Analysis of immunoglobulin VH gene repertoire by an anchored PCR-ELISA

We developed a novel technique to analyze the relative concentration of the expressed immunoglobulin (Ig) VH genes using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Expressed Ig cDNA are amplified via anchored PCR and then subjected to a "nested PCR" reaction that attaches biotin to the 5' end of the antisense strand. This allows us to tether the antisense strand of PCR products onto avidin-coated ELISA plates. Digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotides specific for the leader sequence sense strand of each major Ig VH gene subgroup are used to probe the plate-tethered, alkaline-denatured, and single-stranded antisense cDNA. Bound probes then are detected with alkaline-phosphatase-conjugated anti-digoxigenin antibodies. Using this method, we assessed the distribution of Ig VH genes used by IgM-expressing blood B cells of normal adults. We found the predominant subgroup is VH3, representing approximately half (range 41-59%) of the expressed IgM repertoire. The next largest subgroups used are VH4 (19-23%), VH1 (15-17%), and VH5 (7-11%). The VH2, VH6, and VH7 subgroups each constitute less than 3% of the expressed IgM repertoire. These results agree with those obtained using traditional and more laborious methods that analyze the distribution of Ig clones in cDNA libraries. In addition, we find that this method compares favorably in sensitivity and specificity to more conventional techniques for assessing the clonality of blood or tissue B-cell populations. This rapid and nonradioactive method should have utility for assessing the Ig repertoires expressed by normal, autoimmune, or neoplastic B-cell populations.