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*
Department of Medical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111; and
Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94110
| Abstract |
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RIII (CD16). The
resulting series of Bsab promoted cytotoxicity of SKOV3 human ovarian
carcinoma cells overexpressing HER2/neu by human PBMC
preparations containing CD16-positive NK cells. The affinity for
HER2/neu clearly influenced the ability of the Bsab to
promote cytotoxicity of 51Cr-labeled SKOV3 cells. Lysis was
6.5% with an anti-HER2/neu
KD = 1.7 x 10-7 M,
14.5% with KD = 5.7 x
10-9 M, and 21.3% with KD
= 1.7 x 10-10 M at 50:1 E:T ratios. These scFv-based
Bsab did not cross-link receptors and induce leukocyte calcium
mobilization in the absence of tumor cell engagement. Thus, these novel
Bsab structures should not induce the dose-limiting cytokine release
syndromes that have been observed in clinical trials with intact IgG
Bsab. Additional manipulations in Bsab structure that improve selective
tumor retention or facilitate the ability of Bsab to selectively
cross-link tumor and effector cells at tumor sites should further
improve the utility of this therapeutic
strategy. | Introduction |
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RI (CD64) (8), Fc
RIII (CD16)
(9, 10), CD44 (11), CD3, the 
TCR
complex (12, 13), and CD28 (14). Since Bsab
can target triggering epitopes that are distinct from sites on the
Fc
receptor that engage IgG Fc
domains, such molecules are not
limited by competition from circulating host Abs for binding to
activating epitopes. Bsab have been constructed as chemically linked
heterodimers (15) by purification from hybrid hybridoma
supernatants (16) and more recently as recombinant fusion
proteins (17, 18, 19, 20, 21). Many Bsab exhibit potent in vitro
cytotoxicity properties and promote tumor lysis far more efficiently
than do the conventionally structured IgG molecules from which they
were derived, even in the presence of competing host Igs
(10). These attributes have led to the clinical evaluation
of several Bsab that target tumor Ags and either Fc
RI
(22), Fc
RIII (10), or CD3 (23, 24). Modest clinical activity has been seen in these studies,
and several avenues for modification of Bsab structures and treatment
strategies have been identified (22, 25, 26, 27).
We have extensively studied the 2B1 Bsab in preclinical studies and in
a series of human clinical trials. 2B1 was prepared by the fusion of
the 520C9 and 3G8 hybridomas to yield a highly purified IgG1 murine
Bsab recognizing epitopes on the extracellular domains of the
HER2/neu tumor Ag and human Fc
RIII (CD16), respectively.
This Bsab efficiently mediates in vitro cytotoxicity against
HER2/neu-expressing human tumor cells by human NK cells and
macrophages (11, 10) and possesses potent antitumor
activity in a human tumor xenograft model in immunodeficient mice
(28). In a phase I clinical trial of 2B1, the maximally
tolerated dose was surprisingly low (2.5 mg/m2),
largely due to thrombocytopenia, fevers, hypotension and other
manifestations of the "first-dose effect" frequently observed with
intact IgG Ab therapy (25). These toxicities have been
shown to result at least partially from the simultaneous engagement of
human Fc
RIII and Fc
RII on leukocytes by the Bsab via its
anti-Fc
RIII and Fc domains, Ñleading to receptor cross-linking
and systemic leukocyte activation (29). We postulated that
the elimination of Fc domains would reduce this process and permit the
use of higher Bsab doses, improving tumor delivery and therapeutic
outcome. This was accomplished by isolating single-chain Fv fragments
(scFv) from a human phage display library reactive with
HER2/neu and Fc
RIII, respectively (30, 21)
and fusing these proteins using an amino acid linker to create a
recombinant (scFv)2 Bsab (21). In
this study, we show that this Bsab and its HER2/neu affinity
mutants do not induce leukocyte activation in the absence of engagement
of HER2/neu-expressing tumor cells. We also postulated that
increased affinity for HER2/neu would be associated with
more efficient Bsab promotion of cytotoxicity. This was tested using
Bsab containing the same anti-Fc
RIII scFv but using
anti-HER2/neu scFv targeting an identical epitope with
affinities ranging from 10-7 to
10-10 M. Bsab with increased affinity for
HER2/neu promoted more targeted tumor cytotoxicity than
their lower affinity variants. These findings provide a platform for
the construction of Bsab with improved selective cytotoxicity
properties.
| Materials and Methods |
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RIII
We have previously reported on the construction of a recombinant
human (scFv)2 Bsab recognizing the extracellular
domains of HER2/neu and human Fc
RIII (CD16). Both scFvs
were isolated from human phage display libraries (21).
This Bsab, designated C6.5-NM3E2, binds to HER2/neu with an
affinity of 6.8 x 10-9 M and to human
Fc
RIII ECD with an affinity of 2.4 x
10-7 M by surface plasmon resonance. Four
additional bispecific scFvs were produced, using affinity mutants of
C6.5 that also have been described previously. The
anti-HER2/neu scFvs used were C6G98A
(KD = 3.1 x
10-7 M), C6ML3.9
(KD = 1.0 x
10-9 M), C6MH3B1
(KD = 1.2 x
10-10 M), and C6B1D2
(KD = 1.5 x
10-11 M). The generation of the Bsab molecules
was performed using the pHENIX vector that contains two cloning sites
separated by a
Ser2(Gly4Ser)2Gly2Ser
linker sequence (31). To create each Bsab, the C6.5
variant scFv genes were PCR amplified and cloned into the first
position of the pHENIX vector using primers with the restriction sites
NcoI and XhoI. The NM3E2 scFv was PCR amplified
and cloned into the second position using primers containing the
restriction sites ApaLI and NotI. The
NcoI/NotI fragments containing the C6.5
variant-NM3E2 sequences were then excised and cloned into the
vector pUC119 myc his, as described elsewhere (30).
The Bsab were expressed as described previously (21).
Briefly, TG1 Escherichia coli were transformed with the
pUC119 myc his plasmid containing the Bsab DNA to express the Bsab
protein. Transformed cells were inoculated into 20 ml 2x YT/100
µg/ml ampicillin (Sigma, St. Louis, MO )/1% (w/v) glucose
and incubated overnight at 37°C in a shaking incubator at 250 rpm.
The overnight culture was used to inoculate 2 liters of 2x YT/100
µg/ml ampicillin/0.1% (w/v) glucose and was grown at 37°C until it
achieved an A600
1.0. Isopropyl
-D-thiogalactopyranoside (Fisher Scientific,
Pittsburgh, PA) was added to a final concentration of 1 mM to induce
expression of the scFvs. The culture was transferred to a 30°C
incubator for 4 h and then harvested by centrifugation at
4000 x g for 20 min. Fifty milliliters of ice-cold
periplasmic extraction buffer (30 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 20% (w/v)
sucrose, 1 mM EDTA) was added to the bacterial pellets for
resuspension. The bacteria were centrifuged again at 4000 x
g for 20 min, and the supernatant was retained. Fifty
milliliters of ice-cold osmotic shock buffer (5 mM
MgSO4) was added to the bacterial pellets. The
preparation was again centrifuged at 4000 x g for 20
min and the supernatant was retained. Supernatants from the periplasmic
and osmotic shock extractions were pooled and centrifuged at
17,500 x g for 20 min to remove cellular debris. The
resulting supernatants were dialyzed overnight against PBS at
4°C.
The Bsab were purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography and HPLC size exclusion chromatography as described previously (21). One milliliter of Ni-NTA-agarose (Qiagen, Dusseldorf, Germany) was added to the dialyzed supernatant. The solution was mixed for 1 h at 4°C and then centrifuged at 1750 x g for 20 min. After aspirating all but 50 ml of the supernatant, the remaining fluid was removed by centrifugation at 1750 x g for 10 min in a 50-ml polypropylene centrifuge tube (Corning, Corning, NY). The pellet was washed three times with 10 ml of wash buffer (50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), 500 mM NaCl, and 20 mM imidazole at 4°C). Between each wash, the Ni-NTA-agarose was pelleted by centrifugation at 1750 x g for 5 min. The Bsab were eluted from the Ni-NTA-agarose with 2 ml of ice-cold elution buffer (50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), 500 mM NaCl, and 250 mM imidazole). The 2-ml elution volume was reduced to 500 µl by centrifugation in a Centricon 10 concentrator (Amicon, Beverly, MA). The Bsab were further purified by size exclusion chromatography on a Dynamax HPLC System (Rainin Instruments, Emeryville, CA) equipped with a Superdex 75 column (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden). Fractions containing the Bsab were collected following gel filtration.
Affinity determination
The kinetics of the binding of C6.5 variant-NM3E2
(scFv)2 Bsab to the extracellular domain
(ECD) of Fc
RIII and HER2/neu were determined by
surface plasmon resonance using the BIAcore 1000 biosensor system
(Biosensor, Uppsala, Sweden) (32). Human Fc
RIII and
HER2/neu ECDs in 10 mM sodium acetate (pH 5.2) were
immobilized on research grade CM5 sensor chips (Biosensor) by amine
coupling (kit supplied by the manufacturer). Unreacted moieties on the
chip surfaces were blocked with ethanolamine. Human Fc
RIII ECD (20
µg/ml) and human HER2/neu ECD (25 µg/ml) were applied to
CM5 sensor chips at flow rates of 10 µl/min for 4 min, resulting in
the immobilization of 343 response units on the Fc
RIII chip and 491
response units on the HER2/neu chip. The C6.5
variant-NM3E2 Bsab were dialyzed in 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 150 mM
NaCl, 3.4 mM EDTA, and 0.005% (v/v) Surfactant P-20 (Biosensor) and
then diluted into concentrations ranging from 0.98 to 1800 nM. Binding
affinities were analyzed by continuous flow across each flow cell at a
rate of 15 µl/min. Each sample was also passed over a control flow
cell, which had been activated but contained no Ag. The control binding
curves were subtracted from the corresponding test curves. Following
the analysis of each sample, the CM5 sensor chip was regenerated with 4
M MgCl2, followed by 50 mM triethylamine at a
flow rate of 50 µl/min. Kinetic analysis was performed for each
molecule to determine the association
(kon) and dissociation
(koff) rates as well as the
equilibrium constants (KA and
KD).
Cytotoxicity assays
These studies were performed as previously described
(10). Briefly, PBL were isolated by Ficoll-Paque (Amersham
Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, NJ) density gradient centrifugation and
adherence of monocytes to gelatin/plasma-coated T-75 flasks. PBL were
washed twice with PBS and once with RPMI 1640 and were found to
be >95% viable using trypan blue dye exclusion. The PBL were treated
with IL-2 (a gift from the Chiron Therapeutics, Emeryville, CA) at a
concentration of 1000 U/ml for 3 h in supplemented RPMI 1640 (RPMI
1640, 6 g/L HEPES, 2 g/L NaHCO3, 10% (v/v)
heat-inactivated FBS, 5 U/ml penicillin, 5 µg/ml streptomycin (Life
Technologies, Rockville, MD), 10 µg/ml gentamicin, 0.29 mg/ml
glutamine (Life Technologies), and 0.2 U/ml insulin (Novo-Nordisk,
Clayton, NC)). SKOV-3 target cells (2 x
106) were labeled with 200 µCi of
Na51CrO4 (NEN, Life Science
Products, Boston, MA) for 1 h at 37°C in supplemented RPMI 1640.
The 51Cr-labeled SKOV3 target cells were washed
twice and 104 cells were added to individual
wells of 96-well flat-bottom plates (Costar, Cambridge, MA) containing
PBL and/or Bsab in supplemented RPMI 1640. Effector cells were added to
yield E:T ratios ranging from 50:1 to 1:1 in the presence or absence of
various concentrations of Bsab. Each well contained a total volume of
200 µl and all assays were performed in triplicate. The plates were
centrifuged at 300 x g for 3 min, incubated for 4
h in a 5% (v/v) CO2 incubator at 37°C, and
then centrifuged again at 300 x g for 3 min. One
hundred microliters of supernatant was removed from each well for
counting on a gamma 4000 counter (Beckman Instruments, Columbia, MD).
Cytotoxicity was estimated by measuring the quantity of label released
into culture supernatants using the formula: percent lysis =
(experimental release (cpm) - spontaneous release (cpm))/(total
added counts (cpm)/2 - spontaneous release (cpm)) x 100,
where the experimental release was defined as cpm released by target
cells in wells in the presence of either effector cells and/or Bsab,
and the spontaneous release was defined as cpm released by target cells
alone. The relative potency reported in Table III
represents the
calculated area under the log10 curves (percent
lysis - concentration) over a wide concentration range of
cytotoxicity potentiation in comparison to 2B1. The 2B1 equivalent
lysis is defined as the Bsab concentration required to achieve lysis
equivalent to that seen when 10 pM 2B1 is used.
|
The propensity of the C6BID2-NM3E2 (scFv)2
Bsab to trigger cellular activation in the absence of tumor cell
engagement was examined in calcium flux flow cytometry-based assays, as
described elsewhere (33). Polymorphonuclear neutrophils
(PMN) and PBMC were isolated using Polymorphprep (Life Technologies,
Gaithersburg, MD) density centri-fugation medium in a procedure
similar to that described above. Contaminating RBC were lysed with
hypotonic 0.2% NaCl and the remaining cells were equilibrated with an
equal volume of 1.6% NaCl. Washed PMN and PBL were pooled and loaded
with 4 µM fluo-3-acetylmethyl ester (fluo-3-AM; Molecular
Probes, Eugene, OR) and 10 µM Fura Red AM ester (Molecular Probes)
and DMSO (Sigma) in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% (v/v)
heat-inactivated FBS. The cells were incubated at a concentration of
1 x 107/ml for 45 min at 37°C and washed
once with supplemented RPMI 1640. Just before acquisition, the cells
were washed once and resuspended in PBS/3% (v/v) heat-inactivated FBS.
FACS analysis was performed on a Becton Dickinson FACScan (BD
Biosciences, Mountain View, CA) as described previously
(10). Cells were collected at baseline (0 s). The mAb 3G8
(anti-human Fc
RIII), the Bsab 2B1 (murine IgG1, anti-human
HER2/neu x anti-human Fc
RIII; Chiron
Therapeutics), C6B1D2-NM3E2 (scFv)2 Bsab, or
MOPC-21 (murine IgG1, isotype control) were added at final
concentrations of 10 µg/ml, and cells were collected at 10-s
intervals thereafter for up to 5 min. Ten to 20,000 cells were
collected per sample. Analysis gates were set on PMN and PBL
populations using forward and right angle light scatter. Both dyes are
excited at 488 nm and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values were
measured on a log scale. The fluorescein-based fluo-3 dye fluoresces
with increasing intensity in the green region when bound to free
Ca2+, whereas the Fura Red dye exhibits inverse
behavior, with decreasing fluorescence intensity in the red region when
bound to Ca2+. fluo-3 MFI/Fura Red MFI ratios
were calculated for each cell population to directly determine relative
intracellular Ca2+ mobilization
(33).
| Results |
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The bispecific scFv were produced with yields ranging from 0.14 to
0.70 mg/L following purification and exhibited no significant
aggregation and negligible dimerization. All constructs were expressed
and purified in an identical manner and showed similar migration
properties by SDS-PAGE as well as gel filtration (data not shown).
Surface plasmon resonance was performed to determine whether the Bsab
format had affected the binding of the individual scFvs to their
respective Ags and to verify that the succession of affinities observed
among the anti-HER2/neu scFvs remained unchanged.
Association (kon) and dissociation
(koff) rates as well as equilibrium
constants (KA and
KD) were determined for each molecule.
Results showed that although the binding affinity trends observed with
the anti-HER2/neu scFvs were maintained in the Bsab
format, a reduction in overall affinity was observed for each mutant
(see Table I
). The association rates for
binding to HER2/neu ECD were generally slower for all of the
Bsabs with the exception of the C6.5B1D2-NM3E2 molecule, which
associated at approximately the same rate as the C6.5B1D2 scFv
(kon = 5.8 x
105 M-1
s-1 vs 4.8 x 105
M-1 s-1; see Table I
).
However, the rates of dissociation for the C6.5B1D2-NM3E2 and the
C6.5G98A-NM3E2 molecules from HER2/neu ECD were faster than
their corresponding monomeric scFvs
(koff = 9.8 x
10-5 s-1 and 2.2 x
10-2 s-1). The
C6.5-NM3E2, C6ML3.9-NM3E2, and C6.5B1-NM3E2 mutants dissociated at
nearly the same rates as the parental scFv molecules
(koff = 2.4 x
10-3 s-1, 4.0 x
10-4 s-1, and 2.0 x
10-4 s-1 respectively;
see Table I
).
|
RIII ECD (see Table II
10-fold less than the NM3E2 scFv affinity for the Fc
RIII ECD
(2.0 x 10-8 M).
|
Each of the Bsab was evaluated for its ability to induce tumor
lysis using a standard 4-h 51Cr release assay. In
this assay, HER2/neu-positive
51Cr-labeled SKOV3 cells were incubated with
IL-2-treated PBL with and without Bsab at E:T ratios ranging from 50:1
to 1:1. 2B1, an intact bispecific IgG that induces tumor lysis, served
as a positive control. At a 50:1 E:T ratio, the ability of each Bsab to
induce tumor lysis correlated with its affinity for the
HER2/neu Ag (Fig. 1
). For
example, C6B1D2-NM3E2, which possesses the highest affinity for
HER2/neu (KD = 1.7 x10
10 M), induced a maximal level of 21% tumor
lysis at an 18 nM Ab concentration. However, the Bsab with the lowest
affinity for HER2/neu, C6G98A-NM3E2
(KD = 1.7 x
10-7 M), maximally stimulated lysis of 6.5% at
a 180 nM concentration. The mutants possessing moderate affinity for
HER2/neu (C6.5-NM3E2, C6 ML3.9-NM3E2, and C6B1-NM3E2)
also promoted peak tumor cytotoxicity at a 180 nM concentration, but
with 15.3, 14.9, and 18.1% lysis, respectively (C6.5-NM3E2 and
C6B1-NM3E2 not shown). Shown in Table III
are the potencies for each Bsab relative to 2B1 as well as the
2B1-equivalent lysis concentrations. These data were derived from
several experiments (n
3 for each Bsab) with each
Bsab compared with 2B1. As expected, a higher concentration of the
lower affinity molecules was required to obtain a cytotoxic effect
equivalent to 2B1. Fig. 2
shows the
percent lysis promoted by each Bsab (at a representative concentration
of 18.2 nM) at three different E:T ratios. Unlike the 50:1 ratio, where
a distinct lysis gradient correlated with HER2/neu affinity,
the Bsab exhibited less variation in the induction of cytotoxicity at
25:1 and 5:1 ratios.
|
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Flow cytometry-based intracellular Ca2+
mobilization assays were performed to determine whether the Bsab
activated Ca2+-sensitive, dye-loaded PMN in the
presence of PBMC. The fluo-3/Fura Red ratios for the PMN indicated that
addition of the C6B1D2-NM3E2 Bsab did not trigger
Ca2+ mobilization (Fig. 3
), as there was a steady decrease in the
ratio from baseline over the 5-min period, similar to findings with the
negative control MOPC-21. In contrast, the 3G8 IgG and 2B1 Bsab both
activated the PMN with baseline MFI ratio values of 1.19 and 0.94,
respectively, to peak values of 2.44 at 30 s (3G8 IgG) and 1.16 at
70 s. (2B1 Bsab) (Fig. 3
).
|
| Discussion |
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RIII
receptor. It has been previously shown that the bispecific mAb 2B1 had
significant clinical toxicities due to the simultaneous cellular
engagement of its Fc domain and the anti-Fc
RIII arm of this Ab
(25, 34). The Bsab we describe here lack the Fc domain and
hence preclude Bsab-directed leukocyte activation until cross-linking
occurs through Bsab bound to the tumor Ag. This property may attenuate
toxicities that have limited the dosing and possibly the clinical
efficacy of 2B1 and other IgG-based Bsab. It was previously
demonstrated that a single 3G8 mAb can activate neutrophils by
simultaneously engaging two CD16B molecules and CD32A on the surface of
a neutrophil (35). Although the 2B1 Bsab can
simultaneously engage both of these receptors on the surface of a
neutrophil, Vossebeld et al. (35) reported that
this interaction with 2B1 Bsab did not increase the intracellular free
Ca2+ concentration in neutrophils. Those findings
are at variance with the results reported here. In the currently
reported Ca2+ mobilization assay, the neutrophils
were cocultured with PBMC. Previously, we have shown that the 2B1 Bsab
has the ability to bridge neutrophils and monocytes via CD16B and CD32A
(29). When the number of PBMC was reduced by 95%, the
neutrophils no longer exhibited an increase in the intracellular free
Ca2+ concentration (data not shown). Thus, the
2B1 Bsab may trigger Ca2+ mobilization in
neutrophils through monocyte-mediated neutrophil activation.
The Bsab described here differ in affinity for HER2/neu with
KD values ranging from
10-7 to 10-10 M.
Significantly, the trend in affinity observed with the scFv derivatives
remains intact in the Bsab format; the C6G98A-NM3E2 molecule displayed
the lowest affinity for HER2/neu followed by C6.5-NM3E2,
C6ML3.9-NM3E2, C6B1-NM3E2, and C6B1D2-NM3E2 (in order of increasing
affinity). Each molecule bound to the Fc
RIII receptor with an
average affinity of 3.4 x 10-7 M. It is
important to note that some of the affinities for HER2/neu
were attenuated from those observed with the monomeric scFv format.
Most notably, the C6G98A-NM3E2 and the C6B1D2-NM3E2 Bsab experienced
the largest change in overall affinity. For both molecules, this
modification was caused by increases in off rates. This finding is not
surprising given that the molecules doubled in size through the
addition of a second domain (the NM3E2 scFv). The joining of two scFvs
by a linker caused an apparent shift in the structure of the individual
scFvs, leading to a slight diminution in their respective affinities.
Although we have not formally examined the mechanisms responsible for
these changes, it is reasonable to speculate that these differences
result from steric hindrance imposed by the added subunit that reduced
the flexibility of each binding domain.
A similar change in affinity between scFv and the Bsab formats was
observed with the 4-4-20 (anti-fluorescein) x 4-01
(anti-ssDNA) Bsab. With this particular molecule the association
constant (KA) of the 4-4-20 portion of
the Bsab was reduced when compared with the association constant of the
corresponding scFv (36). Furthermore, the Ucht1v9 x
MOC31 anti-human CD3
x epithelial gp2 diabody represents
another example where changing the format of the molecule resulted in a
lower affinity. In this molecule, the MOC31 arm of the diabody
exhibited a faster off rate than the MOC31 scFv (37).
Values for the scFv-binding affinities as well as those for the NM3E2
and the C6.5-NM3E2 molecules were previously published (21, 30, 38, 39). However, the numbers shown in Table I
represent kinetic
experiments performed using newer methodologies that likely account for
any differences observed between previous experiments and the results
shown here. Changes from the previously published methodology include a
slight increase in the pH (4.55.2) of the solution in which the
ligand is suspended in before coating it onto the chip. Although the
ligand must be in an acidic buffer to allow for conjugation to the
chip, it is necessary to find the highest acidic pH at which enough
ligand will bind to protect its structural integrity. Also, in contrast
to previous experiments, a control curve was subtracted from the test
curves to eliminate background during the analysis. The elimination of
background as well as a greater confidence in the structural integrity
of the ligand provides a more accurate delineation of the binding
affinities. Furthermore, testing a wide range of Bsab concentrations
allowed for the determination of the
kon and
koff values from a set of curves that
had been measured under identical conditions.
Cytotoxicity experiments revealed a correlation between an increase in
binding affinity for HER2/neu and the ability of the Bsab to
augment lysis of SKOV-3 tumor cells. This finding suggests that higher
affinity Bsab are retained longer by tumor cells, thus allowing more
time for the leukocytes to bind to the available anti-Fc
RIII
binding domain of the Bsab. Studies of other bispecific Abs have also
shown a similar positive correlation between an increased Ag affinity
and cytotoxic capability (40, 41).
In the current study, we found that although the correlation between affinity and lysis was most prominent at a 50:1 E:T ratio, the same trend was observed at a 25:1 ratio. However, at the 5:1 E:T ratio, the differences in lysis induction between Bsab was attenuated significantly, probably because only modest levels of cytotoxicity were achieved under these conditions. This observation suggests important areas for future improvements in the design of Bsab, because the microenvironment of solid tumors typically contains exceedingly low E:T ratios.
The 2B1-bispecific IgG molecule, which has a lower affinity for
HER2/neu than the highest affinity Bsab tested here
(KD = 2.3 x
10-8 M for 2B1 vs 1.7 x
10-10 M for C6B1D2-NM3E2), induced peak tumor
lysis at lower concentrations than any of the molecules described here.
This observation indicates that affinity for the tumor Ag is not the
only factor involved in achieving efficient tumor lysis. It is possible
that the anti-Fc
RIII domain of 2B1 (derived from the 3G8 mAb) is
a more efficient activator of lysis through this receptor than is
NM3E2, which was used to make the molecules tested here. The size of a
Bsab molecule also may play a role in its ability to induce antitumor
cytotoxicity. The binding arms of the 2B1 Ab may have more flexibility
and a larger span than do the (scFv)2 Bsab
described in this report. However, it is important to note that the
small Bsab molecules described here may exhibit better tumor
penetration properties and therefore possess better in vivo therapeutic
potential then the large 2B1 IgG Bsab. The lack of an Fc domain should
not hinder cytotoxicity potentiation by
(scFv)2-based Bsab since 2B1 is an efficient
promoter of cytotoxicity in either the IgG or
(Fab')2 formats (10).
The results of these studies indicate that numerous factors must be
considered in the design of multifunctional Ab-based proteins. Domains
that are irrelevant to the intended mechanism of action, such as Fc
domains on Bsab, may contribute independent ligand interactions that
could be beneficial or detrimental (e.g., leukocyte activation in the
absence of tumor cell engagement). The choice of activating ligands is
clearly critical, as this determines the leukocyte population to be
targeted and defines the type of activation that will ensue. The
affinity of Bsab interactions for target ligands has important
implications as well. It is reasonable to speculate that the best
results will be obtained with Bsab that target leukocytes with low
affinity and do not promote their activation in the absence of relevant
tumor cell engagement. NM3E2 meets these criteria, though the magnitude
of lysis promotion in the (scFv)2 format may be
suboptimal. Clearly, affinity for the tumor Ag is a major factor
influencing Ab localization and efficacy. We have previously reported
that a minimum scFv affinity in the range of
10-8 M is required for measurable tumor
retention at 24 h after injection (42). However, it
has been hypothesized that Ab molecules with exceedingly high affinity
for tumor Ags may suffer from impaired tumor penetration due to the
presence of a binding site barrier (43). Recently, we have
demonstrated that scFv molecules with very high affinity for
HER2/neu exhibit poorer tumor penetration from the
vasculature than do their lower affinity
variants.7
Accordingly, it may be necessary to balance the competing factors of
tumor penetration and efficient promotion of retargeted cytotoxicity to
select the appropriate antitumor affinities of Bsab. The results of
these studies also suggest a need for the continued refinement of Bsab
structures to attain the appropriate span and flexibility for the most
efficient possible retargeted lysis. In particular, Bsabs are currently
being designed such that certain members of the
anti-HER2/neu C6.5 series of scFv will occupy one
binding arm of an intact IgG, while the other binding arm will remain
specific for Fc
RIII. Comparison of these molecules with 2B1 as well
as with the corresponding (scFv)2 will allow for
direct analysis of the effects of and associations between affinity and
span and flexibility. A further consideration is the relatively high
E:T cell ratios needed to attain significant tumor lysis. Since human
tumor milieus will rarely contain E:T ratios that are favorable for
ADCC or Bsab-retargeted lysis, Bsab treatment may need to employ
leukocyte recruitment strategies to achieve maximal effects.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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2 Current address: Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010. ![]()
3 A.M.M. and L.S. contributed equally to this work. ![]()
4 Current address: Xerion Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Fraunhoferstrasse 9, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany. ![]()
5 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Louis M. Weiner, Department of Medical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 7701 Burholme Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111. ![]()
6 Abbreviations used in this paper: ADCC, Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity; Bsab, bispecific Ab; scFv, single-chain Fv fragment; PMN, polymorphonuclear neutrophils; fluo-3-AM, fluo-3-acetylmethyl ester; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; ECD, extracellular domain. ![]()
7 G. P. Adams, R. Schier, A. M. McCall, H. H. Simmons, E. M. Horak, R. K. Alpaugh, J. D. Marks, and L. M. Weiner. High affinity restricts the localization and tumor penetration of single-chain Fv Ab molecules. Submitted for publication. ![]()
Received for publication October 30, 2000. Accepted for publication February 21, 2001.
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