Epitope-Directed Antibody Elicitation by Genetically Encoded Chemical Cross-Linking Reactivity in the Antigen

No current methods can selectively elicit an antibody response to a specific conformational epitope in a whole antigen in vivo. Here, we incorporated Nε-acryloyl-l-lysine (AcrK) or Nε-crotonyl-l-lysine (Kcr) with cross-linking activities into the specific epitopes of antigens and immunized mice to generate antibodies that can covalently cross-link with the antigens. By taking advantage of antibody clonal selection and evolution in vivo, an orthogonal antibody-antigen cross-linking reaction can be generated. With this mechanism, we developed a new approach for facile elicitation of antibodies binding to specific epitopes of the antigen in vivo. Antibody responses were directed and enriched to the target epitopes on protein antigens or peptide-KLH conjugates after mouse immunization with the AcrK or Kcr-incorporated immunogens. The effect is so prominent that the majority of selected hits bind to the target epitope. Furthermore, the epitope-specific antibodies effectively block IL-1β from activating its receptor, indicating its potential for the development of protein subunit vaccines.