Biomedical subjects

Marcela Torres

Publications and source records attributed to Marcela Torres.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Interaction of radiolabeled antibodies with fungal cells and components of the immune system in vitro and during radioimmunotherapy for experimental fungal infection.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) for infectious diseases was recently demonstrated for several fungal and bacterial infections, but the mechanisms by which RIT is effective against microbes are uncertain. METHODS: We investigated the interaction between polysaccharide capsule-binding 18B7 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) labeled with alpha-emitter 213Bi and Cryptococcus neoformans cells as well as between 213Bi-18B7 and components of immune system, both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: For 213Bi-18B7, the microbicidal effect was predominantly due to "direct-hit" killing, with some contribution from the "crossfire" effect. The efficacy of cell killing correlated with the binding capacity of the MAb to the capsule and was dependent on the MAb isotype. RIT also promoted the apoptosis-like death of fungal cells. Cooperation was observed in vitro between the antifungal activity of macrophages and RIT, suggesting the potential for synergistic action in vivo. RIT was associated with changes in concentration of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma, suggesting that the therapeutic effects of RIT may result from changes in the inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that the antimicrobial efficacy of RIT involves killing through promotion of fungal cell apoptosis-like death, reduction in yeast capsule size, cooperation with macrophages, and modulation of the inflammatory response.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Variable-region-identical antibodies differing in isotype demonstrate differences in fine specificity and idiotype.

A central tenet of the current understanding of the relationship between Ab structure and function is that the variable region domain is solely responsible for Ag specificity. However, this view was recently challenged by the observation that families of mouse-human chimeric Abs with identical V regions demonstrate differences in fine specificity and by reports of changes in Ab Id structure with isotype switching. Here we revisited this question by evaluating the reactivity of two families of murine IgG switch variants that differed in V region usage for Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan, glucuronoxylomannan peptide mimetics, and anti-Id mAbs. The results reveal isotype-related differences in fine specificities and Id for two mAb isotype switched families, thus establishing the validity of this observation with sets of homologous Abs. The results suggest that the C region affects V region protein conformation, leading to differences in fine specificity and Id. The finding that isotype can affect fine specificity has major implications for current concepts of the generation of secondary responses, idiotypic network regulation, and isotype function. Given that isotype class switching and Ig gene somatic hypermutation share molecular mechanisms, these observations unify these processes in the sense that both can alter specificity and affinity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

A point mutation in the Ch3 domain of human IgG3 inhibits antibody secretion without affecting antigen specificity.

Immunoglobulins (Ig) require correct folding and assembly of both heavy (H) and light (L) chains to form a functional H2L2 dimer that is secreted from plasma cells. This process is dependent upon the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone BiP, which targets improperly, folded or assembled Ig molecules for degradation. While investigating the mechanism of low IgG3 secretion, we identified a missense mutation L368P in the Ch3 region of the human gamma3 H-chain that was associated with impaired secretion of intact and functional Ig. The non-secreted H-chains displayed slower electrophoretic migration than secreted H-chains, consistent with them being glycosylated in the ER but not fully processed in the golgi apparatus and secretory pathway. Reversion of the mutated codon to wild type restored secretion of the IgG3, which displayed the same fine specificity for antigen as non-secreted IgG3. However, the non-secreted IgG3 was not opsonic in an in vitro phagocytosis assay. The results indicate that correct IgG3 Ch3 domain folding is essential for secretion and effective function but does not affect specificity for antigen.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2002

Isotype can affect the fine specificity of an antibody for a polysaccharide antigen.

Ab specificity is determined by V region sequence. The murine Mab 18B7 (IgG1) binds to the Cryptococcus neoformans capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan and produces annular immunofluorescence (IF) on yeast cells. The heavy and light V regions of 18B7 were expressed with the human C regions micro, gamma 1, gamma 2, gamma 3, gamma 4, and alpha1, and the specificity and binding properties of these mouse-human chimeric (ch) Abs was determined. The chIgG1, chIgG2, chIgG4, and the chIgA produced annular IF, whereas the IgM and IgG3 produced punctate IF, despite identical V region sequences. Competition experiments with murine Abs that competed with mAb 18B7 and binding assays to peptide mimetics of glucuronoxylomannan provided additional evidence for altered specificity in some of the ch Abs. Expression of 18B7 heavy V region with murine micro C region produced IgM with a punctate IF, indicating that a change in fine specificity also accompanied the change from murine IgG1 to IgM. Our results show that Ab fine specificity can be a function of isotype. This phenomenon may be most apparent for Abs that bind to Ag with repeating epitopes, such as polysaccharides, where the quarternary structure of the Ag-Ab complex may be influenced by such constraints as Fab-Fab angles, Fc-Fc interactions, Ab size, and solvent accessibility to exposed surfaces. Alterations in Ab fine specificity following isotype change could have important implications for current concepts on the generation of secondary Ab responses to certain Ags and for the isotype preference observed in Abs to polysaccharides.

Animals↗