1
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Dinic J, Tirrell MV. Effects of Charge Sequence Pattern and Lysine-to-Arginine Substitution on the Structural Stability of Bioinspired Polyampholytes. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:2838-2851. [PMID: 38567844 PMCID: PMC11094733 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00002] [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] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
A comprehensive study focusing on the combined influence of the charge sequence pattern and the type of positively charged amino acids on the formation of secondary structures in sequence-specific polyampholytes is presented. The sequences of interest consisting exclusively of ionizable amino acids (lysine, K; arginine, R; and glutamic acid, E) are (EKEK)5, (EKKE)5, (ERER)5, (ERRE)5, and (EKER)5. The stability of the secondary structure was examined at three pH values in the presence of urea and NaCl. The results presented here underscore the combined prominent effects of the charge sequence pattern and the type of positively charged monomers on secondary structure formation. Additionally, (ERRE)5 readily aggregated across a wide range of pH. In contrast, sequences with the same charge pattern, (EKKE)5, as well as the sequences with the equivalent amino acid content, (ERER)5, exhibited no aggregate formation under equivalent pH and concentration conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Dinic
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Center
for Molecular Engineering and Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Matthew V. Tirrell
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Center
for Molecular Engineering and Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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2
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Pang KT, Yang YS, Zhang W, Ho YS, Sormanni P, Michaels TCT, Walsh I, Chia S. Understanding and controlling the molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation in mAb therapeutics. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 67:108192. [PMID: 37290583 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108192] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In antibody development and manufacturing, protein aggregation is a common challenge that can lead to serious efficacy and safety issues. To mitigate this problem, it is important to investigate its molecular origins. This review discusses (1) our current molecular understanding and theoretical models of antibody aggregation, (2) how various stress conditions related to antibody upstream and downstream bioprocesses can trigger aggregation, and (3) current mitigation strategies employed towards inhibiting aggregation. We discuss the relevance of the aggregation phenomenon in the context of novel antibody modalities and highlight how in silico approaches can be exploited to mitigate it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuin Tian Pang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
| | - Yuan Sheng Yang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Wei Zhang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Ying Swan Ho
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Chemistry of Health, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C T Michaels
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Otto-Stern-Weg 3, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Bringing Materials to Life Initiative, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ian Walsh
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Sean Chia
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
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3
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Zalar M, Bye J, Curtis R. Nonspecific Binding of Adenosine Tripolyphosphate and Tripolyphosphate Modulates the Phase Behavior of Lysozyme. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:929-943. [PMID: 36608272 PMCID: PMC9853864 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Adenosine tripolyphosphate (ATP) is a small polyvalent anion that has recently been shown to interact with proteins and have a major impact on assembly processes involved in biomolecular condensate formation and protein aggregation. However, the nature of non-specific protein-ATP interactions and their effects on protein solubility are largely unknown. Here, the binding of ATP to the globular model protein is characterized in detail using X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Using NMR, we identified six ATP binding sites on the lysozyme surface, with one known high-affinity nucleic acid binding site and five non-specific previously unknown sites with millimolar affinities that also bind tripolyphosphate (TPP). ATP binding occurs primarily through the polyphosphate moiety, which was confirmed by the X-ray structure of the lysozyme-ATP complex. Importantly, ATP binds preferentially to arginine over lysine in non-specific binding sites. ATP and TPP have similar effects on solution-phase protein-protein interactions. At low salt concentrations, ion binding to lysozyme causes precipitation, while at higher salt concentrations, redissolution occurs. The addition of an equimolar concentration of magnesium to ATP does not alter ATP binding affinities but prevents lysozyme precipitation. These findings have important implications for both protein crystallization and cell biology. Crystallization occurs readily in ATP solutions outside the well-established crystallization window. In the context of cell biology, the findings suggest that ATP binds non-specifically to folded proteins in physiological conditions. Based on the nature of the binding sites identified by NMR, we propose several mechanisms for how ATP binding can prevent the aggregation of natively folded proteins.
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4
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Koga H, Yamano T, Betancur J, Nagatomo S, Ikeda Y, Yamaguchi K, Nabuchi Y, Sato K, Teranishi-Ikawa Y, Sato M, Hirayama H, Hayasaka A, Torizawa T, Haraya K, Sampei Z, Shiraiwa H, Kitazawa T, Igawa T, Kuramochi T. Efficient production of bispecific antibody by FAST-Ig TM and its application to NXT007 for the treatment of hemophilia A. MAbs 2023; 15:2222441. [PMID: 37339067 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2222441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient production of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) in single mammalian cells is essential for basic research and industrial manufacturing. However, preventing unwanted pairing of heavy chains (HCs) and light chains (LCs) is a challenging task. To address this, we created an engineering technology for preferential cognate HC/LC and HC/HC paring called FAST-Ig (Four-chain Assembly by electrostatic Steering Technology - Immunoglobulin), and applied it to NXT007, a BsAb for the treatment of hemophilia A. We introduced charged amino-acid substitutions at the HC/LC interface to facilitate the proper assembly for manufacturing a standard IgG-type BsAb. We generated CH1/CL interface-engineered antibody variants that achieved > 95% correct HC/LC pairing efficiency with favorable pharmacological properties and developability. Among these, we selected a design (C3) that allowed us to separate the mis-paired species with an unintended pharmacological profile using ion-exchange chromatography. Crystal structure analysis demonstrated that the C3 design did not affect the overall structure of both Fabs. To determine the final design for HCs-heterodimerization, we compared the stability of charge-based and knobs into hole-based Fc formats in acidic conditions and selected the more stable charge-based format. FAST-Ig was also applicable to stable CHO cell lines for industrial production and demonstrated robust chain pairing with different subclasses of parent BsAbs. Thus, it can be applied to a wide variety of BsAbs both preclinically and clinically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Koga
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamano
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Juan Betancur
- API Process Development Department, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Ukima, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Nagatomo
- Analytical Development Department, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Ukima, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yousuke Ikeda
- Analytical Development Department, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Ukima, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuki Yamaguchi
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Nabuchi
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kazuki Sato
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | | | - Motohiko Sato
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hirayama
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Akira Hayasaka
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takuya Torizawa
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kenta Haraya
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Zenjiro Sampei
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hirotake Shiraiwa
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takehisa Kitazawa
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Igawa
- Translational Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taichi Kuramochi
- Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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5
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Ausserwöger H, Schneider MM, Herling TW, Arosio P, Invernizzi G, Knowles TPJ, Lorenzen N. Non-specificity as the sticky problem in therapeutic antibody development. Nat Rev Chem 2022; 6:844-861. [PMID: 37117703 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-022-00438-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Antibodies are highly potent therapeutic scaffolds with more than a hundred different products approved on the market. Successful development of antibody-based drugs requires a trade-off between high target specificity and target binding affinity. In order to better understand this problem, we here review non-specific interactions and explore their fundamental physicochemical origins. We discuss the role of surface patches - clusters of surface-exposed amino acid residues with similar physicochemical properties - as inducers of non-specific interactions. These patches collectively drive interactions including dipole-dipole, π-stacking and hydrophobic interactions to complementary moieties. We elucidate links between these supramolecular assembly processes and macroscopic development issues, such as decreased physical stability and poor in vivo half-life. Finally, we highlight challenges and opportunities for optimizing protein binding specificity and minimizing non-specificity for future generations of therapeutics.
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6
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Muñoz-López P, Ribas-Aparicio RM, Becerra-Báez EI, Fraga-Pérez K, Flores-Martínez LF, Mateos-Chávez AA, Luria-Pérez R. Single-Chain Fragment Variable: Recent Progress in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14174206. [PMID: 36077739 PMCID: PMC9455005 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Recombinant antibody fragments have shown remarkable potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in the fight against cancer. The single-chain fragment variable (scFv) that contains the complete antigen-binding domains of a whole antibody, has several advantages such as a high specificity and affinity for antigens, a low immunogenicity, and the proven ability to penetrate tumor tissues and diffuse. This review provides an overview of the current studies on the principle, generation, and applications of scFvs, particularly in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer, and underscores their potential use in clinical trials. Abstract Cancer remains a public health problem worldwide. Although conventional therapies have led to some excellent outcomes, some patients fail to respond to treatment, they have few therapeutic alternatives and a poor survival prognosis. Several strategies have been proposed to overcome this issue. The most recent approach is immunotherapy, particularly the use of recombinant antibodies and their derivatives, such as the single-chain fragment variable (scFv) containing the complete antigen-binding domains of a whole antibody that successfully targets tumor cells. This review describes the recent progress made with scFvs as a cancer diagnostic and therapeutic tool, with an emphasis on preclinical approaches and their potential use in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Muñoz-López
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S/N, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Rosa María Ribas-Aparicio
- Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S/N, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Elayne Irene Becerra-Báez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S/N, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Karla Fraga-Pérez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Luis Fernando Flores-Martínez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Armando Alfredo Mateos-Chávez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Rosendo Luria-Pérez
- Unit of Investigative Research on Hemato-Oncological Diseases, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Doctor Márquez 162, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-(55)-5228-9917 (ext. 4401)
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7
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Boyd RJ, Olson TL, Zook JD, Stein D, Aceves M, Lin WH, Craciunescu FM, Hansen DT, Anastasiadis PZ, Singharoy A, Fromme P. Characterization and computational simulation of human Syx, a RhoGEF implicated in glioblastoma. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22378. [PMID: 35639414 PMCID: PMC9262375 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101808rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Structural discovery of guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) protein complexes is likely to become increasingly relevant with the development of new therapeutics targeting small GTPases and development of new classes of small molecules that inhibit protein‐protein interactions. Syx (also known as PLEKHG5 in humans) is a RhoA GEF implicated in the pathology of glioblastoma (GBM). Here we investigated protein expression and purification of ten different human Syx constructs and performed biophysical characterizations and computational studies that provide insights into why expression of this protein was previously intractable. We show that human Syx can be expressed and isolated and Syx is folded as observed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and actively binds to RhoA as determined by co‐elution during size exclusion chromatography (SEC). This characterization may provide critical insights into the expression and purification of other recalcitrant members of the large class of oncogenic—Diffuse B‐cell lymphoma (Dbl) homology GEF proteins. In addition, we performed detailed homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations on the surface of a physiologically realistic membrane. These simulations reveal novel insights into GEF activity and allosteric modulation by the plekstrin homology (PH) domain. These newly revealed interactions between the GEF PH domain and the membrane embedded region of RhoA support previously unexplained experimental findings regarding the allosteric effects of the PH domain from numerous activity studies of Dbl homology GEF proteins. This work establishes new hypotheses for structural interactivity and allosteric signal modulation in Dbl homology RhoGEFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Boyd
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Tien L Olson
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - James D Zook
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Derek Stein
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Manuel Aceves
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Wan-Hsin Lin
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Felicia M Craciunescu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Debra T Hansen
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.,Center for Innovations in Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Abhishek Singharoy
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Petra Fromme
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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8
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Melanker O, Goloubinoff P, Schreiber G. In vitro evolution of uracil glycosylase towards DnaKJ and GroEL binding evolves different misfolded states. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167627. [PMID: 35597550 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural evolution is driven by random mutations that improve fitness. In vitro evolution mimics this process, however, on a short time-scale and is driven by the given bait. Here, we used directed in vitro evolution of a random mutant library of Uracil glycosylase (eUNG) displayed on yeast surface to select for binding to chaperones GroEL, DnaK+DnaJ+ATP (DnaKJ) or E.coli cell extract (CE), using binding to the eUNG inhibitor Ugi as probe for native fold. The CE selected population was further divided to Ugi binders (+U) or non-binders (-U). The aim here was to evaluate the sequence space and physical state of the evolved protein binding the different baits. We found that GroEL, DnaKJ and CE-U select and enrich for mutations causing eUNG to misfold, with the three being enriched in mutations in buried and conserved positions, with a tendency to increase positive charge. Still, each selection had its own trajectory, with GroEL and CE-U selecting mutants highly sensitive to protease cleavage while DnaKJ selected partially structured misfolded species with a tendency to refold, making them less sensitive to proteases. More general, our results show that GroEL has a higher tendency to purge promiscuous misfolded protein mutants from the system, while DnaKJ binds misfolding-prone mutant species that are, upon chaperone release, more likely to natively refold. CE-U shares some of the properties of GroEL- and DnaKJ-selected populations, while harboring also unique properties that can be explained by the presence of additional chaperones in CE, such as Trigger factor, HtpG and ClpB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oran Melanker
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Pierre Goloubinoff
- Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Lausanne University, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gideon Schreiber
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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9
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Paik I, Bhadra S, Ellington AD. Charge Engineering Improves the Performance of Bst DNA Polymerase Fusions. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1488-1496. [PMID: 35320674 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The charge states of proteins can greatly influence their stabilities and interactions with substrates, and the addition of multiple charges (supercharging) has been shown to be a successful approach for engineering protein stability and function. The addition of a fast-folding fusion domain to the Bacillus stearothermophilus DNA polymerase improved its functionality in isothermal amplification assays, and further charge engineering of this domain has increased both protein stability and diagnostics performance. When combined with mutations that stabilize the core of the protein, the charge-engineered fusion domain leads to the ability to carry out loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) at temperatures up to 74° C or in the presence of high concentrations of urea, with detection times under 10 min. Adding both positive and negative charges to the fusion domain led to changes in the relative reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase activities of the polymerase. Overall, the development of a modular fusion domain whose charged surface can be modified at will should prove to be of use in the engineering of other polymerases and, in general, may prove useful for protein stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inyup Paik
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Sanchita Bhadra
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Andrew D. Ellington
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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10
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Zhang W, Liu M, Yu L, Mo S, Deng Z, Liu S, Yang Y, Wang C, Wang C. Perturbation effect of single polar group substitution on the Self-Association of amphiphilic peptide helices. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 610:1005-1014. [PMID: 34887062 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
As an important attempt towards creating hierarchical structures more like nature, the peptide is employed as a building block to build supramolecular architectures. An emerging question is whether the molecular mechanism of self-assembly obtained from the small molecule system, e.g., the driving forces of assembly are conventionally regarded as pairwise-additive, can be manifested in the self-association of biologically relevant amphiphilic peptides. A peptide, KRT-R, was derived from the 120-144 segment of keratin 14. The single cation-to-cation substitution with KRT-R at the site of 125 from arginine (R) to either lysine (K) or histidine (H) results in the peptide helices, KRT-K and KRT-H, sharing 96% sequence identity. These KRT-derived peptides possess similarities in the folding structures but exhibit divergent self-assembled structures. KRT-R and KRT-K self-assemble into sheets and fibrils, respectively. Whereas KRT-H associates into heterogeneous structures, including sheets, particles, and branched networks. The intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence spectroscopy measurements with the KRT-derived peptides within a temperature range of 25 °C to 95 °C reveal that the heating-triggered structural transitions of KRT-derived peptides are divergent. The alternation of single cationic residue changes the thermodynamic signature of peptide assemblies upon heating. A chemical denaturation experiment with KRT-derived peptides indicates that the intermolecular interactions that govern the supramolecular architectures formed by peptides are distinct. Overall, our work demonstrates the contribution of the interplay among various noncovalent interactions to supramolecular assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Mingwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Lanlan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Shanshan Mo
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Zhun Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Shuli Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University Civil Aviation School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing 100123, China
| | - Yanlian Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Chen Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Chenxuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China.
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11
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Schneider KT, Kirmann T, Wenzel EV, Grosch JH, Polten S, Meier D, Becker M, Matejtschuk P, Hust M, Russo G, Dübel S. Shelf-Life Extension of Fc-Fused Single Chain Fragment Variable Antibodies by Lyophilization. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:717689. [PMID: 34869052 PMCID: PMC8634725 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.717689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Generation of sequence defined antibodies from universal libraries by phage display has been established over the past three decades as a robust method to cope with the increasing market demand in therapy, diagnostics and research. For applications requiring the bivalent antigen binding and an Fc part for detection, phage display generated single chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragments can rapidly be genetically fused to the Fc moiety of an IgG for the production in eukaryotic cells of antibodies with IgG-like properties. In contrast to conversion of scFv into IgG format, the conversion to scFv-Fc requires only a single cloning step, and provides significantly higher yields in transient cell culture production than IgG. ScFv-Fcs can be effective as neutralizing antibodies in vivo against a panel of pathogens and toxins. However, different scFv fragments are more heterologous in respect of stability than Fab fragments. While some scFv fragments can be made extremely stable, this may change due to few mutations, and is not predictable from the sequence of a newly selected antibody. To mitigate the necessity to assess the stability for every scFv-Fc antibody, we developed a generic lyophilization protocol to improve their shelf life. We compared long-term stability and binding activity of phage display-derived antibodies in the scFv-Fc and IgG format, either stored in liquid or lyophilized state. Conversion of scFv-Fcs into the full IgG format reduced protein degradation and aggregation, but in some cases compromised binding activity. Comparably to IgG conversion, lyophilization of scFv-Fc resulted in the preservation of the antibodies' initial properties after storage, without any drop in affinity for any of the tested antibody clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Thomas Schneider
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Toni Kirmann
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Esther Veronika Wenzel
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Abcalis GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jan-Hendrik Grosch
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Saskia Polten
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Doris Meier
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Marlies Becker
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Paul Matejtschuk
- Standardisation Science, National Institute for Biological Standards & Control (NIBSC), Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hust
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Giulio Russo
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Abcalis GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Dübel
- Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
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12
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Austerberry J, Edwards J, Eyes T, Derrick JP. Use of Peptide Microarrays for Fast and Informative Profiling of Therapeutic Antibody Formulation Conditions. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:4131-4139. [PMID: 34658237 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Methods to optimize the solution behavior of therapeutic proteins are frequently time-consuming, provide limited information, and often use milligram quantities of material. Here, we present a simple, versatile method that provides valuable information to guide the identification and comparison of formulation conditions for, in principle, any biopharmaceutical drug. The subject protein is incubated with a designed synthetic peptide microarray; the extent of binding to each peptide is dependent on the solution conditions. The array is washed, and the adhesion of the subject protein is detected using a secondary antibody. We exemplify the method using a well-characterized human single-chain Fv and a selection of human monoclonal antibodies. Correlations of peptide adhesion profiles can be used to establish quantitative relationships between different solution conditions, allowing subgrouping into dendrograms. Multidimensional reduction methods, such as t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, can be applied to compare how different monoclonals vary in their adhesion properties under different solution conditions. Finally, we screened peptide binding profiles using a selection of monoclonal antibodies for which a range of biophysical measurements were available under specified buffer conditions. We used a neural network method to train the data against aggregation temperature, kD, percentage recovery after incubation at 25 °C, and melting temperature. The results demonstrate that peptide binding profiles can indeed be effectively trained on these indicators of protein stability and self-association in solution. The method opens up multiple possibilities for the application of machine learning methods in therapeutic protein formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Austerberry
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - John Edwards
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Eyes
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy P Derrick
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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13
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Kasahara K, Kuroda D, Tanabe A, Kawade R, Nagatoishi S, Tsumoto K. Anion solvation enhanced by positive supercharging mutations preserves thermal stability of an antibody in a wide pH range. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 563:54-59. [PMID: 34058475 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.05.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Proteins function through interactions with other molecules. In protein engineering, scientists often engineer proteins by mutating their amino acid sequences on the protein surface to improve various physicochemical properties. "Supercharging" is a method to design proteins by mutating surface residues with charged amino acids. Previous studies demonstrated that supercharging mutations conferred better thermal resistance, solubility, and cell penetration to proteins. Likewise, antibodies recognize antigens through the antigen-binding site on the surface. The genetic and structural diversity of antibodies leads to high specificity and affinity toward antigens, enabling antibodies to be versatile tools in various applications. When assessing therapeutic antibodies, surface charge is an important factor to consider because the isoelectric point plays a role in protein clearance inside the body. In this study, we explored how supercharging mutations affect physicochemical properties of antibodies. Starting from a crystal structure of an antibody with the net charge of -4, we computationally designed a supercharged variant possessing the net charge of +10. The positive-supercharged antibody exhibited marginal improvement in thermal stability, but the secondary structure and the binding affinity to the antigen (net charge of +8) were preserved. We also used physicochemical measurements and molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the effects of supercharging mutations in sodium phosphate buffer with different pH and ion concentrations, which revealed preferential solvation of phosphate ions to the supercharged surface relative to the wild-type surface. These results suggest that supercharging would be a useful approach to preserving thermal stability of antibodies in a wide range of pH, which may enable further diversification of antibody repertoires beyond natural evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Kasahara
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kuroda
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan; Medical Device Development and Regulation Research Center, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Aki Tanabe
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Raiji Kawade
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Satoru Nagatoishi
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Kouhei Tsumoto
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan; Medical Device Development and Regulation Research Center, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan; The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.
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14
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Berner C, Menzen T, Winter G, Svilenov HL. Combining Unfolding Reversibility Studies and Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Select Aggregation-Resistant Antibodies. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:2242-2253. [PMID: 33928776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The efficient development of new therapeutic antibodies relies on developability assessment with biophysical and computational methods to find molecules with drug-like properties such as resistance to aggregation. Despite the many novel approaches to select well-behaved proteins, antibody aggregation during storage is still challenging to predict. For this reason, there is a high demand for methods that can identify aggregation-resistant antibodies. Here, we show that three straightforward techniques can select the aggregation-resistant antibodies from a dataset with 13 molecules. The ReFOLD assay provided information about the ability of the antibodies to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants. Modulated scanning fluorimetry (MSF) yielded the temperatures that start causing irreversible unfolding of the proteins. Aggregation was the main reason for poor unfolding reversibility in both ReFOLD and MSF experiments. We therefore performed temperature ramps in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain partially unfolded antibody domains in silico and used CamSol to assess their aggregation potential. We compared the information from ReFOLD, MSF, and MD to size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) data that shows whether the antibodies aggregated during storage at 4, 25, and 40 °C. Contrary to the aggregation-prone molecules, the antibodies that were resistant to aggregation during storage at 40 °C shared three common features: (i) higher tendency to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants, (ii) higher onset temperature of nonreversible unfolding, and (iii) unfolding of regions containing aggregation-prone sequences at higher temperatures in MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Berner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Tim Menzen
- Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Fraunhoferstr. 18 b, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Gerhard Winter
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
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15
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Ye Y, Huo X, Yin Z. Protein-protein interactions at high concentrations: Effects of ArgHCl and NaCl on the stability, viscosity and aggregation mechanisms of protein solution. Int J Pharm 2021; 601:120535. [PMID: 33811966 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to use the diffusion coefficient ration (Dm/Dline) as a parameter to characterize the stability of protein at high concentration, to compare the effects of ArgHCl and NaCl on the interaction of highly concentrated proteins under different pH conditions, and to explore the correlation with protein stability. For this purpose, a high-concentration bovine serum albumin solution (BSA) was selected as the model system, and the diffusion coefficient, aggregation degree, conformational stability, and solution viscosity of the protein were studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and spectral detection techniques. The result showed that there was a significant correlation between the Dm/Dline and the protein aggregation. The Dm/Dline of the protein was minimum at pH 7.4, which corresponded to the maximum degree of aggregation and the highest solution viscosity. At pH 7.4, the hydrophobic interactions and the increased conformational stability of ArgHCl maximized the stability of the protein and reduced the viscosity of the solution by 69.3%. At pH 3.0, the strong charge shielding effect of ArgHCl and NaCl and the decreased conformational stability induced protein aggregation and the gel formation. These findings provided valuable insights into the mechanism of protein aggregation and the diffusion coefficient ration (Dm/Dline) could be a potential tool for the pre-formulation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalin Ye
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Novel Drug Delivery System Ministry of Education, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Xingli Huo
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Novel Drug Delivery System Ministry of Education, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Zongning Yin
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Novel Drug Delivery System Ministry of Education, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China.
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16
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Zhang F, Yu L, Zhang W, Liu L, Wang C. A minireview on the perturbation effects of polar groups to direct nanoscale hydrophobic interaction and amphiphilic peptide assembly. RSC Adv 2021; 11:28667-28673. [PMID: 35478591 PMCID: PMC9038178 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05463e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobic interaction provides the essential driving force for creating diverse native and artificial supramolecular architectures. Accumulating evidence leads to a hypothesis that the hydrophobicity of a nonpolar patch of a molecule is non-additive and susceptible to the chemical context of a judicious polar patch. However, the quantification of the hydrophobic interaction at the nanoscale remains a central challenge to validate the hypothesis. In this review, we aim to outline the recent efforts made to determine the hydrophobic interaction at a nanoscopic length scale. The advances achieved in the understanding of proximal polar groups perturbing the magnitude of hydrophobic interaction generated by the nonpolar patch are introduced. We will also discuss the influence of chemical heterogeneity on the modulation of amphiphilic peptide/protein assembly and molecular recognition. Hydrophobic interaction provides the essential driving force for creating diverse native and artificial supramolecular architectures.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyi Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Lanlan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Institute for Advanced Materials, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Chenxuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
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17
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Sawant MS, Streu CN, Wu L, Tessier PM. Toward Drug-Like Multispecific Antibodies by Design. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7496. [PMID: 33053650 PMCID: PMC7589779 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of antibody therapeutics is strongly influenced by their multifunctional nature that couples antigen recognition mediated by their variable regions with effector functions and half-life extension mediated by a subset of their constant regions. Nevertheless, the monospecific IgG format is not optimal for many therapeutic applications, and this has led to the design of a vast number of unique multispecific antibody formats that enable targeting of multiple antigens or multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Despite the diversity of these formats, a common challenge in generating multispecific antibodies is that they display suboptimal physical and chemical properties relative to conventional IgGs and are more difficult to develop into therapeutics. Here we review advances in the design and engineering of multispecific antibodies with drug-like properties, including favorable stability, solubility, viscosity, specificity and pharmacokinetic properties. We also highlight emerging experimental and computational methods for improving the next generation of multispecific antibodies, as well as their constituent antibody fragments, with natural IgG-like properties. Finally, we identify several outstanding challenges that need to be addressed to increase the success of multispecific antibodies in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manali S. Sawant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Craig N. Streu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemistry, Albion College, Albion, MI 49224, USA
| | - Lina Wu
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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18
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Kang TH, Seong BL. Solubility, Stability, and Avidity of Recombinant Antibody Fragments Expressed in Microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1927. [PMID: 33101218 PMCID: PMC7546209 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Solubility of recombinant proteins (i.e., the extent of soluble versus insoluble expression in heterogeneous hosts) is the first checkpoint criterion for determining recombinant protein quality. However, even soluble proteins often fail to represent functional activity because of the involvement of non-functional, misfolded, soluble aggregates, which compromise recombinant protein quality. Therefore, screening of solubility and folding competence is crucial for improving the quality of recombinant proteins, especially for therapeutic applications. The issue is often highlighted especially in bacterial recombinant hosts, since bacterial cytoplasm does not provide an optimal environment for the folding of target proteins of mammalian origin. Antibody fragments, such as single-chain variable fragment (scFv), single-chain antibody (scAb), and fragment antigen binding (Fab), have been utilized for numerous applications such as diagnostics, research reagents, or therapeutics. Antibody fragments can be efficiently expressed in microorganisms so that they offer several advantages for diagnostic applications such as low cost and high yield. However, scFv and scAb fragments have generally lower stability to thermal stress than full-length antibodies, necessitating a judicious combination of designer antibodies, and bacterial hosts harnessed with robust chaperone function. In this review, we discuss efforts on not only the production of antibodies or antibody fragments in microorganisms but also scFv stabilization via (i) directed evolution of variants with increased stability using display systems, (ii) stabilization of the interface between variable regions of heavy (VH) and light (VL) chains through the introduction of a non-native covalent bond between the two chains, (iii) rational engineering of VH-VL pair, based on the structure, and (iv) computational approaches. We also review recent advances in stability design, increase in avidity by multimerization, and maintaining the functional competence of chimeric proteins prompted by various types of chaperones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Hyun Kang
- Biopharmaceutical Chemistry Major, School of Applied Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Baik Lin Seong
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.,Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance (VITAL)-Korea, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
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19
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Svilenov HL, Winter G. Formulations That Suppress Aggregation During Long-Term Storage of a Bispecific Antibody are Characterized by High Refoldability and Colloidal Stability. J Pharm Sci 2020; 109:2048-2058. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Vormittag P, Klamp T, Hubbuch J. Ensembles of Hydrophobicity Scales as Potent Classifiers for Chimeric Virus-Like Particle Solubility - An Amino Acid Sequence-Based Machine Learning Approach. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:395. [PMID: 32432098 PMCID: PMC7217080 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are protein-based nanoscale structures that show high potential as immunotherapeutics or cargo delivery vehicles. Chimeric VLPs are decorated with foreign peptides resulting in structures that confer immune responses against the displayed epitope. However, insertion of foreign sequences often results in insoluble proteins, calling for methods capable of assessing a VLP candidate's solubility in silico. The prediction of VLP solubility requires a model that can identify critical hydrophobicity-related parameters, distinguishing between VLP-forming aggregation and aggregation leading to insoluble virus protein clusters. Therefore, we developed and implemented a soft ensemble vote classifier (sEVC) framework based on chimeric hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) amino acid sequences and 91 publicly available hydrophobicity scales. Based on each hydrophobicity scale, an individual decision tree was induced as classifier in the sEVC. An embedded feature selection algorithm and stratified sampling proved beneficial for model construction. With a learning experiment, model performance in the space of model training set size and number of included classifiers in the sEVC was explored. Additionally, seven models were created from training data of 24-384 chimeric HBcAg constructs, which were validated by 100-fold Monte Carlo cross-validation. The models predicted external test sets of 184-544 chimeric HBcAg constructs. Best models showed a Matthew's correlation coefficient of >0.6 on the validation and the external test set. Feature selection was evaluated for classifiers with best and worst performance in the chimeric HBcAg VLP solubility scenario. Analysis of the associated hydrophobicity scales allowed for retrieval of biological information related to the mechanistic backgrounds of VLP solubility, suggesting a special role of arginine for VLP assembly and solubility. In the future, the developed sEVC could further be applied to hydrophobicity-related problems in other domains, such as monoclonal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Vormittag
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | - Jürgen Hubbuch
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
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21
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Kuroda D, Tsumoto K. Engineering Stability, Viscosity, and Immunogenicity of Antibodies by Computational Design. J Pharm Sci 2020; 109:1631-1651. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 12/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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