the substrate specificity of wild-type mammalian PON3s. The availability of highly stable, recombinant PON3 that is free of all other serum components enabled us to explore unknown biochemical features of PON3, including its binding to HDL particles, the effect of HDL on PON3's stability and enzymatic activity, and ex vivo tests of its anti-atherogenic properties. Overall, it appears that PON3 possesses properties very similar to those of PON1: the enzyme's lactonase activity is selectively stimulated by binding to apoAI-HDL, with a concomitant increase in its stability. PON3 also exhibits potentially anti-atherogenic functions, although at levels lower than those of PON1.