Citation

  • Authors: Escobar-Cabrera E. et al.
  • Year: 2017
  • Journal: Antibodies (Basel) 6 7
  • Applications: in vitro / DNA / PEIpro
  • Cell type: CHO-3E7
    Description: Chinese hamster ovary cell line expressing a truncated but functional form of EBNA1.

Method

The antibodies and controls were cloned and expressed as follows. Variants were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis using standard methods. The final DNA was sub-cloned into the vector pTT5 (see US Patent Publication No. US9353382 B2). Expression was carried out in either 2 mL or 50 mL or 500 mL CHO 3E7 cells. CHO cells were transfected in exponential growth phase (1.5 to 2 million cells/mL) with aqueous 1 mg/mL 25 kDa polyethylenimine (PEIpro, Polyplus Transfection SA, Illkirch, France) at a PEI:DNA ratio of 2.5:1 [35]. In order to determine the optimal concentration range for forming heterodimers, the DNA was transfected in optimal DNA ratios of the heavy chain A (HC-A), light chain (LC), and heavy chain B that allow for heterodimer formation (e.g., HC-A/HC-B/LC ratios = 25:25:50%). Transfected cells were harvested after 5–6 days with the culture medium collected after centrifugation at 4000 rpm and clarified using a 0.45 μm filter.

Abstract

Asymmetric bispecific antibodies are a rapidly expanding therapeutic antibody class, designed to recognize two different target epitopes concurrently to achieve novel functions not available with normal antibodies. Many therapeutic designs require antibodies with reduced or silenced effector function. Although many solutions have been described in the literature to knockout effector function, to date all of them have involved the use of a specific antibody subtype (e.g., IgG2 or IgG4), or symmetric mutations in the lower hinge or CH2 domain of traditional homodimeric monospecific antibodies. In the context of a heterodimeric Fc, we describe novel asymmetric Fc mutations with reduced or silenced effector function in this article. These heteromultimeric designs contain asymmetric charged mutations in the lower hinge and the CH2 domain of the Fc. Surface plasmon resonance showed that the designed mutations display much reduced binding to all of the Fc gamma receptors and C1q. Ex vivo ADCC and CDC assays showed a consistent reduction in activity. Differential scanning calorimetry showed increased thermal stability for some of the designs. Finally, the asymmetric nature of the introduced charged mutations allowed for separation of homodimeric impurities by ion exchange chromatography, providing, as an added benefit, a purification strategy for the production of bispecific antibodies with reduced or silenced effector function.

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