Generation and Characterization of an IgG4 Monomeric Fc Platform

PLoS One. 2016 Aug 1;11(8):e0160345. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160345. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

The immunoglobulin Fc region is a homodimer consisted of two sets of CH2 and CH3 domains and has been exploited to generate two-arm protein fusions with high expression yields, simplified purification processes and extended serum half-life. However, attempts to generate one-arm fusion proteins with monomeric Fc, with one set of CH2 and CH3 domains, are often plagued with challenges such as weakened binding to FcRn or partial monomer formation. Here, we demonstrate the generation of a stable IgG4 Fc monomer with a unique combination of mutations at the CH3-CH3 interface using rational design combined with in vitro evolution methodologies. In addition to size-exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation, we used multi-angle light scattering (MALS) to show that the engineered Fc monomer exhibits excellent monodispersity. Furthermore, crystal structure analysis (PDB ID: 5HVW) reveals monomeric properties supported by disrupted interactions at the CH3-CH3 interface. Monomeric Fc fusions with Fab or scFv achieved FcRn binding and serum half-life comparable to wildtype IgG. These results demonstrate that this monomeric IgG4 Fc is a promising therapeutic platform to extend the serum half-life of proteins in a monovalent format.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Dynamic Light Scattering
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Half-Life
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / blood
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / metabolism*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin G / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Peptide Library
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Domains
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Ultracentrifugation

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Peptide Library
  • Recombinant Proteins

Grants and funding

This study was funded solely by MedImmune which is a subsidiary of AstraZeneca Plc. AstraZeneca has provided support in the form of salaries for all of the authors [LS, MC, KLR, XQY, JSB, AF, MMD, HW, WFD, PT, VO], but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the “Author Contributions” section.