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Osgood AO, Roy SJS, Koo D, Gu R, Chatterjee A. A Genetically Encoded Photocaged Cysteine for Facile Site-Specific Introduction of Conjugation-Ready Thiol Residues in Antibodies. Bioconjug Chem 2024; 35:457-464. [PMID: 38548654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00513] [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: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a powerful class of anticancer therapeutics that enable the selective delivery of toxic payloads into target cells. There is increasing appreciation for the importance of synthesizing such ADCs in a defined manner where the payload is attached at specific permissive sites on the antibody with a defined drug to antibody ratio. Additionally, the ability to systematically alter the site of attachment is important to fine-tune the therapeutic properties of the ADC. Engineered cysteine residues have been used to achieve such site-specific programmable attachment of drug molecules onto antibodies. However, engineered cysteine residues on antibodies often get "disulfide-capped" during secretion and require reductive regeneration prior to conjugation. This reductive step also reduces structurally important disulfide bonds in the antibody itself, which must be regenerated through oxidation. This multistep, cumbersome process reduces the efficiency of conjugation and presents logistical challenges. Additionally, certain engineered cysteine sites are resistant to reductive regeneration, limiting their utility and the overall scope of this conjugation strategy. In this work, we utilize a genetically encoded photocaged cysteine residue that can be site-specifically installed into the antibody. This photocaged amino acid can be efficiently decaged using light, revealing a free cysteine residue available for conjugation without disrupting the antibody structure. We show that this ncAA can be incorporated at several positions within full-length recombinant trastuzumab and decaged efficiently. We further used this method to generate a functional ADC site-specifically modified with monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF).
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna O Osgood
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, 201 Merkert Chemistry Center, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
| | - Soumya Jyoti Singha Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, 201 Merkert Chemistry Center, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
| | - David Koo
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, 201 Merkert Chemistry Center, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
| | - Renpeng Gu
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, 201 Merkert Chemistry Center, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, 201 Merkert Chemistry Center, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States
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2
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Yoshikawa M, Nakamura H, Oda-Ueda N, Ohkuri T. Analysis of thermostability for seven Phe to Ala and six Pro to Gly mutants in the Fab constant region of adalimumab. J Biochem 2023; 174:345-353. [PMID: 37390406 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvad047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To identify amino acids that play important roles in the structural stability of Fab, seven phenylalanine residues in the Fab constant region of the therapeutic antibody adalimumab were subjected to alanine mutagenesis. Six Fab mutants, H:F130A, H:F154A, H:F174A, L:F118A, L:F139A and L:F209A, showed decreased thermostability compared with wild-type Fab. In contrast, the Tm for the L:F116A mutant was 1.7°C higher than that of wild-type Fab, indicating that the F116 residue was unfavorable for Fab thermostability. Six proline mutants, H:P131G, H:P155G, H:P175G, L:P119G, L:P120G and L:P141G, were also prepared to investigate the effect of proline residues adjacent to mutated phenylalanine residues. The thermostability of the H:P155G and L:P141G mutants in particular was significantly reduced, with decreases in Tm of 5.0 and 3.0°C, respectively, compared with wild-type Fab. The H:P155 and L:P141 residues have a cis conformation, whereas the other mutated proline residues have a trans conformation. H:P155 and L:P141 had stacking interactions with the H:F154 and L:Y140, respectively, at the interface between the variable and constant regions. It is suggested that the interactions of the aromatic ring with a cis-form proline at the interface between the variable and constant regions is important for stability of Fab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moeka Yoshikawa
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Hitomi Nakamura
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Naoko Oda-Ueda
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Ohkuri
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
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3
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Toshima A, Shiraishi Y, Shinmi D, Kagawa Y, Enokizono J. Comprehensive Analyses of the Intracellular and in Vivo Disposition of Fab- Small Interfering RNA Conjugate to Identify Key Issues to Improve Its in Vivo Activity. Drug Metab Dispos 2023; 51:338-347. [PMID: 36460478 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.122.001098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Comprehensive analyses of intracellular disposition and in vivo pharmacokinetics were performed for small interfering RNA (siRNA) conjugated with the Fab fragment of panitumumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The Fab-siRNA conjugate was internalized into EGFR-expressing cancer cells in an antigen-dependent manner. Intracellular disposition was quantitatively evaluated using fluorescent-labeled panitumumab and confocal microscopy. The majority of internalized panitumumab was suggested to be transferred into lysosomes. In vivo pharmacokinetics were evaluated in EGFR-expressing tumor-bearing mice. Intact Fab-siRNA was measured by immunoprecipitation using anti-Fab antibody followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The Fab portion was measured by a ligand binding assay. Intact Fab-siRNA concentrations rapidly decreased in the plasma and tumor, although the Fab portion concentration remained high, suggesting extensive degradation in the linker-siRNA portion. After incubation of Fab-siRNA in mouse plasma, samples were digested with proteinase K, and extracted siRNA tagged with Fab-derived peptide was subjected to an ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Results suggested that hydrolysis from the 3' end of the antisense strand of siRNA is the major metabolizing pathway. Based on these findings, endosomal escape and stability in lysosomes, blood, and tumor are key factors to improve to achieve efficient target gene knockdown in tumors, and stabilizing the 3' end of the antisense strand was suggested to be most efficient. Our approaches clearly identified the key issues of Fab-siRNA from a pharmacokinetics aspect, which will be useful for improving the in vivo activity of siRNA conjugated with not only Fab but also other immunoproteins. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The intracellular and in vivo disposition of Fab-small interfering RNA (siRNA) conjugate was comprehensively investigated using various approaches, including newly developed analytical methods. This study clearly shows that improvements in siRNA stability in lysosomes, blood, and tumor are needed for target gene knockdown in tumors. The major metabolic pathway of Fab-siRNA is 3' exonuclease degradation, suggesting that optimization of the conjugation site to Fab might help improve stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asami Toshima
- Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Translational Research Unit, R&D Division (A.T.), Modality Research Laboratories 1, Research Unit, R&D Division (Y.S.), Molecular Analysis Center, Research Unit, R&D Division (D.S.), and Research Management Office, Research Unit, R&D Division (J.E.), Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; and Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan (Y.K.)
| | - Yasuhisa Shiraishi
- Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Translational Research Unit, R&D Division (A.T.), Modality Research Laboratories 1, Research Unit, R&D Division (Y.S.), Molecular Analysis Center, Research Unit, R&D Division (D.S.), and Research Management Office, Research Unit, R&D Division (J.E.), Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; and Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan (Y.K.)
| | - Daisuke Shinmi
- Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Translational Research Unit, R&D Division (A.T.), Modality Research Laboratories 1, Research Unit, R&D Division (Y.S.), Molecular Analysis Center, Research Unit, R&D Division (D.S.), and Research Management Office, Research Unit, R&D Division (J.E.), Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; and Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan (Y.K.)
| | - Yoshiyuki Kagawa
- Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Translational Research Unit, R&D Division (A.T.), Modality Research Laboratories 1, Research Unit, R&D Division (Y.S.), Molecular Analysis Center, Research Unit, R&D Division (D.S.), and Research Management Office, Research Unit, R&D Division (J.E.), Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; and Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan (Y.K.)
| | - Junichi Enokizono
- Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Translational Research Unit, R&D Division (A.T.), Modality Research Laboratories 1, Research Unit, R&D Division (Y.S.), Molecular Analysis Center, Research Unit, R&D Division (D.S.), and Research Management Office, Research Unit, R&D Division (J.E.), Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; and Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan (Y.K.)
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4
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Samantasinghar A, Sunildutt NP, Ahmed F, Soomro AM, Salih ARC, Parihar P, Memon FH, Kim KH, Kang IS, Choi KH. A comprehensive review of key factors affecting the efficacy of antibody drug conjugate. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 161:114408. [PMID: 36841027 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) is an emerging technology to overcome the limitations of chemotherapy by selectively targeting the cancer cells. ADC binds with an antigen, specifically over expressed on the surface of cancer cells, results decrease in bystander effect and increase in therapeutic index. The potency of an ideal ADC is entirely depending on several physicochemical factors such as site of conjugation, molecular weight, linker length, Steric hinderance, half-life, conjugation method, binding energy and so on. Inspite of the fact that there is more than 100 of ADCs are in clinical trial only 14 ADCs are approved by FDA for clinical use. However, to design an ideal ADC is still challenging and there is much more to be done. Here in this review, we have discussed the key components along with their significant role or contribution towards the efficacy of an ADC. Moreover, we also explained about the recent advancement in the conjugation method. Additionally, we spotlit the mode of action of an ADC, recent challenges, and future perspective regarding ADC. The profound knowledge regarding key components and their properties will help in the synthesis or production of different engineered ADCs. Therefore, contributes to develop an ADC with low safety concern and high therapeutic index. We hope this review will improve the understanding and encourage the practicing of research in anticancer ADCs development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Faheem Ahmed
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Pratibha Parihar
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea
| | - Fida Hussain Memon
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea
| | | | - In Suk Kang
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hyun Choi
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea.
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5
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Stadlmayr G, Stracke F, Stadlbauer K, Rybka J, Dickgiesser S, Rasche N, Becker S, Toleikis L, Rüker F, Knopp GW. Efficient spontaneous site-selective cysteine-mediated toxin attachment within a structural loop of antibodies. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130155. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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6
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You J, Zhang J, Wang J, Jin M. Cysteine-Based Coupling: Challenges and Solutions. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:1525-1534. [PMID: 34105345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have attracted great attention in recent years in the wake of an accelerated FDA approval rate and several large-scale acquisitions. To date, there are ten ADC drugs on the market and more than 70 in various stages of clinical trials. Yet, due to the complicated nature of ADC molecules, considerations need to cover many aspects for the success of ADCs, including target specificity, linker-payload stability, tumor permeability, and clearance rate. This topical review summarizes and discusses current methods used to increase stability and homogeneity of ADCs of cysteine conjugation. We believe that they will lead to improvement of efficacy and pharmacokinetics (PK) of ADC drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei You
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,WuXi Biologics Co, Ltd., Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jun Wang
- WuXi Biologics Co, Ltd., Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Mingzhi Jin
- WuXi Biologics Co, Ltd., Shanghai 200131, China
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7
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Zhang L, Wang Z, Wang Z, Luo F, Guan M, Xu M, Li Y, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Wang W. A Simple and Efficient Method to Generate Dual Site-Specific Conjugation ADCs with Cysteine Residue and an Unnatural Amino Acid. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:1094-1104. [PMID: 34013721 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are complex pharmaceutical molecules that combine monoclonal antibodies with biologically active drugs through chemical linkers. ADCs are designed to specifically kill disease cells by utilizing the target specificity of antibodies and the cytotoxicity of chemical drugs. However, the traditional ADCs were only applied to a few disease targets because of some limitations such as the huge molecular weight, the uncontrollable coupling reactions, and a single mechanism of action. Here we report a simple, one-pot, successive reaction method to produce dual payload conjugates with the site-specifically engineered cysteine and p-acetyl-phenylalanine using Herceptin (trastuzumab), an anti-HER2 antibody drug widely used for breast cancer treatment, as a tool molecule. This strategy enables antibodies to conjugate with two mechanistically distinct cytotoxic drugs through different functional groups sequentially, therefore, rendering the newly designed ADCs with functional diversity and the potential to overcome drug resistance and enhance the therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zewei Wang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiyuan Wang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fang Luo
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingfeng Guan
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Meimei Xu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yundong Li
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yaoyang Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhaoyin Wang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenyuan Wang
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
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8
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An Expanded Conformation of an Antibody Fab Region by X-Ray Scattering, Molecular Dynamics, and smFRET Identifies an Aggregation Mechanism. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1409-1425. [PMID: 30776431 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Protein aggregation is the underlying cause of many diseases, and also limits the usefulness of many natural and engineered proteins in biotechnology. Better mechanistic understanding and characterization of aggregation-prone states is needed to guide protein engineering, formulation, and drug-targeting strategies that prevent aggregation. While several final aggregated states-notably amyloids-have been characterized structurally, very little is known about the native structural conformers that initiate aggregation. We used a novel combination of small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), atomistic molecular dynamic simulations, single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, and aggregation-prone region predictions, to characterize structural changes in a native humanized Fab A33 antibody fragment, that correlated with the experimental aggregation kinetics. SAXS revealed increases in the native state radius of gyration, Rg, of 2.2% to 4.1%, at pH 5.5 and below, concomitant with accelerated aggregation. In a cutting-edge approach, we fitted the SAXS data to full MD simulations from the same conditions and located the conformational changes in the native state to the constant domain of the light chain (CL). This CL displacement was independently confirmed using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer measurements with two dual-labeled Fabs. These conformational changes were also found to increase the solvent exposure of a predicted APR, suggesting a likely mechanism through which they promote aggregation. Our findings provide a means by which aggregation-prone conformational states can be readily determined experimentally, and thus potentially used to guide protein engineering, or ligand binding strategies, with the aim of stabilizing the protein against aggregation.
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9
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Oller-Salvia B. Genetic Encoding of a Non-Canonical Amino Acid for the Generation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates Through a Fast Bioorthogonal Reaction. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 30272643 PMCID: PMC6235180 DOI: 10.3791/58066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) used nowadays in clinical practice are mixtures of antibody molecules linked to a varying number of toxins at different positions. Preclinical studies have shown that the therapeutic index of these traditional ADCs can be improved by the site-specific linkage of toxins. However, current approaches to produce homogeneous ADCs have several limitations, such as low protein expression and slow reaction kinetics. In this protocol we describe how to set up an expression system to incorporate a cyclopropene derivative of lysine (CypK) into antibodies using genetic code expansion. This minimal bioorthogonal handle allows rapid conjugation of tetrazine derivatives through an inverse-demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition. The expression system here reported enables the facile production and purification of trastuzumab bearing CypK in each of the heavy chains. We explain how to link the antibody to the toxin monomethyl auristatin E and characterize the immunoconjugate by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and mass spectrometry. Finally, we describe assays to assess the stability in human serum of the dihydropyridazine linkage resulting from the conjugation and to test the selective cytotoxicity of the ADC for breast cancer cells with high levels of HER2 receptor.
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10
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Ohri R, Bhakta S, Fourie-O'Donohue A, Dela Cruz-Chuh J, Tsai SP, Cook R, Wei B, Ng C, Wong AW, Bos AB, Farahi F, Bhakta J, Pillow TH, Raab H, Vandlen R, Polakis P, Liu Y, Erickson H, Junutula JR, Kozak KR. High-Throughput Cysteine Scanning To Identify Stable Antibody Conjugation Sites for Maleimide- and Disulfide-Based Linkers. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:473-485. [PMID: 29425028 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
THIOMAB antibody technology utilizes cysteine residues engineered onto an antibody to allow for site-specific conjugation. The technology has enabled the exploration of different attachment sites on the antibody in combination with small molecules, peptides, or proteins to yield antibody conjugates with unique properties. As reported previously ( Shen , B. Q. , et al. ( 2012 ) Nat. Biotechnol. 30 , 184 - 189 ; Pillow , T. H. , et al. ( 2017 ) Chem. Sci. 8 , 366 - 370 ), the specific location of the site of conjugation on an antibody can impact the stability of the linkage to the engineered cysteine for both thio-succinimide and disulfide bonds. High stability of the linkage is usually desired to maximize the delivery of the cargo to the intended target. In the current study, cysteines were individually substituted into every position of the anti-HER2 antibody (trastuzumab), and the stabilities of drug conjugations at those sites were evaluated. We screened a total of 648 THIOMAB antibody-drug conjugates, each generated from a trastuzamab prepared by sequentially mutating non-cysteine amino acids in the light and heavy chains to cysteine. Each THIOMAB antibody variant was conjugated to either maleimidocaproyl-valine-citrulline-p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl-monomethyl auristatin E (MC-vc-PAB-MMAE) or pyridyl disulfide monomethyl auristatin E (PDS-MMAE) using a high-throughput, on-bead conjugation and purification method. Greater than 50% of the THIOMAB antibody variants were successfully conjugated to both MMAE derivatives with a drug to antibody ratio (DAR) of >0.5 and <50% aggregation. The relative in vitro plasma stabilities for approximately 750 conjugates were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and stable sites were confirmed with affinity-capture LC/MS-based detection methods. Highly stable conjugation sites for the two types of MMAE derivatives were identified on both the heavy and light chains. Although the stabilities of maleimide conjugates were shown to be greater than those of the disulfide conjugates, many sites were identified that were stable for both. Furthermore, in vitro stabilities of selected stable sites translated across different cytotoxic payloads and different target antibodies as well as to in vivo stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachana Ohri
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Sunil Bhakta
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | | | | | - Siao Ping Tsai
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Ryan Cook
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Binqing Wei
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Carl Ng
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Athena W Wong
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Aaron B Bos
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Farzam Farahi
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jiten Bhakta
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Thomas H Pillow
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Helga Raab
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Richard Vandlen
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Paul Polakis
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Yichin Liu
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Hans Erickson
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jagath R Junutula
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Katherine R Kozak
- Genentech Inc. , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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11
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Vollmar BS, Wei B, Ohri R, Zhou J, He J, Yu SF, Leipold D, Cosino E, Yee S, Fourie-O'Donohue A, Li G, Phillips GL, Kozak KR, Kamath A, Xu K, Lee G, Lazar GA, Erickson HK. Attachment Site Cysteine Thiol pK a Is a Key Driver for Site-Dependent Stability of THIOMAB Antibody-Drug Conjugates. Bioconjug Chem 2017; 28:2538-2548. [PMID: 28885827 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The incorporation of cysteines into antibodies by mutagenesis allows for the direct conjugation of small molecules to specific sites on the antibody via disulfide bonds. The stability of the disulfide bond linkage between the small molecule and the antibody is highly dependent on the location of the engineered cysteine in either the heavy chain (HC) or the light chain (LC) of the antibody. Here, we explore the basis for this site-dependent stability. We evaluated the in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetics of five different cysteine mutants of trastuzumab conjugated to a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) via disulfide bonds. A significant correlation was observed between disulfide stability and efficacy for the conjugates. We hypothesized that the observed site-dependent stability of the disulfide-linked conjugates could be due to differences in the attachment site cysteine thiol pKa. We measured the cysteine thiol pKa using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and found that the variants with the highest thiol pKa (LC K149C and HC A140C) were found to yield the conjugates with the greatest in vivo stability. Guided by homology modeling, we identified several mutations adjacent to LC K149C that reduced the cysteine thiol pKa and, thus, decreased the in vivo stability of the disulfide-linked PBD conjugated to LC K149C. We also present results suggesting that the high thiol pKa of LC K149C is responsible for the sustained circulation stability of LC K149C TDCs utilizing a maleimide-based linker. Taken together, our results provide evidence that the site-dependent stability of cys-engineered antibody-drug conjugates may be explained by interactions between the engineered cysteine and the local protein environment that serves to modulate the side-chain thiol pKa. The influence of cysteine thiol pKa on stability and efficacy offers a new parameter for the optimization of ADCs that utilize cysteine engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanna S Vollmar
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Binqing Wei
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Rachana Ohri
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jianhui Zhou
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Jintang He
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Shang-Fan Yu
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Douglas Leipold
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Ely Cosino
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Sharon Yee
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Aimee Fourie-O'Donohue
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Guangmin Li
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Gail L Phillips
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Katherine R Kozak
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Amrita Kamath
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Keyang Xu
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Genee Lee
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Greg A Lazar
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Hans K Erickson
- Genentech Incorporated , 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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12
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Kato A, Kuratani M, Yanagisawa T, Ohtake K, Hayashi A, Amano Y, Kimura K, Yokoyama S, Sakamoto K, Shiraishi Y. Extensive Survey of Antibody Invariant Positions for Efficient Chemical Conjugation Using Expanded Genetic Codes. Bioconjug Chem 2017; 28:2099-2108. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mitsuo Kuratani
- RIKEN Structural Biology Laboratory, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Yanagisawa
- RIKEN Structural Biology Laboratory, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kazumasa Ohtake
- Division of Structural and Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22
Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Akiko Hayashi
- Division of Structural and Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22
Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Amano
- Division of Structural and Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22
Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | | | - Shigeyuki Yokoyama
- RIKEN Structural Biology Laboratory, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kensaku Sakamoto
- Division of Structural and Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 1-7-22
Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
- RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
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13
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Dimasi N, Fleming R, Zhong H, Bezabeh B, Kinneer K, Christie RJ, Fazenbaker C, Wu H, Gao C. Efficient Preparation of Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugates Using Cysteine Insertion. Mol Pharm 2017; 14:1501-1516. [PMID: 28245132 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a class of biopharmaceuticals that combine the specificity of antibodies with the high-potency of cytotoxic drugs. Engineering cysteine residues in the antibodies using mutagenesis is a common method to prepare site-specific ADCs. With this approach, solvent accessible amino acids in the antibody have been selected for substitution with cysteine for conjugating maleimide-bearing cytotoxic drugs, resulting in homogeneous and stable site-specific ADCs. Here we describe a cysteine engineering approach based on the insertion of cysteines before and after selected sites in the antibody, which can be used for site-specific preparation of ADCs. Cysteine-inserted antibodies have expression level and monomeric content similar to the native antibodies. Conjugation to a pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimer (SG3249) resulted in comparable efficiency of site-specific conjugation between cysteine-inserted and cysteine-substituted antibodies. Cysteine-inserted ADCs were shown to have biophysical properties, FcRn, and antigen binding affinity similar to the cysteine-substituted ADCs. These ADCs were comparable for serum stability to the ADCs prepared using cysteine-mutagenesis and had selective and potent cytotoxicity against human prostate cancer cells. Two of the cysteine-inserted variants abolish binding of the resulting ADCs to FcγRs in vitro, thereby potentially preventing non-target mediated uptake of the ADCs by cells of the innate immune system that express FcγRs, which may result in mitigating off-target toxicities. A selected cysteine-inserted ADC demonstrated potent dose-dependent anti-tumor activity in a xenograph tumor mouse model of human breast adenocarcinoma expressing the oncofetal antigen 5T4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazzareno Dimasi
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Ryan Fleming
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Haihong Zhong
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Binyam Bezabeh
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Krista Kinneer
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Ronald J Christie
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Christine Fazenbaker
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Herren Wu
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Changshou Gao
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering and ‡Oncology Research, MedImmune , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
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14
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Shinmi D, Taguchi E, Iwano J, Yamaguchi T, Masuda K, Enokizono J, Shiraishi Y. One-Step Conjugation Method for Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugates through Reactive Cysteine-Engineered Antibodies. Bioconjug Chem 2016; 27:1324-31. [PMID: 27074832 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Engineered cysteine residues are particularly convenient for site-specific conjugation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), because no cell engineering and additives are required. Usually, unpaired cysteine residues form mixed disulfides during fermentation in Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells; therefore, additional reduction and oxidization steps are required prior to conjugation. In this study, we prepared light chain (Lc)-Q124C variants in IgG and examined the conjugation efficiency. Intriguingly, Lc-Q124C exhibited high thiol reactivity and directly generated site-specific ADC without any pretreatment (named active thiol antibody: Actibody). Most of the cysteine-maleimide conjugates including Lc-Q124C showed retro-Michael reaction with cysteine 34 in albumin and were decomposed over time. In order to acquire resistance to a maleimide exchange reaction, the facile procedure for succinimide hydrolysis on anion exchange resin was employed. Hydrolyzed Lc-Q124C conjugate prepared with anion exchange procedure retained high stability in plasma. Recently, various stable linkage schemes for cysteine conjugation have been reported. The combination with direct conjugation by the use of Actibody and stable linker technology could enable the generation of stable site-specific ADC through a simple method. Actibody technology with Lc-Q124C at a less exposed position opens a new path for cysteine-based conjugation, and contributes to reducing entry barriers to the preparation and evaluation of ADC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Shinmi
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Eri Taguchi
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Junko Iwano
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Masuda
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Junichi Enokizono
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
| | - Yasuhisa Shiraishi
- Research Core Function Laboratories and §Innovative Technology Laboratories, Research Functions Unit, #R&D Planning Department, R&D Division, and ‡Bio Process Research and Development Laboratories, Production Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. , Tokyo, 100-8185, Japan
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