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JianPing Yin

Publications and source records attributed to JianPing Yin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Function blocking antibodies to neuropilin-1 generated from a designed human synthetic antibody phage library.

Non-immune (naïve) antibody phage libraries have become an important source of human antibodies. The synthetic phage antibody library described here utilizes a single human framework with a template containing human consensus complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). Diversity of the libraries was introduced at select CDR positions using tailored degenerate and trinucleotide codons that mimic natural human antibodies. Neuropilin-1 (NRP1), a cell-surface receptor for both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and class 3 semaphorins, is expressed on endothelial cells and neurons. NRP1 is required for vascular development and is expressed widely in the developing vasculature. To investigate the possibility of function blocking antibodies to NRP1 as potential therapeutics, and study the consequence of targeting NRP1 in murine tumor models, panels of antibodies that cross-react with human and murine NRP1 were generated from a designed antibody phage library. Antibody (YW64.3) binds to the CUB domains (a1a2) of NRP1 and completely blocks Sema3A induced neuron collapse; antibody (YW107.4.87) binds to the coagulation factor V/VIII domains (b1b2) of NRP1 and blocks VEGF binding and VEGF induced cell migration. YW107.4.87 inhibits tumor growth in animal xenograft models. These antibodies have provided valuable tools to study the roles of NRP1 in vascular and tumor biology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of C3b in complex with CRIg gives insights into regulation of complement activation.

The complement system is a key part of the innate immune system, and is required for clearance of pathogens from the bloodstream. After exposure to pathogens, the third component of the complement system, C3, is cleaved to C3b which, after recruitment of factor B, initiates formation of the alternative pathway convertases. CRIg, a complement receptor expressed on macrophages, binds to C3b and iC3b mediating phagocytosis of the particles, but it is unknown how CRIg selectively recognizes proteolytic C3-fragments and whether binding of CRIg to C3b inhibits convertase activation. Here we present the crystal structure of C3b in complex with CRIg and, using CRIg mutants, provide evidence that CRIg acts as an inhibitor of the alternative pathway of complement. The structure shows that activation of C3 induces major structural rearrangements, including a dramatic movement (>80 A) of the thioester-bond-containing domain through which C3b attaches to pathogen surfaces. We show that CRIg is not only a phagocytic receptor, but also a potent inhibitor of the alternative pathway convertases. The structure provides insights into the complex macromolecular structural rearrangements that occur during complement activation and inhibition. Moreover, our structure-function studies relating the structural basis of complement activation and the means by which CRIg inhibits the convertases provide important clues to the development of therapeutics that target complement.

Complement Activation↗

Structure of SAP18: a ubiquitin fold in histone deacetylase complex assembly.

Signal transduction pathways are frequently found to repress transcription of target genes in the absence of stimulation and, conversely, to upregulate transcription in the presence of a signal. Transcription factors are central in this dual regulatory mechanism and widely use a generalized mechanism to repress transcription through recruitment of a Sin3-histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex to their binding sites on DNA. The protein SAP18 (Sin3-associated polypeptide of 18 kDa) has been shown to play a key role in gene-specific recruitment of the HDAC complex by a number of transcription factors including Gli, GAGA, and Bicoid. The solution structure of SAP18 reveals a ubiquitin-like fold with several large loop insertions relative to other family members. This fold supports the functional role of SAP18 as a protein-protein adapter module and provides insight for how SAP18 may bridge the Sin3-HDAC complex to transcription factors.

Carrier Proteins↗

Engineering an APRIL-specific B cell maturation antigen.

B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a tumor necrosis factor receptor family member whose physiological role remains unclear. BCMA has been implicated as a receptor for both a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) and B cell-activating factor (BAFF), tumor necrosis factor ligands that bind to multiple tumor necrosis factor receptor and have been reported to play a role in autoimmune disease and cancer. The results presented herein provide a dual perspective analysis of BCMA binding to both APRIL and BAFF. First, we characterized the binding affinity of monomeric BCMA for its ligands; BAFF binding affinity (IC50 = 8 +/- 5 microm) is about 1000-fold reduced compared with the high affinity interaction of APRIL (IC50 = 11 +/- 3 nm). Second, shotgun alanine scanning of BCMA was used to map critical residues for either APRIL or BAFF binding. In addition to a previously described "DXL" motif (Gordon, N. C., Pan, B., Hymowitz, S. G., Yin, J., Kelley, R. F., Cochran, A. G., Yan, M., Dixit, V. M., Fairbrother, W. J., and Starovasnik, M. A. (2003) Biochemistry 42, 5977-5983), the alanine scanning results predicted four amino acid positions in BCMA (Tyr13, Ile22, Gln25, and Arg27) that could impart ligand specificity. Substitution of Tyr13 was tolerated for BAFF binding but not APRIL binding. Arg27 was required for high affinity binding to APRIL, whereas substitutions of this residue had minimal effect on affinity for BAFF. Further phage display experiments suggested the single mutations of I22K, Q25D, and R27Y as providing the greatest difference in APRIL versus BAFF binding affinity. Incorporation of the Q25D and R27Y substitutions into BCMA produced a dual specificity variant, since it has comparable binding affinity for both APRIL and BAFF, IC50 = 350 and 700 nm, respectively. Binding of the I22K mutant of monomeric BCMA to BAFF was undetectable (IC50 > 100 microm), but affinity for binding to APRIL was similar to wild-type BCMA. Based on these results, a BCMA-Fc fusion with the single I22K mutation was produced that binds APRIL, IC50 = 12 nm, and has no measurable affinity for BAFF. These results suggest that APRIL is the preferred ligand for BCMA and show that specificity can be further modified through amino acid substitutions.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Convergent recognition of the IgE binding site on the high-affinity IgE receptor.

Two structurally distinct classes of peptides were recently identified by phage display that bind the high-affinity IgE receptor, FcepsilonRI, and block IgE binding and subsequent receptor activation. Both classes adopt highly stable structures in solution, one forming a beta hairpin, with the other forming a helical "zeta" structure. Despite these differences, the two classes bind competitively to the same site on the receptor. Structural analyses of both peptide-receptor complexes by NMR spectroscopy and/or X-ray crystallography reveal that the unrelated peptide scaffolds have nevertheless converged to present a similar three-dimensional surface to interact with FcepsilonRI and that their modes of interaction share a key feature of the IgE-FcepsilonRI complex, the proline/tryptophan sandwich.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

BAFF/BLyS receptor 3 comprises a minimal TNF receptor-like module that encodes a highly focused ligand-binding site.

BAFF/BLyS, a member of the tumor necrosis family (TNF) superfamily of ligands, is a crucial survival factor for B cells. BAFF binds three receptors, TACI, BCMA, and BR3, with signaling through BR3 being essential for promoting B cell function. Typical TNF receptor (TNFR) family members bind their cognate ligands through interactions with two cysteine-rich domains (CRDs). However, the extracellular domain (ECD) of BR3 consists of only a partial CRD, with cysteine spacing distinct from other modules described previously. Herein, we report the solution structure of the BR3 ECD. A core region of only 19 residues adopts a stable structure in solution. The BR3 fold is analogous to the first half of a canonical TNFR CRD but is stabilized by an additional noncanonical disulfide bond. BAFF-binding determinants were identified by shotgun alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the BR3 ECD expressed on phage. Several of the key BAFF-binding residues are presented from a beta-turn that we have shown previously to be sufficient for ligand binding when transferred to a structured beta-hairpin scaffold [Kayagaki, N., Yan, M., Seshasayee, D., Wang, H., Lee, W., French, D. M., Grewal, I. S., Cochran, A. G., Gordon, N. C., Yin, J., Starovasnik, M. A, and Dixit, V. M. (2002) Immunity 10, 515-524]. Outside of the turn, mutagenesis identifies additional hydrophobic contacts that enhance the BAFF-BR3 interaction. The crystal structure of the minimal hairpin peptide, bhpBR3, in complex with BAFF reveals intimate packing of the six-residue BR3 turn into a cavity on the ligand surface. Thus, BR3 binds BAFF through a highly focused interaction site, unprecedented in the TNFR family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

BAFF/BLyS receptor 3 binds the B cell survival factor BAFF ligand through a discrete surface loop and promotes processing of NF-kappaB2.

The TNF-like ligand BAFF/BLyS is a potent survival factor for B cells. It binds three receptors: TACI, BCMA, and BR3. We show that BR3 signaling promotes processing of the transcription factor NF-kappaB2/p100 to p52. NF-kappaB2/p100 cleavage was abrogated in B cells from A/WySnJ mice possessing a mutant BR3 gene, but not in TACI or BCMA null B cells. Furthermore, wild-type mice injected with BAFF-neutralizing BR3-Fc protein showed reduced basal NF-kappaB2 activation. BR3-Fc treatment of NZB/WF1 mice, which develop a fatal lupus-like syndrome, inhibited NF-kappaB2 processing and attenuated the disease process. Since inhibiting the BR3-BAFF interaction has therapeutic ramifications, the ligand binding interface of BR3 was investigated and found to reside within a 26 residue core domain. When stabilized within a structured beta-hairpin peptide, six of these residues were sufficient to confer binding to BAFF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗