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Kao MR, Karmarkar Saldivar R, Hsieh YSY. Production of therapeutic glycoproteins in glycoengineered plant: old farm for new crops. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 87:103145. [PMID: 38781701 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Plant-based expression systems have emerged as promising avenues for the production of recombinant N-linked glycoproteins. This review offers insights into the evolution and progress of plant glycoengineering. It delves into the distinctive features of plant-derived N-glycans, the diverse range of plant hosts employed for glycoprotein synthesis, and the advancements in glycoengineering strategies aimed at generating glycoproteins with N-glycan structures akin to those produced in mammalian cell lines. Furthermore, alternative strategies for augmenting glycoengineering efforts and the current spectrum of applications for plant-produced N-glycan recombinant proteins are examined, underscoring their potential significance in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu-Rong Kao
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rebecka Karmarkar Saldivar
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yves S Y Hsieh
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova University Centre, Stockholm, Sweden.
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2
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Izadi S, Gumpelmair S, Coelho P, Duarte HO, Gomes J, Leitner J, Kunnummel V, Mach L, Reis CA, Steinberger P, Castilho A. Plant-derived Durvalumab variants show efficient PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and therapeutically favourable FcR binding. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2024; 22:1224-1237. [PMID: 38050338 PMCID: PMC11022803 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blocking therapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory signalling pathway has produced encouraging results in the treatment of a variety of cancers. Durvalumab (Imfinzi®) targeting PD-L1 is currently used for immunotherapy of several tumour malignancies. The Fc region of this IgG1 antibody has been engineered to reduce FcγR interactions with the aim of enhancing blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions without the depletion of PD-L1-expressing immune cells. Here, we used Nicotiana benthamiana to produce four variants of Durvalumab (DL): wild-type IgG1 and its 'Fc-effector-silent' variant (LALAPG) carrying further modifications to increase antibody half-life (YTE); IgG4S228P and its variant (PVA) with Fc mutations to decrease binding to FcγRI. In addition, DL variants were produced with two distinct glycosylation profiles: afucosylated and decorated with α1,6-core fucose. Plant-derived DL variants were compared to the therapeutic antibody regarding their ability to (i) bind to PD-L1, (ii) block PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory signalling and (iii) engage with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) and various Fcγ receptors. It was found that plant-derived DL variants bind to recombinant PD-L1 and to PD-L1 expressed in gastrointestinal cancer cells and are able to effectively block its interaction with PD-1 on T cells, thereby enhancing their activation. Furthermore, we show a positive impact of Fc amino acid mutations and core fucosylation on DL's therapeutic potential. Compared to Imfinzi®, DL-IgG1 (LALAPG) and DL-IgG4 (PVA)S228P show lower affinity to CD32B inhibitory receptor which can be therapeutically favourable. Importantly, DL-IgG1 (LALAPG) also shows enhanced binding to FcRn, a key determinant of serum half-life of IgGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Izadi
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Simon Gumpelmair
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Pedro Coelho
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Henrique O. Duarte
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Joana Gomes
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Judith Leitner
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Vinny Kunnummel
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Celso A. Reis
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Faculty of Medicine (FMUP)University of PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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Remoroza CA, Burke MC, Mak TD, Sheetlin SL, Mirokhin YA, Cooper BT, Goecker ZC, Lowenthal MS, Yang X, Wang G, Tchekhovskoi DV, Stein SE. Comparison of N-Glycopeptide to Released N-Glycan Abundances and the Influence of Glycopeptide Mass and Charge States on N-Linked Glycosylation of IgG Antibodies. J Proteome Res 2024; 23:1443-1457. [PMID: 38450643 PMCID: PMC10997438 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00904] [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] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
We report the comparison of mass-spectral-based abundances of tryptic glycopeptides to fluorescence abundances of released labeled glycans and the effects of mass and charge state and in-source fragmentation on glycopeptide abundances. The primary glycoforms derived from Rituximab, NISTmAb, Evolocumab, and Infliximab were high-mannose and biantennary complex galactosylated and fucosylated N-glycans. Except for Evolocumab, in-source ions derived from the loss of HexNAc or HexNAc-Hex sugars are prominent for other therapeutic IgGs. After excluding in-source fragmentation of glycopeptide ions from the results, a linear correlation was observed between fluorescently labeled N-glycan and glycopeptide abundances over a dynamic range of 500. Different charge states of human IgG-derived glycopeptides containing a wider variety of abundant attached glycans were also investigated to examine the effects of the charge state on ion abundances. These revealed a linear dependence of glycopeptide abundance on the mass of the glycan with higher charge states favoring higher-mass glycans. Findings indicate that the mass spectrometry-based bottom-up approach can provide results as accurate as those of glycan release studies while revealing the origin of each attached glycan. These site-specific relative abundances are conveniently displayed and compared using previously described glycopeptide abundance distribution spectra "GADS" representations. Mass spectrometry data are available from the MAssIVE repository (MSV000093562).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Brian T. Cooper
- Mass Spectrometry Data Center
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | | | - Mark S. Lowenthal
- Bioanalytical Science Group, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899, US
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Altmann F, Helm J, Pabst M, Stadlmann J. Introduction of a human- and keyboard-friendly N-glycan nomenclature. Beilstein J Org Chem 2024; 20:607-620. [PMID: 38505241 PMCID: PMC10949011 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.20.53] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
In the beginning was the word. But there were no words for N-glycans, at least, no simple words. Next to chemical formulas, the IUPAC code can be regarded as the best, most reliable and yet immediately comprehensible annotation of oligosaccharide structures of any type from any source. When it comes to N-glycans, the venerable IUPAC code has, however, been widely supplanted by highly simplified terms for N-glycans that count the number of antennae or certain components such as galactoses, sialic acids and fucoses and give only limited room for exact structure description. The highly illustrative - and fortunately now standardized - cartoon depictions gained much ground during the last years. By their very nature, cartoons can neither be written nor spoken. The underlying machine codes (e.g., GlycoCT, WURCS) are definitely not intended for direct use in human communication. So, one might feel the need for a simple, yet intelligible and precise system for alphanumeric descriptions of the hundreds and thousands of N-glycan structures. Here, we present a system that describes N-glycans by defining their terminal elements. To minimize redundancy and length of terms, the common elements of N-glycans are taken as granted. The preset reading order facilitates definition of positional isomers. The combination with elements of the condensed IUPAC code allows to describe even rather complex structural elements. Thus, this "proglycan" coding could be the missing link between drawn structures and software-oriented representations of N-glycan structures. On top, it may greatly facilitate keyboard-based mining for glycan substructures in glycan repositories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johannes Helm
- Department of Chemistry, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Pabst
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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Kogelmann B, Melnik S, Bogner M, Kallolimath S, Stöger E, Sun L, Strasser R, D'Aoust MA, Lavoie PO, Saxena P, Gach JS, Steinkellner H. A genome-edited N. benthamiana line for industrial-scale production of recombinant glycoproteins with targeted N-glycosylation. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300323. [PMID: 37804142 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Control over glycosylation is an important quality parameter in recombinant protein production. Here, we demonstrate the generation of a marker-free genome edited Nicotiana benthamiana N-glycosylation mutant (NbXF-KO) carrying inactivated β1,2-xylosyltransferase and α1,3-fucosyltransferase genes. The knockout of seven genes and their stable inheritance was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Mass spectrometric analyses showed the synthesis of N-glycans devoid of plant-specific β1,2-xylose and core α 1,3-fucose on endogenous proteins and a series of recombinantly expressed glycoproteins with different complexities. Further transient glycan engineering towards more diverse human-type N-glycans resulted in the production of recombinant proteins decorated with β1,4-galactosylated and α2,6-sialylated structures, respectively. Notably, a monoclonal antibody expressed in the NbXF-KO displayed glycosylation-dependent activities. Collectively, the engineered plants grow normally and are well suited for upscaling, thereby meeting industrial and regulatory requirements for the production of high-quality therapeutic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kogelmann
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stanislav Melnik
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michaela Bogner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lin Sun
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Johannes S Gach
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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Kogelmann B, Palt R, Maresch D, Strasser R, Altmann F, Kallolimath S, Sun L, D'Aoust M, Lavoie P, Saxena P, Gach JS, Steinkellner H. In planta expression of active bacterial GDP-6-deoxy-d-lyxo-4-hexulose reductase for glycan modulation. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2023; 21:1929-1931. [PMID: 37553797 PMCID: PMC10502745 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kogelmann
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
- ACIB – Austrian Centre of Industrial BiotechnologyViennaAustria
| | - Roman Palt
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Core Facility Mass SpectrometryUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Lin Sun
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | | | | | - Johannes S. Gach
- University of CaliforniaDivision of Infectious DiseasesIrvineCAUSA
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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Strasser R. Plant glycoengineering for designing next-generation vaccines and therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 67:108197. [PMID: 37315875 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein glycosylation has a huge impact on biological processes in all domains of life. The type of glycan present on a recombinant glycoprotein depends on protein intrinsic features and the glycosylation repertoire of the cell type used for expression. Glycoengineering approaches are used to eliminate unwanted glycan modifications and to facilitate the coordinated expression of glycosylation enzymes or whole metabolic pathways to furnish glycans with distinct modifications. The formation of tailored glycans enables structure-function studies and optimization of therapeutic proteins used in different applications. While recombinant proteins or proteins from natural sources can be in vitro glycoengineered using glycosyltransferases or chemoenzymatic synthesis, many approaches use genetic engineering involving the elimination of endogenous genes and introduction of heterologous genes to cell-based production systems. Plant glycoengineering enables the in planta production of recombinant glycoproteins with human or animal-type glycans that resemble natural glycosylation or contain novel glycan structures. This review summarizes key achievements in glycoengineering of plants and highlights current developments aiming to make plants more suitable for the production of a diverse range of recombinant glycoproteins for innovative therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Strasser
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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Beihammer G, König-Beihammer J, Kogelmann B, Ruocco V, Grünwald-Gruber C, D’Aoust MA, Lavoie PO, Saxena P, Gach JS, Steinkellner H, Strasser R. An oligosaccharyltransferase from Leishmania donovani increases the N-glycan occupancy on plant-produced IgG1. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1233666. [PMID: 37615026 PMCID: PMC10442823 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1233666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
N-Glycosylation of immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) at the heavy chain Fc domain (Asn297) plays an important role for antibody structure and effector functions. While numerous recombinant IgG1 antibodies have been successfully expressed in plants, they frequently display a considerable amount (up to 50%) of unglycosylated Fc domain. To overcome this limitation, we tested a single-subunit oligosaccharyltransferase from the protozoan Leishmania donovani (LdOST) for its ability to improve IgG1 Fc glycosylation. LdOST fused to a fluorescent protein was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and confocal microscopy confirmed the subcellular location at the endoplasmic reticulum. Transient co-expression of LdOST with two different IgG1 antibodies resulted in a significant increase (up to 97%) of Fc glycosylation while leaving the overall N-glycan composition unmodified, as determined by different mass spectrometry approaches. While biochemical and functional features of "glycosylation improved" antibodies remained unchanged, a slight increase in FcγRIIIa binding and thermal stability was observed. Collectively, our results reveal that LdOST expression is suitable to reduce the heterogeneity of plant-produced antibodies and can contribute to improving their stability and effector functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Beihammer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia König-Beihammer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Kogelmann
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Valentina Ruocco
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Johannes S. Gach
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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Trzos S, Link-Lenczowski P, Pocheć E. The role of N-glycosylation in B-cell biology and IgG activity. The aspects of autoimmunity and anti-inflammatory therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1188838. [PMID: 37575234 PMCID: PMC10415207 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system is strictly regulated by glycosylation through the addition of highly diverse and dynamically changing sugar structures (glycans) to the majority of immune cell receptors. Although knowledge in the field of glycoimmunology is still limited, numerous studies point to the key role of glycosylation in maintaining homeostasis, but also in reflecting its disruption. Changes in oligosaccharide patterns can lead to impairment of both innate and acquired immune responses, with important implications in the pathogenesis of diseases, including autoimmunity. B cells appear to be unique within the immune system, since they exhibit both innate and adaptive immune activity. B cell surface is rich in glycosylated proteins and lectins which recognise glycosylated ligands on other cells. Glycans are important in the development, selection, and maturation of B cells. Changes in sialylation and fucosylation of cell surface proteins affect B cell signal transduction through BCRs, CD22 inhibitory coreceptor and Siglec-G. Plasmocytes, as the final stage of B cell differentiation, produce and secrete immunoglobulins (Igs), of which IgGs are the most abundant N-glycosylated proteins in human serum with the conserved N-glycosylation site at Asn297. N-oligosaccharide composition of the IgG Fc region affects its secretion, structure, half-life and effector functions (ADCC, CDC). IgG N-glycosylation undergoes little change during homeostasis, and may gradually be modified with age and during ongoing inflammatory processes. Hyperactivated B lymphocytes secrete autoreactive antibodies responsible for the development of autoimmunity. The altered profile of IgG N-glycans contributes to disease progression and remission and is sensitive to the application of therapeutic substances and immunosuppressive agents. In this review, we focus on the role of N-glycans in B-cell biology and IgG activity, the rearrangement of IgG oligosaccharides in aging, autoimmunity and immunosuppressive therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Trzos
- Department of Glycoconjugate Biochemistry, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Paweł Link-Lenczowski
- Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ewa Pocheć
- Department of Glycoconjugate Biochemistry, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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Assessment of transient expression strategies to sialylate recombinant proteins in N. benthamiana. J Biotechnol 2023; 365:48-53. [PMID: 36805356 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
There is a demand for increasing the current manufacturing capacities for recombinant protein-based drugs. Novel expression systems such as plants are being explored as faster, more flexible, and possibly cheaper platforms. Many of these therapeutic proteins are glycosylated and require terminal sialylation to attain full biological activity. In planta protein sialylation has been achieved by the introduction of an entire mammalian biosynthetic pathway in Nicotiana benthamiana, comprising the coordinated expression of the genes for (i) biosynthesis, (ii) activation, (iii) transport, and (iv) transfer of Neu5Ac to terminal galactose. Here we address technical issues that can compromise the efficacy of protein sialylation and how they can be overcome. We used the same reporter protein to compared three strategies to transiently deliver the sialylation pathway-genes evaluating efficacy, heterogeneity and batch-to-batch consistency. In addition, we assess the ability of the single-step method to sialylated additional recombinant proteins with different complexity and number of glycosylation sites. Finally, we show that efficient protein sialylation can be up-scaled for large-scale production of sialylated proteins in plants.
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Sapozhnikova KA, Gulyak EL, Brylev VA, Misyurin VA, Oreshkov SD, Alexeeva AV, Ryazantsev DY, Simonova MA, Ryabukhina EV, Popova GP, Tikhonova NA, Lyzhko NA, Barmashov AE, Misyurin AV, Ustinov AV, Alferova VA, Korshun VA. Aminooxy Click Modification of a Periodate-Oxidized Immunoglobulin G: A General Approach to Antibody-Drug Conjugates with Dye-Mediated Expeditious Stoichiometry Control. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065134. [PMID: 36982208 PMCID: PMC10049567 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A universal approach to the construction of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has been developed. It relies on periodate oxidation of naturally present glycans of immunoglobulin G, followed by oxime ligation and, optionally, copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition for conjugation with a toxic payload. The introduction of highly absorbing cyanine dyes into the linker allows for facile determination of the drug-antibody ratio. We applied this methodology to the synthesis of cytotoxic conjugates of an antibody against the tumor-associated antigen PRAME with doxorubicin and monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). The resultant conjugates retained their affinity to a large extent, yet their cytotoxicity in vitro varied dramatically: while the doxorubicin-based conjugate did not produce any effect on cells, the MMAE-based one demonstrated specific activity against PRAME-expressing cancer cell lines. Importantly, the latter conjugate constitutes the first reported example of a PRAME-targeting ADC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ksenia A Sapozhnikova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Evgeny L Gulyak
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir A Brylev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Lumiprobe RUS Ltd., Kotsyubinskogo 4, 121351 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vsevolod A Misyurin
- N.N. Blokhin National Medical Cancer Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia, Kashirskoye sh. 24, 115478 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey D Oreshkov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Dmitry Yu Ryazantsev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A Simonova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina V Ryabukhina
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina P Popova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Alexander E Barmashov
- N.N. Blokhin National Medical Cancer Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia, Kashirskoye sh. 24, 115478 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Alexey V Ustinov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Lumiprobe RUS Ltd., Kotsyubinskogo 4, 121351 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vera A Alferova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir A Korshun
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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Gao Z, Chen S, Du J, Wu Z, Ge W, Gao S, Zhou Z, Yang X, Xing Y, Shi M, Hu Y, Tang W, Xia J, Zhang X, Jiang J, Yang S. Quantitative analysis of fucosylated glycoproteins by immobilized lectin-affinity fluorescent labeling. RSC Adv 2023; 13:6676-6687. [PMID: 36860533 PMCID: PMC9969232 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra00072a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Human biofluids are often used to discover disease-specific glycosylation, since abnormal changes in protein glycosylation can discern physiopathological states. Highly glycosylated proteins in biofluids make it possible to identify disease signatures. Glycoproteomic studies on saliva glycoproteins showed that fucosylation was significantly increased during tumorigenesis and that glycoproteins became hyperfucosylated in lung metastases, and tumor stage is associated with fucosylation. Quantification of salivary fucosylation can be achieved by mass spectrometric analysis of fucosylated glycoproteins or fucosylated glycans; however, the use of mass spectrometry is non-trivial for clinical practice. Here, we developed a high-throughput quantitative method, lectin-affinity fluorescent labeling quantification (LAFLQ), to quantify fucosylated glycoproteins without relying on mass spectrometry. Lectins with a specific affinity for fucoses are immobilized on the resin and effectively capture fluorescently labeled fucosylated glycoproteins, which are further quantitatively characterized by fluorescence detection in a 96-well plate. Our results demonstrated that serum IgG can be accurately quantified by lectin and fluorescence detection. Quantification in saliva showed significantly higher fucosylation in lung cancer patients compared to healthy controls or other non-cancer diseases, suggesting that this method has the potential to quantify stage-related fucosylation in lung cancer saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyuan Gao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215006 China
- Center for Clinical Mass Spectrometry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215006 China
| | - Sufeng Chen
- Clinical Laboratory Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Hangzhou Zhejiang 310014 China
| | - Jing Du
- Clinical Laboratory Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Hangzhou Zhejiang 310014 China
| | - Zhen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University Shanghai 200438 China
| | - Wei Ge
- Center for Clinical Mass Spectrometry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Song Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Pharmaceutical Compound Screening, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Resources and Environment, Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-industry Technology, School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University Lianyungang 222005 China
| | - Zeyang Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Xiaodong Yang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Yufei Xing
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Minhua Shi
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Yunyun Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Wen Tang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215004 China
| | - Jun Xia
- Clinical Laboratory Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Hangzhou Zhejiang 310014 China
| | - Xumin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University Shanghai 200438 China
| | - Junhong Jiang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215006 China
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou 215006 China
| | - Shuang Yang
- Center for Clinical Mass Spectrometry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
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13
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Multienzyme deep learning models improve peptide de novo sequencing by mass spectrometry proteomics. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010457. [PMID: 36668672 PMCID: PMC9891523 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Generating and analyzing overlapping peptides through multienzymatic digestion is an efficient procedure for de novo protein using from bottom-up mass spectrometry (MS). Despite improved instrumentation and software, de novo MS data analysis remains challenging. In recent years, deep learning models have represented a performance breakthrough. Incorporating that technology into de novo protein sequencing workflows require machine-learning models capable of handling highly diverse MS data. In this study, we analyzed the requirements for assembling such generalizable deep learning models by systemcally varying the composition and size of the training set. We assessed the generated models' performances using two test sets composed of peptides originating from the multienzyme digestion of samples from various species. The peptide recall values on the test sets showed that the deep learning models generated from a collection of highly N- and C-termini diverse peptides generalized 76% more over the termini-restricted ones. Moreover, expanding the training set's size by adding peptides from the multienzymatic digestion with five proteases of several species samples led to a 2-3 fold generalizability gain. Furthermore, we tested the applicability of these multienzyme deep learning (MEM) models by fully de novo sequencing the heavy and light monomeric chains of five commercial antibodies (mAbs). MEMs extracted over 10000 matching and overlapped peptides across six different proteases mAb samples, achieving a 100% sequence coverage for 8 of the ten polypeptide chains. We foretell that the MEMs' proven improvements to de novo analysis will positively impact several applications, such as analyzing samples of high complexity, unknown nature, or the peptidomics field.
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Eidenberger L, Eminger F, Castilho A, Steinkellner H. Comparative analysis of plant transient expression vectors for targeted N-glycosylation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1073455. [PMID: 36619384 PMCID: PMC9812561 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1073455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While plant-based transient expression systems have demonstrated their potency to rapidly express economically feasible quantities of complex human proteins, less is known about their compatibility with posttranslational modification control. Here we investigated three commonly used transient expression vectors, pEAQ, magnICON and pTra for their capability to express a multi-component protein with controlled and modified N-glycosylation. Cetuximab (Cx), a therapeutic IgG1 monoclonal antibody, which carries next to the conserved Fc an additional N-glycosylation site (GS) in the Fab-domain, was used as model. While pEAQ and pTra produce fully assembled Cx at similar levels in N. benthamiana, the yield of magnICON-Cx was twice as high. When expressed in wild type plants, both Cx-GSs exhibited typical plant N-glycans decorated with plant-specific xylose and fucose. Likewise, Cx generated in the glycoengineered ΔXTFT line carried mainly complex N-glycans lacking plant specific residues. Exposure to different engineering settings (encompassing stable lines and transient approaches) towards human galactosylation and sialylation resulted in Cx carrying targeted N-glycans at similar quantities using all three expression vectors. Collectively, our results exhibit the universal application of plant-based glycoengineering, thereby increasing the attractivity of the ambitious expression platform.
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van der Kaaij A, van Noort K, Nibbering P, Wilbers RHP, Schots A. Glyco-Engineering Plants to Produce Helminth Glycoproteins as Prospective Biopharmaceuticals: Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Prospects. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:882835. [PMID: 35574113 PMCID: PMC9100689 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.882835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Glycoproteins are the dominant category among approved biopharmaceuticals, indicating their importance as therapeutic proteins. Glycoproteins are decorated with carbohydrate structures (or glycans) in a process called glycosylation. Glycosylation is a post-translational modification that is present in all kingdoms of life, albeit with differences in core modifications, terminal glycan structures, and incorporation of different sugar residues. Glycans play pivotal roles in many biological processes and can impact the efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins. The majority of biopharmaceuticals are based on human glycoproteins, but non-human glycoproteins, originating from for instance parasitic worms (helminths), form an untapped pool of potential therapeutics for immune-related diseases and vaccine candidates. The production of sufficient quantities of correctly glycosylated putative therapeutic helminth proteins is often challenging and requires extensive engineering of the glycosylation pathway. Therefore, a flexible glycoprotein production system is required that allows straightforward introduction of heterologous glycosylation machinery composed of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases to obtain desired glycan structures. The glycome of plants creates an ideal starting point for N- and O-glyco-engineering of helminth glycans. Plants are also tolerant toward the introduction of heterologous glycosylation enzymes as well as the obtained glycans. Thus, a potent production platform emerges that enables the production of recombinant helminth proteins with unusual glycans. In this review, we discuss recent advances in plant glyco-engineering of potentially therapeutic helminth glycoproteins, challenges and their future prospects.
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Sołkiewicz K, Krotkiewski H, Jędryka M, Czekański A, Kratz EM. The Alterations of Serum IgG Fucosylation as a Potential Additional New Diagnostic Marker in Advanced Endometriosis. J Inflamm Res 2022; 15:251-266. [PMID: 35058701 PMCID: PMC8764169 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s341906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease leading to the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus, which affects approximately 10% of young women of reproductive potential. The diagnosis of this disease is difficult, often invasive and time-consuming, therefore non-invasive diagnostic methods are strongly desirable in endometriosis detection. The aim of our project was to investigate whether any associations exist between the expression of serum IgG fucosylation and advanced stages of endometriosis. We were also interested in whether native serum IgG (s-IgG) fucosylation analysis, without prior IgG isolation, could provide a panel of parameters helpful in non-invasive diagnostics of advanced endometriosis. METHODS IgG fucosylation was examined using a lectin-ELISA test with fucose-specific lectins: AAL and LCA, specific for core fucose α1,6-linked, as well as LTA and UEA which recognize α1,3- and α1,2-linked fucose, respectively. RESULTS ROC curve and cluster analysis showed s-IgG reactivities with the panel of fucose-specific lectins AAL, LCA and LTA. CONCLUSION s-IgG reactivity with the panel of fucose-specific lectins AAL, LCA and LTA can be taken into account as a useful diagnostic and clinical tool to differentiate women with advanced endometriosis. Moreover, it has been shown that the analysis of native IgG fucosylation directly in serum, without prior time-consuming, expensive IgG isolation, is sufficient to distinguish advanced stages of endometriosis from a control group of healthy women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Sołkiewicz
- Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Division of Laboratory Diagnostics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, 50-556, Poland
| | - Hubert Krotkiewski
- Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, 53-114, Poland
| | - Marcin Jędryka
- Department of Oncology, Gynecological Oncology Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, 53-413, Poland
- Department of Oncological Gynecology, Wroclaw Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wroclaw, 53-413, Poland
| | - Andrzej Czekański
- Department of Oncology, Gynecological Oncology Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, 53-413, Poland
- Department of Oncological Gynecology, Wroclaw Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wroclaw, 53-413, Poland
| | - Ewa Maria Kratz
- Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Division of Laboratory Diagnostics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, 50-556, Poland
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Izadi S, Jalali Javaran M, Rashidi Monfared S, Castilho A. Reteplase Fc-fusions produced in N. benthamiana are able to dissolve blood clots ex vivo. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260796. [PMID: 34847186 PMCID: PMC8631678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Thrombolytic and fibrinolytic therapies are effective treatments to dissolve blood clots in stroke therapy. Thrombolytic drugs activate plasminogen to its cleaved form plasmin, a proteolytic enzyme that breaks the crosslinks between fibrin molecules. The FDA-approved human tissue plasminogen activator Reteplase (rPA) is a non-glycosylated protein produced in E. coli. rPA is a deletion mutant of the wild-type Alteplase that benefits from an extended plasma half-life, reduced fibrin specificity and the ability to better penetrate into blood clots. Different methods have been proposed to improve the production of rPA. Here we show for the first time the transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana of rPA fused to the immunoglobulin fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain on an IgG1, a strategy commonly used to improve the stability of therapeutic proteins. Despite our success on the expression and purification of dimeric rPA-Fc fusions, protein instability results in high amounts of Fc-derived degradation products. We hypothesize that the "Y"- shape of dimeric Fc fusions cause steric hindrance between protein domains and leads to physical instability. Indeed, mutations of critical residues in the Fc dimerization interface allowed the expression of fully stable rPA monomeric Fc-fusions. The ability of rPA-Fc to convert plasminogen into plasmin was demonstrated by plasminogen zymography and clot lysis assay shows that rPA-Fc is able to dissolve blood clots ex vivo. Finally, we addressed concerns with the plant-specific glycosylation by modulating rPA-Fc glycosylation towards serum-like structures including α2,6-sialylated and α1,6-core fucosylated N-glycans completely devoid of plant core fucose and xylose residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Izadi
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mokhtar Jalali Javaran
- Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajad Rashidi Monfared
- Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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18
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Moore CM, Grandits M, Grünwald-Gruber C, Altmann F, Kotouckova M, Teh AYH, Ma JKC. Characterisation of a highly potent and near pan-neutralising anti-HIV monoclonal antibody expressed in tobacco plants. Retrovirology 2021; 18:17. [PMID: 34183026 PMCID: PMC8240387 DOI: 10.1186/s12977-021-00560-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV remains one of the most important health issues worldwide, with almost 40 million people living with HIV. Although patients develop antibodies against the virus, its high mutation rate allows evasion of immune responses. Some patients, however, produce antibodies that are able to bind to, and neutralise different strains of HIV. One such 'broadly neutralising' antibody is 'N6'. Identified in 2016, N6 can neutralise 98% of HIV-1 isolates with a median IC50 of 0.066 µg/mL. This neutralisation breadth makes N6 a very promising therapeutic candidate. RESULTS N6 was expressed in a glycoengineered line of N. benthamiana plants (pN6) and compared to the mammalian cell-expressed equivalent (mN6). Expression at 49 mg/kg (fresh leaf tissue) was achieved in plants, although extraction and purification are more challenging than for most plant-expressed antibodies. N-glycoanalysis demonstrated the absence of xylosylation and a reduction in α(1,3)-fucosylation that are typically found in plant glycoproteins. The N6 light chain contains a potential N-glycosylation site, which was modified and displayed more α(1,3)-fucose than the heavy chain. The binding kinetics of pN6 and mN6, measured by surface plasmon resonance, were similar for HIV gp120. pN6 had a tenfold higher affinity for FcγRIIIa, which was reflected in an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay, where pN6 induced a more potent response from effector cells than that of mN6. pN6 demonstrated the same potency and breadth of neutralisation as mN6, against a panel of HIV strains. CONCLUSIONS The successful expression of N6 in tobacco supports the prospect of developing a low-cost, low-tech production platform for a monoclonal antibody cocktail to control HIV in low-to middle income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M. Moore
- Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George’s University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE UK
| | - Melanie Grandits
- Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George’s University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE UK
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Kotouckova
- Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George’s University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE UK
| | - Audrey Y.-H. Teh
- Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George’s University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE UK
| | - Julian K.-C. Ma
- Hotung Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection & Immunity, St George’s University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE UK
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19
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Göritzer K, Strasser R. Glycosylation of Plant-Produced Immunoglobulins. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2021; 112:519-543. [PMID: 34687021 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76912-3_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many economically important protein-based therapeutics like monoclonal antibodies are glycosylated. Due to the recognized importance of this type of posttranslational modification, glycoengineering of expression systems to obtain highly active and homogenous therapeutics is an emerging field. Although most of the monoclonal antibodies on the market are still produced in mammalian expression platforms, plants are emerging as an alternative cost-effective and scalable production platform that allows precise engineering of glycosylation to produce targeted human glycoforms at large homogeneity. Apart from producing more effective antibodies, pure glycoforms are required in efforts to link biological functions to specific glycan structures. Much is already known about the role of IgG1 glycosylation and this antibody class is the dominant recombinant format that has been expressed in plants. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the glycoengineering of recombinant IgG subtypes and the other four classes of human immunoglobulins (IgA, IgD, IgE, and IgM). Except for IgD, all these antibody classes have been expressed in plants and the glycosylation has been analyzed in a site-specific manner. Here, we summarize the current data on glycosylation of plant-produced monoclonal antibodies and discuss the findings in the light of known functions for these glycans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Strasser
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Gattinger P, Izadi S, Grünwald-Gruber C, Kallolimath S, Castilho A. The Instability of Dimeric Fc-Fusions Expressed in Plants Can Be Solved by Monomeric Fc Technology. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:671728. [PMID: 34305971 PMCID: PMC8299721 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.671728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The potential therapeutic value of many proteins is ultimately limited by their rapid in vivo clearance. One strategy to limit clearance by metabolism and excretion, and improving the stability of therapeutic proteins, is their fusion to the immunoglobulin fragment crystallizable region (Fc). The Fc region plays multiple roles in (i) dimerization for the formation of "Y"-shaped structure of Ig, (ii) Fc-mediated effector functions, (iii) extension of serum half-life, and (iv) a cost-effective purification tag. Plants and in particular Nicotiana benthamiana have proven to be suitable expression platforms for several recombinant therapeutic proteins. Despite the enormous success of their use for the production of full-length monoclonal antibodies, the expression of Fc-fused therapeutic proteins in plants has shown limitations. Many Fc-fusion proteins expressed in plants show different degrees of instability resulting in high amounts of Fc-derived degradation products. To address this issue, we used erythropoietin (EPO) as a reporter protein and evaluated the efforts to enhance the expression of full-length EPO-Fc targeted to the apoplast of N. benthamiana. Our results show that the instability of the fusion protein is independent from the Fc origin or IgG subclass and from the peptide sequence used to link the two domains. We also show that a similar instability occurs upon the expression of individual heavy chains of monoclonal antibodies and ScFv-Fc that mimic the "Y"-shape of antibodies but lack the light chain. We propose that in this configuration, steric hindrance between the protein domains leads to physical instability. Indeed, mutations of critical residues located on the Fc dimerization interface allowed the expression of fully stable EPO monomeric Fc-fusion proteins. We discuss the limitations of Fc-fusion technology in N. benthamiana transient expression systems and suggest strategies to optimize the Fc-based scaffolds on their folding and aggregation resistance in order to improve the stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Gattinger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Immunopathology, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shiva Izadi
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Alexandra Castilho,
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21
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Kallolimath S, Hackl T, Gahn R, Grünwald-Gruber C, Zich W, Kogelmann B, Lux A, Nimmerjahn F, Steinkellner H. Expression Profiling and Glycan Engineering of IgG Subclass 1-4 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:825. [PMID: 32793574 PMCID: PMC7393800 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
IgG, the main serum immunoglobulin isotype, exists in four subclasses which selectively appear with distinctive glycosylation profiles. However, very little is known about the biological consequences mainly due to the difficulties in the generation of distinct IgG subtypes with targeted glycosylation. Here, we show a comprehensive expression and glycan modulation profiling of IgG variants in planta that are identical in their antigen binding domain but differ in their subclass appearance. While IgG1, 2, and 4 exhibit similar expression levels and purification yields, IgG3 is generated only at low levels due to the in planta degradation of the heavy chain. All IgG subtypes are produced with four distinct N-glycosylation profiles, differing in sugar residues previously shown to impact IgG activities, i.e., galactosylation, sialylation and core fucosylation. Affinity purified IgG variants are shown to be fully assembled to heterodimers but display different biochemical/physical features. All subtypes are equally well amenable to targeted glycosylation, except sialylated IgG4 which frequently accumulates substantial fractions of unusual oligo-mannosidic structures. IgG variants show significant differences in aggregate formation and endotoxin contamination which are eliminated by additional polishing steps (size exclusion chromatography, endotoxin removal treatments). Collectively we demonstrate the generation of 16 IgG variants at high purity and large glycan homogeneity which constitute an excellent toolbox to further study the biological impact of the two main Fc features, subclass and glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Hackl
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raphaela Gahn
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Wilhelm Zich
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Kogelmann
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anja Lux
- Department Biologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Falk Nimmerjahn
- Department Biologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria,*Correspondence: Herta Steinkellner,
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22
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Chen Q, Tan Z, Guan F, Ren Y. The Essential Functions and Detection of Bisecting GlcNAc in Cell Biology. Front Chem 2020; 8:511. [PMID: 32719771 PMCID: PMC7350706 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The N-glycans of mammalian glycoproteins vary greatly in structure, and the biological importance of these variations is mostly unknown. It is widely acknowledged that the bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) structure, a β1,4-linked GlcNAc attached to the core β-mannose residue, represents a special type of N-glycosylated modification, and it has been reported to be involved in various biological processes, such as cell adhesion, fertilization and fetal development, neuritogenesis, and tumor development. In particular, the occurrence of N-glycans with a bisecting GlcNAc modification on proteins has been proven, with many implications for immune biology. Due to the essential functions of bisecting GlcNAc structures, analytical approaches to this modification are highly required. The traditional approach that has been used for bisecting GlcNAc determinations is based on the lectin recognition of Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin (PHA-E); however, poor binding specificity hinders the application of this method. With the development of mass spectrometry (MS) with high resolution and improved sensitivity and accuracy, MS-based glycomic analysis has provided precise characterization and quantification for glycosylation modification. In this review, we first provide an overview of the bisecting GlcNAc structure and its biological importance in neurological systems, immune tolerance, immunoglobulin G (IgG), and tumor metastasis and development and then summarize approaches to its determination by MS for performing precise functional studies. This review is valuable for those readers who are interested in the importance of bisecting GlcNAc in cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushi Chen
- Clinical Laboratory of BGI Health, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zengqi Tan
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Glycobiology and Medical Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Feng Guan
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Glycobiology and Medical Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yan Ren
- Clinical Laboratory of BGI Health, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Kriechbaum R, Ziaee E, Grünwald‐Gruber C, Buscaill P, van der Hoorn RAL, Castilho A. BGAL1 depletion boosts the level of β-galactosylation of N- and O-glycans in N. benthamiana. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2020; 18:1537-1549. [PMID: 31837192 PMCID: PMC7292537 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Glyco-design of proteins is a powerful tool in fundamental studies of structure-function relationship and in obtaining profiles optimized for efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins. Plants, particularly Nicotiana benthamiana, are attractive hosts to produce recombinant glycoproteins, and recent advances in glyco-engineering facilitate customized N-glycosylation of plant-derived glycoproteins. However, with exception of monoclonal antibodies, homogenous human-like β1,4-galactosylation is very hard to achieve in recombinant glycoproteins. Despite significant efforts to optimize the expression of β1,4-galactosyltransferase, many plant-derived glycoproteins still exhibit incomplete processed N-glycans with heterogeneous terminal galactosylation. The most obvious suspects to be involved in trimming terminal galactose residues are β-galactosidases (BGALs) from the glycosyl hydrolase family GH35. To elucidate the so far uncharacterized mechanisms leading to the trimming of terminal galactose residues from glycans of secreted proteins, we studied a N. benthamiana BGAL known to be active in the apoplast (NbBGAL1). Here, we determined the NbBGAL1 subcellular localization, substrate specificity and in planta biological activity. We show that NbBGAL1 can remove β1,4- and β1,3-galactose residues on both N- and O-glycans. Transient BGAL1 down-regulation by RNA interference (RNAi) and BGAL1 depletion by genome editing drastically reduce β-galactosidase activity in N. benthamiana and increase the amounts of fully galactosylated complex N-glycans on several plant-produced glycoproteins. Altogether, our data demonstrate that NbBGAL1 acts on galactosylated complex N-glycans of plant-produced glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Kriechbaum
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Esmaiel Ziaee
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
- Department of Food Science and TechnologyCollege of AgricultureShiraz UniversityShirazIran
| | | | - Pierre Buscaill
- The Plant Chemetics LaboratoryDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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Development of efficient on-bead protein elution process coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine immunoglobulin G subclass and glycosylation for discovery of bio-signatures in pancreatic disease. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1621:461039. [PMID: 32295703 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a kind of IgG4-related disease in which higher IgG4 and total IgG levels have been found in patient serum. Due to the similar imaging features and laboratory parameters between AIP and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a differential diagnosis is still challenging. Since IgG profiles can be potential bio-signatures for disease, we developed and validated a method which coupled on-bead enzymatic protein elution process to an efficient UHPLC-MS/MS method to determine IgG subclass and glycosylation. A stable-isotope labeled IgG was incorporated as internal standard to achieve accurate quantification. For calibration curves, the correlation coefficients for total IgG and the four IgG subclasses were higher than 0.995. Intraday (n = 5) and interday (n = 3) precisions of the peak area ratios of LLOQ, low, medium, and high QC samples were all less than 6.6% relative standard deviation (% RSD), and the accuracies were between 93.5 and 114.9%. Calibration curves, precision, and accuracy were also evaluated for 26 IgG glycopeptides. The method was applied to samples from healthy controls and patients with AIP and PDAC. Distinct IgG patterns were discovered among the groups, and 7 glycopeptides showed high potential in differentiating AIP and PDAC. The results demonstrated that the developed method is suitable for multi-feature analysis of human IgG, and the discovered IgG profiles can be used as bio-signatures for AIP and PDAC.
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Larsen JS, Karlsson RTG, Tian W, Schulz MA, Matthes A, Clausen H, Petersen BL, Yang Z. Engineering mammalian cells to produce plant-specific N-glycosylation on proteins. Glycobiology 2020; 30:528-538. [DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwaa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Protein N-glycosylation is an essential and highly conserved posttranslational modification found in all eukaryotic cells. Yeast, plants and mammalian cells, however, produce N-glycans with distinct structural features. These species-specific features not only pose challenges in selecting host cells for production of recombinant therapeutics for human medical use but also provide opportunities to explore and utilize species-specific glycosylation in design of vaccines. Here, we used reverse cross-species engineering to stably introduce plant core α3fucose (α3Fuc) and β2xylose (β2Xyl) N-glycosylation epitopes in the mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. We used directed knockin of plant core fucosylation and xylosylation genes (AtFucTA/AtFucTB and AtXylT) and targeted knockout of endogenous genes for core fucosylation (fut8) and elongation (B4galt1), for establishing CHO cells with plant N-glycosylation capacities. The engineering was evaluated through coexpression of two human therapeutic N-glycoproteins, erythropoietin (EPO) and an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody. Full conversion to the plant-type α3Fuc/β2Xyl bi-antennary agalactosylated N-glycosylation (G0FX) was demonstrated for the IgG1 produced in CHO cells. These results demonstrate that N-glycosylation in mammalian cells is amenable for extensive cross-kingdom engineering and that engineered CHO cells may be used to produce glycoproteins with plant glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Steen Larsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, København, Denmark
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Richard Torbjörn Gustav Karlsson
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Weihua Tian
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Morten Alder Schulz
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Annemarie Matthes
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, København, Denmark
| | - Henrik Clausen
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Bent Larsen Petersen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, København, Denmark
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
| | - Zhang Yang
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
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26
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Stelter S, Paul MJ, Teh AY, Grandits M, Altmann F, Vanier J, Bardor M, Castilho A, Allen RL, Ma JK. Engineering the interactions between a plant-produced HIV antibody and human Fc receptors. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2020; 18:402-414. [PMID: 31301102 PMCID: PMC6953194 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Plants can provide a cost-effective and scalable technology for production of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, with the potential for precise engineering of glycosylation. Glycan structures in the antibody Fc region influence binding properties to Fc receptors, which opens opportunities for modulation of antibody effector functions. To test the impact of glycosylation in detail, on binding to human Fc receptors, different glycovariants of VRC01, a broadly neutralizing HIV monoclonal antibody, were generated in Nicotiana benthamiana and characterized. These include glycovariants lacking plant characteristic α1,3-fucose and β1,2-xylose residues and glycans extended with terminal β1,4-galactose. Surface plasmon resonance-based assays were established for kinetic/affinity evaluation of antibody-FcγR interactions, and revealed that antibodies with typical plant glycosylation have a limited capacity to engage FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb and FcγRIIIa; however, the binding characteristics can be restored and even improved with targeted glycoengineering. All plant-made glycovariants had a slightly reduced affinity to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) compared with HEK cell-derived antibody. However, this was independent of plant glycosylation, but related to the oxidation status of two methionine residues in the Fc region. This points towards a need for process optimization to control oxidation levels and improve the quality of plant-produced antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon Stelter
- Hotung Molecular Immunology UnitInstitute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
- Present address:
Crescendo Biologics LtdMeditrina Building 260Babraham Research CampusCambridgeCB22 3ATUK
| | - Mathew J. Paul
- Hotung Molecular Immunology UnitInstitute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Audrey Y.‐H. Teh
- Hotung Molecular Immunology UnitInstitute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Melanie Grandits
- Hotung Molecular Immunology UnitInstitute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Division of BiochemistryUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Jessica Vanier
- UNIROUENLaboratoire Glycobiologie et Matrice Extracellulaire Végétale EANormandie UnivRouenFrance
| | - Muriel Bardor
- UNIROUENLaboratoire Glycobiologie et Matrice Extracellulaire Végétale EANormandie UnivRouenFrance
- Institut Universitaire de France (I.U.F.)Paris Cedex 05France
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Rachel Louise Allen
- Institute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Julian K‐C. Ma
- Hotung Molecular Immunology UnitInstitute for Infection and ImmunitySt George's University of LondonLondonUK
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A Markov model of glycosylation elucidates isozyme specificity and glycosyltransferase interactions for glycoengineering. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 2:22-36. [PMID: 32285041 DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2020.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycosylated biopharmaceuticals are important in the global pharmaceutical market. Despite the importance of their glycan structures, our limited knowledge of the glycosylation machinery still hinders controllability of this critical quality attribute. To facilitate discovery of glycosyltransferase specificity and predict glycoengineering efforts, here we extend the approach to model N-linked protein glycosylation as a Markov process. Our model leverages putative glycosyltransferase (GT) specificity to define the biosynthetic pathways for all measured glycans, and the Markov chain modelling is used to learn glycosyltransferase isoform activities and predict glycosylation following glycosyltransferase knock-in/knockout. We apply our methodology to four different glycoengineered therapeutics (i.e., Rituximab, erythropoietin, Enbrel, and alpha-1 antitrypsin) produced in CHO cells. Our model accurately predicted N-linked glycosylation following glycoengineering and further quantified the impact of glycosyltransferase mutations on reactions catalyzed by other glycosyltransferases. By applying these learned GT-GT interaction rules identified from single glycosyltransferase mutants, our model further predicts the outcome of multi-gene glycosyltransferase mutations on the diverse biotherapeutics. Thus, this modeling approach enables rational glycoengineering and the elucidation of relationships between glycosyltransferases, thereby facilitating biopharmaceutical research and aiding the broader study of glycosylation to elucidate the genetic basis of complex changes in glycosylation.
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28
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Qin K, Shi W, Zhao L, Li M, Tang Y, Faridoon, Jiang B, Tang F, Huang W. Thermostability detection and optimization of glycoengineered antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates based on differential scanning flouremitry analysis. Bioorg Chem 2020; 94:103391. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Schiavinato M, Strasser R, Mach L, Dohm JC, Himmelbauer H. Genome and transcriptome characterization of the glycoengineered Nicotiana benthamiana line ΔXT/FT. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:594. [PMID: 31324144 PMCID: PMC6642603 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5960-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The allotetraploid tobacco species Nicotiana benthamiana native to Australia has become a popular host for recombinant protein production. Although its usage grows every year, little is known on this plant's genomic and transcriptomic features. Most N. benthamiana accessions currently used in research lack proper documentation of their breeding history and provenance. One of these, the glycoengineered N. benthamiana line ΔXT/FT is increasingly used for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins. RESULTS Based on an existing draft assembly of the N. benthamiana genome we predict 50,516 protein -encoding genes (62,216 transcripts) supported by expression data derived from 2.35 billion mRNA-seq reads. Using single-copy core genes we show high completeness of the predicted gene set. We functionally annotate more than two thirds of the gene set through sequence homology to genes from other Nicotiana species. We demonstrate that the expression profiles from leaf tissue of ΔXT/FT and its wild type progenitor only show minimal differences. We identify the transgene insertion sites in ΔXT/FT and show that one of the transgenes was inserted inside another predicted gene that most likely lost its function upon insertion. Based on publicly available mRNA-seq data, we confirm that the N. benthamiana accessions used by different research institutions most likely derive from a single source. CONCLUSIONS This work provides gene annotation of the N. benthamiana genome, a genomic and transcriptomic characterization of a transgenic N. benthamiana line in comparison to its wild-type progenitor, and sheds light onto the relatedness of N. benthamiana accessions that are used in laboratories around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Schiavinato
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Juliane C. Dohm
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Heinz Himmelbauer
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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30
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Mastrangeli R, Palinsky W, Bierau H. Glycoengineered antibodies: towards the next-generation of immunotherapeutics. Glycobiology 2019; 29:199-210. [PMID: 30289453 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwy092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are currently the largest and fastest growing class of biopharmaceuticals, and they address unmet medical needs, e.g., in oncology and in auto-immune diseases. Their clinical efficacy and safety is significantly affected by the structure and composition of their glycosylation profile which is commonly heterogeneous, heavily dependent on the manufacturing process, and thus susceptible to variations in the cell culture conditions. Glycosylation is therefore considered a critical quality attribute for mAbs. Commonly, in currently marketed therapeutic mAbs, the glycosylation profile is suboptimal in terms of biological properties such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity or may give rise to safety concerns due to the presence of non-human glycans. This article will review recent innovative developments in chemo-enzymatic glycoengineering, which allow generating mAbs carrying single, well-defined, uniform Fc glycoforms, which confers the desired biological properties for the target application. This approach offers significant benefits such as enhanced Fc effector functions, improved safety profiles, higher batch-to-batch consistency, decreased risks related to immunogenicity and manufacturing process changes, and the possibility to manufacture mAbs, in an economical manner, in non-mammalian expression systems. Overall, this approach could facilitate and reduce mAb manufacturing costs which in turn would translate into tangible benefits for both patients and manufacturers. The first glycoengineered mAbs are about to enter clinical trials and it is expected that, once glycoengineering reagents are available at affordable costs, and in-line with regulatory requirements, that targeted remodeling of antibody Fc glycosylation will become an integral part in manufacturing the next-generation of immunotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Mastrangeli
- Biotech Development Programme, CMC Science & Intelligence, Merck Serono SpA, an affiliate of Merck KgaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Via Luigi Einaudi, 11. Guidonia Montecelio (Roma), Italy
| | - Wolf Palinsky
- Biotech Development Programme, Merck Biopharma, an affiliate of Merck KgaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Zone Industrielle de l'Ouriettaz, Aubonne, Switzerland
| | - Horst Bierau
- Biotech Development Programme, CMC Science & Intelligence, Merck Serono SpA, an affiliate of Merck KgaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Via Luigi Einaudi, 11. Guidonia Montecelio (Roma), Italy
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31
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Komarova TV, Sheshukova EV, Dorokhov YL. Plant-Made Antibodies: Properties and Therapeutic Applications. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:381-395. [PMID: 29231134 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666171212093257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cost-effective plant platform for therapeutic monoclonal antibody production is both flexible and scalable. Plant cells have mechanisms for protein synthesis and posttranslational modification, including glycosylation, similar to those in animal cells. However, plants produce less complex and diverse Asn-attached glycans compared to animal cells and contain plant-specific residues. Nevertheless, plant-made antibodies (PMAbs) could be advantageous compared to those produced in animal cells due to the absence of a risk of contamination from nucleic acids or proteins of animal origin. OBJECTIVE In this review, the various platforms of PMAbs production are described, and the widely used transient expression system based on Agrobacterium-mediated delivery of genetic material into plant cells is discussed in detail. RESULTS We examined the features of and approaches to humanizing the Asn-linked glycan of PMAbs. The prospects for PMAbs in the prevention and treatment of human infectious diseases have been illustrated by promising results with PMAbs against human immunodeficiency virus, rotavirus infection, human respiratory syncytial virus, rabies, anthrax and Ebola virus. The pre-clinical and clinical trials of PMAbs against different types of cancer, including lymphoma and breast cancer, are addressed. CONCLUSION PMAb biosafety assessments in patients suggest that it has no side effects, although this does not completely remove concerns about the potential immunogenicity of some plant glycans in humans. Several PMAbs at various developmental stages have been proposed. Promise for the clinical use of PMAbs is aimed at the treatment of viral and bacterial infections as well as in anti-cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V Komarova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.,A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ekaterina V Sheshukova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yuri L Dorokhov
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.,A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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32
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Buettner MJ, Shah SR, Saeui CT, Ariss R, Yarema KJ. Improving Immunotherapy Through Glycodesign. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2485. [PMID: 30450094 PMCID: PMC6224361 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is revolutionizing health care, with the majority of high impact "drugs" approved in the past decade falling into this category of therapy. Despite considerable success, glycosylation-a key design parameter that ensures safety, optimizes biological response, and influences the pharmacokinetic properties of an immunotherapeutic-has slowed the development of this class of drugs in the past and remains challenging at present. This article describes how optimizing glycosylation through a variety of glycoengineering strategies provides enticing opportunities to not only avoid past pitfalls, but also to substantially improve immunotherapies including antibodies and recombinant proteins, and cell-based therapies. We cover design principles important for early stage pre-clinical development and also discuss how various glycoengineering strategies can augment the biomanufacturing process to ensure the overall effectiveness of immunotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Buettner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sagar R Shah
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Christopher T Saeui
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Pharmacology/Toxicology Branch I, Division of Clinical Evaluation and Pharmacology/Toxicology, Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ryan Ariss
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kevin J Yarema
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Translational Tissue Engineering Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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33
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Dalziel M, Beers SA, Cragg MS, Crispin M. Through the barricades: overcoming the barriers to effective antibody-based cancer therapeutics. Glycobiology 2018; 28:697-712. [PMID: 29800150 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwy043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the turn of the century, cancer therapy has undergone a transformation in terms of new treatment modalities and renewed optimism in achieving long-lived tumor control and even cure. This is, in large part, thanks to the widespread incorporation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) into standard treatment regimens. These new therapies have, across many settings, significantly contributed to improved clinical responses, patient quality of life and survival. Moreover, the flexibility of the antibody platform has led to the development of a wide range of innovative and combinatorial therapies that continue to augment the clinician's armory. Despite these successes, there is a growing awareness that in many cases mAb therapy remains suboptimal, primarily due to inherent limitations imposed by the immune system's own homeostatic controls and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Here, we discuss the principal barriers that act to constrain the tumor-killing activity of antibody-based therapeutics, particularly those involving antibody glycans, using illustrative examples from both pre-clinical and market approved mAbs. We also discuss strategies that have been, or are in development to overcome these obstacles. Finally, we outline how the growing understanding of the biological terrain in which mAbs function is shaping innovation and regulation in cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Dalziel
- Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen A Beers
- Antibody & Vaccine Group, Cancer Sciences Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK
| | - Mark S Cragg
- Antibody & Vaccine Group, Cancer Sciences Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK
| | - Max Crispin
- Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, Highfield Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Kallolimath S, Gruber C, Steinkellner H, Castilho A. Promoter Choice Impacts the Efficiency of Plant Glyco-Engineering. Biotechnol J 2018; 13. [PMID: 28755501 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201700380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Glyco-modulation of therapeutic proteins produced in plants has shown great success. Plant-based expression platforms for tailored human-like N-glycosylation are based on the overexpression of foreign genes. However, drawbacks such as protein miss targeting, interference with endogenous glycosyltransferases, or with plant development hamper the widespread use of the technology. Here a technique that facilitates the generation of recombinant proteins with targeted N-glycosylation at high homogeneity is described. It is focused on the synthesis of human-type β1,4-galactosylation by the overexpression of the human β1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalT) in Nicotiana benthamiana. A GalT construct that targets the enzyme to the required late Golgi compartment (ST GalT) is transiently co-expressed with two pharmaceutically relevant glycoproteins. The impact of eight promoters driving the expression of ST GalT is evaluated by mass spectrometry (MS) -based analyses. It is shown that five promoters (amongst them high expressors) induce aberrant non-human glycosylation. In contrast, three promoters, considered as moderately active, regulate gene expression to levels leading to an improved efficiency of di-galactosylation (and subsequent sialylation) on the reporter proteins. The results point to the importance of promoter choice for optimizing glycan engineering processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somanath Kallolimath
- S. Kallolimath, Prof. H. Steinkellner, Dr. A. Castilho, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Gruber
- Dr. C. Gruber, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- S. Kallolimath, Prof. H. Steinkellner, Dr. A. Castilho, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- S. Kallolimath, Prof. H. Steinkellner, Dr. A. Castilho, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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35
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Tayi VS, Butler M. Solid-Phase Enzymatic Remodeling Produces High Yields of Single Glycoform Antibodies. Biotechnol J 2017; 13:e1700381. [PMID: 29247593 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201700381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Antibodies are synthesized in mammalian cell culture as heterogeneous mixtures of glycoforms. Production of single glycoforms remains a challenge despite their value as therapeutics. The authors report a method of sequential enzymatic-based changes to antibodies while immobilized on an affinity column. Various antibodies (monoclonal and polyclonal) are isolated on Protein A or G columns and their glycans modified by sequential addition of enzymes for a desired transformation. Galactosylated antibodies (>90% yield) are produced by a one stage reaction process with sialidase to remove any sialic acid residues and addition of galactose with galactosyltransferase and UDP-Gal. Sialylated antibodies (>90%) are produced by a 2 stage conversion involving α(2,3) sialidase and galactosyltransferase followed by treatment with α(2,6) sialyltransferase in the presence of CMP-NANA. By this method, >90% of a disialylated human-llama antibody (EG2-hFc) and equimolar quantities of monosialylated and disialylated forms of human antibodies (αIL8-hFc and human polyclonal) are produced. Such high levels of sialylation are very difficult to obtain by typical cell culture methods. This method of transformation while the antibody is held on a solid-phase column is superior to previous methods because it allows a series of enzymatic steps without the need for intermediate purification. This is an efficient and rapid method to generate therapeutic antibodies with predefined glycosylation profiles. This should also assist in investigating the structure-function relationship of antibody glycans to find the desired glycosylation profile for high functional activity. With further optimization the method can be used to modify antibodies in large-scale manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata S Tayi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2
| | - Michael Butler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2.,National Institute for Bioprocessing Research & Training (NIBRT), Fosters Avenue, Blackrock, A94 X099, Co. Dublin, Ireland
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36
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Göritzer K, Maresch D, Altmann F, Obinger C, Strasser R. Exploring Site-Specific N-Glycosylation of HEK293 and Plant-Produced Human IgA Isotypes. J Proteome Res 2017; 16:2560-2570. [PMID: 28516782 PMCID: PMC5504489 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The full potential of recombinant Immunoglobulin A as therapeutic antibody is not fully explored, owing to the fact that structure-function relationships of these extensively glycosylated proteins are not well understood. Here monomeric IgA1, IgA2m(1), and IgA2m(2) variants of the anti-HER2 antibody (IgG1) trastuzumab were expressed in glyco-engineered Nicotiana benthamiana plants and in human HEK293-6E cells. All three IgA isotypes were purified and subjected to biophysical and biochemical characterization. While no differences in assembly, antigen binding, and glycosylation occupancy were observed, both systems vary tremendously in terms of glycan structures and heterogeneity of glycosylation. Mass-spectrometric analysis of site-specific glycosylation revealed that plant-produced IgAs carry mainly complex-type biantennary N-glycans. HEK293-6E-produced IgAs, on the contrary, showed very heterogeneous N-glycans with high levels of sialylation, core-fucose, and the presence of branched structures. The site-specific analysis revealed major differences between the individual N-glycosylation sites of each IgA subtype. Moreover, the proline-rich hinge region from HEK293-6E cell-derived IgA1 was occupied with mucin-type O-glycans, whereas IgA1 from N. benthamiana displayed numerous plant-specific modifications. Interestingly, a shift in unfolding of the CH2 domain of plant-produced IgA toward lower temperatures can be observed with differential scanning calorimetry, suggesting that distinct glycoforms affect the thermal stability of IgAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Göritzer
- Department
of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Department
of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department
of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Obinger
- Department
of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department
of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
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37
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Montero-Morales L, Maresch D, Castilho A, Turupcu A, Ilieva KM, Crescioli S, Karagiannis SN, Lupinek C, Oostenbrink C, Altmann F, Steinkellner H. Recombinant plant-derived human IgE glycoproteomics. J Proteomics 2017; 161:81-87. [PMID: 28400175 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The increasing biotechnological interest in human IgE antibodies demands advanced systems which allow their proper expression. However, this is still a challenge due to the complexity of the molecule, particularly regarding the diverse N-glycosylation pattern. Here, we present the expression of recombinant IgE in wild type and glycan-engineered Nicotiana benthamiana plants and in-depth N-glycosylation analyses. Mass spectrometric profiling revealed that plant IgE has a site occupancy rate that ranges from non-occupied at glycosite 6 (GS6) to 100% occupancy at GS1 and 2. Similarly to human cell-derived IgE, plant versions carry complex N-glycans at GS1-5 and oligomannosidic structures at GS7. Computational modelling suggests that spatial position (or orientation) of glycans can impair processing or site occupancy on adjacent glycosites. IgE expressed in glycoengineered and wild type plants carry, respectively, GnGn and plant-typical GnGnXF structures at large homogeneity. This contrasts with the glycan diversity of HEK cell-derived IgE, carrying at least 20 different glycoforms. Importantly, IgE glycoengineering allows the control of its glycosylation, a so far unmet need when using well-established expression systems. This enables the elucidation of possible carbohydrate-dependent IgE functions. SIGNIFICANCE Targeted glycosylation of recombinant proteins may provide an advantage in therapeutic applications. Despite increasing biotechnological interest in IgE antibodies, knowledge and impact of glycosylation on this antibody class are scarce. With the ability to glyco-engineer recombinant IgE, we provide an important step towards the generation of IgE with other targeted N-glycans. This will facilitate detailed structure-function studies and may lead to the production of IgE with optimized activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Montero-Morales
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Aysegül Turupcu
- Institute for Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristina M Ilieva
- St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK; Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Research Oncology, Division of Cancer Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Silvia Crescioli
- St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Sophia N Karagiannis
- St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK; Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Research Oncology, Division of Cancer Studies, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Christian Lupinek
- Dept. of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Chris Oostenbrink
- Institute for Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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38
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Komarova TV, Sheshukova EV, Kosobokova EN, Serebryakova MV, Kosorukov VS, Tashlitsky VN, Dorokhov YL. Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab Plant Biosimilars: Modification of Asn297-linked Glycan of the mAbs Produced in a Plant with Fucosyltransferase and Xylosyltransferase Gene Knockouts. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2017; 82:510-520. [PMID: 28371609 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297917040137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Plant biosimilars of anticancer therapeutic antibodies are of interest not only because of the prospects of their practical use, but also as an instrument and object for study of plant protein glycosylation. In this work, we first designed a pertuzumab plant biosimilar (PPB) and investigated the composition of its Asn297-linked glycan in comparison with trastuzumab plant biosimilar (TPB). Both biosimilars were produced in wild-type (WT) Nicotiana benthamiana plant (PPB-WT and TPB-WT) and transgenic ΔXTFT N. benthamiana plant with XT and FT genes knockout (PPB-ΔXTFT and TPB-ΔXTFT). Western blot analysis with anti-α1,3-fucose and anti-xylose antibodies, as well as a test with peptide-N-glycosidase F, confirmed the absence of α1,3-fucose and xylose in the Asn297-linked glycan of PPB-ΔXTFT and TPB-ΔXTFT. Peptide analysis followed by the identification of glycomodified peptides using MALDI-TOF/TOF showed that PPB-WT and TPB-WT Asn297-linked glycans are mainly of complex type GnGnXF. The core of PPB-WT and TPB-WT Asn297-linked GnGn-type glycan contains α1,3-fucose and β1,2-xylose, which, along with the absence of terminal galactose and sialic acid, distinguishes these plant biosimilars from human IgG. Analysis of TPB-ΔXTFT total carbohydrate content indicates the possibility of changing the composition of the carbohydrate profile not only of the Fc, but also of the Fab portion of an antibody produced in transgenic ΔXTFT N. benthamiana plants. Nevertheless, study of the antigen-binding capacity of the biosimilars showed that absence of xylose and fucose residues in the Asn297-linked glycans does not affect the ability of the glycomodified antibodies to interact with HER2/neu positive cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- T V Komarova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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39
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Shin Y, Castilho A, Dicker M, Sádio F, Vavra U, Grünwald‐Gruber C, Kwon T, Altmann F, Steinkellner H, Strasser R. Reduced paucimannosidic N-glycan formation by suppression of a specific β-hexosaminidase from Nicotiana benthamiana. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2017; 15:197-206. [PMID: 27421111 PMCID: PMC5259580 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants are attractive hosts for the production of recombinant glycoproteins for therapeutic use. Recent advances in glyco-engineering facilitate the elimination of nonmammalian-type glycosylation and introduction of missing pathways for customized N-glycan formation. However, some therapeutically relevant recombinant glycoproteins exhibit unwanted truncated (paucimannosidic) N-glycans that lack GlcNAc residues at the nonreducing terminal end. These paucimannosidic N-glycans increase product heterogeneity and may affect the biological function of the recombinant drugs. Here, we identified two enzymes, β-hexosaminidases (HEXOs) that account for the formation of paucimannosidic N-glycans in Nicotiana benthamiana, a widely used expression host for recombinant proteins. Subcellular localization studies showed that HEXO1 is a vacuolar protein and HEXO3 is mainly located at the plasma membrane in N. benthamiana leaf epidermal cells. Both enzymes are functional and can complement the corresponding HEXO-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. In planta expression of HEXO3 demonstrated that core α1,3-fucose enhances the trimming of GlcNAc residues from the Fc domain of human IgG. Finally, using RNA interference, we show that suppression of HEXO3 expression can be applied to increase the amounts of complex N-glycans on plant-produced human α1-antitrypsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun‐Ji Shin
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Martina Dicker
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Flavio Sádio
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Ulrike Vavra
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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40
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Wang X, Jiang D, Shi J, Yang D. Expression of α-1,6-fucosyltransferase (FUT8) in rice grain and immunogenicity evaluation of plant-specific glycans. J Biotechnol 2016; 242:111-121. [PMID: 28013072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Rice seed is a cost-effective bioreactor for the large-scale production of pharmaceuticals. However, convincing evidence of the immunogenicity of plant-specific glycans is still limited although plant-specific glycans are considered potential allergic antigens. In the present study, we found that the α-1,3-fucose content of the glycoprotein produced from rice seed was much lower than that in leaf, and conversely, a higher β-1,2-xylose content was detected in seed than that in leaf. We detected the α-1,6-fucose content in the glutelin and recombinant human α1-antitrypsin (OsrAAT). The further results in a line containing AAT and FUT8 genes indicated that the α-1,6-fucose content of modified glycosylated recombinant α1-antitrypsin (mgOsrAAT) was 38.4%, while glutelin was only 6.8%. Interestingly, the α-1,3-fucose content of mgOsrAAT was significantly reduced by 59.8% compared with that of OsrAAT. Furthermore, we assessed the immunogenicity of OsrAAT, mgOsrAAT and human α1-antitrypsin (hAAT) using an animal system. The PCA results indicated no significant differences in the IgG, IgM and IgE titers among OsrAAT, mgOsrAAT and hAAT. Further studies revealed that those antibodies were mainly from α-1,3-fucose, but not from β-1,2-xylose, indicating that α-1,3-fucose was the major immunogenic resource. Our results demonstrated that α-1,3-fucose contents in seed proteins was much less than that of leaf, and could not be a plant-specific glycan because it also exists in human proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianghong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Daiming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jingni Shi
- Healthgen Biotechnology Corp., Gaoxin Avenue, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Daichang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
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41
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Dekkers G, Plomp R, Koeleman CAM, Visser R, von Horsten HH, Sandig V, Rispens T, Wuhrer M, Vidarsson G. Multi-level glyco-engineering techniques to generate IgG with defined Fc-glycans. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36964. [PMID: 27872474 PMCID: PMC5131652 DOI: 10.1038/srep36964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) mediates its immune functions through complement and cellular IgG-Fc receptors (FcγR). IgG contains an evolutionary conserved N-linked glycan at position Asn297 in the Fc-domain. This glycan consists of variable levels of fucose, galactose, sialic acid, and bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (bisection). Of these variations, the lack of fucose strongly enhances binding to the human FcγRIII, a finding which is currently used to improve the efficacy of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. The influence of the other glycan traits is largely unknown, mostly due to lack of glyco-engineering tools. We describe general methods to produce recombinant proteins of any desired glycoform in eukaryotic cells. Decoy substrates were used to decrease the level of fucosylation or galactosylation, glycosyltransferases were transiently overexpressed to enhance bisection, galactosylation and sialylation and in vitro sialylation was applied for enhanced sialylation. Combination of these techniques enable to systematically explore the biological effect of these glycosylation traits for IgG and other glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Dekkers
- Sanquin Research, Department Experimental Immunohematology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Landsteiner Laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rosina Plomp
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Carolien A. M. Koeleman
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Remco Visser
- Sanquin Research, Department Experimental Immunohematology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Landsteiner Laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hans H. von Horsten
- ProBioGen AG, Berlin, Germany
- HTW-Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Life Science Engineering, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Theo Rispens
- Sanquin Research, Department Immunopathology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Landsteiner Laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Manfred Wuhrer
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gestur Vidarsson
- Sanquin Research, Department Experimental Immunohematology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Landsteiner Laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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42
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Sheshukova EV, Komarova TV, Dorokhov YL. Plant factories for the production of monoclonal antibodies. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2016; 81:1118-1135. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297916100102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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43
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Abstract
Sialic acids (Sias) are abundant terminal modifications of protein-linked glycans. A unique feature of Sia, compared with other monosaccharides, is the formation of linear homo-polymers, with its most complex form polysialic acid (polySia). Sia and polySia mediate diverse biological functions and have great potential for therapeutic use. However, technological hurdles in producing defined protein sialylation due to the enormous structural diversity render their precise investigation a challenge. Here, we describe a plant-based expression platform that enables the controlled in vivo synthesis of sialylated structures with different interlinkages and degree of polymerization (DP). The approach relies on a combination of stably transformed plants with transient expression modules. By the introduction of multigene vectors carrying the human sialylation pathway into glycosylation-destructed mutants, transgenic plants that sialylate glycoproteins in α2,6- or α2,3-linkage were generated. Moreover, by the transient coexpression of human α2,8-polysialyltransferases, polySia structures with a DP >40 were synthesized in these plants. Importantly, plant-derived polySia are functionally active, as demonstrated by a cell-based cytotoxicity assay and inhibition of microglia activation. This pathway engineering approach enables experimental investigations of defined sialylation and facilitates a rational design of glycan structures with optimized biotechnological functions.
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44
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Maresch D, Altmann F. Isotype-specific glycosylation analysis of mouse IgG by LC-MS. Proteomics 2016; 16:1321-30. [PMID: 26960168 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201500367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
With mice being the top model organism in immunology and with Fc glycosylation being increasingly recognized as important modulator of antibody function, the time has come to take a look at the glycosylation of mouse IgG isotypes. Tryptic glycopeptides of mouse IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 differ in mass and so these three isoforms can be easily discriminated by MS. Commercial IgG contained a rare IgG1 variant but no IgG3, which, however, was found in sera of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. These strains deviated with regard to IgG2a and IgG2b alleles. The Ig2a B allele was not observed in any of the four samples investigated. All a/c isotypes contain the same glycopeptide sequence, which deviates from that of IgG2b by containing Leu instead of Ile. The Leu/Ile glycopeptide variants were separated by RP chromatography and the order of elution was determined. The major glycoforms on all isotypes were fucosylated with no and one galactose (GnGnF and GnAF) followed by fully galactosylated AAF and smaller amounts of mono- and disialylated N-glycans. In the commercial serum pool, the relative ratios of glycans differed between isotypes. Sialic acid exclusively occurred as N-glycolylneuraminic acid. Fucosylation was essentially complete. No bisected and no α1,3-galactosylated glycans were found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Maresch
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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45
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Dicker M, Tschofen M, Maresch D, König J, Juarez P, Orzaez D, Altmann F, Steinkellner H, Strasser R. Transient Glyco-Engineering to Produce Recombinant IgA1 with Defined N- and O-Glycans in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:18. [PMID: 26858738 PMCID: PMC4731523 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The production of therapeutic antibodies to combat pathogens and treat diseases, such as cancer is of great interest for the biotechnology industry. The recent development of plant-based expression systems has demonstrated that plants are well-suited for the production of recombinant monoclonal antibodies with defined glycosylation. Compared to immunoglobulin G (IgG), less effort has been undertaken to express immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is the most prevalent antibody class at mucosal sites and a promising candidate for novel recombinant biopharmaceuticals with enhanced anti-tumor activity. Here, we transiently expressed recombinant human IgA1 against the VP8* rotavirus antigen in glyco-engineered ΔXT/FT Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Mass spectrometric analysis of IgA1 glycopeptides revealed the presence of complex biantennary N-glycans with terminal N-acetylglucosamine present on the N-glycosylation site of the CH2 domain in the IgA1 alpha chain. Analysis of the peptide carrying nine potential O-glycosylation sites in the IgA1 alpha chain hinge region showed the presence of plant-specific modifications including hydroxyproline formation and the attachment of pentoses. By co-expression of enzymes required for initiation and elongation of human O-glycosylation it was possible to generate disialylated mucin-type core 1 O-glycans on plant-produced IgA1. Our data demonstrate that ΔXT/FT N. benthamiana plants can be engineered toward the production of recombinant IgA1 with defined human-type N- and O-linked glycans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Dicker
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Marc Tschofen
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Julia König
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Paloma Juarez
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Plant Biology, Spanish Research Council Agency – Polytechnic University of ValenciaValencia, Spain
| | - Diego Orzaez
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Plant Biology, Spanish Research Council Agency – Polytechnic University of ValenciaValencia, Spain
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesVienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Richard Strasser,
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