Some unique subclasses of Camelidae antibodies are devoid of light chain and the antigen binding site is comprised exclusively of the variable domain of the heavy chain (VHH). Although conventional antibodies dominate current assay development, recombinant VHHs have a high potential as alternative reagents for the next generation of immunoassay. We expressed VHHs from an immunized alpaca and developed a VHH-based immunoassay using 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), a major metabolite of pyrethroid insecticides as a model system. A phage VHH library was constructed and seven VHH clones were selected by competitive binding with 3-PBA. The best immunoassay developed with one of these VHHs showed an IC50 of 1.4 ng/mL (limit of detection (LOD) = 0.1 ng/mL). These parameters were further improved by using the phage borne VHH, IC50 = 0.1 ng/mL and LOD = 0.01 ng/mL. Both assays showed a similar tolerance to methanol and dimethylsulfoxide up to 50% in assay buffer. The assay was highly specific to 3-PBA and its 4-hydroxylated derivative, 4-hydroxy 3-PBA (150% cross reactivity) with negligible cross reactivity with other tested structural analogs and the recovery from spiked urine sample ranged from 80 to 112%. In conclusion, a highly specific and sensitive VHH for 3-PBA was developed using sequences from immunized alpaca and phage display technology for antibody selection.
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a ubiquitous flame retardant. A high-throughput immunoassay would allow for monitoring of human and environmental exposures as a part of risk assessment. Naturally occurring antibodies in camelids that are devoid of light chain, show great promise as an efficient tool in monitoring environmental contaminants, but they have been rarely used for small molecules. An alpaca was immunized with a TBBPA hapten coupled to thyroglobulin and a variable domain of heavy chain antibody (VHH) T3–15 highly selective for TBBPA was isolated from a phage displayed VHH library using heterologous coating antigens. Compared to the VHHs isolated using homologous antigens, VHH T3–15 had about a 10-fold improvement in sensitivity in an immunoassay. This assay, under the optimized conditions of 10% methanol in the assay buffer (pH 7.4), had an IC50 for TBBPA of 0.40 ng mL–1 and negligible cross reactivity (<0.1%) with other tested analogues. After heating the VHH at 90 °C for 90 min about 20% of the affinity for coating antigen T3-BSA remained. The recoveries of TBBPA from spiked soil and fetal bovine serum samples ranged from 90.3% to 110.7% by ELISA and agreed well with a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. We conclude the many advantages of VHH make them attractive for the development of immunoassays to small molecules.
Atherosclerosis, the primary cause of heart disease and stroke is initiated in the vascular endothelium, and risk factors for its development include environmental exposure to persistent organic pollutants. Caveolae are membrane microdomains involved in regulation of many signaling pathways, and in particular in endothelial cells. We tested the hypothesis that intact caveolae are required for coplanar PCB77-induced up-regulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), an endotheliumderived chemokine that attracts monocytes into sub-endothelial space in early stages of the atherosclerosis development. Atherosclerosis-prone LDL-R −/− mice (control) or caveolin-1 −/− /-LDL-R −/− mice were treated with PCB77. PCB77 induced aortic mRNA expression and plasma protein levels of MCP-1 in control, but not caveolin-1 −/− /LDL-R −/− mice. To study the mechanism of this effect, primary endothelial cells were used. PCB77 increased MCP-1 levels in endothelial cells in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. This effect was abolished by caveolin-1 silencing using siRNA. Also, MCP-1 up-regulation by PCB77 was prevented by inhibiting p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not ERK1/2, suggesting regulatory functions via p38 and JNK MAPK pathways. Finally, pretreatment of endothelial cells with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) inhibitor α-naphthoflavone (α-NF) partially blocked MCP-1 up-regulation. Thus, our data demonstrate that coplanar PCB77 can induce MCP-1 expression by endothelial cells and that this effect is mediated by AhR, as well as p 38 and JNK MAPK pathways. Intact caveolae are required for these processes both in vivo and in vitro. This further supports a key role for caveolae in vascular inflammation induced by persistent organic pollutants.
Anti-idiotypic antibodies recognize the antigenic determinants of an antibody, thus can be used as surrogate antigens. Single domain antibodies from camlid heavy chain antibodies with the benefit features of small size, thermostability and ease in expression, are leading candidates to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies. In this work, we constructed an antibody phage library from the mRNA of an alpaca immunized with an anti-aflatoxin monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1C11. Three anti-idiotypic VHH antibodies were isolated and applied to immunoassay towards aflatoxin as a coating antigen. The best immunoassay developed with one of these VHH antibodies shows an IC50 of 0.16 ng/mL towards aflatoxin B1 and cross-reactivity towards aflatoxin B2, G1 and G2 of 90.4%, 54.4% and 37.7%, respectively. The VHH-based immunoassay was successfully applied to the analysis of peanuts, corn and rice, which are the predominant commodities regularly contaminated by aflatoxins. A good correlation (r2=0.89) was found between the data obtained from the conventional ELISA and the ELISA based on a VHH coating antigen for the analysis of aflatoxins in peanuts and feedstuff. The use of biotechnology in developing the surrogate, the absence of standard aflatoxin and organic solvents in the synthesis procedures, and the reproducibility of the VHH antibody makes it an ideal strategy for replacing conventional synthesized antigens.
In the present study, a series of 32 hydroxy- and dihydroxy-polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) and PCB-derived quinones were prepared and evaluated for their in vitro potencies to downregulate gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the estrogen receptor alpha (ER) in well-established liver and mammary cell models. The rat liver epithelial cell line WB-F344 was used for in vitro determination of GJIC inhibition; the AhR-inducing activity was determined in the rat hepatoma H4IIE.Luc cells stably transfected with a luciferase reporter gene; ER-mediated activity was measured in two breast carcinoma cell lines, MVLN and T47D.Luc, stably transfected with luciferase under the control of estrogen responsive element. Acute inhibition of GJIC, potentially associated with tumor promotion, was detected after treatment with all OH-PCBs under study, with the persistent OH-PCBs being the strongest ones. Several compounds were found to significantly induce the AhR-mediated activity, including 4'-OH-PCB 79, a metabolite of PCB 77, and 2-(4'-chloro)- and 2-(3',4'-dichloro)-1,4-benzoquinones and 1,4-hydroquinones. Low molecular weight OH-PCBs, such as 3'-hydroxy, 4'-, and 3',4'-dihydroxy-4-chlorobiphenyl, elicited significant estrogenic activity and potentiated effect of 17beta-estradiol. Antiestrogenic potencies, determined in the presence of 17beta-estradiol, were found for persistent 4-OH-PCB 187, 4-OH-PCB 146, and some low chlorinated PCB derivatives. However, no apparent association between induction of AhR activity and antiestrogenicity was observed. The majority of the OH-PCBs suppressed the 17beta-estradiol response only at cytotoxic concentrations. Spearman's rank correlations were calculated for these biological data and the physicochemical descriptors, hydrophobicity (log P), molar volume, pKa, log D, and dihedral angle. Significant correlations were found between potency to downregulate GJIC and log P and molar volume (R = -0.7, p < 0.0001). Antiestrogenic effects were also negatively correlated with hydrophobicity and molar volume. No significant correlations among other biological end points and the physicochemical descriptors were observed for the entire set of compounds. These results show that oxygenated PCB metabolites are capable of multiple adverse effects, including gap junction inhibition, AhR-mediated activity, and (anti)estrogenicity. The inhibition of GJIC by OH-PCBs represents a novel mode of action of both the lower chlorinated and the persisting high molecular weight OH-PCBs.
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