title: A novel and efficient route for the isolation of antibodies that recognise T cell receptor V alpha(s).
abstract: Studies of the T cell repertoire have been hindered by the lack of antibodies that recognise V region families, particularly for V alpha regions. In this report, single chain Fv (scFv) fragments have been isolated that recognise both recombinant V alpha(s) and native V alpha(s) on the surface of T cells. Mice have been immunised with purified soluble T cell receptors (TCRs) and antibody heavy and light chain variable domain (VH and VL, respectively) genes isolated from splenocytes using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The VH and VL genes have been assembled as scFv gene libraries and a bacteriophage display system used to isolate scFvs that recognise a soluble V alpha. Five scFvs have been purified and characterised in detail using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and flow cytometry. Three of these five scFvs recognise native V alpha(s) on the surface of T cell hybridomas. This method therefore offers a rapid route to the generation of scFvs that recognise native TCRs and can readily be extended to the production of anti-human TCR antibodies for use in therapy and diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Cancer Immunobiology Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-8576, U.S.A.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D015723:Gene Library; D005796:Genes; D006825:Hybridomas; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D017931:DNA Primers; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D011994:Recombinant Proteins