Impact of linker and conjugation chemistry on antigen binding, Fc receptor binding and thermal stability of model antibody-drug conjugates.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with biotin as a model cargo tethered to IgG1 mAbs via different linkers and conjugation methods were prepared and tested for thermostability and ability to bind target antigen and Fc receptor. Most conjugates demonstrated decreased thermostability relative to unconjugated antibody, based on DSC, with carbohydrate and amine coupled ADCs showing the least effect compared with thiol coupled conjugates. A strong correlation between biotin-load and loss of stability is observed with thiol conjugation to one IgG scaffold, but the stability of a second IgG scaffold is relatively insensitive to biotin load. The same correlation for amine coupling was less significant. Binding of antibody to antigen and Fc receptor was investigated using surface plasmon resonance. None of the conjugates exhibited altered antigen affinity. Fc receptor FcγIIb (CD32b) interactions were investigated using captured antibody conjugate. Protein G and Protein A, known inhibitors of Fc receptor (FcR) binding to IgG, were also used to extend the analysis of the impact of conjugation on Fc receptor binding. H10NPEG4 was the only conjugate to show significant negative impact to FcR binding, which is likely due to higher biotin-load compared with the other ADCs. The ADC aHISNLC and aHISTPEG8 demonstrated some loss in affinity for FcR, but to much lower extent. The general insensitivity of target binding and effector function of the IgG1 platform to conjugation highlight their utility. The observed changes in thermostability require consideration for the choice of conjugation chemistry, depending on the system being pursued and particular application of the conjugate.

Electrophoretic evidence for the presence of structural isoforms specific for the IgG2 isotype.

Recombinant monoclonal antibodies of therapeutic interest were analyzed by a nonreduced CE-SDS (nrCE-SDS) method developed for the evaluation of size-based variants. We found that immunoglobulins analyzed by this technique exhibited different behavior depending on their subclasses. Under nrCE-SDS conditions, IgG1 molecules were separated in a well-resolved, single peak, whereas IgG2 molecules were consistently separated as a doublet. Investigation of these isoforms showed that they were structurally different, and that the difference was not caused by cell culture condition, glycosylation structure, or recombinant expression system. Commercially available IgG2 affinity-purified from human plasma also showed the presence of structural isoforms. The structural isoforms remained present under pH- and temperature-stressed conditions. Application of a mild cysteine/cystine redox potential converted the main peak doublet into a single peak, indicating that these isoforms were disulfide bond-related species. Bioactivity measured before and after application of a redox potential gave similar values, indicating that the structural isoforms have comparable potency. The nrCE-SDS technique described here demonstrated a unique capability to resolve IgGs, leading to the discovery of novel structural isoforms specific to the IgG2 isotype.

Glutathione-dependent metabolism of the antitumor agent sulofenur. Evidence for the formation of p-chlorophenyl isocyanate as a reactive intermediate.

The antitumor agent sulofenur (LY186641), which has shown promising activity against a wide range of cancers, causes hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia at dose-limiting toxicities. The antitumor and toxicological mechanism(s) of action of the drug is (are) not well understood, but unlike other antineoplastic agents, sulofenur does not interfere with DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis, or with polynucleotide function. In the present study, we evaluated the hypothesis that sulofenur undergoes bioactivation in vivo to generate p-chlorophenyl isocyanate (CPIC), which could carbamoylate biological macromolecules directly or form a conjugate with glutathione (GSH) which would serve as a latent form of CPIC. The objectives of this study, therefore, were to determine if the GSH and N-acetylcysteine conjugates of CPIC were excreted into bile and urine, respectively, after an i.p. dose of sulofenur to rats. In addition, the chemical stability and thiol exchange properties of these S-linked conjugates were determined. The results of this study indicate that sulofenur does undergo metabolism in vivo to yield the GSH conjugate of CPIC, and that this conjugation reaction is reversible and subject to thiol exchange in buffered aqueous solution (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C). In contrast, sulofenur itself was stable under these same conditions, even in the presence of GSH and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), thus raising the possibility that bioactivation of sulofenur is necessary for liberation of CPIC. These findings suggest that the generation of this isocyanate in vivo and subsequent carbamoylation of biological macromolecules may play a role in the toxicity and/or antitumor activity of sulofenur and related diarylsulfonylureas.