Development of a dual antigen lateral flow immunoassay for detecting Yersinia pestis.

Background: Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague, a zoonosis associated with small mammals. Plague is a severe disease, especially in the pneumonic and septicemic forms, where fatality rates approach 100% if left untreated. The bacterium is primarily transmitted via flea bite or through direct contact with an infected host.

Monoclonal Antibodies Counteract Opioid-Induced Behavioral and Toxic Effects in Mice and Rats.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines have been proposed as medical countermeasures to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and prevent opioid overdose. In contrast to current pharmacotherapies (e.g.

Immunoglobulin G subclass switching impacts sensitivity of an immunoassay targeting Francisella tularensis lipopolysaccharide.

The CDC Tier 1 select agent Francisella tularensis is a small, Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of tularemia, a potentially life-threatening infection endemic in the United States, Europe and Asia. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for tularemia. The purpose of this research was to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to the F.

Contribution of murine IgG Fc regions to antibody binding to the capsule of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) is the predominant IgG subclass elicited in response to polysaccharide antigens in mice. This specific subclass has been shown to crosslink its fragment crystallizable (Fc) regions following binding to multivalent polysaccharides. Crosslinking leads to increased affinity through avidity, which theoretically should lead to more effective protection against bacteria and yeast displaying capsular polysaccharides on their surface.

Development of a prototype lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) for the rapid diagnosis of melioidosis.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. Isolation of B. pseudomallei from clinical samples is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of melioidosis; results can take 3-7 days to produce.

Unraveling the interaction between the LPS O-antigen of Burkholderia anthina and the 5D8 monoclonal antibody by using a multidisciplinary chemical approach, with synthesis, NMR, and molecular modeling methods.

The interaction between the O-chain from the lipopolysaccharide from Burkholderia anthina and a lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody (5D8) has been studied at high resolution by NMR spectroscopy. In particular, the 5D8-bound epitope of the saccharide entity has been unraveled by a combination of saturation transfer difference (STD) and transferred NOESY (tr-NOESY) experiments performed on the 5D8/polysaccharide complex. To dissect the fine details of the molecular recognition events, further experiments with simpler carbohydrate ligands were carried out.

IgG subclass and heavy chain domains contribute to binding and protection by mAbs to the poly γ-D-glutamic acid capsular antigen of Bacillus anthracis.

Bacterial capsules are common targets for antibody-mediated immunity. The capsule of Bacillus anthracis is unusual among capsules because it is composed of a polymer of poly-γ-d-glutamic acid (γdPGA). We previously generated murine IgG3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to γdPGA that were protective in a murine model of pulmonary anthrax.

Polysaccharide specific monoclonal antibodies provide passive protection against intranasal challenge with Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative bacillus that is the causative agent of melioidosis. The bacterium is inherently resistant to many antibiotics and mortality rates remain high in endemic areas. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capsular polysaccharide (CPS) are two surface-associated antigens that contribute to pathogenesis.