A Naturally Occurring Antibody Fragment Neutralizes Infectivity of Diverse Infectious Agents

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 35018
• Main Authors: Polonelli, Luciano, Ciociola, Tecla, Elviri, Lisa, Zanello, Pier Paolo, Giovati, Laura, Arruda, Denise C., Muñoz, Julián E., Mortara, Renato A., Morace, Giulia, Borghi, Elisa, Galati, Serena, Marin, Oriano, Casoli, Claudio, Pilotti, Elisabetta, Ronzi, Paola, Travassos, Luiz R., Magliani, Walter, Conti, Stefania
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.10.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 14/28; 631/250/262; 631/326/22/1292; 631/326/22/1295; 64; Anti-Infective Agents - blood; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antibodies; Antigens; Candida albicans - drug effects; Chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid; Constant region; Cytotoxicity; Experimental infection; HIV-1 - drug effects; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Humoral immunity; Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments - blood; Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments - chemistry; Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments - pharmacology; Immunoglobulin M - chemistry; Infections; Infectivity; Liquid chromatography; Mass Spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; multidisciplinary; Peptide Fragments - blood; Peptide Fragments - chemistry; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Peptides; Phosphorylation; Physiology; Science; Virus Replication - drug effects; Yeast
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep35018

A phosphorylated peptide, named K40H, derived from the constant region of IgMs was detected in human serum by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Synthetic K40H proved to exert a potent in vitro activity against fungal pathogens, and to inhibit HIV-1 replication in vitro and ex vivo . It also showed a therapeutic effect against an experimental infection by Candida albicans in the invertebrate model Galleria mellonella . K40H represents the proof of concept of the innate role that naturally occurring antibody fragments may exert against infectious agents, shedding a new light upon the posthumous role of antibodies and opening a new scenario on the multifaceted functionality of humoral immunity.