Lambda-display: a powerful tool for antigen discovery

Abstract

Since its introduction in 1985, phage display technology has been successfully used in projects aimed at deciphering biological processes and isolating molecules of practical value in several applications. Bacteriophage lambda, representing a classical molecular cloning and expression system has also been exploited for generating large combinatorial libraries of small peptides and protein domains exposed on its capsid. More recently, lambda display has been consistently and successfully employed for domain mapping, antigen discovery and protein interaction studies or, more generally, in functional genomics. We show here the results obtained by the use of large libraries of cDNA and genomic DNA for the molecular dissection of the human B-cell response against complex pathogens, including protozoan parasites, bacteria and viruses. Moreover, by reviewing the experimental work performed in recent investigations we illustrate the potential of lambda display in the diagnostics field and for identifying antigens useful as targets for vaccine development.

Figure 1

The life cycle of lambda bacteriophage.

Figure 2

Schematic representation of the affinity-selection procedures employed for challenging lambda-display libraries of antigen fragments with serum immunoglobulins.

Figure 3

Engineering of chimeric antigens for DNA vaccine formulations used in animals against infection by Toxoplasma gondii.

Figure 4

Comparison of the lambda display approach with respect to classical methods in antigen discovery applications.