Epitope and Paratope Mapping of PD-1/Nivolumab by Mass Spectrometry-Based Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange, Cross-linking, and Molecular Docking

Anal Chem. 2020 Jul 7;92(13):9086-9094. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01291. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Abstract

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), an antigen co-receptor on cell surfaces, is one of the conspicuous immune checkpoints. Nivolumab, a monoclonal antibody therapeutic approved by the FDA, binds to PD-1 and efficiently blocks its pathways. In this study, an integrated approach was developed to map the epitope/paratope of PD-1/nivolumab. The approach includes hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) followed by electron-transfer dissociation (ETD), chemical cross-linking, and molecular docking. HDX-ETD offers some binding-site characterization with amino acid resolution. Chemical cross-linking provides complementary information on one additional epitope (i.e., the BC-loop) and a potential paratope at the N-terminus of the heavy chain. Furthermore, cross-linking identifies another loop region (i.e., the C'D-loop) that undergoes a remote conformational change. The distance restraints derived from the cross-links enable building high-confidence models of PD-1/nivolumab, evaluated with respect to a resolved crystal structure. This integrated strategy is an opportunity to characterize comprehensively other antigen-antibody interactions, to enable the understanding of binding mechanisms, and to design future antibody therapeutics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antigen-Antibody Complex / chemistry
  • Binding Sites
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Deuterium Exchange Measurement*
  • Epitope Mapping / methods*
  • Epitopes / analysis*
  • Epitopes / chemistry
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Nivolumab / immunology*
  • Nivolumab / metabolism
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / chemistry
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / immunology*
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Antigen-Antibody Complex
  • Epitopes
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Nivolumab