Increasing serum half-life and extending cholesterol lowering in vivo by engineering antibody with pH-sensitive binding to PCSK9

J Biol Chem. 2012 Mar 30;287(14):11090-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.319764. Epub 2012 Jan 31.

Abstract

Target-mediated clearance and high antigen load can hamper the efficacy and dosage of many antibodies. We show for the first time that the mouse, cynomolgus, and human cross-reactive, antagonistic anti-proprotein convertase substilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) antibodies J10 and the affinity-matured and humanized J16 exhibit target-mediated clearance, resulting in dose-dependent pharmacokinetic profiles. These antibodies prevent the degradation of low density lipoprotein receptor, thus lowering serum levels of LDL-cholesterol and potently reducing serum cholesterol in mice, and selectively reduce LDL-cholesterol in cynomolgus monkeys. In order to increase the pharmacokinetic and efficacy of this promising therapeutic for hypercholesterolemia, we engineered pH-sensitive binding to mouse, cynomolgus, and human PCSK9 into J16, resulting in J17. This antibody shows prolonged half-life and increased duration of cholesterol lowering in two species in vivo by binding to endogenous PCSK9 in mice and cynomolgus monkeys, respectively. The proposed mechanism of this pH-sensitive antibody is that it binds with high affinity to PCSK9 in the plasma at pH 7.4, whereas the antibody-antigen complex dissociates at the endosomal pH of 5.5-6.0 in order to escape from target-mediated degradation. Additionally, this enables the antibody to bind to another PCSK9 and therefore increase the antigen-binding cycles. Furthermore, we show that this effect is dependent on the neonatal Fc receptor, which rescues the dissociated antibody in the endosome from degradation. Engineered pH-sensitive antibodies may enable less frequent or lower dosing of antibodies hampered by target-mediated clearance and high antigen load.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / blood
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / immunology*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / pharmacokinetics*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / pharmacology
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / blood
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / immunology
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / pharmacokinetics*
  • Anticholesteremic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Complementarity Determining Regions / chemistry
  • Half-Life
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Lysosomes / metabolism
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Proprotein Convertase 9
  • Proprotein Convertases / immunology*
  • Protein Engineering*
  • Receptors, Fc / metabolism
  • Serine Endopeptidases / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Anticholesteremic Agents
  • Complementarity Determining Regions
  • Receptors, Fc
  • PCSK9 protein, human
  • Proprotein Convertase 9
  • Proprotein Convertases
  • Serine Endopeptidases