1
|
Paoletti F. ATP binding to Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and pro-Nerve Growth Factor (proNGF): an endogenous molecular switch modulating neurotrophins activity. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1293-1304. [PMID: 38716884 DOI: 10.1042/bst20231089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
ATP has recently been reconsidered as a molecule with functional properties which go beyond its recognized role of the energetic driver of the cell. ATP has been described as an allosteric modulator as well as a biological hydrotrope with anti-aggregation properties in the crowded cellular environment. The role of ATP as a modulator of the homeostasis of the neurotrophins (NTs), a growth factor protein family whose most known member is the nerve growth factor (NGF), has been investigated. The modulation of NTs by small endogenous ligands is still a scarcely described area, with few papers reporting on the topic, and very few reports on the molecular determinants of these interactions. However, a detailed atomistic description of the NTs interaction landscape is of urgent need, aiming at the identification of novel molecules as potential therapeutics and considering the wide range of potential pharmacological applications for NGF and its family members. This mini-review will focus on the unique cartography casting the interactions of the endogenous ligand ATP, in the interaction with NGF as well as with its precursor proNGF. These interactions revealed interesting features of the ATP binding and distinct differences in the binding mode between the highly structured mature NGF and its precursor, proNGF, which is characterized by an intrinsically unstructured domain. The overview on the recent available data will be presented, together with the future perspectives on the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Paoletti
- Institute of Crystallography - C.N.R. - Trieste Outstation, Area Science Park - Basovizza, S.S.14 - Km. 163.5, I-34149 Trieste, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Davies AM, Beavil RL, Barbolov M, Sandhar BS, Gould HJ, Beavil AJ, Sutton BJ, McDonnell JM. Crystal structures of the human IgD Fab reveal insights into C H1 domain diversity. Mol Immunol 2023; 159:28-37. [PMID: 37267832 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Antibodies of the IgD isotype remain the least well characterized of the mammalian immunoglobulin isotypes. Here we report three-dimensional structures for the Fab region of IgD, based on four different crystal structures, at resolutions of 1.45-2.75 Å. These IgD Fab crystals provide the first high-resolution views of the unique Cδ1 domain. Structural comparisons identify regions of conformational diversity within the Cδ1 domain, as well as among the homologous domains of Cα1, Cγ1 and Cμ1. The IgD Fab structure also possesses a unique conformation of the upper hinge region, which may contribute to the overall disposition of the very long linker sequence between the Fab and Fc regions found in human IgD. Structural similarities observed between IgD and IgG, and differences with IgA and IgM, are consistent with predicted evolutionary relationships for the mammalian antibody isotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Davies
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Beavil
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Momchil Barbolov
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Balraj S Sandhar
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah J Gould
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J Beavil
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Brian J Sutton
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - James M McDonnell
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tive LA, Viktrup L, Shelton D. Response to: "Tanezumab: Therapy targeting nerve growth factor in pain pathogenesis". J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol 2019; 34:548. [PMID: 30774242 PMCID: PMC6360903 DOI: 10.4103/joacp.joacp_155_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie A Tive
- Global Medical Affairs, Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, USA
| | - Lars Viktrup
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - David Shelton
- Formerly of Pfizer Global Research and Development (Rinat), Pfizer Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Medina-Cucurella AV, Zhu Y, Bowen SJ, Bergeron LM, Whitehead TA. Pro region engineering of nerve growth factor by deep mutational scanning enables a yeast platform for conformational epitope mapping of anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies. Biotechnol Bioeng 2018; 115:1925-1937. [PMID: 29663315 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a central role in multiple chronic pain conditions. As such, anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that function by antagonizing NGF downstream signaling are leading drug candidates for non-opioid pain relief. To evaluate anti-canine NGF (cNGF) mAbs we sought a yeast surface display platform of cNGF. Both mature cNGF and pro-cNGF displayed on the yeast surface but bound conformationally sensitive mAbs at most 2.5-fold in mean fluorescence intensity above background, suggesting that cNGF was mostly misfolded. To improve the amount of folded, displayed cNGF, we used comprehensive mutagenesis, FACS, and deep sequencing to identify point mutants in the pro-region of canine NGF that properly enhance the folded protein displayed on the yeast surface. Out of 1,737 tested single point mutants in the pro region, 49 increased the amount of NGF recognized by conformationally sensitive mAbs. These gain-of-function mutations cluster around residues A-61-P-26. Gain-of-function mutants were additive, and a construct containing three mutations increased amount of folded cNGF to 23-fold above background. Using this new cNGF construct, fine conformational epitopes for tanezumab and three anti-cNGF mAbs were evaluated. The epitope revealed by the yeast experiments largely overlapped with the tanezumab epitope previously determined by X-ray crystallography. The other mAbs showed site-specific differences with tanezumab. As the number of binding epitopes of functionally neutralizing anti-NGF mAbs on NGF are limited, subtle differences in the individual interacting residues on NGF that bind each mAb contribute to the understanding of each antibody and variations in its neutralizing activity. These results demonstrate the potential of deep sequencing-guided protein engineering to improve the production of folded surface-displayed protein, and the resulting cNGF construct provides a platform to map conformational epitopes for other anti-neurotrophin mAbs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angélica V Medina-Cucurella
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University Engineering Building, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Yaqi Zhu
- Zoetis Global Therapeutic Research, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Kalamazoo, Michigan
| | - Scott J Bowen
- Zoetis Global Therapeutic Research, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Kalamazoo, Michigan
| | - Lisa M Bergeron
- Zoetis Global Therapeutic Research, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Kalamazoo, Michigan
| | - Timothy A Whitehead
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University Engineering Building, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Paoletti F, de Chiara C, Kelly G, Covaceuszach S, Malerba F, Yan R, Lamba D, Cattaneo A, Pastore A. Conformational Rigidity within Plasticity Promotes Differential Target Recognition of Nerve Growth Factor. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:83. [PMID: 28083536 PMCID: PMC5183593 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), the prototype of the neurotrophin family, is essential for maintenance and growth of different neuronal populations. The X-ray crystal structure of NGF has been known since the early '90s and shows a β-sandwich fold with extensive loops that are involved in the interaction with its binding partners. Understanding the dynamical properties of these loops is thus important for molecular recognition. We present here a combined solution NMR/molecular dynamics study which addresses the question of whether and how much the long loops of NGF are flexible and describes the N-terminal intrinsic conformational tendency of the unbound NGF molecule. NMR titration experiments allowed identification of a previously undetected epitope of the anti-NGF antagonist antibody αD11 which will be of crucial importance for future drug lead discovery. The present study thus recapitulates all the available structural information and unveils the conformational versatility of the relatively rigid NGF loops upon functional ligand binding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Paoletti
- Neurotrophic Factors and Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit, European Brain Research, Rita Levi-Montalcini FoundationRome, Italy; Scuola Normale SuperiorePisa, Italy
| | | | - Geoff Kelly
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Biomedical NMR Centre, The Francis Crick Institute London, UK
| | - Sonia Covaceuszach
- Istituto di Cristallografia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Sede Secondaria di Basovizza Trieste, Italy
| | - Francesca Malerba
- Neurotrophic Factors and Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit, European Brain Research, Rita Levi-Montalcini FoundationRome, Italy; Scuola Normale SuperiorePisa, Italy
| | - Robert Yan
- Maurice Wohl Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King's College London London, UK
| | - Doriano Lamba
- Istituto di Cristallografia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Sede Secondaria di Basovizza Trieste, Italy
| | - Antonino Cattaneo
- Neurotrophic Factors and Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit, European Brain Research, Rita Levi-Montalcini FoundationRome, Italy; Scuola Normale SuperiorePisa, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- Maurice Wohl Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK; Molecular Medicine Department, University of PaviaPavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Scott MJ, Lee JA, Wake MS, Batt KV, Wattam TA, Hiles ID, Batuwangala TD, Ashman CI, Steward M. 'In-Format' screening of a novel bispecific antibody format reveals significant potency improvements relative to unformatted molecules. MAbs 2016; 9:85-93. [PMID: 27786601 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2016.1249078] [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] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are emerging as an important class of biopharmaceutical. The majority of BsAbs are created from conventional antibodies or fragments engineered into more complex configurations. A recurring challenge in their development, however, is the identification of components that are optimised for inclusion in the final format in order to deliver both efficacy and robust biophysical properties. Using a modular BsAb format, the mAb-dAb, we assessed whether an 'in-format' screening approach, designed to select format-compatible domain antibodies, could expedite lead discovery. Human nerve growth factor (NGF) was selected as an antigen to validate the approach; domain antibody (dAb) libraries were screened, panels of binders identified, and binding affinities and potencies compared for selected dAbs and corresponding mAb-dAbs. A number of dAbs that exhibited high potency (IC50) when assessed in-format were identified. In contrast, the corresponding dAb monomers had ∼1000-fold lower potency than the formatted dAbs; such dAb monomers would therefore have been omitted from further characterization. Subsequent stoichiometric analyses of mAb-dAbs bound to NGF, or an additional target antigen (vascular endothelial growth factor), suggested different target binding modes; this indicates that the observed potency improvements cannot be attributed simply to an avidity effect offered by the mAb-dAb format. We conclude that, for certain antigens, screening naïve selection outputs directly in-format enables the identification of a subset of format-compatible dAbs, and that this offers substantial benefits in terms of molecular properties and development time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kelly V Batt
- a Biopharm Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline , Stevenage , UK
| | | | - Ian D Hiles
- a Biopharm Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline , Stevenage , UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|