Differentiation of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis by using recombinant human antibody single-chain variable fragments specific for hyphae

To identify antigens specific for the filamentous form of Candida albicans, a combinatorial phage display library expressing human immunoglobulin heavy and light chain variable regions was used to select phage clones capable of binding to the surfaces of viable C. albicans filaments. Eight distinct phage clones that bound specifically to filament surface antigens not expressed on blastoconidia were identified. Single-chain antibody variable fragments (scFv) derived from two of these phage clones (scFv5 and scFv12) were characterized in detail. Filament-specific antigen expression was detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. ScFv5 reacted with C. dubliniensis filaments, while scFv12 did not. Neither scFv reacted with C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. rugosa, C. tropicalis, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown under conditions that stimulated filament formation in C. albicans and C. dubliniensis. Epitope detection by the two scFv was sensitive to proteinase K treatment but not to periodate treatment, indicating that the cognate epitopes were composed of protein. The antigens reactive with scFv5 and scFv12 were extractable from the cell surface with Zymolyase, but not with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 2-mercaptoethanol, and migrated as polydisperse, high-molecular-weight bands on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels. The epitopes were detected on clinical specimens obtained from infants with thrush and urinary candidiasis without passage of the organisms on laboratory media, confirming epitope expression in human infection. The availability of a monoclonal immunologic reagent that recognizes filaments from both C. albicans and C. dubliniensis and another specific only to C. albicans adds to the repertoire of potential diagnostic reagents for differentiation between these closely related species.     

抗人纤维蛋白噬菌体单链抗体库的构建和鉴定

目的应用噬菌体展示技术构建抗人纤维蛋白单链抗体(scFv)文库,筛选高亲和力抗人纤维蛋白scFv并进行鉴定。方法利用人纤维蛋白免疫小鼠,分别扩增小鼠VH和VL基因,经重叠延伸聚合酶链反应(PCR)将VH和VL基因拼接成scFv基因,SfiⅠ/NotⅠ双酶切克隆入pCANTAB 5E噬菌粒载体,转化E.coli TG1构建成库,采用人纤维蛋白原对抗体库进行负筛选,人纤维蛋白进行正筛选,酶联免疫吸附分析(ELISA)检测阳性克隆的抗原特异性并进行测序分析。结果构建了库容为8.7×106的抗人纤维蛋白scFv库,ELISA测定显示scFv具有较高的抗原特异性;抗人纤维蛋白scFv基因序列长732 bp,编码244个氨基酸,VH和VL基因均有明确的3个互补决定区和4个骨架区。结论成功构建了抗人纤维蛋白scFv文库,并筛选到高亲和力的抗人纤维蛋白scFv,为新型血栓显像剂的开发奠定了实验基础。     

Molecular characterization of murine humoral immune response to botulinum neurotoxin type A binding domain as assessed by using phage antibody libraries.

To produce antibodies capable of neutralizing botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A), the murine humoral immune response to BoNT/A binding domain (H(C)) was characterized at the molecular level by using phage antibody libraries. Mice were immunized with BoNT/A H(C), the spleens were harvested, and single-chain Fv (scFv) phage antibody libraries were constructed from the immunoglobulin heavy and light chain variable region genes. Phage expressing BoNT/A binding scFv were isolated by selection on immobilized BoNT/A and BoNT/A H(C). Twenty-eight unique BoNT/A H(C) binding scFv were identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and DNA sequencing. Epitope mapping using surface plasmon resonance in a BIAcore revealed that the 28 scFv bound to only 4 nonoverlapping epitopes with equilibrium constants (Kd) ranging from 7.3 x 10(-8) to 1.1 x 10(-9) M. In a mouse hemidiaphragm assay, scFv binding epitopes 1 and 2 significantly prolonged the time to neuroparalysis, 1.5- and 2.7-fold, respectively, compared to toxin control. scFv binding to epitopes 3 and 4 showed no protection against neuroparalysis. A combination of scFv binding epitopes 1 and 2 had an additive effect on time to neuroparalysis, which increased to 3.9-fold compared to the control. The results suggest that there are two "productive" receptor binding sites on H(C) which lead to toxin internalization and toxicity. Blockade of these two epitopes with monoclonal antibodies may provide effective immunoprophylaxis or therapy against BoNT/A intoxication.     

与肝癌细胞系HepG2特异性结合单链抗体的筛选与序列分析

目的：从人源噬菌体抗体库中筛选与肝癌细胞系HepC2特异性结合的单链抗体，为寻找肝癌细胞表面特异性标志及靶向研究奠定基础。方法：以正常肝细胞系L02为阴性筛选细胞，以肝癌细胞系HepG2为阳性筛选靶细胞，从人源噬菌体抗体库(Griflfin．l Library)经三轮筛选后，阳性菌质粒PCR确定其中含有单链抗体基因的克隆，通过细胞ELISA及FCM筛选特异性的单链抗体噬菌体，通过ABL3130全自动荧光测序仪测序，并通过GeneBank比对进行同源性分析，IPTG诱导可溶性单链抗体表达，并检测其与肝癌细胞株结合的特异性。结果：获得了2个特异性较高的阳性噬菌体单个克隆。经DNA测序后，在Genebank中与人的免疫球蛋白库进行比对，并用IMGTF／V-Quest软件进行分析，确定为2个插入序列不同的单链抗体片段。经细胞ELISA证明其阳性克隆菌培养上清可与肝癌细胞株特异性结合。获得的序列成功登陆Genebank，序列号为AY686498-AY686499。结论：从人源噬菌体抗体库中筛选到与肝癌细胞系HepG2特异性结合的具有功能活性的单链抗体，为进一步寻找肝癌细胞表面特异性抗原及靶向研究奠定了基础。     

Immunodetection of CD45 epitopes on the surface of Candida albicans cells in culture and infected human tissues

Candida albicans is a leading cause of disseminated fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. Candida-host cell interactions are mediated at the cell surface. Since blood-group I epitopes have been detected on the surface of C albicans cells, we investigated whether CD45, the molecule that carries the I antigen on human lymphocytes, is present on the C albicans cell surface, in culture and in human tissue specimens of human candidiasis. By using monoclonal antibodies to CD45, CD45RO, and CD45RA, we found a strong immunoreactivity at the cell surface of blastoconidia bearing germ tubes but weak or no immunostaining of the germ tubes themselves. In human tissues, immunostaining of C albicans yeast cells was detected, whereas pseudohyphae were mostly negative. CD45 epitopes on the surface of C albicans might have a role in tissue invasion and dissemination of the fungus. On the other hand, its detection may disturb quantitative non-morphology-based determinations of lymphoid cell populations in infected tissues.     

Immunoregulation in experimental murine candidiasis: specific suppression induced by Candida albicans cell wall glycoprotein.

Immune regulation in candidiasis is inferred from studies of both human and animal infection, with a suppressive role suggested for cell wall polysaccharide. To study the immunosuppressive potential of Candida albicans in a murine model, whole blastoconidia or purified cell wall components of C. albicans were tested for their effects on the development of acquired immune responses by superimposing a pretreatment regimen upon an established immunization protocol. CBA/J or BALB/cByJ mice were pretreated twice intravenously with 100 micrograms of mannan (MAN), 100 or 200 micrograms of glycoprotein (GP), or 5 X 10(7) heat-killed C. albicans blastoconidia, followed 1 week later by an immunization protocol of two cutaneous inoculations of viable C. albicans blastoconidia given 2 weeks apart. Delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) to GP or to a membrane-derived antigen, B-HEX, was tested 7 days after the second inoculation, and lymphocyte stimulation was tested with mitogens and Candida antigens after 12 days. To assess protection, mice were challenged intravenously with viable C. albicans blastoconidia 14 days after the second cutaneous inoculation and sacrificed 28 days later for quantitative culture of kidneys and brains. Sera were obtained for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays at selected intervals. Pretreatment with GP resulted in specific in vivo suppression of DTH to GP but not to B-HEX antigen and specific in vitro suppression of lymphocyte stimulation to GP but not to other Candida antigens or mitogens. MAN and heat-killed C. albicans blastoconidia had no such effects. GP pretreatment also diminished the protective effect of immunization against challenge, demonstrable in the brain, while not altering significantly the production of antibody in response to infection. Contrary to clinical evidence, MAN was not immunosuppressive in this model, and in fact, the immunosuppressive potential of GP, which is composed largely of MAN, was found to be dependent upon the presence of its heat-labile protein moiety.     

Candida-specific Th1-type responsiveness in mice with experimental vaginal candidiasis.

The role of systemic cell-mediated immunity (CMI) as a host defense mechanism in the vagina is poorly understood. Using a murine pseudoestrus model of experimental vaginal candidiasis, we previously found that animals given a vaginal inoculum of viable Candida albicans blastoconidia acquired a persistent vaginal infection and developed Candida-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses. The present study was designed to characterize the peripheral CMI reactivity generated from the vaginal infection in mice and to determine whether pseudoestrus is a prerequisite for the induction of peripheral CMI reactivity. Mice treated or not treated with estrogen and given a vaginal inoculum of C. albicans blastoconidia were examined for 4 weeks for their vaginal Candida burden and peripheral CMI reactivity, including DTH responsiveness and in vitro Th1 (interleukin-2 [IL-2], gamma interferon [IFN-gamma]/Th2 (IL-4, IL-10)-type lymphokine production in response to Candida antigens. Results showed that although mice not treated with estrogen before being given a vaginal inoculum of C. albicans blastoconidia developed only a short-lived vaginal infection and harbored significantly fewer Candida CFU in the vagina compared with those given estrogen and then infected; DTH reactivity was equivalent in both groups. In vitro measurement of CMI reactivity further showed that lymph node cells from both estrogen- and non-estrogen-treated infected mice produced elevated levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma in response to Candida antigens during the 4 weeks after vaginal inoculation. In contrast, lymph node cells from the same vaginally infected mice showed no IL-10 production and only small elevations of IL-4 during week 4 of infection. These results suggest that mice with experimental vaginal candidiasis develop predominantly Th1-type Candida-specific peripheral CMI reactivity and that similar patterns of Th1-type reactivity occur in mice regardless of the persistence of infection and the estrogen status of the infected mice.     

从人源全合成抗体库中筛选到抗人干扰素α1b单链抗体

目的研究开发人源抗huIFN—α的基因工程抗体,为系统性红斑狼疮（Systemic lupus erythematosus,SLE）的治疗提供有效的抗体药物。方法本研究利用噬菌体表面展示技术,以纯化的人干扰素α1b（huIFN-α1b）和人干扰素α2b（huIFN—α2b）蛋白为抗原从人源全合成抗体库中筛选抗huIFN-α的基因工程单链（single chain variable fragment,scFv）抗体,通过phage—ELISA对噬菌体单链抗体的结合特异性和稳定性进行验证。将单链抗体基因克隆到原核分泌表达载体pET22b上在大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）中表达,通过Western blot检测单链抗体的分泌表达,并通过ELISA对单链抗体的结合特异性进行验证。通过金属螯合亲和层析纯化单链抗体,并用Western Blot对单链抗体的结合特异性进行鉴定。结果经过3轮富集筛选,获得100株对huIFN—α1b有特异性结合的噬菌体单链抗体。对得到的86株克隆的测序分析表明,共有9株带有不同的抗体轻重链可变区序列及其组合的抗体,有7株抗体轻重链可变区序列分类在VH3和VL3家族,有2株抗体轻重链可变区序列分类在VH3和VL1家族。获得了5株稳定且特异针对huIFN—α1b而与huIFN-α2b和huIFN-γ无交叉反应的人源单抗。这5株抗体在BL21（DE3）中分泌表达,有3株单链抗体能特异性结合huIFN-α1b而与无关抗原无交叉反应。结论通过噬菌体表面展示技术,从人源全合成抗体库中筛选得到3株稳定且特异结合huIFN—α1b的人源治疗用基因工程单克隆抗体。     

Enhancement of scFv fragment reactivity with target antigens in binding assays following mixing with anti-tag monoclonal antibodies

The phage display Ab library technology has been found to be a useful method to isolate antigen-specific Ab fragments, since the repertoire of antibody specificities is broad and since it bypasses the need of immunization. However, when screening clones isolated from a phage display Ab library, the yield of isolating antigen-specific Ab fragments is low and the rate of false negative results is high. This limitation reflects the low affinity/avidity of Ab fragments and/or the low density of the target antigen. To facilitate the isolation of Ab fragments with a broad range of affinities to antigens of interest from phage display Ab libraries, we have developed a simple method to increase the sensitivity of binding assays to detect the reactivity of single-chain fragments of antibody variable regions (scFv) with target antigens. This method involves the mixing of scFv fragments, expressing a c-myc epitope tag, with anti-tag mAb 9E10 prior to their use in binding assays in order to form stable dimeric Ab fragment-anti-tag mAb complexes. The increase in the reactivity of scFv fragments with the corresponding antigen is observed over a broad range of scFv fragment (6-800 microg/ml) and mAb 9E10 (0.5-30 microg/ml) concentrations, thereby facilitating the testing of scFv fragment preparations with unknown scFv fragment concentrations. Use of this method in binding assays resulted in a twofold increase in the reactivity of low-affinity purified scFv fragments with the corresponding antigen. Moreover, application of this method to screen clones isolated from phage display scFv libraries resulted in a reproducible increase in both the yield of antigen-specific scFv clones and the titer of scFv fragment preparations by a factor of 5 and 2- to 32-fold, respectively. Lastly, this method can be applied in both ELISA and flow cytometry and is independent of the characteristics of the antigen (i.e. whole cells, carbohydrates and purified protein) and/or of the library (synthetic scFv Library (#1), a large semi-synthetic phage display scFv library and the human synthetic VH+VL scFv library (Griffin.1 library)) used. Therefore, the method we have described represents a sensitive, simple and reproducible technique that will facilitate the isolation and use of scFv fragments.     

人源性抗乳腺癌单链抗体库的筛选与初步鉴定

目的:本研究旨在已构建的大容量人源性抗乳腺癌噬菌体单链抗体库的基础上,筛选出高亲和力的特异性单链抗体(scFv)并对抗体基本特性进行初步鉴定。方法:以人乳腺癌细胞系MCF-7为靶标,经过4轮淘洗,筛选出高亲和力的特异性抗乳腺癌scFv,并对其结构序列进行分析;通过ELISA和Western blot方法,鉴定scFv的亲和力和特异性,以及其蛋白的基本表达情况。结果:成功构建具有高亲和力的抗乳腺癌单链抗体库,获得scFv的长度约为750 bp,ELISA证实所得抗体对乳腺癌细胞具有良好的亲和力和高度的特异性,IPTG诱导表达及Western blot结果显示,scFv为相对分子质量(Mr)30 000的可溶性蛋白。结论:本研究在已构建的大容量抗乳腺癌单链抗体库的基础上,筛选获得了高亲和力的抗乳腺癌单链抗体库。研究结果为进一步获得可应用于临床诊断和治疗的乳腺癌靶向性抗体奠定了良好的基础。     

Screening human antibody libraries against carcinoma cells by affinity purification and polymerase chain reaction

Bacterial scFv clones from a naïve antibody library have been isolated against cancer cell antigens with AffiSelect, a novel screening method that indirectly identifies candidate library members via an antigen reporter gene. The first step is the coating of carcinoma cell surface epitopes (antigen) with either mAbs, scFvs or phages (library members). Upon binding to a cell surface ligand, the library member generates a linking moiety. This facilitates magnetic affinity purification of the antibody–cancer cell complexes, detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the β-actin gene of the cancer cell as the target. Combining these well-known methods resulted in a higher resolution than a comparable cell-based ELISA method of detection. We have isolated human scFv antibodies against surface antigens of a lung carcinoma cell line. These were identified from a polyclonal mixture of phage display-enriched library clones comparing PCR patterns of the carcinoma cell line with the two negative cell types, HUVEC and peripheral blood cells (PBLs). The positive clones were sequenced and verified by FACS.     

Candida-specific cell-mediated immunity is demonstrable in mice with experimental vaginal candidiasis.

Women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis often demonstrate a down-regulation of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to Candida albicans detected by a lack of cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to Candida antigens. However, the role of systemic CMI as a host defense mechanism against recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis is not well understood, in part because of the lack of a well-defined murine model of vaginal candidiasis. The present study was undertaken to determine: (i) whether soluble Candida culture filtrate antigens (CaCF) could be used to induce and detect Candida-specific CMI in mice and (ii) whether these antigens would be useful in detecting systemic CMI in mice given an experimental Candida vaginal infection. To this end, mice were immunized subcutaneously with CaCF in complete Freund's adjuvant, and within 7 days they developed Candida-specific DTH reactivity detected by footpad swelling (increase in footpad thickness, 0.36 mm) 24 h after footpad challenge with CaCF. Adoptive transfer studies showed that the DTH responsiveness was elicited by CD4+ DTH T cells. In mice given a vaginal inoculum of C. albicans blastoconidia (5 x 10(5)), footpad challenge with CaCF resulted in positive DTH responses (0.24 mm) as early as 1 week, responses similar to immunization in 2 to 3 weeks (0.33 mm), and sustained low levels of DTH reactivity (0.15 mm) through 10 weeks of vaginal infection. Vaginal lavage cultures revealed that peak vaginal Candida burden occurred 1 week post-vaginal inoculation (10(5) CFU) and declined 16-fold by week 10. These results provide evidence that Candida-specific systemic CMI is generated and can be detected longitudinally in mice with Candida vaginitis by a multiantigen preparation of Candida organisms which both initiates and detects Candida-specific CMI.     

Diagnosis of systemic candidiasis by an enzyme-linked dot immunobinding assay for a circulating immunodominant 47-kilodalton antigen.

A dot immunobinding assay based on the detection of the immunodominant 47-kilodalton (kDa) antigen of Candida albicans is described for the serological diagnosis of systemic candidiasis. It was compared with a reverse passive latex agglutination test and a dot immunobinding assay with total unfractionated hyperimmune serum to C. albicans. Use of the 47-kDa antigen-specific probe increased both the sensitivity and specificity of the assay system. Patients with systemic candidiasis were detected earlier in the course of the infection. The rate of detection of systemic C. albicans infections in neutropenic patients was 77% compared with 55% with total antibody in the dot immunobinding assay and 29% with the latex test. All three assay systems were positive in over 73% of infected patients who were not neutropenic. The 47-kDa antigen-specific probe was relatively specific to C. albicans. Antibody probes to the immunodominant antigens of other yeasts might be incorporated in the same dot immunobinding assay to detect systemic candidiasis caused by other species of yeasts.     

Expression of extracellular acid proteinase by proteolytic Candida spp. during experimental infection of oral mucosa.

We traced an acid proteinase from Candida spp. in the initial stages of the pathogenesis of the mycosis. On infection of human buccal mucosa, proteinase antigens were detected by immuno-scanning electron microscopy on the surface of adhering blastoconidia and invading filamentous cells of C. albicans serotype A. Proteinase antigens were also present on blastoconidia of C. albicans serotype B, but were missing on filamentous cells of this serotype. Proteolytic isolates of C. tropicalis behaved like C. albicans serotype A. An isolate of C. parapsilosis did not express the proteinase antigen under conditions of this study. After infection of mucosa, culture medium of C. albicans or C. tropicalis showed a time-dependent accumulation of acid proteolytic activity, indicating that the visualized antigens represent active proteinase. No such activity was detected in the medium of C. parapsilosis. Preliminary experiments with the proteinase inhibitor pepstatin A revealed an 89% reduction of mucosal adherence of C. albicans (serotype A). These results suggest that Candida proteinase is involved in fungal attachment. The pattern of adherence reflects the differential expression of secretory proteinase by different candidal strains.     

Generation and characterization of human monoclonal scFv antibodies against Helicobacter pylori antigens

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is chronic despite a vigorous cellular and humoral immune response and causes severe pathology in some patients. In this study, phage display was used as a new approach in order to investigate the role of the host's humoral immune response in the pathogenesis of H. pylori gastritis. Human monoclonal single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragments against H. pylori cell lysate and the H. pylori urease were isolated from an immune phage display library, constructed from peripheral blood lymphocytes of an H. pylori-infected patient. After affinity selection, 23% of the clones tested showed binding activity against a lysate of the H. pylori Sydney strain in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and 9% bound the H. pylori urease. Further characterization by PCR-fingerprint analysis and sequencing revealed that two closely related H. pylori binders and one antiurease scFv could be isolated. The selected scFvs were highly specific as analyzed by ELISA and immunoblots using various bacterial lysates and recombinant proteins. Analysis of the humoral immune response following H. pylori infection using human monoclonal antibodies might contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease. Moreover, using immune phage display libraries, it might be possible for relevant epitopes of H. pylori antigens to be determined, which might be of use for vaccine development.     

Identification of Peptide Sequences Specific for Serum Antibodies from Human Papillomavirus-Infected Patients Using Phage Display Libraries

Three random phage display peptide libraries were screened with sera from human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected patients to characterize the specificities of antibodies present in patients' sera and to identify molecules that correspond to or mimic natural epitopes; 141 phage clones were randomly selected in three rounds of bioselection and their binding properties were analyzed in ELISA using sera from 36 patients with confirmed HPV 16 infection and 24 healthy control female blood donors. Sixteen of 36 (44%) patients' sera reacted with at least 1 phage clone, and only 2 of 24 female donors' sera showed positive reaction with 1 of the selected clones. We conclude that the combination of various disease-specific epitopes generated by screening of phage display peptide libraries may potentially lead to a multicomponent diagnostic assay for the early detection of HPV infection and precancerous cervical lesions, making possible the prevention of one of the most common cancers in women.     

The isolation and characterisation of human monoclonal HLA-A2 antibodies from an immune V gene phage display library

Molecular cloning techniques and V gene phage display have revolutionised the production of human monoclonal antibodies. Antibodies of a defined specificity can be obtained by selecting phage display libraries on antigen in a process known as panning. We have applied these techniques to the isolation of three HLA-A2-specific single chain variable domain fragments (scFv) from a patient alloimmunised by blood transfusion. Analysis of specificity with cells of HLA genotyped donors revealed the following: i) in addition to the major reactivity with HLA-A2, cross-reactivity with the HLA-A28 epitope; and ii) inhibition of scFv binding to the antigen by the patients' antibodies. The heavy chain variable genes of all three were derived from the germline gene Cos-3, carry the hallmarks of somatic hypermutation, and are most likely derived from clonally related B cells. The light chain variable domains were encoded by DPK1 and DPK8 from the VkappaI family. These data show that phage display can be used to clone HLA-specific alloantibodies that recognise the native antigen from alloimmunised patients.     

Immunoblot analyses of Candida albicans-associated antigens and antibodies in human sera.

We tested 10 patient sera for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Candida albicans and for C. albicans antigens by immunoblot analysis (i.e., electrotransfer blot radioimmunoassay) (G. E. Smith and M. D. Summers, J. Virol. 39:125-137, 1981). We evaluated sera from two patients at risk for candidiasis, five patients with systemic candidiasis documented by culture, and two patients who had experienced transient candidemia. Both the specificity and the relative amount of IgG antibodies to C. albicans in each serum sample were readily visualized by this technique, as was the absence of antibody from serum of neonatal and immunocompromised patients. No antibody species appeared to be uniquely associated with candidiasis patients (i.e., each antibody species present in the candidiasis patient was also present in sera of normal individuals or "at-risk" patients). IgG from rabbits immunized with whole cells or with a cytoplasmic fraction of C. albicans was used to detect C. albicans antigens in patient sera. Although several antigens were detected in the sera from patients with candidiasis, the same antigens were also detected in sera from patients at risk and in normal human serum. No antigens were detected in human serum when preimmune rabbit sera were used. These results suggest that the antigens detected by the rabbit antisera were human serum proteins that cross-reacted with C. albicans antigens. These findings may have important implications in studies of both the pathobiology of C. albicans and the serodiagnosis of candidiasis.     

Molecular characteristics of anti-self antibody fragments against neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens from human V gene phage display libraries.

Recently it has been demonstrated that human antibody fragments with binding activities against self antigens can be isolated from repertoires of rearranged V genes from non-immunized humans. We have applied phage display technology to study the B cell repertoire for antibody activity against neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens. These antibodies may play an important role in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and related forms of vasculitides. Autoantibodies in patients with WG are directed against proteinase 3. The immunodominant antigen in other forms of vasculitis is myeloperoxidase, but the B cell response can also be directed against other neutrophil enzymes, e.g. lysozyme, human neutrophil elastase, lactoferrin and cathepsin G. We show here that anti-self reactivity against neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens can be detected in the rearranged V gene repertoire of healthy individuals and that the reactivity can be directed against structural related epitopes which are present on different neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens. The scFv with binding activities were sequenced and the V gene usage, the level of somatic mutations and the immunoserological characteristics of the antibody fragments are discussed. Further evidence is presented that antibody fragments consisting only of a heavy chain variable domain can recognize neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens in a specific manner. These single-domain antibody fragments were used in experiments designed to establish the relative role of the light chain variable domains in antigen binding.