Human single chain antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor: gene cloning, high-level expression, affinity maturation and bioactivity

Using antibody phage display technique, a human single chain antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been cloned. The antibody expression reached 45% of the total bacterial proteins. The purification and refolding of the antibody were completed in one step by using gel filtration chromatograph. ELISA analysis showed that the antibody not only specifically bound to human VEGF, but also competitively inhibited VEGF reacting with its receptors. In order to raise the affinity of the single chain antibody, its heavy chain variable region was randomly mutated using error-prone PCR and an antibody mutant library was constructed, from which a mutant with higher affinity was screened out. The three-dimensional structure and binding affinity of wild type and mutant antibody were compared. Our study provided a potential reagent for tumor angiogenic therapy and a significant model for antibody high-level expression and affinity maturation.