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Andrade KCR, Homem-de-Mello M, Motta JA, Borges MG, de Abreu JAC, de Souza PM, Pessoa A, Pappas GJ, de Oliveira Magalhães P. A Structural In Silico Analysis of the Immunogenicity of L-Asparaginase from Penicillium cerradense. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4788. [PMID: 38732010 PMCID: PMC11084778 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
L-asparaginase is an essential drug used to treat acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), a cancer of high prevalence in children. Several adverse reactions associated with L-asparaginase have been observed, mainly caused by immunogenicity and allergenicity. Some strategies have been adopted, such as searching for new microorganisms that produce the enzyme and applying protein engineering. Therefore, this work aimed to elucidate the molecular structure and predict the immunogenic profile of L-asparaginase from Penicillium cerradense, recently revealed as a new fungus of the genus Penicillium and producer of the enzyme, as a motivation to search for alternatives to bacterial L-asparaginase. In the evolutionary relationship, L-asparaginase from P. cerradense closely matches Aspergillus species. Using in silico tools, we characterized the enzyme as a protein fragment of 378 amino acids (39 kDa), including a signal peptide containing 17 amino acids, and the isoelectric point at 5.13. The oligomeric state was predicted to be a homotetramer. Also, this L-asparaginase presented a similar immunogenicity response (T- and B-cell epitopes) compared to Escherichia coli and Dickeya chrysanthemi enzymes. These results suggest a potentially useful L-asparaginase, with insights that can drive strategies to improve enzyme production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kellen Cruvinel Rodrigues Andrade
- Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil; (K.C.R.A.)
| | - Mauricio Homem-de-Mello
- inSiliTox, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Julia Almeida Motta
- inSiliTox, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Marina Guimarães Borges
- Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil; (K.C.R.A.)
| | - Joel Antônio Cordeiro de Abreu
- Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil; (K.C.R.A.)
| | - Paula Monteiro de Souza
- Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil; (K.C.R.A.)
| | - Adalberto Pessoa
- Department of Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Georgios J. Pappas
- Department Cell Biology, Institute Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Pérola de Oliveira Magalhães
- Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil; (K.C.R.A.)
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Miranda J, Lefin N, Beltran JF, Belén LH, Tsipa A, Farias JG, Zamorano M. Enzyme Engineering Strategies for the Bioenhancement of L-Asparaginase Used as a Biopharmaceutical. BioDrugs 2023; 37:793-811. [PMID: 37698749 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-023-00622-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few years, there has been a surge in the industrial production of recombinant enzymes from microorganisms due to their catalytic characteristics being highly efficient, selective, and biocompatible. L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) is an enzyme belonging to the class of amidohydrolases that catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-asparagine into L-aspartic acid and ammonia. It has been widely investigated as a biologic agent for its antineoplastic properties in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The demand for L-ASNase is mainly met by the production of recombinant type II L-ASNase from Escherichia coli and Erwinia chrysanthemi. However, the presence of immunogenic proteins in L-ASNase sourced from prokaryotes has been known to result in adverse reactions in patients undergoing treatment. As a result, efforts are being made to explore strategies that can help mitigate the immunogenicity of the drug. This review gives an overview of recent biotechnological breakthroughs in enzyme engineering techniques and technologies used to improve anti-leukemic L-ASNase, taking into account the pharmacological importance of L-ASNase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javiera Miranda
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, 4811230, Temuco, Región de la Araucanía, Chile
| | - Nicolás Lefin
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, 4811230, Temuco, Región de la Araucanía, Chile
| | - Jorge F Beltran
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, 4811230, Temuco, Región de la Araucanía, Chile
| | - Lisandra Herrera Belén
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomas, Santiago, Chile
| | - Argyro Tsipa
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Jorge G Farias
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, 4811230, Temuco, Región de la Araucanía, Chile
| | - Mauricio Zamorano
- Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, 4811230, Temuco, Región de la Araucanía, Chile.
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Reducing the Immunogenicity of Pulchellin A-Chain, Ribosome-Inactivating Protein Type 2, by Computational Protein Engineering for Potential New Immunotoxins. J 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/j6010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Pulchellin is a plant biotoxin categorized as a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIPs) which potentially kills cells at very low concentrations. Biotoxins serve as targeting immunotoxins (IT), consisting of antibodies conjugated to toxins. ITs have two independent protein components, a human antibody and a toxin with a bacterial or plant source; therefore, they pose unique setbacks in immunogenicity. To overcome this issue, the engineering of epitopes is one of the beneficial methods to elicit an immunological response. Here, we predicted the tertiary structure of the pulchellin A-chain (PAC) using five common powerful servers and adopted the best model after refining. Then, predicted structure using four distinct computational approaches identified conformational B-cell epitopes. This approach identified some amino acids as a potential for lowering immunogenicity by point mutation. All mutations were then applied to generate a model of pulchellin containing all mutations (so-called PAM). Mutants’ immunogenicity was assessed and compared to the wild type as well as other mutant characteristics, including stability and compactness, were computationally examined in addition to immunogenicity. The findings revealed a reduction in immunogenicity in all mutants and significantly in N146V and R149A. Furthermore, all mutants demonstrated remarkable stability and validity in Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations. During docking and simulations, the most homologous toxin to pulchellin, Abrin-A was applied as a control. In addition, the toxin candidate containing all mutations (PAM) disclosed a high level of stability, making it a potential model for experimental deployment. In conclusion, by eliminating B-cell epitopes, our computational approach provides a potential less immunogenic IT based on PAC.
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Pokrovskaya MV, Pokrovsky VS, Aleksandrova SS, Sokolov NN, Zhdanov DD. Molecular Analysis of L-Asparaginases for Clarification of the Mechanism of Action and Optimization of Pharmacological Functions. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14030599. [PMID: 35335974 PMCID: PMC8948990 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14030599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
L-asparaginases (EC 3.5.1.1) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of L-asparagine to L-aspartic acid and ammonia. These proteins with different biochemical, physicochemical and pharmacological properties are found in many organisms, including bacteria, fungi, algae, plants and mammals. To date, asparaginases from E. coli and Dickeya dadantii (formerly known as Erwinia chrysanthemi) are widely used in hematology for the treatment of lymphoblastic leukemias. However, their medical use is limited by side effects associated with the ability of these enzymes to hydrolyze L-glutamine, as well as the development of immune reactions. To solve these issues, gene-editing methods to introduce amino-acid substitutions of the enzyme are implemented. In this review, we focused on molecular analysis of the mechanism of enzyme action and to optimize the antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina V. Pokrovskaya
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya Str. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (M.V.P.); (S.S.A.); (N.N.S.)
| | - Vadim S. Pokrovsky
- Department of Biochemistry, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Miklukho-Maklaya Str. 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia;
- Laboratory of Combined Treatment, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Kashirskoe Shosse 24, 115478 Moscow, Russia
- Center of Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Federal Territory Sirius, Olimpiisky Prospect 1, 354340 Sochi, Russia
| | - Svetlana S. Aleksandrova
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya Str. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (M.V.P.); (S.S.A.); (N.N.S.)
| | - Nikolay N. Sokolov
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya Str. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (M.V.P.); (S.S.A.); (N.N.S.)
| | - Dmitry D. Zhdanov
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya Str. 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (M.V.P.); (S.S.A.); (N.N.S.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Miklukho-Maklaya Str. 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia;
- Correspondence:
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A Targeted Catalytic Nanobody (T-CAN) with Asparaginolytic Activity. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13225637. [PMID: 34830793 PMCID: PMC8616244 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The therapy of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is based on Escherichia coli (E. coli) L-asparaginase, which is a very effective drug in most cases. However, its side effects sometimes prevent its usage or impose its interruption. The main issues derive from its bacterial origin, which elicits a strong immune response in the patient, and from its generalized action on all body compartments. In this work, we describe how we generated a fully active and miniaturized form of L-asparaginase starting from a camel single domain antibody, a class of antibodies known to have a very limited immunogenicity in humans. We also targeted it onto tumor cells by attaching it to an antibody fragment directed onto the CD19 B-cell surface receptor, expressed on ALL cells. We named this new molecule “Targeted Catalytic Nanobody” (T-CAN). The T-CAN is active and successfully binds to CD19 expressing cells in vitro. Thanks to its reduced immunogenic potential, it represents a new tool which deserves further development. Abstract E. coli L-asparaginase is an amidohydrolase (EC 3.5.1.1) which has been successfully used for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for over 50 years. Despite its efficacy, its side effects, and especially its intrinsic immunogenicity, hamper its usage in a significant subset of cases, thus limiting therapeutic options. Innovative solutions to improve on these drawbacks have been attempted, but none of them have been truly successful so far. In this work, we fully replaced the enzyme scaffold, generating an active, miniaturized form of L-asparaginase by protein engineering of a camel single domain antibody, a class of antibodies known to have a limited immunogenicity in humans. We then targeted it onto tumor cells by an antibody scFv fragment directed onto the CD19 B-cell surface receptor expressed on ALL cells. We named this new type of nanobody-based antibody-drug conjugate “Targeted Catalytic Nanobody” (T-CAN). The new molecule retains the catalytic activity and the binding capability of the original modules and successfully targets CD19 expressing cells in vitro. Thanks to its theoretically reduced immunogenic potential compared to the original molecule, the T-CAN can represent a novel approach to tackle current limitations in L-asparaginase usage.
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Engineering of Cytolethal Distending Toxin B by Its Reducing Immunogenicity and Maintaining Stability as a New Drug Candidate for Tumor Therapy; an In Silico Study. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13110785. [PMID: 34822569 PMCID: PMC8624547 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13110785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), Haemophilus ducreyi, is one of the bacterial toxins that have recently been considered for targeted therapies, especially in cancer therapies. CDT is an A-B2 exotoxin. Its catalytic subunit (CdtB) is capable of inducing DNA double strand breaks, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in host eukaryotic cells. The sequence alignment indicates that the CdtB is structurally homologyr to phosphatases and deoxyribonucleases I (DNase I). Recently, it has been found that CdtB toxicity is mainly related to its nuclease activity. The immunogenicity of CDT can reduce its effectiveness in targeted therapies. However, the toxin can be very useful if its immunogenicity is significantly reduced. Detecting hotspot ectopic residues by computational servers and then mutating them to eliminate B-cell epitopes is a promising approach to reduce the immunogenicity of foreign protein-based therapeutics. By the mentioned method, in this study, we try to reduce the immunogenicity of the CdtB- protein sequence. This study initially screened residue of the CdtB is B-cell epitopes both linearly and conformationally. By overlapping the B-cell epitopes with the excluded conserve residues, and active and enzymatic sites, four residues were allowed to be mutated. There were two mutein options that show reduced antigenicity probability. Option one was N19F, G74I, and S161F with a VaxiJen score of 0.45 and the immune epitope database (IEDB) score of 1.80, and option two was N19F, G74I, and S161W with a VaxiJen score of 0.45 and IEDB score of 1.88. The 3D structure of the proposed sequences was evaluated and refined. The structural stability of native and mutant proteins was accessed through molecular dynamic simulation. The results showed that the mutations in the mutants caused no considerable changes in their structural stability. However, mutant 1 reveals more thermodynamic stability during the simulation. The applied approaches in this study can be used as rough guidelines for finding hot spot immunogen regions in the therapeutic proteins. Our results provide a new version of CdtB that, due to reduced immunogenicity and increased stability, can be used in toxin-based drugs such as immunotoxins.
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Circumventing the side effects of L-asparaginase. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 139:111616. [PMID: 33932739 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
L-asparaginase is an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of asparagine and successfully used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. L-asparaginase toxicity is either related to hypersensitivity to the foreign protein or to a secondary L-glutaminase activity that causes inhibition of protein synthesis. PEGylated versions have been incorporated into the treatment protocols to reduce immunogenicity and an alternative L-asparaginase derived from Dickeya chrysanthemi is used in patients with anaphylactic reactions to the E. coli L-asparaginase. Alternative approaches commonly explore new sources of the enzyme as well as the use of protein engineering techniques to create less immunogenic, more stable variants with lower L-glutaminase activity. This article reviews the main strategies used to overcome L-asparaginase shortcomings and introduces recent tools that can be used to create therapeutic enzymes with improved features.
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8
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Nelapati AK, Das BK, Ponnan Ettiyappan JB, Chakraborty D. In-silico epitope identification and design of Uricase mutein with reduced immunogenicity. Process Biochem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2020.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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9
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Immunogenicity assessment of fungal l-asparaginases: an in silico approach. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-020-2021-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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10
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What makes a good new therapeutic l-asparaginase? World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 35:152. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-019-2731-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Yari M, Eslami M, Ghoshoon MB, Nezafat N, Ghasemi Y. Decreasing the immunogenicity of Erwinia chrysanthemi asparaginase via protein engineering: computational approach. Mol Biol Rep 2019; 46:4751-4761. [PMID: 31290058 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-019-04921-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins is one of the main challenges in disease treatment. L-Asparaginase is an important enzyme in cancer treatment which sometimes leads to undesirable side effects such as immunogenic or allergic responses. Here, to decrease Erwinase (Erwinia chrysanthemiL-Asparaginase) immunogenicity, which is the main drawback of the enzyme, firstly conformational B cell epitopes of Erwinase were predicted from three-dimensional structure by three different computational methods. A few residues were defined as candidates for reducing immunogenicity of the protein by point mutation. In addition to immunogenicity and hydrophobicity, stability and binding energy of mutants were also analyzed computationally. In order to evaluate the stability of the best mutant, molecular dynamics simulation was performed. Among mutants, H240A and Q239A presented significant reduction in immunogenicity. In contrast, the immunogenicity scores of D235A slightly decreased according to two servers. Binding affinity of substrate to the active site reduced significantly in K265A and E268A. The final results of molecular dynamics simulation indicated that H240A mutation has not changed the stability, flexibility, and the total structure of desired protein. Overall, point mutation can be used for reducing immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins, in this context, in silico approaches can be used to screen suitable mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Yari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahboobeh Eslami
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Bagher Ghoshoon
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, Iran.
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Belén LH, Lissabet JB, de Oliveira Rangel-Yagui C, Effer B, Monteiro G, Pessoa A, Farías Avendaño JG. A structural in silico analysis of the immunogenicity of l-asparaginase from Escherichia coli and Erwinia carotovora. Biologicals 2019; 59:47-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Zarei M, Nezafat N, Rahbar MR, Negahdaripour M, Sabetian S, Morowvat MH, Ghasemi Y. Decreasing the immunogenicity of arginine deiminase enzyme via structure-based computational analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2018; 37:523-536. [PMID: 29363409 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2018.1431151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The clinical applications of therapeutic enzymes are often limited due to their immunogenicity. B-cell epitope removal is an effective approach to solve this obstacle. The identification of hot spot epitopic residues is a critical step in the removal of protein B-cell epitope. Hereof, computational approaches are a suitable alternative to costly and labor-intensive experimental approaches. Arginine deiminase, a Mycoplasma arginine-catabolizing enzyme, is in the clinical trial for treating arginine auxotrophic cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinomas and melanomas through depleting plasma arginine and causing cell starvation. In this study, arginine deiminase from Mycoplasma hominis (MhADI) was computationally analyzed for recognizing and locating its immune-reactive regions. The 3D structure of the bioactive form of MhADI was modeled. The B-cell epitope mapping of protein was performed using various servers with different algorithms. Six segments: 31-40, 48-55, 131-140, 196-206, 294-314, and 331-344 were predicted to be the consensus immunogenic regions. The modification of epitopic hot spot residue was performed to reduce immune-reactiveness. The hot spot residue was selected considering a high B-cell epitope score, convexity index, surface accessibility, flexibility, and hydrophilicity. The structure stability of native and mutant proteins was evaluated through molecular dynamics simulation. The E304L mutein was suggested as a lower antigenic and stable enzyme derivative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahboubeh Zarei
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.,b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.,b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Rahbar
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.,b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | - Manica Negahdaripour
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.,b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | - Soudabeh Sabetian
- b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
| | | | - Younes Ghasemi
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran.,b Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center , Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz , Iran
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Vidya J, Sajitha S, Ushasree MV, Sindhu R, Binod P, Madhavan A, Pandey A. Genetic and metabolic engineering approaches for the production and delivery of L-asparaginases: An overview. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2017; 245:1775-1781. [PMID: 28596071 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
L-asparaginase is one of the protein drugs for countering leukemia and lymphoma. A major challenge in the therapeutic potential of the enzyme is its immunogenicity, low-plasma half-life and glutaminase activity that are found to be the reasons for toxicities attributed to asparaginase therapy. For addressing these challenges, several research and developmental activities are going on throughout the world for an effective drug delivery for treatment of cancer. Hence there is an urgent need for the development of asparaginase with improved properties for efficient drug delivery. The strategies selected should be economically viable to ensure the availability of the drug at low cost. The current review addresses various strategies adopted for the production of asparaginase from different sources, approaches for increasing the therapeutic efficiency of the protein and new drug delivery systems for L-asparaginase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalaja Vidya
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India.
| | - Syed Sajitha
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India
| | - Mrudula Vasudevan Ushasree
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India
| | - Raveendran Sindhu
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India
| | - Parameswaran Binod
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India
| | - Aravind Madhavan
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India; Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Jagathy, Thiruvananthapuram 695 014, India
| | - Ashok Pandey
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Kerala, India; Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, Sector 81, Mohali, Punjab, India
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Dhanda SK, Grifoni A, Pham J, Vaughan K, Sidney J, Peters B, Sette A. Development of a strategy and computational application to select candidate protein analogues with reduced HLA binding and immunogenicity. Immunology 2017; 153:118-132. [PMID: 28833085 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Unwanted immune responses against protein therapeutics can reduce efficacy or lead to adverse reactions. T-cell responses are key in the development of such responses, and are directed against immunodominant regions within the protein sequence, often associated with binding to several allelic variants of HLA class II molecules (promiscuous binders). Herein, we report a novel computational strategy to predict 'de-immunized' peptides, based on previous studies of erythropoietin protein immunogenicity. This algorithm (or method) first predicts promiscuous binding regions within the target protein sequence and then identifies residue substitutions predicted to reduce HLA binding. Further, this method anticipates the effect of any given substitution on flanking peptides, thereby circumventing the creation of nascent HLA-binding regions. As a proof-of-principle, the algorithm was applied to Vatreptacog α, an engineered Factor VII molecule associated with unintended immunogenicity. The algorithm correctly predicted the two immunogenic peptides containing the engineered residues. As a further validation, we selected and evaluated the immunogenicity of seven substitutions predicted to simultaneously reduce HLA binding for both peptides, five control substitutions with no predicted reduction in HLA-binding capacity, and additional flanking region controls. In vitro immunogenicity was detected in 21·4% of the cultures of peptides predicted to have reduced HLA binding and 11·4% of the flanking regions, compared with 46% for the cultures of the peptides predicted to be immunogenic. This method has been implemented as an interactive application, freely available online at http://tools.iedb.org/deimmunization/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Kumar Dhanda
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alba Grifoni
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - John Pham
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kerrie Vaughan
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - John Sidney
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bjoern Peters
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alessandro Sette
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
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16
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Rigouin C, Nguyen HA, Schalk AM, Lavie A. Discovery of human-like L-asparaginases with potential clinical use by directed evolution. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10224. [PMID: 28860480 PMCID: PMC5579231 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10758-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
L-asparaginase is a chemotherapy drug used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The main prerequisite for clinical efficacy of L-asparaginases is micromolar KM for asparagine to allow for complete depletion of this amino acid in the blood. Since currently approved L-asparaginases are of bacterial origin, immunogenicity is a challenge, which would be mitigated by a human enzyme. However, all human L-asparaginases have millimolar KM for asparagine. We recently identified the low KM guinea pig L-asparaginase (gpASNase1). Because gpASNase1 and human L-asparaginase 1 (hASNase1) share ~70% amino-acid identity, we decided to humanize gpASNase1 by generating chimeras with hASNase1 through DNA shuffling. To identify low KM chimeras we developed a suitable bacterial selection system (E. coli strain BW5Δ). Transforming BW5Δ with the shuffling libraries allowed for the identification of several low KM clones. To further humanize these clones, the C-terminal domain of gpASNase1 was replaced with that of hASNase1. Two of the identified clones, 63N-hC and 65N-hC, share respectively 85.7% and 87.1% identity with the hASNase1 but have a KM similar to gpASNase1. These clones possess 100-140 fold enhanced catalytic efficiency compared to hASNase1. Notably, we also show that these highly human-like L-asparaginases maintain their in vitro ALL killing potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Rigouin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Hien Anh Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Amanda M Schalk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Arnon Lavie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
- The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
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Sharma SK, Bagshawe KD. Translating antibody directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) and prospects for combination. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2016; 17:1-13. [DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2017.1247802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Surinder K. Sharma
- Research Department of Oncology, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
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18
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Unraveling the Effect of Immunogenicity on the PK/PD, Efficacy, and Safety of Therapeutic Proteins. J Immunol Res 2016; 2016:2342187. [PMID: 27579329 PMCID: PMC4992793 DOI: 10.1155/2016/2342187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biologics have emerged as a powerful and diverse class of molecular and cell-based therapies that are capable of replacing enzymes, editing genomes, targeting tumors, and more. As this complex array of tools arises a distinct set of challenges is rarely encountered in the development of small molecule therapies. Biotherapeutics tend to be big, bulky, polar molecules comprised of protein and/or nucleic acids. Compared to their small molecule counterparts, they are fragile, labile, and heterogeneous. Their biodistribution is often limited by hydrophobic barriers which often restrict their administration to either intravenous or subcutaneous entry routes. Additionally, their potential for immunogenicity has proven to be a challenge to developing safe and reliably efficacious drugs. Our discussion will emphasize immunogenicity in the context of therapeutic proteins, a well-known class of biologics. We set out to describe what is known and unknown about the mechanisms underlying the interplay between antigenicity and immune response and their effect on the safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of these therapeutic agents.
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