Tumor-associated and microbial proteases compromise host IgG effector functions by a single cleavage proximal to the hinge.

The successful elimination of pathogenic cells and microorganisms by the humoral immune system relies on effective interactions between host immunoglobulins and Fc gamma receptors on effector cells, in addition to the complement system. Essential Ig motifs that direct those interactions reside within the conserved IgG lower hinge/CH2 interface. We noted that a group of tumor-related and microbial proteases cleaved human IgG1s in that region, and the "nick" of just one of the heavy chains profoundly inhibited IgG1 effector functions. We focused on IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) since IgG1 is the most abundant human subclass and demonstrates robust Fc-mediated effector functions. The loss of Fc-mediated cell killing activities was correlated with diminished binding to the Fc gamma family of receptors, but a similar decrease in affinity was not observed toward the FcRn receptor that maintains IgG in circulation. Endogenous human IgG cleavage products of comparable size to mAbs with the single cleavage were detected by Western blot analysis in synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in breast carcinoma extracts. Their detection is problematic under physiological conditions, since there is no loss of structure, and antigen-binding capability is unaffected. These findings suggest that within the hostile proteolytic microenvironments associated with many diseases, key effector functions of host IgGs, or therapeutic Abs, may be compromised.

Human anti-IgG1 hinge autoantibodies reconstitute the effector functions of proteolytically inactivated IgGs.

A number of proteases of potential importance to human physiology possess the ability to selectively degrade and inactivate Igs. Proteolytic cleavage within and near the hinge domain of human IgG1 yielded products including Fab and F(ab')(2) possessing full Ag binding capability but absent several functions needed for immune destruction of cellular pathogens. In parallel experiments, we showed that the same proteolytically generated Fabs and F(ab')(2)s become self-Ags that were widely recognized by autoantibodies in the human population. Binding analyses using various Fab and F(ab')(2), as well as single-chain peptide analogues, indicated that the autoantibodies targeted the newly exposed sequences where proteases cleave the hinge. The point of cleavage may be less of a determinant for autoantibody binding than the exposure of an otherwise cryptic stretch of hinge sequence. It was noted that the autoantibodies possessed an unusually high proportion of the IgG3 isotype in contrast to Abs induced against foreign immunogens in the same human subjects. In light of the recognized potency of IgG3 effector mechanisms, we adopted a functional approach to determine whether human anti-hinge (HAH) autoantibodies could reconstitute the (missing) Fc region effector functions to Fab and F(ab')(2). Indeed, in in vitro cellular assays, purified HAH autoantibodies restored effector functions to F(ab')(2) in both Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays. The results indicate that HAH autoantibodies selectively bind to proteolytically cleaved IgGs and can thereby provide a surrogate Fc domain to reconstitute cell lytic functions.

Proteolysis of purified IgGs by human and bacterial enzymes in vitro and the detection of specific proteolytic fragments of endogenous IgG in rheumatoid synovial fluid.

A comparative in vitro survey of physiologically relevant human and microbial proteinases defined a number of enzymes that induced specific hinge domain cleavage in human IgG1. Several of these proteinases have been associated with tumor growth, inflammation, and infection. A majority of the identified proteinases converted IgG to F(ab')(2), and a consistent feature of their action was a transient accumulation of a single-cleaved intermediate (scIgG). The scIgG resulted from the relatively rapid cleavage of the first hinge domain heavy chain, followed by a slower cleavage of the second chain to separate the Fc domain from F(ab')(2). Major sites of enzymatic cleavage were identified or confirmed from the mass of the F(ab')(2) or Fab fragments and/or the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the Fc for each enzyme including human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 3 and 12, human cathepsin G, human neutrophil elastase (Fab), staphylococcal glutamyl endopeptidase I and streptococcal immunoglobulin-degrading enzyme (IdeS). The cleavage sites in IgG1 by MMP-3, cathepsin G and IdeS were used to guide the synthesis of peptide analogs containing the corresponding carboxy-termini to be used as immunogens in rabbits. Rabbit antibodies were successfully generated that showed selective binding to different human F(ab')(2)s and other hinge-cleavage fragments, but not to intact IgG. In Western blotting studies of synovial fluids from individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, the rabbit antibodies yielded patterns consistent with the presence of endogenous IgG fragments including F(ab')(2) and the single-cleaved IgG intermediate. The detection in synovial fluid of IgG fragments similar to those observed in the in vitro biochemical studies suggests that proteolysis of IgG may contribute to localized immune dysfunction in inflammatory environments.