Building antibodies from their genes.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H R Hoogenboom.
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We have mimicked features of immune selection to make human antibodies in bacteria. Diverse libraries of immunoglobulin heavy (VH) and light (V kappa and V lambda) chain variable (V) genes were prepared from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of unimmunized donors by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Genes encoding single chain Fv fragments were made by randomly combining heavy and light chain V-genes using PCR, and the combinatorial library (greater than 10(7) members) cloned for display on the surface of a phage. Rare phage with "antigen-binding" activities were selected by four rounds of growth and panning with "antigen" (turkey egg-white lysozyme (TEL) or bovine serum albumin) or "hapten" (2-phenyloxazol-5-one (phOx], and the encoding heavy and light chain genes were sequenced. The V-genes were human with some nearly identical to known germ-line V-genes, while others were more heavily mutated. Soluble antibody fragments were prepared and shown to bind specifically to antigen or hapten and with good affinities, Ka (TEL) = 10(7) M-1; Ka (phOx) = 2 x 10(6) M-1. Isolation of higher-affinity fragments may require the use of larger primary libraries or the construction of secondary libraries from the binders. Nevertheless, our results suggest that a single large phage display library can be used to isolate human antibodies against any antigen, by-passing both hybridoma technology and immunization.
To by-pass hybridoma technology and animal immunization, we are trying to build antibodies in bacteria by mimicking features of immune selection. Recently we used fd phage to display antibody fragments fused to a minor coat protein, allowing enrichment of phage with antigen. Using a random combinatorial library of the rearranged heavy (VH) and kappa (V kappa) light chains from mice immune to the hapten 2-phenyloxazol-5-one (phOx), we have now displayed diverse libraries of antibody fragments on the surface of fd phage. After a single pass over a hapten affinity column, fd phage with a range of phOx binding activities were detected, at least one with high affinity (dissociation constant, Kd = 10(-8) M). A second pass enriched for the strong binders at the expense of the weak. The binders were encoded by V genes similar to those found in anti-phOx hybridomas but in promiscuous combinations (where the same V gene is found with several different partners). By combining a promiscuous VH or V kappa gene with diverse repertoires of partners to create hierarchical libraries, we elicited many more pairings with strong binding activities. Phage display offers new ways of making antibodies from V-gene libraries, altering V-domain pairings and selecting for antibodies with good affinities.
The display of proteins on the surface of phage offers a powerful means of selecting for rare genes encoding proteins with binding activities. Recently we found that antibody heavy and light chain variable (V) domains fused as a single polypeptide chain to a minor coat protein of filamentous phage fd, could be enriched by successive rounds of phage growth and panning with antigen. This allows the selection of antigen-binding domains directly from diverse libraries of V-genes. Now we show that heterodimeric Fab fragments can be assembled on the surface of the phage by linking one chain to the phage coat protein, and secreting the other into the bacterial periplasm. Furthermore by introducing an amber mutation between the antibody chain and the coat protein, we can either display the antibody on phage using supE strains of bacteria, or produce soluble Fab fragment using non-suppressor strains. The use of Fab fragments may offer advantages over single chain Fv fragments for construction of combinatorial libraries.
The construction, synthesis and secretion of a genetically engineered antibody-cytokine fusion molecule is described. To target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to tumor cells, recombinant antibody techniques were used to produce a Fab-like antibody-TNF conjugate. At the gene level, the heavy chain gene of an antitransferrin receptor antibody was linked to a synthetic TNF gene encoding human TNF. Transfection of the heavy chain-TNF gene into a myeloma derived cell line which was producing the light chain of the same antibody, allowed the isolation of a cell line secreting a fusion protein of the expected molecular weight and composition. The culture supernatant of the cell line contained TNF cytotoxic activity towards murine L929 cells and human MCF-7 cells. Cytotoxicity towards the human cancer cells was inhibited by an excess of the original antitransferrin receptor antibody, indicating that the antibody-TNF molecules are targeted to the transferrin receptor rich tumor cells. Since the antibody genes used are chimeric (i.e. composed of mouse variable and human constant regions) and since DNA encoding human TNF was used, the hybrid protein is an example of a humanized immunotoxin-like molecule. These results illustrate the possibilities of antibody engineering technology to create and produce improved agents for cancer therapy. Furthermore, they demonstrate for the first time the ability of myeloma cells to secrete an antibody-cytokine chimeric molecule.
The construction, expression and secretion of two genetically engineered antibody-cytokine hybrid fusion proteins is described. To target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to tumor cells, recombinant antibody techniques were used to generate F(ab')2-like antibody-TNF fusion proteins. At the gene level, an antitransferrin receptor antibody heavy chain gene was linked to a synthetic gene coding for human TNF. The chimeric heavy chain-TNF genes were introduced into a light chain secreting transfectoma cell line, which was producing the light chain of the same antibody. Cell lines were isolated which secreted antibody-TNF fusion proteins of expected size and composition. Culture supernatant of these cell lines contained TNF cytotoxic activity towards murine L929 cells and human MCF-7 cells, indicating that TNF is still active in the fusion protein constructs. These results illustrate the feasibility of the antibody engineering technology to create and produce chimeric mouse-human immunotoxin-like molecules. Furthermore, they demonstrate the ability of mammalian (myeloma) cells to express and secrete antibody-cytokine hybrid molecules with potential use in anticancer therapy.
The cloning, construction and expression of chimeric Ig genes, encoding a mAb directed against the human transferrin receptor, is described. From a mouse hybridoma cell line, secreting an antitransferrin receptor antibody, mRNA was prepared and converted into cDNA using Ig-specific oligonucleotides. H and L chain encoding cDNA fragments were isolated and sequenced. Chimeric genes were constructed by linking the murine V region cDNA fragments to human C region exons. After sequential transfection of nonproducing mouse hybridoma cells with the expression vectors containing the chimeric H and L chain genes, antibody secreting transfectomas were obtained. ELISA and immunoblot analysis clearly demonstrate the secretion of human kappa- and gamma-1 chain. Flow microfluorimetry analysis of the chimeric antibody shows that the Ag-binding capacity has been retained. The chimeric antibody most likely will be less immunogenic then the original mouse antibody when used in human cancer therapy.
Members of the pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) family have diverse activities toward RNA that could cause them to function during host defense and physiological cell death pathways. This activity could be harnessed by coupling RNases to cell binding ligands for the purpose of engineering them into cell-type specific cytotoxins. Therefore, the cytotoxic potential of RNase was explored by linking bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A via a disulfide bond to human transferrin or antibodies to the transferrin receptor. The RNase hybrid proteins were cytotoxic to K562 human erythroleukemia cells in vitro with an IC50 around 10(-7) M, whereas > 10(-4) M of native RNase was required to inhibit protein synthesis. Cytotoxicity required both components of the conjugate since excess transferrin or ribonuclease inhibitors added to the medium protected the cells from the transferrin-RNase toxicity. Importantly, the RNase conjugates were found to have potent antitumor effects in vivo. Chimeric RNase fusion proteins were also developed. F(ab')2-like antibody-enzyme fusions were prepared by linking the gene for human RNase to a chimeric antitransferrin receptor heavy chain gene. The antibody enzyme fusion gene was introduced into a transfectoma that secreted the chimeric light chain of the same antibody, and cell lines were cloned that synthesized and secreted the antibody-enzyme fusion protein of the expected size at a concentration of 1-5 ng/mL. Culture supernatants from clones secreting the fusion protein caused inhibition of growth and protein synthesis toward K562 cells that express the human transferrin receptor but not toward a nonhuman derived cell line. Since human ribonucleases coupled to antibodies also exhibited receptor mediated toxicities, a new approach to selective cell killing is provided. This may allow the development of new therapeutics for cancer treatment that exhibit less systemic toxicity and, importantly, less immunogenicity than the currently employed ligand-toxin conjugates.