Characterization of human variable domain antibody fragments against the U1 RNA-associated A protein, selected from a synthetic and a patient-derived combinatorial V gene library

This is the first study describing recombinant human antibody fragments directed to the U1 RNA-associated A protein (U1A). Three anti-U1A antibody fragments (Fab) were isolated from a semi-synthetic human Fab library and one anti-U1A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) was isolated from a library which was derived from the IgG-positive splenic lymphocytes of an autoimmune patient. Competition studies with autoantibodies against the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particle from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE-overlap syndromes revealed that U1A binding of these antibody fragments can be inhibited by about 40% of the patient sera. All antibody fragments recognized the native U1 snRNP in immunoprecipitation assays. Two of three Fab clones as well as the scFv clone derived from the repertoire of an autoimmune patient use the same heavy chain germ-line gene DP-65. Epitope mapping revealed that these three clones appear to recognize an identical epitope domain present on the C-terminal RNP motif of the U1A protein. The DP-65 heavy chain gene is used in less than 1% of the B cells in healthy individuals, while three out of four anti-U1A antibody fragments use this gene. This points to a restricted V-H gene usage in the case of U1A, suggesting that the DP-65 heavy chain has a natural shape complementarity to the U1A protein.