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Eissler N, Altena R, Alhuseinalkhudhur A, Bragina O, Feldwisch J, Wuerth G, Loftenius A, Brun N, Axelsson R, Tolmachev V, Sörensen J, Frejd FY. Affibody PET Imaging of HER2-Expressing Cancers as a Key to Guide HER2-Targeted Therapy. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1088. [PMID: 38791050 PMCID: PMC11118066 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12051088] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a major prognostic and predictive marker overexpressed in 15-20% of breast cancers. The diagnostic reference standard for selecting patients for HER2-targeted therapy is based on the analysis of tumor biopsies. Previously patients were defined as HER2-positive or -negative; however, with the approval of novel treatment options, specifically the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan, many breast cancer patients with tumors expressing low levels of HER2 have become eligible for HER2-targeted therapy. Such patients will need to be reliably identified by suitable diagnostic methods. Biopsy-based diagnostics are invasive, and repeat biopsies are not always feasible. They cannot visualize the heterogeneity of HER2 expression, leading to a substantial number of misdiagnosed patients. An alternative and highly accurate diagnostic method is molecular imaging with radiotracers. In the case of HER2, various studies demonstrate the clinical utility and feasibility of such approaches. Radiotracers based on Affibody® molecules, small, engineered affinity proteins with a size of ~6.5 kDa, are clinically validated molecules with favorable characteristics for imaging. In this article, we summarize the HER2-targeted therapeutic landscape, describe our experience with imaging diagnostics for HER2, and review the currently available clinical data on HER2-Affibody-based molecular imaging as a novel diagnostic tool in breast cancer and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Renske Altena
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Solna, Sweden
- Medical Unit Breast, Endocrine Tumors and Sarcoma, Theme Cancer, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, 17164 Solna, Sweden
- Medical Radiation Physics and Nuclear Medicine, Functional Unit of Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Ali Alhuseinalkhudhur
- Nuclear Medicine and PET, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olga Bragina
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634055 Tomsk, Russia
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | | | | | | | | | - Rimma Axelsson
- Medical Radiation Physics and Nuclear Medicine, Functional Unit of Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 14157 Huddinge, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, 14152 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jens Sörensen
- Nuclear Medicine and PET, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y. Frejd
- Affibody AB, 17165 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden
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2
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Deyev SM, Oroujeni M, Garousi J, Gräslund T, Li R, Rosly AHB, Orlova A, Konovalova E, Schulga A, Vorobyeva A, Tolmachev V. Preclinical Evaluation of HER2-Targeting DARPin G3: Impact of Albumin-Binding Domain (ABD) Fusion. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4246. [PMID: 38673831 PMCID: PMC11050402 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 is an engineered scaffold protein. This small (14.5 kDa) targeting protein binds with high affinity to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). HER2 is overexpressed in several cancers. The use of the DARPin G3 for radionuclide therapy is complicated by its high renal reabsorption after clearance via the glomeruli. We tested the hypothesis that a fusion of the DARPin G3 with an albumin-binding domain (ABD) would prevent rapid renal excretion and high renal reabsorption resulting in better tumour targeting. Two fusion proteins were produced, one with the ABD at the C-terminus (G3-ABD) and another at the N-terminus (ABD-G3). Both variants were labelled with 177Lu. The binding properties of the novel constructs were evaluated in vitro and their biodistribution was compared in mice with implanted human HER2-expressing tumours. Fusion with the ABD increased the retention time of both constructs in blood compared with the non-ABD-fused control. The effect of fusion with the ABD depended strongly on the order of the domains in the constructs, resulting in appreciably better targeting properties of [177Lu]Lu-G3-ABD. Our data suggest that the order of domains is critical for the design of targeting constructs based on scaffold proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey M. Deyev
- Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.M.D.); (E.K.); (A.S.)
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Maryam Oroujeni
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.O.); (J.G.); (A.H.B.R.); (A.V.)
- Affibody AB, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Javad Garousi
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.O.); (J.G.); (A.H.B.R.); (A.V.)
- Department of Protein Science, KTH—Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (T.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Torbjörn Gräslund
- Department of Protein Science, KTH—Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (T.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Ruonan Li
- Department of Protein Science, KTH—Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (T.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Alia Hani Binti Rosly
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.O.); (J.G.); (A.H.B.R.); (A.V.)
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 83 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | - Elena Konovalova
- Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.M.D.); (E.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Alexey Schulga
- Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.M.D.); (E.K.); (A.S.)
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.O.); (J.G.); (A.H.B.R.); (A.V.)
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.O.); (J.G.); (A.H.B.R.); (A.V.)
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3
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Driscoll CL, Keeble AH, Howarth MR. SpyMask enables combinatorial assembly of bispecific binders. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2403. [PMID: 38493197 PMCID: PMC10944524 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46599-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies are a successful and expanding therapeutic class. Standard approaches to generate bispecifics are complicated by the need for disulfide reduction/oxidation or specialized formats. Here we present SpyMask, a modular approach to bispecifics using SpyTag/SpyCatcher spontaneous amidation. Two SpyTag-fused antigen-binding modules can be precisely conjugated onto DoubleCatcher, a tandem SpyCatcher where the second SpyCatcher is protease-activatable. We engineer a panel of structurally-distinct DoubleCatchers, from which binders project in different directions. We establish a generalized methodology for one-pot assembly and purification of bispecifics in 96-well plates. A panel of binders recognizing different HER2 epitopes were coupled to DoubleCatcher, revealing unexpected combinations with anti-proliferative or pro-proliferative activity on HER2-addicted cancer cells. Bispecific activity depended sensitively on both binder orientation and DoubleCatcher scaffold geometry. These findings support the need for straightforward assembly in different formats. SpyMask provides a scalable tool to discover synergy in bispecific activity, through modulating receptor organization and geometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia L Driscoll
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1PD, UK
| | - Anthony H Keeble
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1PD, UK
| | - Mark R Howarth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1PD, UK.
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4
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Yu L, Xu Y, Al-Amin M, Jiang S, Sample M, Prasad A, Stephanopoulos N, Šulc P, Yan H. CytoDirect: A Nucleic Acid Nanodevice for Specific and Efficient Delivery of Functional Payloads to the Cytoplasm. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:27336-27347. [PMID: 38055928 PMCID: PMC10789493 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07491] [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: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Direct and efficient delivery of functional payloads such as chemotherapy drugs, siRNA, or small-molecule inhibitors into the cytoplasm, bypassing the endo/lysosomal trapping, is a challenging task for intracellular medicine. Here, we take advantage of the programmability of DNA nanotechnology to develop a DNA nanodevice called CytoDirect, which incorporates disulfide units and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) affibodies into a DNA origami nanostructure, enabling rapid cytosolic uptake into targeted cancer cells and deep tissue penetration. We further demonstrated that therapeutic oligonucleotides and small-molecule chemotherapy drugs can be easily delivered by CytoDirect and showed notable effects on gene knockdown and cell apoptosis, respectively. This study demonstrates the synergistic effect of disulfide and HER2 affibody modifications on the rapid cytosolic delivery of DNA origami and its payloads to targeted cells and deep tissues, thereby expanding the delivery capabilities of DNA nanostructures in a new direction for disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yu
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Yang Xu
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Md Al-Amin
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Shuoxing Jiang
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Matthew Sample
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Abhay Prasad
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Nicholas Stephanopoulos
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Petr Šulc
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Hao Yan
- School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
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5
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Novak A, Kersaudy F, Berger S, Morisset-Lopez S, Lefoulon F, Pifferi C, Aucagne V. An efficient site-selective, dual bioconjugation approach exploiting N-terminal cysteines as minimalistic handles to engineer tailored anti-HER2 affibody conjugates. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 260:115747. [PMID: 37657270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Site-selective, dual-conjugation approaches for the incorporation of distinct payloads are key for the development of molecularly targeted biomolecules, such as antibody conjugates, endowed with better properties. Combinations of cytotoxic drugs, imaging probes, or pharmacokinetics modulators enabled for improved outcomes in both molecular imaging, and therapeutic settings. We have developed an efficacious dual-bioconjugation strategy to target the N-terminal cysteine of a chemically-synthesized, third-generation anti-HER2 affibody. Such two-step, one-purification approach can be carried out under mild conditions (without chaotropic agents, neutral pH) by means of a slight excess of commercially available N-hydroxysuccinimidyl esters and maleimido-functionalized payloads, to generate dual conjugates displaying drugs (DM1/MMAE) or probes (sulfo-Cy5/biotin) in high yields and purity. Remarkably, the double drug conjugate exhibited an exacerbated cytoxicity against HER2-expressing cell lines as compared to a combination of two monoconjugates, demonstrating a potent synergistic effect. Consistently, affibody-drug conjugates did not decrease the viability of HER2-negative cells, confirming their specificity for the target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Novak
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071, Orléans, France
| | - Florian Kersaudy
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071, Orléans, France
| | - Sylvie Berger
- Institut de Recherche Servier, 78290, Croissy sur Seine, France
| | - Séverine Morisset-Lopez
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071, Orléans, France.
| | | | - Carlo Pifferi
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071, Orléans, France.
| | - Vincent Aucagne
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071, Orléans, France.
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6
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Richter D, Lakis E, Piel J. Site-specific bioorthogonal protein labelling by tetrazine ligation using endogenous β-amino acid dienophiles. Nat Chem 2023; 15:1422-1430. [PMID: 37400596 PMCID: PMC10533398 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01252-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The tetrazine ligation is an inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction widely used for bioorthogonal modifications due to its versatility, site specificity and fast reaction kinetics. A major limitation has been the incorporation of dienophiles in biomolecules and organisms, which relies on externally added reagents. Available methods require the incorporation of tetrazine-reactive groups by enzyme-mediated ligations or unnatural amino acid incorporation. Here we report a tetrazine ligation strategy, termed TyrEx (tyramine excision) cycloaddition, permitting autonomous dienophile generation in bacteria. It utilizes a unique aminopyruvate unit introduced by post-translational protein splicing at a short tag. Tetrazine conjugation occurs rapidly with a rate constant of 0.625 (15) M-1 s-1 and was applied to produce a radiolabel chelator-modified Her2-binding Affibody and intracellular, fluorescently labelled cell division protein FtsZ. We anticipate the labelling strategy to be useful for intracellular studies of proteins, as a stable conjugation method for protein therapeutics, as well as other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Richter
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Edgars Lakis
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jörn Piel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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7
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Bragina O, Chernov V, Larkina M, Rybina A, Zelchan R, Garbukov E, Oroujeni M, Loftenius A, Orlova A, Sörensen J, Frejd FY, Tolmachev V. Phase I clinical evaluation of 99mTc-labeled Affibody molecule for imaging HER2 expression in breast cancer. Theranostics 2023; 13:4858-4871. [PMID: 37771776 PMCID: PMC10526658 DOI: 10.7150/thno.86770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The determination of tumor human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) status is of increasing importance with the recent approval of more efficacious HER2-targeted treatments. There is a lack of suitable methods for clinical in vivo HER2 expression assessment. Affibody molecules are small affinity proteins ideal for imaging detection of receptors, which are engineered using a small (molecular weight 6.5 kDa) nonimmunoglobulin scaffold. Labeling of Affibody molecules with positron emitters enabled the development of sensitive and specific agents for molecular imaging. The development of probes for SPECT would permit the use of Affibody-based imaging in regions where PET is not available. In this first-in-human study, we evaluated the safety, biodistribution, and dosimetry of the 99mTc-ZHER2:41071 Affibody molecule developed for SPECT/CT imaging of HER2 expression. Methods: Thirty-one patients with primary breast cancer were enrolled and divided into three cohorts (injected with 500, 1000, or 1500 µg ZHER2:41071) comprising at least five patients with high (positive) HER2 tumor expression (IHC score 3+ or 2+ and ISH positive) and five patients with low (IHC score 2+ or 1+ and ISH negative) or absent HER2 tumor expression. Patients were injected with 451 ± 71 MBq 99mTc-ZHER2:4107. Planar scintigraphy was performed after 2, 4, 6 and 24 h, and SPECT/CT imaging followed planar imaging 2, 4 and 6 h after injection. Results: Injections of 99mTc-ZHER2:41071 were well tolerated and not associated with adverse events. Normal organs with the highest accumulation were the kidney and liver. The effective dose was 0.019 ± 0.004 mSv/MBq. Injection of 1000 µg provided the best standard discrimination between HER2-positive and HER2-low or HER2-negative tumors 2 h after injection (SUVmax 16.9 ± 7.6 vs. 3.6 ± 1.4, p < 0.005). The 99mTc-ZHER2:41071 uptake in HER2-positive lymph node metastases (SUVmax 6.9 ± 2.4, n = 5) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that in HER2-low/negative lymph nodes (SUVmax 3.5 ± 1.2, n = 4). 99mTc-ZHER2:41071 visualized hepatic metastases in a patient with liver involvement. Conclusions: Injections of 99mTc-ZHER2:41071 appear safe and exhibit favorable dosimetry. The protein dose of 1000 µg provides the best discrimination between HER2-positive and HER2-low/negative expression of HER2 according to the definition used for current HER2-targeting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Bragina
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir Chernov
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Mariia Larkina
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Siberian State Medical University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Anstasiya Rybina
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Roman Zelchan
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Eugeniy Garbukov
- Department of Nuclear Therapy and Diagnostic, Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Maryam Oroujeni
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
- Affibody AB, Solna, Sweden
| | | | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jens Sörensen
- Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y. Frejd
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
- Affibody AB, Solna, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
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Cavallaro PA, De Santo M, Belsito EL, Longobucco C, Curcio M, Morelli C, Pasqua L, Leggio A. Peptides Targeting HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells and Applications in Tumor Imaging and Delivery of Chemotherapeutics. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:2476. [PMID: 37686984 PMCID: PMC10490457 DOI: 10.3390/nano13172476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer represents the most common cancer type and one of the major leading causes of death in the female worldwide population. Overexpression of HER2, a transmembrane glycoprotein related to the epidermal growth factor receptor, results in a biologically and clinically aggressive breast cancer subtype. It is also the primary driver for tumor detection and progression and, in addition to being an important prognostic factor in women diagnosed with breast cancer, HER2 is a widely known therapeutic target for drug development. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview of the main approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer proposed in the literature over the past decade. We focused on the different targeting strategies involving antibodies and peptides that have been explored with their relative outcomes and current limitations that need to be improved. The review also encompasses a discussion on targeted peptides acting as probes for molecular imaging. By using different types of HER2-targeting strategies, nanotechnology promises to overcome some of the current clinical challenges by developing novel HER2-guided nanosystems suitable as powerful tools in breast cancer imaging, targeting, and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palmira Alessia Cavallaro
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Marzia De Santo
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Emilia Lucia Belsito
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Camilla Longobucco
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Manuela Curcio
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Catia Morelli
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
| | - Luigi Pasqua
- Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Antonella Leggio
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Rende, Italy; (P.A.C.); (M.D.S.); (E.L.B.); (C.L.); (M.C.); (C.M.)
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9
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Xu K, Han J, Yang L, Cao L, Li S, Hong Z. Tumor Site-Specific Cleavage Improves the Antitumor Efficacy of Antibody-Drug Conjugates. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11011. [PMID: 37446189 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241311011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) play important roles in tumor therapy. However, traditional ADCs are limited by the extremely large molecular weight of the antibody molecules, which results in low permeability into solid tumors. The use of small ADCs may be expected to alleviate this problem, but this switch brings the new limitation of a greatly shortened blood circulation half-life. Here, we propose a new cleavable ADC design with excellent tumor tissue permeability and a long circulation half-life by fusing the small ADC ZHER2-MMAE with the Fc domain of the antibody for circulation half-life extension, and inserting a digestion sequence between them to release the small ADC inside tumors for better tumor penetration. The experimental results showed that the designed molecule Fc-U-ZHER2-MMAE has a significantly increased blood circulation half-life (7.1 h, 59-fold longer) compared to the small ADC ZHER2-MMAE, and significantly improved drug accumulation ability at tumor sites compared to the conventional full-length antibody-coupled ADC Herceptin-MMAE. These combined effects led to Fc-U-ZHER2-MMAE having significantly enhanced tumor treatment ability, as shown in mouse models of NCI-N87 gastric cancer and SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer, where Fc-U-ZHER2-MMAE treatment achieved complete regression of tumors in all or a portion of animals with no obvious side effects and an MTD exceeding 90 mg/kg. These data demonstrate the therapeutic advantages of this cleavable ADC strategy, which could provide a new approach for ADC design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jiani Han
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Liu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Li Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Shuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Zhangyong Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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10
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Liu J, Guo X, Wen L, Wang L, Liu F, Song G, Zhu H, Zhou N, Yang Z. Comparison of renal clearance of [ 18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH and [ 18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH in mice and breast cancer patients. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2023; 50:2775-2786. [PMID: 37093312 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-023-06232-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE A novel HER2 affibody-based molecular probe, [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH, was developed for reducing renal uptake, evaluated, and compared with [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH. METHODS In preclinical studies, micro-PET/CT was performed using HER2-positive gastric cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX) model at 0.5-1 (dynamic), 2, 4, and 6 h post-injection. For blocking experiment, 0.5 mg cold affibody was co-injected with probes. Biodistribution were performed on HER2-positive PDX models at 2 h post-injection. For clinical study, PET/CT images were acquired at 2 h and 4 h after injection of 231.29 ± 17.77 MBq [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH or [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH in five breast cancer patients (4 HER2-positive and 1 HER2-low). Standardized uptake values (SUVs) were measured in tumors and source-organs for semi-quantitative analysis. The OLINDA/EXM software (version 1.2) was used to calculate the radiation doses. RESULTS [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH and [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH were stably labeled with [18F]F, with high binding specificity and affinity to HER2. Micro-PET/CT of both tracers could clearly visualize HER2-positive PDX tumors with high uptake of 16.24 ± 1.74% ID/g and 14.39 ± 2.45% ID/g at 2 h post-injection. The renal accumulation of [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH was significantly lower than that of [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH (5.16 ± 0.22% ID/g vs. 158.73 ± 5.44% ID/g at 2 h, p < 0.0001). In the clinical study, both [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH and [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH demonstrated favorable tumor targeting and image contrast. [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH showed a higher SUVmax in both primary tumor and metastases, and a significantly higher target-to-nontarget ratio in metastases than [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH. Moreover, [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH had lower renal accumulation (43.56 ± 7.88 vs. 79.81 ± 3.81 at 2 h, p < 0.0001; 33.23 ± 6.89 vs. 78.63 ± 4.00 at 4 h, p < 0.0001) as well as a significantly lower renal absorbed dose than [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH (0.4450 ± 0.1117 mGy/MBq vs. 0.8030 ± 0.1604 mGy/MBq, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH tended to provide better image contrast than [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH with a higher target-to-nontarget ratio in detection of metastases. Notably, [18F]AlF-RESCA-HER2-BCH had lower renal accumulation than [18F]AlF-NOTA-HER2-BCH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayue Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyi Guo
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wen
- Guizhou University School of Medicine, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Lixin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Futao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Guohong Song
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Breast Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
| | - Nina Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals (National Medical Products Administration), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
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11
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Keeble AH, Wood DP, Howarth M. Design and Evolution of Enhanced Peptide-Peptide Ligation for Modular Transglutaminase Assembly. Bioconjug Chem 2023. [PMID: 37289810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Robust and precise tools are needed to enhance the functionality and resilience of synthetic nanoarchitectures. Here, we have employed directed evolution and rational design to build a fast-acting molecular superglue from a bacterial adhesion protein. We have generated the SnoopLigase2 coupling system, a genetically encoded route for efficient transamidation between SnoopTag2 and DogTag2 peptides. Each peptide was selected for rapid reaction by phage display screening. The optimized set allows more than 99% completion and is compatible with diverse buffers, pH values, and temperatures, accelerating the reaction over 1000-fold. SnoopLigase2 directs a specific reaction in the mammalian secretory pathway, allowing covalent display on the plasma membrane. Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) has a network of interactions and substrates amidst the mammalian cell surface and extracellular matrix. We expressed a modified TG2 with resistance to oxidative inactivation and minimal self-reactivity. SnoopLigase2 enables TG2 functionalization with transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) in routes that would be impossible through genetic fusion. The TG2:TGFα conjugate retained transamidase activity, stably anchored TGFα for signal activation in the extracellular environment, and reprogrammed cell behavior. This modular toolbox should create new opportunities for molecular assembly, both for novel biomaterials and complex cellular environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony H Keeble
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, U.K
| | - Dominic P Wood
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Mark Howarth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, U.K
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12
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Gabriele F, Palerma M, Ippoliti R, Angelucci F, Pitari G, Ardini M. Recent Advances on Affibody- and DARPin-Conjugated Nanomaterials in Cancer Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108680. [PMID: 37240041 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108680] [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: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Affibodies and designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) are synthetic proteins originally derived from the Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor protein A and the human ankyrin repeat proteins, respectively. The use of these molecules in healthcare has been recently proposed as they are endowed with biochemical and biophysical features heavily demanded to target and fight diseases, as they have a strong binding affinity, solubility, small size, multiple functionalization sites, biocompatibility, and are easy to produce; furthermore, impressive chemical and thermal stability can be achieved. especially when using affibodies. In this sense, several examples reporting on affibodies and DARPins conjugated to nanomaterials have been published, demonstrating their suitability and feasibility in nanomedicine for cancer therapy. This minireview provides a survey of the most recent studies describing affibody- and DARPin-conjugated zero-dimensional nanomaterials, including inorganic, organic, and biological nanoparticles, nanorods, quantum dots, liposomes, and protein- and DNA-based assemblies for targeted cancer therapy in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Gabriele
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marta Palerma
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Pitari
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
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13
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Liu Y, Xu T, Vorobyeva A, Loftenius A, Bodenko V, Orlova A, Frejd FY, Tolmachev V. Radionuclide Therapy of HER2-Expressing Xenografts Using [ 177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 Affibody Molecule Alone and in Combination with Trastuzumab. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15092409. [PMID: 37173878 PMCID: PMC10177614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
ABY-027 is a scaffold-protein-based cancer-targeting agent. ABY-027 includes the second-generation Affibody molecule ZHER2:2891, which binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2). An engineered albumin-binding domain is fused to ZHER2:2891 to reduce renal uptake and increase bioavailability. The agent can be site-specifically labeled with a beta-emitting radionuclide 177Lu using a DOTA chelator. The goals of this study were to test the hypotheses that a targeted radionuclide therapy using [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 could extend the survival of mice with HER2-expressing human xenografts and that co-treatment with [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 and the HER2-targeting antibody trastuzumab could enhance this effect. Balb/C nu/nu mice bearing HER2-expressing SKOV-3 xenografts were used as in vivo models. A pre-injection of trastuzumab did not reduce the uptake of [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 in tumors. Mice were treated with [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 or trastuzumab as monotherapies and a combination of these therapies. Mice treated with vehicle or unlabeled ABY-027 were used as controls. Targeted monotherapy using [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 improved the survival of mice and was more efficient than trastuzumab monotherapy. A combination of therapies utilizing [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 and trastuzumab improved the treatment outcome in comparison with monotherapies using these agents. In conclusion, [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 alone or in combination with trastuzumab could be a new potential agent for the treatment of HER2-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Liu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tianqi Xu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Vitalina Bodenko
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y Frejd
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
- Affibody AB, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
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14
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Direct In Vivo Comparison of 99mTc-Labeled Scaffold Proteins, DARPin G3 and ADAPT6, for Visualization of HER2 Expression and Monitoring of Early Response for Trastuzumab Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315181. [PMID: 36499504 PMCID: PMC9740058 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive radionuclide molecular visualization of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) can provide stratification of patients for HER2-targeting therapy. This method can also enable monitoring of the response to such therapies, thereby making treatment personalized and more efficient. Clinical evaluation in a phase I study demonstrated that injections of two scaffold protein-based imaging probes, [99mTc]Tc-(HE)3-G3 and [99mTc]Tc-ADAPT6, are safe, well-tolerated and cause a low level of radioactivity in healthy tissue. The goal of this preclinical study was to select the best probe for stratification of patients and response monitoring. Biodistribution of both tracers was compared in mice bearing SKOV-3 xenografts with high HER2 expression or MDA-MB-468 xenografts with very low expression. Changes in accumulation of the probes in SKOV-3 tumors 24 h after injection of trastuzumab were evaluated. Both [99mTc]Tc-ADAPT6 and [99mTc]Tc-(HE)3-G3 permitted high contrast imaging of HER2-expressing tumors and a clear discrimination between tumors with high and low HER2 expression. However, [99mTc]Tc-ADAPT6 has better preconditions for higher sensitivity and specificity of stratification. On the other hand, [99mTc]Tc-(HE)3-G3 is capable of detecting the decrease of HER2 expression on response to trastuzumab therapy only 24 h after injection of the loading dose. This indicates that the [99mTc]Tc-(HE)3-G3 tracer would be better for monitoring early response to such treatment. The results of this study should be considered in planning of further clinical development of HER2 imaging probes.
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15
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Levasseur MD, Hofmann R, Edwardson TGW, Hehn S, Thanaburakorn M, Bode JW, Hilvert D. Post-Assembly Modification of Protein Cages by Ubc9-Mediated Lysine Acylation. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200332. [PMID: 35951442 PMCID: PMC9826087 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200332] [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: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Although viruses have been successfully repurposed as vaccines, antibiotics, and anticancer therapeutics, they also raise concerns regarding genome integration and immunogenicity. Virus-like particles and non-viral protein cages represent a potentially safer alternative but often lack desired functionality. Here, we investigated the utility of a new enzymatic bioconjugation method, called lysine acylation using conjugating enzymes (LACE), to chemoenzymatically modify protein cages. We equipped two structurally distinct protein capsules with a LACE-reactive peptide tag and demonstrated their modification with diverse ligands. This modular approach combines the advantages of chemical conjugation and genetic fusion and allows for site-specific modification with recombinant proteins as well as synthetic peptides with facile control of the extent of labeling. This strategy has the potential to fine-tune protein containers of different shape and size by providing them with new properties that go beyond their biologically native functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikail D. Levasseur
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Raphael Hofmann
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Thomas G. W. Edwardson
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Svenja Hehn
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
| | | | - Jeffrey W. Bode
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic ChemistryETH ZürichVladimir-Prelog-Weg 1–5/108093ZurichSwitzerland
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16
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Nazari M, Emamzadeh R, Jahanpanah M, Yazdani E, Radmanesh R. A recombinant affitoxin derived from a HER3 affibody and diphteria-toxin has potent and selective antitumor activity. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 219:1122-1134. [PMID: 36041577 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.150] [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: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
High expression of receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-3 (HER3) has been found in several malignancies such as breast cancer. In this study, we designed, produced and evaluated a new affitoxin consisting of a truncated form of diphtheria toxin and a HER3-binding affibody domains. The new affitoxin was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography. We evaluated the suitability of affitoxin to kill HER3 positive breast cancer cells with MTT and apoptosis assays. The protein synthesis inhibition was also evaluated. The IC50 value in HER3 negative cells is about 10 times more than HER3 positive cells in new design of affitoxin. The specificity of affitoxin for binding to HER3 positive cells was also investigated with binding assay with flow cytometry. The results show that, the new affitoxin is an anti-cancer molecule with specific binding to HER3 positive cells and may open a new window for the treatment of HER3-positive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahboobeh Nazari
- Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Endocrine Research Center, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Rahman Emamzadeh
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Maryam Jahanpanah
- Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elnaz Yazdani
- Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramin Radmanesh
- Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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17
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Abstract
The potential of miniproteins in the biological and chemical sciences is constantly increasing. Significant progress in the design methodologies has been achieved over the last 30 years. Early approaches based on propensities of individual amino acid residues to form individual secondary structures were subsequently improved by structural analyses using NMR spectroscopy and crystallography. Consequently, computational algorithms were developed, which are now highly successful in designing structures with accuracy often close to atomic range. Further perspectives include construction of miniproteins incorporating non-native secondary structures derived from sequences with units other than α-amino acids. Noteworthy, miniproteins with extended structures, which are now feasibly accessible, are excellent scaffolds for construction of functional molecules.
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18
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Oroujeni M, Tano H, Vorobyeva A, Liu Y, Vorontsova O, Xu T, Westerlund K, Orlova A, Tolmachev V, Karlström AE. Affibody-Mediated PNA-Based Pretargeted Cotreatment Improves Survival of Trastuzumab-Treated Mice Bearing HER2-Expressing Xenografts. J Nucl Med 2022; 63:1046-1051. [PMID: 34711617 PMCID: PMC9258572 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-expressing tumors using the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab increases survival. The Affibody-based peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-mediated pretargeted radionuclide therapy has demonstrated efficacy against HER2-expressing xenografts in mice. Structural studies suggest that Affibody molecules and trastuzumab bind to different epitopes on HER2. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a combination of PNA-mediated pretargeted radionuclide therapy and trastuzumab treatment of HER2-expressing xenografts can extend survival compared with monotherapies. Methods: Mutual interference of the primary pretargeting probe ZHER2:342-SR-HP1 and trastuzumab in binding to HER2-expressing cell lines was investigated in vitro. Experimental therapy evaluated the survival of mice bearing HER2-expressing SKOV-3 xenografts after treatment with vehicle, trastuzumab only, pretargeting using Affibody-PNA chimera ZHER2:342-SR-HP1 and complementary probe 177Lu-HP2, and combination of trastuzumab and pretargeting. The ethical permit limited the study to 90 d. The animals' weights were monitored during the study. After study termination, samples of liver and kidneys were evaluated by a veterinary pathologist for toxicity signs. Results: The presence of a large molar excess of trastuzumab had no influence on the affinity of ZHER2:342-SR-HP1 binding to HER2-expressing cells in vitro. The affinity of trastuzumab was not affected by a large excess of ZHER2:342-SR-HP1 The median survival of mice treated with trastuzumab (75.5 d) was significantly longer than the survival of mice treated with a vehicle (59.5 d). Median survival of mice treated with pretargeting was not reached by day 90. Six mice of 10 in this group survived, and 2 had complete remission. All mice in the combination treatment group survived, and tumors in 7 mice had disappeared at study termination. There was no significant difference between animal weights in the different treatment groups. No significant pathologic alterations were detected in livers and kidneys of treated animals. Conclusion: Treatment of mice bearing HER2-expressing xenografts with the combination of trastuzumab and Affibody-mediated PNA-based radionuclide pretargeting significantly increased survival compared with monotherapies. Cotreatment was not toxic for normal tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Oroujeni
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hanna Tano
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;,Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; and
| | - Yongsheng Liu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olga Vorontsova
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tianqi Xu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kristina Westerlund
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Orlova
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; and,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;,Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; and
| | - Amelie Eriksson Karlström
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
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Klauser PC, Berdan VY, Cao L, Wang L. Encoding latent SuFEx reactive meta-fluorosulfate tyrosine to expand covalent bonding of proteins. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:6861-6864. [PMID: 35621237 PMCID: PMC9816398 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc01902g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of new covalent bonds into proteins is affording novel avenues for protein research and applications, yet it remains difficult to generate covalent linkages at all possible sites and across diverse protein classes. Herein, we genetically encoded meta-fluorosulfate-L-tyrosine (mFSY) to selectively react with lysine, tyrosine, and histidine via proximity-enabled SuFEx reaction. mFSY was able to target residues that were elusive for previous unnatural amino acids, and permitted engineering of various proteins including affibody, nanobody, and Fab into covalent binders that irreversibly cross-linked EGFR and HER2. mFSY is thus valuable for developing covalent proteins for biological research, synthetic biology, and biotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul C. Klauser
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Viktoriya Y. Berdan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, 555 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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20
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Crook ZR, Girard EJ, Sevilla GP, Brusniak MY, Rupert PB, Friend DJ, Gewe MM, Clarke M, Lin I, Ruff R, Pakiam F, Phi TD, Bandaranayake A, Correnti CE, Mhyre AJ, Nairn NW, Strong RK, Olson JM. Ex silico engineering of cystine-dense peptides yielding a potent bispecific T cell engager. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabn0402. [PMID: 35584229 PMCID: PMC10118748 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abn0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Cystine-dense peptides (CDPs) are a miniprotein class that can drug difficult targets with high affinity and low immunogenicity. Tools for their design, however, are not as developed as those for small-molecule and antibody drugs. CDPs have diverse taxonomic origins, but structural characterization is lacking. Here, we adapted Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement (I-TASSER) and Rosetta protein modeling software for structural prediction of 4298 CDP scaffolds and performed in silico prescreening for CDP binders to targets of interest. Mammalian display screening of a library of docking-enriched, methionine and tyrosine scanned (DEMYS) CDPs against PD-L1 yielded binders from four distinct CDP scaffolds. One was affinity-matured, and cocrystallography yielded a high-affinity (KD = 202 pM) PD-L1-binding CDP that competes with PD-1 for PD-L1 binding. Its subsequent incorporation into a CD3-binding bispecific T cell engager produced a molecule with pM-range in vitro T cell killing potency and which substantially extends survival in two different xenograft tumor-bearing mouse models. Both in vitro and in vivo, the CDP-incorporating bispecific molecule outperformed a comparator antibody-based molecule. This CDP modeling and DEMYS technique can accelerate CDP therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Crook
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Blaze Bioscience Inc., Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Emily J Girard
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Gregory P Sevilla
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Blaze Bioscience Inc., Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Mi-Youn Brusniak
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Peter B Rupert
- Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Della J Friend
- Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Mesfin M Gewe
- Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Midori Clarke
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Ida Lin
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Raymond Ruff
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Fiona Pakiam
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Ashok Bandaranayake
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Colin E Correnti
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Andrew J Mhyre
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Roland K Strong
- Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - James M Olson
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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21
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Gazvoda M, Dhanjee HH, Rodriguez J, Brown JS, Farquhar CE, Truex NL, Loas A, Buchwald SL, Pentelute BL. Palladium-Mediated Incorporation of Carboranes into Small Molecules, Peptides, and Proteins. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:7852-7860. [PMID: 35438502 PMCID: PMC9881053 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Carboranes represent a class of compounds with increasing therapeutic potential. However, few general approaches to readily embed carboranes into small molecules, peptides, and proteins are available. We report a strategy based on palladium-mediated C-X (X = C, S, and N) bond formation for the installation of carborane-containing moieties onto small molecules and peptides. We demonstrate the ability of Pd-based reagents with appropriate ligands to overcome the high hydrophobicity of the carborane group and enable chemoselective conjugation of cysteine residues at room temperature in aqueous buffer. Accordingly, carboranes can be efficiently installed on proteins by employing a combination of a bis-sulfonated biarylphosphine-ligated Pd reagent in an aqueous histidine buffer. This method is successfully employed on nanobodies, a fully synthetic affibody, and the antibody therapeutics trastuzumab and cetuximab. The conjugates of the affibody ZHER2 and the trastuzumab antibody retained binding to their target antigens. Conjugated proteins maintain their activity in cell-based functional assays in HER2-positive BT-474 cell lines. This approach enables the rapid incorporation of carborane moieties into small molecules, peptides, and proteins for further exploration in boron neutron capture therapy, which requires the targeted delivery of boron-dense groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jacob Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts, Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Joseph S. Brown
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts, Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Charlotte E. Farquhar
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Nicholas L. Truex
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts, Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Andrei Loas
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts, Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Stephen L. Buchwald
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Bradley L. Pentelute
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States,The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States,Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts, Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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22
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Guzman KM, Khosla C. Fragment antigen binding domains (F abs) as tools to study assembly-line polyketide synthases. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 7:506-512. [PMID: 34977395 PMCID: PMC8683866 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The crystallization of proteins remains a bottleneck in our fundamental understanding of their functions. Therefore, discovering tools that aid crystallization is crucial. In this review, the versatility of fragment-antigen binding domains (Fabs) as protein crystallization chaperones is discussed. Fabs have aided the crystallization of membrane-bound and soluble proteins as well as RNA. The ability to bind three Fabs onto a single protein target has demonstrated their potential for crystallization of challenging proteins. We describe a high-throughput workflow for identifying Fabs to aid the crystallization of a protein of interest (POI) by leveraging phage display technologies and differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF). This workflow has proven to be especially effective in our structural studies of assembly-line polyketide synthases (PKSs), which harbor flexible domains and assume transient conformations. PKSs are of interest to us due to their ability to synthesize an unusually broad range of medicinally relevant compounds. Despite years of research studying these megasynthases, their overall topology has remained elusive. One Fab in particular, 1B2, has successfully enabled X-ray crystallographic and single particle cryo-electron microscopic (cryoEM) analyses of multiple modules from distinct assembly-line PKSs. Its use has not only facilitated multidomain protein crystallization but has also enhanced particle quality via cryoEM, thereby enabling the visualization of intact PKS modules at near-atomic (3-5 Å) resolution. The identification of PKS-binding Fabs can be expected to continue playing a key role in furthering our knowledge of polyketide biosynthesis on assembly-line PKSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina M. Guzman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Chaitan Khosla
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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23
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Liu H, Jia D, Yuan F, Wang F, Wei D, Tang X, Tian B, Zheng S, Sun R, Shi J, Fan Q. Her3-specific affibody mediated tumor targeting delivery of ICG enhanced the photothermal therapy against Her3-positive tumors. Int J Pharm 2022; 617:121609. [PMID: 35217073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121609] [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] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Photothermal therapy (PTT), mediated by tumor-targeted drug delivery of indocyanine green (ICG), is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (Her3) is highly expressed in several solid tumors and is an ideal target for tumor diagnosis and therapy. This study prepared a Her3-specific dimeric affibody (ZHer3) using an Escherichia coli expression system. The affibody could bind explicitly to Her3-positive MCF7 and LS174T cells, rather than to Her3-negative SKOV-3 cells in vitro. ICG was coupled with the ZHer3 affibody (ICG-ZHer3) through an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester reactive group for tumor-targeted delivery. As expected, Her3-positive cells were selectively and efficiently killed by ICG-ZHer3-mediated PTT in vitro. In vivo, ICG-ZHer3 preferentially accumulated in Her3-positive LS174T tumor grafts because of the tumor-targeting ability of the ZHer3 affibody. As a result of the local generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and hyperthermia, the growth rates of LS174T tumor grafts were significantly inhibited by ICG-ZHer3-mediated PTT, and ICG-ZHer3 showed good safety performance during short-term treatment. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ICG-ZHer3 is a promising photosensitizer for PTT against Her3-positive tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Dianlong Jia
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Fengjiao Yuan
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Medicine Research, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Feifei Wang
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Danfeng Wei
- Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Xiaohui Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Baoqing Tian
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Shuhui Zheng
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Ruohan Sun
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China.
| | - Qing Fan
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China.
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24
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Yamatsugu K, Katoh H, Yamashita T, Takahashi K, Aki S, Tatsumi T, Kaneko Y, Kawamura T, Miura M, Ishii M, Ohkubo K, Osawa T, Kodama T, Ishikawa S, Kanai M, Sugiyama A. Antibody mimetic drug conjugate manufactured by high-yield Escherichia coli expression and non-covalent binding system. Protein Expr Purif 2022; 192:106043. [PMID: 34973460 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.106043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a major therapeutic tool for the treatment of advanced cancer. Malignant cells in advanced cancer often display multiple genetic mutations and become resistant to monotherapy. Therefore, a therapeutic regimen that simultaneously targets multiple molecules with multiple payloads is desirable. However, the development of ADCs is hampered by issues in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and the complexity of the conjugation process of low-molecular-weight payloads to biologicals. Here, we report antibody mimetic-drug conjugates (AMDCs) developed by exploiting the non-covalent binding property of payloads based on high-affinity binding of mutated streptavidin and modified iminobiotin. Miniprotein antibodies were fused to a low immunogenic streptavidin variant, which was then expressed in Escherichia coli inclusion bodies, solubilized, and refolded into functional tetramers. The AMDC developed against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) effectively killed cultured cancer cells using bis-iminobiotin conjugated to photo-activating silicon phthalocyanine. The HER2-targeting AMDC was also effective in vivo against a mouse KPL-4 xenograft model. This AMDC platform provides rapid, stable, and high-yield therapeutics against multiple targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenzo Yamatsugu
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroto Katoh
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takefumi Yamashita
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Kazuki Takahashi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Sho Aki
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Tatsumi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yudai Kaneko
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawamura
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan; Isotope Science Center, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Mai Miura
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Masazumi Ishii
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Kei Ohkubo
- Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan; Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Osawa
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Tatsuhiko Kodama
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Shumpei Ishikawa
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Motomu Kanai
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Akira Sugiyama
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan; Isotope Science Center, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan.
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25
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Luo R, Liu H, Cheng Z. Protein scaffolds: Antibody alternative for cancer diagnosis and therapy. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:830-847. [PMID: 35866165 PMCID: PMC9257619 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00094f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Although antibodies are well developed and widely used in cancer therapy and diagnostic fields, some defects remain, such as poor tissue penetration, long in vivo metabolic retention, potential cytotoxicity, patent limitation, and high production cost. These issues have led scientists to explore and develop novel antibody alternatives. Protein scaffolds are small monomeric proteins with stable tertiary structures and mutable residues, which emerged in the 1990s. By combining robust gene engineering and phage display techniques, libraries with sufficient diversity could be established for target binding scaffold selection. Given the properties of small size, high affinity, and excellent specificity and stability, protein scaffolds have been applied in basic research, and preclinical and clinical fields over the past two decades. To date, more than 20 types of protein scaffolds have been developed, with the most frequently used being affibody, adnectin, ANTICALIN®, DARPins, and knottin. In this review, we focus on the protein scaffold applications in cancer therapy and diagnosis in the last 5 years, and discuss the pros and cons, and strategies of optimization and design. Although antibodies are well developed and widely used in cancer therapy and diagnostic fields, some defects remain, such as poor tissue penetration, long in vivo metabolic retention, potential cytotoxicity, patent limitation, and high production cost.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Renli Luo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University Shenyang China
| | - Hongguang Liu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University Shenyang China
| | - Zhen Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Molecular Imaging Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- Drug Discovery Shandong Laboratory, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery Yantai Shandong 264117 China
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26
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Xiao Q, Jones ZB, Hatfield SC, Ashton DS, Dalley NA, Dyer CD, Evangelista JL, Price JL. Structural guidelines for stabilization of α-helical coiled coils via PEG stapling. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1096-1104. [PMID: 36128502 PMCID: PMC9428657 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00237f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Macrocyclization or stapling is one of the most well-known and generally applicable strategies for enhancing peptide/protein conformational stability and target binding affinity. However, there are limited structure- or sequence-based guidelines for the incorporation of optimal interhelical staples within coiled coils: the location and length of an interhelical staple is either arbitrarily chosen or requires significant optimization. Here we explore the impact of interhelical PEG stapling on the conformational stability and proteolytic resistance of a model disulfide-bound heterodimeric coiled coil. We demonstrate that (1) interhelical PEG staples are more stabilizing when placed farther from an existing disulfide crosslink; (2) e/g′ staples are more stabilizing than f/b′ or b/c′ staples; (3) PEG staples between different positions have different optimal staple lengths; (4) PEG stapling tolerates variation in the structure of the PEG linker and in the mode of conjugation; and (5) the guidelines developed here enable the rational design of a stabilized PEG-stapled HER-2 affibody with enhanced conformational stability and proteolytic resistance. Here we identify key criteria for designing PEG-stapled coiled coils with increased conformational and proteolytic stability.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Zachary B. Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Samantha C. Hatfield
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Dallin S. Ashton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Nicholas A. Dalley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Cody D. Dyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
| | - Judah L. Evangelista
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Joshua L. Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA
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27
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Suffian IFBM, Al-Jamal KT. Bioengineering of virus-like particles as dynamic nanocarriers for in vivo delivery and targeting to solid tumours. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 180:114030. [PMID: 34736988 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are known as self-assembled, non-replicative and non-infectious protein particles, which imitate the formation and structure of original wild type viruses, however, lack the viral genome and/or their fragments. The capacity of VLPs to encompass small molecules like nucleic acids and others has made them as novel vessels of nanocarriers for drug delivery applications. In addition, VLPs surface have the capacity to achieve variation of the surface display via several modification strategies including genetic modification, chemical modification, and non-covalent modification. Among the VLPs nanocarriers, Hepatitis B virus core (HBc) particles have been the most encouraging candidate. HBc particles are hollow nanoparticles in the range of 30-34 nm in diameter and 7 nm thick envelopes, consisting of 180 or 240 copies of identical polypeptide monomer. They also employ a distinctive position among the VLPs carriers due to the high-level synthesis, which serves as a strong protective capsid shell and efficient self-assembly properties. This review highlights on the bioengineering of HBc particles as dynamic nanocarriers for in vivo delivery and specific targeting to solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izzat F B M Suffian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia (Kuantan Campus), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
| | - Khuloud T Al-Jamal
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK.
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28
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Xia X, Yang X, Huang W, Xia X, Yan D. Self-Assembled Nanomicelles of Affibody-Drug Conjugate with Excellent Therapeutic Property to Cure Ovary and Breast Cancers. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2021; 14:33. [PMID: 34902075 PMCID: PMC8669081 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-021-00762-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Affibody molecules are small non-immunoglobulin affinity proteins, which can precisely target to some cancer cells with specific overexpressed molecular signatures. However, the relatively short in vivo half-life of them seriously limited their application in drug targeted delivery for cancer therapy. Here an amphiphilic affibody-drug conjugate is self-assembled into nanomicelles to prolong circulation time for targeted cancer therapy. As an example of the concept, the nanoagent was prepared through molecular self-assembly of the amphiphilic conjugate of ZHER2:342-Cys with auristatin E derivate, where the affibody used is capable of binding to the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Such a nanodrug not only increased the blood circulation time, but also enhanced the tumor targeting capacity (abundant affibody arms on the nanoagent surface) and the drug accumulation in tumor. As a result, this affibody-based nanoagent showed excellent antitumor activity in vivo to HER2-positive ovary and breast tumor models, which nearly eradicated both small solid tumors (about 100 mm3) and large established tumors (exceed 500 mm3). The relative tumor proliferation inhibition ratio reaches 99.8% for both models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelin Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyuan Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Huang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxia Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China.
| | - Deyue Yan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China.
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29
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Siavoshinia L, Kheirollah A, Zeinali M, Barzegari E, Jamalan M. Combinatorial in silico and in vivo evaluation of immune response elicitation by the affibody Z HER2. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 101:108368. [PMID: 34857479 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.108368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Due to the high affinity for binding to target molecules and also other unique attributes, affibodies have a great potential to be used in immunotherapeutic and diagnostic approaches. However, the possibility of undesirable immune response is still a great concern. In the current study, we investigated the possible antigenicity, allergenicity and cytotoxicity of the HER2-targeting affibody ZHER2. The binding affinity of potential epitopes of the affibody to murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules was investigated by immunoinformatics tools and docking approaches. The possible interaction of ZHER2 with human leukocyte antigens HLA-DP, HLA-DM, HLA-DQ and HLA-DR was also studied by protein-protein docking. Additionally, the synthesized affibody gene was expressed and the protein was purified for boosted immunization of Balb/c mice. Induced secretion of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10, and total serum IgG were assessed in the immunized mice. Furthermore, MTT cell viability test was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of ZHER2 in splenocytes of the treated mice. In silico analyses showed the possible induction of the immune response by ZHER2. While the affibody could elicit the secretion of cellular immune cytokines, it could not induce a significant humoral response in the treated mice and did not show any cytotoxic effects on the exposed splenocytes. These findings explain the practicability of ZHER2 for therapeutic and in vivo diagnostic usages, though its ubiquitous application may need more studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Siavoshinia
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Science, Medical School, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Alireza Kheirollah
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Science, Medical School, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Majid Zeinali
- Biotechnology Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Barzegari
- Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mostafa Jamalan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran.
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30
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Chong SE, Lee D, Oh JH, Kang S, Choi S, Nam SH, Yu J, Koo H, Lee Y. A dimeric α-helical cell penetrating peptide mounted with an HER2-selective affibody. Biomater Sci 2021; 9:7826-7831. [PMID: 34812802 DOI: 10.1039/d1bm00819f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We have developed a cell penetrating peptide (CPP) system with high selectivity and penetrability at nanomolar concentrations with a combination of an HER2-selective affibody, ZHER2:342 (ZHER2), and a dimeric α-helical leucine- and lysine-rich peptide, LK-2. ZHER2 and LK-2 are linearly fused together and expressed in a prokaryotic system to create the LK-2-ZHER2 protein, which can successfully distinguish and penetrate HER2-overexpressing cancer cells at nanomolar concentrations. LK-2-ZHER2 has the ability to intracellularly deliver doxorubicin as a conjugate form to enhance its anti-cancer effect on HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells with a great selectivity. The selective penetrability was confirmed in vitro, in 3D spheroids, and in in vivo models. LK-2-ZHER2 has the capability to overcome the weak points of current CPPs, such as poor penetrability at low concentrations and a lack of selectivity, by combining powerful CPP and affibody sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Eun Chong
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - Donghyun Lee
- Department of Medical Life Sciences and Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jae Hoon Oh
- Department of Engineering, Kyoto University Katsura, Kyoto, 615-8530, Japan
| | - Sunyoung Kang
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sejong Choi
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - So Hee Nam
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jaehoon Yu
- Department of Chemistry & Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - Heebeom Koo
- Department of Medical Life Sciences and Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yan Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
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Yamaguchi H, On J, Morita T, Suzuki T, Okada Y, Ono J, Evdokiou A. Combination of Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy Using Trastuzumab and Small Protein Mimetic for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212213. [PMID: 34830099 PMCID: PMC8618566 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a promising cancer therapy based on a monoclonal antibody conjugated to a photosensitizer (IR700Dye) that is activated by near-infrared light irradiation. We previously reported on the use of NIR-PIT with a small protein mimetic, the Affibody molecule (6–7 kDa), instead of a monoclonal antibody. In this study, we investigated a combination of NIR-PIT for HER2-positive breast cancer cells (SK-BR3, MDA-MB361, and JIMT1) with HER2 Affibody-IR700Dye conjugate and trastuzumab-IR700Dye conjugate. HER2 Affibody and trastuzumab target different epitopes of the HER2 protein and do not compete. In vitro, the combination of NIR-PIT using both HER2 Affibody-IR700Dye conjugate and trastuzumab-IR700Dye conjugate induced necrotic cell death of HER2-positive breast cancer cells without damage to HER2-negative breast cancer cells (MCF7). It was more efficient than NIR-PIT using either the HER2 Affibody-IR700Dye conjugate alone or the trastuzumab-IR700Dye conjugate alone. Additionally, this combination of NIR-PIT was significantly effective against HER2 low-expressing cancer cells, trastuzumab-resistant cells (JIMT1), and brain metastatic cells of breast cancer (MDA-MB361). Furthermore, in vivo imaging exhibited the strong fluorescence intensity of both HER2 Affibody-IR700Dye conjugates and trastuzumab-Alexa488 conjugates in HER2-positive tumor, indicating that both HER2 Affibody and trastuzumab specifically bind to HER2-positive tumors without competing with each other. In conclusion, the combination of NIR-PIT using both HER2 Affibody and trastuzumab expands the targeting scope of NIR-PIT for HER2-positive breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Yamaguchi
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata 951-8580, Japan; (H.Y.); (T.M.)
- Discipline of Surgery, Breast Cancer Research Unit, Basil Hetzel Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5011, Australia
| | - Jotaro On
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8122, Japan;
| | - Takao Morita
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata 951-8580, Japan; (H.Y.); (T.M.)
| | - Takamasa Suzuki
- Faculty of Engineering, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan;
| | - Yasuo Okada
- Department of Pathology, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata 951-8580, Japan; (Y.O.); (J.O.)
| | - Junya Ono
- Department of Pathology, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata 951-8580, Japan; (Y.O.); (J.O.)
| | - Andreas Evdokiou
- Discipline of Surgery, Breast Cancer Research Unit, Basil Hetzel Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5011, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-8-8222-7451
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Damiani I, Castiglioni S, Sochaj-Gregorczyk A, Bonacina F, Colombo I, Rusconi V, Otlewski J, Corsini A, Bellosta S. Purification and In Vitro Evaluation of an Anti-HER2 Affibody-Monomethyl Auristatin E Conjugate in HER2-Positive Cancer Cells. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10080758. [PMID: 34439990 PMCID: PMC8389717 DOI: 10.3390/biology10080758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent an innovative class of anticancer agents specifically aimed at targeting cancer cells, reducing damage to healthy tissues but showing some weaknesses. A promising approach for the development of high-affinity tumor targeting ADCs is the use of engineered protein drugs, such as affibody molecules. Our aim was to develop a more efficient purification method for the cytotoxic conjugate ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer cells. The conjugate is based on ZHER2:2891 affibody and a drug conjugation sequence (DCS), which allowed for site-specific conjugation of the cytotoxic auristatin E molecule (MMAE) to the affibody. We tested the in vitro efficacy of ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE on several parameters, such as cell viability, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Our results confirmed that the cytotoxic conjugate efficiently interacts with high affinity with HER2 positive cancer cells, allowing the selective and specific delivery of the cytotoxic payload. Abstract A promising approach for the development of high-affinity tumor targeting ADCs is the use of engineered protein drugs, such as affibody molecules, which represent a valuable alternative to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in cancer-targeted therapy. We developed a method for a more efficient purification of the ZHER2:2891DCS affibody conjugated with the cytotoxic antimitotic agent auristatin E (MMAE), and its efficacy was tested in vitro on cell viability, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. The effects of ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE were compared with the clinically approved monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin®). To demonstrate that ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE can selectively target HER2 overexpressing tumor cells, we used three different cell lines: the human adenocarcinoma cell lines SK-BR-3 and ZR-75-1, both overexpressing HER2, and the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. MTT assay showed that ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE induces a significant time-dependent toxic effect in SK-BR-3 cells. A 30% reduction of cell viability was already found after 10 min exposure at a concentration of 7 nM (IC50 of 80.2 nM). On the contrary, MDA-MB-231 cells, which express basal levels of HER2, were not affected by the conjugate. The cytotoxic effect of the ZHER2:2891DCS-MMAE was confirmed by measuring apoptosis by flow cytometry. In SK-BR-3 cells, increasing concentrations of conjugated affibody induced cell death starting from 10 min of treatment, with the strongest effect observed after 48 h. Overall, these results demonstrate that the ADC, formed by the anti-HER2 affibody conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E, efficiently interacts with high affinity with HER2 positive cancer cells in vitro, allowing the selective and specific delivery of the cytotoxic payload.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Damiani
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
| | - Silvia Castiglioni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
| | - Alicja Sochaj-Gregorczyk
- Microbiology Department, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30387 Krakow, Poland;
| | - Fabrizia Bonacina
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
| | - Irma Colombo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
| | - Valentina Rusconi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- Department of Protein Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50137 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Alberto Corsini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
- IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto San Giovanni, 20099 Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Bellosta
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (I.D.); (S.C.); (F.B.); (I.C.); (V.R.); (A.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0250318392
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Shipunova VO, Kolesnikova OA, Kotelnikova PA, Soloviev VD, Popov AA, Proshkina GM, Nikitin MP, Deyev SM. Comparative Evaluation of Engineered Polypeptide Scaffolds in HER2-Targeting Magnetic Nanocarrier Delivery. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:16000-16008. [PMID: 34179645 PMCID: PMC8223436 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c01811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Targeted drug delivery is one of the most intriguing and challenging issues in modern biomedicine. For active targeting, full-size IgG molecules (150 kDa) are usually used. Recent studies have revealed that small artificial polypeptide scaffolds such as DARPins (14 kDa) and affibodies (8 kDa) are much more promising tools for drug delivery due to their small size, artificial nature, low immunogenicity, and many other properties. However, there is no comparative information on the targeting abilities of scaffold polypeptides, which should be taken into account when developing drug delivery systems (DDSs). The present work is the first comprehensive study on the comparison of the effectiveness of different HER2-targeting proteins within the architecture of nanoparticles. Namely, we synthesized trimodal nanoparticles: magnetic, fluorescent, and directed toward HER2 oncomarker on cancer cells. The magnetic particles (MPs) were covalently modified with (i) full-size IgG, 150 kDa, (ii) DARPin_G3, 14 kDa, and (iii) affibody ZHER2:342, 8 kDa. We showed that the number of DARPin_G3 and affibody ZHER2:342 molecules conjugated to the nanoparticle surface are 10 and 40 times higher, respectively, than the corresponding value for trastuzumab. Using the methods of magnetic particle quantification (MPQ)-cytometry and confocal microscopy, we showed that all types of the obtained magnetic conjugates specifically labeled HER2-overexpressing cells. Namely, we demonstrated that particle binding to HER2-positive cells is 1113 ± 39 fg/cell for MP*trastuzumab, 1431 ± 186 fg/cell for MP*ZHER2:342, and 625±21 fg/cell for MP*DARPin_G3, which are 2.77, 2.75, and 2.30 times higher than the corresponding values for control HER2-negative cells. Thus, we showed that the smallest HER2-recognizing polypeptide affibody ZHER2:342 is more effective in terms of specificity and selectivity in nanoparticle-mediated cell labeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria O. Shipunova
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
- Moscow
Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
- MEPhI
(Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine (PhysBio), 31 Kashirskoe Shosse, Moscow 115409, Russia
- Sirius
University of Science and Technology, 1 Olympic Avenue, Sochi 354340, Russia
| | - Olga A. Kolesnikova
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Polina A. Kotelnikova
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Vladislav D. Soloviev
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
- Sirius
University of Science and Technology, 1 Olympic Avenue, Sochi 354340, Russia
| | - Anton A. Popov
- MEPhI
(Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine (PhysBio), 31 Kashirskoe Shosse, Moscow 115409, Russia
| | - Galina M. Proshkina
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Maxim P. Nikitin
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
- Moscow
Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
- Sirius
University of Science and Technology, 1 Olympic Avenue, Sochi 354340, Russia
| | - Sergey M. Deyev
- Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian
Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117997, Russia
- MEPhI
(Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine (PhysBio), 31 Kashirskoe Shosse, Moscow 115409, Russia
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Stüber JC, Richter CP, Bellón JS, Schwill M, König I, Schuler B, Piehler J, Plückthun A. Apoptosis-inducing anti-HER2 agents operate through oligomerization-induced receptor immobilization. Commun Biol 2021; 4:762. [PMID: 34155320 PMCID: PMC8217238 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02253-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Overexpression of the receptor tyrosine kinase HER2 plays a critical role in the development of various tumors. Biparatopic designed ankyrin repeat proteins (bipDARPins) potently induce apoptosis in HER2-addicted breast cancer cell lines. Here, we have investigated how the spatiotemporal receptor organization at the cell surface is modulated by these agents and is distinguished from other molecules, which do not elicit apoptosis. Binding of conventional antibodies is accompanied by moderate reduction of receptor mobility, in agreement with HER2 being dimerized by the bivalent IgG. In contrast, the most potent apoptosis-inducing bipDARPins lead to a dramatic arrest of HER2. Dual-color single-molecule tracking revealed that the HER2 "lockdown" by these bipDARPins is caused by the formation of HER2-DARPin oligomer chains, which are trapped in nanoscopic membrane domains. Our findings establish that efficient neutralization of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling can be achieved through intermolecular bipDARPin crosslinking alone, resulting in inactivated, locked-down bipDARPin-HER2 complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob C Stüber
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Roche Pharma Research & Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Christian P Richter
- Department of Biology/Chemistry and Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Junel Sotolongo Bellón
- Department of Biology/Chemistry and Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Martin Schwill
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Iwo König
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Roche Diagnostics Int. AG, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Schuler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jacob Piehler
- Department of Biology/Chemistry and Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Lee C, Kang S. Development of HER2-Targeting-Ligand-Modified Albumin Nanoparticles Based on the SpyTag/SpyCatcher System for Photothermal Therapy. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:2649-2658. [PMID: 34060808 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The successful development of targeted nanoparticle (NP)-based therapeutics depends on the effective conjugation of targeting ligands to the NP. However, conventional methods based on chemical reactive groups such as N-hydroxysuccinimide, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide, and maleimide have several limitations, including low binding efficiency, complex reaction methods, long reaction times, and reduced activity of the targeting ligand. In this study, we developed a novel method for conjugating targeting ligands to albumin NPs using the recently developed bacterial superglue the SpyTag/SpyCatcher (ST/SC) ligation system. This method involves a rapid one-step conjugation process with almost 100% efficiency. Albumin NPs conjugated to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) affibody molecules using the ST/SC system showed strong binding to HER2-overexpressing cells. In addition, NPs encapsulated with indocyanine green accumulated in cells overexpressing HER2 and exhibited superior photothermal treatment effects. Thus, surface functionalization of NPs using the ST/SC reaction may be used to develop new nanosystems that exhibit improved therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changkyu Lee
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Engineering, Division of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 38066, Korea
| | - Sebyung Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
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36
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Westerlund K, Myrhammar A, Tano H, Gestin M, Karlström AE. Stability Enhancement of a Dimeric HER2-Specific Affibody Molecule through Sortase A-Catalyzed Head-to-Tail Cyclization. Molecules 2021; 26:2874. [PMID: 34066245 PMCID: PMC8150554 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26102874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural backbone-cyclized proteins have an increased thermostability and resistance towards proteases, characteristics that have sparked interest in head-to-tail cyclization as a method to stability-enhance proteins used in diagnostics and therapeutic applications, for example. In this proof-of principle study, we have produced and investigated a head-to-tail cyclized and HER2-specific ZHER2:342 Affibody dimer. The sortase A-mediated cyclization reaction is highly efficient (>95%) under optimized conditions, and renders a cyclic ZHER3:342-dimer with an apparent melting temperature, Tm, of 68 °C, which is 3 °C higher than that of its linear counterpart. Circular dichroism spectra of the linear and cyclic dimers looked very similar in the far-UV range, both before and after thermal unfolding to 90 °C, which suggests that cyclization does not negatively impact the helicity or folding of the cyclic protein. The cyclic dimer had an apparent sub-nanomolar affinity (Kd ~750 pM) to the HER2-receptor, which is a ~150-fold reduction in affinity relative to the linear dimer (Kd ~5 pM), but the anti-HER2 Affibody dimer remained a high-affinity binder even after cyclization. No apparent difference in proteolytic stability was detected in an endopeptidase degradation assay for the cyclic and linear dimers. In contrast, in an exopeptidase degradation assay, the linear dimer was shown to be completely degraded after 5 min, while the cyclic dimer showed no detectable degradation even after 60 min. We further demonstrate that a site-specifically DyLight 594-labeled cyclic dimer shows specific binding to HER2-overexpressing cells. Taken together, the results presented here demonstrate that head-to-tail cyclization can be an effective strategy to increase the stability of an Affibody dimer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Amelie Eriksson Karlström
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; (K.W.); (A.M.); (H.T.); (M.G.)
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37
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Pinet L, Wang YH, Deville C, Lescop E, Guerlesquin F, Badache A, Bontems F, Morellet N, Durand D, Assrir N, van Heijenoort C. Structural and dynamic characterization of the C-terminal tail of ErbB2: Disordered but not random. Biophys J 2021; 120:1869-1882. [PMID: 33741354 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
ErbB2 (or HER2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed in some breast cancers and associated with poor prognosis. Treatments targeting the receptor extracellular and kinase domains have greatly improved disease outcome in the last 20 years. In parallel, the structures of these domains have been described, enabling better mechanistic understanding of the receptor function and targeted inhibition. However, the ErbB2 disordered C-terminal cytoplasmic tail (CtErbB2) remains very poorly characterized in terms of structure, dynamics, and detailed functional mechanism. Yet, it is where signal transduction is triggered via phosphorylation of tyrosine residues and carried out via interaction with adaptor proteins. Here, we report the first description, to our knowledge, of the ErbB2 disordered tail at atomic resolution using NMR, complemented by small-angle x-ray scattering. We show that although no part of CtErbB2 has any fully populated secondary or tertiary structure, it contains several transient α-helices and numerous transient polyproline II helices, populated up to 20 and 40%, respectively, and low but significant compaction. The presence of some structural elements suggests, along the lines of the results obtained for EGFR (ErbB1), that they may have a functional role in ErbB2's autoregulation processes. In addition, the transient formation of polyproline II helices is compliant with previously suggested interactions with SH3 domains. All in all, our in-depth structural study opens perspectives in the mechanistic understanding of ErbB2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Pinet
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ying-Hui Wang
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; SGS Taiwan LTD, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Célia Deville
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; IGBMC, University of Strasbourg, CNRS UMR, Illkirch, France
| | - Ewen Lescop
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Françoise Guerlesquin
- LISM, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Ali Badache
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Univ, INSERM, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - François Bontems
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Nelly Morellet
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Dominique Durand
- I2BC, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS UMR 9198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nadine Assrir
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Carine van Heijenoort
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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Quijano-Rubio A, Yeh HW, Park J, Lee H, Langan RA, Boyken SE, Lajoie MJ, Cao L, Chow CM, Miranda MC, Wi J, Hong HJ, Stewart L, Oh BH, Baker D. De novo design of modular and tunable protein biosensors. Nature 2021; 591:482-487. [PMID: 33503651 PMCID: PMC8074680 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03258-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring protein switches have been repurposed for the development of biosensors and reporters for cellular and clinical applications1. However, the number of such switches is limited, and reengineering them is challenging. Here we show that a general class of protein-based biosensors can be created by inverting the flow of information through de novo designed protein switches in which the binding of a peptide key triggers biological outputs of interest2. The designed sensors are modular molecular devices with a closed dark state and an open luminescent state; analyte binding drives the switch from the closed to the open state. Because the sensor is based on the thermodynamic coupling of analyte binding to sensor activation, only one target binding domain is required, which simplifies sensor design and allows direct readout in solution. We create biosensors that can sensitively detect the anti-apoptosis protein BCL-2, the IgG1 Fc domain, the HER2 receptor, and Botulinum neurotoxin B, as well as biosensors for cardiac troponin I and an anti-hepatitis B virus antibody with the high sensitivity required to detect these molecules clinically. Given the need for diagnostic tools to track the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)3, we used the approach to design sensors for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and antibodies against the membrane and nucleocapsid proteins. The former, which incorporates a de novo designed spike receptor binding domain (RBD) binder4, has a limit of detection of 15 pM and a luminescence signal 50-fold higher than the background level. The modularity and sensitivity of the platform should enable the rapid construction of sensors for a wide range of analytes, and highlights the power of de novo protein design to create multi-state protein systems with new and useful functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Quijano-Rubio
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA,Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Hsien-Wei Yeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Jooyoung Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Hansol Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the Biocentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Robert A. Langan
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Scott E. Boyken
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Marc J. Lajoie
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Longxing Cao
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Cameron M. Chow
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Marcos C. Miranda
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Jimin Wi
- Department of Systems Immunology, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo Jeong Hong
- Department of Systems Immunology, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Lance Stewart
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Byung-Ha Oh
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA,Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST Institute for the Biocentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.B. or B.-H.O
| | - David Baker
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.B. or B.-H.O
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39
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Shi RL, Xiao G, Dillon TM, McAuley A, Ricci MS, Bondarenko PV. Identification of critical chemical modifications by size exclusion chromatography of stressed antibody-target complexes with competitive binding. MAbs 2021; 13:1887612. [PMID: 33616001 PMCID: PMC7899689 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2021.1887612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical modifications (attributes) in the binding regions of stressed therapeutic proteins may affect binding to target and efficacy of therapeutic proteins. The method presented here describes the criticality assessment of therapeutic antibody modifications by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) of competitive binding between a stressed antibody and its target, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), followed by SEC fractionation and peptide mapping characterization of bound and unbound antibodies. When stressed antibody and its target were mixed at a stoichiometric molar ratio of 1:2, only antibody-receptor complex eluted from SEC, indicating that binding was not decreased to break the complex. When a smaller amount of the receptor was provided (1:1), the antibody species with modifications reducing binding eluted as unbound from SEC, while the antibody-receptor complex eluted as the bound fraction. Peptide mapping revealed ratios of modifications between unbound and bound fractions. Statistical analysis after triplicate measurements (n = 3) indicated that heavy chain (HC) D102 isomerization and light chain (LC) N30 deamidation were four-fold higher in unbound fraction with high statistical significance. Although HC N55 deamidation and M107 oxidation were also abundant, they were not statistically different between unbound and bound. Our findings agree with previously published potency measurements of collected CEX fractions and the crystal structure of antibody and HER2. Overall, competitive SEC of stressed antibody-receptor mixture followed by peptide mapping is a useful tool in revealing critical residues and modifications involved in the antibody-target binding, even if they elute as a complex from SEC when mixed at 1:2 stoichiometric ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Liuqing Shi
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Gang Xiao
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Thomas M Dillon
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Arnold McAuley
- Drug Product Technologies, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Margaret S Ricci
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA.,Drug Product Technologies, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Pavel V Bondarenko
- Attribute Sciences, Process Development, Amgen Inc , Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
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40
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Wu AM. Protein Engineering for Molecular Imaging. Mol Imaging 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816386-3.00045-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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41
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Siavoshinia L, Jamalan M, Zeinali M, Pourshohod A, Koushki M, Moradipoodeh B, Mohammadzadeh G. Improvement of Targeted Chemotherapy of HER2-positive Ovarian Malignant Cell Line by Z HER2-Idarubicin Conjugate: An in vitro Study. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2020; 16:109-118. [PMID: 33936221 PMCID: PMC8085286 DOI: 10.30699/ijp.2020.120392.2310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Background & Objective: Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) causes cell transformation and development of various types of malignancies. Idarubicin is an effective anti-neoplastic drug but its specific delivery to the targeted cells is still a great challenge. Affibody as a cost-effective peptide molecule with low molecular weight has a high affinity for HER2 receptors. Breast and ovarian cancers as wide speared types of malignancies are associated with high expression of HER2. In the current study, we assessed the cytotoxic effects of idarubicin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate on the positive-HER2 cancer cell lines. Methods: The cytotoxic effects of constructed idarubicin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate on the SK-BR-3, SK-OV-3, and MCF-7 cells with various levels of HER2 expression were evaluated by MTT assay following 48 hours of incubation. Results: Idarubicin showed a potent and dose-dependent cytotoxic effect against all treated cell lines while the SK-OV-3 cells were significantly more sensitive. The dimeric form of the ZHER2 affibody molecule showed a mild effect on the cell viability of all treated cells at its optimum concentration. The constructed Idarubicin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate decreased the viability of SK-OV-3 cells at its optimal concentration, more efficiently and specifically than other treated cells. Conclusion: The ZHER2-affibody conjugate of idarubicin has a more specific cytotoxic effect compared with idarubicin alone against HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancerous cells. It appears the ZHER2-affibody conjugate of idarubicin has great potential to be implicated as an innovative anti-cancer agent in future clinical trials in patients with HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Siavoshinia
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mostafa Jamalan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran
| | - Majid Zeinali
- Biotechnology Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran
| | - Aminollah Pourshohod
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mahdie Koushki
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Bahman Moradipoodeh
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Ghorban Mohammadzadeh
- Hyperlipidemia Research Center, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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42
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Peckys DB, Quint C, Jonge ND. Determining the Efficiency of Single Molecule Quantum Dot Labeling of HER2 in Breast Cancer Cells. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:7948-7955. [PMID: 33034459 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Quantum dots exhibit unique properties compared to other fluorophores, such as bright fluorescence and lack of photobleaching, resulting in their widespread utilization as fluorescent protein labels in the life sciences. However, their application is restricted to relative quantifications due to lacking knowledge about the labeling efficiency. We here present a strategy for determining the labeling efficiency of quantum dot labeling of HER2 in overexpressing breast cancer cells. Correlative light- and liquid-phase electron microscopy of whole cells was used to convert fluorescence intensities into the underlying molecular densities of the quantum dots. The labeling procedure with small affinity proteins was optimized yielding a maximal labeling efficiency of 83%, which was applicable to the high amount of ∼1.5 × 106 HER2 per cell. With the labeling efficiency known, it is now possible to derive the absolute protein expression levels in the plasma membrane and its variation within a cell and between cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana B Peckys
- Molecular Biophysics, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Cedric Quint
- Department of Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Niels de Jonge
- Department of Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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43
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Abstract
The concept of engineering robust protein scaffolds for novel binding functions emerged 20 years ago, one decade after the advent of recombinant antibody technology. Early examples were the Affibody, Monobody (Adnectin), and Anticalin proteins, which were derived from fragments of streptococcal protein A, from the tenth type III domain of human fibronectin, and from natural lipocalin proteins, respectively. Since then, this concept has expanded considerably, including many other protein templates. In fact, engineered protein scaffolds with useful binding specificities, mostly directed against targets of biomedical relevance, constitute an area of active research today, which has yielded versatile reagents as laboratory tools. However, despite strong interest from basic science, only a handful of those protein scaffolds have undergone biopharmaceutical development up to the clinical stage. This includes the abovementioned pioneering examples as well as designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins). Here we review the current state and clinical validation of these next-generation therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arne Skerra
- Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany;
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44
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Grindel B, Engel BJ, Hall CG, Kelderhouse LE, Lucci A, Zacharias NM, Takahashi TT, Millward SW. Mammalian Expression and In Situ Biotinylation of Extracellular Protein Targets for Directed Evolution. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:25440-25455. [PMID: 33043224 PMCID: PMC7542843 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Directed evolution is a powerful tool for the selection of functional ligands from molecular libraries. Extracellular domains (ECDs) of cell surface receptors are common selection targets for therapeutic and imaging agent development. Unfortunately, these proteins are often post-translationally modified and are therefore unsuitable for expression in bacterial systems. Directional immobilization of these targets is further hampered by the absence of biorthogonal groups for site-specific chemical conjugation. We have developed a nonadherent mammalian expression system for rapid, high-yield expression of biotinylated ECDs. ECDs from EGFR, HER2, and HER3 were site-specifically biotinylated in situ and recovered from the cell culture supernatant with yields of up to 10 mg/L at >90% purity. Biotinylated ECDs also contained a protease cleavage site for rapid and selective release of the ECD after immobilization on avidin/streptavidin resins and library binding. A model mRNA display selection round was carried out against the HER2 ECD with the HER2 affibody expressed as an mRNA-protein fusion. HER2 affibody-mRNA fusions were selectively released by thrombin and quantitative PCR revealed substantial improvements in the enrichment of functional affibody-mRNA fusions relative to direct PCR amplification of the resin-bound target. This methodology allows rapid purification of high-quality targets for directed evolution and selective elution of functional sequences at the conclusion of each selection round.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian
J. Grindel
- Department
of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Brian J. Engel
- Department
of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Carolyn G. Hall
- Department
of Breast Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson
Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Lindsay E. Kelderhouse
- Department
of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Anthony Lucci
- Department
of Breast Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson
Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Niki M. Zacharias
- Department
of Urology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Terry T. Takahashi
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Steven W. Millward
- Department
of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
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45
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Moradipoodeh B, Jamalan M, Zeinali M, Fereidoonnezhad M, Mohammadzadeh G. Specific targeting of HER2-positive human breast carcinoma SK-BR-3 cells by amygdaline-Z HER2 affibody conjugate. Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:7139-7151. [PMID: 32929653 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05782-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Amygdalin induces apoptotic death in several carcinoma cells. Affibody is an engineered protein with a high affinity for human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2). We assessed the cytotoxic effects of the amygdalin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate on two breast carcinoma cell lines. The ZHER2 affibody gene was synthesized and transferred into E. coli BL21 as an expression host. After purification, the ZHER2 affibody was conjugated to amygdalin. The cytotoxic effects of amygdalin and its ZHER2 affibody conjugate on the SK-BR-3, with overexpression of HER2, and MCF-7 cells were evaluated by MTT assay. The effects of amygdalin and its conjugate on apoptotic death and expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were measured. Amygdalin individually showed a potent cytotoxic effect against both MCF-7 (IC50 = 14.2 mg ml-1) and SK-BR-3 cells (IC50 = 13.7 mg ml-1). However, the amygdalin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate had a more cytotoxic effect on SK-BR-3 (IC50 = 8.27 mg ml-1) than MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 19.8 mg ml-1). Amygdalin had a significant apoptotic effect on both cell lines and the effect of its conjugate on SK-BR-3 cells was significantly more potent than MCF-7 cells. Amygdalin increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 expression in both cell lines. However, the effect of its conjugate on the Bax and Bcl-2 expression in SK-BR-3 was more potent than MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, the amygdalin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate may be considered as a valuable candidate for specific treatment of breast cancer patients with overexpression of HER2. However, further in vivo studies are required to explain the antitumoral effects of constructed amygdalin-ZHER2 affibody conjugate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahman Moradipoodeh
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Science, Ahvaz, Iran
| | | | - Majid Zeinali
- Biotechnology Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran
| | - Masood Fereidoonnezhad
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Ghorban Mohammadzadeh
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hyperlipidemia Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, P.O. Box: 61335/189, Iran.
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46
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Liu Y, Duan Z, Fang J, Zhang F, Xiao J, Zhang WB. Cellular Synthesis and X-ray Crystal Structure of a Designed Protein Heterocatenane. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:16122-16127. [PMID: 32506656 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202005490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report the biosynthesis of protein heterocatenanes using a programmed sequence of multiple post-translational processing events including intramolecular chain entanglement, in situ backbone cleavage, and spontaneous cyclization. The approach is general, autonomous, and can obviate the need for any additional enzymes. The catenane topology was convincingly proven using a combination of SDS-PAGE, LC-MS, size exclusion chromatography, controlled proteolytic digestion, and protein crystallography. The X-ray crystal structure clearly shows two mechanically interlocked protein rings with intact folded domains. It opens new avenues in the nascent field of protein-topology engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Zelin Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Jing Fang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Junyu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Wen-Bin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
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47
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Liu Y, Duan Z, Fang J, Zhang F, Xiao J, Zhang W. Cellular Synthesis and X‐ray Crystal Structure of a Designed Protein Heterocatenane. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202005490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Zelin Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research School of Life Sciences Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Jing Fang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Junyu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research School of Life Sciences Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
| | - Wen‐Bin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry &, Physics of Ministry of Education Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China
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48
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Zajc CU, Salzer B, Taft JM, Reddy ST, Lehner M, Traxlmayr MW. Driving CARs with alternative navigation tools - the potential of engineered binding scaffolds. FEBS J 2020; 288:2103-2118. [PMID: 32794303 PMCID: PMC8048499 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
T cells that are genetically engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T cells) have shown impressive clinical efficacy against B‐cell malignancies. In contrast to these highly potent CD19‐targeting CAR T cells, many of those directed against other tumor entities and antigens currently suffer from several limitations. For example, it has been demonstrated that many scFvs used as antigen‐binding domains in CARs show some degree of oligomerization, which leads to tonic signaling, T cell exhaustion, and poor performance in vivo. Therefore, in many cases alternatives to scFvs would be beneficial. Fortunately, due to the development of powerful protein engineering technologies, also non‐immunoglobulin‐based scaffolds can be engineered to specifically recognize antigens, thus eliminating the historical dependence on antibody‐based binding domains. Here, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such engineered binding scaffolds, in particular with respect to their application in CARs. We review recent studies, collectively showing that there is no functional or biochemical aspect that necessitates the use of scFvs in CARs. Instead, antigen recognition can also be mediated efficiently by engineered binding scaffolds, as well as natural ligands or receptors fused to the CAR backbone. Finally, we critically discuss the risk of immunogenicity and show that the extent of nonhuman amino acid stretches in engineered scaffolds—even in those based on nonhuman proteins—is more similar to humanized scFvs than might be anticipated. Together, we expect that engineered binding scaffolds and natural ligands and receptors will be increasingly used for the design of CAR T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte U Zajc
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Salzer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, Vienna, Austria.,St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joseph M Taft
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sai T Reddy
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Lehner
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, Vienna, Austria.,St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, St. Anna Kinderspital, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael W Traxlmayr
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Next Generation CAR T Cells, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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49
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Quijano-Rubio A, Yeh HW, Park J, Lee H, Langan RA, Boyken SE, Lajoie MJ, Cao L, Chow CM, Miranda MC, Wi J, Hong HJ, Stewart L, Oh BH, Baker D. De novo design of modular and tunable allosteric biosensors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020. [PMID: 32743576 DOI: 10.1101/2020.07.18.206946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring allosteric protein switches have been repurposed for developing novel biosensors and reporters for cellular and clinical applications 1 , but the number of such switches is limited, and engineering them is often challenging as each is different. Here, we show that a very general class of allosteric protein-based biosensors can be created by inverting the flow of information through de novo designed protein switches in which binding of a peptide key triggers biological outputs of interest 2 . Using broadly applicable design principles, we allosterically couple binding of protein analytes of interest to the reconstitution of luciferase activity and a bioluminescent readout through the association of designed lock and key proteins. Because the sensor is based purely on thermodynamic coupling of analyte binding to switch activation, only one target binding domain is required, which simplifies sensor design and allows direct readout in solution. We demonstrate the modularity of this platform by creating biosensors that, with little optimization, sensitively detect the anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2, the hIgG1 Fc domain, the Her2 receptor, and Botulinum neurotoxin B, as well as biosensors for cardiac Troponin I and an anti-Hepatitis B virus (HBV) antibody that achieve the sub-nanomolar sensitivity necessary to detect clinically relevant concentrations of these molecules. Given the current need for diagnostic tools for tracking COVID-19 3 , we use the approach to design sensors of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 protein epitopes and of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. The latter, which incorporates a de novo designed RBD binder, has a limit of detection of 15pM with an up to seventeen fold increase in luminescence upon addition of RBD. The modularity and sensitivity of the platform should enable the rapid construction of sensors for a wide range of analytes and highlights the power of de novo protein design to create multi-state protein systems with new and useful functions.
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50
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Developing Covalent Protein Drugs via Proximity-Enabled Reactive Therapeutics. Cell 2020; 182:85-97.e16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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