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Journal of Virology, August 2002, p. 7518-7527, Vol. 76, No. 15
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.15.7518-7527.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Microbiology,1 Hybridoma Core Facility, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294,3 Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia 229082
Received 9 January 2002/ Accepted 23 April 2002
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For our ongoing studies of intracellular targeting of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) Env molecules (39), as well as of the molecular events involved in entry (11), we are using ASLV subgroup Schmidt-Ruppin A (SR-A). To elucidate steps in entry we are probing the conformational changes in the EnvA ectodomain during the fusion process. To assess intracellular targeting functions we are analyzing transmembrane (TM) cytoplasmic tail mutations and truncations. For these studies we needed a multifunctional immunoreagent(s) directed against the ectodomain of subgroup A Env. Since the generation of broadly applicable polyclonal antisera against SU or the ectodomain of TM has proven difficult in the past, we chose to attempt the generation of monoclonal antibodies. Not only might such reagents recognizing a single epitope be subgroup specific, but they could also be produced in large quantities once stable hybridoma cultures were established. Precedence for the usefulness of anti-SU monoclonal antibodies comes from extensive work on HIV-1 Env (reviewed in references 6, 17, and 38).
Here we report on the successful generation of anti-ASLV SR-A Env mc8C5-4, a unique mouse monoclonal that can be used in a variety of applications including immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, IP, and Western blotting. The mc8C5-4 antibody interferes with Tva receptor binding to EnvA in vitro and in cell culture. It efficiently inhibits infection of Tva-expressing cells with ASLV or EnvA-pseudotyped murine leukemia virus (MLV). Additionally, the ability of mc8C5-4 to bind mutant EnvA proteins that have been described to display reduced receptor binding properties (8, 11, 46) parallels that of Tva.
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The expression vectors used to generate MLV pseudotyped with RSV EnvA have been described previously (12).
The recombinant simian virus 40 (SV40) expression vector for RSV EnvC, pSVenvKX, used for Env expression in CV-1 cells has been described previously (10, 39). To generate pCB6-EnvC, the 1.86-kb KpnI/BamHI env fragment from pSVenvKX was inserted into pCB6. We generated pCB6-EnvA, and pCB6-EnvA-S19 by inserting the 2.65-kb KpnI/BamHI env gene fragment from RCANBP or RCANBP-S19 into the pCB6 plasmid vector; the Env cleavage site mutation S19 (RRKR340 changed to SRER) was previously described in the context of EnvC (13, 39), and the mutation was regenerated in the background of the SR-A RCANBP proviral vector by single-strand DNA mutagenesis essentially as described previously (13).
pCB6-EnvA-hr2 mutants sM5 (R223,224,227
I), sM12 (R210,213,223,224,227
I), sM20 (R213,227
A), sM21 (R213,223,224
A), and sM28 (R213
S) were kindly provided by P. Bates and colleagues (8, 46).
The pCB6-based expression vectors for glycosylation site mutants of EnvA are described elsewhere (11).
The plasmid vector for the generation of SU-A-rabbit immunoglobulin G (SU-A-rbIgG) immunoadhesin has been described previously (53); plasmid vectors for Tva-rbIgG immunoadhesin were kindly provided by K. Zingler and J. Young.
Mammalian and avian cell culture. CV-1 and 293T cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). The chicken fibroblast cell line Df-1 (32, 48) was kindly provided by D. Foster (University of Minnesota, St. Paul), and was cultivated in DMEM-10%FCS.
NIH 3T3 cell lines stably expressing wild-type SR-A Env (27) or full-length Tva (PG950 cells) (26) have been described previously.
The myeloma line P3X63-Ag8.653 was used as fusion partner for the generation of hybridoma cell clones.
Generation of mouse monoclonal directed against ASLV SR-A SU. In order to generate antibodies directed against ASLV EnvA in its native form, BALB/c mice were immunized and then twice given boosters with NIH 3T3 cells stably expressing RSV SR-A Env glycoprotein (27). For each injection, each mouse received approximately 107 cells that were removed from confluent culture dishes with 20 mM EDTA in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), washed twice in PBS, and then resuspended in 100 µl of cold PBS. For the first injection the cells were emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant. Approximately 3 weeks later the mice received a booster consisting of the same number of cells in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The cells were injected subcutaneously into the thigh area of the rear legs. Approximately 2 weeks after the booster, the mice were bled and sera were tested for reactivity against gradient-purified RCANBP virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A virus titer of approximately 1:512 was determined. Approximately 1 month after the first booster, we administered the second booster, which consisted of 107 cells in PBS. The cells were once more injected subcutaneously into the rear thigh. Five days after the final booster, the mice were sacrificed and the popliteal and inguinal lymph nodes were removed. Lymph node cells were fused with cells of the P3X63-Ag8.653 myeloma line using polyethylene glycol. Fused cells were seeded into 24-well plates in HAT medium for selection following standard procedures (28). Fourteen days after fusion, hybridomas were tested for reactivity against SU-A by ELISA, using gradient-purified RCANBP virions, or against chimeric SU-A-rbIgG immunoadhesin (53). Chimeric Tva-rbIgG (expression vector kindly provided by K. Zingler and J. Young) served as a negative control.
Preparation of purified RSV virions and of SU-A-immunoadhesins.
For large-scale production of RCANBP virions, Df-1 cells were infected with high-titer virus stocks and cultured in roller bottles for 6 days with daily medium changes. Virion-containing culture supernatants were kept on ice until a total of 2 liters had been collected. Virions were concentrated by ultracentrifugation. Pellets were resuspended in PBS and subjected to mild sonication, and the nonaggregated portion (
50%) was further purified by Optiprep gradient centrifugation. The virus fraction was washed, pelleted again, resuspended in PBS, and kept on ice until further use. Protein concentration was quantitated by spectrometry.
Large-scale production of purified SU-A or Tva immunoadhesin over protein A columns was performed essentially as described previously (53).
ELISA screening of hybridoma culture supernatants. For antibody capture assays, purified RCANBP virus was diluted to 20 µg/ml in borate-buffered saline (BBS) pH 8.5, and wells of a 96-well ELISA plate (Dynex) were coated with 100 µl of the virus dilution overnight at 4°C. Plates were blocked for 1 h with 1% BSA in BBS. After blocking, wells were washed with BBS and incubated with hybridoma supernatants for 4 h at RT. Plates were washed in BBS and incubated with alkaline phosphatase-labeled goat anti-mouse Ig (1:4,000; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories) for 1 h at room temperature. After washing, plates were developed by addition of p-nitrophenyl phosphate (104 phosphatase substrate; Sigma). ELISAs using SU-A-rbIgG to capture antibody were performed essentially the same way, by coating plates with 100 µl of 5-µg/ml immunoadhesin per well.
Purification of mc8C5 from hybridoma supernatants. Antibody was purified from culture supernatants by affinity chromatography on recombinant protein G columns (Gamma Bind Plus; Pharmacia/LKB) according to the manufacturer's instructions, using a Shimadzu automated preparative/analytical high-performance liquid chromatography system. Briefly, culture supernatants were filter sterilized and loaded directly onto the equilibrated column. The column was washed with equilibration buffer (0.01 M sodium phosphate, pH 7.0; 0.15 M sodium chloride; 0.01 M EDTA), and antibody was eluted with 0.5 M acetic acid, adjusted to pH 3.0 with ammonium hydroxide. The antibody peak was immediately adjusted to pH 7.0 by the addition of 2 M Trizma base. Antibody purity was evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver staining using a Pharmacia/LKB PhastSystem according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Generation of titrated virus stocks and infectivity assay. Df-1 cells were transfected with proviral RCASBP-A-AP DNA, and the titers of virus supernatants collected 4 days posttransfection were determined on Df-1 cells. For this, the target cells were infected in quadruplicate in 24-well plates (4 x 104 cells per well) with serial 10-fold virus dilutions. After 48 h in culture, cells were fixed in paraformaldehyde (PFA) and stained for exogenous alkaline phosphatase activity. For assays measuring inhibition of infection, a total of 1,000 infectious units were preincubated with increasing concentrations of purified mc8C5-4 for 1 h at 4°C in a total of 200 µl of DMEM-10%FCS. The preincubated virus samples were then used to infect in quadruplicate fresh Df-1 cells grown on coverslips. At 4 h after infection, 400 µl of DMEM-10%FCS was added to a final volume of 600 µl. At 48 h postinfection, cells were fixed and stained for AP activity. Infectivity was determined by counting blue cells on bright-field photographs taken of four to five random fields for each of the four coverslips per sample, at a magnification of x20 or x10, using a Zeiss microscope.
Infectivity assays using EnvA-pseudotyped MLV and PG950 cells were performed as previously described (12).
Polyclonal antisera. Rabbit sera directed against C-terminal peptides of the TM cytoplasmic domain (rb-anti-A-tail and -C-tail) have been described previously (25). rb-Ngp37 is directed against the N-terminal ectodomain of EnvA TM (31).
Secondary antibodies for immunofluorescence and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) were purchased from Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.
Metabolic labeling, IP, and quantitation of autoradiographs. Cells were metabolically pulse-labeled with [35S]methionine-cysteine for 30 min (500 µCi/ml) in deficient medium and chased for 2 h in complete medium essentially as previously described (39). Cells were lysed in buffer containing 1% Triton X-100 and 0.5% deoxycholate and subjected to different conditions of IP as specified in the text and figure legends. After SDS-PAGE, autoradiographs were quantitated using a Cyclone scanner and OptiQuant software (Packard Instrument Company, Meriden, Conn.).
Indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting. All immunofluorescence analyses were performed essentially as previously described (39, 40). To visualize intracellular steady-state distribution of wild-type and mutant Env, protein-expressing cells grown on glass coverslips were fixed in ice-cold acetone and then probed with rb-anti-A-tail or -C-tail, or with mc8C5-4 ascites, using goat-anti-rb-Alexa488 or rb-anti-mouse Alexa488 as secondary antibody (all primary and secondary antibodies used at 1:200 in PBS-3% BSA). For surface immunofluorescence, unfixed cells on coverslips were incubated with mc8C5-4 antibody on ice for 30 min, washed in PBS, fixed with ice-cold ethanol-acetic acid (95:5), and stained with rb-anti-mouse Alexa488. All samples were observed and photographed with a Zeiss fluorescence microscope.
For analysis of mc8C5-4 in enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL)-Western blotting, EnvA-, RCANBP-, or SU-A-rbIgG-expressing cells were lysed in 2x sample buffer (4% SDS, 0.125 M Tris-HCl [pH 6.8], 10% glycerol, 10% ß-mercaptoethanol, 0.002% bromophenol blue) and boiled for 5 min. Samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE, and mini-gels were soaked in blotting buffer (20% methanol, 200 mM glycine, 25 mM Tris) prior to blotting onto nitrocellulose in the semidry apparatus at 12 V for 25 min. Transfer was monitored by reversible staining with Ponceau red, destained in PBS, and then blocked in 5% BSA in PBS-Tween 20 (0.1%) at room temperature for at least 2 h. Antigen was detected after incubation with mc8C5-4 ascites (in 5% BSA-PBS-Tween20; dilutions as indicated), followed by extensive washes and rb-anti-mouse-horseradish peroxidase (-HRP) (in BSA-PBS-Tween) incubation. After washing in PBS-Tween buffer, nitrocellulose membranes were blotted briefly onto tissue before incubation with SuperSignal West Pico chemiluminescence substrate (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.) for 1 min, followed by another brief blotting step and exposure of film for ECL. As a control for SU-A-rbIgG, immunoadhesin was visualized directly with goat-anti-rb-HRP by ECL. As a control for cell-associated SU-A (gp85), the antigen was detected after incubation with rb-anti-A-tail and goat-anti-rb-HRP by ECL.
Liposome flotation assay. The liposome flotation assay was performed essentially as described previously (30). A soluble form of EnvA (27) was preincubated with or without mc8C5-4 antibody on ice for 30 min, and then s47 (Tva peptide) or PBS was added, and complexes were allowed to form during an additional 10-min incubation on ice. After addition of liposomes, samples were incubated at 37°C for 15 min to induce the fusion-relevant conformational changes. The recooled samples were mixed with 67% sucrose in PBS to a final concentration of 50% and overlaid with equal volumes of 25% and then 10% sucrose. Samples were centrifuged 1 h at 4°C, at 197,000 x g, and six fractions were taken from the top to the bottom of the gradient for Western blot analysis using an antibody that recognizes gp37.
Flow cytometry studies. To analyze binding of mc8C5-4 to EnvA-hr2 mutants, Df-1 cells were removed from culture plates 48 h posttransfection with 25 mM EDTA in PBS. Cells were washed twice in cold PBS containing calcium, magnesium, and 0.02% azide (PBSA) and then incubated on ice for 30 min in 1:1,000 mc8C5-4 ascites in 5% FCS in PBSA. After washing, cells were counterstained with rb-anti-mouse Alexa488 for 30 min on ice. Washed cells were then fixed in a final concentration of 1.5% PFA and analyzed using a FACScan flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems, San Jose, Calif.).
To test inhibition of s47 binding to surface-expressed EnvA by mc8C5-4, cells were removed from the plates and washed in PBSA. On ice, cells were incubated for 30 min with purified antibody at the indicated concentration in 30% FCS-PSBA and then pelleted at 300 x g in the cold. The supernatant was removed and replaced with biotinylated s47 (1 mg/ml) (30) in the antibody-30% FBS-PBSA solution and incubated 30 min on ice. The cells were washed twice in PBSA and incubated 30 min with avidin-Oregon green 488 in 30% FCS-PBSA, washed twice as above, and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, and the binding of s47 was quantitated by flow cytometry.
Binding of mc8C5-4 to EnvAs harboring glycosylation mutations was analyzed after transient transfection of 293T cells. Cells were induced 28 h later and harvested 48 h posttransfection. Cells were treated for FACS analysis as described above, except that no s47 incubation step was performed. The primary antibody was either Ngp37, a polyclonal antibody against the ectodomain of EnvA TM (30), or purified mc8C5-4 (45 µg/ml); the secondary antibody was FITC-conjugated anti-rabbit or anti-mouse, respectively. Mean fluorescence values obtained after incubation with Ngp37 were used to normalize each mc8C5-4 sample for EnvA surface expression.
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Fourteen days after fusion, hybridoma supernatants were tested for reactivity against SU-A by ELISA, using gradient-purified RCANBP virions or chimeric SU-A-rbIgG immunoadhesin (53). Chimeric Tva-rbIgG (7) (expression vector kindly provided by K. Zingler and J. Young) served as a negative control. Of the four positive hybridoma clones identified, one clone, mc8C5, which is a mouse IgG1 subtype, was highly reactive in both assays (data not shown) and could be successfully subcloned. mc8C5-4 hybridoma cells were used to generate ascites fluid, and antibody was also purified from hybridoma cell culture supernatants. Subclone mc8C5-4 was used for a majority of the characterizations described below.
mc8C5 reacts with SU-A in immunofluorescence. To test whether mc8C5-4 could be used in immunofluorescence applications, EnvA or chimeric molecules containing the SU-A domain were expressed from various expression vectors in either avian Df-1 cells (32, 48) or a variety of mammalian cells. mc8C5-4 was able to recognize the SU-A domain in a subgroup-specific manner using various indirect immunofluorescence approaches: EnvA could be detected after expressing cells were incubated with mc8C5-4 without prior fixation on ice or at 37°C, after fixation with ice-cold acetone or ethanol-acetic acid (95:5) or after fixation with 1 to 4% PFA. Figure 1 shows an example of Df-1 cells which were transfected with proviral vectors RCANBP or RCASBP-X-AP encoding A, B, and C subgroup SU domains (21-23). When acetone-fixed cells were incubated with an anti-cytoplasmic tail peptide antiserum (rb-anti-A-tail; [25]) detecting the C terminus of the SR-A TM protein shared by all constructs, Env expression was seen in all samples (Fig. 1e to h). However, when parallel samples were incubated with mc8C5-4, only those glycoproteins containing the SR-A SU domain were detected (Fig. 1a to d), demonstrating the subgroup A specificity of the monoclonal antibody.
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FIG. 1. ASLV Env glycoprotein immunofluorescence staining by mc8C5-4 is specific for the SU domain and is subgroup A specific. Avian Df-1 cells were transfected with proviral plasmids RCASBP-A-AP (a and e), RCASBP-B-AP (b and f), RCASBP-C-AP (c and g), and RCANBP (d and h), expressing SU of subgroup SR-A, SR-B, Pr-C, and SR-A, respectively. At 48 posttransfection, duplicate samples of cells were acetone fixed for whole-cell immunofluorescence staining with either mc8C5 ascites or with rb-anti-A-tail.
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FIG. 2. Detection of SU-A in Western blot by mc8C5-4. (A) The immunoadhesin SU-A-rbIgG, which was transiently expressed in 293T cells, was detected after incubation with mc8C5-4 ascites and rb-anti-mouse-HRP or directly with goat-anti-rb-HRP by ECL. (B) Df-1 cells were infected with RCANBP, and cell-associated SU-A (gp85) was detected by ECL-Western blotting after incubation with mc8C5-4 ascites and rb-anti-mouse-HRP.
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FIG. 3. mc8C5-4 antibody efficiently immunoprecipitates EnvA. The chimeric glycoprotein Env-SU-A/TM-C-S19, which contains a cleavage site mutation (S19) and is processed to a fully glycosylated precursor molecule, Prgp120, was expressed in CV-1 cells. Cells were metabolically labeled with [35S]methionine-cysteine and lysed in nondenaturating buffer (1% Triton X-100, 0.5% deoxycholate). Lysate (100 µl) was incubated with 100 µl of hybridoma supernatant, and antigen-antibody complexes were precipitated with 30 µl of protein A plus protein G-Sepharose beads (1:1) plus 1 µl of rb-anti-mouse-IgG. IP with rb-anti-C-tail served as a positive control. After SDS-PAGE, bands were visualized by autoradiography.
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FIG. 7. Recognition and binding of EnvA by mc8C5-4 is modulated by glycosylation. (A and B) IP. Df-1 cells expressing the cleavage mutant EnvA-S19 were metabolically labeled, lysed in nondenaturing buffer, and divided into three samples. One was immunoprecipitated with 1 µl of rb-anti-A-tail serum plus staphylococcus A (rb), and two were immunoprecipitated with 5 µl of mc8C5-4 ascites and either protein G (mc1) or 2 µl of rb-anti-mouse IgG plus staphylococcus A (mc2). (A) Samples were analyzed by autoradiography following SDS-PAGE; quantitation of the specific bands for Pr95 precursor and Prgp120 fully glycosylated precursor was performed with an OptiQuant scanner and software. (B) Profiles are shown, and the ratios of Pr95 to Prgp120 per sample are indicated. (C) FACS assay. Binding of mc8C5-4 to selected EnvA glycoproteins harboring glycosylation deletion mutations in the SU subunit (11) was analyzed after transient transfection of 293T cells with cDNA. Cells were treated for FACS analysis as described in Materials and Methods, using either Ngp37, a polyclonal antibody against the EnvA TM domain (31), or mc8C5-4, directed against SU-A as primary antibody. Mean fluorescence values as a measure of mc8C5-4 binding to EnvA wild-type and mutants were corrected for potential differences in EnvA surface expression by normalizing with the values obtained from the Ngp37-incubated duplicate samples.
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FIG. 4. Binding of the Tva receptor peptide, s47, to EnvA on the cell surface (A), as well as s47-induced liposome binding of a soluble EnvA (B), is inhibited by mc8C5-4. (A) For flow cytometry analysis of s47 binding, cells expressing EnvA either stably (NIH 3T3) or transiently from plasmid pCB6-EnvA (293T) were suspended and preincubated on ice with mc8C5-4 antibody at the indicated concentrations. Biotinylated s47 was added, and after incubation on ice and washes, Tva peptide that had bound to EnvA was reacted with avidin-Oregon green 488. Cells were then fixed in PFA, and the fluorescence intensity of Oregon green 488 as a measure of the (relative) amount of s47 bound to cells was quantitated. (B) Liposome flotation assay. A soluble form of EnvA (which includes the fusion subunit ectodomain of TM [gp37]) was incubated in PBS with or without mc8C5-4 prior to addition of s47 or PBS. The formation of EnvA-s47 complexes able to interact with liposomes was probed by sucrose gradient centrifugation as described in Materials and Methods. Six fractions were taken from the top (fraction 1) to the bottom (fraction 6) of the gradient and probed by Western blotting with an antibody which recognizes gp37. Env proteins associated with liposomes are expected to float to the top of the gradient.
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Infection of Tva-expressing cells with ASLV-A or EnvA-pseudotyped MLV is blocked by mc8C5-4. The results described above prompted us to investigate whether the monoclonal antibody was able to neutralize ASLV-A virus infection. Titrated RCASBP-A-AP virus supernatant was preincubated with different concentrations of purified mc8C5-4 and was used to infect Df-1 cells grown on coverslips. At 48 h postinfection, cells were fixed and stained for AP activity, and the blue, i.e., infected, cells per field were counted and plotted (Fig. 5). The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and IC90 were calculated from the resulting exponential inhibition curve and were determined to be 0.04 and 0.13 µg/ml, respectively. These results demonstrate that mc8C5-4 efficiently inhibits infection by ASLV-A virions even at low concentrations.
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FIG. 5. Infection of Df-1 cells by ASLV-A is inhibited by mc8C5-4. Df-1 cells were seeded onto glass coverslips in eight quadruplets. One day postseeding, cells were infected with 1,000 infectious units of RCASBP(A)-AP virus supernatant or were mock infected. Prior to infection, virions had been preincubated with seven different concentrations of mc8C5-4. Cells were cultured for 48 h before being fixed and stained for AP activity. (A) Bright-light photographs were taken of four to five random fields per each of the four coverslips per sample, at a magnification of x20 or x10, as indicated. (B) The blue, i.e., infected, cells per field were counted (corrected for magnification) and plotted. IC50 and IC90 were calculated from the resulting exponential decay curve.
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Mutations in the hr2 domain of SU-A that interfere with Tva binding also reduce binding of mc8C5-4. Since the anti-SU-A monoclonal antibody mc8C5-4 interferes with binding of Tva to SU-A and with virus infection, we were interested in determining whether mutations within the hypervariable, host range-determining region hr2 affected recognition by mc8C5-4. hr2 constitutes part of the receptor-binding domain for EnvA, and a cluster of basic residues within hr2 (R210, R213, R223, R224, and R227), has been implicated in receptor recognition and efficient entry. We chose a set of five mutants (sM5, sM12, sM20, sM21, and sM28) with alterations in those residues, which have been characterized in detail previously (8, 46). sM5, sM12, sM20, and sM21 were previously found to be greatly reduced both in their Tva binding capability and infectivity. M28 (R213S) differed since here Tva binding nearly reached wild-type levels, while infectivity was still impaired by 95%. In order to assay mc8C5 binding, we expressed the mutant EnvA proteins, and wild-type EnvA, from pCB6-EnvA plasmids in Df-1 cells, which were then either prepared for immunofluorescence (Fig. 6A to C), or flow cytometry (Fig. 6D). Immunostaining of acetone-fixed cells with rb-anti-A-tail (Fig. 6A) revealed comparable transfection efficiencies and a similar overall intracellular and surface staining pattern and intensity for each of the constructs. This is consistent with the previous observation regarding overall and surface expression levels compared to wild type EnvA. To analyze, by immunofluorescence, the ability of mc8C5-4 to bind surface-resident EnvA, cells were incubated with mc8C5-4 on ice prior to fixation (Fig. 6B). Clear differences in the ability of the mutants to bind mc8C5-4 became apparent: While M28 showed strong surface fluorescence similar to wild type, M5 and M12 showed near-background levels, M20 showed weak but discernible levels, and M21 showed intermediate levels of fluorescence. In order to quantitate these differences, transfected Df-1 cells were prepared for flow cytometry analysis (Fig. 6D); incubation with mc8C5-4 and secondary antibody were performed on ice prior to PFA fixation. When background-corrected mean fluorescence levels of the gated populations were compared to the wild-type EnvA antibody binding level, the values reflected the results of the immunofluorescence analysis. Thus, the mutations that affected Tva binding in the previous studies (with somewhat-pleiotropic effects) also affect mc8C5-4 binding in a similar manner. Our results presented in Fig. 6 indicate that the structural requirements for efficient binding of mc8C5-4 to SU-A are related to those necessary for efficient receptor binding. As shown below, this interpretation can be extended to a critical role of glycosylation as well.
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FIG. 6. Mutations within the hr2 of SU-A that result in reduced Tva binding also result in reduced binding of mc8C5-4. (A to C) Df-1 cells were transfected in duplicate with pCB6-EnvA DNA coding for either wild-type or hr2 mutant glycoprotein (sM5, sM12, sM20, sM21, and sM28 [8, 46]) or with pCB6-EnvC. At 24 h posttransfection, cells were prepared for immunofluorescence. For whole-cell staining and control of transfection efficiency (A and C), Env in fixed cells was detected with rb-anti-A-tail or rb-anti-C-tail, respectively. Binding of mc8C5-4 to cell surface-expressed Env (B and C), was performed with unfixed cells on ice. (B) Individual cells from each field have been enlarged for better viewing. (D) Df-1 cells mock transfected or transfected with pCB6-EnvA wild type (wt) or hr2 mutants were analyzed by FACS after incubation of unfixed cells on ice with mc8C5-4 ascites, followed by rb-anti-mouse Alexa488, and PFA fixation. Binding affinity of mc8C5-4 is reflected in the mean fluorescence values of the gated populations, which were corrected for background fluorescence of nontransfected cells, and are plotted as relative mean fluorescence values compared to wild-type EnvA.
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This suggested that the glycosylation of EnvA influenced recognition by mc8C5-4, which is supported by our findings regarding detection of SU-A by mc8C5-4 in Western blotting (see above).
To further investigate this matter, we analyzed, by flow cytometry, a set of SU-A glycosylation mutants that have recently been characterized with regard to s47 (Tva) binding and virus infectivity (11). The mutants are designated EnvA
N-g1, -g7, -g10, and -g11 and harbor mutations T19A, S232A, S256A, and S333A, respectively. The N-glycosylation sites (NXS/T) altered in the chosen mutants, with the exception of the g1 mutant, are conserved among all ASLV Env sequences examined. While EnvA
N-g1, -g7, and -g11 are proteolytically cleaved, incorporated into virions, and result in virus infectivity similar to wild-type levels, EnvA
N-g10 was found to be very poorly processed, and though cleaved Env was found in virions, infectivity was reduced approximately 1,000-fold. All mutants but EnvA
N-g10 were found to bind s47 near wild-type levels in an in vitro assay, while EnvA
N-g10 did not interact with s47 at all.
For analysis of mc8C5-4 binding to the glycosylation mutants by flow cytometry (Fig. 7C), the respective mutants were transiently expressed in 293T cells in duplicate. Cells were fixed with PFA and stained with either rb-anti-Ngp37 or mc8C5-4 and the appropriate secondary antibody. Since the N terminus of gp37 is identical in all cases, the staining with the rb-anti-Ngp37 serum (31) could be used to adjust for differences in surface expression levels. When corrected mean fluorescence values for mc8C5-4 binding were compared to wild-type levels, EnvA
N-g10 showed the most dramatic reduction (
55%), while, interestingly EnvA
N-g7 and -g11 displayed an increased mc8C5-4 affinity.
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With all observations taken into account, it is plausible that the structural requirements for efficient binding of mc8C5-4 to SU-A are related to those necessary for efficient receptor binding. It appears that, even though mc8C5-4, by Western blotting, recognizes Env that was denatured during SDS-PAGE, the epitope is partially conformational and not merely linear. While it was determined that mc8C5-4 does not bind to carbohydrate moieties, glycosylation does influence antibody recognition, most likely by affecting overall conformation of the protein, and thus epitope structure. A single glycosylation site mutation (S256A), approximately 25 amino acids downstream of the host range-determining region hr2, significantly reduces EnvA interaction with mc8C5-4. The same mutation, we recently reported, abrogates Tva binding in an in vitro assay, suggesting that removal of a distal, but crucial glycosylation site might result in a structurally significant rearrangement of protein domains (11). Furthermore, mutations of basic residues in the host range-determining region hr2 itself that impair Tva binding to EnvA (8, 46) also affect mc8C5-4 binding. Tva is related to the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, and basic amino acids in the receptor binding site of LDL have been implicated in interacting with acidic residues in the ligand binding site of LDL receptor. Similar interactions have been suggested for SU-A and Tva (for an overview, see reference 46), and basic residues have also been implicated as structurally important in interactions between antibodies and viral antigens (50, 51).
The observation that glycosylation affects the binding of the monoclonal anti-SU-A mc8C5-4 is further supported by the observation that terminally glycosylated EnvA is immunoprecipitated more efficiently than the core-glycosylated precursor, Pr95. While deglycosylated SU-A-rbIgG is not detected after dot blotting in the presence of SDS, it is detected after electroblotting conditions that allow partial removal of SDS and thus limited refolding. In contrast, mc8C5-4 can bind to fully glycosylated SU-A-rbIgG under both conditions, raising the possibility that the sugar side chains limit the access of SDS to the peptide backbone and thus prevent complete denaturation.
The generation of antibodies in response to retroviral infection often fails to yield high-titer neutralizing antibodies. However, mc8C5-4 has the ability to potently inhibit infection of avian or Tva-expressing mammalian cells by ASLV- or EnvA-pseudotyped MLV. Inhibition of RCASBP-A-AP infection of avian Df-1 cells is very efficient, with an IC50 of 0.04 µg/ml, consistent with the antibody blocking the binding of receptor by the Env protein.
The EnvA function-inhibiting characteristics and the fact that mc8C5-4 seems to interact with the receptor binding site without triggering the activation cascade of conformational changes induced by Tva make this novel monoclonal antibody a unique reagent for structural and functional studies of the ASLV glycoprotein. A similar monoclonal antibody, monoclonal antibody (MAb) b12, recognizes a conformational epitope that overlaps the CD-4-binding site of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope protein. MAb b12 neutralizes a broad range of HIV-1 primary isolates and protects against primary virus challenge in animal models (37, 41, 45). The crystal structure of this monoclonal antibody has recently been determined, and together with peptides selected by phage display for binding to MAb b12, is providing new insights into the binding of HIV-1 to its receptor (47, 54). Thus, mc8C5 has the potential to facilitate functional studies of EnvA, especially with regard to receptor binding, and offers a reagent potentially useful in efforts to solve the structure of ASLV-A Env. In addition, mc8C5-4, and monoclonal antibodies directed against Tva which we recently generated and will describe elsewhere, may prove useful in the refinement of gene-targeting strategies based on the ASLV retroviral vector RCAS and its receptor, Tva (16, 20, 21, 24, 33).
This work was supported by grant CA29884-22 from the National Institutes of Health to E.H. and by NIH grant AI22470 to J.M.W. C.O.-J. received a research fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany). FACS analyses were performed at the Flow Cytometry Core Facilities of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for AIDS Research, which is supported by NIH grant P30-AI-27767, and of the University of Virginia Health System, supported by Cancer Center Support Grant P30-CA44579.
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