High-Throughput Sequencing of Natively Paired Antibody Chains
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Clinical Immunology (2014) 151,55–65 available at www.sciencedirect.com Clinical Immunology www.elsevier.com/locate/yclim High-throughput sequencing of natively paired antibody chains provides evidence for original antigenic sin shaping the antibody response to influenza vaccination Yann-Chong Tan a,b,c, Lisa K. Blum a,b, Sarah Kongpachith a,b,c, Chia-Hsin Ju a,b, Xiaoyong Cai a,b, Tamsin M. Lindstrom a, Jeremy Sokolove a,b, William H. Robinson a,b,c,⁎ a Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, CCSR 4135, 269 Campus Dr, Stanford, CA 94305, USA b VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA c Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA Received 17 November 2013; accepted with revision 30 December 2013 KEYWORDS Abstract We developed a DNA barcoding method to enable high-throughput sequencing of the Antibody; cognate heavy- and light-chain pairs of the antibodies expressed by individual B cells. We used Influenza; this approach to elucidate the plasmablast antibody response to influenza vaccination. We show B cell that N75% of the rationally selected plasmablast antibodies bind and neutralize influenza, and that antibodies from clonal families, defined by sharing both heavy-chain VJ and light-chain VJ sequence usage, do so most effectively. Vaccine-induced heavy-chain VJ regions contained on average N20 nucleotide mutations as compared to their predicted germline gene sequences, and some vaccine-induced antibodies exhibited higher binding affinities for hemagglutinins derived from prior years' seasonal influenza as compared to their affinities for the immunization strains. Our results show that influenza vaccination induces the recall of memory B cells that express antibodies that previously underwent affinity maturation against prior years' seasonal influenza, suggesting that ‘original antigenic sin’ shapes the antibody response to influenza vaccination. Published by Elsevier Inc. ⁎ Corresponding author at: Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, CCSR 4135, 269 Campus Dr, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. E-mail address: [email protected] (W.H. Robinson). 1521-6616/$ - see front matter Published by Elsevier Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2013.12.008 56 Y.-C. Tan et al. 1. Introduction responses, we developed a novel DNA barcoding method that combines high-throughput sequencing and barcode-enabled pairing of cognate heavy- and light-chain antibody sequences Despite the availability of seasonal influenza vaccination, expressed by individual B cells. This method enables the influenza continues be a major cause of morbidity and comprehensive analysis of antibody repertoires, followed by mortality in the US and worldwide [1,2]. Even the healthy the direct and efficient production of endogenous monoclonal adult population is vulnerable, as highlighted by the antibodies. significant morbidity and mortality during the 1918 and We describe use of this novel DNA barcoding method to 2009 pandemics [3,4]. Although influenza vaccination can characterize the plasmablast antibody response to influenza reduce influenza-associated morbidity and mortality, a vaccination. We focused our analysis on the antibodies meta-analysis of available data indicate that the trivalent expressed by plasmablasts circulating in the bloodstream inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) is effective only in following influenza vaccination. We bioinformatically gen- approximately 60% of young adults [5], and the protection erated phylogenetic trees of the antibody response and afforded is significantly lower in those over age 65 [6].Asa rationally selected key antibodies for cloning, expression, result, there is great need to better understand the and characterization of their binding and functional proper- mechanisms underlying effective vs. non-effective vaccina- ties. Greater than 75% of the rationally selected plasmablast tion for influenza. antibodies bound and neutralized influenza, and antibodies TIV induces neutralizing antibodies that mediate protec- from clonal families (sharing heavy-chain V(D)J and tion against infection [2,7], and there are likely a variety of light-chain VJ sequences) do so most effectively. Some mechanisms underlying effective vs. non-effective vaccina- vaccine-induced antibodies exhibited higher binding affini- tion. Because immune responses wane with advancing ties for hemagglutinins derived from prior years' seasonal age, vaccination may not offer sufficient protection in the influenza as compared to their affinities for the immuniza- elderly, who account for N90% of influenza-related deaths tion strains. [1]. The inadequacy of protection in the elderly is in part due to their mounting an inferior antibody response [8]. 2. Materials and methods Compared to those in young adults, antibody repertoires in elderly individuals have a lower number of lineages and a higher pre-vaccination mutation load [9]. Deep sequencing 2.1. Single-cell sorting of plasmablasts of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain RNA present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells following repeat yearly influenza We collected blood from three individuals (Suppl. Table 1) vaccinations demonstrated direct genetic evidence of mem- vaccinated 7 days earlier with the 2010/2011 seasonal oryB-cellrecallresponses[10]. trivalent influenza vaccine (Sanofi Pasteur), which consists The immune history of individuals, specifically prior of 3 strains of inactivated influenza: H1N1 A/California/7/ infections with related pandemic H1N1 influenza strains, 2009, H3N2 A/Perth/16/2009, and B/Brisbane/60/2008. can shape the specificity of the pandemic H1N1 influenza Samples were collected after obtaining informed patient antibody responses to viral regions with shared homology consent and under human subject protocols approved by the [11]. Further, the antibody response to influenza vaccina- Investigational Review Board (IRB) at Stanford University. tion can include antibodies that react to a greater extent PBMCs were stained with CD3-V450 (BD 560365), IgA-FITC with influenza strains present in prior years' seasonal (AbD Serotec STAR142F or Miltenyi #130-093-071), IgM-FITC influenza to which an individual has been exposed (and not (AbD Serotec STAR146F), IgM-APC (BD 551062) or IgM-PE present in the current influenza strain), a phenomenon (AbD Serotec STAR146PE), CD20-PerCP-Cy5.5 (BD 340955), known as 'original antigenic sin' (OAS) [12–15]. CD38-PE-Cy7 (BD 335808), CD19-APC (BD 340437) or CD19- Secreted antibodies are produced by plasma cells and Brilliant Violet 421 (Biolegend 302233), and CD27-APC-H7 their B-cell precursors, termed plasmablasts [16–18]. After (BD 560222). We sorted cells with a BD FACSAria II or III, N becoming activated and undergoing antigen-dependent achieving purities of 80% from the first bulk sort. We gated + - + ++ − − affinity maturation, naïve and memory B cells differentiate on CD19 CD20 CD27 CD38 IgA IgM cells for the bulk into plasmablasts which proliferate, undergo affinity mat- plasmablast sort, and then single-cell sorted them into uration, and then traffic via the blood to infected tissues 96-well PCR plates containing a hypotonic buffer (10 mM – μ and secondary lymphoid organs [19]. Although plasmablast Tris HCl pH 7.6) comprised of 2 mM dNTPs (NEB), 5 M μ frequencies in peripheral blood are low before and after an oligo(dT)20VN, and 1 unit/ L of Ribolock (Fermentas), an immune response (~0.1% of circulating B cells), they can RNase inhibitor. account for 1–5% of peripheral blood B cells in response to influenza vaccination [17,20] and over 30% of circulating B 2.2. Reverse transcription with well-ID-containing cells during an immune response to an infection [16,21]. adapter Further, it has been demonstrated that the majority of plasmablasts generated in response to influenza vaccination We added 1 μM final concentration of the appropriate express influenza-reactive antibodies [14,17,20].Inthisstudy reverse transcription (RT) adapter molecule (each contain- we characterized the antibody repertoires of peripheral blood ing a unique well-ID barcode; listed in Suppl. Table 2) to plasmablasts to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the ongoing antibody each well, including the negative-control wells (containing response. no cells). We performed RT at 42 °C for 120 min in buffer To investigate antibody responses to vaccinations, to containing 6 mM MgCl2 with Ribolock and Superscript III (Life microbial infections, in autoimmunity, and in other immune Technologies). Following RT, the cDNA products from all Sequencing antibody repertoires provides evidence for original antigenic sin 57 wells of each plate were pooled together, extracted with 3.2. VJ and clonal family assignment phenol–chloroform–isoamyl alcohol followed by chloro- form, and concentrated and desalted in 5-minute spins at We analyzed heavy- and light-chain sequences with HighV- 14,000 g with Amicon Ultra-0.5 30 kDa (Millipore) units. QUEST [22], software that compares an antibody-chain sequence to a database of known alleles of germline sequences and predicts which germline alleles the antibody uses, how 2.3. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the germline sequences were recombined, and the number of mutations the antibody has relative to the germline We used Phusion Hot Start II DNA polymerase (NEB/ sequence (including all mutations, silent mutations, and Fermentas) for both the first PCR (PCR1) and the nested non-silent mutations). Clonal family antibodies were de- PCR (PCR2). Primers and adapter