Selection and characterisation of a phage-displayed human antibody (Fab) reactive to the lung resistance-related major vault protein.

The major vault protein is the main component on multimeric vault particles, that are likely to play an essential role in normal cell physiology and to be associated with multidrug resistance of tumour cells. In order to unravel the function of vaults and their putative contribution to multidrug resistance, specific antibodies are invaluable tools. Until now, only conventional major vault protein-reactive murine monoclonal antibodies have been generated, that are most suitable for immunohistochemical analyses. The phage display method allows for selection of human antibody fragments with potential use in clinical applications. Furthermore, cDNA sequences encoding selected antibody fragments are readily identified, facilitating various molecular targeting approaches. In order to obtain such human Fab fragments recognising major vault protein we used a large non-immunized human Fab fragment phage library. Phages displaying major vault protein-reactive Fabs were obtained through several rounds of selection on major vault protein-coated immunotubes and subsequent amplification in TG1 E coli bacteria. Eventually, one major vault protein-reactive clone was selected and further examined. The anti-major vault protein Fab was found suitable for immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis of tumour cell lines and human tissues. BIAcore analysis showed that the binding affinity of the major vault protein-reactive clone almost equalled that of the murine anti-major vault protein Mabs. The cDNA sequence of this human Fab may be exploited to generate an intrabody for major vault protein-knock out studies. Thus, this human Fab fragment should provide a valuable tool in elucidating the contribution(s) of major vault protein/vaults to normal physiology and cellular drug resistance mechanisms.

Evidence for a bias toward intracellular antigens in the local humoral anti-tumor immune response of a colorectal cancer patient revealed by phage display.

Many patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) mount a cellular as well as a humoral immune response to the tumor. To investigate the nature and specificity of the humoral immune response in a CRC patient, lymphocytes infiltrating the primary colorectal tumor and lymph nodes draining the tumor were used as antibody variable (V)-gene pools for the construction of phage antibody repertoires. These libraries were first validated by selection on the antigen tetanus toxoid and shown to contain antibodies that were probably derived from both naive and memory B cells. The repertoires were then screened for the presence of antibodies directed to CRC by selection on the cell line CaCo2. For comparison, the same selections were performed with a phage antibody repertoire made from B cells of healthy donors. Striking differences were observed in the panel of specificities selected from these different repertoires: although a large panel of antibodies reactive with patient-derived primary tumors was obtained from the immune repertoires, none of these discriminated between normal colonic epithelium and colon cancer and none were reactive with cell-surface antigens. However, selections using the non-immune library did result in numerous antibodies that recognized cell surface markers on CaCo2. These data suggest a bias in the local humoral immune response in this CRC patient, directed primarily toward intracellular epithelial-cell specific target antigens.

Building novel binding ligands to B7.1 and B7.2 based on human antibody single variable light chain domains.

Ligands specific for B7.1 (CD80) and B7.2 (CD86) have applications in disease indications that require inhibition of T-cell activity. As we observed significant sequence and structural similarity between the B7-binding ligand, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4), and antibody variable light chain domains (VLs), we have explored the possibilities of making novel B7 binding molecules based on single VL domains. We first describe the "rational" design and construction of a VL/CTLA-4 hybrid molecule in which we have grafted both the CDR1 and CDR3-like loops of CTLA-4 onto a single VL light chain, at sites determined by sequence and structure-based alignment. This molecule was secreted as a soluble product from Escherichia coli, but did not show any binding to B7.1 and B7.2. In a second approach we constructed a VL library in which human VL genes derived from B-cells were spiked with the CDR3-like loop of CTLA-4 and further diversified by DNA shuffling. This library was displayed on phage, and after selection gave B7.1 binding ligands which competed with CTLA-4. In order to evaluate the possible general utility of VL domains as binding ligands, we have constructed a non-biased VL library. From this DNA-shuffled human VL library we have selected single VL domains specific for B7.1, B7.2 or human IgG. Two B7.1-specific VL ligands and one B7.2-specific VL ligand showed competition with CTLA-4. One candidate VL domain-specific for B7.1 was affinity matured by simultaneous randomisation of all CDR loops using DNA shuffling with degenerate CDR-spiking oligonucleotides. From this library, a single VL domain with affinity of 191 nM for B7.1 was obtained, which also showed binding to B7.1 in situ. This VL had mutations in CDR1 and CDR3, indicating that antigen recognition for this single VL is most likely mediated by the same regions as in the VL domain of whole antibodies. The B7.1 and B7.2-specific VL domains described in this study may form the basis of a new family of immunomodulatory recombinant molecules. Furthermore, our studies suggest that it is feasible to create specific single VL domains to diverse targets as is the case for single VH domains.

In vitro characterisation of a monovalent and bivalent form of a fully human anti Ep-CAM phage antibody.

Antibodies to tumour-associated antigens are increasingly being used as targeting vehicles for the visualisation and for therapy of human solid tumours. The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) is an antigen that is overexpressed on a variety of human solid tumours and constitutes an attractive target for immunotargeting. We set out to obtain fully human antibodies to this antigen by selecting from a large antibody repertoire displayed on bacteriophages. Two single-chain variable antibody fragments (scFv) were identified that specifically bound recombinant antigen in vitro. One of the selected antibodies (VEL-1) cross-reacted with extracellular matrix components in immunohistochemistry of colon carcinoma, whereas the other scFv (VEL-2) specifically recognised colon cancer cells. The latter antibody was further characterised with respect to epitope specificity and kinetics of antigen-binding. It showed no competition with the well-characterised anti Ep-CAM MOC-31 monoclonal antibody and had an off-rate of 5 x 10(-2) s-1. To obtain an antibody format more suitable for in vivo tumour targeting and to increase the apparent affinity through avidity, the genes of scFv VEL-2 were re-formatted by fusion to a human (gamma 1) hinge region and CH3 domain. This "minibody" was expressed in Escherichia coli, specifically bound the Ep-CAM antigen and showed a 20-fold reduced off-rate in surface plasmon resonance analysis. These results show that phage antibody selection, combined with antibody engineering, may result in fully human antibody molecules with promising characteristics for in vivo use in tumour targeting.

Identification of colon tumour-associated antigens by phage antibody selections on primary colorectal carcinoma.

Immunotargeting of solid tumours using antibodies has become a valuable tool for the detection of cancer metastases and the treatment of minimal residual disease. However, only few tumour antigens useful for targeting have been described to date. To identify cell-surface targets on colorectal carcinoma (CRC), we selected a large, human phage antibody repertoire on freshly isolated colon tumour cells. Two antibodies were identified that reacted with epithelial cell-restricted cell-surface antigens, whereas one clone preferentially reacted with stromal cells. These antigens are tumour-associated antigens, as shown by their uniform expression in tumours of different patients and of different differentiation stages and by their limited expression on normal tissues. The pattern of reactivity in immunohistochemistry (IHC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) suggests that these antigens are different from previously identified tumour-associated antigens (e.g. Ep-CAM or c-ERB-2). This phage antibody-based method may lead to the cloning of novel tumour antigens that are useful for the immunotargeting of solid tumours.

Design and application of diabodies, triabodies and tetrabodies for cancer targeting.

Multivalent recombinant antibody fragments provide high binding avidity and unique specificity to a wide range of target antigens and haptens. This review describes the design and expression of diabodies, triabodies and tetrabodies using examples of scFv molecules that target viruses (influenza neuraminidase) and cancer (Ep-CAM; epithelial cell adhesion molecule). We discuss the preferred choice of linker length between V-domains to direct the formation of either diabodies (60 kDa), triabodies (90 kDa) or tetrabodies (120 kDa), each with size, flexibility and valency suited to different applications for in vivo imaging and therapy. The increased binding valency of these scFv multimers results in high avidity (low off-rates). A particular advantage for tumour targeting is that molecules of 60-100 kDa have increased tumour penetration and fast clearance rates compared to the parent Ig (150 kDa). We highlight a number of cancer-targeting scFv multimers that have recently successfully undergone pre-clinical trials for in vivo stability and efficacy. We also review the design of multi-specific Fv modules suited to cross-link two or more different target antigens. These bi- and tri-specific multimers can be formed by association of different scFv molecules and, in the first examples, have been designed as cross-linking reagents for T-cell recruitment into tumours (immunotherapy), viral retargeting (gene therapy) and as red blood cell agglutination reagents (immunodiagnostics).

A phage display selected fab fragment with MHC class I-restricted specificity for MAGE-A1 allows for retargeting of primary human T lymphocytes.

The clinical benefit of adoptive transfer of MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTL) for the treatment of cancer is hampered by the low success rate to generate antitumor CTLs. To bypass the need for tumor-specific CTL, we developed a strategy that allows for grafting of human T lymphocytes with MHC-restricted antigen specificity using in vitro selected human Fab fragments fused to the Fc(epsilon)RI-gamma signaling molecule. Retroviral introduction of a Fab-based chimeric receptor specific for MAGE-A1/HLA-A1 into primary human T lymphocytes resulted in binding of relevant peptide/MHC complexes. Transduced T lymphocytes responded to native MAGE-A1/HLA-A1POS target cells by specific cytokine production and cytolysis. Therefore, peptide/MHC-specific Fab fragments represent new alternatives to TCR to confer human T lymphocytes with tumor specificity, which provides a promising rationale for developing immunogene therapies.

Natural and designer binding sites made by phage display technology.

In the past decade, the drive to develop completely human antibodies for human therapy has led to the development of phage display technology. This technology is able to deliver the ultimate in antibody engineering, that is, high-affinity fully human antibodies to any antigen of choice. Here, this application of phage display technology is reviewed, and the many other antibody-engineering avenues this technology offers are highlighted.

Human anti-CD30 recombinant antibodies by guided phage antibody selection using cell panning.

In various clinical studies, Hodgkin's patients have been treated with anti-CD30 immunotherapeutic agents and have shown promising responses. One of the problems that appeared from these studies is the development of an immune response against the nonhuman therapeutics, which limits repeated administration and reduces efficacy. We have set out to make a recombinant, human anti-CD30 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody, which may serve as a targeting moiety with reduced immunogenicity and more rapid tumour penetration in similar clinical applications. Rather than selecting a naive phage antibody library on recombinant CD30 antigen, we used guided selection of a murine antibody in combination with panning on the CD30-positive cell line L540. The murine monoclonal antibody Ki-4 was chosen as starting antibody, because it inhibits the shedding of the extracellular part of the CD30 antigen. This makes the antibody better suited for CD30-targeting than most other anti-CD30 antibodies. We have previously isolated the murine Ki-4 scFv by selecting a mini-library of hybridoma-derived phage scFv-antibodies via panning on L540 cells. Here, we report that phage display technology was successfully used to obtain a human Ki-4 scFv version by guided selection. The murine variable heavy (VH) and light (VL) chain genes of the Ki-4 scFv were sequentially replaced by human V gene repertoires, while retaining only the major determinant for epitope-specificity: the heavy-chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) of murine Ki-4. After two rounds of chain shuffling and selection by panning on L540 cells, a fully human anti-CD30 scFv was selected. It competes with the parental monoclonal antibody Ki-4 for binding to CD30, inhibits the shedding of the extracellular part of the CD30 receptor from L540 cells and is thus a promising candidate for the generation of anti-CD30 immunotherapeutics.

Direct selection of a human antibody fragment directed against the tumor T-cell epitope HLA-A1-MAGE-A1 from a nonimmunized phage-Fab library.

Antitumor antibodies with the same specificity as cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognize antigenic peptides encoded by tumor-associated genes and presented by MHC class I molecules would be valuable tools to analyze the antigenicity or target tumor cells in vivo. To obtain a human antibody directed against a peptide encoded by gene melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE)-A1 and presented by HLA-A1 molecules, we selected a large phage Fab antibody repertoire on a recombinant version of the complex HLA-A1-MAGE-A1 produced by in vitro refolding. One of the selected phage antibodies shows binding to HLA-A1 complexed with the MAGE-A1 peptide, but does not show binding to HLA-A1 complexed with a peptide encoded by gene MAGE-A3 and differing from the MAGE-A1 peptide by only three residues. Phages carrying this recombinant antibody bind to HLA-A1(+) cells only after in vitro loading with MAGE-A1 peptide. These results indicate that nonimmunized phage Fab libraries are a source of antibodies with a T cell antigen receptor-like specificity. The human anti-HLA-A1-MAGE-A1 antibody described here may prove very useful for monitoring the cell surface expression of these complexes, and eventually, as a targeting reagent for the specific immunotherapy of HLA-A1 patients bearing a MAGE-A1-positive tumor.

Development and application of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 as a protein scaffold for the generation of novel binding ligands.

We have explored the possibilities of using human cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) as a single immunoglobulin fold-based scaffold for the generation of novel binding ligands. To obtain a suitable protein library selection system, the extracellular domain of CTLA-4 was first displayed on the surface of a filamentous phage as a fusion product of the phage coat protein p3. CTLA-4 was shown to be functionally intact by binding to its natural ligands B7-1 (CD80) and B7-2 (CD86) both in vitro and in situ. Secondly, the complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) loop of the CTLA-4 extracellular domain was evaluated as a permissive site. We replaced the nine amino acid CDR3-like loop of CTLA-4 with the sequence XXX-RGD-XXX (where X represents any amino acid). Using phage display we selected several CTLA-4-based variants capable of binding to human alphavbeta3 integrin, one of which showed binding to integrins in situ. To explore the construction of bispecific molecules we also evaluated one other potential permissive site diametrically opposite the natural CDR-like loops, which was found to be tolerant of peptide insertion. Our data suggest that CTLA-4 is a suitable human scaffold for engineering single-domain molecules with one or possibly more binding specificities.

Guided selection of a pan carcinoma specific antibody reveals similar binding characteristics yet structural divergence between the original murine antibody and its human equivalent.

Antibody engineering provides an excellent tool for the generation of human immunotherapeutics for the targeted treatment of solid tumours. We have engineered and selected a completely human antibody to epithelial glycoprotein-2 (EGP-2), a transmembrane glycoprotein present on virtually all human simple epithelia and abundantly expressed on a variety of human carcinomas. We chose to use the procedure of "guided selection" to rebuild a high-affinity murine antibody into a human antibody, using two consecutive rounds of variable domain shuffling and phage library selection. As a starting antibody, the murine antibody MOC-31 was used. After the first round of guided selection, where the V(H) of MOC-31 was combined in Fab format with a human V(L)C(L) library, a small panel of human light chains was identified, originating from a segment of the VkappaIII family, whereas the MOC-31 V(L) is more homologous to the VkappaII family. Nevertheless, one of the chimaeric Fabs, C3, displayed an off-rate similar to MOC-31 scFv. Combining the V(L) of C3 with a human V(H) library, while retaining the V(H) CDR3 of MOC-31, clones were selected using human V(H) genes originating from the rarely used V(H)7 family. The best clone, 9E, shows over 13 amino acid mutations from the germline sequence, has an off-rate comparable to the original antibody and specifically binds to the "MOC-31"-epitope on EGP-2 in specificity and competition ELISA, FACS analysis and immunohistochemistry. In both V(L) and V(H) of antibody 9E, three germline mutations were found creating the MOC-31 homologue residue. Structural modelling of both murine and human antibodies reveals that one of the germline mutations, 53Y in V(H) CDR2, is likely to be involved in antigen binding. We conclude that, although they may bind the same epitope and have similar binding affinity to the antigen as the original murine antibody, human antibodies derived by guided selection unlike CDR-grafted antibodies, may retain only some of the original key elements of the binding site chemistry. The selected human anti-EGP-2 antibody will be a suitable reagent for tumour targeting.

Diverting a protein from its cellular location by intracellular antibodies. The case of p21Ras.

We describe the use of phage libraries to derive new antibodies against p21Ras to be used for intracellular expression in mammalian cells. A panel of single-chain antibody fragments, binding to Ras, were analyzed and characterized for their capacity to interfere in vitro with (a) the intrinsic GTPase activity of Ras and (b) the binding of Ras to its effector Raf, and were found not to neutralize its function, according to these biochemical criteria. When expressed intracellularly in mouse 3T3 K-Ras transformed cells all the anti-Ras single-chain variable fragments (scFv) tested inhibited cell proliferation, as assessed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Double immunofluorescence analysis of transfected cells using confocal microscopy confirmed that anti-Ras antibody fragments colocalize with endogenous Ras, at subcellular locations where the protein Ras is not normally found. These data suggest that the ability of phage-derived anti-Ras scFv fragments to inhibit the function of Ras in vivo is a rather general and frequent property and that the range of antibodies that can be successfully used for intracellular inhibition studies is much greater than anticipated, exploiting the mode of action of diverting protein traffic.

A profile of differentially expressed genes in primary colorectal cancer using suppression subtractive hybridization.

As a step towards understanding the complex differences between normal cells and cancer cells, we have used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) to generate a profile of genes overexpressed in primary colorectal cancer (CRC). From a 35¿ omitted¿000 clone SSH-cDNA repertoire, we have screened 400 random clones by reverse Northern blotting, of which 45 clones were scored as overexpressed in tumor compared to matched normal mucosa. Sequencing showed 37 different genes and of these, 16 genes corresponded to known genes in the public databases. Twelve genes, including Smad5 and Fls353, have previously been shown to be overexpressed in CRC. A series of known genes which have not previously been reported to be overexpressed in cancer were also recovered: Hsc70, PBEF, ribophorin II and Ese-3B. The remaining 21 genes have as yet no functional annotation. These results show that SSH in conjunction with high throughput screening provides a very efficient means to produce a broad profile of genes differentially expressed in cancer. Some of the genes identified may provide novel points of therapeutic intervention.

Selection of phage-displayed fab antibodies on the active conformation of ras yields a high affinity conformation-specific antibody preventing the binding of c-Raf kinase to Ras.

The Ras proteins cycle in the cell between an inactive state and an active state. In the active state, Ras signals via the switch I region to effectors like c-Raf kinase, leading to cell growth. Since Ras mutations in cancer are often associated with the presence of permanently active Ras, molecules that prevent downstream signaling may be of interest. Here, we show that by selection on the active conformation of Ras, using a recently described large phage antibody repertoire [de Haard et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 18218-18230], a Fab antibody (Fab H2) was identified that exclusively binds to active Ras, and not to inactive Ras. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, the interaction was demonstrated to be of high affinity (7.2 nM). In addition, the interaction with Ras is specific, since binding to the homologous Rap1A protein in BIAcore analysis is at least three orders of magnitude lower, and undetectable in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antibody fragment prevents the binding of active Ras to the immobilized Ras-binding domain of c-Raf kinase (Raf-RBD) at an IC(50) value of 135 nM. This value compares well to the K(D) of active Ras-binding to immobilized Raf-RBD using SPR, suggesting identical binding sites. Like the IgG Y13-259, which does not demonstrate preferential binding to either inactive or active Ras, Fab H2 inhibits intrinsic GTPase activity of Ras in vitro. Mapping studies using SPR analysis demonstrate that the binding sites for the antibodies are non-identical. This antibody could be used for dissecting functional differences between Ras effectors. Due to its specificity for active Ras, Fab H2 may well be more selective than previously used anti-Ras antibodies, and thus could be used for gene therapy of cancer with intracellular antibodies.

[Immunology in the medical practice. XXIV. Expression of antibodies on bacteriophages; possibilities for in vitro production of human antibodies for any desired application]. / Immunologie in de medische praktijk. XXIV. Expressie van antistoffen op bacteriofagen; mogelijkheden voor in-vitroproductie van humane antistoffen met elke gewenste specificiteit.

Although poly- and monoclonal antibodies are successfully applied in research, an expected clinical breakthrough of these reagents so far has not occurred. This can mainly be explained by the animal origin of antibodies, which may lead to a deleterious immune response upon therapeutic use in humans. Moreover, it has been technically demanding to alter the desired affinity, format and effector functions of existing antibodies. Currently, antibody phage-display technology, through construction of large and highly diverse antibody libraries, completely by-passing the immune system, enables the isolation of human antibodies, which can be engineered for every desired application.

CD3X anti-nitrophenyl bispecific diabodies: universal immunotherapeutic tools for retargeting T cells to tumors.

We developed a universal recombinant bispecific molecule (BiMol) that is capable of redirecting cytotoxic T cells to tumor cells via tagged anti-tumor ligands such as antibody fragments or cytokines. A recombinant bispecific diabody with binding specificities for the CD3 molecule on T cells as well as for the hapten nitrophenyl (NIP) was produced. This bispecific molecule is capable of redirecting cytotoxic T cells to kill a series of malignant cells, including B cell lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and colon carcinoma via NIP-conjugated ligands to tumor-associated antigens. Cytotoxic activity of the diabody was found to be comparable to tetradoma-derived bispecific antibodies with similar specificities. Our findings demonstrate that universal CD3xanti-NIP diabodies could be used for T cell based cellular immunotherapy in a variety of human malignancies. Additionally, these bispecific molecules allow fast and economic testing of tumor-associated antigens on malignant cells for their potential use as immunotherapeutic target structures if corresponding hapten-conjugated antibodies or ligands are available.

Design and expression of soluble CTLA-4 variable domain as a scaffold for the display of functional polypeptides.

We have designed and engineered the human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) variable (V-like) domain to produce a human-based protein scaffold for peptide display. First, to test whether the CTLA-4 CDR-like loops were permissive to loop replacement/insertion we substituted either the CDR1 or CDR3 loop with somatostatin, a 14-residue intra-disulfide-linked neuropeptide. Upon expression as periplasmic-targeted proteins in Escherichia coli, molecules with superior solubility characteristics to the wild-type V-domain were produced. These mutations in CTLA-4 ablated binding to its natural ligands CD80 and CD86, whereas binding to a conformation-dependent anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody showed that the V-domain framework remained correctly folded. Secondly, to develop a system for library selection, we displayed both wild-type and mutated CTLA-4 proteins on the surface of fd-bacteriophage as fusions with the geneIII protein. CTLA-4 displayed on phage bound specifically to immobilized CD80-Ig and CD86-Ig and in one-step panning enriched 5,000 to 2,600-fold respectively over wild-type phage. Bacteriophage displaying CTLA-4 with somatostatin in CDR3 (CTLA-4R-Som3) specifically bound somatostatin receptors on transfected CHO-K1 cells pre-incubated with 1 microg/ml tunicamycin to remove receptor glycosylation. Binding was specific, as 1 microM somatostatin successfully competed with CTLA-4R-Som3. CTLA-4R-Som3 also activated as well as binding preferentially to non-glycosylated receptor subtype Sst4. The ability to substitute CDR-like loops within CTLA-4 will enable design and construction of more complex libraries of single V-like domain binding molecules. Proteins 1999;36:217-227.

An anti-CD30 single-chain Fv selected by phage display and fused to Pseudomonas exotoxin A (Ki-4(scFv)-ETA') is a potent immunotoxin against a Hodgkin-derived cell line.

The human CD30 receptor is highly overexpressed on the surface of Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells and has been shown to be an excellent target for selective immunotherapy using monoclonal antibody-based agents such as immunotoxins. To construct a new recombinant immunotoxin for possible clinical use in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, we have chosen the murine anti-CD30 hybridoma Ki-4 to generate a high-affinity Ki-4 single-chain variable fragment (scFv). Hybridoma V-genes were polymerase chain reaction-amplified, assembled, cloned and expressed as a mini-library for display on filamentous phage. Functional Ki-4 scFv were obtained by selection of binding phage on the Hodgkin lymphoma-derived, CD30-expressing cell line L540Cy. The selected recombinant Ki-4 scFv was shown to specifically bind to an overlapping epitope on the CD30 antigen with binding kinetics similar to those of the original antibody. The Ki-4 scFv was subsequently fused to a deletion mutant of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (ETA'). The resulting immunotoxin Ki-4(scFv)-ETA' specifically binds to CD30+ L540Cy cells and inhibits the protein synthesis by 50% at a concentration (IC50) of 43 pM. This recombinant immunotoxin is a promising candidate for further clinical evaluation in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma or other CD30+ malignancies.

A large non-immunized human Fab fragment phage library that permits rapid isolation and kinetic analysis of high affinity antibodies.

We report the design, construction, and use of the first very large non-immunized phage antibody library in Fab format, which allows the rapid isolation and affinity analysis of antigen-specific human antibody fragments. Individually cloned heavy and light chain variable region libraries were combined in an efficient two-step cloning procedure, permitting the cloning of a total of 3.7 x 10(10) independent Fab clones. The performance of the library was determined by the successful selection of on average 14 different Fabs against 6 antigens tested. These include tetanus toxoid, the hapten phenyl-oxazolone, the breast cancer-associated MUC1 antigen, and three highly related glycoprotein hormones: human chorionic gonadotropin, human luteinizing hormone, and human follicle-stimulating hormone. In the latter category, a panel of either homone-specific or cross-reactive antibodies were identified. The design of the library permits the monitoring of selections with polyclonal phage preparations and to carry out large scale screening of antibody off-rates with unpurified Fab fragments on BIAcore. Antibodies with off-rates in the order of 10(-2) to 10(-4) s-1 and affinities up to 2.7 nM were recovered. The kinetics of these phage antibodies are of the same order of magnitude as antibodies associated with a secondary immune response. This new phage antibody library is set to become a valuable source of antibodies to many different targets, and to play a vital role in target discovery and validation in the area of functional genomics.