title: Anti-idiotypic antibodies: a new approach in prion research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In certain cases, anti-idiotypic antibodies that recognize an antigen-combining site of an antibody can mimic the structure and/or function of certain nominal antigens. This feature makes them particularly useful if conventional experimental approaches fail to fulfil expectations, especially when the molecule of interest is infectious, toxic or difficult to isolate and purify. We suggest the application of an anti-idiotype concept to the field of prion biology, with the aim of evoking a humoral immune response against the pathological isoform of the prion protein (PrPSc). Different ways to induce anti-idiotypic responses were studied in mice and chickens using various forms of V5B2, a PrPSc-specific monoclonal antibody we have described previously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The preparation of anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibodies was achieved with well-defined strategies of immunization, selection and subsequent characterization. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to induce a strong anti-idiotypic immune response against the V5B2 monoclonal antibody in both xenogeneic and syngeneic experimental systems. From the competition seen between polyclonal and monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies and the original immunogen, the P1 peptide, and even more importantly, the ultimate target antigen, PrPSc, we conclude that selected antibodies bind to the antigen-combining site of the V5B2 monoclonal antibody and might even resemble the PrPSc-specific epitope. The involvement of both antigen-combining sites in the interaction between V5B2 and the most promising monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody was further supported by molecular docking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study not only provide an example of the successful production of Ab2 monoclonal antibodies based on a well planned strategy for selection, but should also provide a new experimental approach that is applicable to the field of prion diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department for Production of Diagnostic Reagents and Research, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia. anja.venturini@ztm.si
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colja Venturini
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bresjanac
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vranac
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koren
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narat
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.forename: Vladka
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Curin Serbec
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002645:Chickens; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006825:Hybridomas; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018448:Models, Immunological; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D018620:PrPSc Proteins