U.S. patent number RE47,194 [Application Number 14/680,457] was granted by the patent office on 2019-01-08 for cysteine engineered anti-muc16 antibodies and antibody drug conjugates.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Genentech, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Genentech, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jagath R. Junutula, William Mallet.
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United States Patent |
RE47,194 |
Junutula , et al. |
January 8, 2019 |
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies and antibody drug
conjugates
Abstract
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies are engineered by
replacing one or more amino acids of a parent anti-MUC16 antibody
with non cross-linked, reactive cysteine amino acids. Methods of
design, preparation, screening, and selection of the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies are provided. Cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies (Ab) are conjugated with one or more drug
moieties (D) through a linker (L) to form cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugates having Formula I:
Ab-(L-D).sub.p I where p is 1 to 4. Diagnostic and therapeutic uses
for cysteine engineered antibody drug compounds and compositions
are disclosed.
Inventors: |
Junutula; Jagath R. (Fremont,
CA), Mallet; William (Redwood City, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Genentech, Inc. |
South San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Genentech, Inc. (South San
Francisco, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
39789637 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/680,457 |
Filed: |
April 7, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60916657 |
May 8, 2007 |
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Reissue of: |
12116457 |
May 7, 2008 |
7723485 |
May 25, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61P
35/00 (20180101); A61P 35/02 (20180101); A61K
51/1027 (20130101); A61K 47/6803 (20170801); A61K
47/6849 (20170801); C07K 16/28 (20130101); A61K
2039/505 (20130101); C07K 2317/71 (20130101); C07K
2317/72 (20130101); C07K 2317/624 (20130101); C07K
2319/55 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
C07K
16/00 (20060101); C12P 21/08 (20060101); C07K
16/28 (20060101); A61K 47/68 (20170101); A61K
51/10 (20060101); A61K 39/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;530/387.1,387.3,387.7,388.15,391.1 ;424/130.1,134.1,178.1,181.1
;435/69.6,7.1,7.23 |
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|
Primary Examiner: Turner; Sharon
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Morrison & Foerster LLP
Claims
We claim:
.[.1. An isolated cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody which
binds to a MUC16 polypeptide comprising the heavy chain sequence of
SEQ ID NO:1..].
.[.2. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1
prepared by a process comprising replacing the residue at position
117 in the heavy chain of a parent anti-MUC16 antibody by
cysteine..].
.[.3. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1
further comprising the light chain sequence: TABLE-US-00009 SEQ ID
NO: 2 DIQMTQSPSSLSASVGDRVTITCKASDLIHNWLAWYQQKPGKAFKLLIYG
ATSLETGVPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQPEDFATYYCQQYWTTPFTFGQ
GTKVEIKRTVAAPSVFIFPPSDEQLKSGTASVVCLLENFYPREAKVQWKV
DNALQSGNSQESVTEQDSKDSTYSLSSTLTLSKADYEKHKVYACEVTHQG
LSSFVTKSFERGEC.
.].
.[.4. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 2
wherein the parent anti-MUC16 antibody is selected from a
monoclonal antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, a
human antibody, and a humanized antibody..].
.[.5. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1 which
is a Fab fragment..].
.[.6. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1 which
is produced in bacteria..].
.[.7. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1 which
is produced in CHO cells..].
.[.8. A method of determining the presence of a MUC16 protein in a
sample suspected of containing said protein, said method comprising
the steps of: exposing said sample to the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody having the heavy chain sequence of SEQ ID NO:1,
and; determining binding of said antibody to said MUC16 protein in
said sample, wherein binding of the antibody to said protein is
indicative of the presence of said protein in said sample..].
.[.9. The method of claim 8 wherein said sample is an ovarian,
breast, lung, or pancreatic cancer cell..].
.[.10. The method of claim 8 wherein the antibody is covalently
attached to a label selected from a fluorescent dye, a
radioisotope, biotin, or a metal-complexing ligand..].
.[.11. The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody of claim 1
wherein the antibody is covalently attached to an auristatin drug
moiety whereby an antibody-drug conjugate is formed..].
.[.12. An antibody-drug conjugate comprising a cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody (Ab) which binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and
comprising the heavy chain sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, and an
auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody is attached through a free cysteine amino acid
by a linker moiety (L) to D; the compound having Formula I:
Ab-(L-D).sub.p I where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4..].
.[.13. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein p
is 2..].
.[.14. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein L
has the formula: -A.sub.a-W.sub.w--Y.sub.y-- where: A is a
Stretcher unit covalently attached to a cysteine thiol of the
cysteine engineered antibody (Ab); a is 0 or 1; each W is
independently an Amino Acid unit; w is an integer ranging from 0 to
12; Y is a Spacer unit covalently attached to the drug moiety; and
y is 0, 1 or 2..].
.[.15. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 14 having the
formula: ##STR00020## where PAB is para-aminobenzylcarbamoyl, and
R.sup.17 is a divalent radical selected from (CH.sub.2).sub.r,
C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocyclyl, O--(CH.sub.2).sub.r, arylene,
(CH.sub.2).sub.r-arylene, -arylene-(CH.sub.2).sub.r--,
(CH.sub.2).sub.r--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocyclyl), (C.sub.3-C.sub.8
carbocyclyl)-(CH.sub.2).sub.r, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocyclyl,
(CH.sub.2).sub.r--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocyclyl),
--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocyclyl)-(CH.sub.2).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.2--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.2--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.-
2--, and --(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2).sub.r--;
where R.sup.b is H, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, phenyl, or benzyl; and r
is independently an integer ranging from 1 to 10..].
.[.16. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 14 wherein
W.sub.w is valine-citrulline..].
.[.17. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 14 wherein
R.sup.17 is (CH.sub.2).sub.5 or (CH.sub.2).sub.2..].
.[.18. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 14 having the
formula: ##STR00021## .].
.[.19. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 18 wherein
R.sup.17 is (CH.sub.2).sub.5 or (CH.sub.2).sub.2..].
.[.20. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 14 having the
formula: ##STR00022## .].
.[.21. The antibody drug conjugate of claim 12 wherein L is
MC-val-cit-PAB or MC..].
.[.22. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein L
is a linker formed by linker reagents SMCC, BM(PEO).sub.2 or
BM(PEO).sub.3..].
.[.23. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein D
is MMAE, having the structure: ##STR00023## where the wavy line
indicates the attachment site to the linker L..].
.[.24. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein D
is MMAF, having the structure: ##STR00024## where the wavy line
indicates the attachment site to the linker L..].
.[.25. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein the
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is selected from a
monoclonal antibody, a bispecific antibody, a chimeric antibody, a
human antibody, and a humanized antibody..].
.[.26. The antibody-drug conjugate compound of claim 12 wherein the
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is a Fab fragment..].
.[.27. An antibody-drug conjugate compound selected from the
structures: ##STR00025## wherein Val is valine; Cit is citrulline;
p is 1, 2, 3, or 4; and Ab is a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody which binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and comprising the
heavy chain sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1..].
.[.28. The antibody drug conjugate of claim 27 wherein Ab further
comprises SEQ ID NO: 2..].
.[.29. A mixture of antibody-drug conjugate compounds comprising a
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody (Ab) which binds to a MUC16
polypeptide and comprising the heavy chain sequence of SEQ ID NO:
1, and an auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is attached through a free cysteine
amino acid by a linker moiety (L) to D; the compound having Formula
I: Ab-(L-D).sub.p I where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4, and the average drug
loading is from 1 to 2..].
.[.30. A pharmaceutical formulation comprising an antibody-drug
conjugate comprising a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
which binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and comprising the heavy chain
sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 and where the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody is covalently attached through a free cysteine amino acid
to an auristatin drug moiety, and a pharmaceutically acceptable
diluent, carrier or excipient..].
.[.31. The pharmaceutical formulation of claim 30 further
comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a chemotherapeutic
agent selected from letrozole, oxaliplatin, docetaxel, 5-FU,
lapatinib, capecitabine, leucovorin, erlotinib, pertuzumab,
bevacizumab, and gemcitabine..].
.[.32. A method of treating cancer comprising administering to a
patient a pharmaceutical formulation comprising an antibody-drug
conjugate comprising a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
which binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and having the heavy chain
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and where the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody is covalently attached through a free cysteine
amino acid to an auristatin drug moiety, and a pharmaceutically
acceptable diluent, carrier or excipient; and wherein the cancer is
selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, prostate
cancer, cancer of the urinary tract, pancreatic cancer, lung
cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer..].
.[.33. The method of claim 32 wherein the patient is administered a
chemotherapeutic agent in combination with the antibody-drug
conjugate compound, where the chemotherapeutic agent is selected
from letrozole, cisplatin, carboplatin, taxol, paclitaxel,
oxaliplatin, docetaxel, 5-FU, leucovorin, erlotinib, pertuzumab,
bevacizumab, lapatinib, and gemcitabine..].
.[.34. An article of manufacture comprising a pharmaceutical
formulation comprising an antibody-drug conjugate comprising a
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody which binds to a MUC16
polypeptide and having the heavy chain sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and
where the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is covalently
attached through a free cysteine amino acid to an auristatin drug
moiety, and a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, carrier or
excipient; a container; and a package insert or label indicating
that the compound can be used to treat ovarian cancer, prostate
cancer, cancer of the urinary tract, pancreatic cancer, lung
cancer, breast cancer, or colon cancer characterized by the
overexpression of a MUC16 polypeptide..].
.[.35. A method for making an antibody drug conjugate compound
comprising a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody (Ab) which
binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and having the heavy chain sequence of
SEQ ID NO: 1, and an auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the
cysteine engineered antibody is attached through an engineered
cysteine amino acid by a linker moiety (L) to D; the compound
having Formula I: Ab-(L-D).sub.p I where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4; the
method comprising the steps of: (a) reacting an engineered cysteine
group of the cysteine engineered antibody with a linker reagent to
form antibody-linker intermediate Ab-L; and (b) reacting Ab-L with
an activated drug moiety D; whereby the antibody-drug conjugate
compound is formed; or comprising the steps of: (c) reacting a
nucleophilic group of a drug moiety with a linker reagent to form
drug-linker intermediate D-L; and (d) reacting D-L with an
engineered cysteine group of the cysteine engineered antibody;
whereby the antibody-drug conjugate compound is formed..].
.[.36. The method of claim 35 further comprising the step of
expressing the cysteine engineered antibody in chinese hamster
ovary (CHO) cells..].
.[.37. The method of claim 36 further comprising the step of
treating the expressed cysteine engineered antibody with a reducing
agent..].
.[.38. The method of claim 37 wherein the reducing agent is
selected from TCEP and DTT..].
.[.39. The method of claim 38 further comprising the step of
treating the expressed cysteine engineered antibody with an
oxidizing agent, after treating with the reducing agent..].
.[.40. The method of claim 39 wherein the oxidizing agent is
selected from copper sulfate, dehydroascorbic acid, and air..].
.Iadd.41. An in vitro method of determining the presence of a MUC16
protein in a sample suspected of containing said protein, said
method comprising the steps of: exposing said sample to a cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody having the heavy chain sequence of
SEQ ID NO:1 and conjugated to a fluorescent dye; and determining
binding of said antibody to said MUC16 protein in said sample,
wherein binding of the antibody to said protein is indicative of
the presence of said protein in said sample..Iaddend.
.Iadd.42. The method of claim 41, wherein the anti-MUC16 antibody
is attached to a solid support..Iaddend.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This non-provisional application filed under 37 CFR .sctn. 1.53
(b), claims the benefit under 35 USC .sctn. 119(e) of U.S.
Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/916,657 filed on 8 May 2007,
which is incorporated by reference in entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to antibodies engineered with
reactive cysteine residues and more specifically to antibodies with
therapeutic or diagnostic applications. The cysteine engineered
antibodies may be conjugated with chemotherapeutic drugs, toxins,
affinity ligands such as biotin, and detection labels such as
fluorophores. The invention also relates to methods of using
antibodies and antibody-drug conjugate compounds for in vitro, in
situ, and in vivo diagnosis or treatment of mammalian cells, or
associated pathological conditions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Antibody therapy has been established for the targeted treatment of
patients with cancer, immunological and angiogenic disorders.
Transmembrane or otherwise tumor-associated polypeptides
specifically expressed on the surface of cancer cells as compared
to normal, non-cancerous cell(s) have been identified as cellular
targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy with antibodies.
Identification of such tumor-associated cell surface antigen
polypeptides, i.e. tumor associated antigens (TAA), allows specific
targeting of cancer cells for destruction via antibody-based
therapies.
The use of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), i.e. immunoconjugates,
for the local delivery of cytotoxic or cytostatic agents, i.e.
drugs to kill or inhibit tumor cells in the treatment of cancer
(Lambert, J. (2005) Curr. Opinion in Pharmacology 5:543-549; Wu et
al (2005) Nature Biotechnology 23(9): 1137-1146; Payne, G. (2003)
Cancer Cell 3:207-212; (Polakis, P. Arming antibodies for cancer
therapy. Curr Opin Pharmacol 5, 382-387, 2005). Syrigos and
Epenetos (1999) Anticancer Research 19:605-614; Niculescu-Duvaz and
Springer (1997) Adv. Drug Del. Rev. 26:151-172; U.S. Pat. No.
4,975,278) allows targeted delivery of the drug moiety to tumors,
and intracellular accumulation therein, where systemic
administration of these unconjugated drug agents may result in
unacceptable levels of toxicity to normal cells as well as the
tumor cells sought to be eliminated (Baldwin et al (1986) Lancet
pp. (Mar. 15, 1986):603-05; Thorpe, (1985) "Antibody Carriers Of
Cytotoxic Agents In Cancer Therapy: A Review," in Monoclonal
Antibodies '84: Biological And Clinical Applications, A. Pinchera
et al (ed.s), pp. 475-506). Efforts to improve the therapeutic
index, i.e. maximal efficacy and minimal toxicity of ADC have
focused on the selectivity of polyclonal (Rowland et al (1986)
Cancer Immunol. Immunother., 21:183-87) and monoclonal antibodies
(mAbs) as well as drug-linking and drug-releasing properties
(Lambert, J. (2005) Curr. Opinion in Pharmacology 5:543-549). Drug
moieties used in antibody drug conjugates include bacterial protein
toxins such as diphtheria toxin, plant protein toxins such as
ricin, small molecules such as auristatins, geldanamycin (Mandler
et al (2000) J. of the Nat. Cancer Inst. 92(19): 1573-1581; Mandler
et al (2000) Bioorganic & Med. Chem. Letters 10:1025-1028;
Mandler et al (2002) Bioconjugate Chem. 13:786-791), maytansinoids
(EP 1391213; Liu et al (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
93:8618-8623), calicheamicin (Lode et al (1998) Cancer Res.
58:2928; Hinman et al (1993) Cancer Res. 53:3336-3342), daunomycin,
doxorubicin, methotrexate, and vindesine (Rowland et al (1986)
supra). The drug moieties may affect cytotoxic and cytostatic
mechanisms including tubulin binding, DNA binding, or topoisomerase
inhibition. Some cytotoxic drugs tend to be inactive or less active
when conjugated to large antibodies or protein receptor
ligands.
The auristatin peptides, auristatin E (AE) and monomethylauristatin
(MMAE), synthetic analogs of dolastatin (WO 02/088172), have been
conjugated as drug moieties to various antibodies (Klussman, et al
(2004), Bioconjugate Chemistry 15(4):765-773; Doronina et al (2003)
Nature Biotechnology 21(7):778-784; Francisco et al (2003) Blood
102(4):1458-1465; US 2004/0018194; WO 04/032828; Mao et al (2004)
Cancer Research 64(3):781-788); Bhaskar et al (2003) Cancer Res.
63:6387-6394); WO 03/043583; U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,237; U.S. Pat. No.
6,124,431; US 2005/0238649).
Conventional means of attaching, i.e. linking through covalent
bonds, a drug moiety to an antibody generally leads to a
heterogeneous mixture of molecules where the drug moieties are
attached at a number of sites on the antibody. For example,
cytotoxic drugs have typically been conjugated to antibodies
through the often-numerous lysine residues of an antibody or
through cysteine sulfhydryls (thiols) activated by reducing
interchain disulfide bonds, generating a heterogeneous
antibody-drug conjugate mixture, containing species with different
molar ratios of drug to antibody, linked at different sites, each
with a distinct in vivo profile of pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and
safety (Hamblett et al (2004) Clin. Cancer Res. 10:7063-7070; Wang
et al (2005) Protein Sci. 14:2436-2446). Depending on reaction
conditions, the heterogeneous mixture typically contains a
distribution of antibodies with from 0 to about 8, or more,
attached drug moieties. In addition, within each subgroup of
conjugates with a particular integer ratio of drug moieties to
antibody, is a potentially heterogeneous mixture where the drug
moiety is attached at various sites on the antibody. Analytical and
preparative methods may be inadequate to separate and characterize
the antibody-drug conjugate species molecules within the
heterogeneous mixture resulting from a conjugation reaction.
Antibodies are large, complex and structurally diverse
biomolecules, often with many reactive functional groups. Their
reactivities with linker reagents and drug-linker intermediates are
dependent on factors such as pH, concentration, salt concentration,
and co-solvents. Furthermore, the multi-step conjugation process
may be nonreproducible due to difficulties in controlling the
reaction conditions and characterizing reactants and
intermediates.
Cysteine thiols are reactive at neutral pH, unlike most amines
which are protonated and less nucleophilic near pH 7. Since free
thiol (RSH, sulfhydryl) groups are relatively reactive, proteins
with cysteine residues often exist in their oxidized form as
disulfide-linked oligomers or have internally bridged disulfide
groups. Extracellular proteins generally do not have free thiols
(Garman, 1997, Non-Radioactive Labelling: A Practical Approach,
Academic Press, London, at page 55). Antibody cysteine thiol groups
are generally more reactive, i.e. more nucleophilic, towards
electrophilic conjugation reagents than antibody amine or hydroxyl
groups. Solvent-accessible inter-chain disulfide bond cysteines
with serine to allow directed conjugation to the remaining
cysteines (McDonagh et al (2006) Protein Eng. Des. Sel.
19:299-307). However, elimination of these disulfide bonds could
disrupt quaternary structure of the antibody, thereby perturbing
the behavior of the antibody in vivo, including changes in antibody
effector functions (Michaelsen et al (1994) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
91:9243-9247; Romans et al (1977) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
74:2531-2535; Seegan et al (1979) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
76:907-911). Cysteine residues have been introduced into proteins
by genetic engineering techniques to form covalent attachments to
ligands or to form new intramolecular disulfide bonds (Better et al
(1994) J. Biol. Chem. 13:9644-9650; Bernhard et al (1994)
Bioconjugate Chem. 5:126-132; Greenwood et al (1994) Therapeutic
Immunology 1:247-255; Tu et al (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA
96:4862-4867; Kanno et al (2000) J. of Biotechnology, 76:207-214;
Chmura et al (2001) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 98(15):8480-8484;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,564). However, engineering in cysteine thiol
groups by the mutation of various amino acid residues of a protein
to cysteine amino acids is potentially problematic, particularly in
the case of unpaired (free Cys) residues or those which are
relatively accessible for reaction or oxidation. In concentrated
solutions of the protein, whether in the periplasm of E. coli,
culture supernatants, or partially or completely purified protein,
unpaired Cys residues on the surface of the protein can pair and
oxidize to form intermolecular disulfides, and hence protein dimers
or multimers. Disulfide dimer formation renders the new Cys
unreactive for conjugation to a drug, ligand, or other label.
Furthermore, if the protein oxidatively forms an intramolecular
disulfide bond between the newly engineered Cys and an existing Cys
residue, both Cys thiol groups are unavailable for active site
participation and interactions. Furthermore, the protein may be
rendered inactive or non-specific, by misfolding or loss of
tertiary structure (Zhang et al (2002) Anal. Biochem. 311:1-9).
Cysteine-engineered antibodies have been designed as FAB antibody
fragments (thioFab) and expressed as full-length, IgG monoclonal
(thioMab) antibodies (US 2007/0092940, the contents of which are
incorporated by reference). ThioFab and ThioMab antibodies have
been conjugated through linkers at the newly introduced cysteine
thiols with thiol-reactive linker reagents and drug-linker reagents
to prepare antibody drug conjugates (Thio ADC).
MUC16 is a tumor associated antigen polypeptide, expressed by the
human ocular surface epithelia (Argueso et al (2003) Investigative
Ophthalmology & Visual Science 44(6):2487-95) in the mucosa of
the bronchus, fallopian tube, and uterus (Kabawat et al. (1983)
International Journal of Gynecological Pathology 2:275-85). One
proposed function of MUC16 is to provide a protective, lubricating
barrier against particles and infectious agents at mucosal
surfaces. Highly polymorphic, MUC16 is composed of three domains, a
Ser-/Thr-rich N-terminal domain, a repeat domain of between eleven
and more than 60 partially conserved tandem repeats of on average
156 amino acids each, and a C-terminal non-repeating domain
containing a transmembrane sequence and a short cytoplasmic tail.
MUC16 is heavily O-glycosylated and N-glycosylated (O'Brien et al
(2002) Tumour Biol. 23:154-169; O'Brien et al (2001) Tumour Biol.
22:348-366 (2001); Fendrick et al (1997) Tumour Biol. 18:278-289;
Wong et al (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278:28619-28634; McLemore et al
(2005) biol. Res. Nurs. 6:262-267). mRNA encoding the MUC16
polypeptide expressed from the MUC16 gene is significantly,
reproducibly and detectably overexpressed in certain types of human
cancerous ovarian, breast and pancreatic tumors as compared to the
corresponding normal human ovarian, breast and pancreatic tissues,
respectively (WO 2007/001851). A variety of independent and
different types of cancerous human ovarian tissue samples
quantitatively analyzed for MUC16 expression show the level of
expression of MUC16 in the cancerous samples is variable, with a
significant number of the cancerous samples showing an at least
6-fold (to as high as an about 580-fold) increase in MUC16
expression when compared to the mean level of MUC16 expression for
the group of normal ovarian tissue samples analyzed. In particular,
detectable and reproducible MUC16 overexpression was observed for
ovarian cancer types; endometrioid adenocarcinoma, serous
cystadenocarcinoma, including papillary and clear cell
adenocarcinoma, as compared to normal ovarian tissue. Due to its
overexpression in certain human tumors, the MUC16 polypeptide and
the nucleic acid encoding that polypeptide are targets for
quantitative and qualitative comparisons among various mammalian
tissue samples. The unique expression profiles of MUC16
polypeptide, and the nucleic acid encoding that polypeptide, can be
exploited for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of certain
types of cancerous tumors in mammals.
CA125 (Carcinoma antigen 125 (O772P, CA-O772P, CA-125) is an
extracellular shed protein encoded by the MUC16 gene (Yin et al
(2002) Intl. J. of Cancer 98(5):737-740), and a serum marker used
routinely to monitor patients with ovarian cancer. CA125 is a
mullerian duct differentiation antigen that is overexpressed in
epithelial ovarian cancer cells and secreted into the blood,
although its expression is not entirely confined to ovarian cancer
(Bast et al (1981) J. Clin. Invest. 68:1331-1337). Serum CA125
levels are elevated in about 80% of patients with epithelial
ovarian cancer (EOC) but in less than 1% of healthy women (Bast et
al. (1983) N. Engl. J. Med. 309:883-887). CA125 is a giant
mucin-like glycoprotein present on the cell surface of tumor cells
associated with beta-galactoside-binding, cell-surface lectins,
which are components of the extracellular matrix implicated in the
regulation of cell adhesion, apoptosis, cell proliferation and
tumor progression (Seelenmeyer et al (2003) Journal of Cell Science
116(7):1305-1318). High serum concentration of CA125 is typical of
serous ovarian adenocarcinoma, whereas it is not elevated in
mucinous ovarian cancer. CA125 is not recommended for ovarian
cancer screening because normal level does not exclude tumor.
However, CA125 detection is a standard tool in monitoring clinical
course and disease status in patients who have histologically
confirmed malignancies. Numerous studies have confirmed the
usefulness of CA125 levels in monitoring the progress of patients
with EOC (Bast et al (1998) Int. J. Biol. Markers 13:179-187;
Verheijen et al (1999) Sem. Cancer Biol. 9:117-124; Menon et al
(2000) Curr. Opin. Obstet. Gynecol. 12:39-42; Meyer et al (2000)
Br. J. Cancer 82:1535-1538), and as a cancer serum marker. A rise
in CA125 levels typically precedes clinical detection by about 3
months. During chemotherapy, changes in serum CA125 levels
correlate with the course of the disease. CA125 is used as a
surrogate marker for clinical response in trials of new drugs. On
the other hand, CA125 is not useful in the initial diagnosis of EOC
because of its elevation in a number of benign conditions (Bast et
al (1998) Int. J. Biol. Markers 13:179-187; Meden et al (1998) Int.
J. Biol. Markers 13:231-237). The CA125-specific antibody
MAb-B43.13 (oregovomab, OvaRex MAb-B43.13) was in clinical trials
for patients with ovarian carcinoma as an immunotherapeutic agent
Mobus et al (2003) American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
189(1):28-36; Ehlen et al (2005) International journal of
gynecological cancer 15(6):1023-34.
Certain anti-MUC16 antibodies, including 3A5 and 11D10, have been
disclosed in WO 2007/001851; U.S. Ser. No. 11/452,990, filed 14
Jun. 2006, Dennis et al, "Compositions and Methods for the
Diagnosis and Treatment of Tumor", the contents of which are
incorporated by reference. The 3A5 monoclonal antibody binds
multiple sites of the MUC16 polypeptide with 433 pM affinity by
OVCAR-3Scatchard analysis. The 3A5 and 11D10 anti-MUC16 antibodies
have been conjugated to auristatin drug moieties MMAE and MMAF. The
conjugates inhibit in vitro tumor cell proliferation (WO
2007/001851). An 11D10 anti-MUC16 antibody was conjugated to the
maytansinoid DM1 drug moiety (US 2005/0276812). Certain anti-MUC16
antibody variants have been cysteine engineered by the introduction
of a cysteine amino acid unit and conjugated to DM1 (US
2007/0092940, the contents of which are incorporated by
reference).
SUMMARY
In one aspect, the invention includes a cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody comprising one or more free cysteine amino
acids and a sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS:9-40. The cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody binds to a MUC16 polypeptide.
Tumor-associated antigens (TAA) such as O772P (CA125, MUC16)
polypeptides can be prepared for use in generating cysteine
engineered antibodies using methods and information which are well
known in the art, and for example in WO 2007/001851. The cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody may be prepared by a process
comprising replacing one or more amino acid residues of a parent
anti-MUC16 antibody by cysteine.
The one or more free cysteine amino acid residues of the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody are located in a light chain or a
heavy chain.
In one aspect, the invention includes a method of determining the
presence of a MUC16 protein in a sample suspected of containing
said protein, said method comprising exposing said sample to a
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody and determining binding of
said antibody to said MUC16 protein in said sample, wherein binding
of the antibody to said protein is indicative of the presence of
said protein in said sample.
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies may be used as naked
antibodies (unconjugated to a drug or label moiety) or as
antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody may be covalently attached to an auristatin drug moiety
whereby an antibody drug conjugate is formed. The antibody-drug
conjugate may comprise a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
(Ab), and an auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is attached through one or more free
cysteine amino acids by a linker moiety (L) to D; the compound
having Formula I: Ab-(L-D).sub.p I
where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4. Auristatin drug moieties include MMAE and
MMAF.
Another aspect of the invention is a mixture of antibody-drug
conjugate compounds comprising a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody (Ab) which binds to a MUC16 polypeptide and comprising one
or more free cysteine amino acids, a sequence selected from SEQ ID
NOS:9-40, and an auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is attached through one or more free
cysteine amino acids by a linker moiety (L) to D; the compound
having Formula I: Ab-(L-D).sub.p I
where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4, and the average drug loading is from 1 to
2.
Auristatin drug moieties include MMAE and MMAF.
An aspect of the invention is an assay for detecting cancer cells
comprising: (a) exposing cells to a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody-drug conjugate; and (b) determining the extent of binding
of the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugate
compound to the cells.
An aspect of the invention is a pharmaceutical formulation
comprising the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody drug
conjugate, and a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, carrier or
excipient.
An aspect of the invention is a method of inhibiting cellular
proliferation comprising treating mammalian tumor cells in a cell
culture medium with a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug
conjugate compound, whereby proliferation of the tumor cells is
inhibited.
An aspect of the invention is a method of treating cancer
comprising administering to a patient the pharmaceutical
formulation. The patient may be administered a chemotherapeutic
agent in combination with the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody-drug conjugate compound.
An aspect of the invention is an article of manufacture comprising
the pharmaceutical formulation, a container; and a package insert
or label indicating that the compound can be used to treat cancer
characterized by the overexpression of a MUC16 polypeptide.
An aspect of the invention is a method for making a Formula I
antibody drug conjugate compound comprising the steps of: (a)
reacting an engineered cysteine group of the cysteine engineered
antibody with a linker reagent to form antibody-linker intermediate
Ab-L; and (b) reacting Ab-L with an activated drug moiety D;
whereby the antibody-drug conjugate is formed; or comprising the
steps of: (c) reacting a nucleophilic group of a drug moiety with a
linker reagent to form drug-linker intermediate D-L; and (d)
reacting D-L with an engineered cysteine group of the cysteine
engineered antibody; whereby the antibody-drug conjugate is
formed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the Heavy Chain sequence: SEQ ID NO:1, and Light Chain
sequence: SEQ ID NO:2 of humanized cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody, A117C thio hu 3A5.
FIG. 2 shows the Heavy Chain sequence: SEQ ID NO:3, and Light Chain
sequence: SEQ ID NO:4 of chimeric cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody, A117C thio ch 3A5.
FIG. 3 shows alignment of humanized trastuzumab light chain
(HuTMAb-LC, SEQ ID NO:5), humanized std 3A5 antiMUC16 light chain
(Hu3A5-LC, SEQ ID NO:2), and chimeric std 3A5 antiMUC16 light chain
(Ch3A5-LC, SEQ ID NO:4) sequences. The numbering follows the
sequential numbering convention.
FIG. 4 shows alignment of humanized trastuzumab heavy chain
(HuTMAb-HC, SEQ ID NO:6), humanized std 3A5 antiMUC16 heavy chain
(Hu3A5-HC, SEQ ID NO:7), and chimeric std 3A5 antiMUC16 heavy chain
(Ch3A5-HC, SEQ ID NO:8) sequences. The numbering follows the
sequential numbering convention.
FIG. 5 shows depictions of cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
drug conjugates (ADC) where a drug moiety is attached to an
engineered cysteine group in: the light chain (LC-ADC); the heavy
chain (HC-ADC); and the Fc region (Fc-ADC).
FIG. 6a shows the steps of: (i) reducing cysteine disulfide adducts
and interchain and intrachain disulfides in a cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody (ThioMab); (ii) partially oxidizing, i.e.
reoxidation to reform interchain and intrachain disulfides; and
(iii) conjugation of the reoxidized antibody with a drug-linker
intermediate to form a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody drug
conjugate (ADC).
FIG. 6b shows the time course for re-oxidation for reduced
antibody. Trastuzumab was reduced and purified on a cation exchange
column at pH 5.5. Top panel a shows the reversed phase profile for
the reduced antibody at time=0 min. The three peaks at retention
time 7 minutes (from left to right) are: light chain (LC), heavy
chain (HC) and a small amount of HC+LC that was not completely
reduced. The purified, reduced antibody was allowed to re-oxidize
at pH 7, and aliquots were taken as a function of time. Middle
panel b shows that the majority of light and heavy chains have
reoxidized to form an intact antibody (.about.retention time 10 min
peak) containing 2 LC and 2 HC within 90 min. No additional
formation of intact antibody was seen at the 180 min reaction time
point (bottom panel c).
FIG. 7a shows two HIC (hydrophobic interaction chromatography)
chromatograms of conjugation reaction products: (top) std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.1 avg. MMAE/3A5; and (bottom) thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.5 avg. MMAE/3A5, where std ch 3A5 is the
parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and thio ch 3A5 is
the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody. Samples
were injected onto a Butyl HIC NPR column and eluted with linear
gradient from 0 to 70% B at 0.8 ml/min (Buffer A: 1.5 M ammonium
sulfate in 50 mM potassium phoshate, pH 7, Buffer B: 50 mM
potassium phosphate pH 7, 20% isopropanol). An Agilent 1100 series
HPLC system equipped with a multi wavelength detector and
Chemstation software was used to resolve and quantitate antibody
species in the antibody. Peak identities were assigned based on
LC/MS analysis. DAR values are indicated for the corresponding
peaks.
FIG. 7b shows HIC (hydrophobic interaction chromatography)
chromatogram under the conditions of the analyses in FIG. 7a of a
larger scale thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE conjugation reaction, where
the average drug loading value was 1.9.
FIG. 8a shows mass spectroscopy analysis of conjugation reaction
products after reduction and deglycosylation: (top) std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE; and (bottom) thio ch 3A5MC-vc-PAB-MMAE.
FIG. 8b shows mapping of the antibody region for cytotoxic drug
attachment to the TDC-Fab. Top panel (a) shows a 280 nm absorbance
spectrum of reduced, denatured light and heavy chain portions of
the MC-vc-PAB-MMAE-conjugated Fab. Deconvoluted masses of light
chain in the middle panel (b) and heavy chain in the lower panel
(c) portions are consistent with drug labeling on the heavy chain
only. The mass of 24189 observed in (c) results from the loss of
MMAE-CO2 (minus 762 daltons) which is a characteristic
fragmentation of the drug.
FIG. 8c shows peptide mapping--identification of peptide(s)
containing cytotoxic drug in the TDC-Fab. Peptide maps of
unconjugated (top panel a) and conjugated (middle panel b) Thio-3A5
and TDC generated from tryptic digests of maleimidylated purified
Fabs. Peptides labeled with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE have increased
hydrophobicity and are expected to elute later in the chromatogram.
Four drug-conjugated peptides (labeled with *) eluted at the end of
the gradient. They can also be identified as cytotoxic drug
containing peptides by a characteristic in-source fragmentation ion
(m/z 718.5) that is observed in all MC-vc-PAB-MMAE containing mass
spectra. Bottom panel (c) shows an overlay of the extracted ion
chromatogram from the unconjugated and the conjugated digests. The
strongest peaks coincide with the late eluting peaks of the
conjugate digest. All four peaks were identified as complete or
partial tryptic cleavage fragments located around the mutated
cysteine in position 114 of the Fab-HC. The m/z ions in the main
peak at 29.05 min deconvoluted to give a mass of 3962 daltons,
which is the expected mass for peptide HC99-120+1 drug. The
drug-containing peptide masses did not map to any other region of
the protein. The peak labeled with an arrow in top panel (a) is the
maleimide labeled peptide HC99-120.
FIG. 9 summarizes the major species detected by tandem liquid
chromatography and mass spectrometric (LC-MS) analyses of the
standard humanized 3A5-VC-MMAE conjugate (std hu 3A5-VC-MMAE) and
two preparations of the corresponding thio conjugates (thio hu
3A5-VC-MMAE). Proteins were analyzed under reducing conditions
("reduction (DTT)") to disrupt interchain disulfide bonds and under
native conditions ("intact").
FIG. 10 shows a plot of in vitro, cell proliferation assay results
with MUC16 expressing (PC3/MUC16) and non-expressing (PC3 parent)
tumor cells, treated with varying concentrations 0.1 to 10000 ng of
ADC per ml, including: (A) std hu 3A5(v4b.52)-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.5
MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/MUC16; (B) thio hu 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.9
MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/MUC16; (C) thio hu 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.60
MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/MUC16; (D) std hu 3A5(v4b.52)-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE,
3.5 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3 parent; (E) thio hu 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE,
1.9 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3 parent; and (F) thio hu
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.60 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3 parent. Data from
cells receiving medium without ADC are plotted at 0.46 ng/mL. Std
ch 3A5 is the parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and
thio ch 3A5 is the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5
antibody.
FIG. 11 shows a plot of in vitro, cell proliferation assay results
with tumor cells including, treated with varying concentrations 1.4
to 9000 ng of ADC per ml, including: (A) std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE,
3.1 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/MUC16 cells; (B) thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.6 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/MUC16 cells (C) std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.1 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/neo cells; (D) thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.6 MMAE/Ab loading, PC3/neo cells (E) std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.1 MMAE/Ab loading, OVCAR-3 cells; (F) thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.6 MMAE/Ab loading, OVCAR-3 cells. Std ch 3A5
is the parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and thio ch
3A5 is the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody.
Data from cells receiving medium without ADC are plotted at 0.46
ng/mL.
FIG. 12 shows a pharmacokinetic plot of plasma clearance over time
after a single administration in rats of 0.5 mg/kg of: thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE and std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE by measuring total
antibody and ADC.
FIG. 13 shows the toxicities of ch 3A5-VC-MMAE and thio
ch3A5-VC-MMAE at 1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2 exposure of cytotoxic drug in
rats by measurement of neutrophils (top left), serum AST (top
right), and platelets (bottom right).
FIG. 14 shows the change in body weight over time of rats (6/group)
dosed with: Vehicle (succinate buffer); 24.19 mg/kg=1934
.mu.g/m.sup.2 ch 3A5-VC-MMAE; 49.99 mg/kg=1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2 thio
ch3A5-VC-MMAE.
FIG. 15 shows the in vivo mean tumor volume change over time in
SCID beige mice with an OVCAR-3 mammary fat pad after a single dose
of: Vehicle (10 mL/kg succinate buffer); 6 mg/kg=328 .mu.g/m2 std
hu 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.5 MMAE/Ab loading; or 6 mg/kg=150 .mu.g/m2
thio hu 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.6 MMAE/Ab loading.
FIG. 16 shows the in vivo mean tumor volume change over time in
SCID beige mice with an OVCAR-3 mammary fat pad tumor after a
single dose of: A) Vehicle (PBS); B) ADC buffer; C) std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.5 mg/kg; D) std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.0
mg/kg; E) std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 6.0 mg/kg; F) thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 1.5 mg/kg; G) thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 3.0
mg/kg; H) thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, 6.0 mg/kg.
FIG. 17 shows data from safety studies in cynomolgus monkeys dosed
at days 1 and 22 with standard anti-MUC16-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE ADC at a
drug exposure of 1200 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug (5.9 mg/kg antibody); and
thio anti-MUC16-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE ADC (TDC) at drug exposures of 1200,
2400, and 3600 .mu.g/m.sup.2. Neutrophil levels were measured at 8,
22 (before second dose), 32, and 43 days after dosing. Neutrophil
levels were normalized to the corresponding levels in
vehicle-treated animals at the given time point.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying
structures and formulas. While the invention will be described in
conjunction with the enumerated embodiments, it will be understood
that they are not intended to limit the invention to those
embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover
all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be
included within the scope of the present invention as defined by
the claims.
One skilled in the art will recognize many methods and materials
similar or equivalent to those described herein, which could be
used in the practice of the present invention. The present
invention is in no way limited to the methods and materials
described.
DEFINITIONS
Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used
herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, and are
consistent with: Singleton et al (1994) Dictionary of Microbiology
and Molecular Biology, 2nd Ed., J. Wiley & Sons, New York,
N.Y.; and Janeway, C., Travers, P., Walport, M., Shlomchik (2001)
Immunobiology, 5th Ed., Garland Publishing, New York.
The term "antibody" herein is used in the broadest sense and
specifically covers monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies,
dimers, multimers, multispecific antibodies (e.g., bispecific
antibodies), and antibody fragments, so long as they exhibit the
desired biological activity (Miller et al (2003) Jour. of
Immunology 170:4854-4861). Antibodies may be murine, human,
humanized, chimeric, or derived from other species. An antibody is
a protein that is capable of recognizing and binding to a specific
antigen (Janeway, C., Travers, P., Walport, M., Shlomchik (2001)
Immuno Biology, 5th Ed., Garland Publishing, New York). A target
antigen generally has numerous binding sites, also called epitopes,
recognized by CDRs on multiple antibodies. Each antibody that
specifically binds to a different epitope has a different
structure. Thus, one antigen may have more than one corresponding
antibody. An antibody includes a full-length immunoglobulin
molecule or an immunologically active portion of a full-length
immunoglobulin molecule, i.e., a molecule that contains an antigen
binding site that immunospecifically binds an antigen of a target
of interest or part thereof, such targets including but not limited
to, cancer cell or cells that produce autoimmune antibodies
associated with an autoimmune disease. The immunoglobulin disclosed
herein can be of any type (e.g., IgG, IgE, IgM, IgD, and IgA),
class (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA1 and IgA2) or subclass of
immunoglobulin molecule. The immunoglobulins can be derived from
any species such as human, murine, or rabbit. For the structure and
properties of the different classes of antibodies, see, e.g., Basic
and Clinical Immunology, 8th edition, Daniel P. Stites, Abba I. Ten
and Tristram G. Parslow (eds.), Appleton & Lange, Norwalk,
Conn., 1994, page 71 and Chapter 6.
"Antibody fragments" comprise a portion of a full length antibody,
generally the antigen binding or variable region thereof. Examples
of antibody fragments include Fab, Fab', F(ab').sub.2, and Fv
fragments; diabodies; linear antibodies; mini-bodies (U.S. Pat. No.
5,641,870, Example 2; Zapata et al (1995) Protein Eng. 8(10):
1057-1062); Olafsen et al (2004) Protein Eng. Design & Sel.
17(4):315-323), fragments produced by a Fab expression library,
anti-idiotypic (anti-Id) antibodies, CDR (complementary determining
region), and epitope-binding fragments of any of the above which
immunospecifically bind to cancer cell antigens, viral antigens or
microbial antigens, single-chain antibody molecules; and
multispecific antibodies formed from antibody fragments.
The term "monoclonal antibody" as used herein refers to an antibody
obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous antibodies,
i.e., the individual antibodies comprising the population are
identical except for possible naturally occurring mutations that
may be present in minor amounts. Monoclonal antibodies are highly
specific, being directed against a single antigenic site.
Furthermore, in contrast to polyclonal antibody preparations which
include different antibodies directed against different
determinants (epitopes), each monoclonal antibody is directed
against a single determinant on the antigen. In addition to their
specificity, the monoclonal antibodies are advantageous in that
they may be synthesized uncontaminated by other antibodies. The
modifier "monoclonal" indicates the character of the antibody as
being obtained from a substantially homogeneous population of
antibodies, and is not to be construed as requiring production of
the antibody by any particular method. For example, the monoclonal
antibodies to be used in accordance with the present invention may
be made by the hybridoma method first described by Kohler et al
(1975) Nature 256:495, or may be made by recombinant DNA methods
(see for example: U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; U.S. Pat. No.
5,807,715). The monoclonal antibodies may also be isolated from
phage antibody libraries using the techniques described in Clackson
et al (1991) Nature, 352:624-628; Marks et al (1991) J. Mol. Biol.,
222:581-597.
The DNA that encodes the antibody may be modified to produce
chimeric or fusion antibody polypeptides, for example, by
substituting human heavy chain and light chain constant domain
(C.sub.H and C.sub.L) sequences for the homologous murine sequences
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; and Morrison, et al., Proc. Natl Acad.
Sci. USA, 81:6851 (1984)), or by fusing the immunoglobulin coding
sequence with all or part of the coding sequence for a
non-immunoglobulin polypeptide (heterologous polypeptide). The
non-immunoglobulin polypeptide sequences can substitute for the
constant domains of an antibody, or they are substituted for the
variable domains of one antigen-combining site of an antibody to
create a chimeric bivalent antibody comprising one
antigen-combining site having specificity for an antigen and
another antigen-combining site having specificity for a different
antigen.
"Native antibodies" are usually heterotetrameric glycoproteins of
about 150,000 daltons, composed of two identical light (L) chains
and two identical heavy (H) chains. Each light chain is linked to a
heavy chain by one covalent disulfide bond, in addition to several
hydrophobic interactions held between variable as well as constant
domains of light and heavy chain Fab, while the number of disulfide
linkages varies among the heavy chains of different immunoglobulin
isotypes. Each heavy and light chain also has regularly spaced
intrachain disulfide bridges. Each heavy chain has at one end a
variable domain (V.sub.H) followed by a number of constant domains.
Each light chain has a variable domain at one end (V.sub.L) and a
constant domain at its other end. The constant domain of the light
chain is aligned with the first constant domain of the heavy chain,
and the light-chain variable domain is aligned with the variable
domain of the heavy chain. Particular amino acid residues are
believed to form an interface between the light chain and heavy
chain variable domains.
The monoclonal antibodies herein specifically include "chimeric"
antibodies in which a portion of the heavy and/or light chain is
identical with or homologous to corresponding sequences in
antibodies derived from a particular species or belonging to a
particular antibody class or subclass, while the remainder of the
chain(s) is identical with or homologous to corresponding sequences
in antibodies derived from another species or belonging to another
antibody class or subclass, as well as fragments of such
antibodies, so long as they exhibit the desired biological activity
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; and Morrison et al (1984) Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, 81:68516855). Chimeric antibodies of interest
herein include "primatized" antibodies comprising variable domain
antigen-binding sequences derived from a non-human primate (e.g.,
Old World Monkey, Ape etc) and human constant region sequences.
"Humanized" forms of non-human (e.g., rodent) antibodies are
chimeric antibodies that contain minimal sequence derived from the
non-human antibody. For the most part, humanized antibodies are
human immunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues from a
hypervariable region of the recipient are replaced by residues from
a hypervariable region of a non-human species (donor antibody) such
as mouse, rat, rabbit or non-human primate having the desired
antibody specificity, affinity, and capability. In some instances,
framework region (FR) residues of the human immunoglobulin are
replaced by corresponding non-human residues. Furthermore,
humanized antibodies may comprise residues that are not found in
the recipient antibody or in the donor antibody. These
modifications are made to further refine antibody performance. In
general, the humanized antibody will comprise substantially all of
at least one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all or
substantially all of the hypervariable loops correspond to those of
a non-human immunoglobulin and all, or substantially all, of the
FRs are those of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized
antibody optionally also will comprise at least a portion of an
immmunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically that of a human
immunoglobulin. The Fc fragment comprises the carboxy-terminal
portions of both H chains held together by disulfides and
hydrophobic interaction between several amino acid residues. The
effector functions of antibodies are determined by sequences in the
Fc region, which region is also the part recognized by Fc receptors
(FcR) found on certain types of cells (Jones et al (1986) Nature
321:522-525; Riechmann et al (1988) Nature 332:323-329; Presta,
(1992) Curr. Op. Struct. Biol. 2:593-596; Verhoeyen et al (1988)
Science, 239:1534-1536; Sims et al (1993) J. Immunol. 151: 2296;
Chothia et al (1987) J. Mol. Biol., 196:901). Other methods use a
particular framework region derived from the consensus sequence of
all human antibodies of a particular subgroup of light or heavy
chains (Carter et al (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:4285;
Presta et al (1993) J. Immunol. 151:2623).
A "human antibody" is one which possesses an amino acid sequence
which corresponds to that of an antibody produced by a human and/or
has been made using any of the techniques for making human
antibodies as disclosed herein. This definition of a human antibody
specifically excludes a humanized antibody comprising non-human
antigen-binding residues. Transgenic animals (e.g., mice) are
available that are capable, upon immunization, of producing a full
repertoire of human antibodies in the absence of endogenous
immunoglobulin production (Jakobovits et al (1993) Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, 90:2551; Jakobovits et al (1993) Nature,
362:255-258; Bruggemann et al (1993)Year in Immuno. 7:33; U.S. Pat.
No. 5,545,806; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,825; U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,669;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,807; and WO 97/17852.
An "intact antibody" herein is one comprising VL and VH domains, as
well as a light chain constant domain (CL) and heavy chain constant
domains, CH1, CH2 and CH3. The constant domains may be native
sequence constant domains (e.g., human native sequence constant
domains) or amino acid sequence variant thereof The intact antibody
may have one or more "effector functions" which refer to those
biological activities attributable to the Fc constant region (a
native sequence Fc region or amino acid sequence variant Fc region)
of an antibody. Examples of antibody effector functions include C1q
binding; complement dependent cytotoxicity; Fc receptor binding;
antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC); phagocytosis;
and down regulation of cell surface receptors such as B cell
receptor.
The term "amino acid sequence variant" refers to polypeptides
having amino acid sequences that differ to some extent from a
native sequence polypeptide. Ordinarily, amino acid sequence
variants will possess at least about 70% sequence identity with at
least one receptor binding domain of a native sequence polypeptide
or with at least one ligand binding domain of a native receptor,
and preferably, they will be at least about 80%, more preferably,
at least about 90% homologous by sequence with such receptor or
ligand binding domains. The amino acid sequence variants possess
substitutions, deletions, and/or insertions at certain positions
within the amino acid sequence of the native amino acid sequence.
Amino acids are designated by the conventional names, one-letter
and three-letter codes.
"Sequence identity" is defined as the percentage of residues in the
amino acid sequence variant that are identical after aligning the
sequences and introducing gaps, if necessary, to achieve the
maximum percent sequence identity. Methods and computer programs
for the alignment are well known in the art. One such computer
program is "Align 2," authored by Genentech, Inc., which was filed
with user documentation in the United States Copyright Office,
Washington, D.C. 20559, on Dec. 10, 1991, and which code is found
in WO 2007/001851.
The terms "Fc receptor" or "FcR" mean a receptor that binds to the
Fc constant region of an antibody. The preferred FcR is a native
sequence human FcR. Moreover, a preferred FcR is one which binds an
IgG antibody (a gamma receptor) and includes receptors of the
Fc.gamma.RI, Fc.gamma.RII, and Fc.gamma.RIII subclasses, including
allelic variants and alternatively spliced forms of these
receptors. Fc.gamma.RII receptors include Fc.gamma.RIIA (an
"activating receptor") and Fc.gamma.RIIB (an "inhibiting
receptor"), which have similar amino acid sequences that differ
primarily in the cytoplasmic domains thereof. Activating receptor
Fc.gamma.RIIA contains an immunoreceptor tyrosinebased activation
motif (ITAM) in its cytoplasmic domain. Inhibiting receptor
Fc.gamma.RIIB contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition
motif (ITIM) in its cytoplasmic domain. (See review M. in Daeron,
(1997) "Annu. Rev. Immunol." 15:203-234). FcRs are reviewed in
Ravetch and Kinet, (1991) "Annu. Rev. Immunol"., 9:457-92; Capel et
al (1994) Immunomethods 4:25-34; and de Haas et al (1995) J. Lab.
Clin. Med. 126:330-41. Other FcRs, including those to be identified
in the future, are encompassed by the term "FcR" herein. The term
also includes the neonatal receptor, FcRn, which is responsible for
the transfer of maternal IgGs to the fetus (Guyer et al (1976) J.
Immunol., 117:587 and Kim et al (1994) J. Immunol. 24:249).
The term "variable" refers to the fact that certain portions of the
variable domains differ extensively in sequence among antibodies
and are used in the binding and specificity of each particular
antibody for its particular antigen. However, the variability is
not evenly distributed throughout the variable domains of
antibodies. It is concentrated in three segments called
hypervariable regions both in the light chain and the heavy chain
variable domains. The more highly conserved portions of variable
domains are called the framework regions (FRs). The variable
domains of native heavy and light chains each comprise four FRs,
largely adopting a .beta.-sheet configuration, connected by three
hypervariable regions, which form loops connecting, and in some
cases forming part of, the .beta.-sheet structure. The
hypervariable regions in each chain are held together in close
proximity by the FRs and, with the hypervariable regions from the
other chain, contribute to the formation of the antigen-binding
site of antibodies (see Kabat et al (1991) Sequences of Proteins of
Immunological Interest, 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.). The constant domains are not
involved directly in binding an antibody to an antigen, but exhibit
various effector functions, such as participation of the antibody
in antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).
The term "hypervariable region", "HVR", or "HV", when used herein
refers to the regions of an antibody variable domain which are
hypervariable in sequence and/or form structurally defined loops.
Generally, antibodies comprise six hypervariable regions; three in
the VH (H1, H2, H3), and three in the VL (L1, L2, L3). A number of
hypervariable region delineations are in use and are encompassed
herein. The Kabat Complementarity Determining Regions (CDRs) are
based on sequence variability and are the most commonly used (Kabat
et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed.
Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
(1991)), whereas Chothia refers to the location of the structural
loops (Chothia and Lesk (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 196:901-917). The
"contact" hypervariable regions are based on an analysis of the
available complex crystal structures. The residues from each of
these hypervariable regions are noted below. Unless otherwise
denoted, Kabat numbering according to the Kabat Database of aligned
sequences of proteins will be employed (Wu and Kabat (1970) J. Exp.
Med. 132:211-250; Johnson and Wu (2000) Nuc. Acids Res.
28(1):214-218). Hypervariable region locations are generally as
follows: amino acids 24-34 (HVR-L1), amino acids 49-56 (HVR-L2),
amino acids 89-97 (HVR-L3), amino acids 26-35A (HVR-H1), amino
acids 49-65 (HVR-H2), and amino acids 93-102 (HVR-H3).
Hypervariable regions may also comprise "extended hypervariable
regions" as follows: amino acids 24-36 (L1), and amino acids 46-56
(L2) in the VL. The variable domain residues are numbered according
to Kabat et al., supra for each of these definitions. An "altered
hypervariable region" for the purposes herein is a hypervariable
region comprising one or more (e.g. one to about 16) amino acid
substitution(s) therein. An "unmodified hypervariable region" for
the purposes herein is a hypervariable region having the same amino
acid sequence as a non-human antibody from which it was derived,
i.e. one which lacks one or more amino acid substitutions
therein.
The terms "variable domain residue numbering as in Kabat", "amino
acid position numbering as in Kabat", and variations thereof, refer
to the numbering system used for heavy chain variable domains or
light chain variable domains of the compilation of antibodies in
Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th
Ed. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,
Md. (1991). Using this numbering system, the actual linear amino
acid sequence may contain fewer or additional amino acids
corresponding to a shortening of, or insertion into, a FR or CDR of
the variable domain. For example, a heavy chain variable domain may
include a single amino acid insert (residue 52a according to Kabat)
after residue 52 of H2 and inserted residues (e.g. residues 82a,
82b, and 82c, etc according to Kabat) after heavy chain FR residue
82. The Kabat numbering of residues may be determined for a given
antibody by alignment at regions of homology of the sequence of the
antibody with a "standard" Kabat numbered sequence.
"Binding affinity" generally refers to the strength of the sum
total of noncovalent interactions between a single binding site of
a molecule (e.g., an antibody) and its binding partner (e.g., an
antigen). Unless indicated otherwise, as used herein, "binding
affinity" refers to intrinsic binding affinity which reflects a 1:1
interaction between members of a binding pair (e.g., antibody and
antigen). The affinity of a molecule X for its partner Y can
generally be represented by the dissociation constant (Kd).
Affinity can be measured by common methods known in the art,
including those described herein. Low-affinity antibodies generally
bind antigen slowly and tend to dissociate readily, whereas
high-affinity antibodies generally bind antigen faster and tend to
remain bound longer. A variety of methods of measuring binding
affinity are known in the art, any of which can be used for
purposes of the present invention. Specific illustrative
embodiments are described in the following.
An "antigen" is a predetermined polypeptide, carbohydrate, nucleic
acid, lipid, hapten or other naturally occurring or synthetic
compound to which an antibody can selectively bind.
"Framework" or "FR" residues are those variable domain residues
other than the hypervariable region residues as herein defined. A
"human consensus framework" is a framework which represents the
most commonly occurring amino acid residue in a selection of human
immunoglobulin VL or VH framework sequences. Generally, the
selection of human immunoglobulin VL or VH sequences is from a
subgroup of variable domain sequences. Generally, the subgroup of
sequences is a subgroup as in Kabat et al, Sequences of Proteins of
Immunological Interest, 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. (1991). In one embodiment, for
the VL, the subgroup is subgroup kappa I as in Kabat et al. In one
embodiment, for the VH, the subgroup is subgroup III as in Kabat et
al. A "VH subgroup III consensus framework" comprises the consensus
sequence obtained from the amino acid sequences in variable heavy
subgroup III of Kabat et al. A "VL subgroup I consensus framework"
comprises the consensus sequence obtained from the amino acid
sequences in variable light kappa subgroup I of Kabat et al.
"Fv" is the minimum antibody fragment which contains a complete
antigen-recognition and antigen-binding site. This region consists
of a dimer of one heavy chain and one light chain variable domain
in tight, non-covalent association. It is in this configuration
that the three hypervariable regions of each variable domain
interact to define an antigen-binding site on the surface of the
V.sub.H-V.sub.L dimer. Collectively, the six hypervariable regions
confer antigen-binding specificity to the antibody. However, even a
single variable domain (or half of an Fv comprising only three
hypervariable regions specific for an antigen) has the ability to
recognize and bind antigen, although at a lower affinity than the
entire binding site.
The Fab fragment also contains the constant domain of the light
chain and the first constant domain (CH1) of the heavy chain. Fab'
fragments differ from Fab fragments by the addition of a few
residues at the carboxy terminus of the heavy chain CH1 domain
including one or more cysteines from the antibody hinge region.
Fab'-SH is the designation herein for Fab' in which the cysteine
residue(s) of the constant domains bear at least one free thiol
group. F(ab')2 antibody fragments originally were produced as pairs
of Fab' fragments which have hinge cysteines between them. Other
chemical couplings of antibody fragments are also known.
The "light chains" of antibodies from any vertebrate species can be
assigned to one of two clearly distinct types, called kappa
(.kappa.) and lambda (.lamda.), based on the amino acid sequences
of their constant domains.
"Single-chain Fv" or "scFv" antibody fragments comprise the V.sub.H
and V.sub.L domains of antibody, wherein these domains are present
in a single polypeptide chain. Preferably, the Fv polypeptide
further comprises a polypeptide linker between the VH and VL
domains which enables the scFv to form the desired structure for
antigen binding (Pluckthun in The Pharmacology of Monoclonal
Antibodies, vol. 113, Rosenburg and Moore eds., Springer-Verlag,
New York, pp. 269-315 (1994).
The term "diabodies" refers to small antibody fragments with two
antigen-binding sites, which fragments comprise a variable heavy
domain (VH) connected to a variable light domain (VL) in the same
polypeptide chain (VH-VL). By using a linker that is too short to
allow pairing between the two domains on the same chain, the
domains are forced to pair with the complementary domains of
another chain and create two antigen-binding sites (EP 404,097; WO
93/11161; Hollinger et al (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
90:6444-6448).
A "free cysteine amino acid" refers to a cysteine amino acid
residue which has been engineered into a parent antibody, has a
thiol functional group (--SH), and is not paired as, or otherwise
part of, an intramolecular or intermolecular disulfide bridge.
The term "thiol reactivity value" is a quantitative
characterization of the reactivity of free cysteine amino acids.
The thiol reactivity value is the percentage of a free cysteine
amino acid in a cysteine engineered antibody which reacts with a
thiol-reactive reagent, and converted to a maximum value of 1. For
example, a free cysteine amino acid on a cysteine engineered
antibody which reacts in 100% yield with a thiol-reactive reagent,
such as a biotin-maleimide reagent, to form a biotin-labelled
antibody has a thiol reactivity value of 1.0. Another cysteine
amino acid engineered into the same or different parent antibody
which reacts in 80% yield with a thiol-reactive reagent has a thiol
reactivity value of 0.8. Another cysteine amino acid engineered
into the same or different parent antibody which fails totally to
react with a thiol-reactive reagent has a thiol reactivity value of
0. Determination of the thiol reactivity value of a particular
cysteine may be conducted by ELISA assay, mass spectroscopy, liquid
chromatography, autoradiography, or other quantitative analytical
tests. Thiol-reactive reagents which allow capture of the cysteine
engineered antibody and comparison and quantitation of the cysteine
reactivity include biotin-PEO-maleimide
((+)-biotinyl-3-maleimidopropionamidyl-3,6-dioxaoctainediamine, Oda
et al (2001) Nature Biotechnology 19:379-382, Pierce Biotechnology,
Inc.) Biotin-BMCC, PEO-Iodoacetyl Biotin, Iodoacetyl-LC-Biotin, and
Biotin-HPDP (Pierce Biotechnology, Inc.), and
N.alpha.-(3-maleimidylpropionyl)biocytin (MPB, Molecular Probes,
Eugene, Oreg.). Other commercial sources for biotinylation,
bifunctional and multifunctional linker reagents include Molecular
Probes, Eugene, Oreg., and Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.
A "parent antibody" is an antibody comprising an amino acid
sequence from which one or more amino acid residues are replaced by
one or more cysteine residues. The parent antibody may comprise a
native or wild type sequence. The parent antibody may have
pre-existing amino acid sequence modifications (such as additions,
deletions and/or substitutions) relative to other native, wild
type, or modified forms of an antibody. A parent antibody may be
directed against a target antigen of interest, e.g. a biologically
important polypeptide. Antibodies directed against nonpolypeptide
antigens (such as tumor-associated glycolipid antigens; see U.S.
Pat. No. 5,091,178) are also contemplated.
An "isolated" antibody is one which has been identified and
separated and/or recovered from a component of its natural
environment. Contaminant components of its natural environment are
materials which would interfere with diagnostic or therapeutic uses
for the antibody, and may include enzymes, hormones, and other
proteinaceous or nonproteinaceous solutes. In preferred
embodiments, the antibody will be purified (1) to greater than 95%
by weight of antibody as determined by the Lowry method, and most
preferably more than 99% by weight, (2) to a degree sufficient to
obtain at least 15 residues of N-terminal or internal amino acid
sequence by use of a spinning cup sequenator, or (3) to homogeneity
by SDS-PAGE under reducing or nonreducing conditions using
Coomassie blue or, preferably, silver stain. Isolated antibody
includes the antibody in situ within recombinant cells since at
least one component of the antibody's natural environment will not
be present. Ordinarily, however, isolated antibody will be prepared
by at least one purification step.
An antibody "which binds" a molecular target or an antigen of
interest, e.g., MUC16 or CA125 antigens, is one capable of binding
that antigen with sufficient affinity such that the antibody is
useful in targeting a cell expressing the antigen. Where the
antibody is one which binds a MUC16 polypeptide, it will usually
preferentially bind MUC16, and may be one which does not
significantly cross-react with other proteins. In such embodiments,
the extent of binding of the antibody to these non-MUC16 proteins
(e.g., cell surface binding to endogenous receptor) will be less
than 10% of the binding to MUC16 as determined by fluorescence
activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis or radioimmunoprecipitation
(RIA).
"Treating" or "treatment" or "alleviation" refers to both
therapeutic treatment and prophylactic or preventative measures,
wherein the object is to prevent or slow down (lessen) the targeted
pathologic condition or disorder. Those in need of treatment
include those already with the disorder as well as those prone to
have the disorder or those in whom the disorder is to be prevented.
A subject or mammal is successfully "treated" for a CA125/O772P
polypeptide-expressing cancer if, after receiving a therapeutic
amount of an anti-CA125/O772P antibody, such as a cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof,
according to the methods of the present invention, the patient
shows observable and/or measurable reduction in or absence of one
or more of the following: reduction in the number of cancer cells
or absence of the cancer cells; reduction in the tumor size;
inhibition (i.e., slow to some extent and preferably stop) of
cancer cell infiltration into peripheral organs including the
spread of cancer into soft tissue and bone; inhibition (i.e., slow
to some extent and preferably stop) of tumor metastasis;
inhibition, to some extent, of tumor growth; and/or relief to some
extent, one or more of the symptoms associated with the specific
cancer; reduced morbidity and mortality, and improvement in quality
of life issues. To the extent the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof, may prevent growth
and/or kill existing cancer cells, it may be cytostatic and/or
cytotoxic. Reduction of these signs or symptoms may also be felt by
the patient. The above parameters for assessing successful
treatment and improvement in the disease are readily measurable by
routine procedures familiar to a physician. For cancer therapy,
efficacy can be measured, for example, by assessing the time to
disease progression (TTP) and/or determining the response rate
(RR). Metastasis can be determined by staging tests and by bone
scan and tests for calcium level and other enzymes to determine
spread to the bone. CT scans can also be done to look for spread to
the pelvis and lymph nodes in the area. Chest X-rays and
measurement of liver enzyme levels by known methods are used to
look for metastasis to the lungs and liver, respectively. Other
routine methods for monitoring the disease include transrectal
ultrasonography (TRUS) and transrectal needle biopsy (TRNB).
The terms "cancer" and "cancerous" refer to or describe the
physiological condition in mammals that is typically characterized
by unregulated cell growth. A "tumor" comprises one or more
cancerous cells, and refers to all neoplastic cell growth and
proliferation, whether malignant or benign, and all pre-cancerous
and cancerous cells and tissues. Examples of cancer include, but
are not limited to, carcinoma, lymphoma, blastoma, sarcoma, and
leukemia or lymphoid malignancies. More particular examples of such
cancers include ovarian cancer, squamous cell cancer (e.g.,
epithelial squamous cell cancer), lung cancer including small-cell
lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC"), adenocarcinoma
of the lung and squamous carcinoma of the lung, cancer of the
peritoneum, hepatocellular cancer, gastric or stomach cancer
including gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, including
pancreatic adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, cervical cancer, liver
cancer, bladder cancer, hepatoma, breast cancer, colon cancer,
rectal cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial or uterine carcinoma,
salivary gland carcinoma, kidney or renal cancer, prostate cancer,
vulval cancer, thyroid cancer, hepatic carcinoma, anal carcinoma,
penile carcinoma, as well as head and neck cancer.
A cancer which "overexpresses" an antigenic receptor is one which
has significantly higher levels of the receptor, such as MUC16, at
the cell surface thereof, compared to a noncancerous cell of the
same tissue type. Such overexpression may be caused by gene
amplification or by increased transcription or translation.
Receptor overexpression may be determined in a diagnostic or
prognostic assay by evaluating increased levels of the receptor
protein present on the surface of a cell (e.g., via an
immunohistochemistry assay; IHC). Alternatively, or additionally,
one may measure levels of receptor-encoding nucleic acid in the
cell, e.g., via fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH; see WO
98/45479), southern blotting, northern blotting, or polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) techniques, such as real time quantitative
reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR).
The terms "cell proliferative disorder" and "proliferative
disorder" refer to disorders that are associated with some degree
of abnormal cell proliferation. In one embodiment, the cell
proliferative disorder is cancer.
The term "therapeutically effective amount" refers to an amount of
a drug, e.g. a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody drug
conjugate or chemotherapeutic agent, effective to treat a disease
or disorder in a mammal. In the case of cancer, the therapeutically
effective amount of the drug may reduce the number of cancer cells;
reduce the tumor size; inhibit (i.e., slow to some extent and
preferably stop) cancer cell infiltration into peripheral organs;
inhibit (i.e., slow to some extent and preferably stop) tumor
metastasis; inhibit, to some extent, tumor growth; and/or relieve
to some extent one or more of the symptoms associated with the
cancer. To the extent the drug may prevent growth and/or kill
existing cancer cells, it may be cytostatic and/or cytotoxic. The
term "cytostatic" refers to the effect of limiting the function of
cells, such as limiting cellular growth or proliferation of cells.
For cancer therapy, efficacy can, for example, be measured by
assessing the time to disease progression (TTP) and/or determining
the response rate (RR).
A "chemotherapeutic agent" is a chemical compound useful in the
treatment of cancer. Examples of chemotherapeutic agents include
erlotinib (TARCEVA.RTM., Genentech/OSI Pharm.), bortezomib
(VELCADE.RTM., Millenium Pharm.), fulvestrant (FASLODEX.RTM.,
AstraZeneca), sutent (SU11248, Pfizer), letrozole (FEMARA.RTM.,
Novartis), imatinib mesylate (GLEEVEC.RTM., Novartis),
PTK787/ZK222584 (Novartis), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin.RTM., Sanofi),
5-FU (5-fluorouracil), leucovorin, rapamycin (sirolimus,
RAPAMUNE.RTM., Wyeth), lapatinib (TYKERB.RTM., GSK572016,
GlaxoSmithKline), lonafarnib (SCH 66336), sorafenib (BAY43-9006,
Bayer Labs.), capecitabine (XELODA.RTM., Roche), docetaxel
(TAXOTERE.RTM.), and gefitinib (IRESSA.RTM., Astrazeneca), AG1478,
AG1571 (SU 5271; Sugen), alkylating agents such as thiotepa and
CYTOXAN.RTM. cyclosphosphamide; alkyl sulfonates such as busulfan,
improsulfan and piposulfan; aziridines such as benzodopa,
carboquone, meturedopa, and uredopa; ethylenimines and
methylamelamines including altretamine, triethylenemelamine,
triethylenephosphoramide, triethylenethiophosphoramide and
trimethylomelamine; acetogenins (especially bullatacin and
bullatacinone); a camptothecin (including the synthetic analogue
topotecan); bryostatin; callystatin; CC-1065 (including its
adozelesin, carzelesin and bizelesin synthetic analogues);
cryptophycins (particularly cryptophycin 1 and cryptophycin 8);
dolastatin; duocarmycin (including the synthetic analogues, KW-2189
and CB1-TM1); eleutherobin; pancratistatin; a sarcodictyin;
spongistatin; nitrogen mustards such as chlorambucil,
chlomaphazine, cholophosphamide, estramustine, ifosfamide,
mechlorethamine, mechlorethamine oxide hydrochloride, melphalan,
novembichin, phenesterine, prednimustine, trofosfamide, uracil
mustard; nitrosoureas such as carmustine, chlorozotocin,
fotemustine, lomustine, nimustine, and ranimnustine; antibiotics
such as the enediyne antibiotics (e.g., calicheamicin, especially
calicheamicin gamma1I and calicheamicin omegall (Angew Chem Intl.
Ed. Engl. (1994) 33:183-186); dynemicin, including dynemicin A;
bisphosphonates, such as clodronate; an esperamicin; as well as
neocarzinostatin chromophore and related chromoprotein enediyne
antibiotic chromophores), aclacinomysins, actinomycin, anthramycin,
azaserine, bleomycins, cactinomycin, carabicin, carminomycin,
carzinophilin, chromomycinis, dactinomycin, daunorubicin,
detorubicin, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, ADRIAMYCIN.RTM.
doxorubicin (including morpholino-doxorubicin,
cyanomorpholino-doxorubicin, 2-pyrrolino-doxorubicin and
deoxydoxorubicin), epirubicin, esorubicin, idarubicin,
marcellomycin, mitomycins such as mitomycin C, mycophenolic acid,
nogalamycin, olivomycins, peplomycin, potfiromycin, puromycin,
quelamycin, rodorubicin, streptonigrin, streptozocin, tubercidin,
ubenimex, zinostatin, zorubicin; anti-metabolites such as
methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); folic acid analogues such
as denopterin, methotrexate, pteropterin, trimetrexate; purine
analogs such as fludarabine, 6-mercaptopurine, thiamiprine,
thioguanine; pyrimidine analogs such as ancitabine, azacitidine,
6-azauridine, carmofur, cytarabine, dideoxyuridine, doxifluridine,
enocitabine, floxuridine; androgens such as calusterone,
dromostanolone propionate, epitiostanol, mepitiostane,
testolactone; anti-adrenals such as aminoglutethimide, mitotane,
trilostane; folic acid replenisher such as frolinic acid;
aceglatone; aldophosphamide glycoside; aminolevulinic acid;
eniluracil; amsacrine; bestrabucil; bisantrene; edatraxate;
defofamine; demecolcine; diaziquone; elfornithine; elliptinium
acetate; an epothilone; etoglucid; gallium nitrate; hydroxyurea;
lentinan; lonidainine; maytansinoids such as maytansine and
ansamitocins; mitoguazone; mitoxantrone; mopidanmol; nitraerine;
pentostatin; phenamet; pirarubicin; losoxantrone; podophyllinic
acid; 2-ethylhydrazide; procarbazine; PSK.RTM. polysaccharide
complex (JHS Natural Products, Eugene, Oreg.); razoxane; rhizoxin;
sizofiran; spirogermanium; tenuazonic acid; triaziquone;
2,2',2''-trichlorotriethylamine; trichothecenes (especially T-2
toxin, verracurin A, roridin A and anguidine); urethan; vindesine;
dacarbazine; mannomustine; mitobronitol; mitolactol; pipobroman;
gacytosine; arabinoside ("Ara-C"); cyclophosphamide; thiotepa;
taxoids, e.g., paclitaxel (TAXOL.RTM., Bristol-Myers Squibb
Oncology, Princeton, N.J.), ABRAXANE.TM. Cremophor-free,
albumin-engineered nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel (American
Pharmaceutical Partners, Schaumberg, Ill.), and TAXOTERE.RTM.
doxetaxel (Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Antony, France); chloranbucil;
GEMZAR.RTM. gemcitabine; 6-thioguanine; mercaptopurine;
methotrexate; platinum analogs such as cisplatin and carboplatin;
vinblastine; platinum; etoposide (VP-16); ifosfamide; mitoxantrone;
vincristine; NAVELBINE.RTM. vinorelbine; novantrone; teniposide;
edatrexate; daunomycin; aminopterin; xeloda; ibandronate; CPT-11;
topoisomerase inhibitor RFS 2000; difluorometlhylomithine (DMFO);
retinoids such as retinoic acid; capecitabine; and pharmaceutically
acceptable salts, acids or derivatives of any of the above.
Also included in this definition of "chemotherapeutic agent" are:
(i) anti-hormonal agents that act to regulate or inhibit hormone
action on tumors such as anti-estrogens and selective estrogen
receptor modulators (SERMs), including, for example, tamoxifen
(including NOLVADEX.RTM. tamoxifen), raloxifene, droloxifene,
4-hydroxytamoxifen, trioxifene, keoxifene, LY 117018, onapristone,
and FARESTON. toremifene; (ii) aromatase inhibitors that inhibit
the enzyme aromatase, which regulates estrogen production in the
adrenal glands, such as, for example, 4(5)-imidazoles,
aminoglutethimide, MEGASE.RTM. megestrol acetate, AROMASIN.RTM.
exemestane, formestanie, fadrozole, RIVISOR.RTM. vorozole,
FEMARA.RTM. letrozole, and ARIMIDEX.RTM. anastrozole; (iii)
anti-androgens such as flutamide, nilutamide, bicalutamide,
leuprolide, and goserelin; as well as troxacitabine (a
1,3-dioxolane nucleoside cytosine analog); (iv) aromatase
inhibitors; (v) protein kinase inhibitors; (vi) lipid kinase
inhibitors; (vii) antisense oligonucleotides, particularly those
which inhibit expression of genes in signaling pathways implicated
in abherant cell proliferation, such as, for example, PKC-alpha,
Ralf and H-Ras; (viii) ribozymes such as a VEGF expression
inhibitor (e.g., ANGIOZYME.RTM. ribozyme) and a HER2 expression
inhibitor; (ix) vaccines such as gene therapy vaccines, for
example, ALLOVECTIN.RTM. vaccine, LEUVECTIN.RTM. vaccine, and
VAXID.RTM. vaccine; PROLEUKIN.RTM. rIL-2; LURTOTECAN.RTM.
topoisomerase 1 inhibitor; ABARELIX.RTM. rmRH; (x) anti-angiogenic
agents such as bevacizumab (AVASTIN.RTM., Genentech); and (xi)
pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or derivatives of any of
the above.
The term "cytokine" is a generic term for proteins released by one
cell population which act on another cell as intercellular
mediators. Examples of such cytokines are lymphokines, monokines,
and traditional polypeptide hormones. Included among the cytokines
are growth hormone such as human growth hormone, N-methionyl human
growth hormone, and bovine growth hormone; parathyroid hormone;
thyroxine; insulin; proinsulin; relaxin; prorelaxin; glycoprotein
hormones such as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid
stimulating hormone (TSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH); hepatic
growth factor; fibroblast growth factor; prolactin; placental
lactogen; tumor necrosis factor-.alpha. and -.beta.;
mullerian-inhibiting substance; mouse gonadotropin-associated
peptide; inhibin; activin; vascular endothelial growth factor;
integrin; thrombopoietin (TPO); nerve growth factors such as
NGF-.beta.; platelet-growth factor; transforming growth factors
(TGFs) such as TGF-.alpha. and TGF-.beta.; insulin-like growth
factor-I and -II; erythropoietin (EPO); osteoinductive factors;
interferons such as interferon-.alpha., -.beta., and -.gamma.;
colony stimulating factors (CSFs) such as macrophage-CSF (M-CSF);
granulocyte-macrophage-CSF (GM-CSF); and granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF);
interleukins (ILs) such as IL-1, IL-1.alpha., IL-2, IL-3, IL-4,
IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12; a tumor necrosis
factor such as TNF-.alpha. or TNF-.beta.; and other polypeptide
factors including LIF and kit ligand (KL). As used herein, the term
cytokine includes proteins from natural sources or from recombinant
cell culture and biologically active equivalents of the native
sequence cytokines.
The term "label" means any moiety which can be covalently attached
to an antibody and that functions to: (i) provide a detectable
signal; (ii) interact with a second label to modify the detectable
signal provided by the first or second label, e.g. FRET
(fluorescence resonance energy transfer); (iii) stabilize
interactions or increase affinity of binding, with antigen or
ligand; (iv) affect mobility, e.g. electrophoretic mobility, or
cell-permeability, by charge, hydrophobicity, shape, or other
physical parameters, or (v) provide a capture moiety, to modulate
ligand affinity, antibody/antigen binding, or ionic
complexation.
The phrase "pharmaceutically acceptable salt," as used herein,
refers to pharmaceutically acceptable organic or inorganic salts of
an ADC. Exemplary salts include, but are not limited, to sulfate,
citrate, acetate, oxalate, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate,
bisulfate, phosphate, acid phosphate, isonicotinate, lactate,
salicylate, acid citrate, tartrate, oleate, tannate, pantothenate,
bitartrate, ascorbate, succinate, maleate, gentisinate, fumarate,
gluconate, glucuronate, saccharate, formate, benzoate, glutamate,
methanesulfonate, ethanesulfonate, benzenesulfonate,
p-toluenesulfonate, and pamoate (i.e.,
1,1'-methylene-bis-(2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate)) salts. A
pharmaceutically acceptable salt may involve the inclusion of
another molecule such as an acetate ion, a succinate ion or other
counterion. The counterion may be any organic or inorganic moiety
that stabilizes the charge on the compound. Furthermore, a
pharmaceutically acceptable salt may have more than one charged
atom in its structure. Instances where multiple charged atoms are
part of the pharmaceutically acceptable salt can have multiple
counter ions. Hence, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt can have
one or more charged atoms and/or one or more counterion.
"Pharmaceutically acceptable solvate" refers to an association of
one or more solvent molecules and an ADC. Examples of solvents that
form pharmaceutically acceptable solvates include, but are not
limited to, water, isopropanol, ethanol, methanol, DMSO, ethyl
acetate, acetic acid, and ethanolamine.
"Carriers" as used herein include pharmaceutically acceptable
carriers, excipients, or stabilizers which are nontoxic to the cell
or mammal being exposed thereto at the dosages and concentrations
employed. Often the physiologically acceptable carrier is an
aqueous pH buffered solution. Examples of physiologically
acceptable carriers include buffers such as phosphate, citrate, and
other organic acids; antioxidants including ascorbic acid; low
molecular weight (less than about 10 residues) polypeptide;
proteins, such as serum albumin, gelatin, or immunoglobulins;
hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such
as glycine, glutamine, asparagine, arginine or lysine;
monosaccharides, disaccharides, and other carbohydrates including
glucose, mannose, or dextrins; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugar
alcohols such as mannitol or sorbitol; salt-forming counterions
such as sodium; and/or nonionic surfactants such as TWEEN.RTM.,
polyethylene glycol (PEG), and PLURONICS.RTM..
The following abbreviations are used herein and have the indicated
definitions: Boc is N-(t-butoxycarbonyl), cit is citrulline
(2-amirio-5-ureido pentanoic acid), dap is dolaproine, DCC is
1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, DCM is dichloromethane, DEA is
diethylamine, DMSO is dimethylsulfoxide, DTNB is
5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), DTPA is
diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, DTT is dithiothreitol, Fmoc is
N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl), gly is glycine, HOBt is
1-hydroxybenzotriazole, HPLC is high pressure liquid
chromatography, Mtr is 4-anisyldiphenylmethyl (or 4-methoxytrityl),
PAB is p-aminobenzylcarbamoyl, PBS is phosphate-buffered saline (pH
7), PEG is polyethylene glycol, MC is 6-maleimidocaproyl, phe is
L-phenylalanine, SEC is size-exclusion chromatography, TFA is
trifluoroacetic acid, TLC is thin layer chromatography, UV is
ultraviolet, and val is valine.
Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
The compounds of the invention include cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies where one or more amino acids of any form of
wild-type or parent anti-MUC16 antibody is replaced with a cysteine
amino acid. The engineered cysteine amino acid is a free cysteine
acid and not part of an intrachain or interchain disulfide unit.
Any form of anti-MUC16 antibody may be so engineered, i.e. mutated.
For example, a parent Fab antibody fragment may be engineered to
form a cysteine engineered Fab, referred to herein as "ThioFab."
Similarly, a parent monoclonal antibody may be engineered to form a
"ThioMab." It should be noted that a single site mutation yields a
single engineered cysteine residue in a ThioFab, while a single
site mutation yields two engineered cysteine residues in a ThioMab,
due to the dimeric nature of the IgG antibody. The cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies of the invention include
monoclonal antibodies, humanized or chimeric monoclonal antibodies,
antigen-binding fragments of antibodies, fusion polypeptides and
analogs that preferentially bind cell-associated MUC16
polypeptides.
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies retain the antigen
binding capability of their wild type, parent anti-MUC16 antibody
counterparts. Thus, cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies are
capable of binding to MUC16 antigens including receptor proteins
O772P (CA125, MUC16, Genbank accession no. AF361486), as described
in Yin et al J. (2001) Biol. Chem. 276 (29):27371-27375);
WO2004045553 (claim 14); WO200292836 (claim 6; FIG. 12);
WO200283866 (claim 15; Page 116-121); US2003124140 (Example 16);
Cross-references: GI:34501467; AAK74120.3; AF361486_1.
A cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody comprises one or more
free cysteine amino acids with reduced sulfhydryl (thiol) groups
wherein the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody binds to a
MUC16 polypeptide.
In one embodiment, the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is
prepared by a process comprising replacing one or more amino acid
residues of a parent anti-MUC16 antibody by cysteine.
Mutants with replaced ("engineered") cysteine (Cys) residues may be
evaluated for the reactivity of the newly introduced, engineered
cysteine thiol groups. The thiol reactivity value is a relative,
numerical term in the range of 0 to 1.0 and can be measured for any
cysteine engineered antibody. Thiol reactivity values of cysteine
engineered antibodies of the invention may be in the ranges of 0.6
to 1.0; 0.7 to 1.0; or 0.8 to 1.0.
In one aspect, the invention concerns an isolated cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody comprising an amino acid sequence
that is encoded by a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes to the
complement of a DNA molecule encoding (a) a cysteine engineered
antibody having a full-length amino acid sequence as disclosed
herein, (b) a cysteine engineered antibody amino acid sequence
lacking the signal peptide as disclosed herein, (c) an
extracellular domain of a transmemembrane cysteine engineered
antibody protein, with or without the signal peptide, as disclosed
herein, (d) an amino acid sequence encoded by any of the nucleic
acid sequences disclosed herein or (e) any other specifically
defined fragment of a full-length cysteine engineered antibody
amino acid sequence as disclosed herein.
In one aspect, the invention provides an isolated cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody without the N-terminal signal
sequence and/or without the initiating methionine and is encoded by
a nucleotide sequence that encodes such an amino acid sequence as
described in. Processes for producing the same are also herein
described, wherein those processes comprise culturing a host cell
comprising a vector which comprises the appropriate encoding
nucleic acid molecule under conditions suitable for expression of
the cysteine engineered antibody and recovering the cysteine
engineered antibody from the cell culture.
Another aspect of the invention provides an isolated cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody which is either transmembrane
domain-deleted or transmembrane domain-inactivated. Processes for
producing the same are also herein described, wherein those
processes comprise culturing a host cell comprising a vector which
comprises the appropriate encoding nucleic acid molecule under
conditions suitable for expression of the cysteine engineered
antibody and recovering the cysteine engineered antibody from the
cell culture.
In other embodiments, the invention provides isolated anti-MUC16
chimeric cysteine engineered antibodies comprising any of the
herein described cysteine engineered antibody fused to a
heterologous (non-MUC16) polypeptide. Examples of such chimeric
molecules comprise any of the herein described cysteine engineered
antibodies fused to a heterologous polypeptide such as, for
example, an epitope tag sequence or an Fc region of an
immunoglobulin.
The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody may be a monoclonal
antibody, antibody fragment, chimeric antibody, humanized antibody,
single-chain antibody or antibody that competitively inhibits the
binding of an anti-MUC16 polypeptide antibody to its respective
antigenic epitope. Antibodies of the present invention may
optionally be conjugated to a growth inhibitory agent or cytotoxic
agent such as a toxin, including, for example, an auristatin, an
antibiotic, a radioactive isotope, a nucleolytic enzyme, or the
like. The antibodies of the present invention may optionally be
produced in CHO cells or bacterial cells and preferably inhibit the
growth or proliferation of or induce the death of a cell to which
they bind. For diagnostic purposes, the antibodies of the present
invention may be detectably labeled, attached to a solid support,
or the like.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the invention
provides vectors comprising DNA encoding any of the herein
described cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies. Host cells
comprising any such vector are also provided. By way of example,
the host cells may be CHO cells, E. coli cells, or yeast cells. A
process for producing any of the herein described polypeptides is
further provided and comprises culturing host cells under
conditions suitable for expression of the desired polypeptide and
recovering the desired polypeptide from the cell culture.
Parent and cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies bind to a
MUC16 polypeptide or MUC16 polypeptide variant described in
"Compositions and Methods for the Diagnosis and Treatment of
Tumor", WO 2007/001851, Dennis et al, U.S. Ser. No. 11/452,990,
filed 14 Jun. 2006 to Genentech, Inc.) and are described as O772P,
Ovarian carcinoma antigen CA125, or MUC16 Human, and in Genbank
accession no. AF361486. Cross-references: GI:34501467; AAK74120.3;
AF361486_1; Swiss-Prot entry Q8WX17.
A MUC16 polypeptide variant is a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide
having at least about 80% amino acid sequence identity with a MUC16
or CA125/O772P polypeptide sequence as disclosed in WO 2007/001851
which is a: (i) full-length native sequence; (ii) a polypeptide
sequence lacking the signal peptide; (iii) an extracellular domain,
with or without the signal peptide; (iv) or any other fragment of a
full-length MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide sequence (such as those
encoded by a nucleic acid that represents only a portion of the
complete coding sequence for a full-length MUC16/CA125/O772P
polypeptide). Such MUC16 polypeptide variants include, for
instance, polypeptides wherein one or more amino acid residues are
added, or deleted, at the N- or C-terminus of the full-length
native amino acid sequence. Ordinarily, a MUC16 polypeptide variant
will have at least about 80% amino acid sequence identity,
alternatively at least about 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%,
88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% amino
acid sequence identity, to a full-length native sequence MUC16
polypeptide sequence, a MUC16 polypeptide sequence lacking the
signal peptide, an extracellular domain of a MUC16 polypeptide,
with or without the signal peptide, or any other specifically
defined fragment of a full-length MUC16 polypeptide sequence.
Ordinarily, MUC16 polypeptide variants are at least about 10 amino
acids in length, alternatively at least about 20, 30, 40, 50, 60,
70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200,
210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330,
340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460,
470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580, 590,
600 amino acids in length, or more. Optionally, MUC16 variant
polypeptides will have no more than one conservative amino acid
substitution as compared to the native MUC16 polypeptide sequence,
alternatively no more than 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10
conservative amino acid substitution as compared to the native
MUC16 polypeptide sequence.
MUC16 polypeptides may be prepared by recombinant expression in:
(i) E. coli with pBR322 vector; (ii) mammalian cells such as human
HEK293 cells (ATCC CCL 1573), COS (simian fibroblast, SV-40) cells,
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells with the pRK5 vector; (iii)
yeast, such as yeast strain AB110; or (iv) baculovirus-infected
insect cells (WO 2007/001851). Native or recombinant MUC16
polypeptides may be purified by a variety of standard techniques in
the art of protein purification. For example, pro-MUC16
polypeptide, mature MUC16 polypeptide, or pre-MUC16 polypeptide is
purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using antibodies specific
for the MUC16 polypeptide of interest. In general, an
immunoaffinity column is constructed by covalently coupling the
anti-MUC16 polypeptide antibody to an activated chromatographic
resin. MUC16 polypeptides may be produced recombinantly as a fusion
polypeptide with a heterologous polypeptide, which may be a signal
sequence or other polypeptide having a specific cleavage site at
the N-terminus of the mature protein or polypeptide. Alternatively,
MUC16 polypeptides may be produced as fusion polypeptides with a
signal sequence and a heterologous polypeptide sequence that allows
purification of the MUC16 fusion polypeptide; examples of such
polypeptides are polyhistidine (HiS.sub.6 or His.sub.8), human IgG
Fc, the FLAG epitope (KDYKDDDDK), and the gD epitope
(KYALADASLKMADPNRFRGKDLPVL). The signal sequence may be a component
of the vector, or it may be a part of the anti-MUC16 antibody- or
MUC16 polypeptide-encoding DNA that is inserted into the vector.
The signal sequence may be a prokaryotic signal sequence selected,
for example, from the group of the alkaline phosphatase,
penicillinase, 1pp; or heat-stable enterotoxin II leaders. For
yeast secretion the signal sequence may be, e.g., the yeast
invertase leader, alpha factor leader (including Saccharomyces and
Kluyveromyces .alpha.-factor leaders (U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,182), or
acid phosphatase leader, the C. albicans glucoamylase leader (EP
0362179), or the signal described in WO 90/13646. In mammalian cell
expression, mammalian signal sequences may be used to direct
secretion of the protein, such as signal sequences from secreted
polypeptides of the same or related species, as well as viral
secretory leaders.
A MUC16-expressing cell expresses an endogenous or transfected
MUC16 polypeptide antigen either on the cell surface or in a
secreted form. A MUC16-expressing cancer comprises cells that have
a MUC16 polypeptide present on the cell surface or that produce and
secrete a MUC16 antigenic polypeptide. A MUC16-expressing cancer
optionally produces sufficient levels of MUC16 polypeptide on the
surface of cells thereof, such that an anti-MUC16 antibody, or
antibody drug conjugate thereof, can bind thereto and may exert a
therapeutic effect with respect to the cancer. A cancer which
overexpresses a MUC16 polypeptide is one which has significantly
higher levels of MUC16 polypeptide at the cell surface thereof, or
produces and secretes, compared to a noncancerous cell of the same
tissue type. Such overexpression may be caused by gene
amplification or by increased transcription or translation. MUC16
polypeptide overexpression may be determined in a clinical setting
by evaluating increased levels of the MUC16 protein present on the
surface of a cell, or secreted by the cell (e.g., via an
immunohistochemistry assay using anti-MUC16 antibodies prepared
against an isolated MUC16 polypeptide which may be prepared using
recombinant DNA technology from an isolated nucleic acid encoding
the MUC16 polypeptide; FACS analysis, etc.). Alternatively, or
additionally, one may measure levels of MUC16 polypeptide-encoding
nucleic acid or mRNA in the cell, e.g., via fluorescent in situ
hybridization (FISH) using a nucleic acid based probe corresponding
to a MUC16-encoding nucleic acid or the complement thereof; (WO
98/45479), Southern blotting, Northern blotting, or polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) techniques, such as real time quantitative
reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). One may also detect MUC16
polypeptide overexpression by measuring shed antigen in a
biological fluid such as serum, e.g., using antibody-based assays
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,294; WO 91/05264; U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,638;
Sias et al (1990) J. Immunol. Methods 132:73-80). Various other in
vivo assays may be contemplated. Alternatively, cells within the
body of the patient may be exposed to an antibody which is
optionally labeled with a detectable label, e.g., a radioactive
isotope, and binding of the antibody to cells in the patient can be
evaluated, e.g., by external scanning for radioactivity or by
analyzing a biopsy taken from a patient previously exposed to the
antibody.
Parent and cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies are capable of
binding, preferably specifically, to a MUC16 polypeptide as
described herein. MUC16 binding oligopeptides may be identified
without undue experimentation using well known techniques. In this
regard, it is noted that techniques for screening oligopeptide
libraries for oligopeptides that are capable of specifically
binding to a polypeptide target are well known in the art (U.S.
Pat. No. 5,55,6762; U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,373; U.S. Pat. No.
4,708,871; U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,092; U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,409; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,403,484; U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,689; U.S. Pat. No.
5,663,143; WO 84/03506; WO84/03564; Geysen et al (1984) Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, 81:3998-4002; Geysen et al (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA, 82:178-182; Geysen et al., in Synthetic Peptides as
Antigens, 130-149 (1986); Geysen et al., J. Immunol. Meth.,
102:259-274 (1987); Schoofs et al., J. Immunol., 140:611-616
(1988), Cwirla, S. E. et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
87:6378; Lowman, H. B. et al. (1991) Biochemistry, 30:10832;
Clackson, T. et al. (1991) Nature, 352: 624; Marks, J. D. et al.
(1991), J. Mol. Biol., 222:581; Kang, A. S. et al. (1991) Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:8363, and Smith, G. P. (1991) Current
Opin. Biotechnol., 2:668).
The parent and cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies of the
invention include polyclonal, monoclonal, humanized, human,
bispecific, and heteroconjugate antibodies. Various forms of a
humanized anti-MUC16 antibody are contemplated. For example, the
humanized antibody may be an antibody fragment, such as a Fab.
Alternatively, the humanized antibody may be an intact antibody,
such as an intact IgG1 antibody.
Bispecific anti-MUC16 antibodies are antibodies that have binding
specificities for at least two different epitopes. Exemplary
bispecific anti-MUC16 antibodies may bind to two different epitopes
of a MUC16 protein as described herein. Other such antibodies may
combine a MUC16 binding site with a binding site for another
protein. Alternatively, an anti-MUC16 arm may be combined with an
arm which binds to a triggering molecule on a leukocyte such as a
T-cell receptor molecule (e.g. CD3), or Fc receptors for IgG
(Fc.gamma.R), such as Fc.gamma.RI (CD64), Fc.gamma.RII (CD32) and
Fc.gamma.RIII (CD 16), so as to focus and localize cellular defense
mechanisms to the MUC16-expressing cell. Bispecific antibodies may
also be used to localize cytotoxic agents to cells which express
MUC16. These antibodies possess a MUC16-binding arm and an arm
which binds the cytotoxic agent (e.g., saporin,
anti-interferon-.alpha., vinca alkaloid, ricin A chain,
methotrexate or radioactive isotope hapten). Bispecific antibodies
can be prepared as full length antibodies or antibody fragments
(e.g., F(ab')2 bispecific antibodies). Traditional production of
full length bispecific antibodies is based on the co-expression of
two immunoglobulin heavy chain-light chain pairs, where the two
chains have different specificities (Millstein et al (1983) Nature
305:537-539).
Heteroconjugate anti-MUC16 antibodies are also within the scope of
the present invention. Heteroconjugate antibodies are composed of
two covalently joined antibodies. Such antibodies have, for
example, been proposed to target immune system cells to unwanted
cells (U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,980), and for treatment of HIV infection
(WO 91/00360; WO 92/200373; EP 03089). It is contemplated that the
antibodies may be prepared in vitro using known methods in
synthetic protein chemistry, including those involving crosslinking
agents.
The anti-MUC16 antibodies of the present invention can be
multivalent antibodies with three or more antigen binding sites
(e.g. tetravalent antibodies), which can be readily produced by
recombinant expression of nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide
chains of the antibody. The multivalent antibody can comprise a
dimerization domain and three or more antigen binding sites. The
preferred dimerization domain comprises (or consists of) an Fc
region or a hinge region. In this scenario, the antibody will
comprise an Fc region and three or more antigen binding sites
amino-terminal to the Fc region. The preferred multivalent antibody
herein comprises (or consists of) three to about eight, but
preferably four, antigen binding sites. The multivalent antibody
comprises at least one polypeptide chain (and preferably two
polypeptide chains), wherein the polypeptide chain(s) comprise two
or more variable domains. For instance, the polypeptide chain(s)
may comprise VD1-(X1).sub.n-VD2-(X2).sub.n-Fc, wherein VD1 is a
first variable domain, VD2 is a second variable domain, Fc is one
polypeptide chain of an Fc region, X1 and X2 represent an amino
acid or polypeptide, and n is 0 or 1. For instance, the polypeptide
chain(s) may comprise: VH-CH1-flexible linker-VH-CH1-Fc region
chain; or VH-CH1-VH-CH1-Fc region chain. The multivalent antibody
herein preferably further comprises at least two (and preferably
four) light chain variable domain polypeptides. The multivalent
antibody herein may, for instance, comprise from about two to about
eight light chain variable domain polypeptides. The light chain
variable domain polypeptides contemplated here comprise a light
chain variable domain and, optionally, further comprise a CL
domain.
The effector function of an anti-MUC16 antibody may be modified by
introducing one or more amino acid substitutions in an Fc region.
Such modification may enhance antigen-dependent cell-mediated
cyotoxicity (ADCC) and/or complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC)
of the anti-MUC16 antibody. The homodimeric antibody thus generated
may have improved internalization capability and/or increased
complement-mediated cell killing and antibody-dependent cellular
cytotoxicity (ADCC). See Caron et al (1992) J. Exp Med.
176:1191-1195 and Shopes, B. J. (1992) Immunol. 148:2918-2922.
Homodimeric anti-MUC16 antibodies with enhanced anti-tumor activity
may also be prepared using heterobifunctional cross-linkers as
described in Wolff et al (1993) Cancer Research 53:2560-2565.
Alternatively, an antibody can be engineered which has dual Fc
regions and may thereby have enhanced complement lysis and ADCC
capabilities (Stevenson et al (1989) Anti-Cancer Drug Design
3:219-230).
The serum half life of an anti-MUC16 antibody may be modulated by
incorporating a salvage receptor binding epitope, e.g. an antibody
fragment (U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,277). As used herein, the term
"salvage receptor binding epitope" refers to an epitope of the Fc
region of an IgG molecule (e.g., IgG.sub.1, IgG.sub.2, IgG.sub.3,
or IgG.sub.4) that is responsible for increasing the in vivo serum
half-life of the IgG molecule.
Monoclonal antibodies binding to MUC16 epitopes, including 3A5, are
determined by standard competitive binding analysis and epitope
mapping (WO 2007/001851), including cross-blocking studies by
direct fluorescence on intact PC3 cells engineered to express MUC16
using the PANDEX.TM. Screen Machine to quantitate fluorescence
(Fendly et al (1990) Cancer Research 50:1550-1558). Binding of
monoclonal antibody 3A5 to OVCAR-3, OVCA-432 and SK-OV-3 cells was
determined by standard flow cytometry analyses to parallel the
expression level of MUC16 mRNA expressed in each of these three
specific cell lines as determined by standard quantitative PCR
analyses. More specifically, as determined by standard quantitative
PCR analysis, OVCAR-3, OVCA-432 and SK-OV-3 cells express a high,
moderate and low level of MUC16 mRNA, respectively. Flow cytometry
analyses showed monoclonal anti-MUC16 antibody 3A5 binds
quantitatively and parallels the relative amount of MUC16 mRNA
present in those cell lines.
FIG. 3 shows alignment of humanized trastuzumab (anti HER2) light
chain (HuTMAb-LC, SEQ ID NO:5), humanized std (standard, parent)
3A5 antiMUC16 light chain (Hu3A5-LC, SEQ ID NO:2), and chimeric std
(standard, parent) 3A5 antiMUC16 light chain (Ch3A5-LC, SEQ ID
NO:4) sequences (WO 2007/001851, incorporated by reference). The
numbering follows the sequential numbering convention.
FIG. 4 shows alignment of humanized trastuzumab heavy chain
(HuTMAb-HC, SEQ ID NO:6), humanized std 3A5 antiMUC16 heavy chain
(Hu3A5-HC, SEQ ID NO:7), and chimeric std 3A5 antiMUC16 heavy chain
(Ch3A5-HC, SEQ ID NO:8) sequences (WO 2007/001851, incorporated by
reference). The numbering follows the sequential numbering
convention. The label marking sequential number position 281 is
actually 278 (Kabat 275; Eu 279).
Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed using 3A5 monoclonal
antibodies (WO 2007/001851; Sambrook et al Molecular Cloning: A
Laboratory Manual, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Press, 1989;
Ausubel et al., Current Protocols of Molecular Biology, Unit 3.16,
John Wiley and Sons, 1997). Monoclonal antibody 3A5 binds strongly
to 16 of 20 human endometrioid adenocarcinoma tumor samples, 24 of
25 human serous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma samples and 5 of 10
human clear cell ovarian tumor samples.
Monoclonal antibody 3A5 becomes internalized into cells to which it
binds MUC16 polypeptide on the cell surface. Specifically, OVCAR-3
cells were incubated for 18 hours with monoclonal antibody 3A5 and
fluorescent dextran and then cell-associated 3A5 was quantitatively
detected with a fluorescein-labeled anti-3A5 antibody. These
analyses demonstrated that antibody 3A5 co-localizes with dextran,
indicating trafficking of the 3A5 antibody into subcellular
components of the incubated cells, including the lysosomal
compartments of these cells.
Modifications of Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
Modifications and variations in the anti-MUC16 antibodies described
herein, can be made, for example, using any of the techniques and
guidelines known in the art for conservative and non-conservative
mutations, for example, those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,934.
Variations may be a substitution, deletion or insertion of one or
more codons encoding the antibody or polypeptide that results in a
change in the amino acid sequence as compared with the native
sequence anti-MUC16 antibody. Optionally the variation is by
substitution of at least one amino acid with any other amino acid
in one or more of the domains of the anti-MUC16 antibody. The
variations can be made using methods known in the art such as
oligonucleotide-mediated (site-directed) mutagenesis, alanine
scanning, and PCR mutagenesis. Site-directed mutagenesis (Carter et
al (1986) Nucl. Acids Res., 13:4331; Zoller et al (1987) Nucl.
Acids Res., 10:6487), cassette mutagenesis (Wells et al (1985)
Gene, 34:315), restriction selection mutagenesis (Wells et al
(1986) Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London SerA, 317:415) or other known
techniques can be performed on the cloned DNA to produce the
anti-MUC16 antibody variant DNA. Amino acid changes may alter
post-translational processes of the anti-MUC16 antibody, such as
changing the number or position of glycosylation sites or altering
the membrane anchoring characteristics. Other modifications include
deamidation of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues to the
corresponding glutamyl and aspartyl residues, respectively,
hydroxylation of proline and lysine, phosphorylation of hydroxyl
groups of seryl or threonyl residues, methylation of the
.alpha.-amino groups of lysine, arginine, and histidine side chains
(T. E. Creighton, Proteins: Structure and Molecular Properties,
(1983) W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco, pp. 79-86),
acetylation of the N-terminal amine, and amidation of any
C-terminal carboxyl group. Anti-MUC16 antibodies can be prepared by
introducing appropriate nucleotide changes into the encoding DNA,
and/or by chemical synthesis.
Anti-MUC16 antibody fragments may be truncated at the N-terminus or
C-terminus, or may lack internal residues, for example, when
compared with a full length anti-MUC16 antibody. Certain fragments
lack amino acid residues that are not essential for a desired
biological activity of the anti-MUC16 antibody. Anti-MUC16 antibody
fragments may be prepared by any of a number of conventional
techniques. Desired peptide fragments may be chemically
synthesized. An alternative approach involves generating antibody
fragments by enzymatic digestion, e.g., by treating the protein
with an enzyme known to cleave proteins at sites defined by
particular amino acid residues, or by digesting the DNA with
suitable restriction enzymes and isolating the desired fragment.
Yet another suitable technique involves isolating and amplifying a
DNA fragment encoding a desired antibody or fragment, by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR). Oligonucleotides that define the desired
termini of the DNA fragment are employed at the 5' and 3' primers
in the PCR. Preferably, anti-MUC16 antibody fragments share at
least one biological and/or immunological activity with the native
anti-MUC16 antibody disclosed herein.
A particularly preferred type of substitutional variant involves
substituting one or more hypervariable region residues of a
humanized or human antibody. Generally, the resulting variant(s)
selected for further development will have improved biological
properties relative to the antibody from which they are generated.
A convenient way for generating such substitutional variants
involves affinity maturation using phage display. Briefly, several
hypervariable region sites (e.g., 6-7 sites) are mutated to
generate all possible amino substitutions at each site. The
antibody variants thus generated are displayed in a monovalent
fashion from filamentous phage particles as fusions to the gene III
product of M13 packaged within each particle. The phage-displayed
variants are then screened for their biological activity (e.g.,
binding affinity) as herein disclosed. In order to identify
candidate hypervariable region sites for modification, alanine
scanning mutagenesis can be performed to identify hypervariable
region residues contributing significantly to antigen binding.
Alternatively, or additionally, it may be beneficial to analyze a
crystal structure of the antigen-antibody complex to identify
contact points between the antibody and human MUC16 polypeptide.
Such contact residues and neighboring residues are candidates for
substitution according to the techniques elaborated herein. Once
such variants are generated, the panel of variants is subjected to
screening as described herein and antibodies with superior
properties in one or more relevant assays may be selected for
further development.
Another type of covalent modification of the anti-MUC16 antibody
included within the scope of this invention comprises altering the
native glycosylation pattern of the antibody or polypeptide by
deleting one or more carbohydrate moieties found in native sequence
anti-MUC16 antibody (either by removing the underlying
glycosylation site or by deleting the glycosylation by chemical
and/or enzymatic means), and/or adding one or more glycosylation
sites that are not present in the native sequence anti-MUC16
antibody. In addition, the modification includes qualitative
changes in the glycosylation of the native proteins, involving a
change in the nature and proportions of the various carbohydrate
moieties present. Glycosylation of antibodies and other
polypeptides is typically either N-linked or O-linked. N-linked
refers to the attachment of the carbohydrate moiety to the side
chain of an asparagine residue. The tripeptide sequences
asparagine-X-serine and asparagine-X-threonine, where X is any
amino acid except proline, are the recognition sequences for
enzymatic attachment of the carbohydrate moiety to the asparagine
side chain. Thus, the presence of either of these tripeptide
sequences in a polypeptide creates a potential glycosylation site.
O-Linked glycosylation refers to the attachment of one of the
sugars N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose, or xylose to a
hydroxyamino acid, most commonly serine or threonine, although
5-hydroxyproline or 5-hydroxylysine may also be used. Addition of
glycosylation sites to the anti-MUC16 antibody is conveniently
accomplished by altering the amino acid sequence such that it
contains one or more of the above-described tripeptide sequences
(for N-linked glycosylation sites). The alteration may also be made
by the addition of, or substitution by, one or more serine or
threonine residues to the sequence of the anti-MUC16 antibody (for
O-linked glycosylation sites). The anti-MUC16 antibody amino acid
sequence may optionally be altered through changes at the DNA
level, particularly by mutating the DNA encoding the anti-MUC16
antibody at preselected bases such that codons are generated that
will translate into the desired amino acids.
Another means of increasing the number of carbohydrate moieties on
the anti-MUC16 antibody is by chemical or enzymatic coupling of
glycosides to the polypeptide. Such methods are described in the
art, e.g., in WO 87/05330 published 11 Sep. 1987, and in Aplin and
Wriston, CRC Crit. Rev. Biochem., pp. 259-306 (1981).
Removal of carbohydrate moieties present on the anti-MUC16 antibody
may be accomplished chemically or enzymatically or by mutational
substitution of codons encoding for amino acid residues that serve
as targets for glycosylation. Chemical deglycosylation techniques
are known in the art and described, for instance, by Hakimuddin, et
al., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 259:52 (1987) and by Edge et al.,
Anal. Biochem., 118:131 (1981). Enzymatic cleavage of carbohydrate
moieties can be achieved by the use of a variety of endo- and
exo-glycosidases as described by Thotakura et al (1987) Meth.
Enzymol. 138:350.
Another type of covalent modification of anti-MUC16 antibody
comprises linking the antibody or polypeptide to one of a variety
of nonproteinaceous polymers, e.g., polyethylene glycol (PEG),
polypropylene glycol, or polyoxyalkylenes, in the manner set forth
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,835; U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,689; U.S. Pat. No.
4,301,144; U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,417; U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,192 or U.S.
Pat. No. 4,179,337. The antibody or polypeptide also may be
entrapped in microcapsules prepared, for example, by coacervation
techniques or by interfacial polymerization (for example,
hydroxymethylcellulose or gelatin-microcapsules and
poly(methylmethacylate) microcapsules, respectively), in colloidal
drug delivery systems (for example, liposomes, albumin
microspheres, microemulsions, nano-particles and nanocapsules), or
in macroemulsions. Such techniques are disclosed in Remington's
Pharmaceutical Sciences, 16th edition, Oslo, A., Ed., (1980).
The anti-MUC16 antibody of the present invention may also be
modified in a way to form chimeric molecules comprising an
anti-MUC16 antibody fused to another, heterologous polypeptide or
amino acid sequence. In one embodiment, such a chimeric molecule
comprises a fusion of the anti-MUC16 antibody with a tag
polypeptide which provides an epitope to which an anti-tag antibody
can selectively bind. The epitope tag is generally placed at the
amino- or carboxyl-terminus of the anti-MUC16 antibody. The
presence of such epitope-tagged forms of the anti-MUC16 antibody
can be detected using an antibody against the tag polypeptide.
Also, provision of the epitope tag enables the anti-MUC16 antibody
to be readily purified by affinity purification using an anti-tag
antibody or another type of affinity matrix that binds to the
epitope tag. Various tag polypeptides and their respective
antibodies are well known in the art. Examples include
poly-histidine (poly-his) or poly-histidine-glycine (poly-his-gly)
tags; the flu HA tag polypeptide and its antibody 12CA5 (Field et
al (1988) Mol. Cell. Biol., 8:2159-2165); the c-myc tag and the
8F9, 3C7, 6E10, G4, B7 and 9E10 antibodies thereto (Evan et al
(1985) Molecular and Cellular Biology, 5:3610-3616); and the Herpes
Simplex virus glycoprotein D (gD) tag and its antibody (Paborsky et
al (1990) Protein Engineering, 3(6):547-553). Other tag
polypeptides include the Flag-peptide (Hopp et al (1988)
BioTechnology 6:1204-1210); the KT3 epitope peptide (Martin et al
(1992) Science, 255:192-194); an .alpha.-tubulin epitope peptide
(Skinner et al (1991) J. Biol. Chem., 266:15163-15166); and the T7
gene 10 protein peptide tag (Lutz-Freyermuth et al (1990) Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87:6393-6397).
In an alternative embodiment, the chimeric molecule may comprise a
fusion of the anti-MUC16 antibody with an immunoglobulin or a
particular region of an immunoglobulin. For a bivalent form of the
chimeric molecule (also referred to as an "immunoadhesin"), such a
fusion could be to the Fc region of an IgG molecule. The Ig fusions
preferably include the substitution of a soluble (transmembrane
domain deleted or inactivated) form of an anti-MUC16 antibody in
place of at least one variable region within an Ig molecule. In a
particularly preferred embodiment, the immunoglobulin fusion
includes the hinge, CH.sub.2 and CH.sub.3, or the hinge, CH.sub.1,
CH.sub.2 and CH.sub.3 regions of an IgG1 molecule (U.S. Pat. No.
5,428,130).
Preparation of Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
DNA encoding an amino acid sequence variant of the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies and parent anti-MUC16 antibodies
of the invention is prepared by a variety of methods which include,
but are not limited to, isolation from a natural source (in the
case of naturally occurring amino acid sequence variants),
preparation by site-directed (or oligonucleotide-mediated)
mutagenesis (Carter (1985) et al Nucleic Acids Res. 13:4431-4443;
Ho et al (1989) Gene (Amst.) 77:51-59; Kunkel et al (1987) Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:488; Liu et al (1998) J. Biol. Chem.
273:20252-20260), PCR mutagenesis (Higuchi, (1990) in PCR
Protocols, pp. 177-183, Academic Press; Ito et al (1991) Gene
102:67-70; Bernhard et al (1994) Bioconjugate Chem. 5:126-132; and
Vallette et al (1989) Nuc. Acids Res. 17:723-733), and cassette
mutagenesis (Wells et al (1985) Gene 34:315-323) of an earlier
prepared DNA encoding the polypeptide. Mutagenesis protocols, kits,
and reagents are commercially available, e.g. QuikChange.RTM. Multi
Site-Direct Mutagenesis Kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). Single
mutations are also generated by oligonucleotide directed
mutagenesis using double stranded plasmid DNA as template by PCR
based mutagenesis (Sambrook and Russel, (2001) Molecular Cloning: A
Laboratory Manual, 3rd edition; Zoller et al (1983) Methods
Enzymol. 100:468-500; Zoller, M. J. and Smith, M. (1982) Nucl.
Acids Res. 10:6487-6500). Variants of recombinant antibodies may be
constructed also by restriction fragment manipulation or by overlap
extension PCR with synthetic oligonucleotides. Mutagenic primers
encode the cysteine codon replacement(s). Standard mutagenesis
techniques can be employed to generate DNA encoding such mutant
cysteine engineered antibodies (Sambrook et al Molecular Cloning, A
Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring
Harbor, N.Y., 1989; and Ausubel et al Current Protocols in
Molecular Biology, Greene Publishing and Wiley-Interscience, New
York, N.Y., 1993).
Phage display technology (McCafferty et al (1990) Nature
348:552-553) can be used to produce anti-MUC16 human antibodies and
antibody fragments in vitro, from immunoglobulin variable (V)
domain gene repertoires from unimmunized donors. According to this
technique, antibody V domain genes are cloned in-frame into either
a major or minor coat protein gene of a filamentous bacteriophage,
such as M13 or fd, and displayed as functional antibody fragments
on the surface of the phage particle. Because the filamentous
particle contains a single-stranded DNA copy of the phage genome,
selections based on the functional properties of the antibody also
result in selection of the gene encoding the antibody exhibiting
those properties. Thus, the phage mimics some of the properties of
the B-cell (Johnson et al (1993) Current Opinion in Structural
Biology 3:564-571; Clackson et al (1991) Nature, 352:624-628; Marks
et al (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 222:581-597; Griffith et al (1993) EMBO
J. 12:725-734; U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,332; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,905;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,610; U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,275).
Anti-MUC16 antibodies may be chemically synthesized using known
oligopeptide synthesis methodology or may be prepared and purified
using recombinant technology. The appropriate amino acid sequence,
or portions thereof, may be produced by direct peptide synthesis
using solid-phase techniques (Stewart et al., Solid-Phase Peptide
Synthesis, (1969) W. H. Freeman Co., San Francisco, Calif.;
Merrifield, (1963) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 85:2149-2154). In vitro
protein synthesis may be performed using manual techniques or by
automation. Automated solid phase synthesis may be accomplished,
for instance, employing t-BOC or Fmoc protected amino acids and
using an Applied Biosystems Peptide Synthesizer (Foster City,
Calif.) using manufacturer's instructions. Various portions of the
anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16 polypeptide may be chemically
synthesized separately and combined using chemical or enzymatic
methods to produce the desired anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16
polypeptide.
Various techniques have been developed for the production of
antibody fragments. Traditionally, these fragments were derived via
proteolytic digestion of intact antibodies (Morimoto et al (1992)
Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods 24:107-117; and
Brennan et al (1985) Science, 229:81), or produced directly by
recombinant host cells. Fab, Fv and ScFv anti-MUC16 antibody
fragments can all be expressed in and secreted from E. coli, thus
allowing the facile production of large amounts of these fragments.
Antibody fragments can be isolated from the antibody phage
libraries discussed herein. Alternatively, Fab'-SH fragments can be
directly recovered from E. coli and chemically coupled to form
F(ab').sub.2 fragments (Carter et al (1992) Bio/Technology
10:163-167), or isolated directly from recombinant host cell
culture. The anti-MUC16 antibody may be a (scFv) single chain Fv
fragment (WO 93/16185; U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,894; U.S. Pat. No.
5,587,458). The anti-MUC16 antibody fragment may also be a "linear
antibody" (U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,870). Such linear antibody fragments
may be monospecific or bispecific.
The description below relates primarily to production of anti-MUC16
antibodies by culturing cells transformed or transfected with a
vector containing anti-MUC16 antibody-encoding nucleic acid. DNA
encoding anti-MUC16 antibodies may be obtained from a cDNA library
prepared from tissue believed to possess the anti-MUC16 antibody
mRNA and to express it at a detectable level. Accordingly, human
anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16 polypeptide DNA can be conveniently
obtained from a cDNA library prepared from human tissue. The
anti-MUC16 antibody-encoding gene may also be obtained from a
genomic library or by known synthetic procedures (e.g., automated
nucleic acid synthesis).
Libraries can be screened with probes (such as oligonucleotides of
at least about 20-80 bases) designed to identify the gene of
interest or the protein encoded by it. Screening the cDNA or
genomic library with the selected probe may be conducted using
standard procedures, such as described in Sambrook et al.,
Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (New York: Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989). An alternative means to isolate the
gene encoding anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16 polypeptide is PCR
methodology (Sambrook et al., supra; Dieffenbach et al., PCR
Primer: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press,
1995).
Host cells are transfected or transformed with expression or
cloning vectors described herein for anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16
polypeptide production and cultured in conventional nutrient media
modified as appropriate for inducing promoters, selecting
transformants, or amplifying the genes encoding the desired
sequences. The culture conditions, such as media, temperature, pH
and the like, can be selected by the skilled artisan without undue
experimentation. In general, principles, protocols, and practical
techniques for maximizing the productivity of cell cultures can be
found in Mammalian Cell Biotechnology: a Practical Approach, M.
Butler, ed. (IRL Press, 1991) and Sambrook et al., supra.
Suitable host cells for cloning or expressing the DNA in the
vectors herein include prokaryote, yeast, or higher eukaryote
cells. Suitable prokaryotes include but are not limited to
eubacteria, such as Gram-negative or Gram-positive organisms, for
example, Enterobacteriaceae such as E. coli. Various E. coli
strains are publicly available, such as E. coli K12 strain MM294
(ATCC 31,446); E. coli X1776 (ATCC 31,537); E. coli strain W3110
(ATCC 27,325) and K5 772 (ATCC 53,635). Other suitable prokaryotic
host cells include Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia, e.g., E.
coli, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Klebsiella, Proteus, Salmonella, e.g.,
Salmonella typhimurium, Serratia, e.g., Serratia marcescans, and
Shigella, as well as Bacilli such as B. subtilis and B.
licheniformis (e.g., B. licheniformis 41P disclosed in DD 266,710
published 12 Apr. 1989), Pseudomonas such as P. aeruginosa, and
Streptomyces. These examples are illustrative rather than limiting.
Strain W3110 is an exemplary host strain for recombinant DNA
product fermentations. Preferably, the host cell secretes minimal
amounts of proteolytic enzymes. For example, strain W3110 may be
modified to effect a genetic mutation in the genes encoding
proteins endogenous to the host, with examples of such hosts
including E. coli W3110 strain 1A2, which has the complete genotype
tonA; E. coli W3110 strain 9E4, which has the complete genotype
tonA ptr3; E. coli W3110 strain 27C7 (ATCC 55,244), which has the
complete genotype tonA ptr3 phoA E15 (argF-lac) 169 degP ompTkan';
E. coli W3110 strain 37D6, which has the complete genotype tonA
ptr3 phoA E15 (argF-lac)169 degP ompT rbs7 ilvG kan.sup.r; E. coli
W3110 strain 40B4, which is strain 37D6 with a non-kanamycin
resistant degP deletion mutation; and an E. coli strain having
mutant periplasmic protease (U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,783).
Alternatively, in vitro methods of cloning, e.g., PCR or other
nucleic acid polymerase reactions, are suitable.
Full length antibody, antibody fragments, and antibody fusion
proteins can be produced in bacteria, in particular when
glycosylation and Fc effector function are not needed, such as when
the therapeutic antibody is conjugated to a cytotoxic agent (e.g.,
a toxin) and the immunoconjugate by itself shows effectiveness in
tumor cell destruction. Full length antibodies have greater half
life in circulation. Production in E. coli may be faster and more
cost efficient using, for example, expression of antibody fragments
and polypeptides in bacteria with translation initiation regio
(TIR) and signal sequences for optimizing expression and secretion
(U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,237; U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,199; U.S. Pat. No.
5,840,523). After expression, the antibody is isolated from the E.
coli cell paste in a soluble fraction and can be purified through,
e.g., a protein A or G column depending on the isotype. Final
purification can be carried out similar to the process for
purifying antibody expressed e.g., in CHO cells.
In addition to prokaryotes, eukaryotic microbes such as filamentous
fungi or yeast are suitable cloning or expression hosts for
anti-MUC16 antibody- or MUC16 polypeptide-encoding vectors.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a commonly used lower eukaryotic host
microorganism. Others include Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Beach and
Nurse, (1981) Nature, 290: 140; EP 139,383); Kluyveromyces hosts
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,529; Fleer et al (1991) Bio/Technology,
9:968-975) such as, e.g., K. lactis (MW98-8C, CBS683, CBS4574;
Louvencourt et al (1983) J. Bacteriol., 154(2):737-742), K.
fragilis (ATCC 12,424), K. bulgaricus (ATCC 16,045), K. wickeramii
(ATCC 24,178), K. waltii (ATCC 56,500), K. drosophilarum (ATCC
36,906; Van den Berg et al (1990) Bio/Technology, 8:135), K.
thermotolerans, and K. marxianus; yarrowia (EP 402226); Pichia
pastoris (EP 183070; Sreekrishna et al (1988) J. Basic Microbiol.,
28:265-278); Candida; Trichoderma reesia (EP 244234); Neurospora
crassa (Case et al (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
76:5259-5263); Schwanniomyces such as Schwanniomyces occidentalis
(EP 394538); and filamentous fungi such as, e.g., Neurospora,
Penicillium, Tolypocladium (WO 91/00357), and Aspergillus hosts
such as A. nidulans (Ballance et al (1983) Biochem. Biophys. Res.
Commun., 112:284-289; Tilbum et al (1983) Gene, 26:205-221; Yelton
et al (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81: 1470-1474) and A.
niger (Kelly and Hynes, (1985) EMBO J., 4:475-479). Methylotropic
yeasts are suitable herein and include, but are not limited to,
yeast capable of growth on methanol selected from the genera
consisting of Hansenula, Candida, Kloeckera, Pichia, Saccharomyces,
Torulopsis, and Rhodotorula.
Suitable host cells for the expression of glycosylated anti-MUC16
antibody or MUC16 polypeptide may also be derived from
multicellular organisms. Examples of invertebrate cells include
insect cells such as Drosophila S2 and Spodoptera Sf9, as well as
plant cells, such as cell cultures of cotton, corn, potato,
soybean, petunia, tomato, and tobacco. Numerous baculoviral strains
and variants and corresponding permissive insect host cells from
hosts such as Spodoptera frugiperda (caterpillar), Aedes aegypti
(mosquito), Aedes albopictus (mosquito), Drosophila melanogaster
(fruitfly), and Bombyx mori have been identified. A variety of
viral strains for transfection are publicly available, e.g., the
L-1 variant of Autographa californica NPV and the Bm-5 strain of
Bombyx mori NPV, and such viruses may be used as the virus herein
according to the present invention, particularly for transfection
of Spodoptera frugiperda cells.
Examples of useful mammalian host cell lines are monkey kidney CV1
line transformed by SV40 (COS-7, ATCC CRL 1651); human embryonic
kidney line (293 or 293 cells sub-cloned for growth in suspension
culture, Graham et al (1977) J. Gen Virol. 36:59); baby hamster
kidney cells (BHK, ATCC CCL 10); Chinese hamster ovary cells/-DHFR
(CHO, Urlaub et al (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:4216);
mouse sertoli cells (TM4, Mather (1980) Biol. Reprod. 23:243-251);
monkey kidney cells (CV1 ATCC CCL 70); African green monkey kidney
cells (VERO-76, ATCC CRL-1587); human cervical carcinoma cells
(HELA, ATCC CCL 2); canine kidney cells (MDCK, ATCC CCL 34);
buffalo rat liver cells (BRL 3A, ATCC CRL 1442); human lung cells
(W138, ATCC CCL 75); human liver cells (Hep G2, HB 8065); mouse
mammary tumor (MMT 060562, ATCC CCL51); TRI cells (Mather et al
(1982) Annals N.Y. Acad. Sci. 383:44-68); MRC 5 cells; FS4 cells;
and a human hepatoma line (Hep G2).
Host cells are transformed with the above-described expression or
cloning vectors for anti-MUC16 antibody production and cultured in
conventional nutrient media modified as appropriate for inducing
promoters, selecting transformants, or amplifying the genes
encoding the desired sequences. The nucleic acid (e.g., cDNA or
genomic DNA) encoding anti-MUC16 antibody or MUC16 polypeptide may
be inserted into a replicable vector for cloning (amplification of
the DNA) or for expression. The vector may, for example, be in the
form of a plasmid, cosmid, viral particle, or phage. The
appropriate nucleic acid sequence may be inserted into the vector
by a variety of procedures.
Growth inhibition of tumor cells in vitro or in vivo can be
determined in various ways known in the art, such as inhibiting
cell proliferation of a MUC16-expressing tumor cell in vitro or in
vivo by about 25-100% compared to the untreated tumor cell, or by
about 30-100%, or by about 50-100% or 70-100%. The growth
inhibitory effects of an anti-MUC16 antibody in vitro may be
assessed by methods known in the art, e.g., using cells which
express a MUC16 polypeptide either endogenously or following
transfection with the MUC16 gene. For example, appropriate tumor
cell lines and MUC16-transfected cells may treated with an
anti-MUC16 monoclonal antibody at various concentrations for a few
days (e.g., 2-7) days and stained with crystal violet or MTT or
analyzed by some other colorimetric assay. A reduced signal
indicates growth inhibition. Alternatively, cell viability can be
measured by treating cells with an anti-MUC16 antibody or drug
conjugate for a few days, then incubating the cells with a reagent
that determines cell number as proportional to ATP content, for
example by a luminescence assay using a reagent such as Cell
TiterGlo (Promega, Madison, Wis.). Another method of measuring
proliferation would be by comparing .sup.3H-thymidine uptake by the
cells treated in the presence or absence an anti-MUC16 antibody.
After treatment, the cells are harvested and the amount of
radioactivity incorporated into the DNA quantitated in a
scintillation counter. Inhibition of proliferation would be
demonstrated by a reduction of radioactivity. To select for an
anti-MUC16 antibody which induces cell death, loss of membrane
integrity as indicated by, e.g., propidium iodide (PI), trypan blue
or 7AAD uptake, may be assessed relative to control. Appropriate
positive controls include treatment of a selected cell line with a
growth inhibitory antibody known to inhibit growth of that cell
line. Growth inhibition can be measured at an antibody
concentration of about 0.005 to 30 .mu.g/ml or about 0.03 nM to 200
nM in cell culture, where the growth inhibition is determined 1-10
days after exposure of the tumor cells to the antibody. The
antibody is growth inhibitory in vivo if administration of the
anti-MUC16 antibody at about 1 .mu.g/kg to about 100 mg/kg body
weight results in reduction in tumor size or reduction of tumor
cell proliferation within about 5 days to 3 months from the first
administration of the antibody, preferably within about 5 to 30
days.
Preparation of Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
The design, selection, and preparation methods of the invention
enable cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies which are reactive
with electrophilic functionality. These methods further enable
antibody conjugate compounds such as antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
compounds with drug molecules at designated, designed, selective
sites. Reactive cysteine residues on an antibody surface allow
specifically conjugating a drug moiety through a thiol reactive
group such as maleimide or haloacetyl. The nucleophilic reactivity
of the thiol functionality of a Cys residue to a maleimide group is
about 1000 times higher compared to any other amino acid
functionality in a protein, such as amino group of lysine residues
or the N-terminal amino group. Thiol specific functionality in
iodoacetyl and maleimide reagents may react with amine groups, but
higher pH (>9.0) and longer reaction times are required (Garman,
1997, Non-Radioactive Labelling: A Practical Approach, Academic
Press, London). The amount of free thiol in a protein may be
estimated by the standard Ellman's assay. Immunoglobulin M is an
example of a disulfide-linked pentamer, while immunoglobulin G is
an example of a protein with internal disulfide bridges bonding the
subunits together. In proteins such as this, reduction of the
disulfide bonds with a reagent such as dithiothreitol (DTT) or
selenol (Singh et al (2002) Anal. Biochem. 304:147-156) is required
to generate the reactive free thiol. This approach may result in
loss of antibody tertiary structure and antigen binding
specificity.
The PHESELECTOR (Phage ELISA for Selection of Reactive Thiols)
Assay allows for detection of reactive cysteine groups in
antibody-Fabs in an ELISA phage format thereby assisting in the
design of cysteine engineered antibodies (US 2007/0092940). The
antigen that binds to cysteine engineered antibody is coated on
well surfaces, followed by incubation with phage particles
displaying cysteine engineered Fabs, addition of HRP labeled
secondary antibody, and absorbance detection. Mutant proteins
displayed on phage may be screened in a rapid, robust, and
high-throughput manner. Libraries of cysteine engineered antibodies
can be produced and subjected to binding selection using the same
approach to identify appropriately reactive sites of free Cys
incorporation from random protein-phage libraries of antibodies or
other proteins. This technique includes reacting cysteine mutant
proteins displayed on phage with an affinity reagent or reporter
group which is also thiol-reactive.
The PHESELECTOR assay allows screening of reactive thiol groups in
antibodies. Identification of the heavy chain A114C Kabat numbering
(A121C sequential numbering) variant in the trastuzsumab-Fab by
this method is exemplary. The entire Fab molecule may be
effectively searched to identify more ThioFab variants with
reactive thiol groups. A parameter, fractional surface
accessibility, was employed to identify and quantitate the
accessibility of solvent to the amino acid residues in a
polypeptide. The surface accessibility can be expressed as the
surface area (.ANG..sup.2) that can be contacted by a solvent
molecule, e.g. water. The occupied space of water is approximated
as a 1.4 .ANG. radius sphere. Software is freely available or
licensable (Secretary to CCP4, Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington,
WA44AD, United Kingdom, Fax: (+44) 1925 603825, or by internet:
www.ccp4.ac.uk/dist/html/INDEX.html) as the CCP4 Suite of
crystallography programs which employ algorithms to calculate the
surface accessibility of each amino acid of a protein with known
x-ray crystallography derived coordinates ("The CCP4 Suite:
Programs for Protein Crystallography" (1994) Acta. Cryst.
D50:760-763). Two exemplary software modules that perform surface
accessibility calculations are "AREAIMOL" and "SURFACE", based on
the algorithms of B. Lee and F. M. Richards (1971) J. Mol. Biol.
55:379-400. AREAIMOL defines the solvent accessible surface of a
protein as the locus of the centre of a probe sphere (representing
a solvent molecule) as it rolls over the Van der Waals surface of
the protein. AREAIMOL calculates the solvent accessible surface
area by generating surface points on an extended sphere about each
atom (at a distance from the atom centre equal to the sum of the
atom and probe radii), and eliminating those that lie within
equivalent spheres associated with neighboring atoms. AREAIMOL
finds the solvent accessible area of atoms in a PDB coordinate
file, and summarizes the accessible area by residue, by chain and
for the whole molecule. Accessible areas (or area differences) for
individual atoms can be written to a pseudo-PDB output file.
AREAIMOL assumes a single radius for each element, and only
recognizes a limited number of different elements.
AREAIMOL and SURFACE report absolute accessibilities, i.e. the
number of square Angstroms (.ANG.). Fractional surface
accessibility is calculated by reference to a standard state
relevant for an amino acid within a polypeptide. The reference
state is tripeptide Gly-X-Gly, where X is the amino acid of
interest, and the reference state should be an `extended`
conformation, i.e. like those in beta-strands. The extended
conformation maximizes the accessibility of X. A calculated
accessible area is divided by the accessible area in a Gly-X-Gly
tripeptide reference state and reports the quotient, which is the
fractional accessibility. Percent accessibility is fractional
accessibility multiplied by 100. Another exemplary algorithm for
calculating surface accessibility is based on the SOLV module of
the program xsae (Broger, C., F. Hoffman-LaRoche, Basel) which
calculates fractional accessibility of an amino acid residue to a
water sphere based on the X-ray coordinates of the polypeptide. The
fractional surface accessibility for every amino acid in an
antibody may be calculated using available crystal structure
information (Eigenbrot et al. (1993) J Mol Biol. 229:969-995).
DNA encoding the cysteine engineered antibodies is readily isolated
and sequenced using conventional procedures (e.g., by using
oligonucleotide probes that are capable of binding specifically to
genes encoding the heavy and light chains of murine antibodies).
The hybridoma cells serve as a source of such DNA. Once isolated,
the DNA may be placed into expression vectors, which are then
transfected into host cells such as E. coli cells, simian COS
cells, Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, or other mammalian host
cells, such as myeloma cells (U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,715; US
2005/0048572; US 2004/0229310) that do not otherwise produce the
antibody protein, to obtain the synthesis of monoclonal antibodies
in the recombinant host cells.
Sites were identified that do not interfere with antibody effector
functions and substitute them with cysteine residues for
site-specific labeling. The constant region of the antibody Fab (CL
and CH.sub.1) is ideally situated for this purpose, as this domain
has no apparent role in antigen binding or in Fc-effector functions
(Jefferis, R. "Structure-function relationships of the IgG
subclasses," in The Human IgG Subclasses. (Pergamon Press, Oxford;
1990). The PHESELECTOR phage display based method to screen
reactive cysteines on the Fab surface identified the variants
LC-V110C (Kabat numbering) and HC-A114C (Kabat numbering,
equivalent to A118C in Eu numbering and A117C in sequential
numbering for anti-MUC16 antibody), as well as others, as being
suitable for site-specific labeling of antibody-Fabs (Junutula, J.
R. et al. (2008) "Rapid identification of reactive cysteine
residues for site-specific labeling of antibody-Fabs" J Immunol
Methods 332:41-52.
After design and selection, cysteine engineered antibodies, e.g.
ThioFabs, with the engineered, highly reactive unpaired Cys
residues, may be produced by: (i) expression in a bacterial, e.g.
E. coli, system (Skerra et al (1993) Curr. Opinion in Immunol.
5:256-262; Pluckthun (1992) Immunol. Revs. 130: 151-188) or a
mammalian cell culture system (WO 01/00245), e.g. Chinese Hamster
Ovary cells (CHO); and (ii) purification using common protein
purification techniques (Lowman et al (1991) J. Biol. Chem.
266(17): 10982-10988).
The engineered Cys thiol groups react with electrophilic linker
reagents and drug-linker intermediates to form cysteine engineered
antibody drug conjugates and other labelled cysteine engineered
antibodies. Cys residues of cysteine engineered antibodies, and
present in the parent antibodies, which are paired and form
interchain and intrachain disulfide bonds do not have any reactive
thiol groups (unless treated with a reducing agent) and do not
react with electrophilic linker reagents or drug-linker
intermediates. The newly engineered Cys residue, can remain
unpaired, and able to react with, i.e. conjugate to, an
electrophilic linker reagent or drug-linker intermediate, such as a
drug-maleimide. Exemplary drug-linker intermediates include:
MC-MMAE, MC-MMAF, MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, and MC-vc-PAB-MMAF. The structure
positions of the engineered Cys residues of the heavy and light
chains are numbered according to a sequential numbering system.
This sequential numbering system is correlated to the Kabat
numbering system (Kabat et al., (1991) Sequences of Proteins of
Immunological Interest, 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.) starting at the N-terminus,
differs from the Kabat numbering scheme (bottom row) by insertions
noted by a,b,c. Using the Kabat numbering system, the actual linear
amino acid sequence may contain fewer or additional amino acids
corresponding to a shortening of, or insertion into, a FR or CDR of
the variable domain. The cysteine engineered heavy chain variant
sites are identified by the sequential numbering and Kabat
numbering schemes.
In one embodiment, the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is
prepared by a process comprising:
(a) replacing one or more amino acid residues of a parent
anti-MUC16 antibody by cysteine; and
(b) determining the thiol reactivity of the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody by reacting the cysteine engineered antibody
with a thiol-reactive reagent.
The cysteine engineered antibody may be more reactive than the
parent antibody with the thiol-reactive reagent.
The free cysteine amino acid residues may be located in the heavy
or light chains, or in the constant or variable domains. Antibody
fragments, e.g. Fab, may also be engineered with one or more
cysteine amino acids replacing amino acids of the antibody
fragment, to form cysteine engineered antibody fragments.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of preparing
(making) a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, comprising:
(a) introducing one or more cysteine amino acids into a parent
anti-MUC16 antibody in order to generate the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody; and
(b) determining the thiol reactivity of the cysteine engineered
antibody with a thiol-reactive reagent;
wherein the cysteine engineered antibody is more reactive than the
parent antibody with the thiol-reactive reagent.
Step (a) of the method of preparing a cysteine engineered antibody
may comprise:
(i) mutagenizing a nucleic acid sequence. encoding the cysteine
engineered antibody;
(ii) expressing the cysteine engineered antibody; and
(iii) isolating and purifying the cysteine engineered antibody.
Step (b) of the method of preparing a cysteine engineered antibody
may comprise expressing the cysteine engineered antibody on a viral
particle selected from a phage or a phagemid particle.
Step (b) of the method of preparing a cysteine engineered antibody
may also comprise:
(i) reacting the cysteine engineered antibody with a thiol-reactive
affinity reagent to generate an affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody; and
(ii) measuring the binding of the affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody to a capture media.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of screening
cysteine engineered antibodies with highly reactive, unpaired
cysteine amino acids for thiol reactivity comprising:
(a) introducing one or more cysteine amino acids into a parent
antibody in order to generate a cysteine engineered antibody;
(b) reacting the cysteine engineered antibody with a thiol-reactive
affinity reagent to generate an affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody; and
(c) measuring the binding of the affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody to a capture media; and
(d) determining the thiol reactivity of the cysteine engineered
antibody with the thiol-reactive reagent.
Step (a) of the method of screening cysteine engineered antibodies
may comprise:
(i) mutagenizing a nucleic acid sequence encoding the cysteine
engineered antibody;
(ii) expressing the cysteine engineered antibody; and
(iii) isolating and purifying the cysteine engineered antibody.
Step (b) of the method of screening cysteine engineered antibodies
may comprise expressing the cysteine engineered antibody on a viral
particle selected from a phage or a phagemid particle.
Step (b) of the method of screening cysteine engineered antibodies
may also comprise:
(i) reacting the cysteine engineered antibody with a thiol-reactive
affinity reagent to generate an affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody; and
(ii) measuring the binding of the affinity labelled, cysteine
engineered antibody to a capture media.
Cysteine Engineering of 3A5 IG Variants
Cysteine was introduced at the heavy chain 117 (sequential
numbering for anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody) site into full-length,
humanized and chimeric parent monoclonal anti-MUC16 3A5 antibodies
by the cysteine engineering methods described herein to give A117C
thio hu anti-MUC16 3A5 humanized variant with heavy chain sequence:
SEQ ID NO: 1, and light chain sequence: SEQ ID NO:2, FIG. 1, and
A117C thio ch anti-MUC16 3A5 chimeric variant with heavy chain
sequence: SEQ ID NO:3, and light chain sequence: SEQ ID NO:4, FIG.
2. These cysteine engineered monoclonal antibodies were expressed
in CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells by transient fermentation in
media containing 1 mM cysteine.
Affinities of humanized thio anti-MUC16 cysteine engineered
antibodies and standard 3A5 IgG were compared by flow cytometry on
OVCAR-3 cells (which express endogenous MUC16), serially diluting
the antibodies until a reduced shift was observed; binding
conditions were selected such that antibodies were in excess of
cellular binding sites throughout the titration. Bound antibody was
detected using a fluorescent anti-human Fc secondary antibody. Flow
cytometry histograms showed binding at saturating (400 ng/mL) and
subsaturating (25 ng/mL) concentrations. At all antibody
concentrations analyzed, the two anti-MUC16 variants, standard and
thio, gave equivalent binding, suggesting equivalent affinities for
the antigen. At each concentration tested, thio anti-MUC16 antibody
bound to OVCAR-3 cells as efficiently as standard (parent)
anti-MUC16 antibody. Surface plasmon resonance analyses using
portions of the MUC16 extracellular domain (ECD) also confirmed the
high affinity of the thio 3A5 anti-MUC16 antibody for this antigen
(K.sub.D=116 pM). Comparing cells with high or low/absent MUC16
expression based on RT-PCR studies, thio anti-MUC16 antibody binds
to cells that express MUC16 but not to MUC16-negative cell lines.
Therefore substitution at HC-A118 does not affect antigen
binding.
According to one embodiment, humanized 3A5 cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies comprise one or more of the following
variable region heavy chain sequences with a free cysteine amino
acid (SEQ ID NOS: 9-17, Table 1).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparison of heavy chain Sequential, Kabat
and Eu numbering for hu 3A5 cysteine engi- neered anti-MUC16
antibody variants SEQ Sequential Kabat EU ID Sequence Numbering
Numbering Numbering NO: EVQLCESGGG V5C V5C 9 LRLSCCASGYS A23C A23C
10 MNSLRCEDTAV A88C A84C 11 TLVTVCSASTK S115C S112C 12 VTVSSCSTKGP
A117C A114C A118C 13 VSSASCKGPSV T119C T116C T120C 14 WYVDGCEVHNA
V281C V278C V282C 15 KGFYPCDIAVE S374C S371C S375C 16 PPVLDCDGSFF
S399C S396C S400C 17
According to one embodiment, chimeric 3A5 cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies comprise one or more of the following
variable region heavy chain sequences with a free cysteine amino
acid (SEQ ID NOS: 18-26, Table 2).
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparison of heavy chain Sequential, Kabat
and Eu numbering for predicted ch 3A5 cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody variants SEQ Sequential Kabat EU ID Sequence
Numbering Numbering Numbering NO: DVQLCESGPG Q5C Q5C 18 LSLTCCVTGYS
T23C T23C 19 LNSVTCEDTAT T88C T84C 20 TLVTVCAASTK S115C S112C 21
VTVSACSTKGP A117C A114C A118C 22 VSAASCKGPSV T119C T116C T120C 23
WYVDGCEVHNA V281C V278C V282C 24 KGFYPCDIAVE S374C S371C S375C 25
PPVLDCDGSFF S399C S396C S400C 26
According to one embodiment, humanized 3A5 cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies comprise one or more of the following
variable region light chain sequences with a free cysteine amino
acid (SEQ ID NOS: 27-33, Table 3).
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Comparison of light chain Sequential and
Kabat numbering for hu 3A5 cysteine engineered anti- MUC16 antibody
variants SEQ Sequential Kabat ID Sequence Numbering Numbering NO:
SLSASCGDRVT V15C V15C 27 EIKRTCAAPSV V110C V110C 28 TVAAPCVFIFP
S114C S114C 29 FTFPPCDEQLK S121C S121C 30 DEQLKCGTASV S127C S127C
31 VTEQDCKDSTY S168C S168C 32 GLSSPCTKSFN V205C V205C 33
According to one embodiment, chimeric 3A5 cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibodies comprise one or more of the following
variable region light chain sequences with a free cysteine amino
acid (SEQ ID NOS: 34-40, Table 4).
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Comparison of light chain Sequential and
Kabat numbering for ch 3A5 cysteine engineered anti- MUC16 antibody
variants SEQ Sequential Kabat ID Sequence Numbering Numbering NO:
FLSVSCGGRVT L15C L15C 34 EIKRTCAAPSV V110C V110C 35 TVAAPCVFIFP
S114C S114C 36 FIFPPCDEQLK S121C S121C 37 DEQLKCGTASV S127C S127C
38 VTEQDCKDSTY S168C S168C 39 GLSSPCTKSFN V205C V205C 40
Labelled Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies may be site-specifically
and efficiently coupled with a thiol-reactive reagent. The
thiol-reactive reagent may be a multifunctional linker reagent, a
capture, i.e. affinity, label reagent (e.g. a biotin-linker
reagent), a detection label (e.g., a fluorophore reagent), a solid
phase immobilization reagent (e.g. SEPHAROSE.TM., polystyrene, or
glass), or a drug-linker intermediate. One example of a
thiol-reactive reagent is N-ethyl maleimide (NEM). In an exemplary
embodiment, reaction of a ThioFab with a biotin-linker reagent
provides a biotinylated ThioFab by which the presence and
reactivity of the engineered cysteine residue may be detected and
measured. Reaction of a ThioFab with a multifunctional linker
reagent provides a ThioFab with a functionalized linker which may
be further reacted with a drug moiety reagent or other label.
Reaction of a ThioFab with a drug-linker intermediate provides a
ThioFab drug conjugate.
The exemplary methods described here may be applied generally to
the identification and production of antibodies, and more
generally, to other proteins through application of the design and
screening steps described herein.
Such an approach may be applied to the conjugation of other
thiol-reactive reagents in which the reactive group is, for
example, a maleimide, an iodoacetamide, a pyridyl disulfide, or
other thiol-reactive conjugation partner (Haugland, 2003, Molecular
Probes Handbook of Fluorescent Probes and Research Chemicals,
Molecular Probes, Inc.; Brinkley, 1992, Bioconjugate Chem. 3:2;
Garman, 1997, Non-Radioactive Labelling: A Practical Approach,
Academic Press, London; Means (1990) Bioconjugate Chem. 1:2;
Hermanson, G. in Bioconjugate Techniques (1996)Academic Press, San
Diego, pp. 40-55, 643-671). The thiol-reactive reagent may be a
drug moiety, a fluorophore such as a fluorescent dye like
fluorescein or rhodamine, a chelating agent for an imaging or
radio-therapeutic metal, a peptidyl or non-peptidyl label or
detection tag, or a clearance-modifying agent such as various
isomers of polyethylene glycol, a peptide that binds to a third
component, or another carbohydrate or lipophilic agent.
Uses of Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies
Cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies, and antibody-drug
conjugates and labelled conjugates thereof may find use as
therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents. The present invention further
provides methods of preventing, managing, treating or ameliorating
one or more symptoms associated with a MUC16 related disorder. In
particular, the present invention provides methods of preventing,
managing, treating, or ameliorating one or more symptoms associated
with a cell proliferative disorder, such as cancer, e.g., ovarian
cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer,
including pancreatic adenocarcinoma, lung cancer and breast cancer.
The present invention still further provides methods for diagnosing
a MUC16 related disorder or predisposition to developing such a
disorder, as well as methods for identifying antibodies, and
antigen-binding fragments of antibodies, that preferentially bind
cell-associated MUC16 polypeptides.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to the use
of a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody for the preparation of
a medicament useful in the treatment of a MUC16 related
disorder.
Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibody-Drug Conjugates
The cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibodies resolve the issue of
antibody-drug conjugate heterogeneity by directing the attachment
of drug moieties at defined sites and with near-uniform
stoichiometry (drug/antibody ratio, p value). Additionally, the
conjugation conditions results in retention of all the native
immunoglobulin disulfide bonds.
An aspect of the invention is an antibody-drug conjugate compound
comprising a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody (Ab), and an
auristatin drug moiety (D) wherein the cysteine engineered antibody
is attached through one or more free cysteine amino acids by a
linker moiety (L) to D; the compound having Formula I:
Ab-(L-D).sub.p I
where p is 1, 2, 3, or 4; and wherein the cysteine engineered
antibody is prepared by a process comprising replacing one or more
amino acid residues of a parent anti-MUC16 antibody by one or more
free cysteine amino acids. When a single cysteine mutation is
engineered into the anti-MUC16 parent antibody to form the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, two free cysteine amino acids
result due to the symmetrical nature of the heavy chains and light
chains.
FIG. 5 shows embodiments of cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
drug conjugates (ADC) where an auristatin drug moiety is attached
to an engineered cysteine group in: the light chain (LC-ADC); the
heavy chain (HC-ADC); and the Fc region (Fc-ADC).
Conventional antibody-drug conjugation strategies yield
heterogeneous mixtures of conjugates that are active on target
cells but may also produce systemic toxicities. Potential
advantages of cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody drug
conjugates include improved safety (larger therapeutic index),
improved PK parameters, greater stability and preservation of
binding due to retention of the antibody interchain disulfide
bonds, defined sites of drug conjugation, and a more nearly
homogeneous product mixture. In fact, the thio anti-MUC16 ADC
exhibit a larger therapeutic window (approximately four-fold) in
pre-clinical animal models than standard anti-MUC16 ADC. When
comparing matched IgG antibody (mg/kg) dose levels, our data show
equivalent efficacy of the thio and standard MUC16 ADC in mouse
xenografts, whereas in rats the 68.6 mg/kg (2820 .mu.g/m.sup.2
MMAE) dose of the thio ADC exerts similar toxicities as the 16.6
mg/kg (1500 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE) dose of the standard ADC. When
compared in terms of cytotoxic drug dose (.mu.g/m.sup.2), the thio
ADC is both safer and more efficacious than the standard ADC. A
resulting benefit of the thio ADC over the standard ADC would be to
reduce the MMAE exposure at an efficacious (mg/kg) dose of ADC. In
turn, the improved tolerability of the thio ADC could permit higher
dose levels on a mg/kg antibody basis, and to produce a therapeutic
benefit for patients with more challenging malignancies, for
example, with relatively less sensitivity to MMAE or relatively
lower levels of MUC16 expression.
Drug Moieties
Auristatin drug moieties of the antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) of
Formula I include dolastatins, auristatins (U.S. Pat. No.
5,635,483; U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,588; U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,237; U.S.
Pat. No. 6,124,431), and analogs and derivatives thereof.
Dolastatins and auristatins have been shown to interfere with
microtubule dynamics, GTP hydrolysis, and nuclear and cellular
division (Woyke et al (2001) Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother.
45(12):3580-3584) and have anticancer (U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,149) and
antifungal activity (Pettit et al (1998) Antimicrob. Agents
Chemother. 42:2961-2965). Various forms of a dolastatin or
auristatin drug moiety may be covalently attached to an antibody
through the N (amino) terminus or the C (carboxyl) terminus of the
peptidic drug moiety (WO 02/088172; Doronina et al (2003) Nature
Biotechnology 21(7):778-784; Francisco et al (2003) Blood 102
(4):1458-1465).
Exemplary auristatin embodiments include the N-terminus linked
monomethylauristatin drug moieties DE and DF, disclosed in: WO
2005/081711; Senter et al, Proceedings of the American Association
for Cancer Research, Volume 45, Abstract Number 623, presented Mar.
28, 2004, the disclosure of each which are expressly incorporated
by reference in their entirety. Exemplary auristatin drug moieties
include MMAE, and MMAF.
The auristatin drug moiety (D) of the antibody-drug conjugates
(ADC) of Formula I include the monomethylauristatin drug moieties
MMAE and MMAF. The N-terminus of the MMAE or MMAF drug moiety is
covalently attached via a linker to a engineered cysteine of the
antibody.
##STR00001##
Other exemplary auristatin drug moieties include monomethylvaline
compounds having phenylalanine carboxy modifications at the
C-terminus of the pentapeptide auristatin drug moiety (WO
2007/008848) and monomethylvaline compounds having phenylalanine
sidechain modifications at the C-terminus of the pentapeptide
auristatin drug moiety (WO 2007/008603).
Typically, peptide-based drug moieties can be prepared by forming a
peptide bond between two or more amino acids and/or peptide
fragments. Such peptide bonds can be prepared, for example,
according to the liquid phase synthesis method (see E. Schroder and
K. Lubke, "The Peptides", volume 1, pp 76-136, 1965, Academic
Press) that is well known in the field of peptide chemistry.
Linkers
"Linker", "Linker Unit", or "link" means a chemical moiety
comprising a covalent bond or a chain of atoms that covalently
attaches an antibody to a drug moiety. In various embodiments, a
linker is specified as L. A "Linker" (L) is a bifunctional or
multifunctional moiety which can be used to link one or more Drug
moieties (D) and an antibody unit (Ab) to form antibody-drug
conjugates (ADC) of Formula I. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) can
be conveniently prepared using a Linker having reactive
functionality for binding to the Drug and to the Antibody. A
cysteine thiol of a cysteine engineered antibody (Ab) can form a
bond with an electrophilic functional group of a linker reagent, a
drug moiety or drug-linker intermediate.
In one aspect, a Linker has a reactive site which has an
electrophilic group that is reactive to a nucleophilic cysteine
present on an antibody. The cysteine thiol of the antibody is
reactive with an electrophilic group on a Linker and forms a
covalent bond to a Linker. Useful electrophilic groups include, but
are not limited to, maleimide and haloacetamide groups.
Linkers include a divalent radical such as an alkyldiyl, an
arylene, a heteroarylene, moieties such as: --(CR.sub.2).sub.nO
(CR.sub.2).sub.n--, repeating units of alkyloxy (e.g.
polyethylenoxy, PEG, polymethyleneoxy) and alkylamino (e.g.
polyethyleneamino, Jeffamine.TM.); and diacid ester and amides
including succinate, succinamide, diglycolate, malonate, and
caproamide.
Cysteine engineered antibodies react with linker reagents or
drug-linker intermediates, with electrophilic functional groups
such as maleimide or .alpha.-halo carbonyl, according to the
conjugation method at page 766 of Klussman, et al (2004),
Bioconjugate Chemistry 15(4):765-773, and according to the protocol
of Example 3.
The linker may be composed of one or more linker components.
Exemplary linker components include 6-maleimidocaproyl ("MC"),
maleimidopropanoyl ("MP"), valine-citrulline ("val-cit" or "vc"),
alanine-phenylalanine ("ala-phe" or "af"), p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl
("PAB"), N-succinimidyl 4-(2-pyridylthio) pentanoate ("SPP"),
N-succinimidyl 4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1 carboxylate
("SMCC"), N-Succinimidyl (4-iodo-acetyl) aminobenzoate ("SIAB"),
ethyleneoxy --CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O-- as one or more repeating units
("EO" or "PEO"). Additional linker components are known in the art
and some are described herein.
In one embodiment, linker L of an ADC has the formula:
-A.sub.a-W.sub.w--Y.sub.y--
wherein:
-A- is a Stretcher unit covalently attached to a cysteine thiol of
the antibody (Ab);
a is 0 or 1;
each --W-- is independently an Amino Acid unit;
w is independently an integer ranging from 0 to 12;
--Y-- is a Spacer unit covalently attached to the drug moiety;
and
y is 0, 1 or 2.
Stretcher Unit
The Stretcher unit (-A-), when present, is capable of linking an
antibody unit to an amino acid unit (--W--). In this regard an
antibody (Ab) has a free cysteine thiol group that can form a bond
with an electrophilic functional group of a Stretcher Unit.
Exemplary stretcher units in Formula I conjugates are depicted by
Formulas II and III, wherein Ab-, --W--, --Y--, -D, w and y are as
defined above, and R.sup.17 is a divalent radical selected from
(CH.sub.2).sub.r, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocyclyl, O--(CH.sub.2).sub.r,
arylene, (CH.sub.2).sub.r-arylene, -arylene-(CH.sub.2).sub.r--,
(CH.sub.2).sub.r--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocyclyl), (C.sub.3-C.sub.8
carbocyclyl)-(CH.sub.2).sub.r, C.sub.3-C8 heterocyclyl,
(CH.sub.2).sub.r--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocyclyl),
--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocyclyl)-(CH.sub.2).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2).sub.r,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r, --(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--CH.sub.2--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.2--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--,
--(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.-
2--, and --(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2).sub.r--;
where R.sup.b is H, C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl, phenyl, or benzyl; and r
is independently an integer ranging from 1-10.
Arylene includes divalent aromatic hydrocarbon radicals of 6-20
carbon atoms derived by the removal of two hydrogen atoms from the
aromatic ring system. Typical arylene groups include, but are not
limited to, radicals derived from benzene, substituted benzene,
naphthalene, anthracene, biphenyl, and the like.
Heterocyclyl groups include a ring system in which one or more ring
atoms is a heteroatom, e.g. nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. The
heterocycle radical comprises 1 to 20 carbon atoms and 1 to 3
heteroatoms selected from N, O, P, and S. A heterocycle may be a
monocycle having 3 to 7 ring members (2 to 6 carbon atoms and 1 to
3 heteroatoms selected from N, O, P, and S) or a bicycle having 7
to 10 ring members (4 to 9 carbon atoms and 1 to 3 heteroatoms
selected from N, O, P, and S), for example: a bicyclo [4,5], [5,5],
[5,6], or [6,6] system. Heterocycles are described in Paquette, Leo
A.; "Principles of Modern Heterocyclic Chemistry" (W. A. Benjamin,
New York, 1968), particularly Chapters 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9; "The
Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds, A series of Monographs" (John
Wiley & Sons, New York, 1950 to present), in particular Volumes
13, 14, 16, 19, and 28; and J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1960) 82:5566.
Examples of heterocycles include by way of example and not
limitation pyridyl, dihydroypyridyl, tetrahydropyridyl (piperidyl),
thiazolyl, tetrahydrothiophenyl, sulfur oxidized
tetrahydrothiophenyl, pyrimidinyl, furanyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl,
pyrazolyl, imidazolyl, tetrazolyl, benzofuranyl, thianaphthalenyl,
indolyl, indolenyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzimidazolyl,
piperidinyl, 4-piperidonyl, pyrrolidinyl, 2-pyrrolidonyl,
pyrrolinyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, bis-tetrahydrofuranyl,
tetrahydropyranyl, bis-tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl,
tetrahydroisoquinolinyl, decahydroquinolinyl,
octahydroisoquinolinyl, azocinyl, triazinyl, 6H-1,2,5-thiadiazinyl,
2H,6H-1,5,2-dithiazinyl, thienyl, thianthrenyl, pyranyl,
isobenzofuranyl, chromenyl, xanthenyl, phenoxathinyl, 2H-pyrrolyl,
isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, indolizinyl,
isoindolyl, 3H-indolyl, 1H-indazolyl, purinyl, 4H-quinolizinyl,
phthalazinyl, naphthyridinyl, quinoxalinyl, quinazolinyl,
cinnolinyl, pteridinyl, 4Ah-carbazolyl, carbazolyl,
.beta.-carbolinyl, phenanthridinyl, acridinyl, pyrimidinyl,
phenanthrolinyl, phenazinyl, phenothiazinyl, furazanyl,
phenoxazinyl, isochromanyl, chromanyl, imidazolidinyl,
imidazolinyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrazolinyl, piperazinyl, indolinyl,
isoindolinyl, quinuclidinyl, morpholinyl, oxazolidinyl,
benzotriazolyl, benzisoxazolyl, oxindolyl, benzoxazolinyl, and
isatinoyl.
Carbocyclyl groups include a saturated or unsaturated ring having 3
to 7 carbon atoms as a monocycle or 7 to 12 carbon atoms as a
bicycle. Monocyclic carbocycles have 3 to 6 ring atoms, still more
typically 5 or 6 ring atoms. Bicyclic carbocycles have 7 to 12 ring
atoms, e.g. arranged as a bicyclo [4,5], [5,5], [5,6] or [6,6]
system, or 9 or 10 ring atoms arranged as a bicyclo [5,6] or [6,6]
system. Examples of monocyclic carbocycles include cyclopropyl,
cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, 1-cyclopent-1-enyl, 1-cyclopent-2-enyl,
1-cylopent-3-enyl, cyclohexyl, 1-cyclohex-1-enyl,
1-cyclohex-2-enyl, 1-cyclohex-3-enyl, cycloheptyl, and
cyclooctyl.
It is to be understood from all the exemplary embodiments of
Formula I ADC such as II-V, that even where not denoted expressly,
from 1 to 4 drug moieties are linked to an antibody (p=1-4),
depending on the number of engineered cysteine residues.
##STR00002##
An illustrative Formula II Stretcher unit is derived from
maleimido-caproyl (MC) wherein R.sup.17 is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.5--:
##STR00003##
An illustrative Stretcher unit of Formula II, and is derived from
maleimido-propanoyl (MP) wherein R.sup.17 is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.2--:
##STR00004##
Another illustrative Stretcher unit of Formula II wherein R.sup.17
is --(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.2-- and r is 2:
##STR00005##
Another illustrative Stretcher unit of Formula II wherein R.sup.17
is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.rC(O)NR.sup.b(CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.r--CH.sub.2--
where R.sup.b is H and each r is 2:
##STR00006##
An illustrative Stretcher unit of Formula II wherein R.sup.17 is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.5--:
##STR00007##
In another embodiment, the Stretcher unit is linked to the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody via a disulfide bond between the
engineered cysteine sulfur atom of the antibody and a sulfur atom
of the Stretcher unit. A representative Stretcher unit of this
embodiment is depicted by Formula IV, wherein R.sup.17, Ab-, --W--,
--Y--, -D, w and y are as defined above.
Ab-S--(--S--R.sup.17--C(O)--W.sub.w--Y.sub.y-D).sub.p IV
In yet another embodiment, the reactive group of the Stretcher
contains a thiol-reactive functional group that can form a bond
with a free cysteine thiol of an antibody. Examples of
thiol-reaction functional groups include, but are not limited to,
maleimide, a-haloacetyl, activated esters such as succinimide
esters, 4-nitrophenyl esters, pentafluorophenyl esters,
tetrafluorophenyl esters, anhydrides, acid chlorides, sulfonyl
chlorides, isocyanates and isothiocyanates. Representative
Stretcher units of this embodiment are depicted by Formulas Va and
Vb, wherein.gtoreq.R.sup.17--, Ab-, --W--, --Y--, -D, w and y are
as defined above;
Ab-S--(--C(O)NH--R.sup.17--C(O)--W.sub.w--Y.sub.y-D).sub.p Va
Ab-S--(--C(S)NH--R.sup.17--C(O)--W.sub.w--Y.sub.y-D).sub.p Vb
In another embodiment, the linker may be a dendritic type linker
for covalent attachment of more than one drug moiety through a
branching, multifunctional linker moiety to an antibody (Sun et al
(2002) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 12:2213-2215;
Sun et al (2003) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 11:1761-1768;
King (2002) Tetrahedron Letters 43:1987-1990). Dendritic linkers
can increase the molar ratio of drug to antibody, i.e. loading,
which is related to the potency of the ADC. Thus, where a cysteine
engineered antibody bears only one reactive cysteine thiol group, a
multitude of drug moieties may be attached through a dendritic
linker.
Amino Acid Unit
The linker may comprise amino acid residues. The Amino Acid unit
(--W.sub.w--), when present, links the antibody (Ab) to the drug
moiety (D) of the cysteine engineered antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
of the invention.
--W.sub.w-- is a dipeptide, tripeptide, tetrapeptide, pentapeptide,
hexapeptide, heptapeptide, octapeptide, nonapeptide, decapeptide,
undecapeptide or dodecapeptide unit. Amino acid residues which
comprise the Amino Acid unit include those occurring naturally, as
well as minor amino acids and non-naturally occurring amino acid
analogs, such as citrulline. Each --W-- unit independently has the
formula denoted below in the square brackets, and w is an integer
ranging from 0 to 12:
##STR00008##
wherein R.sup.19 is hydrogen, methyl, isopropyl, isobutyl,
sec-butyl, benzyl, p-hydroxybenzyl, --CH.sub.2OH, --CH(OH)CH.sub.3,
--CH.sub.2CH.sub.2SCH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2COOH,
--CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2CH.sub.2COOH,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.3NHC (.dbd.NH)NH.sub.2,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.3NH.sub.2, --(CH.sub.2).sub.3NHCOCH.sub.3,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.3NHCHO, --(CH.sub.2).sub.4NHC(.dbd.NH)NH.sub.2,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.4NH.sub.2, --(CH.sub.2).sub.4NHCOCH.sub.3,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.4NHCHO, --(CH.sub.2).sub.3NHCONH.sub.2,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.4NHCONH.sub.2, --CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH
(OH)CH.sub.2NH.sub.2, 2-pyridylmethyl-, 3-pyridylmethyl-,
4-pyridylmethyl-, phenyl, cyclohexyl,
##STR00009##
When R.sup.19 is other than hydrogen, the carbon atom to which
R.sup.19 is attached is chiral. Each carbon atom to which R.sup.19
is attached is independently in the (S) or (R) configuration, or a
racemic mixture. Amino acid units may thus be enantiomerically
pure, racemic, or diastereomeric.
Exemplary --W.sub.w-- Amino Acid units include a dipeptide, a
tripeptide, a tetrapeptide or a pentapeptide. Exemplary dipeptides
include: valine-citrulline (vc or val-cit), alanine-phenylalanine
(af or ala-phe). Exemplary tripeptides include:
glycine-valine-citrulline (gly-val-cit) and glycine-glycine-glycine
(gly-gly-gly). Amino acid residues which comprise an amino acid
linker component include those occurring naturally, as well as
minor amino acids and non-naturally occurring amino acid analogs,
such as citrulline.
The Amino Acid unit can be enzymatically cleaved by one or more
enzymes, including a tumor-associated protease, to liberate the
Drug moiety (-D), which in one embodiment is protonated in vivo
upon release to provide a Drug (D). Amino acid linker components
can be designed and optimized in their selectivity for enzymatic
cleavage by a particular enzymes, for example, a tumor-associated
protease, cathepsin B, C and D, or a plasmin protease.
Spacer Unit
The Spacer unit (--Y.sub.y--), when present (y=1 or 2), links an
Amino Acid unit (--W.sub.w--) to the drug moiety (D) when an Amino
Acid unit is present (w=1-12). Alternately, the Spacer unit links
the Stretcher unit to the Drug moiety when the Amino Acid unit is
absent. The Spacer unit also links the drug moiety to the antibody
unit when both the Amino Acid unit and Stretcher unit are absent
(w, y 0). Spacer units are of two general types: self-immolative
and non self-immolative. A non self-innmolative Spacer unit is one
in which part or all of the Spacer unit remains bound to the Drug
moiety after cleavage, particularly enzymatic, of an Amino Acid
unit from the antibody-drug conjugate or the Drug moiety-linker.
When an ADC containing a glycine-glycine Spacer unit or a glycine
Spacer unit undergoes enzymatic cleavage via a tumor-cell
associated-protease, a cancer-cell-associated protease or a
lymphocyte-associated protease, a glycine-glycine-Drug moiety or a
glycine-Drug moiety is cleaved from Ab-A.sub.a-W.sub.w--. In one
embodiment, an independent hydrolysis reaction takes place within
the target cell, cleaving the glycine-Drug moiety bond and
liberating the Drug.
In another embodiment, --Y.sub.y-- is a p-aminobenzylcarbamoyl
(PAB) unit whose phenylene portion is substituted with Q.sub.m
wherein Q is --C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, --O--(C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl),
halogen, -nitro or -cyano; and m is an integer ranging from
0-4.
Exemplary embodiments of a non self-immolative Spacer unit (-Y-)
are: -Gly-Gly-; -Gly-; -Ala-Phe-; -Val-Cit-.
In one embodiment, a Drug moiety-linker or an ADC is provided in
which the Spacer unit is absent (y=0), or a pharmaceutically
acceptable salt or solvate thereof.
Alternatively, an ADC containing a self-immolative Spacer unit can
release -D. In one embodiment, --Y-- is a PAB group that is linked
to --W.sub.w-- via the amino nitrogen atom of the PAB group, and
connected directly to -D via a carbonate, carbamate or ether group,
where the ADC has the exemplary structure:
##STR00010##
wherein Q is --C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, --O--(C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl),
-halogen, -nitro or -cyano; m is an integer ranging from 0-4; and p
ranges from 1 to 4.
Other examples of self-immolative spacers include, but are not
limited to, aromatic compounds that are electronically similar to
the PAB group such as 2-aminoimidazol-5-methanol derivatives (Hay
et al. (1999) Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 9:2237), heterocyclic PAB
analogs (US 2005/0256030), beta-glucuronide (WO 2007/011968), and
ortho or para-aminobenzylacetals. Spacers can be used that undergo
cyclization upon amide bond hydrolysis, such as substituted and
unsubstituted 4-aminobutyric acid amides (Rodrigues et al (1995)
Chemistry Biology 2:223), appropriately substituted bicyclo[2.2.1]
and bicyclo[2.2.2] ring systems (Storm et al (1972) J. Amer. Chem.
Soc. 94:5815) and 2-aminophenylpropionic acid amides (Amsberry, et
al (1990) J. Org. Chem. 55:5867). Elimination of amine-containing
drugs that are substituted at glycine (Kingsbury et al (1984) J.
Med. Chem. 27:1447) are also examples of self-immolative spacer
useful in ADCs.
Exemplary Spacer units (--Y.sub.y--) are represented by Formulas
X-XII:
##STR00011##
Dendritic Linkers
In another embodiment, linker L may be a dendritic type linker for
covalent attachment of more than one drug moiety through a
branching, multifunctional linker moiety to an antibody (Sun et al
(2002) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 12:2213-2215;
Sun et al (2003) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 11:
1761-1768). Dendritic linkers can increase the molar ratio of drug
to antibody, i.e. loading, which is related to the potency of the
ADC. Thus, where a cysteine engineered antibody bears only one
reactive cysteine thiol group, a multitude of drug moieties may be
attached through a dendritic linker. Exemplary embodiments of
branched, dendritic linkers include 2,6-bis(hydroxymethyl)-p-cresol
and 2,4,6-tris(hydroxymethyl)-phenol dendrimer units (WO
2004/01993; Szalai et al (2003) J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 125:
15688-15689; Shamis et al (2004) J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 126:
1726-1731; Amir et al (2003) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
42:4494-4499).
##STR00012##
In one embodiment, the Spacer unit is a branched bis
(hydroxymethyl)styrene (BHMS), which can be used to incorporate and
release multiple drugs, having the structure:
##STR00013##
comprising a 2-(4-aminobenzylidene)propane-1,3-diol dendrimer unit
(WO 2004/043493; de Groot et al (2003) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
42:4490-4494), wherein Q is --C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl,
--O--(C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl), -halogen, -nitro or -cyano; m is an
integer ranging from 0-4; n is 0 or 1; and p ranges ranging from 1
to 4.
Exemplary embodiments of the Formula I antibody-drug conjugate
compounds include XIIIa (MC), XIIIb (val-cit), XIIIc (MC-val-cit),
and XIIId (MC-val-cit-PAB):
Other exemplary embodiments of the Formula Ia antibody-drug
conjugate compounds include XIVa-e:
##STR00014##
where R is independently H or C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl; and n is 1 to
12.
In another embodiment, a Linker has a reactive functional group
which has a nucleophilic group that is reactive to an electrophilic
group present on an antibody. Useful electrophilic groups on an
antibody include, but are not limited to, aldehyde and ketone
carbonyl groups. The heteroatom of a nucleophilic group of a Linker
can react with an electrophilic group on an antibody and form a
covalent bond to an antibody unit. Useful nucleophilic groups on a
Linker include, but are not limited to, hydrazide, oxime, amino,
hydrazine, thiosemicarbazone, hydrazine carboxylate, and
arylhydrazide. The electrophilic group on an antibody provides a
convenient site for attachment to a Linker.
Typically, peptide-type Linkers can be prepared by forming a
peptide bond between two or more amino acids and/or peptide
fragments. Such peptide bonds can be prepared, for example,
according to the liquid phase synthesis method (E. Schroder and K.
Lubke (1965) "The Peptides", volume 1, pp 76-136, Academic Press)
which is well known in the field of peptide chemistry. Linker
intermediates may be assembled with any combination or sequence of
reactions including Spacer, Stretcher, and Amino Acid units. The
Spacer, Stretcher, and Amino Acid units may employ reactive
functional groups which are electrophilic, nucleophilic, or free
radical in nature. Reactive functional groups include, but are not
limited to carboxyls, hydroxyls, para-nitrophenylcarbonate,
isothiocyanate, and leaving groups, such as O-mesyl, O-tosyl, --Cl,
--Br, --I; or maleimide.
In another embodiment, the Linker may be substituted with groups
which modulated solubility or reactivity. For example, a charged
substituent such as sulfonate (--SO.sub.3.sup.-) or ammonium, may
increase water solubility of the reagent and facilitate the
coupling reaction of the linker reagent with the antibody or the
drug moiety, or facilitate the coupling reaction of Ab-L
(antibody-linker intermediate) with D, or D-L (drug-linker
intermediate) with Ab, depending on the synthetic route employed to
prepare the ADC.
Linker Reagents
Conjugates of the antibody and auristatin may be made using a
variety of bifunctional linker reagents such as
N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP),
succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1 -carboxylate
(SMCC), iminothiolane (IT), bifunctional derivatives of imidoesters
(such as dimethyl adipimidate HCl), active esters (such as
disuccinimidyl suberate), aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde),
bis-azido compounds (such as bis(p-azidobenzoyl)hexanediamine),
bis-diazonium derivatives (such as
bis(p-diazoniumbenzoyl)-ethylenediamine), diisocyanates (such as
toluene 2,6-diisocyanate), and bis-active fluorine compounds (such
as 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene).
Linker reagents useful for the antibody drug conjugates of the
invention include, but are not limited to: BMPEO, BMPS, EMCS, GMBS,
HBVS, LC-SMCC, MBS, MPBH, SBAP, SIA, SIAB, SMCC, SMPB, SMPH,
sulfo-EMCS, sulfo-GMBS, sulfo-KMUS, sulfo-MBS, sulfo-SIAB,
sulfo-SMCC, and sulfo-SMPB, and SVSB
(succinimidyl-(4-vinylsulfone)benzoate), and including
bis-maleimide reagents: DTME, BMB, BMDB, BMH, BMOE,
1,8-bis-maleimidodiethyleneglycol (BM(PEO).sub.2), and
1,11-bis-maleimidotriethyleneglycol (BM(PEO).sub.3), which are
commercially available from Pierce Biotechnology, Inc.,
ThermoScientific, Rockford, Ill., and other reagent suppliers.
Bis-maleimide reagents allow the attachment of a free thiol group
of a cysteine residue of an antibody to a thiol-containing drug
moiety, label, or linker intermediate, in a sequential or
concurrent fashion. Other functional groups besides maleimide,
which are reactive with a thiol group of an antibody, nemorubicin
metabolite and analog drug moiety, or linker intermediate include
iodoacetamide, bromoacetamide, vinyl pyridine, disulfide, pyridyl
disulfide, isocyanate, and isothiocyanate.
##STR00015##
Useful linker reagents can also be obtained via other commercial
sources or synthesized in accordance with procedures described in
Toki et al (2002) J. Org. Chem. 67:1866-1872; Walker, M. A. (1995)
J. Org. Chem. 60:5352-5355; Frisch et al (1996) Bioconjugate Chem.
7:180-186; U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,345; WO 02/088172; US 2003130189;
US2003096743; WO 03/026577; WO 03/043583; and WO 04/032828.
An exemplary valine-citrulline (val-cit or vc) dipeptide linker
reagent having a maleimide Stretcher and a
para-aminobenzylcarbamoyl (PAB) self-immolative Spacer has the
structure:
##STR00016##
An exemplary phe-lys(Mtr, mono-4-methoxytrityl)dipeptide linker
reagent having a maleimide Stretcher unit and a PAB self-immolative
Spacer unit can be prepared according to Dubowchik, et al. (1997)
Tetrahedron Letters, 38:5257-60, and has the structure:
##STR00017##
Exemplary drug-linker intermediates include:
##STR00018##
Exemplary antibody-drug conjugate compounds of the invention
include:
##STR00019##
where Val is valine; Cit is citrulline; p is 1, 2, 3, or 4; and Ab
is a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody.
Preparation of Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibody-Drug
Conjugates
The ADC of Formula I may be prepared by several routes, employing
organic chemistry reactions, conditions, and reagents known to
those skilled in the art, including: (1) reaction of a cysteine
group of a cysteine engineered antibody with a linker reagent, to
form antibody-linker intermediate Ab-L, via a covalent bond,
followed by reaction with an activated drug moiety D; and (2)
reaction of a nucleophilic group of a drug moiety with a linker
reagent, to form drug-linker intermediate D-L, via a covalent bond,
followed by reaction with a cysteine group of a cysteine engineered
antibody. Conjugation methods (1) and (2) may be employed with a
variety of cysteine engineered antibodies, drug moieties, and
linkers to prepare the antibody-drug conjugates of Formula I.
Antibody cysteine thiol groups are nucleophilic and capable of
reacting to form covalent bonds with electrophilic groups on linker
reagents and drug-linker intermediates including: (i) active esters
such as NHS esters, HOBt esters, haloformates, and acid halides;
(ii) alkyl and benzyl halides, such as haloacetamides; (iii)
aldehydes, ketones, carboxyl, and maleimide groups; and (iv)
disulfides, including pyridyl disulfides, via sulfide exchange.
Nucleophilic groups on a drug moiety include, but are not limited
to: amine, thiol, hydroxyl, hydrazide, oxime, hydrazine,
thiosemicarbazone, hydrazine carboxylate, and arylhydrazide groups
capable of reacting to form covalent bonds with electrophilic
groups on linker moieties and linker reagents.
Cysteine engineered antibodies may be made reactive for conjugation
with linker reagents by treatment with a reducing agent such as DTT
(Cleland's reagent, dithiothreitol) or TCEP
(tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride; Getz et al (1999)
Anal. Biochem. Vol 273:73-80; Soltec Ventures, Beverly, Mass.),
followed by reoxidation to reform interchain and intrachain
disulfide bonds (Example 2). For example, full length, cysteine
engineered monoclonal antibodies (ThioMabs) expressed in CHO cells
are reduced with about a 50 fold excess of TCEP for 3 hrs at
37.degree. C. to reduce disulfide bonds in cysteine and glutathione
adducts which may form between the newly introduced cysteine
residues and the cysteine present in the culture media. This
partial reduction which disrupts inter-chain disulfide bonds but
not intra-chain disulfide bonds may be followed by diafiltration.
The reduced ThioMab is diluted and loaded onto HiTrap S column in
10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5, and eluted with PBS containing 0.3M
sodium chloride. Disulfide bonds were reestablished between
cysteine residues present in the parent Mab with dilute (200 nM)
aqueous copper sulfate (CuSO.sub.4) at room temperature, overnight.
Alternatively, dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) is an effective oxidant
to reestablish the intrachain disulfide groups of the cysteine
engineered antibody after reductive cleavage of the cysteine
adducts, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE analysis. Other oxidants, i.e.
oxidizing agents, and oxidizing conditions, which are known in the
art may be used. Ambient air oxidation is also effective. This
mild, partial reoxidation step forms intrachain disulfides
efficiently with high fidelity and preserves the thiol groups of
the newly introduced cysteine residues. An approximate 3 fold
excess of drug-linker intermediate, e.g. MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, relative
to antibody (about 1.5 fold excess relative to newly introduced
cysteine residues) was added, mixed, and let stand for about an
hour at room temperature to effect conjugation and form the 3A5
anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugate. The conjugation mixture was gel
filtered and loaded and eluted through a HiTrap S column to remove
excess drug-linker intermediate and other impurities.
FIG. 6a shows the general process to prepare a cysteine engineered
antibody expressed from cell culture for conjugation. When the cell
culture media contains cysteine, disulfide adducts can form between
the newly introduced cysteine amino acid and cysteine or
glutathione from media. Cysteine adducts, depicted as a circle in
the exemplary ThioMab (left) in FIG. 6a, must be reduced to
generate cysteine engineered antibodies reactive for conjugation.
Cysteine adducts, presumably along with various interchain
disulfide bonds, are reductively cleaved to give a reduced form of
the antibody with reducing agents such as TCEP. The interchain
disulfide bonds between paired cysteine residues are reformed under
partial oxidation conditions with copper sulfate, DHAA, or exposure
to ambient oxygen. The newly introduced, engineered, and unpaired
cysteine residues remain available for reaction with linker
reagents or drug-linker intermediates to form the antibody
conjugates of the invention. The ThioMabs expressed in mammalian
cell lines result in externally conjugated Cys adduct to an
engineered Cys through --S--S-- bond formation. Hence the purified
ThioMabs are treated with the reduction and reoxidation procedures
as described in Example 2 to produce reactive ThioMabs. These
ThioMabs are used to conjugate with maleimide containing cytotoxic
drugs, fluorophores, and other labels.
FIG. 6b shows the time course for re-oxidation for reduced
antibody. Trastuzumab was reduced and purified on a cation exchange
column at pH 5.5. Top panel a shows the reversed phase profile for
the reduced antibody at time=0 min. The three peaks at retention
time 7 minutes (from left to right) are: light chain (LC), heavy
chain (HC) and a small amount of HC+LC that was not completely
reduced. The purified, reduced antibody was allowed to re-oxidize
at pH 7, and aliquots were taken as a function of time. Middle
panel b shows that the majority of light and heavy chains have
reoxidized to form an intact antibody (.about.retention time 10 min
peak) containing 2 LC and 2 HC within 90 min. No additional
formation of intact antibody was seen at the 180 min reaction time
point (bottom panel c).
Analysis of cysteine engineered antibody drug conjugate reactions
show decreased heterogeneity relative to antibody drug conjugates
prepared by reduction of interchain or intrachain disulfide bonds
followed by conjugation (standard ADC) with a thiol reactive drug
linker intermediate. FIG. 7a shows HIC (hydrophobic interaction
chromatography) analysis of the conjugation product of standard
chimeric 3A5 with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE (top). The HIC analysis separates
ADC on the basis of drugs per antibody. A distribution of groups of
ADC with varying drugs per antibody results, with ADC bearing 0
(12%), 1 (3%), 2 (43%), 3 (3%), 4 (32%), 6 (6%) and 8 (1%) MMAE per
3A5 antibody. Within each group, there is presumed additional
heterogeneity with MMAE linked to 3A5 at any of the eight
interchain disulfide bonds. Some of these species are detectable by
mass spectroscopy but are not resolved by HIC chromatography. In
comparison, FIG. 7a also shows HIC analysis of the conjugation
product of cysteine engineered chimeric 3A5 with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE
(bottom). A less hetereogeneous distribution of products (mixture
of ADC) and a lower average drug loading value (p, average
drugs/Ab) results. The product mixture is predominantly a single
species, 2 MMAE per 3A5 (60%), where the drug is attached at each
of the A117C cysteine mutation sites in the heavy chain. Incomplete
reaction results in about 32% of one MMAE per antibody and 7% of
unconjugated antibody. Higher loaded ADCs are not detectable. FIG.
7b shows HIC (hydrophobic interaction chromatography) chromatogram
under the conditions of the analyses in FIG. 7a of a larger scale
thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE conjugation reaction, where the average
drug loading value was 1.9 MMAE per thio ch 3A5.
FIG. 8a shows mass spectroscopy analysis of the conjugation product
of standard (parent) chimeric 3A5 with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, after
reduction and deglycosylation, shows the relative amounts of drug
bound to the heavy (HC) and light (LC) chains (top). About half of
the light chains were conjugated with one drug. The heavy chains
had a distribution of 0, 1, 2, and 3 drugs. Within each detectable
mass, there is presumed additional heterogeneity with MMAE linked
to 3A5 at any of the interchain disulfide bonds. In comparison,
FIG. 8a also shows mass spectroscopy analysis of the conjugation
product of cysteine engineered chimeric 3A5 with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE
(bottom). As expected, the light chains do not bear MMAE. The
majority of heavy chain is conjugated with one MMAE, through the
A117C cysteine mutation site as described in FIGS. 8b and 8c. The
standard and thio ADC were deglycosylated and reduced prior to
LC/MS analysis. Deconvoluted mass spectra of standard ADC (top,
FIG. 8a) displayed zero or one drug species on the light chain and
zero, one, two, or three drug species on the heavy chain, whereas
thio ADC displayed only one drug species on the heavy chain,
indicating more homogeneity of the thio ADC as expected.
FIG. 8b shows mapping of the antibody region for cytotoxic drug
attachment to the TDC-Fab. Top panel (a) shows a 280 nm absorbance
spectrum of reduced, denatured light and heavy chain portions of
the MC-vc-PAB-MMAE-conjugated Fab. Deconvoluted masses of light
chain in the middle panel (b) and heavy chain in the lower panel
(c) portions are consistent with drug labeling on the heavy chain
only. The mass of 24189 observed in (c) results from the loss of
MMAE-CO2 (minus 762 daltons) which is a characteristic
fragmentation of the drug.
FIG. 8c shows peptide mapping--identification of peptide(s)
containing cytotoxic drug in the TDC-Fab. Peptide maps of
unconjugated (top panel a) and conjugated (middle panel b) Thio-3A5
and TDC generated from tryptic digests of maleimidylated purified
Fabs. Peptides labeled with MC-vc-PAB-MMAE have increased
hydrophobicity and are expected to elute later in the chromatogram.
Four drug-conjugated peptides (labeled with *) eluted at the end of
the gradient. They can also be identified as cytotoxic drug
containing peptides by a characteristic in-source fragmentation ion
(m/z 718.5) that is observed in all MC-vc-PAB-MMAE containing mass
spectra. Bottom panel (c) shows an overlay of the extracted ion
chromatogram from the unconjugated and the conjugated digests. The
strongest peaks coincide with the late eluting peaks of the
conjugate digest. All four peaks were identified as complete or
partial tryptic cleavage fragments located around the mutated
cysteine in position 114 of the Fab-HC. The m/z ions in the main
peak at 29.05 min deconvoluted to give a mass of 3962 daltons,
which is the expected mass for peptide HC99-120+1 drug. The
drug-containing peptide masses did not map to any other region of
the protein. The peak labeled with an arrow in top panel (a) is the
maleimide labeled peptide HC99-120.
The standard and thio (cysteine engineered) ADC were also analyzed
by SDS-PAGE under non-reducing and reducing conditions. The
standard ADC showed multiple species due to loss of interchain
disulfide bonds as depicted in FIG. 9a.
FIG. 9b compares the major species detected by tandem liquid
chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) of the standard
Hu3A5-VC-MMAE and two preparations ThioHu3A5-VC-MMAE. Before
chromatographic analysis, the samples were either treated with DTT
to reductively cleave disulfide bonds or left intact. The
Hu3A5-VC-MMAE prepared with conventional methods yields a broad
distribution of species, reflecting the heterogeneity of the
conjugation process and the loss of inter-chain disulfide bonds. In
contrast, both preparations of ThioHu3A5-VC-MMAE are much more
nearly homogenous, and the detected species represent either intact
non-conjugated antibody (bearing all normal disulfide bonds) or
antibody conjugated with linker-drug at the engineered cysteines
and nowhere else.
Methods of Screening
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a
method of determining the presence of a MUC16/CA125/O772P
polypeptide in a sample suspected of containing the
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, wherein the method comprises
exposing the sample to a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody,
or antibody drug conjugate thereof, that binds to the
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide and determining binding of the
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate
thereof, to the MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide in the sample,
wherein the presence of such binding is indicative of the presence
of the MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide in the sample. Optionally, the
sample may contain cells (which may be cancer cells) suspected of
expressing the MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide. The cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof,
employed in the method may optionally be detectably labeled,
attached to a solid support, or the like.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method
of diagnosing the presence of a tumor in a mammal, wherein the
method comprises (a) contacting a test sample comprising tissue
cells obtained from the mammal with a cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof, that binds
to a CA125/O772P polypeptide and (b) detecting the formation of a
complex between the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or
antibody drug conjugate thereof, and the CA125/O772P polypeptide in
the test sample, wherein the formation of a complex is indicative
of the presence of a tumor in the mammal. Optionally, the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof,
is detectably labeled, attached to a solid support, or the like,
and/or the test sample of tissue cells is obtained from an
individual suspected of having a cancerous tumor.
In Vitro Cell Proliferation Assays
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for
inhibiting the growth of a cell that expresses a MUC16 polypeptide,
wherein the method comprises contacting the cell with a cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof,
to the MUC16 polypeptide causes inhibition of the growth of the
cell expressing the MUC16. The cell may be a cancer cell and
binding of the cysteine engineered antibody, or antibody drug
conjugate thereof, to the MUC16 polypeptide causes death or
inhibits proliferation of the cell expressing the MUC16
polypeptide.
Generally, the cytotoxic or cytostatic activity of an antibody-drug
conjugate (ADC) is measured by: exposing mammalian cells expressing
MUC16 polypeptide to ADC in a cell culture medium; culturing the
cells for a period from about 6 hours to about 5 days; and
measuring cell viability. Mammalian cells useful for cell
proliferation assays include: (1) a MUC16 polypeptide-expressing
cell line OVCAR-3; (2) a PC3-derived cell line engineered to stably
express a portion of the MUC16 polypeptide on its cell surface
(PC3/MUC16); (3) the parental PC3 cell line that does not express
the MUC16 polypeptide; and (4) a PC3 cell line that does not
express MUC16 polypeptide but carries the vector used to drive
exogenous MUC16 expression (PC3/neo). Cell-based in vitro assays
are used to measure viability (proliferation), cytotoxicity, and
induction of apoptosis (caspase activation) of the ADC of the
invention.
The in vitro potency of antibody-drug conjugates was measured by a
cell proliferation assay (FIGS. 10 and 11, Example 4). The
CellTiter-Glo.RTM. Luminescent Cell Viability Assay is a
commercially available (Promega Corp., Madison, Wis.), homogeneous
assay method (Mendoza et al (2002) Cancer Res. 62:5485-5488) based
on the recombinant expression of Coleoptera luciferase (U.S. Pat.
No. 5,583,024; U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,713; U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,670).
This cell proliferation assay determines the number of viable cells
in culture based on quantitation of the ATP present, an indicator
of metabolically active cells (Crouch et al (1993) J. Immunol.
Meth. 160:81-88; U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,677).
Results from the in vitro cell proliferation assays are shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11 and demonstrate that each of the cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody drug conjugates caused significant
levels of cell death in the OVCAR-3 and PC3/MUC16 cells (i.e.,
cells that express MUC16 polypeptide on the cell surface), whereas
no significant cell killing was observed for any of the antibodies
in the parental PC3 and PC3/neo cells (which do not express MUC16
polypeptide on the cell surface). These data demonstrate the tested
conjugates are capable of binding to the MUC16 polypeptide
expressed on the surface of cells and causing the death of those
cells in vitro.
Pharmacokinetics--Serum Clearance and Stability
The disposition of the anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugates in vivo
was analyzed by measuring the serum concentrations of antibody and
of drug conjugate after a single intravenous bolus dose into
Sprague-Dawley rats. Concentrations of antibody-drug conjugates
bearing at least one cytotoxic drug were measured with an ELISA
that used a MUC16 extracellular domain (ECD) protein for the
capture and anti-MMAE and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugated
antimouse Fc antibody for detection. Total Ch3A5 and ThioCh3A5
concentrations in serum were measured with an ELISA that used MUC16
ECD for capture and anti-human-Fc HRP for detection. This assay
measured any anti-MUC16 antibody, both with and without conjugated
MMAE. The assays have lower limits of quantitation of 0.78 ng/mL
with a minimum dilution of 1:10. The assays have lower limits of
quantitation of 0.78 ng/mL with a minimum dilution of 1:10. The
serum concentration-time data from each animal was analyzed using a
two-compartment model with IV bolus input, first-order elimination,
and macro-rate constants (Model 8, WinNonlin Pro v.5.0.1, Pharsight
Corporation, Mountain View, Calif.). Overall goodness of fit was
based on the predicted estimate, standard error for the prediction,
and percentage of coefficient of variation for primary and
secondary parameters, as well as inspection of residual plots
between observed and predicted concentration-time data. Individual
primary PK parameters comprised the zero-time intercepts (A and B)
associated with the alpha and beta phases, respectively, and the
micro-rate constants (alpha and beta). The following modeling
options were used: Initial estimates were determined using
WinNonlin; Concentrations were weighted by the reciprocal of the
predicted concentration squared (1/y.sup.2); Nelder-Mead
minimization algorithm was used.
Results of 28-day pharmacokinetics analyses in rats are shown in
FIG. 12. Rats were dosed with 0.5 mg/kg body weight of thio
ch3A5-VC-MMAE or ch 3A5-VC-MMAE. Serum from rats was collected at 5
minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 24 hours, and 2, 3, 4, 8, 11, 15, 21, and
28 days after dosing. The thio ch3A5-VC-MMAE showed slower kinetics
of in vivo clearance, in terms of total antibody or in terms of
drug-conjugated antibody. This behavior could be advantageous for
improving exposure to the therapeutic in the course of treating a
malignancy or other disorder while reducing the potentially
deleterious effects of cytotoxic drug clearance through
rapid-clearance pathways including metabolism.
Animal Toxicity
The safety of cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug
conjugates was evaluated in an acute toxicity rat model. Toxicity
of ADC was investigated by treatment of female Sprague-Dawley rats
with the ADC and subsequent inspection and analysis of the effects
on various organs. Based on gross observations (body weights),
clinical pathology parameters (serum chemistry and hematology) and
histopathology, the toxicity of ADC may be observed, characterized,
and measured. It was found that at equivalent dose levels, cysteine
engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugates were associated with
less acute toxicity than the corresponding standard antibody-drug
conjugates.
A 12 day acute toxicity study in adolescent female rats (100-125
gms) was conducted by a single injection of: std ch 3A5-VC-MMAE
(24.19 mg/kg=1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2), thio ch 3A5-VC-MMAE (49.99
mg/kg=1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2), and a control Vehicle at day 1. Std ch
3A5 is the parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and thio
ch 3A5 is the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody.
Body weight was measured daily. Clinical chemistry, serum enzymes
and hematology analysis was conducted on days 5 and 12; concluding
with complete necropsy with histopathological assessment. Toxicity
signals included the clinical observation of weight loss.
Hepatotoxicity was measured by elevated liver enzymes in the serum,
including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine
aminotransferase (ALT), and g-glutamyl transferase (GGT).
Hematolymphoid toxicity was observed by depletion of leukocytes,
primarily granuloctyes (neutrophils), and/or platelets, and
lymphoid organ involvement, i.e. atrophy or apoptotic activity. It
was found that the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug
conjugates caused no detectable changes in serum AST levels or in
the levels of circulating platelets or neutrophils as compared with
vehicle-treated animals. These findings are presented in FIG. 13.
In contrast, the standard anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugate, at
the same dose of cytotoxic drug and half the dose of antibody,
produced transient elevation in AST and depletion of neutrophils
and platelets in the circulation (observed at Day 5). Elevations in
serum AST and GGT were also observed. The cysteine-engineered
antibody conjugation technology appears to improve the safety of
the antibody-drug conjugate in the rodent model. In rats, a single
dose of 16.6 mg/kg standard anti-MUC16 ADC (equivalent to 1500
.mu.g/m.sup.2 drug exposure) produced a marked depletion of
circulating neutrophils and other white blood cells at Day 5 (four
days post-dose; FIG. 13), followed by a compensatory rebound at Day
12. This standard ADC dose also led to a mild elevation in serum
levels of the liver enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST; FIG.
13) and transient weight loss (FIG. 14). The AST levels were more
profoundly affected by a 50% increase in dose (24.5 mg/kg ADC; 2250
.mu.g/m MMAE). At that dose, three of six rats did not survive to
study termination (Day 12). In contrast, 36.4 mg/kg of thio
anti-MUC16 ADC (equivalent to 1500 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug exposure)
yielded no adverse effects, with all parameters essentially
identical to vehicle-treated animals. A dose of 68.6 mg/kg thio
anti-MUC16 ADC (2820 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug) produced toxicities that
were nearly equivalent to those observed using the standard
anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugate at one-fourth that dose.
Importantly, while the highest thio anti-MUC16 ADC dose (100.8
mg/kg; 4150 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug) did lead to pronounced effects, the
overall profile of adverse effects was quite similar to that
observed at the higher standard anti-MUC16 ADC dose (24.5 mg/kg
ADC; 2250 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE). The same trends were observed in a
preliminary study using chimeric conjugates.
It is considered that weight loss, or weight change relative to
animals dosed only with Vehicle in animals after dosing with ADC,
is a gross and general indicator of systemic or localized toxicity.
FIG. 14 shows the changes in body weight (grams) over 12 days. Rats
receiving the cysteine-engineered conjugate gained weight at the
same rate as vehicle-treated animals, whereas rats receiving the
standard antibody-drug conjugate experienced a transient loss of
body weight or a delay in weight gain.
The safety of standard and thio anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugates
was also evaluated in cynomolgus monkey. Although both rat and
monkey species express MUC16 recognized by the 3A5 antibody, the
cynomolgus monkey antigen is more similar to the human antigen with
respect to primary sequence. In a competitive binding assay, MAb
3A5 binding to CAI25 was inhibited with similar concentrations
human and monkey MUC16 ECD proteins (IC50=0.76 nM and 1.89 nM,
respectively), but competition by the rat MUC16 ECD was much less
efficient (IC50=13.5 nM). Both rat and cynomolgus monkey are
sensitive to antibody-MMAE conjugates. Pilot studies in cynomolgus
monkeys have essentially echoed the findings in rats. The most
significant adverse event in primates dosed with standard and thio
anti-MUC16-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE ADC is a reversible decrease in
neutrophils. Whereas a marked decrease was induced by the standard
anti-MUC16-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE ADC at a drug exposure of 1200
.mu.g/m.sup.2 drug (5.9 mg/kg antibody), the thio ADC at 1200
.mu.g/m.sup.2 drug (12.8 mg/kg antibody) yielded no notable adverse
events, with neutrophil counts tracking closely with sham-treated
animals (FIG. 17). Animals were dosed at days 1 and 22. The 22 day
neutrophil levels were pre-second dose. Doubling the dose to 25.6
mg/kg; 2400 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug resulted in decreased neutrophil
counts which were completely reversible. An even higher dose of
thio anti-MUC16 ADC (38.4 mg/kg; 3600 .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug) gave no
marked effects beyond the neutrophil decrease, which was more
pronounced than at the medium dose level but remained reversible.
Importantly, no toxicities were observed in organs known to express
MUC16 (including cornea, lung, oviduct, and uterus). The only
notable histopathologic findings in monkeys dosed with the TDC were
minimal to mild increases in bone marrow myelopoiesis and minimal
to mild thymic lymphoid depletion, consistent with the neutrophil
decreases and indicative of a regenerative response. These results
demonstrate that the thio ADC is safer than the standard ADC in
preclinical models, even when compared on the basis of cytotoxic
drug dose (i.e., equivalent .mu.g/m.sup.2).
In vivo Activity Assays
The efficacy of the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody-drug
conjugates were measured in vivo by implanting allografts or
xenografts of cancer cells in rodents and treating the tumors with
ADC. Variable results are to be expected depending on the cell
line, the specificity of antibody binding of the ADC to receptors
present on the cancer cells, dosing regimen, and other factors. The
in vivo efficacy of the ADC was measured using a transgenic explant
mouse model expressing moderate levels of MUC16. Subjects were
treated once with ADC and monitored over 3-6 weeks to measure the
time to tumor doubling, log cell kill, and tumor shrinkage. Follow
up dose-response and multi-dose experiments were conducted.
FIGS. 15 and 16 show the activities of the cysteine-engineered
anti-MUC16 drug conjugates compared with standard conjugates
against OVCAR-3 tumor cells transplanted into the mammary fat pads
of female SCID mice. Tumors were established and allowed to grow to
150-200 mm.sup.3 in volume (as measured using calipers) before a
single treatment on day 0. Tumor volume was measured using calipers
according to the formula: V (mm.sup.3)=0.5A.times.B.sup.2, where A
and B are the long and short diameters, respectively. Mice were
euthanized before tumor volume reached 3000 mm.sup.3 or when tumors
showed signs of impending ulceration. Data collected from each
experimental group (10 mice per group) were expressed as
mean.+-.SE. FIG. 15 shows the comparable activities of 6 mg/kg
doses of std hu 3A5-VC-MMAE (328 mg/m.sup.2 drug dose) and thio
hu3A5-VC-MMAE (150 mg/m.sup.2 drug dose). FIG. 16 compares the
chimeric conjugates, applying doses of 1.5, 3, and 6 mg/kg; the
cysteine-engineered and standard conjugates exhibited comparable
activities at each dose level. The data are summarized in tabular
form below.
TABLE-US-00005 Table for FIG. 15 PR CR mg/kg .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug/Ab
Vehicle (PBS) 0 0 -- -- -- Std Hu 3A5-MC-VC-PAB- 8 0 6 328 3.5 MMAE
Thio Hu 3A5-MC-VC-PAB- 8 0 6 150 1.6 MMAE * Std Hu 3A5 is the
parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and Thio Hu 3A5 is
the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody.
TABLE-US-00006 Table for FIG. 16 PR CR mg/kg .mu.g/m.sup.2 drug/Ab
Vehicle (PBS) 0 0 -- -- -- ADC buffer 0 0 -- -- -- std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 1 0 1.5 71 3.1 std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 2 6 3
141 3.1 std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 4 6 6 283 3.1 thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 1 1 1.5 35 1.5 thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 4 3 3
69 1.5 thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 3 7 6 139 1.5 * Std ch 3A5 is the
parent chimeric anti-MUC16 antibody called 3A5, and thio ch 3A5 is
the cysteine engineered chimeric anti-MUC16 3A5 antibody.
Thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE was at least as active as std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE against a transplant xenograft model of ovarian
cancer at each IgG dose level, providing partial efficacy at 1.5
mg/kg (MMAE doses are 35 .mu.g/m.sup.2 for thio
ch3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE and 71 .mu.g/m.sup.2 for std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE) and near-complete elimination of tumors at 3
mg/kg (69 vs. 141 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE) and 6 mg/kg (139 vs. 283
.mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE). When stated in terms of MMAE dose, thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE was approximately twice as efficacious as std ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE. No adverse effects of either conjugate were
observed at any dose level.
Methods of Treatment
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method
of therapeutically treating a mammal having a cancerous tumor
comprising cells that express a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide,
wherein the method comprises administering to the mammal a
therapeutically effective amount of a cysteine engineered antibody,
or antibody drug conjugate thereof, that binds to the
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, thereby resulting in the effective
therapeutic treatment of the tumor.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method
for treating or preventing a cell proliferative disorder associated
with altered, preferably increased, expression or activity of a
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, the method comprising administering
to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of a
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate
thereof. An exemplary cell proliferative disorder is cancer.
Effective treatment or prevention of the cell proliferative
disorder may be a result of direct killing or growth inhibition of
cells that express a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide or by
antagonizing the cell growth potentiating activity of a
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide with the cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate thereof.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a
method of binding a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or
antibody drug conjugate thereof, to a cell that expresses a
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, wherein the method comprises
contacting a cell that expresses a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide
with said cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug
conjugate thereof, under conditions which are suitable for binding
of the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug
conjugate thereof, to said MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide and
allowing binding therebetween. In preferred embodiments, the
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate
thereof, is labeled with a molecule or compound that is useful for
qualitatively and/or quantitatively determining the location and/or
amount of binding of the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody,
or antibody drug conjugate thereof, to the cell.
Other embodiments of the present invention are directed to the use
of a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug
conjugate thereof, in the preparation of a medicament useful for
(i) the therapeutic treatment or diagnostic detection of a cancer
or tumor, or (ii) the therapeutic treatment or prevention of a cell
proliferative disorder.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method
for inhibiting the growth of a cancer cell, wherein the growth of
said cancer cell is at least in part dependent upon the growth
potentiating effect(s) of a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide (wherein
the CA125/O772P polypeptide may be expressed either by the cancer
cell itself or a cell that produces polypeptide(s) that have a
growth potentiating effect on cancer cells), wherein the method
comprises contacting the MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide with a
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or antibody drug conjugate
thereof, thereby antagonizing the growth-potentiating activity of
the MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide and, in turn, inhibiting the
growth of the cancer cell, whereby the growth of the cancer cell is
inhibited.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method
of therapeutically treating a tumor in a mammal, wherein the growth
of said tumor is at least in part dependent upon the growth
potentiating effect(s) of a MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, wherein
the method comprises administering to the mammal a therapeutically
effective amount of an anti-MUC16 cysteine engineered antibody, or
antibody drug conjugate thereof, that binds to the
MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide, thereby antagonizing the growth
potentiating activity of said MUC16/CA125/O772P polypeptide and
resulting in the effective therapeutic treatment of the tumor.
The antibodies, antibody fragments, and conjugates thereof
recognize extracellular epitopes of plasma membrane MUC16 proteins
that are released into the extracellular fluid. The invention
further provides methods for the detection, monitoring and
treatment of malignancies such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer
using the antibodies, antibody fragments and conjugates.
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) of the present invention may be used
to treat various diseases or disorders, e.g. characterized by the
overexpression of a MUC16 tumor antigen. Exemplary conditions or
hyperproliferative disorders include benign or malignant tumors;
leukemia and lymphoid malignancies. Others include neuronal, glial,
astrocytal, hypothalamic, glandular, macrophagal, epithelial,
stromal, blastocoelic, inflammatory, angiogenic and immunologic,
including autoimmune, disorders.
The ADC compounds which are identified in the animal models and
cell-based assays can be further tested in tumor-bearing higher
primates and human clinical trials. The clinical trial may be
designed to evaluate the efficacy of an ADC in combinations with
known therapeutic regimens, such as radiation and/or chemotherapy
involving known chemotherapeutic and/or cytotoxic agents.
Generally, the disease or disorder to be treated is a
hyperproliferative disease such as cancer. Examples of cancer to be
treated herein include, but are not limited to, carcinoma,
lymphoma, blastoma, sarcoma, and leukemia or lymphoid malignancies.
More particular examples of such cancers include ovarian cancer,
squamous cell cancer (e.g. epithelial squamous cell cancer), lung
cancer including small-cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung
cancer, adenocarcinoma of the lung and squamous carcinoma of the
lung, cancer of the peritoneum, hepatocellular cancer, gastric or
stomach cancer including gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic
adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, cervical cancer, liver cancer,
bladder cancer, hepatoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, rectal
cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial or uterine carcinoma,
salivary gland carcinoma, kidney or renal cancer, prostate cancer,
vulval cancer, thyroid cancer, hepatic carcinoma, anal carcinoma,
penile carcinoma, as well as head and neck cancer.
For the prevention or treatment of disease, the appropriate dosage
of an ADC will depend on the type of disease to be treated, as
defined above, the severity and course of the disease, whether the
molecule is administered for preventive or therapeutic purposes,
previous therapy, the patient's clinical history and response to
the antibody, and the discretion of the attending physician. The
molecule is suitably administered to the patient at one time or
over a series of treatments. Depending on the type and severity of
the disease, about 1 .mu.g/kg to 15 mg/kg (e.g. 0.1-20 mg/kg) of
molecule is an initial candidate dosage for administration to the
patient, whether, for example, by one or more separate
administrations, or by continuous infusion. A typical daily dosage
might range from about 1 .mu.g/kg to 100 mg/kg or more, depending
on the factors mentioned above. An exemplary dosage of ADC to be
administered to a patient is in the range of about 0.1 to about 10
mg/kg of patient weight.
For repeated administrations over several days or longer, depending
on the condition, the treatment is sustained until a desired
suppression of disease symptoms occurs. An exemplary dosing regimen
comprises administering an initial loading dose of about 4 mg/kg,
followed by a weekly maintenance dose of about 2 mg/kg of an
anti-MUC16 antibody. Other dosage regimens may be useful. The
progress of this therapy is easily monitored by conventional
techniques and assays including ultrasound imaging.
Administration of Antibody-Drug Conjugates
The antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) of the invention may be
administered by any route appropriate to the condition to be
treated. The ADC will typically be administered parenterally, i.e.
infusion, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, intramuscular,
intravenous, intradermal, intrathecal and epidural.
Pharmaceutical Formulations
Pharmaceutical formulations of therapeutic antibody-drug conjugates
(ADC) of the invention are typically prepared for parenteral
administration, i.e. bolus, intravenous, intratumor injection with
a pharmaceutically acceptable parenteral vehicle and in a unit
dosage, sterile injectable form. An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
having the desired degree of purity is optionally mixed with
pharmaceutically acceptable diluents, carriers, excipients or
stabilizers (Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (1980) 16th
edition, Osol, A. Ed.), in the form of a lyophilized formulation or
an aqueous solution.
Acceptable diluents, carriers, excipients, and stabilizers are
nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed,
and include buffers such as phosphate, citrate, and other organic
acids; antioxidants including ascorbic acid and methionine;
preservatives (such as octadecyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride;
hexamethonium chloride; benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium
chloride; phenol, butyl or benzyl alcohol; alkyl parabens such as
methyl or propyl paraben; catechol; resorcinol; cyclohexanol;
3-pentanol; and m-cresol); low molecular weight (less than about 10
residues) polypeptides; proteins, such as serum albumin, gelatin,
or immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as
polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such as glycine, glutamine,
asparagine, histidine, arginine, or lysine; monosaccharides,
disaccharides, and other carbohydrates including glucose, mannose,
or dextrins; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugars such as sucrose,
mannitol, trehalose or sorbitol; salt-forming counter-ions such as
sodium; metal complexes (e.g. Zn-protein complexes); and/or
non-ionic surfactants such as TWEEN.TM., PLURONICS.TM. or
polyethylene glycol (PEG).
The active pharmaceutical ingredients may also be entrapped in
microcapsules prepared, for example, by coacervation techniques or
by interfacial polymerization, for example, hydroxymethylcellulose
or gelatin-microcapsules and poly-(methylmethacylate)
microcapsules, respectively, in colloidal drug delivery systems
(for example, liposomes, albumin microspheres, microemulsions,
nano-particles and nanocapsules) or in macroemulsions. Such
techniques are disclosed in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences
16th edition, Osol, A. Ed. (1980).
Sustained-release preparations may be prepared. Suitable examples
of sustained-release preparations include semi permeable matrices
of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the ADC, which matrices
are in the form of shaped articles, e.g. films, or microcapsules.
Examples of sustained-release matrices include polyesters,
hydrogels (for example, poly(2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate), or
poly(vinyl alcohol)), poly-lactides (U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,919),
copolymers of L-glutamic acid and gamma-ethyl-L-glutamate,
non-degradable ethylene-vinyl acetate, degradable lactic
acid-glycolic acid copolymers such as the LUPRON DEPOT.TM.
(injectable microspheres composed of lactic acid-glycolic acid
copolymer and leuprolide acetate), and poly-D-(-)-3-hydroxybutyric
acid.
The formulations include those suitable for the foregoing
administration routes. The formulations may conveniently be
presented in unit dosage form and may be prepared by any of the
methods well known in the art of pharmacy. Techniques and
formulations generally are found in Remington's Pharmaceutical
Sciences (Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa.). Such methods include
the step of bringing into association the active ingredient with
the carrier which constitutes one or more accessory ingredients. In
general the formulations are prepared by uniformly and intimately
bringing into association the active ingredient with liquid
carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, if
necessary, shaping the product.
Aqueous suspensions of the invention contain the active materials
in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of
aqueous suspensions. Such excipients include a suspending agent,
such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, croscarmellose, povidone,
methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcelluose, sodium alginate,
polyvinylpyrrolidone, gum tragacanth and gum acacia, and dispersing
or wetting agents such as a naturally occurring phosphatide (e.g.,
lecithin), a condensation product of an alkylene oxide with a fatty
acid (e.g., polyoxyethylene stearate), a condensation product of
ethylene oxide with a long chain aliphatic alcohol (e.g.,
heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol), a condensation product of ethylene
oxide with a partial ester derived from a fatty acid and a hexitol
anhydride (e.g., polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate). The aqueous
suspension may also contain one or more preservatives such as ethyl
or n-propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, one or more coloring agents, one or
more flavoring agents and one or more sweetening agents, such as
sucrose or saccharin.
The pharmaceutical compositions of ADC may be in the form of a
sterile injectable preparation, such as a sterile injectable
aqueous or oleaginous suspension. This suspension may be formulated
according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or
wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned
above. The sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile
injectable solution or suspension in a non-toxic parenterally
acceptable diluent or solvent, such as a solution in
1,3-butane-diol or prepared as a lyophilized powder. Among the
acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water,
Ringer's solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution. In
addition, sterile fixed oils may conventionally be employed as a
solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose any bland fixed oil
may be employed including synthetic mono- or diglycerides. In
addition, fatty acids such as oleic acid may likewise be used in
the preparation of injectables.
The amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the
carrier material to produce a single dosage form will vary
depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of
administration. For example, an aqueous solution intended for
intravenous infusion may contain from about 3 to 500 .mu.g of the
active ingredient per milliliter of solution in order that infusion
of a suitable volume at a rate of about 30 mL/hr can occur.
Formulations suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous
and non-aqueous sterile injection solutions which may contain
anti-oxidants, buffers, bacteriostats and solutes which render the
formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient; and
aqueous and non-aqueous sterile suspensions which may include
suspending agents and thickening agents.
Although oral administration of protein therapeutics are disfavored
due to hydrolysis or denaturation in the gut, formulations of ADC
suitable for oral administration may be prepared as discrete units
such as capsules, cachets or tablets each containing a
predetermined amount of the ADC.
The formulations may be packaged in unit-dose or multi-dose
containers, for example sealed ampoules and vials, and may be
stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the
addition of the sterile liquid carrier, for example water, for
injection immediately prior to use. Extemporaneous injection
solutions and suspensions are prepared from sterile powders,
granules and tablets of the kind previously described. Preferred
unit dosage formulations are those containing a daily dose or unit
daily sub-dose, as herein above recited, or an appropriate fraction
thereof, of the active ingredient.
The compositions of the invention may also be formulated as
liposomes; a small vesicle composed of various types of lipids,
phospholipids and/or surfactant which is useful for delivery of a
drug to a mammal. The components of the liposome are commonly
arranged in a bilayer formation, similar to the lipid arrangement
of biological membranes. Liposomes containing the antibody are
prepared by methods known in the art, such as described in Epstein
et al (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:3688; Hwang et al (1980)
Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 77:4030; U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,045; U.S.
Pat. No. 4,544,545; U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,556; WO 97/38731. Liposomes
can be generated by the reverse phase evaporation method with a
lipid composition comprising phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and
PEG-derivatized phosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-PE). Liposomes may be
extruded through filters of defined pore size to yield liposomes
with the desired diameter. Fab' fragments of the compositions of
the present invention can be conjugated to liposomes (Martin et al
(1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257:286-288), via a disulfide interchange
reaction. A chemotherapeutic agent is optionally contained within
the liposome (Gabizon et al (1989) J. National Cancer Inst.
81(19):1484.
Combination Therapy
An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) of the invention may be combined
in a pharmaceutical combination formulation, or dosing regimen as
combination therapy, with a second compound having anti-cancer
properties. The second compound of the pharmaceutical combination
formulation or dosing regimen preferably has complementary
activities to the ADC of the combination such that they do not
adversely affect each other.
The second compound may be a chemotherapeutic agent, cytotoxic
agent, cytokine, growth inhibitory agent, anti-hormonal agent,
and/or cardioprotectant. Such molecules are suitably present in
combination in amounts that are effective for the purpose intended.
A pharmaceutical composition containing an ADC of the invention may
also have a therapeutically effective amount of a chemotherapeutic
agent such as a tubulin-forming inhibitor, a topoisomerase
inhibitor, a DNA intercalator, or a DNA binder.
Other therapeutic regimens may be combined with the administration
of an anticancer agent identified in accordance with this
invention. The combination therapy may be administered as a
simultaneous or sequential regimen. When administered sequentially,
the combination may be administered in two or more administrations.
The combined administration includes coadministration, using
separate formulations or a single pharmaceutical formulation, and
consecutive administration in either order, wherein preferably
there is a time period while both (or all) active agents
simultaneously exert their biological activities.
In one embodiment, treatment with an ADC involves the combined
administration of a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody or
antibody-drug conjugate thereof, and one or more chemotherapeutic
agents, therapeutic biological, or growth inhibitory agents,
including coadministration of cocktails of different
chemotherapeutic agents. Chemotherapeutic agents include, but are
not limited to: taxanes (such as paclitaxel and docetaxel
(TAXOTERE.RTM.); platinum-containing compounds, such as
carboplatin; EGFR inhibitors such as erlotinib, and gefitinib;
tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib; and anthracycline
antibiotics (such as doxorubicin or doxil). Therapeutic biological
agents to be used in combination with a cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody or antibody-drug conjugate thereof include
bevacizumab (Avastin.RTM.) or pertuzumab (Omnitarg.TM., Genentech
Inc). Preparation and dosing schedules for such chemotherapeutic
agents may be used according to manufacturer's instructions or as
determined empirically by the skilled practitioner. Preparation and
dosing schedules for such chemotherapy are also described in
"Chemotherapy Service", (1992) Ed., M. C. Perry, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, Md.
The ADC may be combined with an anti-hormonal compound; e.g., an
anti-estrogen compound such as tamoxifen; an anti-progesterone such
as onapristone (EP 616812); or an anti-androgen such as flutamide,
in dosages known for such molecules. Where the cancer to be treated
is hormone independent cancer, the patient may previously have been
subjected to anti-hormonal therapy and, after the cancer becomes
hormone independent, the ADC (and optionally other agents as
described herein) may be administered to the patient. It may be
beneficial to also coadminister a cardioprotectant (to prevent or
reduce myocardial dysfunction associated with the therapy) or one
or more cytokines to the patient. In addition to the above
therapeutic regimes, the patient may be subjected to surgical
removal of cancer cells and/or radiation therapy.
Suitable dosages for any of the above coadministered agents are
those presently used and may be lowered due to the combined action
(synergy) of the newly identified agent and other chemotherapeutic
agents or treatments.
The combination therapy may provide "synergy" and prove
"synergistic", i.e. the effect achieved when the active ingredients
used together is greater than the sum of the effects that results
from using the compounds separately. A synergistic effect may be
attained when the active ingredients are: (1) co-formulated and
administered or delivered simultaneously in a combined, unit dosage
formulation; (2) delivered by alternation or in parallel as
separate formulations; or (3) by some other regimen. When delivered
in alternation therapy, a synergistic effect may be attained when
the compounds are administered or delivered sequentially, e.g. by
different injections in separate syringes. In general, during
alternation therapy, an effective dosage of each active ingredient
is administered sequentially, i.e. serially, whereas in combination
therapy, effective dosages of two or more active ingredients are
administered together.
Metabolites of the Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Also falling within the scope of this invention are the in vivo
metabolic products of the ADC compounds described herein, to the
extent such products are novel and unobvious over the prior art.
Such products may result for example from the oxidation, reduction,
hydrolysis, amidation, esterification, enzymatic cleavage, and the
like, of the administered compound. Accordingly, the invention
includes novel and unobvious compounds produced by a process
comprising contacting a compound of this invention with a mammal
for a period of time sufficient to yield a metabolic product
thereof.
Metabolite products typically are identified by preparing a
radiolabelled (e.g. .sup.14C or .sup.3H) ADC, administering it
parenterally in a detectable dose (e.g. greater than about 0.5
mg/kg) to an animal such as rat, mouse, guinea pig, monkey, or to
man, allowing sufficient time for metabolism to occur (typically
about 30 seconds to 30 hours) and isolating its conversion products
from the urine, blood or other biological samples. These products
are easily isolated since they are labeled (others are isolated by
the use of antibodies capable of binding epitopes surviving in the
metabolite). The metabolite structures are determined in
conventional fashion, e.g. by MS, LC/MS or NMR analysis. In
general, analysis of metabolites is done in the same way as
conventional drug metabolism studies well-known to those skilled in
the art. The conversion products, so long as they are not otherwise
found in vivo, are useful in diagnostic assays for therapeutic
dosing of the ADC compounds of the invention.
Articles of Manufacture
In another embodiment of the invention, an article of manufacture,
or "kit", containing materials useful for the treatment of the
disorders described above is provided. The article of manufacture
comprises a container and a label or package insert on or
associated with the container. The package insert may refer to
instructions customarily included in commercial packages of
therapeutic products and that contain information about the
indications, usage, dosage, administration, contraindications
and/or warnings concerning the use of such therapeutic products.
Suitable containers include, for example, bottles, vials, syringes,
blister pack, etc. The containers may be formed from a variety of
materials such as glass or plastic.
In one embodiment, the article of manufacture comprises a container
and a formulation of a cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody, or
antibody-drug conjugate thereof, contained within the container.
The article may further optionally comprise a label affixed to the
container, or a package insert included with the container, that
refers to the use of the composition of matter for the therapeutic
treatment or diagnostic detection of a tumor. The container holding
the formulation is effective for storing and delivering the
therapeutic and may have a sterile access port (for example the
container may be an intravenous solution bag or a vial having a
stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle). The label or
package insert indicates that the formulation is used for treating
the condition of choice, such as cancer. Alternatively, or
additionally, the article of manufacture may further comprise a
second (or third) container comprising a
pharmaceutically-acceptable buffer, such as bacteriostatic water
for injection (BWFI), phosphate-buffered saline, Ringer's solution
and dextrose solution. It may further include other materials
desirable from a commercial and user standpoint, including other
buffers, diluents, filters, needles, and syringes.
The following examples are offered for illustrative purposes only,
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in
any way.
All patent and literature references cited in the present
specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
EXAMPLES
Commercially available reagents referred to in the examples were
used according to manufacturer's instructions unless otherwise
indicated. The source of those cells identified in the following
examples, and throughout the specification, by ATCC accession
numbers is the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va.
Example 1
Preparation of Anti-MUC16 3A5 Antibodies
Humanized and chimeric 3A5 anti-Muc16 3A5 antibodies (FIGS. 3 and
4) were prepared according to WO 2007/001851, the sequences and
antibodies of which are incorporated by reference.
Light chain amino acids are numbered according to Kabat (Kabat et
al., Sequences of proteins of immunological interest, (1991) 5th
Ed., US Dept of Health and Human Service, National Institutes of
Health, Bethesda, Md.). Heavy chain amino acids are numbered
according to the Eu numbering system (Edelman et al (1969) Proc.
Natl. Acad of Sciences 63(1):78-85), except where noted as the
Kabat system. Single letter amino acid abbreviations are used.
Humanized (thio hu) and chimeric (thio ch) cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 3A5 monoclonal antibodies as A117C variants were
expressed and purified, including the two embodiments:
thio hu anti-MUC16 HC A117C 3A5: MW=144834.84; pI=8.28; pI(oxidized
C)=8.79; Length=1320; Ext. Coef. (280)=1.61. Heavy Chain 446 aa;
MW: 48952.23, pI: 8.55, pI(oxidized c): 9.12, Ext. Coeff. (280):
1.70; Potential Signal Sequence (MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHS, SEQ ID NO:41)
trimmed off prior to calculations. Length=19; dna start position:
987, dna stop position: 2324, FIG. 1, SEQ ID NO:1. Light Chain 214
aa; MW: 23483.20, pI: 6.71, pI(oxidized c): 6.72, Ext. Coeff (280):
1.43; Potential Signal Sequence (MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHS, SEQ ID NO:41)
trimmed off prior to calculations. Length=19; dna start position:
7103, dna stop position: 7744, FIG. 1, SEQ ID NO:2
thio ch anti-MUC16 HC A117C: MW=145118.9; pI=7.99; pI(oxidized
C)=8.44; Length=1320; Ext. Coef. (280)=1.59. Heavy Chain 446 aa;
MW: 49236.50, pI: 8.29, pI(oxidized c): 8.85, Ext. Coeff (280):
1.66; Potential Signal Sequence (MGWSCIILFLVATATGAYA, SEQ ID NO:42)
trimmed off prior to calculations. Length=19; dna start position:
987, dna stop position: 2324, FIG. 2, SEQ ID NO:3. Light Chain 214
aa; MW: 23340.96, pI: 6.71, pI(oxidized c): 6.72, Ext. Coeff (280):
1.44; Potential Signal Sequence (MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHS, SEQ ID NO:41)
trimmed off prior to calculations. Length=19; dna start position:
7103, dna stop position: 7744. FIG. 2, SEQ ID NO:4
Example 2
Preparation of Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies for
Conjugation by Reduction and Reoxidation
Full length, cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 monoclonal antibodies
(ThioMabs) expressed in CHO cells bear cysteine adducts (cystines)
or glutathionylated on the engineered cysteines due to cell culture
conditions. To liberate the reactive thiol groups of the engineered
cysteines, the ThioMabs are dissolved in 500 nM sodium borate and
500 mM sodium chloride at about pH 8.0 and reduced with about a
50-100 fold excess of 1 mM TCEP (tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine
hydrochloride; Getz et al (1999) Anal. Biochem. Vol 273:73-80;
Soltec Ventures, Beverly, Mass.) for about 1-2 hrs at 37.degree. C.
Alternatively, DTT can be used as reducing agent. The formation of
inter-chain disulfide bonds was monitored either by non-reducing
SDS-PAGE or by denaturing reverse phase HPLC PLRP column
chromatography. The reduced ThioMab (FIG. 6a) is diluted and loaded
onto a HiTrap S column in 10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5, and eluted
with PBS containing 0.3M sodium chloride. The eluted reduced
ThioMab is treated with 2 mM dehydroascorbic acid (dhAA) at pH 7
for 3 hours, or 2 mM aqueous copper sulfate (CuSO.sub.4) at room
temperature overnight. Ambient air oxidation may also be effective.
The buffer is exchanged by elution over Sephadex G25 resin and
eluted with PBS with 1 mM DTPA. The thiol/Ab value is checked by
determining the reduced antibody concentration from the absorbance
at 280 nm of the solution and the thiol concentration by reaction
with DTNB (Aldrich, Milwaukee, Wis.) and determination of the
absorbance at 412 mn.
Theoretical masses for the three major glycoforms of the standard
3A5 antibody are: 147407, 147568 and 147731 Da. Observed masses in
the deconvoluted mass spectrum of standard 3A5 antibody were
147410, 147569 and 147734 Da., in excellent agreement with the
expected theoretical masses. Theoretical masses are 147469, 147631
and 147793 Da. for the three major glycoforms of the thio 3A5
antibody. Observed masses (heterogeneous and poorly resolved) of
the thio-3A5 antibody in the deconvoluted mass spectrum were
approximately 147774, 147904 and 148061. The heterogeneity is due
to the presence of a mixture of capping groups (usually cysteine or
glutathionine) on the two newly introduced cysteines.
Liquid chromatography/Mass Spectrometric Analysis was performed on
a TSQ Quantum Triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with extended
mass range (Thermo Electron, San Jose Calif.). Samples were
chromatographed on a PRLP-S, 1000 A, microbore column (50
mm.times.2.1 mm, Polymer Laboratories, Shropshire, UK) heated to
75.degree. C. A linear gradient from 30-40% B (solvent A: 0.05% TFA
in water, solvent B: 0.04% TFA in acetonitrile) was used and the
eluant was directly ionized using the electrospray source. Data
were collected by the Xcalibur data system and deconvolution was
performed using ProMass (Novatia, LLC, New Jersey). Prior to LC/MS
analysis, antibodies or drug conjugates (50 .mu.g) were treated
with PNGase F (2 units/ml; PROzyme, San Leandro, Calif.) for 2
hours at 37.degree. C. to remove N-linked carbohydrates.
Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC) samples were injected
onto a Butyl HIC NPR column (2.5 .mu.m, 4.6 mm.times.3.5 cm) (Tosoh
Bioscience) and eluted with a linear gradient from 0 to 70% B at
0.8 ml/min (A: 1.5 M ammonium sulfate in 50 mM potassium phosphate,
pH 7, B: 50 mM potassium phosphate pH 7, 20% isopropanol). An
Agilent 1100 series HPLC system equipped with a multi wavelength
detector and Chemstation software was used to resolve and
quantitate antibody species with different ratios of drugs per
antibody.
Example 3
Conjugation of Cysteine Engineered Anti-MUC16 Antibodies and
Drug-Linker Intermediates
After the reduction and reoxidation procedures of Example 2, the
cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody is dissolved in PBS
(phosphate buffered saline) buffer and chilled on ice. About 1.5
molar equivalents relative to engineered cysteines per antibody of
an auristatin drug linker intermediate, such as MC-MMAE
(maleimidocaproyl-monomethyl auristatin E), MC-MMAF,
MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAE, or MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAF, with a thiol-reactive
functional group such as maleimido, is dissolved in DMSO, diluted
in acetonitrile and water, and added to the chilled reduced,
reoxidized antibody in PBS. After about one hour, an excess of
maleimide is added to quench the reaction and cap any unreacted
antibody thiol groups. The reaction mixture is concentrated by
centrifugal ultrafiltration and the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16
antibody drug conjugate is purified and desalted by elution through
G25 resin in PBS, filtered through 0.2 .mu.m filters under sterile
conditions, and frozen for storage.
By the procedure above, the following cysteine engineered
anti-MUC16 antibody drug conjugates were prepared:
thio hu 3A5-MC-MMAF by conjugation of A117C thio hu 3A5 and
MC-MMAF;
thio hu 3A5-MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAE by conjugation of A117C thio hu 3A5
and MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAE;
thio ch 3A5-MC-MMAF by conjugation of A117C thio ch 3A5 and
MC-MMAF; and
thio ch 3A5-MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAE by conjugation of A117C thio ch 3A5
and MC-val-cit-PAB-MMAE.
Example 4
In vitro Cell Proliferation Assay
The in vitro potency of antibody-drug conjugates was measured by a
cell proliferation assay (FIGS. 10 and 11). The CellTiter-Glo.RTM.
Luminescent Cell Viability Assay is a commercially available
(Promega Corp., Madison, Wis.), homogeneous assay method based on
the recombinant expression of Coleoptera luciferase (U.S. Pat. No.
5,583,024; U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,713; U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,670). This
cell proliferation assay determines the number of viable cells in
culture based on quantitation of the ATP present, an indicator of
metabolically active cells (Crouch et al (1993) J. Immunol. Meth.
160:81-88; U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,677). The CellTiter-Glo.RTM. Assay
was conducted in 96 well format, making it amenable to automated
high-throughput screening (HTS) (Cree et al (1995) AntiCancer Drugs
6:398-404). The homogeneous assay procedure involves adding the
single reagent (CellTiter-Glo.RTM. Reagent) directly to cells
cultured in serum-supplemented medium.
The homogeneous "add-mix-measure" format results in cell lysis and
generation of a luminescent signal proportional to the amount of
ATP present. The substrate, Beetle Luciferin, is oxidatively
decarboxylated by recombinant firefly luciferase with concomitant
conversion of ATP to AMP and generation of photons. Viable cells
are reflected in relative luminescence units (RLU). Data can be
recorded by luminometer or CCD camera imaging device. The
luminescence output is presented as RLU, measured over time.
Alternatively, photons from luminescence can be counted in a
scintillation counter in the presence of a scintillant. The light
units can be represented then as CPS--counts per second.
Efficacy of ADC were measured by a cell proliferation assay
employing the following protocol, adapted from CellTiter Glo
Luminescent Cell Viability Assay, Promega Corp. Technical Bulletin
TB288 and Mendoza et al (2002) Cancer Res. 62:5485-5488:
1. An aliquot of 50 .mu.l of cell culture containing about 1000
(PC3) or 3000 (OVCAR-3) cells: (1) a MUC16 polypeptide-expressing
cell line OVCAR-3; (2) a PC3-derived cell line engineered to stably
express MUC16 polypeptide on its cell surface (PC3/MUC16); and (3)
a PC3 cell line that does not express MUC16 polypeptide (PC3/neo)
in medium was deposited in each well of a 96-well, opaque-walled
plate.
2. ADC (50 ml) was added to triplicate experimental wells to final
concentration of 9000, 3000, 1000, 333, 111, 37, 12.4, 4.1, or 1.4
ng/mL, with "no ADC" control wells receiving medium alone, and
incubated for 3 (PC3) or 5 (OVCAR-3) days.
3. The plates were equilibrated to room temperature for
approximately 30 minutes.
4. CellTiter-Glo Reagent (100 ml) was added.
5. The contents were mixed for 2 minutes on an orbital shaker to
induce cell lysis.
6. The plate was incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes to
stabilize the luminescence signal.
7. Luminescence was recorded and reported in graphs as RLU=relative
luminescence units. Data from cells incubated with ADC-free medium
were plotted at 0.46 ng/ml.
Media: PC3/neo and PC3/MUC16 grow in DMEM+Ham's F012/10%
FBS/glutamine/250 .mu.g/mL G-418 OVCAR-3 grow in RPMI/20%
FBS/glutamine
Example 5
Pharmacokinetics--Serum Clearance and Stability
The disposition of the anti-MUC16 antibody-drug conjugates in vivo
was analyzed by measuring the serum concentrations of antibody and
of drug conjugate after a single intravenous bolus dose into
Sprague-Dawley rats. Concentrations of antibody-drug conjugates
bearing at least one cytotoxic drug were measured with an ELISA
that used a MUC16 extracellular domain (ECD) protein for the
capture and anti-MMAE and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugated
antimouse Fc antibody for detection. Total Ch3A5 and ThioCh3A5
concentrations in serum were measured with an ELISA that used MUC16
ECD for capture and anti-human-Fc HRP for detection. This assay
measured any anti-MUC16 antibody, both with and without conjugated
MMAE. The assays have lower limits of quantitation of 0.78 ng/mL
with a minimum dilution of 1:10. The assays have lower limits of
quantitation of 0.78 ng/mL with a minimum dilution of 1:10. The
serum concentration-time data from each animal was analyzed using a
two-compartment model with IV bolus input, first-order elimination,
and macro-rate constants (Model 8, WinNonlin Pro v.5.0.1, Pharsight
Corporation, Mountain View, Calif.).
TABLE-US-00007 CL (mL/day/kg) T.sub.1/2 .beta. (days) ADC Total
antibody 16.1 .+-. 3.5 10.3 .+-. 2.1 Drug-conjugated antibody 41.6
.+-. 4.8 6.0 .+-. 0.9 TDC Total antibody 9.5 .+-. 2.9 7.9 .+-. 2.1
Drug-conjugated antibody 14.1 .+-. 3.0 5.5 .+-. 1.0
Example 6
Animal Toxicity
A 12 day acute toxicity study in adolescent female rats (100-125
gms) was conducted by a single injection of: standard ch
3A5-VC-MMAE (24.19 mg/kg=1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2), thio ch3A5-VC-MMAE
(49.99 mg/kg=1934 .mu.g/m.sup.2), and a control Vehicle at day 1.
Injection of test article was as an intravenous bolus. Body weight
was measured daily. Clinical chemistry, serum enzymes and
hematology analysis was conducted on days 5 and 12. Toxicity
signals included the clinical observation of weight loss.
Higher doses of the thio ADC were required to reduce neutrophil
counts in cynomolgus monkeys. In two separate studies, female
Chinese cynomolgus monkeys were dosed on days 1 and 22 with:
standard humanized anti-MUC16 ADC (5.9 mg/kg IgG=1200 .mu.g/m.sup.2
MMAE); thio ADC at 12.8 mg/kg IgG (1200 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE); thio
ADC at 25.6 mg/kg IgG (2400 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE); or thio ADC at
38.4 mg/kg IgG (3600 .mu.g/m.sup.2 MMAE). Blood was drawn for
hematology and serum chemistry days 8, 22, 32, and 43 (day 22
values are from before the second dose). Average circulating
neutrophil counts were normalized to the average counts from
vehicle-treated monkeys at the given time point of the same study.
The nadir in neutrophil levels occurred approximately one week
after dosing, followed by a recovery to normal levels within three
weeks.
Example 7
Tumor Growth Inhibition, in Vivo Efficacy Mouse Model
Efficacy studies were performed using female C.B-17 SCID beige mice
(Charles River Laboratories). All studies were conducted in
accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, "Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals", (NIH Publication #85-23).
Washington (D.C.): National Academy Press; 1996.). The OVCAR-3
mammary fat pad transplant efficacy model was employed as described
(Chen et al. (2007) Cancer Res 67:4924-4932), evaluating tumor
volume after a single intravenous dose.
The OVCAR-3 mammary fat pad transplant model was developed using
tumors excised from a mouse bearing an intraperitoneal tumor, then
serially passaged into the mammary fat pads of recipient mice. When
tumors reached a volume of .about.150-200 mm.sup.3, mice were
separated into five groups of ten and dosed as described. Tumor
volume was measured using calipers according to the formula: V
(mm.sup.3)=0.5A.times.B.sup.2, where A and B are the long and short
diameters, respectively. Mice were euthanized before tumor volume
reached 3000 mm.sup.3 or when tumors showed signs of impending
ulceration. Data collected from each experimental group were
expressed as mean.+-.SE.
To test the efficacy of the cysteine engineered anti-MUC16 antibody
drug conjugates in vivo, 2.times.10.sup.7 OVCAR-3 cells per SCID
mouse (110 mice total) were inoculated once into the mammary fat
pad and allowed to grow for 14-21 days post-injection. When tumor
volumes reached 150-200 mm.sup.3 (typically Day 14 to Day 21 after
inoculation), the mice were segregated into 8 different groups of
9-10 mice per group and the tumor volume was determined in each
mouse, as follows:
TABLE-US-00008 Group Sample dose A Vehicle (PBS) B ADC buffer C std
ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 1.5 mg/kg D std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 3.0
mg/kg E std ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 6.0 mg/kg F thio ch
3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 1.5 mg/kg G thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 3.0 mg/kg
H thio ch 3A5-MC-vc-PAB-MMAE 6.0 mg/kg
Example 8
Flow Cytometry and in Vitro Studies
OVCAR-3 cells (30,000 cells per sample) were incubated on ice with
humanized standard or thio anti-MUC16 MAb for 75 minutes in 1 mL
total volume. Antibodies were applied at 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400
ng/mL in PBS+1% FBS+2 mM EDTA. After this incubation, cells were
washed and then incubated with phycoerythrein-labeled goat
anti-human Fc secondary antibody (one hour on ice). Cells were then
washed and analyzed by flow cytometry. 3.times.10.sup.4 OVCAR-3
cells express approximately 1.times.10.sup.10 binding sites for
anti-MUC16 antibody 3A5. Even the lowest antibody concentration
tested (25 ng or approximately 1.times.10.sup.11 antibodies)
provides a molar excess of antibodies over binding sites.
Therefore, the concentration at which binding is reduced (as
detected by flow cytometry) reflect the affinity of the antibody
for MUC16. Binding affinities of anti-MUC16 variants were
determined by surface plasmon resonance and by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assays (ELISA) using conventional procedures.
SEQUENCE LISTINGS
1
421446PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 1Glu Val Gln Leu
Val Glu Ser Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln Pro Gly 1 5 10 15Gly Ser Leu
Arg Leu Ser Cys Ala Ala Ser Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr 20 25 30Asn Asp Tyr
Ala Trp Asn Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys Gly 35 40 45Leu Glu Trp
Val Gly Tyr Ile Ser Tyr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Thr Tyr 50 55 60Asn Pro Ser
Leu Lys Ser Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp Thr Ser 65 70 75Lys Asn Thr
Leu Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Ser Leu Arg Ala Glu Asp 80 85 90Thr Ala Val
Tyr Tyr Cys Ala Arg Trp Thr Ser Gly Leu Asp Tyr 95 100 105Trp Gly
Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser Cys Ser Thr Lys 110 115 120Gly
Pro Ser Val Phe Pro Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser Lys Ser Thr Ser 125 130
135Gly Gly Thr Ala Ala Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys Asp Tyr Phe Pro 140
145 150Glu Pro Val Thr Val Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala Leu Thr Ser Gly
155 160 165Val His Thr Phe Pro Ala Val Leu Gln Ser Ser Gly Leu Tyr
Ser 170 175 180Leu Ser Ser Val Val Thr Val Pro Ser Ser Ser Leu Gly
Thr Gln 185 190 195Thr Tyr Ile Cys Asn Val Asn His Lys Pro Ser Asn
Thr Lys Val 200 205 210Asp Lys Lys Val Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp Lys
Thr His Thr Cys 215 220 225Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly
Gly Pro Ser Val Phe 230 235 240Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr
Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr 245 250 255Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val
Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro 260 265 270Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr
Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn 275 280 285Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg
Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg 290 295 300Val Val Ser Val Leu
Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly 305 310 315Lys Glu Tyr Lys
Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro 320 325 330Ile Glu Lys
Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro 335 340 345Gln Val
Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Glu Glu Met Thr Lys Asn 350 355 360Gln
Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp 365 370
375Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr 380
385 390Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu
395 400 405Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly
Asn 410 415 420Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn
His Tyr 425 430 435Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 440
445 2214PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 2Asp Ile Gln
Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val 1 5 10 15Gly Asp
Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Lys Ala Ser Asp Leu Ile His 20 25 30Asn Trp
Leu Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys 35 40 45Leu Leu
Ile Tyr Gly Ala Thr Ser Leu Glu Thr Gly Val Pro Ser 50 55 60Arg Phe
Ser Gly Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile 65 70 75Ser Ser
Leu Gln Pro Glu Asp Phe Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln 80 85 90Tyr Trp
Thr Thr Pro Phe Thr Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu 95 100 105Ile
Lys Arg Thr Val Ala Ala Pro Ser Val Phe Ile Phe Pro Pro 110 115
120Ser Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys Ser Gly Thr Ala Ser Val Val Cys Leu 125
130 135Leu Asn Asn Phe Tyr Pro Arg Glu Ala Lys Val Gln Trp Lys Val
140 145 150Asp Asn Ala Leu Gln Ser Gly Asn Ser Gln Glu Ser Val Thr
Glu 155 160 165Gln Asp Ser Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr Ser Leu Ser Ser Thr
Leu Thr 170 175 180Leu Ser Lys Ala Asp Tyr Glu Lys His Lys Val Tyr
Ala Cys Glu 185 190 195Val Thr His Gln Gly Leu Ser Ser Pro Val Thr
Lys Ser Phe Asn 200 205 210Arg Gly Glu Cys3446PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 3Asp Val Gln Leu Gln Glu Ser Gly Pro
Gly Leu Val Asn Pro Ser 1 5 10 15Gln Ser Leu Ser Leu Thr Cys Thr
Val Thr Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr 20 25 30Asn Asp Tyr Ala Trp Asn Trp Ile
Arg Gln Phe Pro Gly Asn Lys 35 40 45Leu Glu Trp Met Gly Tyr Ile Asn
Tyr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Thr Tyr 50 55 60Asn Pro Ser Leu Lys Ser Arg Ile
Ser Ile Thr Arg Asp Thr Ser 65 70 75Lys Asn Gln Phe Phe Leu His Leu
Asn Ser Val Thr Thr Glu Asp 80 85 90Thr Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Ala Arg
Trp Asp Gly Gly Leu Thr Tyr 95 100 105Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val
Thr Val Ser Ala Cys Ser Thr Lys 110 115 120Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Pro
Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser Lys Ser Thr Ser 125 130 135Gly Gly Thr Ala Ala
Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys Asp Tyr Phe Pro 140 145 150Glu Pro Val Thr
Val Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala Leu Thr Ser Gly 155 160 165Val His Thr
Phe Pro Ala Val Leu Gln Ser Ser Gly Leu Tyr Ser 170 175 180Leu Ser
Ser Val Val Thr Val Pro Ser Ser Ser Leu Gly Thr Gln 185 190 195Thr
Tyr Ile Cys Asn Val Asn His Lys Pro Ser Asn Thr Lys Val 200 205
210Asp Lys Lys Val Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys 215
220 225Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe
230 235 240Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg
Thr 245 250 255Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu
Asp Pro 260 265 270Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu
Val His Asn 275 280 285Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn
Ser Thr Tyr Arg 290 295 300Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln
Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly 305 310 315Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn
Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro 320 325 330Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala
Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro 335 340 345Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro
Ser Arg Glu Glu Met Thr Lys Asn 350 355 360Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys
Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp 365 370 375Ile Ala Val Glu Trp
Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr 380 385 390Lys Thr Thr Pro
Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu 395 400 405Tyr Ser Lys
Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn 410 415 420Val Phe
Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr 425 430 435Thr
Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 440 445 4214PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 4Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Ser Ser
Phe Leu Ser Val Ser Leu 1 5 10 15Gly Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys
Lys Ala Ser Asp Leu Ile His 20 25 30Asn Trp Leu Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln
Lys Pro Gly Asn Ala Pro Arg 35 40 45Leu Leu Ile Ser Gly Ala Thr Ser
Leu Glu Thr Gly Val Pro Ser 50 55 60Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly Ser Gly
Asn Asp Tyr Thr Leu Ser Ile 65 70 75Ala Ser Leu Gln Thr Glu Asp Ala
Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln 80 85 90Tyr Trp Thr Thr Pro Phe Thr Phe
Gly Ser Gly Thr Lys Val Glu 95 100 105Ile Lys Arg Thr Val Ala Ala
Pro Ser Val Phe Ile Phe Pro Pro 110 115 120Ser Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys
Ser Gly Thr Ala Ser Val Val Cys Leu 125 130 135Leu Asn Asn Phe Tyr
Pro Arg Glu Ala Lys Val Gln Trp Lys Val 140 145 150Asp Asn Ala Leu
Gln Ser Gly Asn Ser Gln Glu Ser Val Thr Glu 155 160 165Gln Asp Ser
Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr Ser Leu Ser Ser Thr Leu Thr 170 175 180Leu Ser
Lys Ala Asp Tyr Glu Lys His Lys Val Tyr Ala Cys Glu 185 190 195Val
Thr His Gln Gly Leu Ser Ser Pro Val Thr Lys Ser Phe Asn 200 205
210Arg Gly Glu Cys5214PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
5Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val 1 5 10
15Gly Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Gly Arg Ala Ser Gln Asp Val Asn 20 25
30Thr Ala Val Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys 35 40
45Leu Leu Ile Tyr Ser Ala Ser Phe Leu Tyr Ser Gly Val Pro Ser 50 55
60Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Arg Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile 65 70
75Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro Glu Asp Phe Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln 80 85
90His Tyr Thr Thr Pro Pro Thr Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu 95
100 105Ile Lys Arg Thr Val Ala Ala Pro Ser Val Phe Ile Phe Pro Pro
110 115 120Ser Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys Ser Gly Thr Ala Ser Val Val Cys
Leu 125 130 135Leu Asn Asn Phe Tyr Pro Arg Glu Ala Lys Val Gln Trp
Lys Val 140 145 150Asp Asn Ala Leu Gln Ser Gly Asn Ser Gln Glu Ser
Val Thr Glu 155 160 165Gln Asp Ser Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr Ser Leu Ser
Ser Thr Leu Thr 170 175 180Leu Ser Lys Ala Asp Tyr Glu Lys His Lys
Val Tyr Ala Cys Glu 185 190 195Val Thr His Gln Gly Leu Ser Ser Pro
Val Thr Lys Ser Phe Asn 200 205 210Arg Gly Glu Cys6450PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 6Glu Val Gln Leu Val Glu Ser Gly Gly
Gly Leu Val Gln Pro Gly 1 5 10 15Gly Ser Leu Arg Leu Ser Cys Ala
Ala Ser Gly Phe Asn Ile Lys 20 25 30Asp Thr Tyr Ile His Trp Val His
Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys Gly Leu 35 40 45Glu Trp Val Ala Arg Ile Tyr Pro
Thr Asn Gly Tyr Thr Arg Tyr 50 55 60Ala Asp Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe
Thr Ile Ser Ala Asp Thr Ser 65 70 75Lys Asn Thr Ala Tyr Leu Gln Met
Asn Ser Leu Arg Ala Glu Asp 80 85 90Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys Ser Arg
Trp Gly Gly Asp Gly Phe Tyr 95 100 105Ala Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly Gln
Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 110 115 120Ala Ser Thr Lys Gly Pro
Ser Val Phe Pro Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser 125 130 135Lys Ser Thr Ser Gly
Gly Thr Ala Ala Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys 140 145 150Asp Tyr Phe Pro
Glu Pro Val Thr Val Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala 155 160 165Leu Thr Ser
Gly Val His Thr Phe Pro Ala Val Leu Gln Ser Ser 170 175 180Gly Leu
Tyr Ser Leu Ser Ser Val Val Thr Val Pro Ser Ser Ser 185 190 195Leu
Gly Thr Gln Thr Tyr Ile Gly Asn Val Asn His Lys Pro Ser 200 205
210Asn Thr Lys Val Asp Lys Lys Val Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp Lys 215
220 225Thr His Thr Gly Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly
230 235 240Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu
Met 245 250 255Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp
Val Ser 260 265 270His Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val
Asp Gly Val 275 280 285Glu Val His Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu
Glu Gln Tyr Asn 290 295 300Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr
Val Leu His Gln Asp 305 310 315Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys
Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala 320 325 330Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr
Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln 335 340 345Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr
Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Glu Glu 350 355 360Met Thr Lys Asn Gln Val
Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe 365 370 375Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile
Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro 380 385 390Glu Asn Asn Tyr
Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly 395 400 405Ser Phe Phe
Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp 410 415 420Gln Gln
Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu 425 430 435His
Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 440 445
4507446PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 7Glu Val Gln
Leu Val Glu Ser Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln Pro Gly 1 5 10 15Gly Ser
Leu Arg Leu Ser Cys Ala Ala Ser Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr 20 25 30Asn Asp
Tyr Ala Trp Asn Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys Gly 35 40 45Leu Glu
Trp Val Gly Tyr Ile Ser Tyr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Thr Tyr 50 55 60Asn Pro
Ser Ile Lys Ser Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp Thr Ser 65 70 75Lys Asn
Thr Leu Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Ser Leu Arg Ala Glu Asp 80 85 90Thr Ala
Val Tyr Tyr Cys Ala Arg Trp Thr Ser Gly Leu Asp Tyr 95 100 105Trp
Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser Ala Ser Thr Lys 110 115
120Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Pro Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser Lys Ser Thr Ser 125
130 135Gly Gly Thr Ala Ala Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys Asp Tyr Phe Pro
140 145 150Glu Pro Val Thr Val Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala Leu Thr Ser
Gly 155 160 165Val His Thr Phe Pro Ala Val Leu Gln Ser Ser Gly Leu
Tyr Ser 170 175 180Leu Ser Ser Val Val Thr Val Pro Ser Ser Ser Leu
Gly Thr Gln 185 190 195Thr Tyr Ile Cys Asn Val Asn His Lys Pro Ser
Asn Thr Lys Val 200 205 210Asp Lys Lys Val Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp
Lys Thr His Thr Cys 215 220 225Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu
Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe 230 235 240Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp
Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr 245 250 255Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val
Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro 260 265 270Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp
Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn 275 280 285Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro
Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Ala
290 295 300Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn
Gly 305 310 315Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro
Ala Pro 320 325 330Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro
Arg Glu Pro 335 340 345Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Glu Glu
Met Thr Lys Asn 350 355 360Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly
Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp 365 370 375Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly
Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr 380 385 390Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp
Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu 395 400 405Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp
Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn 410 415 420Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val
Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr 425 430 435Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu
Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 440 445 8446PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 8Asp Val Gln Leu Gln Glu Ser Gly Pro
Gly Leu Val Asn Pro Ser 1 5 10 15Gln Ser Leu Ser Leu Thr Cys Thr
Val Thr Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr 20 25 30Asn Asp Tyr Ala Trp Asn Trp Ile
Arg Gln Phe Pro Gly Asn Lys 35 40 45Leu Glu Trp Met Gly Tyr Ile Asn
Tyr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Thr Tyr 50 55 60Asn Pro Ser Leu Lys Ser Arg Ile
Ser Ile Thr Arg Asp Thr Ser 65 70 75Lys Asn Gln Phe Phe Leu His Leu
Asn Ser Val Thr Thr Glu Asp 80 85 90Thr Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Ala Arg
Trp Asp Gly Gly Leu Thr Tyr 95 100 105Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val
Thr Val Ser Ala Ala Ser Thr Lys 110 115 120Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Pro
Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser Lys Ser Thr Ser 125 130 135Gly Gly Thr Ala Ala
Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys Asp Tyr Phe Pro 140 145 150Glu Pro Val Thr
Val Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala Leu Thr Ser Gly 155 160 165Val His Thr
Phe Pro Ala Val Leu Gln Ser Ser Gly Leu Tyr Ser 170 175 180Leu Ser
Ser Val Val Thr Val Pro Ser Ser Ser Leu Gly Thr Gln 185 190 195Thr
Tyr Ile Cys Asn Val Asn His Lys Pro Ser Asn Thr Lys Val 200 205
210Asp Lys Lys Val Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys 215
220 225Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe
230 235 240Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg
Thr 245 250 255Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu
Asp Pro 260 265 270Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu
Val His Asn 275 280 285Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn
Ser Thr Tyr Arg 290 295 300Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln
Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly 305 310 315Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn
Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro 320 325 330Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala
Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro 335 340 345Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro
Ser Arg Glu Glu Met Thr Lys Asn 350 355 360Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys
Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp 365 370 375Ile Ala Val Glu Trp
Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr 380 385 390Lys Thr Thr Pro
Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu 395 400 405Tyr Ser Lys
Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn 410 415 420Val Phe
Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr 425 430 435Thr
Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 440 445 910PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 9Glu Val Gln Leu Cys Glu Ser Gly Gly
Gly 5 101011PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 10Leu Arg
Leu Ser Cys Cys Ala Ser Gly Tyr Ser 5 10 1111PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 11Met Asn Ser Leu Arg Cys Glu Asp
Thr Ala Val 5 10 1211PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
12Thr Leu Val Thr Val Cys Ser Ala Ser Thr Lys 5 10
1311PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 13Val Thr Val Ser
Ser Cys Ser Thr Lys Gly Pro 5 10 1411PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 14Val Ser Ala Ala Ser Cys Lys Gly
Pro Ser Val 5 10 1511PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
15Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Cys Glu Val His Asn Ala 5 10
1611PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 16Lys Gly Phe Val
Pro Cys Asp Ile Ala Val Glu 5 10 1711PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 17Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Cys Gly Asp
Ser Phe Phe 5 10 1810PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
18Asp Val Gln Leu Cys Glu Ser Gly Pro Gly 5 101911PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 19Leu Ser Leu Thr Cys Cys Val Thr
Gly Tyr Ser 5 10 2011PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
20Leu Asn Ser Val Thr Cys Glu Asp Thr Ala Thr 5 10
2111PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 21Thr Leu Val Thr
Val Cys Ser Ala Ser Thr Lys 5 10 2211PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 22Val Thr Val Ser Ser Cys Ser Thr
Lys Gly Pro 5 10 2311PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
23Val Ser Ala Ala Ser Cys Lys Gly Pro Ser Val 5 10
2411PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 24Trp Tyr Val Asp
Gly Cys Glu Val His Asn Ala 5 10 2511PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 25Lys Gly Phe Val Pro Cys Asp Ile
Ala Val Glu 5 10 2611PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
26Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Cys Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe 5 10
2711PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 27Ser Leu Ser Ala
Ser Cys Gly Asp Arg Val Thr 5 10 2811PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 28Glu Ile Lys Arg Thr Cys Ala Ala
Pro Ser Val 5 10 2911PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
29Thr Val Ala Ala Pro Cys Val Phe Ile Phe Pro 5 10
3011PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 30Phe Ile Phe Pro
Pro Cys Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys 5 10 3111PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 31Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys Cys Gly Thr
Ala Ser Val 5 10 3211PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
32Val Thr Glu Gln Asp Cys Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr 5 10
3311PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 33Gly Leu Ser Ser
Pro Cys Thr Lys Ser Phe Asn 5 10 3411PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 34Phe Leu Ser Val Ser Cys Gly Gly
Arg Val Thr 5 10 3511PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
35Glu Ile Lys Arg Thr Cys Ala Ala Pro Ser Val 5 10
3611PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 36Thr Val Ala Ala
Pro Cys Val Phe Ile Phe Pro 5 10 3711PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 37Phe Ile Phe Pro Pro Cys Asp Glu
Gln Leu Lys 5 10 3811PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
38Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys Cys Gly Thr Ala Ser Val 5 10
3911PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized 39Val Thr Glu Gln
Asp Cys Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr 5 10 4011PRTArtificial
sequencechemically synthesized 40Gly Leu Ser Ser Pro Cys Thr Lys
Ser Phe Asn 5 10 4119PRTArtificial sequencechemically synthesized
41Met Gly Trp Ser Cys Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala Thr Ala Thr 1 5
10 15Gly Val His Ser4219PRTArtificial sequencechemically
synthesized 42Met Gly Trp Ser Cys Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala Thr
Ala Thr 1 5 10 15Gly Ala Tyr Ala
* * * * *
References