Preclinical in vitro evaluation of immune suppression induced by GYM329, Fc-engineered sweeping antibody.

Fc-engineering is commonly used to improve the therapeutic potency of antibody (Ab) treatments. Because FcγRIIb is the only inhibitory FcγR that contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM), Fc-engineered Abs with enhanced binding affinity to FcγRIIb might provide immune suppression in clinical contexts. GYM329 is an anti-latent myostatin Fc-engineered Ab with increased affinity to FcγRIIb which is expected to improve muscle strength in patients with muscular disorders.

Elimination of plasma soluble antigen in cynomolgus monkeys by combining pH-dependent antigen binding and novel Fc engineering.

A conventional antibody targeting a soluble antigen in circulation typically requires a huge dosage and frequent intravenous administration to neutralize the antigen. This is because antigen degradation is reduced by the formation of antigen-antibody immune complexes, which escape from lysosomal degradation using neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated recycling. To address this, we developed an antigen-sweeping antibody that combines pH-dependent antigen binding and Fc engineering to enhance Fc receptor binding.

Novel myostatin-specific antibody enhances muscle strength in muscle disease models.

Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, is an attractive target for muscle disease therapy because of its role as a negative regulator of muscle growth and strength. Here, we describe a novel antibody therapeutic approach that maximizes the potential of myostatin-targeted therapy. We generated an antibody, GYM329, that specifically binds the latent form of myostatin and inhibits its activation.

Exploitation of Elevated Extracellular ATP to Specifically Direct Antibody to Tumor Microenvironment.

The extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration is highly elevated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and remains tightly regulated in normal tissues. Using phage display technology, we establish a method to identify an antibody that can bind to an antigen only in the presence of ATP. Crystallography analysis reveals that ATP bound in between the antibody-antigen interface serves as a switch for antigen binding.

Fc Engineering to Improve the Function of Therapeutic Antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies are currently the most attractive therapeutic modality in a broad range of disease areas, including infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and oncology. Fc engineering is one attractive application to maximize the value or overcome the drawbacks of monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic use. With the Fc region, antibodies bind to several types of receptors, such as Fc gamma receptors, a complement receptor, and a neonatal Fc receptor.

Inhibitory FcγRIIb-Mediated Soluble Antigen Clearance from Plasma by a pH-Dependent Antigen-Binding Antibody and Its Enhancement by Fc Engineering.

Fc engineering can modulate the Fc-FcγR interaction and thus enhance the potency of Abs that target membrane-bound Ags, but it has not been applied to Abs that target soluble Ags. In this study, we revealed a previously unknown function of inhibitory FcγRII in vivo and, using an Ab that binds to Ag pH dependently, demonstrated that the function can be exploited to target soluble Ag. Because pH-dependent Ab dissociates Ag in acidic endosome, its Ag clearance from circulation reflects the cellular uptake rate of Ag/Ab complexes.

Novel asymmetrically engineered antibody Fc variant with superior FcγR binding affinity and specificity compared with afucosylated Fc variant.

Fc engineering is a promising approach to enhance the antitumor efficacy of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Glyco- and protein-Fc engineering have been employed to enhance FcγR binding and ADCC activity of mAbs; the drawbacks of previous approaches lie in their binding affinity to both FcγRIIIa allotypes, the ratio of activating FcγR binding to inhibitory FcγR binding (A/I ratio) or the melting temperature (T(M)) of the C(H)2 domain. To date, no engineered Fc variant has been reported that satisfies all these points.

Oligonucleotide models of telomeric DNA and RNA form a Hybrid G-quadruplex structure as a potential component of telomeres.

Telomeric repeat-containing RNA, a non-coding RNA molecule, has recently been found in mammalian cells. The detailed structural features and functions of the telomeric RNA at human chromosome ends remain unclear, although this RNA molecule may be a key component of the telomere machinery. In this study, using model human telomeric DNA and RNA sequences, we demonstrated that human telomeric RNA and DNA oligonucleotides form a DNA-RNA G-quadruplex.

Chemical and biological approaches to improve the efficiency of homologous recombination in human cells mediated by artificial restriction DNA cutter.

A chemistry-based artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT) was recently prepared from Ce(IV)/EDTA complex and a pair of pseudo-complementary peptide nucleic acids. This cutter has freely tunable scission-site and site specificity. In this article, homologous recombination (HR) in human cells was promoted by cutting a substrate DNA with ARCUT, and the efficiency of this bioprocess was optimized by various chemical and biological approaches.

Enzyme treatment-free and ligation-independent cloning using caged primers in polymerase chain reactions.

A new simple scheme for constructing recombinant vectors that does not require any restriction enzyme, ligase, or any other special enzyme treatment has been developed. By using caged primers in PCR, unnatural sticky-ends of any sequence, which are sufficiently long for ligation-independent cloning (LIC), are directly prepared on the product after a brief UVA irradiation. Target genes and vectors amplified by this light-assisted cohesive-ending (LACE) PCR join together in the desired arrangement in a simple mixture of them, tightly enough to be repaired and ligated in competent cells.

Artificial restriction DNA cutters to promote homologous recombination in human cells.

Homologous recombination is almost the only way to modify the genome in a predetermined fashion, despite its quite low frequency in mammalian cells. It has been already reported that the frequency of this biological process can be notably increased by inducing a double strand break (DSB) at target site. This article presents completely chemistry-based artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT) for the promotion of homologous recombination in human cells.

Homologous recombination in human cells using artificial restriction DNA cutter.

The double strand break induced by an artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT) was successfully repaired in human cells with high frequencies through homologous recombination.

Site-selective scission of human genome by artificial restriction DNA cutter.

By using an artificial restriction DNA cutter which is composed of Ce(iv)/EDTA and two pseudo-complementary peptide nucleic acid strands (pcPNAs), only one target site in the whole genome of human beings (one site in the X chromosome) was selectively hydrolyzed.

Restriction enzyme treatment/ligation independent cloning using caged primers for PCR.

We report here a new simple scheme for constructing recombinant vectors that does not require any restriction enzyme, ligase, or any other special enzyme treatment. By using caged primers in PCR, unnatural sticky-ends of any length and sequence are directly prepared on the product after a brief UVA irradiation. Target genes and vectors amplified by this light-assisted cohesive-ending (LACE) PCR join together in desired arrangement, tightly enough to be repaired and ligated in competent cells.

Artificial restriction DNA cutters as new tools for gene manipulation.

The final cut. Two types of artificial tools (artificial restriction DNA cutter and zinc finger nuclease) that cut double-stranded DNA through hydrolysis of target phosphodiester linkages, have been recently developed. The chemical structures, preparation, properties, and typical applications of these two man-made tools are reviewed.

Site-specific gene manipulation of fluorescent proteins using artificial restriction DNA cutter.

Two of three amino acid residues, which compose the chromophore of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), were converted to others by using artificial restriction DNA cutter (ARCUT). The vector prepared by ARCUT was easily connected with the insert by using oligonucleotide additive and resultant fluorescent protein such as blue fluorescent protein (BFP) was successfully expressed in cells.

Direct preparation of sticky-ended duplexes within PCR by using caged primers.

Control of the terminal structures of PCR products is crucially important to facilitate molecular biology and biotechnology. Here, we report a new method to prepare PCR products having desired sticky ends directly after thermal cycles. When a pair of caged primers is used, polymerase reaction is site-selectively terminated in front of the caged nucleotide, and the 5'- portion of the primer remains single-stranded throughout the reaction.

Site-selective blocking of PCR by a caged nucleotide leading to direct creation of desired sticky ends in the products.

In order to terminate the polymerase reaction at a desired position, a caged thymine derivative--4-O-[2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyl]thymine--was incorporated into PCR primers. In the PCR cycles, the elongation of the nascent strand (5'-->3' direction) by polymerase was site-selectively terminated at the 3'-side of T(NPP). Accordingly, predetermined protruding ends were obtained after the removal of the protecting group by short UVA irradiation.

Crystal structure of Ce(IV)/dipicolinate complex as catalyst for DNA hydrolysis.

The structures of Ce(4+) complexes that are active for DNA hydrolysis were determined for the first time by X-ray crystallography. The crystals were prepared from a 1:2 mixture of Ce(NH(4))(2)(NO(3))(6) and dipicolinic acid (2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid). Depending on the recrystallization conditions, three types of crystals were obtained.