Human single-chain Fv fragments from a combinatorial library using the loxP-Cre recombination system

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Biard-Piechaczyk, Martine^{a; *} | Teulon, Isabelle^a | Peraldi-Roux, Sylvie^a | Del Rio, Maguy^a | Pau, Bernard^a | Embleton, Jim^b

Affiliations: [a] CNRS UMR 9921, UFR Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Avenue Charles Flahault, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 02, France | [b] Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 9BX, United Kingdom

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Tel.: +33 (0) 4 67 54 86 07; Fax: +33 (0) 4 67 54 86 10; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: A human scFv display library has been constructed from peripheral blood lymphocytes of a patient suffering from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Upon induction of Cre recombinase, the amplified VH and VL genes were recombined via two loxP sites inserted in amplification primers to construct in vitro scFv genes. Either soluble scFvs or scFvs displayed on phage were screened for binding to human thyroglobulin after two pannings with this antigen. Three scFvs were obtained which showed very similar nucleotidic sequences. The VH genes expressed display 96.4% VH251 gene, one of the two functional members of the small VH5 family and are mutated in sites already described as “selectively neutral” mutations and the VL genes are close to the germline DPL8 gene. These scFvs bind not only to human thyroglobulin but also to other self and exogenous antigens.

Keywords: human single-chain Fv, combinatorial library, antibody sequence, polyreactivity, autoimmunith

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-1999-9108

Journal: Human Antibodies, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 67-77, 1999