Murine in vitro model of the blood–brain barrier for evaluating drug transport

In vitro blood–brain barrier (BBB) models help predict brain uptake of potential central nervous system drug candidates. Current in vitro models are composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) that are isolated from rat, bovine, or porcine. However, most in vivo studies on drug transport through the BBB are performed in small laboratory animals, specially mouse and thus murine in vitro BBB models serve as better surrogates to correlate with these studies. Here we describe the functional characterization of a reproducible in vitro model composed of murine BMEC co-cultured with rat primary astrocytes in the presence of biochemical inducing agents. The co-cultures presented high TEER and low sodium fluorescein permeability. Expression of specific BBB tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-5, ZO-1) and the functionality of transporters (Pgp, GLUT1) were detected by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. These results indicated a 2.5-fold increase in the expression levels of these proteins in the presence of astrocytes. In addition, a high correlation coefficient (0.98) was obtained between the permeability of a series of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs and their corresponding in vivo values. These results together establish the utility of this murine model for future drug transport, pathological, and pharmacological characterizations of the BBB.     

Development of GFP-based biosensors possessing the binding properties of antibodies

Proteins that can bind specifically to targets that also have an intrinsic property allowing for easy detection could facilitate a multitude of applications. While the widely used green fluorescent protein (GFP) allows for easy detection, attempts to insert multiple binding loops into GFP to impart affinity for a specific target have been met with limited success because of the structural sensitivity of the GFP chromophore. In this study, directed evolution using a surrogate loop approach and yeast surface display yielded a family of GFP scaffolds capable of accommodating 2 proximal, randomized binding loops. The library of potential GFP-based binders or ″GFAbs″ was subsequently mined for GFAbs capable of binding to protein targets. Identified GFAbs bound with nanomolar affinity and required binding contributions from both loops indicating the advantage of a dual loop GFAb platform. Finally, GFAbs were solubly produced and used as fluorescence detection reagents to demonstrate their utility.     

Antibody-Targeted Liposomes for Enhanced Targeting of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Pharmaceutical Research - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinders therapeutic delivery to the central nervous system (CNS), thereby impeding the development of therapies for brain injury and disease....     

Blood-Brain Barrier Genomics,Proteomics, and New Transporter Discovery

Summary: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an impermeable cellular interface that physically separates the blood from the interstices of the brain. The endothelial cells lining the brain blood vessels form the principle barrier, and their unique phenotype is a consequence of dynamic interactions with several perivascular cell types present in the brain parenchyma. In addition, BBB dysfunction has been observed in the large majority of neurological diseases, but the causes of aberrant vascular behavior are generally unknown. Because of its barrier phenotype, drug delivery to the brain has also proven to be a very difficult task. Global genomics and proteomics analyses are currently being used to examine BBB function in healthy and diseased brain to better characterize this dynamic interface. It is becoming increasingly evident that these approaches have the potential to clarify the unique attributes of a healthy BBB, to identify therapeutic targets in diseased brain, and to identify novel conduits for noninvasive delivery of drugs against these targets. This review will discuss the application of genomics and proteomics to blood-brain barrier research and will offer views on the prospects of such approaches.     

Selection of functional T cell receptor mutants from a yeast surface-display library

The heterodimeric alphabeta T cell receptor (TCR) for antigen is the key determinant of T cell specificity. The structure of the TCR is very similar to that of antibodies, but the engineering of TCRs by directed evolution with combinatorial display libraries has not been accomplished to date. Here, we report that yeast surface display of a TCR was achieved only after the mutation of specific variable region residues. These residues are located in two regions of the TCR, at the interface of the alpha- and beta-chains and in the beta-chain framework region that is thought to be in proximity to the CD3 signal-transduction complex. The mutations are encoded naturally in many antibody variable regions, indicating specific functional differences that have not been appreciated between TCRs and antibodies. The identification of these residues provides an explanation for the inherent difficulties in the display of wild-type TCRs compared with antibodies. Yeast-displayed mutant TCRs bind specifically to the peptide/MHC antigen, enabling engineering of soluble T cell receptors as specific T cell antagonists. This strategy of random mutagenesis followed by selection for surface expression may be of general use in the directed evolution of other eukaryotic proteins that are refractory to display.     

Blood–Brain Barrier Transport of Therapeutics via Receptor-Mediation

Drug delivery to the brain is hindered by the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although the BBB restricts the passage of many substances, it is actually selectively permeable to nutrients necessary for healthy brain function. To accomplish the task of nutrient transport, the brain endothelium is endowed with a diverse collection of molecular transport systems. One such class of transport system, known as a receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT), employs the vesicular trafficking machinery of the endothelium to transport substrates between blood and brain. If appropriately targeted, RMT systems can also be used to shuttle a wide range of therapeutics into the brain in a noninvasive manner. Over the last decade, there have been significant developments in the arena of RMT-based brain drug transport, and this review will focus on those approaches that have been validated in an in vivo setting.     

The use of scFv-displaying yeast in mammalian cell surface selections

Yeast surface display has proven to be a powerful tool for the directed evolution of immunological proteins when soluble ligands are available (Cho, B.K., Kieke, M.C., Boder, E.T., Wittrup, K.D., Kranz, D.M., 1998. A yeast surface display system for the discovery of ligands that trigger cell activation. J. Immunol. Methods 220, 179; Boder, E.T., Midelfort, K.S., Wittrup, K.D., 2000. Directed evolution of antibody fragments with monovalent femtomolar antigen-binding affinity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 97, 10701; Shusta, E.V., Holler, P.D., Kieke, M.C., Kranz, D.M., Wittrup, K.D., 2000. Directed evolution of a stable scaffold for T-cell receptor engineering. Nat. Biotechnol. 18, 754; Esteban, O., Zhao, H., 2004. Directed evolution of soluble single-chain human class II MHC molecules. J. Mol. Biol. 340, 81). This investigation extends the utility of this display platform by demonstrating its capacity for use in cell panning selections. This was accomplished by employing a model single-chain antibody (scFv)-hapten system that allowed for detailed investigation of the factors governing panning success. Yeast displaying anti-fluorescein scFv (4-4-20) exhibited specific interactions with the fluoresceinated endothelial cells and could be recovered from large backgrounds of irrelevant yeast in just three rounds. Successful selections required as few as 1700 fluorescein ligands per cell, and a three-round enrichment ratio of 10(6) was possible. These results indicate that yeast surface display is a viable option for use in cell or tissue-based selections.     

In vitro evolution of a T cell receptor with high affinity for peptide/MHC

T cell receptors (TCRs) exhibit genetic and structural diversity similar to antibodies, but they have binding affinities that are several orders of magnitude lower. It has been suggested that TCRs undergo selection in vivo to maintain lower affinities. Here, we show that there is not an inherent genetic or structural limitation on higher affinity. Higher-affinity TCR variants were generated in the absence of in vivo selective pressures by using yeast display and selection from a library of Valpha CDR3 mutants. Selected mutants had greater than 100-fold higher affinity (K(D) approximately 9 nM) for the peptide/MHC ligand while retaining a high degree of peptide specificity. Among the high-affinity TCR mutants, a strong preference was found for CDR3alpha that contained Pro or Gly residues. Finally, unlike the wild-type TCR, a soluble monomeric form of a high-affinity TCR was capable of directly detecting peptide/MHC complexes on antigen-presenting cells. These findings prove that affinity maturation of TCRs is possible and suggest a strategy for engineering TCRs that can be used in targeting specific peptide/MHC complexes for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.     

Production of Soluble and Active Transferrin Receptor-Targeting Single-Chain Antibody using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Purpose This study describes the soluble production, purification, and functional testing of an anti-transferrin receptor single-chain antibody (OX26 scFv) using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods The yeast secretion apparatus was optimized by modulating expression temperature, the folding environment of the endoplasmic reticulum, and gene dosage. Secreted scFv was purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and tested for binding and internalization into the RBE4 rat brain endothelial cell line. Results Secretion of OX26 scFv was optimal when expression was induced at 20°C. Co-overexpression of heavy chain binding protein and protein disulfide isomerase elevated scFv expression levels by 10.4 ± 0.3-fold. Optimization of scFv gene dosage increased secretion by 7.1 ± 0.2-fold, but the overall benefits of binding protein and protein disulfide isomerase overexpression were diminished. Purified OX26 scFv yields of 0.5 mg/L secreted protein were achieved, and the scFv was actively internalized into RBE4 cells with a pattern similar to that observed with intact OX26 monoclonal antibody. Conclusions The optimized S. cerevisiae expression system is amenable to production of soluble and active brain targeting OX26 scFv, and the yeast-produced scFv has potential for the targeting and delivery of small molecules, proteins, or drug carriers across the blood–brain barrier(BBB).