Journal: iScience

Article Title: A fully human pan VL9 HLA-E TCRm antibody enables functional dissection of HLA-E biology and checkpoint signaling

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115669

Figure Lengend Snippet: ABX002 exhibits peptide selectivity for fSP/HLA-E complexes (A) ELISA-based binding of ABX002 and 3D12 to peptide/HLA-E complexes. Left: 3D12; right: ABX002 binding to a panel of peptides, including fSPs and control peptide HLA-E complexes. Red and blue indicate fSP/HLA-E detection by 3D12 and ABX002, respectively; green denotes detection of non-canonical peptides or non-SPs presented by HLA-E; yellow indicates detection of fSP/HLA-E orthologs from mouse or non-human primates. (B) ELISA comparing ABX002 and 3D12 binding to HLA-E isoforms. Left: 3D12; right: ABX002 binding to SPs or control peptide presented by either HLA-E01:03 or HLA-E∗01:01. (C) Affinity measurements of ABX002 for all fSP/HLA-E complexes compared to NKG2A. Binding kinetics was assessed using ResoSens Ultra Mab Pro. (D) Cell-based analysis of ABX002 binding to peptide-loaded K562 cells expressing HLA-E (K562-E). K562-E cells were pulsed with fSPs or control peptides and stained with 3D12 (red) or ABX002 (blue). Orange indicates non-canonical peptides, and green represents pathogen-derived peptides. Dashed line represents the basal detection level of 3D12 in unpulsed cells or of ABX002 in the absence of pulsed peptide. (E) Alanine scanning of the L-G fSP in K562-E cells. ABX002 binding is quantified as gMFI of the indicated peptide normalized to gMFI of L-G × 100. Dashed line indicates ABX002 binding to cells pulsed with wild-type peptide, used as a reference for comparing other pulsed conditions. (F) Titration of ABX002 on K562-E cells loaded with fSPs or control peptides. (G) HLA-E tetramer staining of NKG2A + NK-92 cells. L-G/HLA-E tetramer staining was assessed in the presence or absence of HLA-E blockade using 3D12 or ABX002 to disrupt the NKG2A axis. HSP60/HLA-E tetramer used as control protein for this assay. Data are represented as mean ± SD of n = 3. See also .

Article Snippet: K562 cells were cultured in IMDM supplemented with 10% FBS (Cytiva), 2% penicillin/streptomycin (ATCC) and 2mM glutamine (ATCC).

Techniques: Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Binding Assay, Control, Expressing, Staining, Derivative Assay, Titration

Journal: iScience

Article Title: A fully human pan VL9 HLA-E TCRm antibody enables functional dissection of HLA-E biology and checkpoint signaling

doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115669

Figure Lengend Snippet: ABX002 unleashes NK- and CTL-mediated cytotoxicity against target cells (A) NK cell mediated cytotoxicity using primary NK cells against IFN-γ treated JY cells pulsed with L-C3 or PODXL2 peptides in the presence of ABX002 (effector-silent format, ES), anti-NKG2A, or corresponding control antibodies. (B) Cytotoxic responses of primary NK cells against K562-E cells positively sorted for fSP/HLA-E complexes, assessed in the presence of ABX002 (ES), anti NKG2A, or control antibodies. (C) NK cell mediated cytotoxicity against RPMI-8226 tumor cells by primary NK cells in the presence of ABX002 (ES) or control antibody. (D) CTL-mediated cytotoxicity by NKG2A + and NKG2A − Flu/M1-specific CD8 + T cells against IFN-γ treated JY cells pulsed with M1 peptide, in the presence of ABX002, anti-NKG2A, or controls. Cytotoxicity was assessed at 1:1 (left) and 1:3 (right) target to effector (T:E) cell ratios. Data are represented as mean ± SD. Sample sizes: (A) n = 5, (B) n = 6, (C) n = 4, (D) n = 2. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA (A, B, D), unpaired t test (C). Significance thresholds: p < 0.05 (∗), p < 0.01 (∗∗), p < 0.001 (∗∗∗), p < 0.0001 (∗∗∗∗). Error bars represent mean ± SD. Sample sizes: (A) n = 5, (B) n = 6, (C) n = 4, (D) n = 2, and (E) n = 10. See also .

Article Snippet: K562 cells were cultured in IMDM supplemented with 10% FBS (Cytiva), 2% penicillin/streptomycin (ATCC) and 2mM glutamine (ATCC).

Techniques: Control

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Whole-protein screening and multi-modal profiling of antigen-specific CD4 + T cells at single-cell resolution

doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72396-7

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Genetic design encoding the class II SCT protein. The MHC α and β chains are connected to the antigen through flexible linkers (L1, L2, and a partial invariant chain pIi), followed by purification tags (AviTag/HisTag). A secretion signal is placed upstream of the α chain to facilitate protein export. Created in BioRender . b Streamlined workflow for high-throughput SCT plasmid construction and protein expression. High-throughput production of SCT libraries is enabled by automated primer design and an optimized pipeline for plasmid assembly and protein expression/purification. Created in BioRender . c Flow cytometric assay to assess binding of SCT tetramers of various common class II HLA alleles to their cognate TCRs ( n = 3 ). Previously reported TCR-antigen pairs: DRB1*01:01 (DR1) – mutTPI 23-37 :T28I, DRB1*11:01 (DR11) – HIV Gag 299-311 , DRB1*07:01 (DR7) – ADM2 51–65 , DPB1*04:01 (DP4) – mutPly 427–441 (Supplementary Data ). d Comparison of the occurrence of aromatic residues F/W/Y in 2-mers that are positively correlated with SCT expression versus those that are negatively associated. The p value was calculated using Fisher’s exact test on the full 2 × 2 contingency table comparing F/W/Y presence across groups. e A 23-Element DRB1*01:01 CEFT SCT library. SCT expression was evaluated through SDS-PAGE. L, molecular weight ladder; +, protein standard for quantification of expression level. Schematics created in BioRender . f Antigen-specific T cells were detected through dual tetramer staining to enhance the true positive rate. An HIV Gag 41–56 SCT tetramer was used to exclude non-specific binding cells. A representative flow cytometry plot is shown. g Tetramer binding validation of 16 identified CD4 TCRs, each reactive to one of the five CEFT antigens (A–E) ( n = 3 ). Error bars represent standard deviation. h Schematic of peptide-pulsed activation assay. TCR-transduced NFAT-GFP Jurkat cells were co-cultured overnight with peptides and DR1-K562 cells. Created in BioRender . i T cell activation measured through the percentage of GFP+ Jurkats ( n = 3 ). P < 0.01 for each group relative to the negative control peptide. Statistical significance was determined by a one-tailed independent t -test assuming equal variances. All replicates are biological replicates. All bar plots ( n = 3 ) are presented as mean values ± SD. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Article Snippet: DR1+ K562 cells were established from WT K562 (ATCC, CCL-243), which lack functional expression of wild-type class II pMHC , by lentivirally transducing a plasmid encoding the DRA/DRB1*01:01 allele with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domains.

Techniques: Purification, High Throughput Screening Assay, Plasmid Preparation, Expressing, Flow Cytometry, Binding Assay, Comparison, SDS Page, Molecular Weight, Staining, Biomarker Discovery, Standard Deviation, Activation Assay, Cell Culture, Negative Control, One-tailed Test

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Whole-protein screening and multi-modal profiling of antigen-specific CD4 + T cells at single-cell resolution

doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72396-7

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Design of an SCT library with overlapping 15-mer peptides spanning the entire RBD of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. b . Schematic overview for the experimental workflow of high-throughput screening. 50 PBMC samples from 22 HLA-DR1+ participants were barcoded by timepoint, pooled, enriched for CD4 + T cells, stained with the 64-element SCT-dextramer pool, FACS-sorted, and sequenced. Single-cell analysis included RNA expression profiling, TCRαβ sequencing, antigen-MHC pairing, and timepoint identification. Comparison of genetic variants between transcriptome and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to demultiplex patient identity (Methods). Created in BioRender . c Correlation between SCT expression levels, quantity of antigen-specific cells captured, and predictions from class II antigen-presentation algorithms. SCT expression quantified prior to purification ( n = 2–4 biological replicates). Data were shown as mean ± SEM. %Rank_EL, percentile rank of eluted ligands. d Clonal and patient diversity in CD4 + T cell responses to each SARS-CoV-2 antigen. Antigens are color-coded based on their parent protein. e Tetramer binding validation of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 TCRs. A representative subset of SARS-CoV-2 TCRs ( n = 10) from Fig. 2d were selected and validated through SCT tetramer binding assays with biological triplicates. A DR1-restricted influenza A M1 17–31 SCT was used as the negative control. f Peptide-pulsed activation of SARS-CoV-2 CD4 TCRs in NFAT-GFP Jurkats ( n = 3). e , f P < 0.0001 for each group relative to the negative control peptide, determined by one-tailed independent t -test assuming equal variances. Exact P values are provided in the Source Data. All replicates are biological replicates. All bar plots ( n = 3) are presented as mean values ± SD. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Article Snippet: DR1+ K562 cells were established from WT K562 (ATCC, CCL-243), which lack functional expression of wild-type class II pMHC , by lentivirally transducing a plasmid encoding the DRA/DRB1*01:01 allele with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domains.

Techniques: High Throughput Screening Assay, Staining, Single-cell Analysis, RNA Expression, Sequencing, Comparison, Expressing, Immunopeptidomics, Purification, Binding Assay, Biomarker Discovery, Negative Control, Activation Assay, One-tailed Test

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Whole-protein screening and multi-modal profiling of antigen-specific CD4 + T cells at single-cell resolution

doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72396-7

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Antigen coverage across oncogenic proteins E6 and E7 in the SCT library for whole-protein screening. Left panel schematics created in BioRender . b Schematic overview of TCR repertoire profiling integrated with other key modalities. Created in BioRender . c Antigen specificity validation of HPV-specific CD4 TCRs (H1–H5) through tetramer binding and peptide-pulsed activation assays ( n = 3). **** P < 0.0001, * P < 0.05, ns P > 0.05 labeled for each group relative to the negative control peptide. d Polyfunctionality of TCR-transduced primary CD4 + T cells assessed by cytokine production (IFNγ, TNF, IL2, and GZMB) via ELISA assay following antigen stimulation ( n = 3). OD 450 values were normalized to TCR expression levels across each cytokine. **** P < 0.0001, *** P < 0.001, ** P < 0.01, * P < 0.05, and unlabeled tiles indicate P ≥ 0.05, all relative to negative control peptides. e Cytotoxicity of TCR-transduced CD4 + T cells against DR1-K562 cells pulsed with cognate HPV-16 E6 peptides, monitored over 42 h ( n = 2). The heat map summarizes mean target cell killing at the 42-h time point. Non-cognate peptides served as negative controls for each TCR. f Cross-reactivity of TCR H2 and H5 against human self-antigens ( n = 2). H2- and H5-TCR-transduced T cells were co-cultured with LCLs pulsed with peptides identified from BLAST search and motif scans (Supplementary Data ). H2 TCR used a single 1 µM dose; H5-TCR was dose titrated at 1, 2, and 10 µM. g Alloreactivity screen. H2- and H5-TCR-transduced CD4 + T cells were tested against 41 LCL lines representing 92 distinct class II HLA alleles ( n = 2). DRB1*01:01-positive LCLs ( n = 4) pulsed with peptide L-2 (E6 91–107 ) or F-2 (E6 129–142 ) served as positive controls. Alloreactivity of H5 to HLA-DRB1*13:05-positive LCLs is marked with arrows. h Confirmation of H2 TCR reactivity to naturally processed E6 antigen. DRB1*01:01+ LCL (GM17281B) was titrated with full-length E6 protein (0–10 μg/mL), co-cultured with H2 TCR-transduced CD4 + T cells, and evaluated for IFNγ secretion ( n = 2). A DRB1*01:01- LCL (GM12244A) served as a negative control. Statistical significance was determined by a one-tailed independent t -test assuming equal variances. All replicates are biological replicates. All bar plots where n = 3 are presented as mean values ± SD. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Article Snippet: DR1+ K562 cells were established from WT K562 (ATCC, CCL-243), which lack functional expression of wild-type class II pMHC , by lentivirally transducing a plasmid encoding the DRA/DRB1*01:01 allele with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domains.

Techniques: Biomarker Discovery, Binding Assay, Activation Assay, Labeling, Negative Control, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Expressing, Cell Culture, One-tailed Test

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: Compact adenine base editors to enable therapeutic rescue of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

doi: 10.64898/2026.05.08.723843

Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree of MG102 Cas9d homologs generated using MAFFT-linsi multiple sequence alignment and RAxML. The reconstructed ancestral protein is indicated by the circle. Scale bar denotes substitutions per site. (B) Pairwise protein sequence alignment of MG102-2 and MG102-71. Conserved residues are shown in green and non-conserved residues are shown in white. (C) PAM SeqLogo of MG102-71 based on NGS of cleaved plasmids from a plasmid PAM library tested with MG102-2 guide scaffold. (D) Indel editing efficiencies of ancestral MG102 variants in K562 cells using the wild-type MG102 sgRNA scaffold across 8 spacers targeting AAVS1 loci adjacent to NRC PAMs. Values represent the mean of two biological replicates.

Article Snippet: Hepa1-6 (ATCC #CRL-1830) and K562 (ATCC #CCL-243) cells were cultured in IMDM + GlutaMAX (Corning) supplemented with 10% FBS (Corning) for 1–2 passages prior to nucleofection.

Techniques: Generated, Sequencing, Plasmid Preparation