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Tao Y, Mis M, Blazer L, Ustav M, Steinhart Z, Chidiac R, Kubarakos E, O'Brien S, Wang X, Jarvik N, Patel N, Adams J, Moffat J, Angers S, Sidhu SS. Tailored tetravalent antibodies potently and specifically activate Wnt/Frizzled pathways in cells, organoids and mice. eLife 2019; 8:46134. [PMID: 31452509 PMCID: PMC6711705 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Secreted Wnt proteins regulate development and adult tissue homeostasis by binding and activating cell-surface Frizzled receptors and co-receptors including LRP5/6. The hydrophobicity of Wnt proteins has complicated their purification and limited their use in basic research and as therapeutics. We describe modular tetravalent antibodies that can recruit Frizzled and LRP5/6 in a manner that phenocopies the activities of Wnts both in vitro and in vivo. The modular nature of these synthetic Frizzled and LRP5/6 Agonists, called FLAgs, enables tailored engineering of specificity for one, two or multiple members of the Frizzled family. We show that FLAgs underlie differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, sustain organoid growth, and activate stem cells in vivo. Activation of Wnt signaling circuits with tailored FLAgs will enable precise delineation of functional outcomes directed by distinct receptor combinations and could provide a new class of therapeutics to unlock the promise of regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyong Tao
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Monika Mis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Levi Blazer
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mart Ustav
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zachary Steinhart
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rony Chidiac
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elli Kubarakos
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Siobhan O'Brien
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nick Jarvik
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nish Patel
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jarrett Adams
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jason Moffat
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stephane Angers
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sachdev S Sidhu
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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