Broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy with incoherent light

Although broadband incoherent light does not efficiently couple into a high-finesse optical cavity, its transmission is readily detectable and enables applications in cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy in the gas phase, liquid phase and on surfaces. This chapter gives an overview of measurement principles and experimental approaches implementing incoherent light sources in cavity-enhanced spectroscopic applications. The general principles of broadband CEAS are outlined and general “pros and cons” discussed, detailing aspects like cavity mirror reflectivity calibration or the establishment of detection limits. Different approaches concerning light sources, cavity design and detection schemes are discussed and a comprehensive overview of the current literature based on a methodological classification scheme is also presented.

On the role of molecular clustering on infrared absorption line shapes of acetylene in a supersonic expansion

A supersonic expansion containing acetylene seeded into Ar and produced from a circular nozzle is investigated using CW/cavity ring down spectroscopy, in the 1.5 μm range. The results, also involving experiments with pure acetylene and acetylene-He expansions, as well as slit nozzles, demonstrate that the denser central section in the expansion is slightly heated by the formation of acetylene aggregates, resulting into a dip in the monomer absorption line profiles. Acetylene-Ar aggregates are also formed at the edge of the circular nozzle expansion cone. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the shape of the R(0) absorption line in ν3, N2O recorded from an axisymmetric supersonic free jet expansion

The hydrodynamic structure of an axisymmetric supersonic expansion can be regarded as a series of concentric divergent cones, with decreasing particle densities as the cone angle increases. Different groups of molecules therefore contribute to high-resolution absorption line shapes when optically probing the expansion in a direction perpendicular to the jet axis. These groups are distinguished by the cone angle, inducing a specific Doppler shift, and by the particle density, contributing a specific weight to the absorption intensity. As a result different broader line profiles are observed compared to room temperature spectra. This effect is investigated here selecting as the working example the R(0), ν3 absorption line in N2O recorded using a Fourier transform interferometer. Independent impact pressure and quadrupole mass spectrometric measurements are performed leading to two complementary maps of the expansion, allowing the recorded absorption line shape to be quantitatively modeled. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Equal IgG antibody response to pneumococcal vaccination in all stages of human immunodeficiency virus disease.

To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of a 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive patients, 80 men and 18 women received 1 dose of the vaccine (Pneumo 23; Pasteur Mérieux MSD, Brussels). The total IgG antibody response against all 23 Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular antigens was measured. Antibody levels were expressed in arbitrary units per microliter, referring to a standard curve. Geometric mean titers of the total IgG capsular antibodies on the day of vaccination and 30-45 days later were compared. The ratios of titers after and before vaccination in patients with > 500, 200-500, and < 200 CD4 lymphocytes/microL were 10, 10, and 12.6, respectively. Nonresponse (ratio < 4) occurred in 17% of patients and was unrelated to CD4 cell count. The vaccine was well tolerated; no serious side effects occurred. In 83% of the patients with HIV infection, the total antipneumococcal IgG level was higher after vaccination.

Ligation of cell surface GRP78 with antibody directed against the COOH-terminal domain of GRP78 suppresses Ras/MAPK and PI 3-kinase/AKT signaling while promoting caspase activation in human prostate cancer cells.

We have previously shown that treatment of prostate cancer and melanoma cells expressing GRP78 on their cell surface with antibody directed against the COOH-terminal domain of GRP78 upregulates and activates p53 causing decreased cell proliferation and upregulated apoptosis. In this report, we demonstrate that treatment of 1-LN prostate cancer cells with this antibody decreases cell surface expression of GRP78, Akt(Thr308) and Akt(Ser473) kinase activities and reduces phosphorylation of FOXO, and GSK3beta. This treatment also suppresses activation of ERK1/2, p38 MAPK and MKK3/6; however, it upregulates MKK4 activity. JNK, as determined by its phosphorylation state, is subsequently activated, triggering apoptosis. Incubation of cells with antibody reduced levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, while elevating pro-apoptotic BAD, BAX and BAK expression as well as cleaved caspases-3, -7, -8 and -9. Silencing GRP78 or p53 gene expression by RNAi prior to antibody treatment abrogated these effects. We conclude that antibody directed against the COOH-terminal domain of GRP78 may prove useful as a pan suppressor of proliferative/survival signaling in cancer cells expressing GRP78 on their cell surface.

Potent and broad neutralizing activity of a single chain antibody fragment against cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1.

Several human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) exhibit relatively potent and broad neutralizing activity against HIV-1, but there has not been much success in using them as potential therapeutics. We have previously hypothesized and demonstrated that small engineered antibodies can target highly conserved epitopes that are not accessible by full-size antibodies. However, their potency has not been comparatively evaluated with known HIV-1-neutralizing hmAbs against large panels of primary isolates. We report here the inhibitory activity of an engineered single chain antibody fragment (scFv), m9, against several panels of primary HIV-1 isolates from group M (clades A-G) using cell-free and cell-associated virus in cell line-based assays. M9 was much more potent than scFv 17b, and more potent than or comparable to the best-characterized broadly neutralizing hmAbs IgG(1) b12, 2G12, 2F5 and 4E10. It also inhibited cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 with higher potency than enfuvirtide (T-20, Fuzeon). M9 competed with a sulfated CCR5 N-terminal peptide for binding to gp120-CD4 complex, suggesting an overlapping epitope with the coreceptor binding site. M9 did not react with phosphatidylserine (PS) and cardiolipin (CL), nor did it react with a panel of autoantigens in an antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) assay. We further found that escape mutants resistant to m9 did not emerge in an immune selection assay. These results suggest that m9 is a novel anti-HIV-1 candidate with potential therapeutic or prophylactic properties, and its epitope is a new target for drug or vaccine development.

Predicting the frequency dispersion of electronic hyperpolarizabilities on the basis of absorption data and thomas-kuhn sum rules

Successfully predicting the frequency dispersion of electronic hyperpolarizabilities is an unresolved challenge in materials science and electronic structure theory. We show that the generalized Thomas-Kuhn sum rules, combined with linear absorption data and measured hyperpolarizability at one or two frequencies, may be used to predict the entire frequency-dependent electronic hyperpolarizability spectrum. This treatment includes two- and three-level contributions that arise from the lowest two or three excited electronic state manifolds, enabling us to describe the unusual observed frequency dispersion of the dynamic hyperpolarizability in high oscillator strength M-PZn chromophores, where (porphinato)zinc(II) (PZn) and metal(II)polypyridyl (M) units are connected via an ethyne unit that aligns the high oscillator strength transition dipoles of these components in a head-to-tail arrangement. We show that some of these structures can possess very similar linear absorption spectra yet manifest dramatically different frequency dependent hyperpolarizabilities, because of three-level contributions that result from excited state-to excited state transition dipoles among charge polarized states. Importantly, this approach provides a quantitative scheme to use linear optical absorption spectra and very limited individual hyperpolarizability measurements to predict the entire frequency-dependent nonlinear optical response. Copyright © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Magnitude and breadth of a nonprotective neutralizing antibody response in an efficacy trial of a candidate HIV-1 gp120 vaccine.

BACKGROUND: A candidate vaccine consisting of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subunit gp120 protein was found previously to be nonprotective in an efficacy trial (Vax004) despite strong antibody responses against the vaccine antigens. Here we assessed the magnitude and breadth of neutralizing antibody responses in Vax004. METHODS: Neutralizing antibodies were measured against highly sensitive (tier 1) and moderately sensitive (tier 2) strains of HIV-1 subtype B in 2 independent assays. Vaccine recipients were stratified by sex, race, and high versus low behavioral risk of HIV-1 acquisition. RESULTS: Most vaccine recipients mounted potent neutralizing antibody responses against HIV-1(MN) and other tier 1 viruses. Occasional weak neutralizing activity was detected against tier 2 viruses. The response against tier 1 and tier 2 viruses was significantly stronger in women than in men. Race and behavioral risk of HIV-1 acquisition had no significant effect on the response. Prior vaccination had little effect on the neutralizing antibody response that arose after infection. CONCLUSIONS: Weak overall neutralizing antibody responses against tier 2 viruses is consistent with a lack of protection in this trial. The magnitude and breadth of neutralization reported here should be useful for identifying improved vaccines.

Separating the scattering and absorption coefficients using the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index with low-coherence interferometry.

We present an analytical method that yields the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index (RI) from low-coherence interferometry measurements, leading to the separation of the scattering and absorption coefficients of turbid samples. The imaginary RI is measured using time-frequency analysis, with the real part obtained by analyzing the nonlinear phase induced by a sample. A derivation relating the real part of the RI to the nonlinear phase term of the signal is presented, along with measurements from scattering and nonscattering samples that exhibit absorption due to hemoglobin.

CD20 deficiency in humans results in impaired T cell-independent antibody responses.

CD20 was the first B cell differentiation antigen identified, and CD20-specific mAbs are commonly used for the treatment of B cell malignancies and autoantibody-mediated autoimmune diseases. Despite this the role of CD20 in human B cell physiology has remained elusive. We describe here a juvenile patient with CD20 deficiency due to a homozygous mutation in a splice junction of the CD20 gene (also known as MS4A1) that results in "cryptic" splicing and nonfunctional mRNA species. Analysis of this patient has led us to conclude that CD20 has a central role in the generation of T cell-independent (TI) antibody responses. Key evidence to support this conclusion was provided by the observation that although antigen-independent B cells developed normally in the absence of CD20 expression, antibody formation, particularly after vaccination with TI antigens, was strongly impaired in the patient. Consistent with this, TI antipolysaccharide B cell responses were severely impeded in CD20-deficient mice. Our study therefore identifies what we believe to be a novel type of humoral immunodeficiency caused by CD20 deficiency and characterized by normal development of antigen-independent B cells, along with a reduced capacity to mount proper antibody responses.

An immunoglobulin C kappa-reactive single chain antibody fusion protein induces tolerance through receptor editing in a normal polyclonal immune system.

Understanding immune tolerance mechanisms is a major goal of immunology research, but mechanistic studies have generally required the use of mouse models carrying untargeted or targeted antigen receptor transgenes, which distort lymphocyte development and therefore preclude analysis of a truly normal immune system. Here we demonstrate an advance in in vivo analysis of immune tolerance that overcomes these shortcomings. We show that custom superantigens generated by single chain antibody technology permit the study of tolerance in a normal, polyclonal immune system. In the present study we generated a membrane-tethered anti-Igkappa-reactive single chain antibody chimeric gene and expressed it as a transgene in mice. B cell tolerance was directly characterized in the transgenic mice and in radiation bone marrow chimeras in which ligand-bearing mice served as recipients of nontransgenic cells. We find that the ubiquitously expressed, Igkappa-reactive ligand induces efficient B cell tolerance primarily or exclusively by receptor editing. We also demonstrate the unique advantages of our model in the genetic and cellular analysis of immune tolerance.

The Ontogeny of Mucosal and Systemic Antibody Responses to HIV-1 Infection

The humoral immune system plays a critical role in the clearance of numerous pathogens. In the setting of HIV-1 infection, the virus infects, integrates its genome into the host's cells, replicates, and establishes a reservoir of virus-infected cells. The initial antibody response to HIV-1 infection is targeted to non-neutralizing epitopes on HIV-1 Env gp41, and when a neutralizing response does develop months after transmission, it is specific for the autologous founder virus and the virus escapes rapidly. After continuous waves of antibody mediated neutralization and viral escape, a small subset of infected individuals eventually develop broad and potent heterologous neutralizing antibodies years after infection. In this dissertation, I have studied the ontogeny of mucosal and systemic antibody responses to HIV-1 infection by means of three distinct aims: 1. Determine the origin of the initial antibody response to HIV-1 infection. 2. Characterize the role of restricted VH and VL gene segment usage in shaping the antibody response to HIV-1 infection. 3. Determine the role of persistence of B cell clonal lineages in shaping the mutation frequencies of HIV-1 reactive antibodies.

After the introduction (Chapter 1) and methods (Chapter 2), Chapter 3 of this dissertation describes a study of the antibody response of terminal ileum B cells to HIV-1 envelope (Env) in early and chronic HIV-1 infection and provides evidence for the role of environmental antigens in shaping the repertoire of B cells that respond to HIV-1 infection. Previous work by Liao et al. demonstrated that the initial plasma cell response in the blood to acute HIV-1 infection is to gp41 and is derived from a polyreactive memory B cell pool. Many of these antibodies cross-reacted with commensal bacteria, Therefore, in Chapter 3, the relationship of intestinal B cell reactivity with commensal bacteria to HIV-1 infection-induced antibody response was probed using single B cell sorting, reverse transcription and nested polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) methods, and recombinant antibody technology. The dominant B cell response in the terminal ileum was to HIV-1 envelope (Env) gp41, and 82% of gp41- reactive antibodies cross-reacted with commensal bacteria whole cell lysates. Pyrosequencing of blood B cells revealed HIV-1 antibody clonal lineages shared between ileum and blood. Mutated IgG antibodies cross-reactive with both Env gp41 and commensal bacteria could also be isolated from the terminal ileum of HIV-1 uninfected individuals. Thus, the antibody response to HIV-1 can be shaped by intestinal B cells stimulated by commensal bacteria prior to HIV-1 infection to develop a pre-infection pool of memory B cells cross-reactive with HIV-1 gp41.

Chapter 4 details the study of restricted VH and VL gene segment usage for gp41 and gp120 antibody induction following acute HIV-1 infection; mutations in gp41 lead to virus enhanced neutralization sensitivity. The B cell repertoire of antibodies induced in a HIV-1 infected African individual, CAP206, who developed broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) directed to the HIV-1 envelope gp41 membrane proximal external region (MPER), is characterized. Understanding the selection of virus mutants by neutralizing antibodies is critical to understanding the role of antibodies in control of HIV-1 replication and prevention from HIV-1 infection. Previously, an MPER neutralizing antibody, CAP206-CH12, with the binding footprint identical to that of MPER broadly neutralizing antibody 4E10, that like 4E10 utilized the VH1-69 and VK3-20 variable gene segments was isolated from this individual (Morris et al., 2011). Using single B cell sorting, RT- PCR methods, and recombinant antibody technology, Chapter 4 describes the isolation of a VH1-69, Vk3-20 glycan-dependent clonal lineage from CAP206, targeted to gp120, that has the property of neutralizing a neutralization sensitive CAP206 transmitted/founder (T/F) and heterologous viruses with mutations at amino acids 680 or 681 in the MPER 4E10/CH12 binding site. These data demonstrate sites within the MPER bnAb epitope (aa 680-681) in which mutations can be selected that lead to viruses with enhanced sensitivity to autologous and heterologous neutralizing antibodies.

In Chapter 5, I have completed a comparison of evolution of B cell clonal lineages in two HIV-1 infected individuals who have a predominant VH1-69 response to HIV-1 infection--one who produces broadly neutralizing MPER-reactive mAbs and one who does not. Autologous neutralization in the plasma takes ~12 weeks to develop (Gray et al., 2007; Tomaras et al., 2008b). Only a small subset of HIV-1 infected individuals develops high plasma levels of broad and potent heterologous neutralization, and when it does occur, it typically takes 3-4 years to develop (Euler et al., 2010; Gray et al., 2007; 2011; Tomaras et al., 2011). The HIV-1 bnAbs that have been isolated to date have a number of unusual characteristics including, autoreactivity and high levels of somatic hypermutations, which are typically tightly regulated by immune control mechanisms (Haynes et al., 2005; 2012b; Kwong and Mascola, 2012; Scheid et al., 2009a). The VH mutation frequencies of bnAbs average ~15% but have been shown to be as high as 32% (reviewed in Mascola and Haynes, 2013; Kwong and Mascola, 2012). The high frequency of somatic hypermutations suggests that the B cell clonal lineages that eventually produce bnAbs undergo high-levels of affinity maturation, implying prolonged germinal center (GC) reactions and high levels of T cell help. To study the duration of HIV-1- reactive B cell clonal persistence, HIV-1 reactive and non HIV-1- reactive B cell clonal lineages were isolated from an HIV-1 infected individual that produces bnAbs, CAP206, and an HIV-1 infected individual who does not produce bnAbs, 004-0. Single B cell sorting, RT-PCR and recombinant antibody technology was used to isolate and produce monoclonal antibodies from multiple time points from each individual. B cell sequences clonally related to mAbs isolated by single cell PCR were identified within pyrosequences of longitudinal samples of these two individuals. Both individuals produced long-lived B cell clones that persisted from 0-232 weeks in CAP206, and 0-238 weeks in 004-0. The average length of persistence of clones containing members isolated from two separate time points was 91.5 weeks both individuals. Examples of the continued evolution of clonal lineages were observed in both the bnAb and non-bnAb individual. These data indicated that the ability to generate persistent and evolving B cell clonal lineages occurs in both bnAb and non-bnAb individuals, suggesting that some alternative host or viral factor is critical for the generation of highly mutated broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Together the studies described in Chapter 3-5 show that multiple factors influence the antibody response to HIV-1 infection. The initial antibody response to HIV-1 Env gp41 can be shaped by a B cell response to intestinal commensal bacteria prior to HIV-1 infection. VH and VL gene segment restriction can impact the B cell response to multiple HIV-1 antigens, and virus escape mutations in the MPER can confer enhanced neutralization sensitivity to autologous and heterologous antibodies. Finally, the ability to generate long-lived HIV-1 clonal lineages in and of itself does not confer on the host the ability to produce bnAbs.

Human CD19 and CD40L deficiencies impair antibody selection and differentially affect somatic hypermutation.

Individuals with genetic defects in CD40 ligand (CD40L) or B-cell antigen receptor coreceptor molecules CD19 and CD81 suffer from an antibody deficiency. Still, these patients carry low levels of memory B cells and serum antibodies.

Patterns of de novo allo B cells and antibody formation in chronic cardiac allograft rejection after alemtuzumab treatment.

Even though the etiology of chronic rejection (CR) is multifactorial, donor specific antibody (DSA) is considered to have a causal effect on CR development. Currently the antibody-mediated mechanisms during CR are poorly understood due to lack of proper animal models and tools. In a clinical setting, we previously demonstrated that induction therapy by lymphocyte depletion, using alemtuzumab (anti-human CD52), is associated with an increased incidence of serum alloantibody, C4d deposition and antibody-mediated rejection in human patients. In this study, the effects of T cell depletion in the development of antibody-mediated rejection were examined using human CD52 transgenic (CD52Tg) mice treated with alemtuzumab. Fully mismatched cardiac allografts were transplanted into alemtuzumab treated CD52Tg mice and showed no acute rejection while untreated recipients acutely rejected their grafts. However, approximately half of long-term recipients showed increased degree of vasculopathy, fibrosis and perivascular C3d depositions at posttransplant day 100. The development of CR correlated with DSA and C3d deposition in the graft. Using novel tracking tools to monitor donor-specific B cells, alloreactive B cells were shown to increase in accordance with DSA detection. The current animal model could provide a means of testing strategies to understand mechanisms and developing therapeutic approaches to prevent chronic rejection.

Prevention trumps treatment of antibody-mediated transplant rejection.

Belying the spectacular success of solid organ transplantation and improvements in immunosuppressive therapy is the reality that long-term graft survival rates remain relatively unchanged, in large part due to chronic and insidious alloantibody-mediated graft injury. Half of heart transplant recipients develop chronic rejection within 10 years - a daunting statistic, particularly for young patients expecting to achieve longevity by enduring the rigors of a transplant. The current immunosuppressive pharmacopeia is relatively ineffective in preventing late alloantibody-associated chronic rejection. In this issue of the JCI, Kelishadi et al. report that preemptive deletion of B cells prior to heart transplantation in cynomolgus monkeys, in addition to conventional posttransplant immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine, markedly attenuated not only acute graft rejection but also alloantibody elaboration and chronic graft rejection. The success of this preemptive strike implies a central role for B cells in graft rejection, and this approach may help to delay or prevent chronic rejection after solid organ transplantation.