Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), originally identified as a potent growth cone collapsing factor in developing sensory neurons, is now recognized as a key player in immune, cardiovascular, bone metabolism and neurological systems. Here we established an anti-Sema3A monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the effects of Sema3A both in vitro and in vivo. The anti-Sema3A neutralization chick IgM antibodies were screened by combining an autonomously diversifying library selection system and an in vitro growth cone collapse assay. We further developed function-blocking chick-mouse chimeric and humanized anti-Sema3A antibodies. We found that our anti-Sema3A antibodies were effective for improving the survival rate in lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis in mice. Our antibody is a potential therapeutic agent that may prevent the onset of or alleviate symptoms of human diseases associated with Sema3A.
Keywords: antibody therapy; function-blocking antibody; mice; semaphorin; sepsis.
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