• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.250-255
• /
• 2014

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) resides and replicates inside macrophages. In our previous report, we reported that CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses specific for the peptide derived from MTB RNA polymerase beta-subunit ($RpoB_{127-135}$) could be induced in TB patients expressing HLA-$A^*0201$ subtype. In order to examine whether $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cells can recognize MTB infected macrophages in vitro, CD8+ T cell lines specific for $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy HLA-$A^*0201$ subjects by in vitro immunization technique. In this study, we observed $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cells could recognize and destroy macrophages infected with MTB for 2 to 4 days. $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cell immune response was inducible from PBMC of healthy subjects expressing HLA-$A^*0206$ subtype, one of HLA-A2 supertype members. Next, we investigated the HLA-I processing mechanism of $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide in MTB infected macrophages. As a result, the presentation of the MTB derived epitope peptide, $RpoB_{127-135}$, to CD8+ T cells was not inhibited by the treatment with brefeldin-A (ER-Golgi transport inhibitor) or lactacystin (proteasome inhibitor), which blocks the classical HLA-I processing pathway. However, $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cell activity was blocked either by the blocking agent for the endocytosis (cytochalasin D) or by the blocking antibody (W6/32) for HLA-I molecules. Therefore, the $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide may be processed by accessing the alternate HLA-I processing pathway. Understanding the processing and presentation mechanisms of the MTB derived proteins will help to improve the efficacy of vaccines and the efficiency of therapeutic agents for TB.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.427-432
• /
• 1999

Although importance of intrapancreatic neurons containing gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in control of exocrine secretion has been raised, the nature of GRP in the pancreas is unclear. Thus, the present study was undertaken to see distribution, content and molecular heterogeneity of immunoreactive GRP in the rat pancreas. Content of immunoreactive GRP in the rat pancreas was $2.99\;{\pm}\;0.66$ ng/g wet tissues determined by radioimmunoassay. Immunoreactive GRP was most abundantly expressed in the duodenal part among 3 parts of the pancreas; duodenal, body and splenic part. Vagotomy failed to change the content of immunoreactive GRP in the pancreas. Three distinct forms of immunoreactive GRP, very identical to GRP-27, bombesin-24 and neuromedin C, were observed in the rat pancreas by using reversed phase $C_{18}$ HPLC and Sephadex G-50 superfine column chromatography. Cell bodies of neurons containing immunoreactive GRP were scattered in pancreatic connective tissues and their nerve fibers innervated pancreatic acini and large ducts as determined by immunohistochemistry. The present results suggest that three distinct forms of GRP exist in intrapancreatic GRPergic neurons, which exert a stimulatory role in pancreatic exocrine secretion in rats.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.457-467
• /
• 2024

Nanobodies derived from camelids and sharks offer unique advantages in therapeutic applications due to their ability to bind to epitopes that were previously inaccessible. Traditional methods of nanobody development face challenges such as ethical concerns and antigen toxicity. Our study presents a synthetic, phage-displayed nanobody library using trinucleotide-directed mutagenesis technology, which allows precise amino acid composition in complementarity-determining regions (CDRs), with a focus on CDR3 diversity. This approach avoids common problems such as frameshift mutations and stop codon insertions associated with other synthetic antibody library construction methods. By analyzing FDA-approved nanobodies and Protein Data Bank sequences, we designed sub-libraries with different CDR3 lengths and introduced amino acid substitutions to improve solubility. The validation of our library through the successful isolation of nanobodies against targets such as PD-1, ATXN1 and STAT3 demonstrates a versatile and ethical platform for the development of high specificity and affinity nanobodies and represents a significant advance in biotechnology.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.7-17
• /
• 1985

Many investigators have been pursuing various attempts so far to produce hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg) vaccines using the techniques such as isolation from plasma of chronic HBsAg carrier, recombinant DNA technique or preparation of synthetic peptides specific for immunogenic determinants. Hepatitis B virus can not grow on any cell lines by the tissue culture technique at the present time. The plasma of chronic HBsAg carrier is expensive and its source is limited. The HBsAg from the recombinant DNA technique gave still very low yield. Another approach, therefore, has been initiated to develop a synthetic hepatitis B virus vaccine. The possible use of several distinct synthetic vaccines in prophylaxis can be facilitated by availability of full synthetic immunogens. Peptides synthesized for potential application as antiviral vaccines have been mostly tested in the form of conjugates with carrier proteins, although the free synthetic peptide can be immunogenic. To understand basic knowledges on the antigenicity and immunogenicity of a synthetic peptide specific for major immunogenic determinant of HBsAg, a nonapeptide, $H_2N^{139}Cys-Thr-Lys-Pro-Thr-Asp-Gly-^{146}Asn-Aba$ COOH, which corresponds to HBsAg amino acid residues 139 to 147, was synthesized by the Merrifield's solid-phase method with a slight modification. The antigenicity and immunogenicity of this specific synthetic peptide were examined comparing with purified plasma-derived natural HBsAg. The results obtained are as follows; 1. The peptide synthesized showed the identical amino acid composition to the theoretical value. The degree of purification and molecular weight were acertained by methods of high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. 2. Using m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester as a conjugating agent, the synthetic peptide was conjugated to rabbit albumin and ${\gamma}$-globulin, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, and keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Their conjugation yields were 8.3, 9.5, 15.8, 13.5, and 11.2%, respectively. 3. The natural HBsAg was purified from plasma of chronic HBsAg carrier. By the electron microscopic observation of the purified natural HBsAg preparation, no Dane particles were observed and the preparation showed negative DNA polymerase activity. 4. Antigenicity of the synthetic peptide and the plasma-derived natural HBsAg was determined by competition radioimmunoassay using $^{125}I$-natural HBsAg. Their 50% inhibitions appeared as $90{\mu}g/ml$ and $0.12{\mu}g/ml$ for the synthetic peptide and the natural HBsAg, respectively. This indicates that the former was about 750-fold less antigenic than the latter. 5. Immunogenicity of the synthetic peptide was determined by administering the peptide-carrier conjugates into rabbits with and without Freund's complete adjuvant. Regardless the carrier proteins and adjuvant, positive immune responses to the synthetic peptide were observed. The higher antibody titers, however, were shown in the groups administered with Freund's complete adjuvant. 6. Immunizing dose 50% in mice of the various peptide-carrier conjugates was 5.47, 6.00, 65.16, 31.25 and $13.03{\mu}g/dose$ for rabbit albumin and ${\gamma}$-globulin, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, and keyhole limpet hemocyanin, respectively, while the natural HBsAg showed $0.65{\mu}g/dose$. 7. It was postulated that homologous proteins prefer to heterologous ones as the carriers.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.44 no.9
• /
• pp.607-612
• /
• 2011

Several investigators have shown that CpG-DNA has outstanding effects as a Th1-responsive adjuvant and that its potent adjuvant effects are enhanced by encapsulation with a liposome of proper composition. In this study, we showed that encapsulation with phosphatidyl-${\beta}$-oleoyl-${\gamma}$-palmitoyl ethanolamine (DOPE): cholesterol hemisuccinate (CHEMS) complex enhances the immunostimulatory activity of CpG DNA and the binding of CpG-DNA to TLR9. We also examined involvement of myeloid differentiation protein (MyD88) and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in liposome-encapsulated CpG-DNA-induced IL-8 promoter activation. In this manuscript, the natural phosphodiester bond CpG-DNA encapsulated by DOPE : CHEMS complex is designated as Lipoplex(O). Importantly, we successfully screened B cell epitopes of envelope protein (E protein) of hepatitis C virus (HCV-E) and attachment glycoprotein G of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV-G) by immunization with complexes of several peptides and Lipoplex(O) without carriers. Therefore, Lipoplex(O) is potentially applicable as a universal adjuvant for peptide-based epitope screening and antibody production.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.31-41
• /
• 2002

Proline-rich proteins (PRPs) are major components of human saliva. In order to know the biological roles of PRPs, we explored the expression pattern and functional protein structures of PRPs by the immunohistochemical and various molecular biological methods. Polyclonal antibody against human gPRP was generated from rabbit by the injection of oral exfoliated cells specially treated by urea and SDS buffer. The PRPs began to be expressed both in the acinar cells and ductal cells from the EIDS (Early Intermediate Developmental Stage) of fetal salivary glands and became intense in the salivary epithelium in the LDS (Late Developmental Stage) and adult salivary glands. The polyclonal antibody against the gPRP showed the cross-reactivity with aPRP and bPRP, these results were relevant to the high homology among subtypes of PRP. However, the simulated protein structures of PRPs showed the characteristic repetitive whorling domains except the N-terminal signal peptide. The whorling domains were also contained the multiple amino acids of glutamine and glycine, which may provide the receptor binding or cross-linking sites of PRPs.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.351-357
• /
• 1994

The levels of maternal immunity enhancing factor(MIEF), which is an immunomodulatory protein identified from bovine colostrum, were determined by indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) for the colostrum and normal milk collected during the first two weeks of lactation. The mean concentration of MIEF in the colostrum of the first day of lactation was $109\;{\mu}g/ml$, and fell from the third day of lactation to $3{\sim}4\;{\mu}g/ml$. The molecular weight of the purified MIEF determined by reducing SDS-PAGE and TSK G2000SW column chromatography was 22,000 and 24,000 daltons, respectively, showing that MIEF is a monomeric peptide in its native form. To examine the capacity of MIEF to induce differentiation of B Lymphocytes, human tonsillar Iymphocytes were cultured in the presence of different concentrations of MIEF, and then antibody secreting cells were enumerated by enzyme-linked immunospot(ELISPOT) assay. When added to cultures of human tonsillar Lymphocytes, MIEF induced differentiation of resting B Iymphocyte to antibody secreting plasma cells as efficiently as LPS.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1995.06a
• /
• pp.67-78
• /
• 1995

Monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) are a highly diversified class of proteins with major research and commercial applications such as diagnostics and therapeutics. Currently, the dominant method for producing MoAbs is through the hybridoma technique. However, this technique is slow, tedious, labor intensive, and expensive. The production of MoAbs in cultured transgenic plant cells can offer some advantages over that in the over that in the mammalian systems. The media to cultivate plant cells are well defined and inexpensive. Contamination by bacteria or fungi is easily monitored in plant tissue cultures. Furthermore, these contaminants are usually not potent pathogens to human beings. In our interdisciplinary research efforts, heavy chain monoclonal antibody (HC MAb) was inserted into Ti plasmid vector and transferred into A. tumefaciens for the transformation in tobacco cells. It was found that 76% of the transformants produced HC MAb. The presence of HC MAb in the cell membrane fraction indicated that the signal peptide was functional and efficient. The change of the HC MAb concentration during a batch culture followed a similar trend as dry cell concentration, indicating that the production of HC MAb was growth related. The long-term repeated subcultures of 11 cell lines showed that there was no obvious trend of neither the decrease nor the increase of the productivity with the repeated subcultures.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.372-380
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP) containing nerve fivers after pulp exposure in rats. The Spague-Dawley rats weighing about 250 - 300g were used. The animals were devided into normal control group and experimental groups. Experimental animals were sacrified on 2, 4, 7, 10 days after pulp exposure. The maxillary teeth and alveolar bone were removed and immersed in the 4% paraformaldehyde plus 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Serial frozen $50{\mu}m$ thick sections were cut with a cryostat. In the immunohistochemical staining procedure, the rabbit CGRP antibody was used as a primary antibody. The sections were incubated for 48 hours at $4^{\circ}C$, and placed into biotinylated anti-rabbit IgG as a secondary antibody and incubated in ABC (avidin-biotin complex), The sections were visualized by 0.05% 3.3 diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride. The results of this study were as follows: 1. In control group, CGRP containing nerve fibers ran parallel to the long axis of root and reached the coronal pulp. They were distributed on Raschkow plexus under the odontoblastic layer. 2. In 2 day group after pulp exposure, tissue necrosis and acute inflammation occurred and CGRP containing nerve fibers increased. In 4 day group, the necrotic tissue extended to the pulp and CGRP containing nerve fibers were distributed around the inflammation zone. 3. In 7 day group after pulp exposure, pulp necrosis occurred, and in 10 day group, the abscess under the necrotic pulp extended to the root apex area and CGRP containing nerve fibers were not observed in root canals. 4.The sprouting of CGRP nerve fibers was most remarkable at the pulp chamber under injury in 4 day group, and it was found at inflammation zone under the necrotic tissue in 7 day group and the remaining root pulp tissue in 10 day group. As mentioned above, CGRP nerve fibers had a tendency to increase around the inflammatory zone, especially around the acute inflammation tissue, when compared with control group. It is suggested that CGRP nerve fibers maybe related to the control of inflammatory response of pulp tissue.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.323-330
• /
• 2011

The chicken monoclonal antibody (mAb), 13C8, reacts with sporozoite antigens of Eimeria spp. which causes avian coccidiosis. Since this mAb was produced at low amount due to genetic instability of chicken hybridoma, a recombinant 13C8 single-chain Fv (ScFv) antibody was constructed by amplification of the variable domain of heavy (VH) and light chain (VL) genes of antibody derived from chicken hybridoma. The constructed 13C8 ScFv was successfully expressed in E. coli and purified as a soluble form. In ELISA analysis, this recombinant 13C8 ScFv antibody showed antigen binding activity as the original mAb. In addition, nucleotide sequence comparison of 13C8 gene to the germline chicken VL and VH genes suggested that the gene conversion with $V{\lambda}$ and VH pseudogenes might contribute to the diversification of VL and VH genes in chickens.