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Wang M, Ying T, Wu Y. Single-domain antibodies as therapeutics for solid tumor treatment. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:2854-2868. [PMID: 39027249 PMCID: PMC11252471 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), initially identified in camelids or sharks and commonly referred to as nanobodies or VNARs, have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional therapeutic antibodies. These sdAbs have many superior physicochemical and pharmacological properties, including small size, good solubility and thermostability, easier accessible epitopes, and strong tissue penetration. However, the inherent challenges associated with the animal origin of sdAbs limit their clinical use. In recent years, various innovative humanization technologies, including complementarity-determining region (CDR) grafting or complete engineering of fully human sdAbs, have been developed to mitigate potential immunogenicity issues and enhance their compatibility. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of sdAbs, emphasizing their distinctive features and the progress in humanization methodologies. In addition, we provide an overview of the recent progress in developing drugs and therapeutic strategies based on sdAbs and their potential in solid tumor treatment, such as sdAb-drug conjugates, multispecific sdAbs, sdAb-based delivery systems, and sdAb-based cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkai Wang
- MOE/NHC/CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Synthetic Immunology, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- MOE/NHC/CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Synthetic Immunology, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanling Wu
- MOE/NHC/CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Synthetic Immunology, Shanghai 200032, China
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Crago M, Lee A, Hoang TP, Talebian S, Naficy S. Protein adsorption on blood-contacting surfaces: A thermodynamic perspective to guide the design of antithrombogenic polymer coatings. Acta Biomater 2024; 180:46-60. [PMID: 38615811 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.04.018] [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: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Blood-contacting medical devices often succumb to thrombosis, limiting their durability and safety in clinical applications. Thrombosis is fundamentally initiated by the nonspecific adsorption of proteins to the material surface, which is strongly governed by thermodynamic factors established by the nature of the interaction between the material surface, surrounding water molecules, and the protein itself. Along these lines, different surface materials (such as polymeric, metallic, ceramic, or composite) induce different entropic and enthalpic changes at the surface-protein interface, with material wettability significantly impacting this behavior. Consequently, protein adsorption on medical devices can be modulated by altering their wettability and surface energy. A plethora of polymeric coating modifications have been utilized for this purpose; hydrophobic modifications may promote or inhibit protein adsorption determined by van der Waals forces, while hydrophilic materials achieve this by mainly relying on hydrogen bonding, or unbalanced/balanced electrostatic interactions. This review offers a cohesive understanding of the thermodynamics governing these phenomena, to specifically aid in the design and selection of hemocompatible polymeric coatings for biomedical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Blood-contacting medical devices often succumb to thrombosis, limiting their durability and safety in clinical applications. A plethora of polymeric coating modifications have been utilized for addressing this issue. This review offers a cohesive understanding of the thermodynamics governing these phenomena, to specifically aid in the design and selection of hemocompatible polymeric coatings for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Crago
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2008, Australia
| | - Aeryne Lee
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2008, Australia
| | - Thanh Phuong Hoang
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2008, Australia
| | - Sepehr Talebian
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2008, Australia.
| | - Sina Naficy
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2008, Australia.
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Yong Joon Kim J, Sang Z, Xiang Y, Shen Z, Shi Y. Nanobodies: Robust miniprotein binders in biomedicine. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 195:114726. [PMID: 36754285 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Variable domains of heavy chain-only antibodies (VHH), also known as nanobodies (Nbs), are monomeric antigen-binding domains derived from the camelid heavy chain-only antibodies. Nbs are characterized by small size, high target selectivity, and marked solubility and stability, which collectively facilitate high-quality drug development. In addition, Nbs are readily expressed from various expression systems, including E. coli and yeast cells. For these reasons, Nbs have emerged as preferred antibody fragments for protein engineering, disease diagnosis, and treatment. To date, two Nb-based therapies have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Numerous candidates spanning a wide spectrum of diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders are under preclinical and clinical investigation. Here, we discuss the structural features of Nbs that allow for specific, versatile, and strong target binding. We also summarize emerging technologies for identification, structural analysis, and humanization of Nbs. Our main focus is to review recent advances in using Nbs as a modular scaffold to facilitate the engineering of multivalent polymers for cutting-edge applications. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges for Nb development and envision new opportunities in Nb-based research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Yong Joon Kim
- Center of Protein Engineering and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1, Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Zhe Sang
- Center of Protein Engineering and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1, Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yufei Xiang
- Center of Protein Engineering and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1, Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Zhuolun Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Shi
- Center of Protein Engineering and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1, Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Zhou S, Zou H, Wang Y, Lo GV, Yuan S. Atomic Mechanisms of Transthyretin Tetramer Dissociation Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6667-6678. [PMID: 35993568 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The dissociation of the transthyretin (TTR) tetramer into a monomer is closely related to various TTR amyloidoses in humans. While the tetramer dissociation has been reported to be the rate-limiting step for TTR aggregation, few details are known about the mechanism. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed by combining conventional MD and biased metadynamics to investigate the mechanism for the wild-type (WT) and mutant (T119M) structures. Both were found to have a great deal in common. Conventional MD simulations reveal that interfacial hydrophobic interactions contribute significantly to stabilize the tetramer. Interfacial residues including L17, V20, L110, and V121 with close contacts form a hydrophobic channel. Metadynamics simulations indicate that the mouth opening of the hydrophobic channel is the first and the most difficult step for dissociation. Interactions of V20 between opposing dimers lock four monomers into the tetramer, and disruption of the interactions is found to be involved in the final step. During the dissociation, an increasing extent of solvation was observed by calculating the radial distribution functions of water around interfacial hydrophobic residues, suggesting that water plays a role in driving the tetramer dissociation. Moreover, compared to T119, residue M119 has a longer side chain that extends into the hydrophobic channel, making solvation more difficult, consistent with a higher energy barrier for dissociation of the T119M tetramer. This result provides a good explanation for the protective role of the T119M mutation. Overall, this study can provide atomic-level insights to better understand the pathogenesis of TTR amyloidosis and guide rational drug design in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyan Zhou
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Huizhen Zou
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Glenn V Lo
- Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Nicholls State University, P.O. Box 2022, Thibodaux, Louisiana 70310, United States
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Chongqing Key Laboratory on Big Data for Bio Intelligence, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
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Milorey B, Schwalbe H, O'Neill N, Schweitzer-Stenner R. Repeating Aspartic Acid Residues Prefer Turn-like Conformations in the Unfolded State: Implications for Early Protein Folding. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:11392-11407. [PMID: 34619031 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c06472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Protein folding can be described as a motion of the polypeptide chain in a potential energy funnel, where the conformational manifold is narrowed as the chain traverses from a completely unfolded state until it reaches the folded (native) state. The initial folding stages set the tone for this process by substantially narrowing the manifold of accessible conformations. In an ideally unfolded state with no long-range stabilizing forces, local conformations (i.e., residual structures) are likely to drive the folding process. While most amino acid residues tend to predominantly adopt extended structures in unfolded proteins and peptides, aspartic acid exhibits a relatively high intrinsic preference for turn-forming conformations. Regions in an unfolded polypeptide or protein that are rich in aspartic acid residues may therefore be crucial sites for protein folding steps. By combining NMR and vibrational spectroscopies, we observed that the conformational sampling of multiple sequentially neighbored aspartic acid residues in the model peptides GDDG and GDDDG even show an on average higher propensity for turn-forming structures than the intrinsic reference system D in GDG, which suggests that nearest neighbor interactions between adjacent aspartic acid residues stabilize local turn-forming structures. In the presence of the unlike neighbor phenylalanine, nearest neighbor interactions are of a totally different nature in that it they decrease the turn-forming propensities and mutually increase the sampling of polyproline II (pPII) conformations. We hypothesize the structural role of aspartic residues in intrinsically disordered proteins in general, and particularly in small linear motifs, that are very much determined by their respective neighbors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Milorey
- Deparment of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19026, United States
| | - Harald Schwalbe
- Institut für Organische Chemie und Chemische Biologie, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Max von Laue Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Nichole O'Neill
- Deparment of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19026, United States
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