Development and validation of an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity-reporter gene assay

HA Antibody-Mediated FcγRIIIa Activity Is Both Dependent on FcR Engagement and Interactions between HA and Sialic Acids

Interactions with receptors for the Fc region of IgG (FcγRs) have been shown to contribute to the in vivo protection against influenza A viruses provided by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that bind to the viral hemagglutinin (HA) stem. In particular, Fc-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been shown to contribute to protection by stem-binding bnAbs. Fc-mediated effector functions appear not to contribute to protection provided by strain-specific HA head-binding antibodies. We used a panel of anti-stem and anti-head influenza A and B monoclonal antibodies with identical human IgG1 Fc domains and investigated their ability to mediate ADCC-associated FcγRIIIa activation. Antibodies which do not interfere with sialic acid binding of HA can mediate FcγRIIIa activation. However, the FcγRIIIa activation was inhibited when a mutant HA, unable to bind sialic acids, was used. Antibodies which block sialic acid receptor interactions of HA interfered with FcγRIIIa activation. The inhibition of FcγRIIIa activation by HA head-binding and sialic acid receptor-blocking antibodies was confirmed in plasma samples of H5N1 vaccinated human subjects. Together, these results suggest that in addition to Fc–FcγR binding, interactions between HA and sialic acids on immune cells are required for optimal Fc-mediated effector functions by anti-HA antibodies.

Antibody production using a ciliate generates unusual antibody glycoforms displaying enhanced cell-killing activity

Antibody glycosylation is a key parameter in the optimization of antibody therapeutics. Here, we describe the production of the anti-cancer monoclonal antibody rituximab in the unicellular ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila. The resulting antibody demonstrated enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, which we attribute to unusual N-linked glycosylation. Detailed chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis revealed afucosylated, oligomannose-type glycans, which, as a whole, displayed isomeric structures that deviate from the typical human counterparts, but whose branches were equivalent to fragments of metabolic intermediates observed in human glycoproteins. From the analysis of deposited crystal structures, we predict that the ciliate glycans adopt protein-carbohydrate interactions with the Fc domain that closely mimic those of native complex-type glycans. In addition, terminal glucose structures were identified that match biosynthetic precursors of human glycosylation. Our results suggest that ciliate-based expression systems offer a route to large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies exhibiting glycosylation that imparts enhanced cell killing activity.

An immunogen containing four tandem 10E8 epitope repeats with exposed key residues induces antibodies that neutralize HIV-1 and activates an ADCC reporter gene

After three decades of intensive research efforts, an effective vaccine against HIV-1 remains to be developed. Several broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV-1, such as 10E8, recognize the membrane proximal external region (MPER) of the HIV-1 gp41 protein. Thus, the MPER is considered to be a very important target for vaccine design. However, the MPER segment has very weak immunogenicity and tends to insert its epitope residues into the cell membrane, thereby avoiding antibody binding. To address this complication in vaccine development, we herein designed a peptide, designated 10E8-4P, containing four copies of the 10E8 epitope as an immunogen. As predicted by structural simulation, 10E8-4P exhibits a well-arranged tandem helical conformation, with the key residues in the 10E8 epitope oriented at different angles, thus suggesting that some of these key residues may be exposed outside of the lipid membrane. Compared with a peptide containing a single 10E8 epitope (10E8-1P), 10E8-4P not only exhibited better antigenicity but also elicited neutralizing antibody response against HIV-1 pseudoviruses, whereas 10E8-1P could not induce detectable neutralizing antibody response. Importantly, antibodies elicited by 10E8-4P also possessed a strong ability to activate an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) reporter gene, thus suggesting that they may have ADCC activity. Therefore, this strategy shows promise for further optimization and application in future HIV-1 vaccine design.

Generation and characterization of a human-mouse chimeric antibody against the extracellular domain of claudin-1 for cancer therapy using a mouse model

Claudin-1 (CLDN-1), an integral transmembrane protein, is an attractive target for drug absorption, prevention of infection, and cancer therapy. Previously, we generated mouse anti-CLDN-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and found that they enhanced epidermal absorption of a drug and prevented hepatitis C virus infection in human hepatocytes. Here, we investigated anti-tumor activity of a human-mouse chimeric IgG1, xi-3A2, from one of the anti-CLDN-1 mAbs, clone 3A2. Xi-3A2 accumulated in the tumor tissues in mice bearing with human CLDN-1-expressing tumor cells. Xi-3A2 activated Fcγ receptor IIIa-expressing reporter cells in the presence of human CLDN-1-expressing cells, suggesting xi-3A2 has a potential to exhibit antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against CLDN-1 expressing tumor cells. We also constructed a mutant xi-3A2 antibody with Gly, Ser, and Ile substituted with Ala, Asp, and Arg at positions 236, 239, and 332 of the Fc domain. This mutant antibody showed greater activation of Fcγ receptor IIIa and in vivo anti-tumor activity in mice bearing human CLDN-1-expressing tumors than xi-3A2 did. These findings indicate that the G236A/S239D/I332E mutant of xi-3A2 might be a promising lead for tumor therapy.

Insights into the molecular basis of a bispecific antibody's target selectivity

Bispecific antibodies constitute a valuable class of therapeutics owing to their ability to bind 2 distinct targets. Dual targeting is thought to enhance biological efficacy, limit escape mechanisms, and increase target selectivity via a strong avidity effect mediated by concurrent binding to both antigens on the surface of the same cell. However, factors that regulate the extent of target selectivity are not well understood. We show that dual targeting alone is not sufficient to promote efficient target selectivity, and report the substantial roles played by the affinity of the individual arms, overall avidity and valence. More particularly, various monovalent bispecific IgGs composed of an anti-CD70 moiety paired with variants of the anti-CD4 mAb ibalizumab were tested for preferential binding and selective depletion of CD4⁺/CD70⁺ T cells over cells expressing only one of the target antigens that resulted from antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Variants exhibiting reduced CD4 affinity showed a greater degree of target selectivity, while the overall efficacy of the bispecific molecule was not affected.

A monoclonal antibody against KCNK9 K(+) channel extracellular domain inhibits tumour growth and metastasis

Two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels act to maintain cell resting membrane potential--a prerequisite for many biological processes. KCNK9, a member of K2P family, is implicated in cancer, owing to its overexpression in human tumours and its ability to promote neoplastic cell survival and growth. However, KCNK9's underlying contributions to malignancy remain elusive due to the absence of specific modulators. Here we describe the development of monoclonal antibodies against the KCNK9 extracellular domain and their functional effects. We show that one antibody (Y4) with the highest affinity binding induces channel internalization. The addition of Y4 to KCNK9-expressing carcinoma cells reduces cell viability and increases cell death. Systemic administration of Y4 effectively inhibits growth of human lung cancer xenografts and murine breast cancer metastasis in mice. Evidence for Y4-mediated carcinoma cell autonomous and immune-dependent cytotoxicity is presented. Our study reveals that antibody-based KCNK9 targeting is a promising therapeutic strategy in KCNK9-expressing malignancies.

Molecular modeling of antibodies for the treatment of TNFα-related immunological diseases

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have high efficacy in treating TNF α-related immunological diseases. Other than neutralizing TNF α, these IgG1 antibodies exert Fc receptor-mediated effector functions such as the complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). The crystallizable fragment (Fc) of these IgG1 contains a single glycosylation site at Asn 297/300 that is essential for the CDC and ADCC. Glycosylated antibodies lacking core fucosylation showed an improved ADCC. However, no structural data are available concerning the ligand-binding interaction of these mAbs used in TNF α-related diseases and the role of the fucosylation. We therefore used comparative modeling for generating complete 3D mAb models that include the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) portions of infliximab, complexed with TNF α (4G3Y.pdb), the Fc region of the human IGHG1 fucosylated (3SGJ) and afucosylated (3SGK) complexed with the Fc receptor subtype Fcγ RIIIA, and the Fc region of a murine immunoglobulin (1IGT). After few thousand steps of energy minimization on the resulting 3D mAb models, minimized final models were used to quantify interactions occurring between Fcγ RIIIA and the fucosylated/afucosylated Fc fragments. While fucosylation does not affect Fab-TNF α interactions, we found that in the absence of fucosylation the Fc-mAb domain and Fcγ RIIIA are closer and new strong interactions are established between G129 of the receptor and S301 of the Chimera 2 Fc mAb; new polar interactions are also established between the Chimera 2 Fc residues Y299, N300, and S301 and the Fcγ RIIIA residues K128, G129, R130, and R155. These data help to explain the reduced ADCC observed in the fucosylated mAbs suggesting the specific AA residues involved in binding interactions.

Generation and characterization of a target-selectively activated antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor with enhanced anti-tumor potency

Panitumumab, as a commercially available antibody, is an effective anticancer therapeutic against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), although it exerts weak antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity owing to its IgG2 nature. Here, we firstly engineered panitumumab by grafting its variable region into an IgG1 backbone. The engineered panitumumab (denoted as Pan) retained binding activity identical to the parental antibody while exhibiting stronger ADCC activity in vitro and more potent antitumor effect in vivo. To further enhance the target selectivity of Pan, we generated Pan-P by tethering an epitope-blocking peptide to Pan via a tumor-specific protease selective linker. Pan-P showed almost 40-fold weaker affinity compared with Pan, but functional activity was restored to a similar extent as Pan when Pan-P was selectively activated by urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). More importantly, targeted localization of Pan-P was observed in tumor samples from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and tumor-bearing nude mice, strongly indicating that specific activation also existed ex vivo and in vivo. Furthermore, Pan-P also exhibited effective in vivo antitumor potency similar to Pan. Taken together, our data evidence the enhanced antitumor potency and excellent target selectivity of Pan-P, suggesting its potential use for minimizing on-target toxicity in anti-EGFR therapy.

A stable trimeric influenza hemagglutinin stem as a broadly protective immunogen

The identification of human broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting the hemagglutinin (HA) stem revitalized hopes of developing a universal influenza vaccine. Using a rational design and library approach, we engineered stable HA stem antigens ("mini-HAs") based on an H1 subtype sequence. Our most advanced candidate exhibits structural and bnAb binding properties comparable to those of full-length HA, completely protects mice in lethal heterologous and heterosubtypic challenge models, and reduces fever after sublethal challenge in cynomolgus monkeys. Antibodies elicited by this mini-HA in mice and nonhuman primates bound a wide range of HAs, competed with human bnAbs for HA stem binding, neutralized H5N1 viruses, and mediated antibody-dependent effector activity. These results represent a proof of concept for the design of HA stem mimics that elicit bnAbs against influenza A group 1 viruses.

Glycoengineered Monoclonal Antibodies with Homogeneous Glycan (M3, G0, G2, and A2) Using a Chemoenzymatic Approach Have Different Affinities for FcγRIIIa and Variable Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Activities

Many therapeutic antibodies have been developed, and IgG antibodies have been extensively generated in various cell expression systems. IgG antibodies contain N-glycans at the constant region of the heavy chain (Fc domain), and their N-glycosylation patterns differ during various processes or among cell expression systems. The Fc N-glycan can modulate the effector functions of IgG antibodies, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). To control Fc N-glycans, we performed a rearrangement of Fc N-glycans from a heterogeneous N-glycosylation pattern to homogeneous N-glycans using chemoenzymatic approaches with two types of endo-β-N-acetyl glucosaminidases (ENG'ases), one that works as a hydrolase to cleave all heterogeneous N-glycans, another that is used as a glycosynthase to generate homogeneous N-glycans. As starting materials, we used an anti-Her2 antibody produced in transgenic silkworm cocoon, which consists of non-fucosylated pauci-mannose type (Man2-3GlcNAc2), high-mannose type (Man4-9GlcNAc2), and complex type (Man3GlcNAc3-4) N-glycans. As a result of the cleavage of several ENG'ases (endoS, endoM, endoD, endoH, and endoLL), the heterogeneous glycans on antibodies were fully transformed into homogeneous-GlcNAc by a combination of endoS, endoD, and endoLL. Next, the desired N-glycans (M3; Man3GlcNAc1, G0; GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc1, G2; Gal2GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc1, A2; NeuAc2Gal2GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc1) were transferred from the corresponding oxazolines to the GlcNAc residue on the intact anti-Her2 antibody with an ENG'ase mutant (endoS-D233Q), and the glycoengineered anti-Her2 antibody was obtained. The binding assay of anti-Her2 antibody with homogenous N-glycans with FcγRIIIa-V158 showed that the glycoform influenced the affinity for FcγRIIIa-V158. In addition, the ADCC assay for the glycoengineered anti-Her2 antibody (mAb-M3, mAb-G0, mAb-G2, and mAb-A2) was performed using SKBR-3 and BT-474 as target cells, and revealed that the glycoform influenced ADCC activity.

A noncytolytic antibody-like extendin-4-IgG4 fusion protein as a long-acting potential anti-diabetic agent

BACKGROUND

GLP-1 and its analogs have a variety of anti-diabetic effects. However, short half-life and rapid degraded by DPP-IV limits the therapeutic potential of the native GLP-1. So, many DPP-IV-resistant and long-acting GLP-1 analogs were developed. In this study, an antibody-like extendin-4-IgG4 fusion protein was developed.

METHODS

The γ4 constant region contains two amino acid substitutions relative to native γ4 (S228P and L235E) lead to affinity for FcγRI to be low and stability of the IgG4 molecular. The fusion protein was expressed in CHO cells and assembled into an immunoglobulin-like structure with molecular weight of approximately 130 kDa.

RESULTS

The Exendin-4-IgG4 fusion protein was found to affinity bind GLP-1R in vitro. In vivo when compared the potency and duration of glucose-lowering effects in diabetic (db/db) mice at the same dose, exendin-4 resulted in a glucose-lowering effect that persisted only for 6 hours, but the extendin-4-IgG4 fusion protein for more than 168 hours. Injecting subcutaneously with a high dose of the fusion protein led normal BALB/c mice to the lower blood glucose level but did not cause serious hypoglycemia. Especially, the half-life time of the fusion protein in cynomolgus monkeys was about 180 hours, almost the longest half-life time among the developed GPL-1 analogues, which suggested a longer half-life time in human.

CONCLUSIONS

The intact antibody-like fusion protein has more advantages than the Fc fusion protein including the intent of prolonging the half-life. These results also suggested the fusion protein was a safe and long-acting potential anti-diabetic agent.

Antitumor activity of an anti-CD98 antibody

CD98 is expressed on several tissue types and specifically upregulated on fast-cycling cells undergoing clonal expansion. Various solid (e.g., nonsmall cell lung carcinoma) as well as hematological malignancies (e.g., acute myeloid leukemia) overexpress CD98. We have identified a CD98-specific mouse monoclonal antibody that exhibits potent preclinical antitumor activity against established lymphoma tumor xenografts. Additionally, the humanized antibody designated IGN523 demonstrated robust tumor growth inhibition in leukemic cell-line derived xenograft models and was as efficacious as standard of care carboplatin in patient-derived nonsmall lung cancer xenografts. In vitro studies revealed that IGN523 elicited strong ADCC activity, induced lysosomal membrane permeabilization and inhibited essential amino acid transport function, ultimately resulting in caspase-3 and -7-mediated apoptosis of tumor cells. IGN523 is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia (NCT02040506). Furthermore, preclinical data support the therapeutic potential of IGN523 in solid tumors.

Development of a cell-based assay measuring the activation of FcγRIIa for the characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is one of the important mechanisms of action of the targeting of tumor cells by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Among the human Fcγ receptors (FcγRs), FcγRIIIa is well known as the only receptor expressed in natural killer (NK) cells, and it plays a pivotal role in ADCC by IgG1-subclass mAbs. In addition, the contributions of FcγRIIa to mAb-mediated cytotoxicity have been reported. FcγRIIa is expressed in myeloid effector cells including neutrophils and macrophages, and it is involved in the activation of these effector cells. However, the measurement of the cytotoxicity via FcγRIIa-expressing effector cells is complicated and inconvenient for the characterization of therapeutic mAbs. Here we report the development of a cell-based assay using a human FcγRIIa-expressing reporter cell line. The FcγRIIa reporter cell assay was able to estimate the activation of FcγRIIa by antigen-bound mAbs by a very simple method in vitro. The usefulness of this assay for evaluating the activity of mAbs with different abilities to activate FcγRIIa was confirmed by the examples including the comparison of the activity of the anti-CD20 mAb rituximab and its Fc-engineered variants, and two anti-EGFR mAbs with different IgG subclasses, cetuximab (IgG1) and panitumumab (IgG2). We also applied this assay to the characterization of a force-oxidized mAb, and we observed that oxidation significantly decreased the FcγRIIa activation by EGFR-bound cetuximab. These results suggest that our FcγRIIa reporter assay is a promising tool for the characterization of therapeutic mAbs, including Fc-engineered mAbs, IgG2-subclass mAbs, and their product-related variants.

Characterization of in vitro antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity of therapeutic antibodies - impact of effector cells

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) is an important mechanism of action implicated in the clinical efficacy of several therapeutic antibodies. In vitro ADCC assays employing effector cells capable of inducing lysis of target cells bound by antibodies are routinely performed to support the research and development of therapeutic antibodies. ADCC assays are commonly performed using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), natural killer (NK) cells or engineered cell lines as effector cells. In this study we evaluated the impact of different effector cell types including primary PBMCs, primary NK cells, engineered NK cell lines, and an engineered reporter cell line, on the in vitro ADCC activity of two glycoforms of a humanized IgG1 antibody. The results of this study show the differential effects on both the efficacy and potency of the antibodies by different effector cells and the finding that both the allotype and the expression level of CD16a affect the potency of effector cells in ADCC assays. Our results also show that engineered NK or reporter cell lines provide reduced variability compared to primary effector cells for in vitro ADCC assays.

HIV-1 Vpu antagonism of tetherin inhibits antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic responses by natural killer cells

The type I interferon-inducible factor tetherin retains virus particles on the surfaces of cells infected with vpu-deficient human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). While this mechanism inhibits cell-free viral spread, the immunological implications of tethered virus have not been investigated. We found that surface tetherin expression increased the antibody opsonization of vpu-deficient HIV-infected cells. The absence of Vpu also stimulated NK cell-activating FcγRIIIa signaling and enhanced NK cell degranulation and NK cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). The deletion of vpu in HIV-1-infected primary CD4(+) T cells enhanced the levels of antibody binding and Fc receptor signaling mediated by HIV-positive-patient-derived antibodies. The magnitudes of antibody binding and Fc signaling were both highly correlated to the levels of tetherin on the surfaces of infected primary CD4 T cells. The affinity of antibody binding to FcγRIIIa was also found to be critical in mediating efficient Fc activation. These studies implicate Vpu antagonism of tetherin as an ADCC evasion mechanism that prevents antibody-mediated clearance of virally infected cells.

IMPORTANCE

The ability of the HIV-1 accessory factor to antagonize tetherin has been considered to primarily function by limiting the spread of virus by preventing the release of cell-free virus. This study supports the hypothesis that a major function of Vpu is to decrease the recognition of infected cells by anti-HIV antibodies at the cell surface, thereby reducing recognition by antibody-dependent clearance by natural killer cells.

HLA-universal platelet transfusions prevent platelet refractoriness in a mouse model

Refractoriness to platelet (PLT) transfusion caused by alloimmunization against HLA class I antigens constitutes a significant clinical problem. Thus, it would be desirable to have PLT units lacking HLA antigens on the cell surface. Previously, we showed that the generation of functional HLA class I-silenced (HLA-universal) PLTs from CD34(+) cells, using a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to target β2-microglobulin (β2m) transcripts, is feasible. Here, we assessed the capacity of HLA-silenced PLTs to escape HLA antibody-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Generation of megakaryocytes (MKs) and PLTs was performed by thrombopoietin-mediated differentiation of HLA-silenced CD34(+) cells within 10 days. Lymphocytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) reporter assays using anti-HLA antibodies and a mouse model for PLT refractoriness were used to assess the immune-evasion capability of HLA-universal MKs and PLTs. To mimic PLT refractoriness in vivo, NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγc(-/-) mice were injected with specific anti-HLA antibodies followed by the infusion of 1 × 10(6) HLA-universal MKs. In vivo PLT generation was evaluated by flow cytometry using anti-CD42a and CD61 antibodies. Cells expressing a nonspecific shRNA were used as control. Lymphocytotoxicity and ADCC reporter assays showed that HLA silencing protects MKs against HLA antibody-mediated complement-dependent and cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In lymphocytotoxicity assays, 80-90% of HLA-expressing MKs but only 3% of HLA-silenced MKs were lysed. In the circulation of mice, HLA-expressing and HLA-silenced MKs showed PLT production in the absence of anti-HLA antibodies, with human PLT frequencies of up to 0.5% within the PLT population. However, in presence of anti-HLA antibodies HLA-expressing MKs were rapidly cleared from the circulation of mice, whereas HLA-silenced MKs escaped HLA antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and produced PLTs that were detectable up to 11 days. Our data show that HLA-silenced PLTs are efficiently protected against HLA antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and prevent PLT refractoriness in vivo. Provision of HLA-silenced PLTs may become an important component in the management of patients refractory to PLT transfusion.

Targeted drug delivery for cancer therapy: the other side of antibodies

Therapeutic monoclonal antibody (TMA) based therapies for cancer have advanced significantly over the past two decades both in their molecular sophistication and clinical efficacy. Initial development efforts focused mainly on humanizing the antibody protein to overcome problems of immunogenicity and on expanding of the target antigen repertoire. In parallel to naked TMAs, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been developed for targeted delivery of potent anti-cancer drugs with the aim of bypassing the morbidity common to conventional chemotherapy. This paper first presents a review of TMAs and ADCs approved for clinical use by the FDA and those in development, focusing on hematological malignancies. Despite advances in these areas, both TMAs and ADCs still carry limitations and we highlight the more important ones including cancer cell specificity, conjugation chemistry, tumor penetration, product heterogeneity and manufacturing issues. In view of the recognized importance of targeted drug delivery strategies for cancer therapy, we discuss the advantages of alternative drug carriers and where these should be applied, focusing on peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), particularly those discovered through combinatorial peptide libraries. By defining the advantages and disadvantages of naked TMAs, ADCs and PDCs it should be possible to develop a more rational approach to the application of targeted drug delivery strategies in different situations and ultimately, to a broader basket of more effective therapies for cancer patients.