Febrile temperatures increase in vitro antibody affinity for malarial and dengue antigens

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Apr 3;13(4):e0007239. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007239. eCollection 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Fever is a regulated increase of the body temperature resulting from both infectious and non-infectious causes. Fever is known to play a role in modulating immune responses to infection, but the potential of febrile temperatures in regulating antigen binding affinity to antibodies has not been explored. Here we investigated this process under in vitro conditions using Isothermal titration calorimetry and ELISA. We used selected malarial and dengue antigens against specific monoclonal antibodies, and observed a marked increase in the affinity of these antibody-antigen complexes at 40°C, compared to physiological (37°C) or pathophysiological temperatures (42°C). Induced thermal equilibration of the protein partners at these temperatures in vitro, prior to measurements, further increased their binding affinity. These results suggest another positive and adaptive role for fever in vivo, and highlight the favourable role of thermal priming in enhancing protein-protein affinity for samples with limited availability.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
  • Antibody Affinity*
  • Antigen-Antibody Complex / immunology
  • Antigens, Viral / immunology*
  • Body Temperature
  • Calorimetry
  • Dengue / immunology
  • Dengue Virus
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Fever / immunology*
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Humans
  • Malaria / immunology
  • Plasmodium vivax
  • Temperature*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Antigen-Antibody Complex
  • Antigens, Viral

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (http://www.cnpq.br/) (400662/2014-0 for R.C.S. and 309041/2012-0 for M.M.D.C.) and São Paulo Research Foundation (http://www.fapesp.br/)(2011/51778-6 for M.M.D.C., 2012/13032-5 for I.S.S., 2014/17595-0 and 2016/20045-7 for L.C.S.F.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.