Directed evolution of a secretory leader for the improved expression of heterologous proteins and full-length antibodies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Because of its eukaryotic nature, simple fermentation requirements, and pliable genetics, there have been many attempts at improving recombinant protein production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These strategies typically involve altering the expression of a native protein thought to be involved in heterologous protein trafficking. Usually, these approaches yield three- to tenfold improvements over wild-type strains and are almost always specific to one type of protein. In this study, a library of mutant alpha mating factor 1 leader peptides (MFalpha1pp) is screened for the enhanced secretion of a single-chain antibody. One of the isolated mutants is shown to enhance the secretion of the scFv up to 16-fold over wild type. These leaders also confer a secretory improvement to two other scFvs as well as two additional, structurally unrelated proteins. Moreover, the improved leader sequences, combined with strain engineering, allow for a 180-fold improvement over previous reports in the secretion of full-length, functional, glycosylated human IgG(1). The production of full-length IgG(1) at milligram per liter titers in a simple, laboratory-scale system will significantly expedite drug discovery and reagent synthesis while reducing antibody cloning, production, and characterization costs.

Switching antibody specificity through minimal mutation.

Antibody 1E9, which was elicited with a hexachloronorbornene derivative and catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction between tetrachlorothiophene dioxide and N-ethylmaleimide with high efficiency, was successfully reengineered to bind a range of structurally diverse steroids with nanomolar affinities. Remarkably, two mutations (Leu(H47)Trp/Arg(H100)Trp) out of 36 total sequence differences suffice to switch the selectivity of 1E9 to that of the progesterone-binding antibody DB3. In contrast to the double mutant, which tightly binds multiple steroids with differently configured A-B ring junctions, the individual Leu(H47)Trp and Arg(H100)Trp single mutants both exhibit significantly greater specificity than DB3, preferentially binding 5alpha-pregnan-3beta-ol-20-one (K(d) approximately 5 nM) over other steroids. These findings illustrate how easily differently shaped binding pockets can be created through subtle changes to the same primordial germ line template.

Directed evolution for improved secretion of cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 from yeast.

NY-ESO-1 is a highly immunogenic tumor antigen and a promising vaccine candidate in cancer immunotherapy. Access to purified protein both for vaccine formulations and for monitoring antigen-specific immune responses is vital to vaccine development. Currently available recombinant Escherichia coli-derived NY-ESO-1 is isolated from inclusion bodies as a complex protein mixture and efforts to improve the purity of this antigen are required, especially for later-stage clinical trials. Using yeast cell surface display and fluorescence activated cell sorting techniques, we have engineered an NY-ESO-1 variant (NY-ESO-L5; C(75)A C(76)A C(78)A L(153)H) with a 100x improved display level on yeast compared to the wild-type protein. This mutant can be effectively produced as an Aga2p-fusion and purified in soluble form directly from the yeast cell wall. In the process, we have identified the epitope recognized by anti-NY-ESO-1 mAb E978 (79-87, GARGPESRL). The availability of an alternative expression host for this important antigen will help avoid artifactual false positive tests of patient immune response due to reaction against expression-host-specific contaminants.

Immunological optimization of a generic hydrophobic pocket for high affinity hapten binding and Diels-Alder activity.

Antibody 1E9, which binds a tetrachloronorbornene derivative with subnanomolar affinity and catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction between tetrachlorothiophene dioxide and N-ethylmaleimide with high efficiency, arose from a family of highly restricted germ-line immunoglobulins that bind diverse hydrophobic ligands. Two somatic mutations, one at position L89 in the light chain (SerL89Phe) and another at position H47 in the heavy chain (TrpH47Leu), have been postulated to be responsible for the unusually high degree of shape and chemical complementarity observed in the crystal structure of 1E9 complexed with its hapten. To test this hypothesis, the germ-line sequence at these two positions was restored by site-directed mutagenesis. The ensuing 160 to 3900-fold decrease in hapten affinity and the complete loss of catalytic activity support the hypothesis that these somatic mutations substantially remodel the antibody binding pocket. Mutation of the highly conserved hydrogen-bond donor AsnH35, which sits at the bottom of the active site and is a hallmark of this family of antibodies, is also catastrophic with respect to hapten binding and catalysis. In contrast, residues in the CDR H3 loop, which contributes a significant fraction of the hapten-contacting protein surface, have a more subtle influence on the properties of 1E9. Interestingly, while most changes in this loop have neutral or modestly deleterious effects, replacement of MetH100b at the floor of the pocket with phenylalanine leads to a significant sevenfold increase in catalytic activity. The latter result is surprising given the unusually close fit of the parent antibody to the transition-state analogue. Further fine-tuning of the interactions between 1E9 and its ligands by introducing mutations outside the active site could conceivably yield substantially more active catalysts.