Recent progress in antitumor functions of the intracellular antibodies

The Dawn of a New Era: Targeting the "Undruggables" with Antibody-Based Therapeutics

The high selectivity and affinity of antibodies toward their antigens have made them a highly valuable tool in disease therapy, diagnosis, and basic research. A plethora of chemical and genetic approaches have been devised to make antibodies accessible to more "undruggable" targets and equipped with new functions of illustrating or regulating biological processes more precisely. In this Review, in addition to introducing how naked antibodies and various antibody conjugates (such as antibody-drug conjugates, antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates, antibody-enzyme conjugates, etc.) work in therapeutic applications, special attention has been paid to how chemistry tools have helped to optimize the therapeutic outcome (i.e., with enhanced efficacy and reduced side effects) or facilitate the multifunctionalization of antibodies, with a focus on emerging fields such as targeted protein degradation, real-time live-cell imaging, catalytic labeling or decaging with spatiotemporal control as well as the engagement of antibodies inside cells. With advances in modern chemistry and biotechnology, well-designed antibodies and their derivatives via size miniaturization or multifunctionalization together with efficient delivery systems have emerged, which have gradually improved our understanding of important biological processes and paved the way to pursue novel targets for potential treatments of various diseases.

A specific anti-cyclin D1 intrabody represses breast cancer cell proliferation by interrupting the cyclin D1-CDK4 interaction

BACKGROUND

Cyclin D1 overexpression may contribute to development of various cancers, including breast cancer, and thus may serve as a key cancer diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. In our previous study, we generated a cyclin D1-specific single-chain variable fragment antibody (ADκ) from a human semi-synthetic single-chain variable fragment library. ADκ specifically interacted with recombinant and endogenous cyclin D1 proteins through an unknown molecular basis to inhibit HepG2 cell growth and proliferation.

RESULTS

Here, using phage display and in silico protein structure modeling methods combined with cyclin D1 mutational analysis, key residues that bind to ADκ were identified. Notably, residue K112 within the cyclin box was required for cyclin D1-ADκ binding. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying ADκ anti-tumor effects, a cyclin D1-specific nuclear localization signal-containing intrabody (NLS-ADκ) was constructed. When expressed within cells, NLS-ADκ interacted specifically with cyclin D1 to significantly inhibit cell proliferation, induce G1-phase arrest, and trigger apoptosis of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Moreover, the NLS-ADκ-cyclin D1 interaction blocked binding of cyclin D1 to CDK4 and inhibited RB protein phosphorylation, resulting in altered expression of downstream cell proliferation-related target genes.

CONCLUSION

We identified amino acid residues in cyclin D1 that may play key roles in the ADκ-cyclin D1 interaction. A nuclear localization antibody against cyclin D1 (NLS-ADκ) was constructed and successfully expressed in breast cancer cells. NLS-ADκ exerted tumor suppressor effects via blocking the binding of CDK4 to cyclin D1 and inhibiting phosphorylation of RB. The results presented here demonstrate anti-tumor potential of intrabody-based cyclin D1-targeted breast cancer therapy.

Tripartite split-GFP assay to identify selective intracellular nanobody that suppresses GTPase RHOA subfamily downstream signaling

Strategies based on intracellular expression of artificial binding domains present several advantages over manipulating nucleic acid expression or the use of small molecule inhibitors. Intracellularly-functional nanobodies can be considered as promising macrodrugs to study key signaling pathways by interfering with protein-protein interactions. With the aim of studying the RAS-related small GTPase RHOA family, we previously isolated, from a synthetic phage display library, nanobodies selective towards the GTP-bound conformation of RHOA subfamily proteins that lack selectivity between the highly conserved RHOA-like and RAC subfamilies of GTPases. To identify RHOA/ROCK pathway inhibitory intracellular nanobodies, we implemented a stringent, subtractive phage display selection towards RHOA-GTP followed by a phenotypic screen based on F-actin fiber loss. Intracellular interaction and intracellular selectivity between RHOA and RAC1 proteins was demonstrated by adapting the sensitive intracellular protein-protein interaction reporter based on the tripartite split-GFP method. This strategy led us to identify a functional intracellular nanobody, hereafter named RH28, that does not cross-react with the close RAC subfamily and blocks/disrupts the RHOA/ROCK signaling pathway in several cell lines without further engineering or functionalization. We confirmed these results by showing, using SPR assays, the high specificity of the RH28 nanobody towards the GTP-bound conformation of RHOA subfamily GTPases. In the metastatic melanoma cell line WM266-4, RH28 expression triggered an elongated cellular phenotype associated with a loss of cellular contraction properties, demonstrating the efficient intracellular blocking of RHOA/B/C proteins downstream interactions without the need of manipulating endogenous gene expression. This work paves the way for future therapeutic strategies based on protein-protein interaction disruption with intracellular antibodies.

Expression, purification and characterisation of a human anti-CDK4 single-chain variable fragment antibody

Background

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) when hyperactivated drives development and maintenance of most tumour types, thus prompting its use as an essential cancer treatment target and a diagnostic tool. Target-binding molecules, such as single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies, hold tremendous potential for use in a wide range of cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Results

A human anti-CDK4 scFv antibody (AK2) derived from a human phage display library was expressed in soluble form in Escherichia coli and shown to be secreted into the culture supernatant. Next, soluble AK2 within culture supernatant was successfully purified using affinity chromatography then was shown, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, to bind to recombinant human CDK4 with high affinity and specificity. Further analyses of AK2 interactions with intracellular components demonstrated that AK2 recognised and interacted specifically with endogenous CDK4 and thus could be useful for detection of CDK4 within tumour cells.

Conclusions

A novel anti-CDK4 scFv antibody that can recognise and interact specifically with recombinant human CDK4 and endogenous CDK4 in tumour cells was expressed and purified successfully. These results suggest that the anti-CDK4 scFv antibody may serve as a new and promising tool for achieving CDK4-targeted diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of numerous types of cancers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12896-021-00729-z.

Targeting the "undruggable" RAS with biologics

RAS proteins represent critical drivers of tumor development and thus are the focus of intense efforts to pharmacologically inhibit these proteins in human cancer. Although recent success has been attained in developing clinically efficacious inhibitors to KRASG12C, there remains a critical need for developing approaches to inhibit additional mutant RAS proteins. A number of anti-RAS biologics have been developed which reveal novel and potentially therapeutically targetable vulnerabilities in oncogenic RAS. This review will discuss the growing field of anti-RAS biologics and potential development of these reagents into new anti-RAS therapies.

Intrabodies targeting human papillomavirus 16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins for therapy of established HPV-associated tumors

Background

The oncogenic activity of the high risk human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is fully dependent on the E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins produced during viral infection. The oncoproteins interfere with cellular homeostasis by promoting proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and blocking epithelial differentiation, driving the infected cells towards neoplastic progression. The causal relationship between expression of E6/E7 and cellular transformation allows inhibiting the oncogenic process by hindering the activity of the two oncoproteins. We previously developed and characterized some antibodies in single-chain format (scFvs) against the HPV16 E6 and E7 proteins, and demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo their antitumor activity consisting of protective efficacy against tumor progression of HPV16-positive cells.

Methods

Envisioning clinical application of the best characterized anti-HPV16 E6 and –HPV16 E7 scFvs, we verified their activity in the therapeutic setting, on already implanted tumors. Recombinant plasmids expressing the anti-HPV16 E6 scFvI7 with nuclear targeting sequence, or the anti-HPV16 E7 scFv43M2 with endoplasmic reticulum targeting sequence were delivered by injection followed by electroporation to three different preclinical models using C57/BL6 mice, and their effect on tumor growth was investigated. In the first model, the HPV16+ TC-1 Luc cells were used to implant tumors in mice, and tumor growth was measured by luciferase activity; in the second model, a fourfold number of TC-1 cells was used to obtain more aggressively growing tumors; in the third model, the HPV16+ C3 cells where used to rise tumors in mice. To highlight the scFv possible mechanism of action, H&E and caspase-3 staining of tumor section were performed.

Results

We showed that both the anti-HPV16 E6 and HPV16 E7 scFvs tested were efficacious in delaying tumor progression in the three experimental models and that their antitumor activity seems to rely on driving tumor cells towards the apoptotic pathway.

Conclusion

Based on our study, two scFvs have been identified that could represent a safe and effective treatment for the therapy of HPV16-associated lesions. The mechanism underlying the scFv effectiveness appears to be leading cells towards death by apoptosis. Furthermore, the validity of electroporation, a methodology allowed for human treatment, to deliver scFvs to tumors was confirmed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-021-01841-w.

Transforming nanobodies into high-precision tools for protein function analysis

Single-domain antibodies, derived from camelid heavy antibodies (nanobodies) or shark variable new antigen receptors, have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their extremely versatile nature and the opportunities they offer for downstream modification. Discovered more than three decades ago, these 120-amino acid (∼15-kDa) antibody fragments are known to bind their target with high specificity and affinity. Key features of nanobodies that make them very attractive include their single-domain nature, small size, and affordable high-level expression in prokaryotes, and their cDNAs are routinely obtained in the process of their isolation. This facilitates and stimulates new experimental approaches. Hence, it allows researchers to formulate new answers to complex biomedical questions. Through elementary PCR-based technologies and chemical modification strategies, their primary structure can be altered almost at leisure while retaining their specificity and biological activity, transforming them into highly tailored tools that meet the increasing demands of current-day biomedical research. In this review, various aspects of camelid nanobodies are expounded, including intracellular delivery in recombinant format for manipulation of, i.e., cytoplasmic targets, their derivatization to improve nanobody orientation as a capturing device, approaches to reversibly bind their target, their potential as protein-silencing devices in cells, the development of strategies to transfer nanobodies through the blood-brain barrier and their application in CAR-T experimentation. We also discuss some of their disadvantages and conclude with future prospects.

Epitope Mapping and Computational Analysis of Anti-HPV16 E6 and E7 Antibodies in Single-Chain Format for Clinical Development as Antitumor Drugs

Human Papillomavirus 16-associated cancer, affecting primarily the uterine cervix but, increasingly, other body districts, including the head–neck area, will long be a public health problem, despite there being a vaccine. Since the virus oncogenic activity is fully ascribed to the viral E6 and E7 oncoproteins, one of the therapeutic approaches for HPV16 cancer is based on specific antibodies in single-chain format targeting the E6/E7 activity. We analyzed the Complementarity Determining Regions, repositories of antigen-binding activity, of four anti-HPV16 E6 and -HPV16 E7 scFvs, to highlight possible conformity to biophysical properties, recognized to be advantageous for therapeutic use. By epitope mapping, using E7 mutants with amino acid deletions or variations, we investigated differences among the anti-16E7 scFvs in terms of antigen-binding capacity. We also performed computational analyses to determine whether length, total net charge, surface hydrophobicity, polarity and charge distribution conformed well to those of the antibodies that had already reached clinical use, through the application of developability guidelines derived from recent literature on clinical-stage antibodies, and the Therapeutic Antibodies Profiler software. Overall, our findings show that the scFvs investigated may represent valid candidates to be developed as therapeutic molecules for clinical use, and highlight characteristics that could be improved by molecular engineering.