Strategies for Neoglycan conjugation to human acid α-glucosidase.

Engineering proteins for selective tissue targeting can improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce undesired side effects. The relatively high dose of recombinant human acid α-glucosidase (rhGAA) required for enzyme replacement therapy of Pompe disease may be attributed to less than optimal muscle uptake via the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR). To improve muscle targeting, Zhu et al. (1) conjugated periodate oxidized rhGAA with bis mannose 6-phosphate bearing synthetic glycans and achieved 5-fold greater potency in a murine Pompe efficacy model. In the current study, we systematically evaluated multiple strategies for conjugation based on a structural homology model of GAA. Glycan derivatives containing succinimide, hydrazide, and aminooxy linkers targeting free cysteine, lysines, and N-linked glycosylation sites on rhGAA were prepared and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. A novel conjugation method using enzymatic oxidation was developed to eliminate side oxidation of methionine. Conjugates derived from periodate oxidized rhGAA still displayed the greatest potency in the murine Pompe model. The efficiency of conjugation and its effect on catalytic activity were consistent with predictions based on the structural model and supported its use in guiding selection of appropriate chemistries.

X-ray and biochemical analysis of N370S mutant human acid ß-glucosidase.

Gaucher disease is caused by mutations in the enzyme acid ß-glucosidase (GCase), the most common of which is the substitution of serine for asparagine at residue 370 (N370S). To characterize the nature of this mutation, we expressed human N370S GCase in insect cells and compared the x-ray structure and biochemical properties of the purified protein with that of the recombinant human GCase (imiglucerase, Cerezyme®). The x-ray structure of N370S mutant acid ß-glucosidase at acidic and neutral pH values indicates that the overall folding of the N370S mutant is identical to that of recombinant GCase. Subtle differences were observed in the conformation of a flexible loop at the active site and in the hydrogen bonding ability of aromatic residues on this loop with residue 370 and the catalytic residues Glu-235 and Glu-340. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed a pH-dependent change in the environment of tryptophan residues in imiglucerase that is absent in N370S GCase. The mutant protein was catalytically deficient with reduced V(max) and increased K(m) values for the substrate p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside and reduced sensitivity to competitive inhibitors. N370S GCase was more stable to thermal denaturation and had an increased lysosomal half-life compared with imiglucerase following uptake into macrophages. The competitive inhibitor N-(n-nonyl)deoxynojirimycin increased lysosomal levels of both N370S and imiglucerase 2-3-fold by reducing lysosomal degradation. Overall, these data indicate that the N370S mutation results in a normally folded but less flexible protein with reduced catalytic activity compared with imiglucerase.

Production of recombinant albumin by a herd of cloned transgenic cattle.

Purified plasma derived human albumin has been available as a therapeutic product since World War II. However, cost effective recombinant production of albumin has been challenging due to the amount needed and the complex folding pattern of the protein. In an effort to provide an abundant source of recombinant albumin, a herd of transgenic cows expressing high levels of rhA in their milk was generated. Expression cassettes efficiently targeting the secretion of human albumin to the lactating mammary gland were obtained and tested in transgenic mice. A high expressing transgene was transfected in primary bovine cell lines to produce karyoplasts for use in a somatic cell nuclear transfer program. Founder transgenic cows were produced from four independent cell lines. Expression levels varying from 1-2 g/l to more than 40 g/l of correctly folded albumin were observed. The animals expressing the highest levels of rhA exhibited shortened lactation whereas cows yielding 1-2 g/l had normal milk production. This herd of transgenic cattle is an easily scalable and well characterized source of rhA for biomedical uses.

Effect of mannose chain length on targeting of glucocerebrosidase for enzyme replacement therapy of Gaucher disease.

Recombinant human glucocerebrosidase (imiglucerase, Cerezyme) is used in enzyme replacement therapy for Gaucher disease. Complex oligosaccharides present on Chinese hamster ovary cell-expressed glucocerebrosidase (GCase) are enzymatically remodeled into a mannose core, facilitating mannose receptor-mediated uptake into macrophages. Alternative expression systems could be used to produce GCase containing larger oligomannose structures, offering the possibility of an improvement in targeting to macrophages. A secondary advantage of these expression systems would be to eliminate the need for carbohydrate remodeling. Here, multiple expression systems were used to produce GCase containing primarily terminal oligomannose, from Man2 to Man9. GCase from these multiple expression systems was compared to Cerezyme with respect to affinity for mannose receptor and serum mannose-binding lectin (MBL), macrophage uptake, and intracellular half-life. In vivo studies comparing clearance and targeting of Cerezyme and the Man9 form of GCase were carried out in a Gaucher mouse model (D409V/null). Mannose receptor binding, macrophage uptake, and in vivo targeting were similar for all forms of GCase. Increased MBL binding was observed for all forms of GCase having larger mannose structures than those of Cerezyme, which could influence pharmacokinetic behavior. These studies demonstrate that although alternative cell expression systems are effective for producing oligomannose-terminated glucocerebrosidase, there is no biochemical or pharmacological advantage in producing GCase with an increased number of mannose residues. The display of alternative carbohydrate structures on GCase expressed in these systems also runs the risk of undesirable consequences, such as an increase in MBL binding or a possible increase in immunogenicity due to the presentation of non-mammalian glycans.

Activation of human acid sphingomyelinase through modification or deletion of C-terminal cysteine.

One form of Niemann-Pick disease is caused by a deficiency in the enzymatic activity of acid sphingomyelinase. During efforts to develop an enzyme replacement therapy based on a recombinant form of human acid sphingomyelinase (rhASM), purified preparations of the recombinant enzyme were found to have substantially increased specific activity if cell harvest media were stored for several weeks at -20 degrees C prior to purification. This increase in activity was found to correlate with the loss of the single free thiol on rhASM, suggesting the involvement of a cysteine residue. It was demonstrated that a variety of chemical modifications of the free cysteine on rhASM all result in substantial activation of the enzyme, and the modified cysteine responsible for this activation was shown to be the C-terminal residue (Cys629). Activation was also achieved by copper-promoted dimerization of rhASM (via cysteine) and by C-terminal truncation using carboxypeptidase Y. The role of the C-terminal cysteine in activation was confirmed by creating mutant forms of rhASM in which this residue was either deleted or replaced by a serine, with both forms having substantially higher specific activity than wild-type rhASM. These results indicate that purified rhASM can be activated in vitro by loss of the free thiol on the C-terminal cysteine via chemical modification, dimerization, or deletion of this amino acid residue. This method of activation is similar to the cysteine switch mechanism described previously for matrix metalloproteinases and could represent a means of posttranslational regulation of ASM activity in vivo.