Characterization of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in a tumour rejection cynomolgus macaque model.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising and effective treatment for cancer, yet the clinical benefit is still variable, in part due to insufficient accumulation of immune effector cells in the tumour microenvironment. Better understanding of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from nonhuman primate tumours could provide insights into improving effector cell accumulation in tumour tissues during immunotherapy. Here, we characterize TILs in a cynomolgus macaque tumour model in which the tumours were infiltrated with CD4 and CD8 T cells and were eventually rejected.

Modulation of Igβ is essential for the B cell selection in germinal center.

The positive and negative selection of antigen-reactive B cells take place in the germinal center (GC) during an immune responses. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying these selection machineries, including the involvement of antigen receptor signaling molecules, remain to be elucidated. We found that expression levels of Igα and Igβ, which are the essential components of B cell antigen-receptor complex, were differentially regulated in GC B cells and that the expression of Igβ was more prominently down-regulated in a portion of GC B cells.

IgG1 cytoplasmic tail is essential for cell surface expression in Igβ down-regulated cells.

It has been shown that cytoplasmic tail of the IgG1 B cell receptors (BCRs) are essential for the induction of T-dependent immune responses. Also it has been revealed that unique tyrosine residue in the cytoplasmic tail of IgG2a has the potential of being phosphorylated at tyrosine and that this phosphorylation modulates BCR signaling. However, it still remains unclear whether such phosphorylation of IgG cytoplasmic tail is involved in the regulation of BCR surface expression.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)-dependent somatic hypermutation requires a splice isoform of the serine/arginine-rich (SR) protein SRSF1.

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) of Ig variable region (IgV) genes requires both IgV transcription and the enzyme activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Identification of a cofactor responsible for the fact that IgV genes are much more sensitive to AID-induced mutagenesis than other genes is a key question in immunology. Here, we describe an essential role for a splice isoform of the prototypical serine/arginine-rich (SR) protein SRSF1, termed SRSF1-3, in AID-induced SHM in a DT40 chicken B-cell line.

Efficient affinity maturation of antibodies in an engineered chicken B cell line DT40-SW by increasing point mutation.

The chicken B cell line DT40 undergoes hypermutation of immunoglobulin variable region (IgV) genes during culture, thereby constituting an antibody (Ab) library. We previously established an in vitro Ab generation system using an engineered line DT40-SW whose hypermutation machinery can be switched on and off. Abs for various antigens (Ags) can be obtained from the DT40-SW library and the specificity of the Ag-specific clones can be stabilized by stopping hypermutation.

Enhancement of hypermutation frequency in the chicken B cell line DT40 for efficient diversification of the antibody repertoire.

Chicken B cell line DT40 continuously accumulates mutations in the immunoglobulin variable region (IgV) gene by gene conversion and point mutation, both of which are mediated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), thereby producing an antibody (Ab) library that is useful for screening monoclonal Abs (mAbs) in vitro. We previously generated an engineered DT40 line named DT40-SW, whose AID expression can be reversibly switched on or off, and developed an in vitro Ab generation system using DT40-SW cells. To efficiently create an Ab library with sufficient diversity, higher hypermutation frequency is advantageous.

Conditional transformation of immunoglobulin mutation pattern from gene conversion into point mutation by controlling XRCC3 expression in the DT40 B cell line.

A hypermutating B cell line DT40 is useful for screening antibodies and improving affinity of the selected antibodies in vitro. To perform affinity maturation efficiently, we generated an engineered DT40 line whose immunoglobulin mutation pattern can be transformed from gene conversion into point mutation by conditional suppression of XRCC3 expression.

Enhancement of antibody production from a chicken B cell line DT40 by reducing Pax5 expression.

We developed a novel in vitro antibody (Ab) generation system using a hypermutating chicken B cell line (DT40-SW). We suppressed the expression of the Pax5 transcription factor by targeted disruption of the gene to increase Ab production in isolated clones and produce the desired Abs. This single genetic manipulation resulted in a significant enhancement of Ab production without significantly affecting maximum cell density.

[Creation of valuable antibodies by an in vitro antibody generation system using a hypermutating B cell line].

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have recently proven to be excellent biopharmaceutical agents. The generation of hybridomas from antigen-stimulated B cells has been a key technology for obtaining mAbs; however, it is a laborious and time-consuming process, and sometimes mAbs for molecules conserved between species are difficult to obtain because of immunological tolerance. Thus, it is of great importance to develop in vitro technologies for generating useful Abs as drug candidates.

Loss of calcineurin homologous protein-1 in chicken B lymphoma DT40 cells destabilizes Na+/H+ exchanger isoform-1 protein.

NHE1/SLC9A1 is a ubiquitous isoform of vertebrate Na(+)/H(+) exchangers (NHEs) functioning in maintaining intracellular concentrations of Na(+) and H(+) ions. Calcineurin homologous protein-1 (CHP1) binds to the hydrophilic region of NHE1 and regulates NHE1 activity but reportedly does not play a role in translocating NHE1 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane. However, an antiport function of NHE1 requiring CHP1 remains to be clarified.

Novel in vitro screening system for monoclonal antibodies using hypermutating chicken B cell library.

Here, we report an in vitro screening system for monoclonal antibodies using a hypermutating chicken B cell line, DT40-SW. When switching on hypermutation, cultured DT40-SW cells constituted an antibody library, from which clones secreting antibodies to a test antigen were successfully isolated, and genetically stabilized by switching off the mutation machinery.

Genetic manipulation of an exogenous non-immunoglobulin protein by gene conversion machinery in a chicken B cell line.

During culture, a chicken B cell line DT40 spontaneously mutates immunoglobulin (Ig) genes by gene conversion, which involves activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)-dependent homologous recombination of the variable (V) region gene with upstream pseudo-V genes. To explore whether this mutation mechanism can target exogenous non-Ig genes, we generated DT40 lines that bears a gene conversion substrate comprising the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene as a donor and the blue fluorescent protein (BFP) gene as an acceptor. A few percent of the initially BFP-expressing cells converted their fluorescence from blue to green after culture for 2-3 weeks when the substrate construct was integrated in the Ig light chain locus, but not in the ovalbumin locus.

Reversible switching of immunoglobulin hypermutation machinery in a chicken B cell line.

A chicken B lymphoma line, DT40, hypermutates immunoglobulin (Ig) genes spontaneously during culture. Thus, cultured DT 40 cells constitute a useful Ig library for screening antibodies (Abs) in vitro. To fix desirable Ig mutants by stopping hypermutation or to resume mutation for further improvement of Ab affinity, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a key enzyme responsible for the Ig mutation machinery, must be switched on or off.

B cell selection and affinity maturation during an antibody response in the mouse with limited B cell diversity.

The quasi-monoclonal mouse has limited B cell diversity, whose major (approximately 80%) B cell Ag receptors are comprised of the knockin V(H) 17.2.25 (V(H)T)-encoded H chain and the lambda1 or lambda2 L chain, thereby being specific for 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetyl.