title: Monoclonal antibodies specific for disease-associated point-mutants: lamin A/C R453W and R482W.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disease-linked missense mutations can alter a protein's function with fatal consequences for the affected individual. How a single amino acid substitution in a protein affects its properties, is difficult to study in the context of the cellular proteome, because mutant proteins can often not be traced in cells due to the lack of mutation-specific detection tools. Antibodies, however, with their exquisite epitope specificity permit the detection of single amino acid substitutions but are not available for the vast majority of disease-causing mutant proteins. One of the most frequently missense-mutated human genes is the LMNA gene coding for A-type lamins. Mutations in LMNA cause phenotypically heterogenous, mostly autosomal-dominant inherited diseases, termed laminopathies. The molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypic heterogeneity of laminopathies, however, are not well understood. Hence, the goal of this study was the development of monoclonal antibodies specific for disease-linked point-mutant A-type lamins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using two different approaches of antigen presentation, namely KLH-coupled peptides and the display of a complete protein domain fused to the Hepatitis B virus capsid protein, we developed monoclonal antibodies against two disease-associated lamin A/C mutants. Both antibodies display exquisite specificity for the respective mutant proteins. We show that with the help of these novel antibodies it is now possible for the first time to study specifically the properties of the mutant proteins in primary patient cells in the background of wild-type protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report here the development of two point-mutant specific antibodies against A-type lamins. While synthetic peptides may be the prime choice of antigen, our results show that a given target sequence may have to be presented in alternative ways to ensure the induction of a mutant-specific immune response. Point-mutant specific antibodies will represent valuable tools for basic and clinical research on a number of hereditary as well as acquired diseases caused by dominant missense mutations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roblek
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schüchner
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ollram
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vlcek-Vesely
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foisner
authors.forename: Manfed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wehnert
authors.forename: Egon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogris
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D034904:Lamin Type A / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D052496:Lipodystrophy, Familial Partial / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020389:Muscular Dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss / Q000235:genetics*; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021381:Protein Transport; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D034904:Lamin Type A; D050505:Mutant Proteins