Bacterial expression and in vitro refolding of a single-chain fv antibody specific for human plasma apolipoprotein B-100

From the cloned heavy and light chains of a murine monoclonal antibody (mAbB23) which is specific for human apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 of plasma low-density lipoproteins, a vector was designed for expression of a single-chain antibody (scFv) of mAbB23 in Escherichia coli. The expression vector was constructed so that the scFv gene (V(L)-linker-V(H)) was expressed under the control of the T7 promoter. The inclusion body of scFv was isolated from E. coli lysate and solubilized in 6 M guanidine-hydrochloride without reducing agents, followed by refolding through slow dilution into refolding buffer. After complete removal of the remaining denaturant by dialysis, the soluble scFv was purified through an apo B-100-coupled affinity column, and an active fraction, which had an antigen-binding activity comparable with that of native Fab, was easily obtained. The expression and in vitro refolding of scFv resulted in production of an active molecule in a yield of 15-20 mg per 1-liter flask cultivation.     

Cloning, expression, and characterization of single-chain variable fragment antibody against mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in recombinant Escherichia coli

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species, is a worldwide contaminant of food and feedstuffs. The DON-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli. The variable regions of the heavy chain (V(H)) and light chain (V(L)) cloned from the hybridoma 3G7 were connected with a flexible linker using an overlap extension polymerase chain reaction. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the anti-DON V(H) was a member of the V(H) III gene family IA subgroup and the V(L) gene belonged to the Vlambda gene family II subgroup. Extensive efforts to express the functional scFv antibody in E. coli have been made by using gene fusion and chaperone coexpression. Coexpression of the molecular chaperones (DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE) allowed soluble expression of the scFv. The scFv antibody fused with hexahistidine residues at the C-terminus was purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Soluble scFv antibody produced in this manner was characterized for its antigen-binding characteristics. Its biological affinity as antibody was measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis and proved to be significant but weaker than that of the whole anti-DON mAb.     

Expression, purification, and in vitro refolding of a humanized single-chain Fv antibody against human CTLA4 (CD152)

A human-derived single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragment specific against human CTLA4 (CD152) was produced at high level in Escherichia coli. The scFv gene was cloned from a phagemid to the expression vector pQE30 with a N-terminal 6His tag fused in-frame, and expressed as a 29 kDa protein in E. coli as inclusion bodies. The inclusion body of scFv was isolated from E. coli lysate, solubilized in 8M urea with 10mM dithiothreitol, and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Method for in vitro refolding of the scFv was established. The effects of refolding buffer composition, protein concentration and temperature on the refolding yield were investigated. The protein was renatured finally by dialyzing against 3mM GSH, 1mM GSSG, 150 mM NaCl, 1M urea, and 50 mM Tris-Cl (pH 8.0) for 48 h at 4 degrees C, and then dialyzed against phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) to remove remaining denaturant. This refolding protocol generated up to a 70% yield of soluble protein. Soluble scFv was characterized for its specific antigen-binding activity by indirect cellular ELISA. The refolded scFv was functionally active and was able to bind specifically to CTLA4 (CD152). The epitopes recognized by refolded anti-CTLA4 scFv do not coincide with those epitopes recognized by CD80/CD86.     

Cloning, expression and characterisation of a single-chain Fv antibody fragment against domoic acid in Escherichia coli

Domoic acid is a potent neuroexcitatory toxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans through ingestion of contaminated shellfish. The variable regions of the heavy chain (V(H)) and light chain (V(L)) of an antibody specific for domoic acid were cloned from a mouse hybridoma cell line and used to construct single-chain antibody fragments (scFvs) in a variety of formats. V(H)-linker-V(L) scFvs were expressed better in Escherichia coli than the V(L)-linker-V(H) format, while use of the commonly used (Gly4Ser)3 inter-domain linker resulted in higher yields than a longer (Gly4Ser)6 linker variant. Higher soluble protein yields were achieved in E. coli TOP 10 than in E. coli XL1-Blue cells and co-production of the E. coli disulfide bond isomerase enzyme DsbC allowed higher cell densities to be attained during scFv production, leading to increased yields of recombinant protein. The purified scFv exhibited binding similar to the parent monoclonal antibody and is being used to develop an immunosensor to detect domoic acid in contaminated shellfish samples.     

Anti-estradiol-17beta single-chain Fv fragments: Generation, characterization, gene randomization, and optimized phage display

A single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) against estradiol-17beta (E(2)) was generated to begin the construction of a library of various mutated anti-steroid antibodies with an improved affinity and/or specificity. A hybridoma clone secreting a specific anti-E(2) antibody (Ab#E4-4) was established by the cell fusion using splenocytes from a mouse immunized with an immunogenic E(2)-carrier conjugate. DNA fragments encoding the variable heavy and light domains (V(H) and V(L)) of the Ab#E4-4 were cloned and combined to give the scFv gene fragment encoding the sequence 5'-V(H)-(GGGGS)(3)-V(L)-3'. Compared to the Ab#E4-4 Fab fragment, soluble scFv (scFv#E4-4) protein showed a similar affinity to E(2) (K(a)=8.6x10(7)M(-1)) and a similar cross-reaction profile. To further study the fundamentals for creating a comprehensive library of mutated scFvs, the scFvV(H) and V(L) genes were amplified using error-prone PCR conditions and the frequency and pattern of incorporated mutations were investigated. For this, regular Taq polymerase was used in the presence of unequal concentrations of dNTPs. At 1.0mM MnCl(2), the error frequency reached to 8.5% and 11% for the V(H) and V(L) respectively, although a significant transition/transversion bias was observed. ScFv#E4-4 and the mutated polyclonal scFvs were then displayed on filamentous phage under various packaging conditions. Cultivation of the transformed bacteria was more suitable at 25 degrees C than at higher temperatures for the packaging of scFv-bearing phagemid particles. Based on these experimental conditions, an scFv-displaying phage library, each scFv member in which has mutated complementarity-determining region (CDR) H2, H3, L1, and L3, was constructed. A soluble scFv clone (scFv#m1-e7) with a mutated amino acid (I-->V) in CDR L1, isolated from this library, showed threefold higher affinity (K(a)=2.6 x 10(8)M(-1)) than that of scFv#4-4.     

Efficient recovery of the functional IP10-scFv fusion protein from inclusion bodies with an on-column refolding system

A functional IP10-scFv fusion protein retaining the antibody specificity for acidic isoferritin and chemokine function was produced at high level in Esherichia coli (E. coli). IP10-scFv gene from the recombinant plasmid pc3IP104c9 was subcloned into pET28a fused to N-terminal His-tag sequence in frame and overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). With an on-column refolding procedure based on Ni-chelating chromatography, the active fusion protein was recovered efficiently from inclusion bodies with a refolding yield of approximate 45% confirmed by spectrophotometer. The activity of refolded IP10-scFv was determined through sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed the fusion protein retains the specific binding activity to AIF with an affinity constant of 4.48x10(-8) M as well as the chemokine function of IP-10. The overall yield of IP10-scFv with bioactivity in E. coli flask culture was more than 40 mg/L.     

Production and in vitro refolding of a single-chain antibody specific for human plasma apolipoprotein A-I

An active form of single-chain antibody (scFv) has been produced in Escherichia coli for murine monoclonal antibody MabA34 (gamma 1, kappa), which is specific for human plasma apolipoprotein (apo) A-I. The complementary DNAs (cDNAs) encoding the variable regions of heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) were connected by a (Gly4Ser)3 linker using an assembly polymerase chain reaction. The construct (VL-linker-VH) was placed under the control of highly efficient T7 promoter system. The cloned scFv was expressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies. After purification from E. coli lysate using sonication and low speed centrifugation, the inclusion body was solubilized and denatured in the presence of 8 M urea, renatured by dialysis, and scFv was finally purified using antigen-affinity chromatography. The purity and activity of purified scFv were confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The affinity constant was determined by a biosensor method using the BIAcore system. The results showed that the yield of correctly refolded scFv was more than 20 mg l-1 of E. coli flask culture and the specific binding activity to apo A-I was retained with an affinity constant of 6.74 x 10(-8) M (Kd). A notable thing is that guanidine-HCl as a denaturant induced more multimeric formation in the subsequent refolding procedure for the scFv of MabA34 and thus, it was not suitable as urea was. This fact is uncommon for what is generally known for the denaturation and refolding of recombinant antibodies.     

Production,purification and characterisation of genetically derived scFv and bifunctional antibody fragments capable of detecting illicit drug residues

We have generated a single chain antigen binding protein (scFv) recognising morphine. Variable regions of heavy (V(H)) and light (V(L)) chain antibody genes isolated from a murine immune repertoire were connected via a glycine-serine linker and cloned into the expression vector pAK 400. The scFv was produced in Escherichia coli JM83 yielding a functional protein of approximately M(r) 30000. Immunoaffinity chromatography using M3G-BSA-Sepharose column proved most effective for scFv purification. Purity was monitored by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting and the scFv characterised using ELISA and BIAcore. The scFv was capable of specifically binding free morphine in solution and was applicable to real sample analysis in saliva. In order to express a bivalent "minibody" the scFv gene was recloned into a vector containing a gene encoding a helix for dimerisation. The scFv was expressed as a protein of M(r) 75000 and retained its antibody binding capabilities. Cloning the scFv gene into a vector containing the bacterial alkaline phosphatase gene produced a bifunctional molecule, which retained the binding activity of the parental scFv along with the enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase.     

抗TNF-α单链抗体噬菌体展示文库的建立和鉴定

应用噬菌体展示技术构建抗肿瘤坏死因子α(tumornecrosis factor α,TNF-α)单链抗体(single chain Fv,scFv)文库,从中筛选抗TNF-αscFv并进行鉴定.利用重组人TNF-α(rhTNF-α)免疫小鼠,分别扩增小鼠VH和VL基因,经重叠延伸反应将VH和VL基因拼接成scFv基因,以SfiⅠ/NotⅠ位点定向插入pCANTAB 5E噬菌粒载体,转化E.coli TG1,构建了库容为4.6×108的抗TNF-α单链抗体库.对抗体库进行3轮富集筛选后,ELISA检测阳性克隆的抗原特异性,取1株阳性克隆进行测序分析.结果表明,抗TNF-αscFv基因序列长774bp,编码258个氨基酸.将此阳性克隆转化E.coliHB2151,IPTG诱导可溶性scFv的表达,经SDS-PAGE和Western印迹分析,scFv的分子量约为28kD.经亲和纯化后的scFv可与rhTNF-α结合,并可中和由rhTNF-α引起的L929细胞毒性.本文利用噬菌体抗体库筛选到了高亲和力的抗TNF-αscFv,为研制临床免疫治疗的新型抗体奠定了实验基础.     

Gene cloning, bacterial expression, in vitro refolding, and characterization of a single-chain Fv antibody against PreS1(21-47) fragment of HBsAg

The murine monoclonal antibody 125E11 is an IgG which recognizes PreS1(21-47) fragment of large hepatitis B surface antigen. It has been successfully used for clinical detection of HBV virion in serum of hepatitis B patients. In present study, the genes of variable region in heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) of 125E11 have been cloned. Sequence analysis of cloned VH gene and VL gene showed that they had general characterization of immunoglobin variable region genes. According to Kabat classification, VH gene and VL gene belong to VH10 family, subgroup IIID and Vkappa family subgroup I, respectively. An expression vector of 125E11 single-chain Fv antibody fusion protein, in which VH and VL peptide were connected by a flexible linker (Gly(4)Ser)(3), was constructed. The scFv fusion protein was highly expressed in Escherichia coli mainly in inclusion body form. Using urea and pH gradient gel filtration method, the refolding of scFv was efficiently achieved. The refolding efficiency reached about 11% and 2.7 mg refolded scFv was obtained from 1L of culture. The binding activity and specificity of 125E11 scFv against PreS1(21-47)-containing antigen were also analyzed.     

Direct evidence by H/D exchange and ESI-MS for transient unproductive domain interaction in the refolding of an antibody scFv fragment

The refolding kinetics of a single-chain Fv (scFv) fragment, derived from a stabilized mutant of the phosphorylcholine binding antibody McPC603, was investigated by H/D exchange and ESI-MS and compared with the folding kinetics of its constituting domains V(H) and V(L). Both V(H) and V(L) adopt essentially native-like exchange protection within the dead time of the manual-mixing H/D exchange experiment (10 s) and in the case of V(L), which contains two cis-prolines in the native conformation, this fast protection is independent of proline cis/trans isomerization. At the earliest time point resolvable by manual mixing, fewer deuterons are protected in the scFv fragment than in the two isolated domains together, despite the fact that the scFv fragment is significantly more stable than V(L) and V(H). Full H/D exchange protection in the scFv fragment is gained on a time scale of minutes. This means that the domains in the scFv fragment do not refold independently. Rather, they associate prematurely and in nonnative form, a kinetic trap. Unproductive domain association is observed both after equilibrium- and short-term denaturation. For the equilibrium-denatured scFv fragment, whose native structure formation is dependent on a cis conformation of an interface proline in V(L), this cis/trans isomerization reaction proceeds about one order in magnitude more slowly than the escape from the trap to a conformation where full H/D exchange protection is already achieved. We interpret these data in terms of a general kinetic scheme involving intermediates with and without domain association.     

Expression and functional reconstitution of a recombinant antibody (Fab') specific for human apolipoprotein B-100

We have cloned and constructed plasmid vectors, pETB23H and pETB23L, for bacterial expression of heavy (H) and light (L) chain cDNAs of Fab' of mAbB23 a monoclonal antibody specific to human plasma apolipoprotein (apo) B-100. The H- and L-chains were expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. The inclusion bodies of both chains were isolated from the cell lysate, solubilized in 6 M guanidium-HCl, and mixed in equal molar amounts. Refolding was performed in three stages of dialysis: first, dialysis against 3 M guanidium buffer, next, continuous decrement of guanidium in the dialysis buffer through slow addition of 1 M guanidium buffer, and finally, dialysis against a buffer without guanidium. After the refolding, active Fab' (rFab') was purified through an apo B-100-coupled affinity column. When compared by ELISA, the rFab' had a slightly decreased antigen-binding activity (about 0.7-fold) compared with native Fab. The refolding yield was maximum (75%) when performed at the protein concentrations not more than 0.4 mg ml(-1), whereas the yield decreased exponentially at higher concentrations. The maximum recovery was obtained at the refolding concentration of 1.8 mg ml(-1), where the yield was about 45%. Overall, 2.4-3.0 mg of active rFab' specific to apo B-100 was successfully obtained from 1 l cultivation of E. coli cells.     

Functional characterization of an anti-estradiol antibody by site-directed mutagenesis and molecular modelling: modulation of binding properties and prominent role of the V(L) domain in estradiol recognition

The high-affinity monoclonal anti-estradiol antibody 9D3 presents a specificity defect towards estradiol-3-sulphate and 3-glucuronide conjugates incompatible with use in direct immunoassays. The corresponding single-chain variable fragment (scFv), cloned and produced in E. coli, exhibited a 10-fold lower affinity for estradiol (K(a)=1.2 x 10(9) M (-1)) and a slightly increased specificity defect for the 3-position. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed critical residues involved in estradiol recognition and produced mutants exhibiting up to a 3-fold increase of the binding affinity for estradiol and up to a 2-fold decrease of the cross-reactivity with estradiol-3-sulphate. A comparative model of the antibody 9D3-estradiol complex was built in which the estradiol D-ring is buried into the binding pocket while the 3-, 6- and 7-positions are solvent exposed, agreeing with the lack of specificity for these three positions. Two potential alternative orientations of the A-ring, one close to CDR H3 and L2 loops, and the other one close to CDR H2 and L3 loops, have been considered for the docking of estradiol, none of which could be unambiguously privileged taking into account data from cross-reactivity measurements, photolabelling and mutagenesis studies. For both orientations, estradiol is stabilized by hydrogen bonding of the 17beta-OH group with TyrL36, His89 and GlnH35 in the first case, or TyrL36, only, in the second case and by van der Waals contacts from TyrL91 with alpha- or beta-face of estradiol, respectively, and from ValH95 and GlyH97 with the opposite face. To elucidate the molecular basis of antibody 9D3 specificity, as compared with that of another anti-estradiol antibody 15H11, single variable domains (V(H) and V(L)) and scFv hybrids have been constructed. The binding activity of V(L)9D3 as well as the specificity of the V(L)9D3/V(H)15H11 hybrid, both similar to antibody 9D3, revealed a prominent role of V(L) in estradiol recognition. These findings establish premises for antibody engineering to reduce cross-reactivity, especially with estradiol-3-conjugates.     

A human and a mouse anti-idiotypic antibody specific for human T14(+) anti-DNA antibodies reconstructed by phage display

Little is known about human anti-idiotypic antibodies. Phage display methodology was used to reconstruct these antibodies from lupus patients, which recognize a subset (T14(+)) of anti-DNA antibodies. Antigen-specific B cells were isolated from the blood using a peptide based on a complementarity determining region (V(H)CDR3) of the prototypic T14(+) antibody. cDNA fragments of the V(H) and V(L) genes prepared from the cells were expressed as phage displayed single chain Fv (scFv) fragments using the pCANTAB-5E phagemid vector. From a reactive clone obtained, the Ig genes used were identified to be V(H)3, D5-D3, J(H)4b, V(kappa)I and J(kappa)2. The heavy chain was highly mutated, especially in CDR3, which bears mutations mostly of the replacement type; this region is also unusual in being extremely long due to a D-D fusion. In contrast, a mouse hybridoma antibody, made to the same T14(+) peptide and transformed as a scFv fragment, uses a short V(H)CDR3 comprising five amino acids, three of which are tyrosines. Tyrosines may be important for antigen binding because two of these also exist in the human V(H)CDR3. The light chains of both antibodies may also contribute to the specificity of the protein, because their V(L) segments, including the CDRs, are highly homologous to each other.     

Biophysical properties of human antibody variable domains

There are great demands on the stability, expression yield and resistance to aggregation of antibody fragments. To untangle intrinsic domain effects from domain interactions, we present first a systematic evaluation of the isolated human immunoglobulin variable heavy (V(H)) and light (V(L)) germline family consensus domains and then a systematic series of V(H)-V(L) combinations in the scFv format. The constructs were evaluated in terms of their expression behavior, oligomeric state in solution and denaturant-induced unfolding equilibria under non-reducing conditions. The seven V(H) and seven V(L) domains represent the consensus sequences of the major human germline subclasses, derived from the Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL). The isolated V(H) and V(L) domains with the highest thermodynamic stability and yield of soluble protein were V(H)3 and V(kappa)3, respectively. Similar measurements on all domain combinations in scFv fragments allowed the scFv fragments to be classified according to thermodynamic stability and in vivo folding yield. The scFv fragments containing the variable domain combinations H3kappa3, H1bkappa3, H5kappa3 and H3kappa1 show superior properties concerning yield and stability. Domain interactions diminish the intrinsic differences of the domains. ScFv fragments containing V(lambda) domains show high levels of stability, even though V(lambda) domains are surprisingly unstable by themselves. This is due to a strong interaction with the V(H) domain and depends on the amino acid sequence of the CDR-L3. On the basis of these analyses and model structures, we suggest possibilities for further improvement of the biophysical properties of individual frameworks and give recommendations for library design.     

Ex12 helper phage improves the quality of a phage-displayed antibody library by ameliorating the adverse effect of clonal variations

The quality of a phage-displayed antibody library deteriorates with clonal variations, which are caused by differentially expressed Escherichia coli antibody genes. Using the human Fab SP114 against the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex-E2 (PDCE2), we created four E. coli TOP10F' clones with a pCMTG phagemid encoding Fab-pIII (pCMTG-Fab), Fd (V(H)+C(H1))-pIII (pCMTG-Fd), or light chain (L) (pCMTG-L), or the vector only (pCMTG-?Fab) to investigate the effect of clonal variations in a defined manner. Compared to the others, the E. coli clone with pCMTG-Fab was growth retarded in liquid culture, but efficiently produced phage progenies by Ex12 helper phage superinfection. Our results suggest that an antibody library must be cultured for a short duration before helper phage superinfection, and that the Ex12 helper phage helped to alleviate the detrimental effect of clonal variation, at least in part, by preferentially increasing functional phage antibodies during phage amplification.     

抗人VEGF受体Ⅱ基因Ⅲ区单链抗体基因的构建和表达

采用RT-PCR技术从分泌抗人血管内皮生长因子受体Ⅱ（kinase insert domaincontaining receptor,KDR）基因Ⅲ区单克隆抗体Ycom1D3的杂交瘤细胞中克隆出VH和VL可变区基因,通过重叠延伸拼接（spliceoverlap extension）PCR方法在V_H和V_L基因之间引入柔性短肽（Gly₄Ser）₃,体外构建Ycom1D3单链抗体基因Ycom1D3-ScFv）,将其克隆至pAYZ表达载体,在大肠杆菌中表达。SDS-PAGE和Westernblot分析结果表明,Ycom1D3-ScFv在E.coli 16C9中获得表达,重组蛋白的相对分子量为30kD,与预期结果一致。表达产物主要以不溶性包涵体形式存在,经过溶解包涵体,TALON 金属亲合层析基质（TALON metal affinity resin）纯化和体外复性过程,获得了高纯度的单链抗体片段。流式细胞分析结果证实该单链抗体可与人脐静脉内皮细胞结合,保留了鼠源单抗与KDR抗原的特异性结合活性。抗KDRⅢ单链抗体基因Ycom1D3-ScFv的成功构建和功能性表达为靶向诊断治疗及进一步基因工程改造奠定了基础。     

A strategy for high-level expression of a single-chain variable fragment against TNFα by subcloning antibody variable regions from the phage display vector pCANTAB 5E into pBV220

A phage display single-chain variable fragment (scFv) library against TNFα was constructed using a recombinant phage antibody system (RPAS). The cloned scFv gene was introduced into the phage display vector pCANTAB 5E and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) with a yield of up to 0.15 mg/l of total protein. With the attempt to improve the expression level of TNF-scFv, a strategy was established for subcloning the scFv gene from pCANTAB 5E into the plasmid pBV220. Under the control of a highly efficient tandem P(R)P(L) promoter system, scFv production was increased to 30% of total protein as inclusion bodies. After extraction from the cell pellet by sonication, the inclusion bodies were solubilized and denatured in the presence of 8M urea. Purification of denatured scFv was performed using nickel column chromatography followed by renaturation. The purity and activity of the refolded scFv were confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blotting and by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). The results reveal that the overall yield of bioactive TNF-scFv from E. coli flask cultures was more than 45 mg/l culture medium and 15 mg/g wet weight cells. The renatured scFv exhibited binding activity similarly to soluble scFv. In conclusion we developed a method to over-express TNF-scFv, which have biological function after purification and renaturation.     

天然兔源噬菌体单链抗体库的构建与鉴定

目的:构建天然兔源噬菌体单链抗体库。方法:采用RT-PCR法从未免疫的兔子脾脏中克隆得到抗体重链可变区(VH)与轻链可变区(VL)基因,重叠PCR将VH和VL拼接成scFv片段,将scFv连接到噬菌粒pComb3XSS上,电转入XL1-Blue菌中,得到单链抗体库,并用此抗体库筛选抗肌酸激酶抗体。结果:构建了容量为4×108,基因重组率95%的单链抗体库,DNA指纹图谱显示抗体库多样性良好。以肌酸激酶为抗原,从该库中筛到3株抗肌酸激酶的抗体。结论:分析表明构建的天然兔源单链抗体库质量良好,可用于快速筛选、制备多种单链抗体。     

The effect of variable domain orientation and arrangement on the antigen-binding activity of a recombinant human bispecific diabody

In recent years a variety of recombinant methods have been developed for efficient production of bispecific antibodies (BsAb) in various formats. Bispecific diabody (bDAb), a 55-60 kDa molecule comprising two non-covalently associated cross-over single chain Fv (scFv) polypeptides, represents one of the most promising as well the most straightforward approaches to BsAb production. Here we constructed a bDAb, using two human scFv, 11F8 and A12, directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR), respectively, as the building blocks. A total of 8 scFv and diabody constructs were prepared comprising the same two variable heavy (V(H)) and variable light (V(L)) chain domains but arranged in different orientations. V(H)/V(L) orientation, i.e., V(H)-linker-V(L) or V(L)-linker-V(H), showed significant effects on the expression and antigen-binding activity of scFv and monospecific diabody of both 11F8 and A12. Further, only 2 out of the 4 possible V(H)/V(L) orientations/arrangements in bDAb construction yielded active products that retain binding activity to both EGFR and IGFR. Both active bDAb preparations retained their original antigen-binding activity after incubation at 37 degrees C in mouse serum for up to 7 days, indicating excellent stability of the constructs. Taken together, our results underscore the importance of identifying/selecting optimal V(H)/V(L) orientation/arrangement for efficient production of active bDAb.