skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Conservation and diversity in the ultralong third heavy-chain complementarity-determining region of bovine antibodies

Journal Article · · Science Immunology
 [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. The Scripps Research Inst., La Jolla, CA (United States)
  2. The Scripps Research Inst., La Jolla, CA (United States); Fabrus Inc., San Diego, CA (United States)

Antibodies provide a broad defense against a vast array of antigens; however, the structural features that contribute to this diverse antigen recognition vary in different vertebrates. In cows, a subset of antibodies have an exceptionally long third heavy-chain complementarity-determining region (CDR H3) that is highly variable in sequence and includes multiple cysteines. These long CDR H3s (up to 69 residues) fold into a long stalk atop which sits a knob domain that is located far from the antibody surface. We have determined crystal structures of three bovine Fabs to decipher the conserved and variable features of ultralong CDR H3s that lead to diversity in antigen recognition. Despite high sequence variability, the stalks adopt a conserved β-ribbon structure, whereas the knob regions share a conserved β sheet that serves as a scaffold for two connecting loops of variable length and conformation, as well as one conserved disulfide. Variation in patterns and connectivity of the remaining disulfides contribute to the structural diversity of the knob. Finally, the unusual architecture of these ultralong bovine CDR H3s for generating diversity is unique in adaptive immune systems and may inform efforts in antibody engineering.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; P14GM103393; P41RR001209; ACB-12002; AGM-12006
OSTI ID:
1368222
Journal Information:
Science Immunology, Vol. 1, Issue 1; ISSN 2470-9468
Publisher:
AAASCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 36 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (56)

The Intrinsic Contributions of Tyrosine, Serine, Glycine and Arginine to the Affinity and Specificity of Antibodies journal April 2008
Functional human antibody CDR fusions as long-acting therapeutic endocrine agonists journal January 2015
Antibody-antigen interactions journal February 1993
Standard conformations for the canonical structures of immunoglobulins 1 1Edited by I. A. Wilson journal November 1997
A General Method for Insertion of Functional Proteins within Proteins via Combinatorial Selection of Permissive Junctions journal August 2015
Structural analysis, selection, and ontogeny of the shark new antigen receptor (IgNAR): identification of a new locus preferentially expressed in early development journal October 2002
Satisfying Hydrogen Bonding Potential in Proteins journal May 1994
Analysis of the horse VH repertoire and comparison with the human IGHV germline genes, and sheep, cattle and pig VH sequences journal April 2006
Rational Design of Humanized Dual-Agonist Antibodies journal December 2014
Broadly Neutralizing Antibody PGT121 Allosterically Modulates CD4 Binding via Recognition of the HIV-1 gp120 V3 Base and Multiple Surrounding Glycans journal May 2013
Crystallographic structure studies of an IgG molecule and an Fc fragment journal December 1976
Disulfide Folding Pathways of Cystine Knot Proteins: TYING THE KNOT WITHIN THE CIRCULAR BACKBONE OF THE CYCLOTIDES journal December 2002
Incorporation of Long CDR3s into V Domains: Implications for the Structural Evolution of the Antibody-Combining Site journal January 2001
Structure, function and properties of antibody binding sites journal January 1991
A New Clustering of Antibody CDR Loop Conformations journal February 2011
Conformations of immunoglobulin hypervariable regions journal December 1989
Secondary-structure matching (SSM), a new tool for fast protein structure alignment in three dimensions journal November 2004
The Importance of Being Tyrosine: Lessons in Molecular Recognition from Minimalist Synthetic Binding Proteins journal April 2009
Rational Design of CXCR4 Specific Antibodies with Elongated CDRs journal July 2014
Antibody Recognition of a Highly Conserved Influenza Virus Epitope journal April 2009
Canonical structures for the hypervariable regions of immunoglobulins journal August 1987
Antibody Elbow Angles are Influenced by their Light Chain Class journal April 2006
Amino acid neighbours and detailed conformational analysis of cysteines in proteins journal July 1999
An Antibody with a Variable-Region Coiled-Coil “Knob” Domain journal November 2013
An Antibody CDR3-Erythropoietin Fusion Protein journal August 2013
Functional Antibody CDR3 Fusion Proteins with Enhanced Pharmacological Properties journal June 2013
Structural Basis for Polyproline Recognition by the FE65 WW Domain journal September 2007
Structural Basis for Marburg Virus Neutralization by a Cross-Reactive Human Antibody journal February 2015
Bovine IgM antibodies with exceptionally long complementarity‐determining region 3 of the heavy chain share unique structural properties conferring restricted VH + Vλ pairings journal July 2003
Fundamental Characteristics of the Immunoglobulin V H Repertoire of Chickens in Comparison with Those of Humans, Mice, and Camelids journal November 2011
Dictionary of protein secondary structure: Pattern recognition of hydrogen-bonded and geometrical features journal December 1983
Molecular Grafting onto a Stable Framework Yields Novel Cyclic Peptides for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis journal October 2013
Design of substrate-based BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors using the cyclotide scaffold journal August 2015
Reshaping Antibody Diversity journal June 2013
Rational Design of a Humanized Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Antibody journal December 2014
Exceptionally Long CDR3H Are Not Isotype Restricted in Bovine Immunoglobulins journal May 2013
PHENIX: a comprehensive Python-based system for macromolecular structure solution journal January 2010
Rational Design of Antibody Protease Inhibitors journal March 2015
Analysis and improvements to Kabat and structurally correct numbering of antibody variable domains journal August 2008
Yet Another Numbering Scheme for Immunoglobulin Variable Domains: An Automatic Modeling and Analysis Tool journal June 2001
Complex-type N-glycan recognition by potent broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies journal October 2012
Extensive CDR3H Length Heterogeneity Exists in Bovine Foetal VDJ Rearrangements journal February 2002
The Effects of Somatic Hypermutation on Neutralization and Binding in the PGT121 Family of Broadly Neutralizing HIV Antibodies journal November 2013
NMRPipe: A multidimensional spectral processing system based on UNIX pipes journal November 1995
Cross-neutralization of influenza A viruses mediated by a single antibody loop journal September 2012
Highly Conserved Protective Epitopes on Influenza B Viruses journal August 2012
Exceptionally long CDR3H region with multiple cysteine residues in functional bovine IgM antibodies journal August 1999
Ultrastructural and Immunologic Characteristics of Mouse × Cattle Xenogeneic Hybridomas Originating from Bovine Leukemia Virus-infected Cattle journal July 2003
Heavy Chain V Region Diversity in the Duck-Billed Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ): Long and Highly Variable Complementarity-Determining Region 3 Compensates for Limited Germline Diversity journal May 2002
Analysis of heavy and light chain sequences of conventional camelid antibodies from Camelus dromedarius and Camelus bactrianus species journal March 2014
Regulation of Repertoire Development through Genetic Control of D H Reading Frame Preference journal December 2008
Ligand–receptor binding revealed by the TNF family member TALL-1 journal May 2003
Phaser crystallographic software journal July 2007
In Vivo Activation of the p53 Tumor Suppressor Pathway by an Engineered Cyclotide journal July 2013
Novel atypical nucleotide insertions specifically at VH–DH junction generate exceptionally long CDR3H in cattle antibodies journal July 2010
[20] Processing of X-ray diffraction data collected in oscillation mode book January 1997

Cited By (4)

Formation of ultralong DH regions through genomic rearrangement journal June 2020
Immunogenetic factors driving formation of ultralong VH CDR3 in Bos taurus antibodies journal December 2017
Structural Diversity of Ultralong CDRH3s in Seven Bovine Antibody Heavy Chains journal March 2019
Contributions of Farm Animals to Immunology journal December 2018

Similar Records

Related Subjects