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Huang M, Park J, Seo J, Ko S, Yang YH, Lee Y, Kim HJ, Lee BS, Lee YS, Ko BJ, Jung ST, Park D, Yoo TH, Kim CH. An epidermal growth factor receptor-targeting immunotoxin based on IgG shows potent antitumor activity against head and neck cancer. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23759. [PMID: 38949635 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301968r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important target for cancer therapies. Many head and neck cancer (HNC) cells have been reported to overexpress EGFR; therefore, anti-EGFR therapies have been attempted in patients with HNC. However, its clinical efficacy is limited owing to the development of drug resistance. In this study, we developed an EGFR-targeting immunotoxin consisting of a clinically proven anti-EGFR IgG (cetuximab; CTX) and a toxin fragment (LR-LO10) derived from Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE) using a novel site-specific conjugation technology (peptide-directed photo-crosslinking reaction), as an alternative option. The immunotoxin (CTX-LR-LO10) showed specific binding to EGFR and properties of a typical IgG, such as stability, interactions with receptors of immune cells, and pharmacokinetics, and inhibited protein synthesis via modification of elongation factor-2. Treatment of EGFR-positive HNC cells with the immunotoxin resulted in apoptotic cell death and the inhibition of cell migration and invasion. The efficacy of CTX-LR-LO10 was evaluated in xenograft mouse models, and the immunotoxin exhibited much stronger tumor suppression than CTX or LR-LO10. Transcriptome analyses revealed that the immunotoxins elicited immune responses and altered the expression of genes related to its mechanisms of action. These results support the notion that CTX-LR-LO10 may serve as a new therapeutic agent targeting EGFR-positive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Huang
- Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jisoo Park
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jina Seo
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghwan Ko
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Hee Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeaji Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo Jeong Kim
- Department of Otolaryngology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bok-Soon Lee
- Department of Otolaryngology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Sang Lee
- Department of Otolaryngology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byoung Joon Ko
- School of Biopharmaceutical and Medical Sciences, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Teak Jung
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Human Genetics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- BK21 Graduate Program, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Deachan Park
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Advanced College of Bio-convergence Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Hyeon Yoo
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Advanced College of Bio-convergence Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Ho Kim
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Otolaryngology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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2
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Deng W, Zhao Z, Zou T, Kuang T, Wang J. Research Advances in Fusion Protein-Based Drugs for Diabetes Treatment. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2024; 17:343-362. [PMID: 38288338 PMCID: PMC10823413 DOI: 10.2147/dmso.s421527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, resulting in multi-organ dysfunction and various complications. Fusion proteins can form multifunctional complexes by combining the target proteins with partner proteins. It has significant advantages in improving the performance of the target proteins, extending their biological half-life, and enhancing patient drug compliance. Fusion protein-based drugs have emerged as promising new drugs in diabetes therapeutics. However, there has not been a systematic review of fusion protein-based drugs for diabetes therapeutics. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive review of published literature on diabetic fusion protein-based drugs for diabetes, with a primary focus on immunoglobulin G (IgG) fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, albumin, and transferrin (TF). This review aims to provide a reference for the subsequent development and clinical application of fusion protein-based drugs in diabetes therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenying Deng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan Province, 421001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zeyi Zhao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan Province, 421001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tao Zou
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan Province, 421001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tongdong Kuang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Diabetic Systems Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi Province, 541199, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan Province, 421001, People’s Republic of China
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Lee S, Nouraein S, Kwon JJ, Huang Z, Wojick JA, Xia B, Corder G, Szablowski JO. Engineered serum markers for non-invasive monitoring of gene expression in the brain. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-023-02087-x. [PMID: 38200117 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-02087-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Measurement of gene expression in the brain requires invasive analysis of brain tissue or non-invasive methods that are limited by low sensitivity. Here we introduce a method for non-invasive, multiplexed, site-specific monitoring of endogenous gene or transgene expression in the brain through engineered reporters called released markers of activity (RMAs). RMAs consist of an easily detectable reporter and a receptor-binding domain that enables transcytosis across the brain endothelium. RMAs are expressed in the brain but exit into the blood, where they can be easily measured. We show that expressing RMAs at a single mouse brain site representing approximately 1% of the brain volume provides up to a 100,000-fold signal increase over the baseline. Expression of RMAs in tens to hundreds of neurons is sufficient for their reliable detection. We demonstrate that chemogenetic activation of cells expressing Fos-responsive RMA increases serum RMA levels >6-fold compared to non-activated controls. RMAs provide a non-invasive method for repeatable, multiplexed monitoring of gene expression in the intact animal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangsin Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shirin Nouraein
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James J Kwon
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhimin Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jessica A Wojick
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Boao Xia
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gregory Corder
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jerzy O Szablowski
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Applied Physics Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
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4
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Yu K, Liu B, Yu H, Sun C, Wang X, Li G, Dong M, Wang Y, Zhang J, Xu N, Liu W. A neutralizing bispecific single-chain antibody against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant produced based on CR3022. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1155293. [PMID: 37207187 PMCID: PMC10189128 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1155293] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The constantly mutating SARS-CoV-2 has been infected an increasing number of people, hence the safe and efficacious treatment are urgently needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, neutralizing antibodies (Nabs), targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are potentially effective therapeutics against COVID-19. As a new form of antibody, bispecific single chain antibodies (BscAbs) can be easily expressed in E. coli and exhibits broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Methods In this study, we constructed two BscAbs 16-29, 16-3022 and three single chain variable fragments (scFv) S1-16, S2-29 and S3022 as a comparison to explore their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. The affinity of the five antibodies was characterized by ELISA and SPR and the neutralizing activity of them was analyzed using pseudovirus or authentic virus neutralization assay. Bioinformatics and competitive ELISA methods were used to identify different epitopes on RBD. Results Our results revealed the potent neutralizing activity of two BscAbs 16-29 and 16-3022 against SARS-CoV-2 original strain and Omicron variant infection. In addition, we also found that SARS-CoV RBD-targeted scFv S3022 could play a synergistic role with other SARS-CoV-2 RBD-targeted antibodies to enhance neutralizing activity in the form of a BscAb or in cocktail therapies. Discussion This innovative approach offers a promising avenue for the development of subsequent antibody therapies against SARSCoV-2. Combining the advantages of cocktails and single-molecule strategies, BscAb therapy has the potential to be developed as an effective immunotherapeutic for clinical use to mitigate the ongoing pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaikai Yu
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Bin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Haotian Yu
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Chengbiao Sun
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Guorui Li
- College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China
| | - Mingxin Dong
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Jianxu Zhang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Na Xu
- Academic Affairs Office, Jilin Medical University, Jilin, Jilin, China
| | - Wensen Liu
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Changchun, Jilin, China
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5
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Development and Evaluation of a Novel Radiotracer 125I-rIL-27 to Monitor Allotransplant Rejection by Specifically Targeting IL-27Rα. Mol Imaging 2023. [DOI: 10.1155/2023/4200142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Noninvasive monitoring of allograft rejection is beneficial for the prognosis of patients with organ transplantation. Recently, IL-27/IL-27Rα was proved in close relation with inflammatory diseases, and 125I-anti-IL-27Rα mAb our group developed demonstrated high accumulation in the rejection of the allograft. However, antibody imaging has limitations in the imaging background due to its large molecular weight. Therefore, we developed a novel radiotracer (iodine-125-labeled recombinant IL-27) to evaluate the advantage in the targeting and imaging of allograft rejection. In vitro specific binding of 125I-rIL-27 was determined by saturation and competitive assay. Blood clearance, biodistribution, phosphor autoradioimaging, and IL-27Rα expression were studied on day 10 after transplantation (top period of allorejection). Our results indicated that 125I-rIL-27 could bind with IL-27Rα specifically and selectively in vitro. The blood clearance assay demonstrated fast blood clearance with 13.20 μl/h of 125I-rIL-27 staying in the blood after 24 h. The whole-body phosphor autoradiography and biodistribution assay indicated a higher specific uptake of 125I-rIL-27 and a clear radioimage in allograft than in syngraft at 24 h, while a similar result was obtained at 48 h in the group of 125I-anti-IL-27Rα mAb injection. Meanwhile, a higher expression of IL-27Rα was found in the allograft by Western blot. The accumulation of radioactivity of 125I-rIL-27 was highly correlated with the expression of IL-27Rα in the allograft. In conclusion, 125I-rIL-27 could be a promising probe for acutely monitoring allograft rejection with high specific binding towards IL-27Rα on allograft and low imaging background.
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Pomarici ND, Fernández-Quintero ML, Quoika PK, Waibl F, Bujotzek A, Georges G, Liedl KR. Bispecific antibodies-effects of point mutations on CH3-CH3 interface stability. Protein Eng Des Sel 2022; 35:6873150. [PMID: 36468666 PMCID: PMC9741699 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzac012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A new format of therapeutic proteins is bispecific antibodies, in which two different heavy chains heterodimerize to obtain two different binding sites. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and optimize the third constant domain (CH3-CH3) interface to favor heterodimerization over homodimerization, and to preserve the physicochemical properties, as thermal stability. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the dissociation process of 19 CH3-CH3 crystal structures that differ from each other in few point mutations. We describe the dissociation of the dimeric interface as a two-steps mechanism. As confirmed by a Markov state model, apart from the bound and the dissociated state, we observe an additional intermediate state, which corresponds to an encounter complex. The analysis of the interdomain contacts reveals key residues that stabilize the interface. We expect that our results will improve the understanding of the CH3-CH3 interface interactions and thus advance the developability and design of new antibodies formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy D Pomarici
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Monica L Fernández-Quintero
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Patrick K Quoika
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria,Center for Protein Assemblies (CPA), Department of Physics, Chair of Theoretical Biophysics, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Franz Waibl
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alexander Bujotzek
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Penzberg, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, 82377, Germany
| | - Guy Georges
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Penzberg, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, 82377, Germany
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7
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Zhu W, Wang Y, Lv L, Wang H, Shi W, Liu Z, Yang W, Zhu J, Lu H. SHTXTHHly, an extracellular secretion platform for the preparation of bioactive peptides and proteins in Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:128. [PMID: 35761329 PMCID: PMC9235172 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01856-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In previous work, we developed an E. coli extracellular secretion platform XTHHly based on the hemolysin A secretion system. It can produce bioactive peptides with simple purification procedures. However, the wider application of this platform is limited by poor secretion efficiency. Results In this study, we first discovered a positive correlation between the isoelectric point (pI) value of the target protein and the secretion level of the XTHHly system. Given the extremely high secretion level of S tag, we fused it at the N-terminus and created a novel SHTXTHHly system. The SHTXTHHly system significantly increased the secretion levels of antimicrobial peptides (PEW300, LL37, and Aurein 1.2) with full bioactivities, suggesting its excellent capacity for secretory production of bioactive peptides. Furthermore, RGDS, IL-15, and alcohol dehydrogenase were successfully secreted, and their bioactivities were largely maintained in the fusion proteins, indicating the potential applications of the novel system for the rapid determination of protein bioactivities. Finally, using the SHTXTHHly system, we produced the monomeric Fc, which showed a high affinity for Fcγ Receptor I and mediated the antibody-dependent immunological effects of immune cells, demonstrating its potential applications in immunotherapies. Conclusions The SHTXTHHly system described here facilitates the secretory production of various types of proteins in E. coli. In comparison to previously reported expression systems, our work enlightens an efficient and cost-effective way to evaluate the bioactivities of target proteins or produce them. Graphical abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-022-01856-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Liangyin Lv
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Wenqiang Shi
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Zexin Liu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Huili Lu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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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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Lu CH, Li KJ, Wu CH, Shen CY, Kuo YM, Hsieh SC, Yu CL. The FcγRIII Engagement Augments PMA-Stimulated Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Formation by Granulocytes Partially via Cross-Talk between Syk-ERK-NF-κB and PKC-ROS Signaling Pathways. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9091127. [PMID: 34572313 PMCID: PMC8472361 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are the most abundant white blood cell in the circulation capable of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation after stimulation. Both NADPH oxidase-dependent and -independent pathways are involved in NET formation. The IgG is the most abundant immunoglobulin in human serum. However, the impact of the circulating IgG on NET formation is totally unexplored. In this study, the all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced mature granulocytes (dHL-60) were pre-treated with monomeric human IgG, papain-digested Fab fragment, crystallizable IgG Fc portion, rituximab (a human IgG1), or IgG2. The NET formation of the dHL-60 in the presence/absence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulation was then measured by the fluorescent area after SYTOX green nucleic acid stain. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured by flow cytometry. Total and phosphorylated Syk, SHP-1, and ERK were detected by immunoblot. We found that human monomeric IgG and its subclasses IgG1 and IgG2 per se induced negligible NET formation of dHL-60, but the FcγRIII engagement by these IgG subclasses and Fc portion augment PMA-stimulated dHL-60 NET formation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that increased Syk and ERK phosphorylation, intracellular ROS generation, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-8 and TNF-α, production could be induced after FcγRIII engagement. Blocking FcγRIII engagement by a specific antibody diminished the augmented NET formation. In conclusion, we discovered that cross-talk between FcγRIII engagement-induced Syk-ERK and PMA-induced PKC signaling pathways augment NET formation of dHL-60 via increased ROS generation and pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-8 and TNF-α, production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Hsun Lu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Ko-Jen Li
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
| | - Cheng-Han Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Chieh-Yu Shen
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Min Kuo
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | - Song-Chou Hsieh
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
| | - Chia-Li Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan; (C.-H.L.); (K.-J.L.); (C.-H.W.); (C.-Y.S.); (Y.-M.K.); (S.-C.H.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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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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11
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Li W, Schäfer A, Kulkarni SS, Liu X, Martinez DR, Chen C, Sun Z, Leist SR, Drelich A, Zhang L, Ura ML, Berezuk A, Chittori S, Leopold K, Mannar D, Srivastava SS, Zhu X, Peterson EC, Tseng CT, Mellors JW, Falzarano D, Subramaniam S, Baric RS, Dimitrov DS. High Potency of a Bivalent Human V H Domain in SARS-CoV-2 Animal Models. Cell 2020; 183:429-441.e16. [PMID: 32941803 PMCID: PMC7473018 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Novel COVID-19 therapeutics are urgently needed. We generated a phage-displayed human antibody VH domain library from which we identified a high-affinity VH binder ab8. Bivalent VH, VH-Fc ab8, bound with high avidity to membrane-associated S glycoprotein and to mutants found in patients. It potently neutralized mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 in wild-type mice at a dose as low as 2 mg/kg and exhibited high prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy in a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, possibly enhanced by its relatively small size. Electron microscopy combined with scanning mutagenesis identified ab8 interactions with all three S protomers and showed how ab8 neutralized the virus by directly interfering with ACE2 binding. VH-Fc ab8 did not aggregate and did not bind to 5,300 human membrane-associated proteins. The potent neutralization activity of VH-Fc ab8 combined with good developability properties and cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 mutants provide a strong rationale for its evaluation as a COVID-19 therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Alexandra Schäfer
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 3109 Michael Hooker Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Swarali S Kulkarni
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre, and the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada
| | - Xianglei Liu
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - David R Martinez
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 3109 Michael Hooker Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Chuan Chen
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Zehua Sun
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Sarah R Leist
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 3109 Michael Hooker Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Aleksandra Drelich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centers for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Liyong Zhang
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Marcin L Ura
- Abound Bio, 1401 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
| | - Alison Berezuk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sagar Chittori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Karoline Leopold
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Dhiraj Mannar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Shanti S Srivastava
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Xing Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | | | - Chien-Te Tseng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centers for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - John W Mellors
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Abound Bio, 1401 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
| | - Darryl Falzarano
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre, and the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada
| | - Sriram Subramaniam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Ralph S Baric
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 3109 Michael Hooker Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dimiter S Dimitrov
- Center for Antibody Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, 3550 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Abound Bio, 1401 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
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12
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Kang TH, Jung ST. Boosting therapeutic potency of antibodies by taming Fc domain functions. Exp Mol Med 2019; 51:1-9. [PMID: 31735912 PMCID: PMC6859160 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-019-0345-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are one of the most widely used drug platforms for infectious diseases or cancer therapeutics because they selectively target pathogens, infectious cells, cancerous cells, and even immune cells. In this way, they mediate the elimination of target molecules and cells with fewer side effects than other therapeutic modalities. In particular, cancer therapeutic mAbs can recognize cell-surface proteins on target cells and then kill the targeted cells by multiple mechanisms that are dependent upon a fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain interacting with effector Fc gamma receptors, including antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis. Extensive engineering efforts have been made toward tuning Fc functions by either reinforcing (e.g. for targeted therapy) or disabling (e.g. for immune checkpoint blockade therapy) effector functions and prolonging the serum half-lives of antibodies, as necessary. In this report, we review Fc engineering efforts to improve therapeutic potency, and propose future antibody engineering directions that can fulfill unmet medical needs. Fine-tuning the function of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) holds promise for developing new therapeutic agents. Antibodies bind to pathogens or cancer cells, flagging them with Fc (fragment crystallizable) domain for destruction by the immune system. mAbs attached only to specific target cells enable lower side effect than other conventional drugs. Sang Taek Jung at Korea University and Tae Hyun Kang at Kookmin University, both in Seoul, reviewed recent developments in engineering therapeutic potency of mAbs. They report that mAbs can be engineered to activate effective immune cell types to treat a particular disease. Engineering can also increase mAbs’ persistence in the blood, enabling less frequent administration. Antibodies engineered to bind to two different antigens at once can also improve therapeutic efficacy. Applying these techniques could help developing new treatments against cancer, and infectious and autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Hyun Kang
- Biopharmaceutical Chemistry Major, School of Applied Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02707, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Taek Jung
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
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13
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Engineering a Novel Antibody-Peptide Bispecific Fusion Protein Against MERS-CoV. Antibodies (Basel) 2019; 8:antib8040053. [PMID: 31690009 PMCID: PMC6963733 DOI: 10.3390/antib8040053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, tremendous efforts have been made in the engineering of bispecific or multi-specific antibody-based therapeutics by combining two or more functional antigen-recognizing elements into a single construct. However, to the best of our knowledge there has been no reported cases of effective antiviral antibody-peptide bispecific fusion proteins. We previously developed potent fully human monoclonal antibodies and inhibitory peptides against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a novel coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory illness with high mortality. Here, we describe the generation of antibody-peptide bispecific fusion proteins, each of which contains an anti-MERS-CoV single-chain antibody m336 (or normal human IgG1 CH3 domain as a control) linked with, or without, a MERS-CoV fusion inhibitory peptide HR2P. We found that one of these fusion proteins, designated as m336 diabody-pep, exhibited more potent inhibitory activity than the antibody or the peptide alone against pseudotyped MERS-CoV infection and MERS-CoV S protein-mediated cell-cell fusion, suggesting its potential to be developed as an effective bispecific immunotherapeutic for clinical use.
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14
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Cartilage-Targeted IGF-1 Treatment to Promote Longitudinal Bone Growth. Mol Ther 2019; 27:673-680. [PMID: 30765323 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinant human growth hormone (GH) is commonly used to treat short stature in children. However, GH treatment has limited efficacy, particularly in severe, non-GH-deficient conditions such as chondrodysplasias, and potential off-target effects. Because short stature results from decreased growth plate chondrogenesis, we developed a cartilage-targeting single-chain human antibody fragment (CaAb) aiming to deliver therapeutic molecules to the growth plate, thereby increasing treatment efficacy while minimizing adverse effects on other tissues. To this end, we created fusion proteins of these CaAbs conjugated with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), an endocrine and/or paracrine factor that positively regulates chondrogenesis. These CaAb-IGF-1 fusion proteins retained both cartilage binding and IGF-1 biological activity, and they were able to stimulate bone growth in an organ culture system. Using a GH-deficient (lit) mouse model, we found that subcutaneous injections of these CaAb-IGF-1 fusion proteins increased overall growth plate height without increasing proliferation in kidney cortical cells, suggesting on-target efficacy at the growth plate and less off-target effect on the kidney than IGF-1 alone. Alternate-day injections of these fusion proteins, unlike IGF-1 alone, were sufficient to produce a therapeutic effect. Our findings provide proof of principle that targeting therapeutics to growth plate cartilage can potentially improve treatment for childhood growth disorders.
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15
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Zeng F, Yang C, Gao X, Li X, Zhang Z, Gong R. Comprehensive elucidation of the structural and functional roles of engineered disulfide bonds in antibody Fc fragment. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:19127-19135. [PMID: 30327432 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins containing antibody Fc fragment may tend to destabilize (e.g. unfold and aggregate), which leads to loss of functions and increase of adverse risks. Although engineering of an additional disulfide bond has been performed in Fc or Fc domains for optimization, the relationships between introduced disulfide bond and alteration of the stability, aggregation propensity and function were still unclear and should be addressed for achievement of better therapeutic outcome. Here, we constructed three human IgG1 Fc mutants including FcCH2-s-s- (one engineered disulfide bond in CH2 domain), FcCH3-s-s- (one engineered disulfide bond in CH3 domain), and FcCH3-s-s- CH2-s-s- (two engineered disulfide bonds in CH2 and CH3 domains, respectively) for evaluation. As expected, each mutated domain shows obviously increased stability during thermo-induced unfolding, and FcCH3-s-s- CH2-s-s- is most thermo-stable among wildtype Fc (wtFc) and three mutants. The order of overall stability against denaturant is FcCH3-s-s- CH2-s-s- > FcCH2-s-s- > FcCH3-s-s- > wtFc. Then the aggregation propensity was compared among these four proteins. Under conditions of incubation at 60 °C, their aggregation resistance is in the order of FcCH3-s-s- CH2-s-s- > FcCH2-s-s- > FcCH3-s-s- ≈ wtFc. In contrast, the order is FcCH3-s-s- CH2-s-s- > FcCH3-s-s- > FcCH2-s-s- ≈ wtFc under acidic conditions. In addition, the Fc-mediated functions are not obviously affected by engineered disulfide bond. Our results give a comprehensive elucidation of structural and functional effects caused by additional disulfide bonds in the Fc fragment, which is important for Fc engineering toward the desired clinical performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zeng
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and.,the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chunpeng Yang
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and.,the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xinyu Gao
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and.,the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuan Li
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and
| | - Zhe Zhang
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and
| | - Rui Gong
- From the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China and
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16
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Wu Y, Jiang S, Ying T. Single-Domain Antibodies As Therapeutics against Human Viral Diseases. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1802. [PMID: 29326699 PMCID: PMC5733491 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In full-size formats, monoclonal antibodies have been highly successful as therapeutics against cancer and immune diseases. However, their large size leads to inaccessibility of some epitopes and relatively high production costs. As an alternative, single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) offer special advantages compared to full-size antibodies, including smaller size, larger number of accessible epitopes, relatively low production costs and improved robustness. Currently, sdAbs are being developed against a number of viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), influenza viruses, hepatitis C virus (HCV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and enteric viruses. Although sdAbs are very potent inhibitors of viral infections, no sdAbs have been approved for clinical use against virial infection or any other diseases. In this review, we discuss the current state of research on sdAbs against viruses and their potential as therapeutics against human viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanling Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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17
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Wang C, Wu Y, Wang L, Hong B, Jin Y, Hu D, Chen G, Kong Y, Huang A, Hua G, Ying T. Engineered Soluble Monomeric IgG1 Fc with Significantly Decreased Non-Specific Binding. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1545. [PMID: 29181008 PMCID: PMC5693891 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the long serum half-life provided by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) recycling, the IgG1 Fc has been pursued as the fusion partner to develop therapeutic Fc-fusion proteins, or as the antibody-derived scaffold that could be engineered with antigen-binding capabilities. In previous studies, we engineered the monomeric Fc by mutating critical residues located on the IgG1 Fc dimerization interface. Comparing with the wild-type dimeric Fc, monomeric Fc might possess substantial advantages conferred by its smaller size, but also suffers the disadvantage of non-specific binding to some unrelated antigens, raising considerable concerns over its potential clinical development. Here, we describe a phage display-based strategy to examine the effects of multiple mutations of IgG1 monomeric Fc and, simultaneously, to identify new Fc monomers with desired properties. Consequently, we identified a novel monomeric Fc that displayed significantly decreased non-specificity. In addition, it exhibited higher thermal stability and comparable pH-dependent FcRn binding to the previous reported monomeric Fc. These results provide baseline to understand the mechanism underlying the generation of soluble IgG1 Fc monomers and warrant the further clinical development of monomeric Fc-based fusion proteins as well as antigen binders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanling Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Binbin Hong
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yujia Jin
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Hu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Kong
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ailing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqiang Hua
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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18
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A Potent Germline-like Human Monoclonal Antibody Targets a pH-Sensitive Epitope on H7N9 Influenza Hemagglutinin. Cell Host Microbe 2017; 22:471-483.e5. [PMID: 28966056 PMCID: PMC6290738 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The H7N9 influenza virus causes high-mortality disease in humans but no effective therapeutics are available. Here we report a human monoclonal antibody, m826, that binds to H7 hemagglutinin (HA) and protects against H7N9 infection. m826 binds to H7N9 HA with subnanomolar affinity at acidic pH and 10-fold lower affinity at neutral pH. The high-resolution (1.9 Å) crystal structure of m826 complexed with H7N9 HA indicates that m826 binds an epitope that may be fully exposed upon pH-induced conformational changes in HA. m826 fully protects mice against lethal challenge with H7N9 virus through mechanisms likely involving antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Interestingly, immunogenetic analysis indicates that m826 is a germline antibody, and m826-like sequences can be identified in H7N9-infected patients, healthy adults, and newborn babies. These m826 properties offer a template for H7N9 vaccine immunogens, a promising candidate therapeutic, and a tool for exploring mechanisms of virus infection inhibition by antibodies.
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19
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Liu H, Saxena A, Sidhu SS, Wu D. Fc Engineering for Developing Therapeutic Bispecific Antibodies and Novel Scaffolds. Front Immunol 2017; 8:38. [PMID: 28184223 PMCID: PMC5266686 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies have become molecules of choice to treat autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Moreover, bispecific/multispecific antibodies that target more than one antigen or epitope on a target cell or recruit effector cells (T cell, natural killer cell, or macrophage cell) toward target cells have shown great potential to maximize the benefits of antibody therapy. In the past decade, many novel concepts to generate bispecific and multispecific antibodies have evolved successfully into a range of formats from full bispecific immunoglobulin gammas to antibody fragments. Impressively, antibody fragments such as bispecific T-cell engager, bispecific killer cell engager, trispecific killer cell engager, tandem diabody, and dual-affinity-retargeting are showing exciting results in terms of recruiting and activating self-immune effector cells to target and lyse tumor cells. Promisingly, crystallizable fragment (Fc) antigen-binding fragment and monomeric antibody or half antibody may be particularly advantageous to target solid tumors owing to their small size and thus good tissue penetration potential while, on the other hand, keeping Fc-related effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis, and extended serum half-life via interaction with neonatal Fc receptor. This review, therefore, focuses on the progress of Fc engineering in generating bispecific molecules and on the use of small antibody fragment as scaffolds for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Liu
- Laboratory of Antibody Engineering, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University , Shanghai , China
| | - Abhishek Saxena
- Laboratory of Antibody Engineering, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University , Shanghai , China
| | - Sachdev S Sidhu
- Laboratory of Antibody Engineering, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Terrence Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, Terrence Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Donghui Wu
- Laboratory of Antibody Engineering, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University , Shanghai , China
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20
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Generation and Characterization of an IgG4 Monomeric Fc Platform. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160345. [PMID: 27479095 PMCID: PMC4968834 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The immunoglobulin Fc region is a homodimer consisted of two sets of CH2 and CH3 domains and has been exploited to generate two-arm protein fusions with high expression yields, simplified purification processes and extended serum half-life. However, attempts to generate one-arm fusion proteins with monomeric Fc, with one set of CH2 and CH3 domains, are often plagued with challenges such as weakened binding to FcRn or partial monomer formation. Here, we demonstrate the generation of a stable IgG4 Fc monomer with a unique combination of mutations at the CH3-CH3 interface using rational design combined with in vitro evolution methodologies. In addition to size-exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation, we used multi-angle light scattering (MALS) to show that the engineered Fc monomer exhibits excellent monodispersity. Furthermore, crystal structure analysis (PDB ID: 5HVW) reveals monomeric properties supported by disrupted interactions at the CH3-CH3 interface. Monomeric Fc fusions with Fab or scFv achieved FcRn binding and serum half-life comparable to wildtype IgG. These results demonstrate that this monomeric IgG4 Fc is a promising therapeutic platform to extend the serum half-life of proteins in a monovalent format.
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21
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Ying T, Wang Y, Feng Y, Prabakaran P, Gong R, Wang L, Crowder K, Dimitrov DS. Engineered antibody domains with significantly increased transcytosis and half-life in macaques mediated by FcRn. MAbs 2016; 7:922-30. [PMID: 26179052 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2015.1067353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered antibody domains (eAds) are promising candidate therapeutics but their half-life is relatively short partly due to weak or absent binding to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). We developed a novel approach to increase the eAd binding to FcRn based on a combination of structure-based design, computational modeling and phage display methodologies. By using this approach, we identified 2 IgG1 CH2-derived eAds fused to a short FcRn-binding motif derived from IgG1 CH3 that exhibited greatly enhanced FcRn binding with strict pH dependency. Importantly, the increased affinity resulted in significantly enhanced FcRn-mediated epithelial transcytosis and prolonged elimination half-life (mean 44.1 hours) in cynomolgus macaques. These results demonstrate for the first time that the half-life of isolated eAds can be prolonged (optimized) by increasing their binding to FcRn while maintaining their small size, which has important implications for development of therapeutics, including eAd-drug conjugates with enhanced penetration in solid tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlei Ying
- a Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministries of Education and Health; Shanghai Medical College; Fudan University ; Shanghai , China
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Ying T, Li H, Lu L, Dimitrov DS, Jiang S. Development of human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for prevention and therapy of MERS-CoV infections. Microbes Infect 2014; 17:142-8. [PMID: 25456101 PMCID: PMC4308519 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 11/23/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak poses a serious threat to public health. Here, we summarize recent advances in identifying human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against MERS-CoV, describe their mechanisms of action, and analyze their potential for treatment of MERS-CoV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlei Ying
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 130 Dong An Rd., Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Haoyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 130 Dong An Rd., Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 130 Dong An Rd., Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Dimiter S Dimitrov
- Protein Interactions Section, Cancer and Inflammation Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MOE/MOH, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 130 Dong An Rd., Shanghai 200032, China; Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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