Generation of single-domain antidoby fragments raised against proteins containing polyglutamine expansions

Scientific conference (2011, August 27)

Generation of camelid single-domain antibody fragments raised against proteins containing polyglutamine expansions

Poster (2011, January 25)

Generation of camelid single-domain antibody fragments raised against proteins containing polyglutamine expansions

Poster (2010, December 10)

Nanobodies as structural probes to investigate the mechanism of fibril formation by the amyloidogenic variants of human lysozyme.

Poster (2010)

Six variants of human lysozyme (single-point mutations I56T, F57I, W64R, D67H and double mutations F57I/T70N, W112R/T70N) are associated with a hereditary non-neuropathic systemic amyloidose. These ... [more ▼]

Six variants of human lysozyme (single-point mutations I56T, F57I, W64R, D67H and double mutations F57I/T70N, W112R/T70N) are associated with a hereditary non-neuropathic systemic amyloidose. These proteins form extracellular amyloid fibrils that deposit in a wide range of tissues and organs such as liver, spleen and kidneys where they cause damages [1]. It was shown that the D67H and I56T mutations cause a loss in stability and more particularly a loss of global cooperativity of protein [1]. Consequently, under physiologically relevant conditions, these variants can transiently populate a partially unfolded state in which the beta-domain and the C-helix are cooperatively unfolded while the rest of the protein remains native like [1]. The formation of intermolecular interactions between the regions that are unfolded in this intermediate state is likely to be a fundamental trigger of the aggregation process that ultimately leads to the formation and deposition of fibrils in tissues. The binding of three variable domain of camelid antibodies – also named nanobodies - (cAb-HuL 6 [2], cAb-HuL 5 and cAb-HuL 22 [3]) raised against the wild type human lysozyme inhibit in vitro the formation of amyloid fibrils by the lysozyme variants. These three nanobodies bind on different regions of lysozyme and act as Amyloid fibrils inhibitor through different mechanisms. On one hand, cAb-HuL 6 and cAb-HuL 22 stabilize the native state of the lysozyme variants thus restoring the global cooperativity characteristic of the wild-type protein. On the other, cAb-HuL 5 probably acts by binding soluble prefibrillar aggregates. In the present work, sixteen other nanobodies specific of human lysozyme have been generated. Competition experiments have shown that they bind to five non overlapping epitopes. The effects of the binding of these nanobodies on the stability of the D67H variant of human lysozyme and on its aggregation into amyloid fibrils will be discussed. [less ▲]

Structure and properties of a complex of alpha-synuclein and a single-domain camelid antibody.

in Journal of Molecular Biology (2010), 402(2), 326-43

The aggregation of the intrinsically disordered protein alpha-synuclein to form fibrillar amyloid structures is intimately associated with a variety of neurological disorders, most notably Parkinson's ... [more ▼]

The aggregation of the intrinsically disordered protein alpha-synuclein to form fibrillar amyloid structures is intimately associated with a variety of neurological disorders, most notably Parkinson's disease. The molecular mechanism of alpha-synuclein aggregation and toxicity is not yet understood in any detail, not least because of the paucity of structural probes through which to study the behavior of such a disordered system. Here, we describe an investigation involving a single-domain camelid antibody, NbSyn2, selected by phage display techniques to bind to alpha-synuclein, including the exploration of its effects on the in vitro aggregation of the protein under a variety of conditions. We show using isothermal calorimetric methods that NbSyn2 binds specifically to monomeric alpha-synuclein with nanomolar affinity and by means of NMR spectroscopy that it interacts with the four C-terminal residues of the protein. This latter finding is confirmed by the determination of a crystal structure of NbSyn2 bound to a peptide encompassing the nine C-terminal residues of alpha-synuclein. The NbSyn2:alpha-synuclein interaction is mediated mainly by side-chain interactions while water molecules cross-link the main-chain atoms of alpha-synuclein to atoms of NbSyn2, a feature we believe could be important in intrinsically disordered protein interactions more generally. The aggregation behavior of alpha-synuclein at physiological pH, including the morphology of the resulting fibrillar structures, is remarkably unaffected by the presence of NbSyn2 and indeed we show that NbSyn2 binds strongly to the aggregated as well as to the soluble forms of alpha-synuclein. These results give strong support to the conjecture that the C-terminal region of the protein is not directly involved in the mechanism of aggregation and suggest that binding of NbSyn2 could be a useful probe for the identification of alpha-synuclein aggregation in vitro and possibly in vivo. [less ▲]