Heavy-chain antibody

Discovery

In 1989 a group of biologists led by Raymond Hamers at the Free University Brussels investigated the immune system of dromedaries. In addition to the expected four-chain antibodies, they identified simpler antibodies consisting only of two heavy chains. This discovery was published in Nature in 1993. In 1995 a research team at the University of Miami found a different type of heavy-chain antibodies in sharks.{{Cite journal

{{anchor|IgNAR}}In cartilaginous fishes

The immunoglobulin new antigen receptor (IgNAR) of cartilaginous fishes (for example sharks) is a heavy-chain antibody. IgNAR shows significant structural differences to other antibodies. It has five constant domains (CH) per chain instead of the usual three, several disulfide bonds in unusual positions, and the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) forms an extended loop covering the site which binds to a light chain in other antibodies. These differences, in combination with the phylogenetic age of the cartilaginous fishes, have led to the hypothesis that IgNAR could be more closely related to a primordial antigen-binding protein than the mammalian immunoglobulins. To test this hypothesis, it would be necessary to discover IgNAR or similar antibodies in vertebrates that are phylogenetically still older, like the jawless fish lamprey and hagfish.{{Cite journal | doi-access = free

Sharks, and possibly other cartilaginous fishes, have immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin W (IgW) as well, both types with two heavy and two light chains.{{Cite book

In camelids

The only mammals with heavy-chain (IgG-like) antibodies are camelids such as dromedaries, camels, llamas and alpacas.{{Cite journal

About 50% of the antibodies in camelids are of the ordinary mammalian heavy/light-chain type. It is not known whether any type of animal has only heavy-chain antibodies and completely lacks the common type with two heavy and two light chains.

Heavy-chain camelid antibodies have been found to be just as specific as a regular antibody and in some cases they are more robust. As well, they are easily isolated using the same phage panning procedure used for traditional antibodies, allowing them to be cultured ex vivo in large concentrations. Phage-displayed dromedary camel VHH libraries have been made for isolating single-domain antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and other virus infections. The smaller size and single domain make these antibodies easier to transform into bacterial cells for bulk production, making them ideal for research purposes.

References

References

1. (3 June 1993). "Naturally occurring antibodies devoid of light chains". Nature.
2. (2006). "Nanobodies". Nanobody.org.
3. Ghannam, A., Kumari, S., Muyldermans, S., & Abbady, A. Q. (2015). Camelid nanobodies with high affinity for broad bean mottle virus: a possible promising tool to immunomodulate plant resistance against viruses. Plant Molecular Biology, 1-15.