Prospective Design of Anti-Transferrin Receptor Bispecific Antibodies for Optimal Delivery into the Human Brain.

Anti-transferrin receptor (TfR)-based bispecific antibodies have shown promise for boosting antibody uptake in the brain. Nevertheless, there are limited data on the molecular properties, including affinity required for successful development of TfR-based therapeutics. A complex nonmonotonic relationship exists between affinity of the anti-TfR arm and brain uptake at therapeutically relevant doses. However, the quantitative nature of this relationship and its translatability to humans is heretofore unexplored. Therefore, we developed a mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model for bispecific anti-TfR/BACE1 antibodies that accounts for antibody-TfR interactions at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as well as the pharmacodynamic (PD) effect of anti-BACE1 arm. The calibrated model correctly predicted the optimal anti-TfR affinity required to maximize brain exposure of therapeutic antibodies in the cynomolgus monkey and was scaled to predict the optimal affinity of anti-TfR bispecifics in humans. Thus, this model provides a framework for testing critical translational predictions for anti-TfR bispecific antibodies, including choice of candidate molecule for clinical development.

Biosynthesis and post-translational processing of the precursor to brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

We examined the biosynthesis and post-translational processing of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor (pro-BDNF) in cells infected with a pro-BDNF-encoding vaccinia virus. Metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitation, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveal that pro-BDNF is generated as a 32-kDa precursor that is N-glycosylated and glycosulfated on a site, within the pro-domain. Some pro-BDNF is released extracellularly and is biologically active as demonstrated by its ability to mediate TrkB phosphorylation. The precursor undergoes N-terminal cleavage within the trans-Golgi network and/or immature secretory vesicles to generate mature BDNF (14 kDa). Small amounts of a 28-kDa protein that is immunoprecipitated with BDNF antibodies is also evident. This protein is generated in the endoplasmic reticulum through N-terminal cleavage of pro-BDNF at the Arg-Gly-Leu-Thr(57)- downward arrow-Ser-Leu site. Cleavage is abolished when Arg(54) is changed to Ala (R54A) by in vitro mutagenesis. Blocking generation of 28-kDa BDNF has no effect on the level of mature BDNF and blocking generation of mature BDNF with alpha(1)-PDX, an inhibitor of furin-like enzymes, does not lead to accumulation of the 28-kDa form. These data suggest that 28-kDa pro-BDNF is not an obligatory intermediate in the formation of the 14-kDa form in the constitutive secretory pathway.

The TrkB-Shc site signals neuronal survival and local axon growth via MEK and P13-kinase.

To determine how signals emanating from Trk transmit neurotrophin actions in primary neurons, we tested the ability of TrkB mutated at defined effector binding sites to promote sympathetic neuron survival or local axon growth. TrkB stimulated signaling proteins and induced survival and growth in a manner similar to TrkA. TrkB mutated at the Shc binding site supported survival and growth poorly relative to wild-type TrkB, whereas TrkB mutated at the PLC-gamma1 binding site supported growth and survival well. TrkB-mediated neuronal survival was dependent on P13-kinase and to a lesser extent MEK activity, while growth depended upon both MEK and P13-kinase activities. These results indicate that the TrkB-Shc site mediates both neuronal survival and axonal outgrowth by activating the P13-kinase and MEK signaling pathways.