1
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Matney R, Gadkari VV. Recent advances in gas phase unfolding: Instrumentation and applications. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2024; 59:e5059. [PMID: 38894609 DOI: 10.1002/jms.5059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Broader adoption of native mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has propelled the development of several techniques which take advantage of the selectivity, sensitivity, and speed of MS to make measurements of complex biological molecules in the gas phase. One such method, collision induced unfolding (CIU), has risen to prominence in recent years, due to its well documented capability to detect shifts in structural stability of biological molecules in response to external stimuli (e.g., mutations, stress, non-covalent interactions, sample conditions etc.). This increase in reported CIU measurements is enabled partly due to advances in IM-MS instrumentation by vendors, and also innovative method development by researchers. This perspective highlights a few of these advances and concludes with a look forward toward the future of the gas phase unfolding field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Matney
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Varun V Gadkari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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2
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Villafuerte-Vega RC, Li HW, Bergman AE, Slaney TR, Chennamsetty N, Chen G, Tao L, Ruotolo BT. Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry and Collision-Induced Unfolding Rapidly Characterize the Structural Polydispersity and Stability of an Fc-Fusion Protein. Anal Chem 2024; 96:10003-10012. [PMID: 38853531 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Fc-fusion proteins are an emerging class of protein therapeutics that combine the properties of biological ligands with the unique properties of the fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain of an immunoglobulin G (IgG). Due to their diverse higher-order structures (HOSs), Fc-fusion proteins remain challenging characterization targets within biopharmaceutical pipelines. While high-resolution biophysical tools are available for HOS characterization, they frequently demand extended time frames and substantial quantities of purified samples, rendering them impractical for swiftly screening candidate molecules. Herein, we describe the development of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and collision-induced unfolding (CIU) workflows that aim to fill this technology gap, where we focus on probing the HOS of a model Fc-Interleukin-10 (Fc-IL-10) fusion protein engineered using flexible glycine-serine linkers. We evaluate the ability of these techniques to probe the flexibility of Fc-IL-10 in the absence of bulk solvent relative to other proteins of similar size, as well as localize structural changes of low charge state Fc-IL-10 ions to specific Fc and IL-10 unfolding events during CIU. We subsequently apply these tools to probe the local effects of glycine-serine linkers on the HOS and stability of IL-10 homodimer, which is the biologically active form of IL-10. Our data reveals that Fc-IL-10 produces significantly more structural transitions during CIU and broader IM profiles when compared to a wide range of model proteins, indicative of its exceptional structural dynamism. Furthermore, we use a combination of enzymatic approaches to annotate these intricate CIU data and localize specific transitions to the unfolding of domains within Fc-IL-10. Finally, we detect a strong positive, quadratic relationship between average linker mass and fusion protein stability, suggesting a cooperative influence between glycine-serine linkers and overall fusion protein stability. This is the first reported study on the use of IM-MS and CIU to characterize HOS of Fc-fusion proteins, illustrating the practical applicability of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henry W Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Addison E Bergman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Thomas R Slaney
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Naresh Chennamsetty
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Guodong Chen
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Li Tao
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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3
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Castel J, Delaux S, Hernandez-Alba O, Cianférani S. Recent advances in structural mass spectrometry methods in the context of biosimilarity assessment: from sequence heterogeneities to higher order structures. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 236:115696. [PMID: 37713983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Biotherapeutics and their biosimilar versions have been flourishing in the biopharmaceutical market for several years. Structural and functional characterization is needed to achieve analytical biosimilarity through the assessment of critical quality attributes as required by regulatory authorities. The role of analytical strategies, particularly mass spectrometry-based methods, is pivotal to gathering valuable information for the in-depth characterization of biotherapeutics and biosimilarity assessment. Structural mass spectrometry methods (native MS, HDX-MS, top-down MS, etc.) provide information ranging from primary sequence assessment to higher order structure evaluation. This review focuses on recent developments and applications in structural mass spectrometry for biotherapeutic and biosimilar characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Castel
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France; Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048 CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Sarah Delaux
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France; Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048 CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France; Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048 CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France; Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048 CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France.
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4
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Zheng Z, Ma M, Jia Y, Cui Y, Zhao R, Li S, Wenthur C, Li L, Li G. Expedited Evaluation of Conformational Stability-Heterogeneity Associations for Crude Polyclonal Antibodies in Response to Conjugate Vaccines. Anal Chem 2023; 95:10895-10902. [PMID: 37433088 PMCID: PMC10695093 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Conjugate vaccines have been demonstrated to be a promising strategy for immunotherapeutic intervention in substance use disorder, wherein a hapten structurally similar to the target drug is conjugated to an immunogenic carrier protein. The antibodies generated following immunization with these species can provide long-lasting protection against overdose through sequestration of the abused drug in the periphery, which mitigates its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. However, these antibodies exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity in structure. The resultant variations in chemical and structural compositions have not yet been clearly linked to the stability that directly affects their in vivo functional performance. In this work, we describe a rapid mass-spectrometry-based analytical workflow capable of simultaneous and comprehensive interrogation of the carrier protein-dependent heterogeneity and stability of crude polyclonal antibodies in response to conjugate vaccines. Quantitative collision-induced unfolding-ion mobility-mass spectrometry with an all-ion mode is adapted to rapidly assess the conformational heterogeneity and stability of crude serum antibodies collected from four different vaccine conditions, in an unprecedented manner. A series of bottom-up glycoproteomic experiments was performed to reveal the driving force underlying these observed heterogeneities. Overall, this study not only presents a generally applicable workflow for fast assessment of crude antibody conformational stability and heterogeneity at the intact protein level but also leverages carrier protein optimization as a simple solution to antibody quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Min Ma
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Yifei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yusi Cui
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Rui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Shuangshuang Li
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Cody Wenthur
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Lingjun Li
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
- Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Development, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States
| | - Gongyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Science, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
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5
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Villafuerte-Vega RC, Li HW, Slaney TR, Chennamsetty N, Chen G, Tao L, Ruotolo BT. Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry and Collision-Induced Unfolding of Designed Bispecific Antibody Therapeutics. Anal Chem 2023; 95:6962-6970. [PMID: 37067470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00344] [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] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) represent a critically important class of emerging therapeutics capable of targeting two different antigens simultaneously. As such, bsAbs have been developed as effective treatment agents for diseases that remain challenging for conventional monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics to access. Despite these advantages, bsAbs are intricate molecules, requiring both the appropriate engineering and pairing of heavy and light chains derived from separate parent mAbs. Current analytical tools for tracking the bsAb construction process have demonstrated a limited ability to robustly probe the higher-order structure (HOS) of bsAbs. Native ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and collision-induced unfolding (CIU) have proven to be useful tools in probing the HOS of mAb therapeutics. In this report, we describe a series of detailed and quantitative IM-MS and CIU data sets that reveal HOS details associated with a knob-into-hole (KiH) bsAb model system and its corresponding parent mAbs. We find that quantitative analysis of CIU data indicates that global KiH bsAb stability occupies an intermediate space between the stabilities recorded for its parent mAbs. Furthermore, our CIU data identify the hole-containing half of the KiH bsAb construct to be the least stable, thus driving much of the overall stability of the KiH bsAb. An analysis of both intact bsAb and enzymatic fragments allows us to associate the first and second CIU transitions observed for the intact KiH bsAb to the unfolding Fab and Fc domains, respectively. This result is likely general for CIU data collected for low charge state mAb ions and is supported by data acquired for deglycosylated KiH bsAb and mAb constructs, each of which indicates greater destabilization of the second CIU transition observed in our data. When integrated, our CIU analysis allows us to link changes in the first CIU transition primarily to the Fab region of the hole-containing halfmer, while the second CIU transition is likely strongly connected to the Fc region of the knob-containing halfmer. Taken together, our results provide an unprecedented road map for evaluating the domain-level stabilities and HOS of both KiH bsAb and mAb constructs using CIU.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henry W Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Thomas R Slaney
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Naresh Chennamsetty
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Guodong Chen
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Li Tao
- Analytical Development and Attribute Sciences, Biologics Development, Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, United States
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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6
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Deslignière E, Ollivier S, Beck A, Ropartz D, Rogniaux H, Cianférani S. Benefits and Limitations of High-Resolution Cyclic IM-MS for Conformational Characterization of Native Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies. Anal Chem 2023; 95:4162-4171. [PMID: 36780376 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) currently represent the main class of therapeutic proteins. mAbs approved by regulatory agencies are selected from IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 subclasses, which possess different interchain disulfide connectivities. Ion mobility coupled to native mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has emerged as a valuable approach to tackle the challenging characterization of mAbs' higher order structures. However, due to the limited resolution of first-generation IM-MS instruments, subtle conformational differences on large proteins have long been hard to capture. Recent technological developments have aimed at increasing available IM resolving powers and acquisition mode capabilities, namely, through the release of high-resolution IM-MS (HR-IM-MS) instruments, like cyclic IM-MS (cIM-MS). Here, we outline the advantages and drawbacks of cIM-MS for better conformational characterization of intact mAbs (∼150 kDa) in native conditions compared to first-generation instruments. We first assessed the extent to which multipass cIM-MS experiments could improve the separation of mAbs' conformers. These initial results evidenced some limitations of HR-IM-MS for large native biomolecules which possess rich conformational landscapes that remain challenging to decipher even with higher IM resolving powers. Conversely, for collision-induced unfolding (CIU) approaches, higher resolution proved to be particularly useful (i) to reveal new unfolding states and (ii) to enhance the separation of coexisting activated states, thus allowing one to apprehend gas-phase CIU behaviors of mAbs directly at the intact level. Altogether, this study offers a first panoramic overview of the capabilities of cIM-MS for therapeutic mAbs, paving the way for more widespread HR-IM-MS/CIU characterization of mAb-derived formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evolène Deslignière
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67000, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Simon Ollivier
- UR BIA, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France.,PROBE Research Infrastructure, BIBS Facility, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France
| | - Alain Beck
- IRPF Centre d'Immunologie Pierre-Fabre (CIPF), Saint-Julien-en-Genevois 74160, France
| | - David Ropartz
- UR BIA, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France.,PROBE Research Infrastructure, BIBS Facility, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France
| | - Hélène Rogniaux
- UR BIA, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France.,PROBE Research Infrastructure, BIBS Facility, INRAE, Nantes F-44316, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67000, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, Strasbourg 67087, France
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7
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van Schaick G, Domínguez-Vega E, Castel J, Wuhrer M, Hernandez-Alba O, Cianférani S. Online Collision-Induced Unfolding of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Glyco-Variants through Direct Hyphenation of Cation Exchange Chromatography with Native Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2023; 95:3932-3939. [PMID: 36791123 PMCID: PMC9979139 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) not only substantially increase structural heterogeneity of proteins but can also alter the conformation or even biological functions. Monitoring of these PTMs is particularly important for therapeutic products, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), since their efficacy and safety may depend on the PTM profile. Innovative analytical strategies should be developed to map these PTMs as well as explore possible induced conformational changes. Cation-exchange chromatography (CEX) coupled with native mass spectrometry has already emerged as a valuable asset for the characterization of mAb charge variants. Nevertheless, questions regarding protein conformation cannot be explored using this approach. Thus, we have combined CEX separation with collision-induced unfolding (CIU) experiments to monitor the unfolding pattern of separated mAbs and thereby pick up subtle conformational differences without impairing the CEX resolution. Using this novel strategy, only four CEX-CIU runs had to be recorded for a complete CIU fingerprint either at the intact mAb level or after enzymatic digestion at the mAb subunit level. As a proof of concept, CEX-CIU was first used for an isobaric mAb mixture to highlight the possibility to acquire individual CIU fingerprints of CEX-separated species without compromising CEX separation performances. CEX-CIU was next successfully applied to conformational characterization of mAb glyco-variants, in order to derive glycoform-specific information on the gas-phase unfolding, and CIU patterns of Fc fragments, revealing increased resistance of sialylated glycoforms against gas-phase unfolding. Altogether, we demonstrated the possibilities and benefits of combining CEX with CIU for in-depth characterization of mAb glycoforms, paving the way for linking conformational changes and resistance to gas-phase unfolding charge variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guusje van Schaick
- Center
for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden
University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Domínguez-Vega
- Center
for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden
University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jérôme Castel
- Laboratoire
de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France,Infrastructure
Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048
CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Manfred Wuhrer
- Center
for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden
University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire
de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France,Infrastructure
Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048
CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire
de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg 67087, France,Infrastructure
Nationale de Protéomique ProFI, FR2048
CNRS CEA, Strasbourg 67087, France,
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8
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Gadkari VV, Juliano BR, Mallis CS, May JC, Kurulugama RT, Fjeldsted JC, McLean JA, Russell DH, Ruotolo BT. Performance evaluation of in-source ion activation hardware for collision-induced unfolding of proteins and protein complexes on a drift tube ion mobility-mass spectrometer. Analyst 2023; 148:391-401. [PMID: 36537590 PMCID: PMC10103148 DOI: 10.1039/d2an01452a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Native ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has emerged as an information-rich technique for gas phase protein structure characterization; however, IM resolution is currently insufficient for the detection of subtle structural differences in large biomolecules. This challenge has spurred the development of collision-induced unfolding (CIU) which utilizes incremental gas phase activation to unfold a protein in order to expand the number of measurable descriptors available for native protein ions. Although CIU is now routinely used in native mass spectrometry studies, the interlaboratory reproducibility of CIU has not been established. Here we evaluate the reproducibility of the CIU data produced across three laboratories (University of Michigan, Texas A&M University, and Vanderbilt University). CIU data were collected for a variety of protein ions ranging from 8.6-66 kDa. Within the same laboratory, the CIU fingerprints were found to be repeatable with root mean square deviation (RMSD) values of less than 5%. Collision cross section (CCS) values of the CIU intermediates were consistent across the laboratories, with most features exhibiting an interlaboratory reproducibility of better than 1%. In contrast, the activation potentials required to induce protein CIU transitions varied between the three laboratories. To address these differences, three source assemblies were constructed with an updated ion activation hardware design utilizing higher mechanical tolerance specifications. The production-grade assemblies were found to produce highly consistent CIU data for intact antibodies, exhibiting high precision ion CCS and CIU transition values, thus opening the door to establishing databases of CIU fingerprints to support future biomolecular classification efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun V Gadkari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
| | - Brock R Juliano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
| | - Christopher S Mallis
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Jody C May
- Center for Innovative Technology, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
| | | | | | - John A McLean
- Center for Innovative Technology, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
| | - David H Russell
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
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9
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Deslignière E, Ollivier S, Ehkirch A, Martelet A, Ropartz D, Lechat N, Hernandez-Alba O, Menet JM, Clavier S, Rogniaux H, Genet B, Cianférani S. Combination of IM-Based Approaches to Unravel the Coexistence of Two Conformers on a Therapeutic Multispecific mAb. Anal Chem 2022; 94:7981-7989. [PMID: 35604400 PMCID: PMC9178554 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Multispecific antibodies,
which target multiple antigens at once,
are emerging as promising therapeutic entities to offer more effective
treatment than conventional monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However,
these highly complex mAb formats pose significant analytical challenges.
We report here on the characterization of a trispecific antibody (tsAb),
which presents two isomeric forms clearly separated and identified
with size exclusion chromatography coupled to native mass spectrometry
(SEC-nMS). Previous studies showed that these isomers might originate
from a proline cis/trans isomerization
in one Fab subunit of the tsAb. We combined several innovative ion
mobility (IM)-based approaches to confirm the isomeric nature of the
two species and to gain new insights into the conformational landscape
of both isomers. Preliminary SEC-nIM-MS measurements performed on
a low IM resolution instrument provided the first hints of the coexistence
of different conformers, while complementary collision-induced unfolding
(CIU) experiments evidenced distinct gas-phase unfolding behaviors
upon activation for the two isomers. As subtle conformational differences
remained poorly resolved on our early generation IM platform, we performed
high-resolution cyclic IM (cIM-MS) to unambiguously conclude on the
coexistence of two conformers. The cis/trans equilibrium was further tackled by exploiting the IMn slicing capabilities of the cIM-MS instrument. Altogether, our results
clearly illustrate the benefits of combining state-of-the-art nMS
and IM-MS approaches to address challenging issues encountered in
biopharma. As engineered antibody constructs become increasingly sophisticated,
CIU and cIM-MS methodologies undoubtedly have the potential to integrate
the drug development analytical toolbox to achieve in-depth conformational
characterization of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evolène Deslignière
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Simon Ollivier
- INRAE, UR BIA, F-44316 Nantes, France.,INRAE, BIBS Facility, F-44316 Nantes, France
| | - Anthony Ehkirch
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Armelle Martelet
- CMC Development, BioAnalytics department France, SANOFI R&D, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - David Ropartz
- INRAE, UR BIA, F-44316 Nantes, France.,INRAE, BIBS Facility, F-44316 Nantes, France
| | - Nelly Lechat
- CMC Development, BioAnalytics department France, SANOFI R&D, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Michel Menet
- CMC Development, BioAnalytics department France, SANOFI R&D, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Séverine Clavier
- CMC Development, BioAnalytics department France, SANOFI R&D, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Hélène Rogniaux
- INRAE, UR BIA, F-44316 Nantes, France.,INRAE, BIBS Facility, F-44316 Nantes, France
| | - Bruno Genet
- CMC Development, BioAnalytics department France, SANOFI R&D, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France.,Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI - FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
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10
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Vallejo DD, Jeon CK, Parson KF, Herderschee HR, Eschweiler JD, Filoti DI, Ruotolo BT. Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Reveals the Structures and Stabilities of Biotherapeutic Antibody Aggregates. Anal Chem 2022; 94:6745-6753. [PMID: 35475624 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Stability is a key critical quality attribute monitored throughout the development of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. Minor changes in their higher order structure (HOS) caused by stress or environment may alter mAb aggregation, immunogenicity, and efficacy. In addition, the structures of the resulting mAb aggregates are largely unknown, as are their dependencies on conditions under which they are created. In this report, we investigate the HOS of mAb monomers and dimers under a variety of forced degradation conditions with ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and collision-induced unfolding (CIU) technologies. We evaluate two model IgG1 antibodies that differ significantly only in their complementarity-determinant regions: IgG1α and IgG1β. Our data covering both heat- and pH-based forced degradation conditions, aquired on two different IM-MS platforms, show that these mAbs undergo global HOS changes at both monomer and dimer levels upon degradation, but shifts in collision cross section (CCS) differ under pH or heat degradation conditions. In addition, the level of CCS change detected is different between IgG1α and IgG1β, suggesting that differences in the CDR drive differential responses to degradation that influence the antibody HOS. Dramatically different CIU fingerprints are obtained for IgG1α and IgG1β monomers and dimers for both degradation conditions. Finally, we constructed a series of computational models of mAb dimers for comparison with experimental CCS values and found evidence for a compact, overlapped dimer structure under native and heat degradation conditions, possibly adopting an inverted or nonoverlapped quaternary structure when produced through pH degredation. We conclude by discussing the potential impact of our findings on ongoing biotherapeutic discovery and development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Vallejo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Chae Kyung Jeon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Kristine F Parson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Hayley R Herderschee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | | | - Dana I Filoti
- AbbVie, North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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11
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Liu T, Tao Y, Xia X, Zhang Y, Deng R, Wang Y. Analytical tools for antibody–drug conjugates: from in vitro to in vivo. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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12
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Vallejo DD, Rojas Ramírez C, Parson KF, Han Y, Gadkari VV, Ruotolo BT. Mass Spectrometry Methods for Measuring Protein Stability. Chem Rev 2022; 122:7690-7719. [PMID: 35316030 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry is a central technology in the life sciences, providing our most comprehensive account of the molecular inventory of the cell. In parallel with developments in mass spectrometry technologies targeting such assessments of cellular composition, mass spectrometry tools have emerged as versatile probes of biomolecular stability. In this review, we cover recent advancements in this branch of mass spectrometry that target proteins, a centrally important class of macromolecules that accounts for most biochemical functions and drug targets. Our efforts cover tools such as hydrogen-deuterium exchange, chemical cross-linking, ion mobility, collision induced unfolding, and other techniques capable of stability assessments on a proteomic scale. In addition, we focus on a range of application areas where mass spectrometry-driven protein stability measurements have made notable impacts, including studies of membrane proteins, heat shock proteins, amyloidogenic proteins, and biotherapeutics. We conclude by briefly discussing the future of this vibrant and fast-moving area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Vallejo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Carolina Rojas Ramírez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Kristine F Parson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Yilin Han
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Varun V Gadkari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Brandon T Ruotolo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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13
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Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful technique for protein identification, quantification and characterization that is widely applied in biochemical studies, and which can provide data on the quantity, structural integrity and post-translational modifications of proteins. It is therefore a versatile and widely used analytic tool for quality control of biopharmaceuticals, especially in quantifying host-cell protein impurities, identifying post-translation modifications and structural characterization of biopharmaceutical proteins. Here, we summarize recent advances in MS-based analyses of these key quality attributes of the biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing processes.
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14
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Deslignière E, Ehkirch A, Duivelshof BL, Toftevall H, Sjögren J, Guillarme D, D’Atri V, Beck A, Hernandez-Alba O, Cianférani S. State-of-the-Art Native Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Methods to Monitor Homogeneous Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugates Synthesis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14060498. [PMID: 34073805 PMCID: PMC8225019 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are biotherapeutics consisting of a tumor-targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb) linked covalently to a cytotoxic drug. Early generation ADCs were predominantly obtained through non-selective conjugation methods based on lysine and cysteine residues, resulting in heterogeneous populations with varying drug-to-antibody ratios (DAR). Site-specific conjugation is one of the current challenges in ADC development, allowing for controlled conjugation and production of homogeneous ADCs. We report here the characterization of a site-specific DAR2 ADC generated with the GlyCLICK three-step process, which involves glycan-based enzymatic remodeling and click chemistry, using state-of-the-art native mass spectrometry (nMS) methods. The conjugation process was monitored with size exclusion chromatography coupled to nMS (SEC-nMS), which offered a straightforward identification and quantification of all reaction products, providing a direct snapshot of the ADC homogeneity. Benefits of SEC-nMS were further demonstrated for forced degradation studies, for which fragments generated upon thermal stress were clearly identified, with no deconjugation of the drug linker observed for the T-GlyGLICK-DM1 ADC. Lastly, innovative ion mobility-based collision-induced unfolding (CIU) approaches were used to assess the gas-phase behavior of compounds along the conjugation process, highlighting an increased resistance of the mAb against gas-phase unfolding upon drug conjugation. Altogether, these state-of-the-art nMS methods represent innovative approaches to investigate drug loading and distribution of last generation ADCs, their evolution during the bioconjugation process and their impact on gas-phase stabilities. We envision nMS and CIU methods to improve the conformational characterization of next generation-empowered mAb-derived products such as engineered nanobodies, bispecific ADCs or immunocytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evolène Deslignière
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 67087 Strasbourg, France; (E.D.); (A.E.); (O.H.-A.)
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI—FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anthony Ehkirch
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 67087 Strasbourg, France; (E.D.); (A.E.); (O.H.-A.)
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI—FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Bastiaan L. Duivelshof
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (B.L.D.); (D.G.); (V.D.)
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Davy Guillarme
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (B.L.D.); (D.G.); (V.D.)
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Valentina D’Atri
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (B.L.D.); (D.G.); (V.D.)
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU—Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alain Beck
- IRPF—Centre d’Immunologie Pierre-Fabre (CIPF), 74160 Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, France;
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 67087 Strasbourg, France; (E.D.); (A.E.); (O.H.-A.)
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI—FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, IPHC UMR 7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 67087 Strasbourg, France; (E.D.); (A.E.); (O.H.-A.)
- Infrastructure Nationale de Protéomique ProFI—FR2048, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- Correspondence:
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15
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Deslignière E, Ehkirch A, Botzanowski T, Beck A, Hernandez-Alba O, Cianférani S. Toward Automation of Collision-Induced Unfolding Experiments through Online Size Exclusion Chromatography Coupled to Native Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2020; 92:12900-12908. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Evolène Deslignière
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anthony Ehkirch
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Thomas Botzanowski
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alain Beck
- IRPF—Centre d’Immunologie Pierre-Fabre (CIPF), 74160 Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, France
| | - Oscar Hernandez-Alba
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
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