Delineating the functional map of the interaction between nimotuzumab and the epidermal growth factor receptor

Molecular details of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting by nimotuzumab, a therapeutic anti-cancer antibody, have been largely unknown. The current study delineated a functional map of their interface, based on phage display and extensive mutagenesis of both the target antigen and the Fv antibody fragment. Five residues in EGFR domain III (R353, S356, F357, T358, and H359T) and the third hypervariable region of nimotuzumab heavy chain were shown to be major functional contributors to the interaction. Fine specificity differences between nimotuzumab and other anti-EGFR antibodies were revealed. Mapping information guided the generation of a plausible in silico binding model. Knowledge about the epitope/paratope interface opens new avenues for the study of tumor sensitivity/resistance to nimotuzumab and for further engineering of its binding site. The developed mapping platform, also validated with the well-known cetuximab epitope, allows a comprehensive exploration of antigenic regions and could be expanded to map other anti-EGFR antibodies.     

Rational identification of an optimal antibody mixture for targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently dysregulated in human malignancies and a validated target for cancer therapy. Two monoclonal anti-EGFR antibodies (cetuximab and panitumumab) are approved for clinical use. However, the percentage of patients responding to treatment is low and many patients experiencing an initial response eventually relapse. Thus, the need for more efficacious treatments remains. Previous studies have reported that mixtures of antibodies targeting multiple distinct epitopes are more effective than single mAbs at inhibiting growth of human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The current work describes the rational approach that led to discovery and selection of a novel anti-EGFR antibody mixture Sym004, which is currently in Phase 2 clinical testing. Twenty-four selected anti-EGFR antibodies were systematically tested in dual and triple mixtures for their ability to inhibit cancer cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. The results show that targeting EGFR dependent cancer cells with mixtures of antibodies is superior at inhibiting their growth both in vitro and in vivo. In particular, antibody mixtures targeting non-overlapping epitopes on domain III are efficient and indeed Sym004 is composed of two monoclonal antibodies targeting this domain. The superior growth inhibitory activity of mixtures correlated with their ability to induce efficient EGFR degradation.Key words: EGFR, antibody synergy, functional screening, epitope binning, antibody combinations     

Predicting the right spacing between protein immobilization sites on self-assembled monolayers to optimize ligand binding

Self-assembled monolayers designed to immobilize capture antibodies are usually prepared using a mixture of functional and inactive linkers. Here, using low molar ratios (1:1 to 1:100) of the two linkers resulted in loss of binding capability of the anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) antibody nimotuzumab, as assessed by surface plasmon resonance imaging. We then developed a simple theoretical model to predict the optimal surface density of the functional linker, taking into account the antibody size and linker diameter. A high (1:1000) dilution of the functional linker yielded the best results. As an advantage, this approach does not require chemical modification of the protein.     

表皮生长因子受体胞外区在哺乳动物细胞HEK293T中的分泌表达和鉴定

目的:融合表达表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)胞外功能区,为制备针对该分子的特异性抗体提供可用的靶标抗原。方法:通过PCR扩增EGFR胞外区基因,将其克隆入真核表达载体pABhFc中,重组质粒瞬时转染HEK293T细胞,进行EGFR的瞬时分泌表达,纯化获得电泳纯级的分泌蛋白,并通过ELISA、Western印迹、Biacore3000系统对融合蛋白进行鉴定。结果:经测序证实扩增得到了正确的EGFR胞外区基因序列,SDS-PAGE初步确认获得了单、双体的EGFR胞外区,ELISA检测证实双体融合蛋白hFc-EGFR可与商业化的EGF特异性结合,Western印迹检测证实单体融合蛋白His-EGFR可与商业化抗体特异性结合;经Biacore3000蛋白分子相互作用系统测定,双体融合蛋白hFc-EGFR与商业化抗体爱必妥的亲和力达0.5 nmol/L。结论:利用哺乳动物细胞HEK293T分泌表达系统获得了结构正确的单、双体2种类型的EGFR胞外区融合蛋白纯品,将用于抗EGFR特异性抗体的筛选。     

Vaccine-induced ErbB (EGFR/HER2)-specific immunity in spontaneous canine cancer

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed on a number of human cancers, and often is indicative of a poor outcome. Treatment of EGFR/HER2 overexpressing cancers includes monoclonal antibody therapy (cetuximab/trastuzumab) either alone or in conjunction with other standard cancer therapies. While monoclonal antibody therapy has been proven to be efficacious in the treatment of EGFR/HER2 overexpressing tumors, drawbacks include the lack of long-lasting immunity and acquired resistance to monoclonal therapy. An alternative approach is to induce a polyclonal anti-EGFR/HER2 tumor antigen response by vaccine therapy. In this phase I/II open-label study, we examined anti-tumor immunity in companion dogs with spontaneous EGFR expressing tumors. Canine cancers represent an outbred population in which the initiation, progression of disease, mutations and growth factors closely resemble that of human cancers. Dogs with EGFR expressing tumors were immunized with a short peptide of the EGFR extracellular domain with sequence homology to HER2. Serial serum analyses demonstrated high titers of EGFR/HER2 binding antibodies with biological activity similar to that of cetuximab and trastuzumab. Canine antibodies bound both canine and human EGFR on tumor cell lines and tumor tissue. CD8 T cells and IgG deposition were evident in tumors from immunized dogs. The antibodies inhibited EGFR intracellular signaling and inhibited tumor growth in vitro. Additionally, we illustrate objective responses in reducing tumors at metastatic sites in host animals. The data support the approach of amplifying anti-tumor immunity that may be relevant in combination with other immune modifying therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors.     

Cetuximab in combination with anti-human IgG antibodies efficiently down-regulates the EGF receptor by macropinocytosis

The monoclonal antibody C225 (Cetuximab) blocks binding of ligand to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In addition, it is known that incubation with C225 induces endocytosis of the EGFR. This endocytosis has previously been shown to be increased when C225 is combined with an additional monoclonal anti-EGFR antibody. However, the effects of antibody combinations on EGFR activation, endocytosis, trafficking and degradation have been unclear. By binding a secondary antibody to the C225-EGFR complex, we here demonstrate that a combination of antibodies can efficiently internalize and degrade the EGFR. Although the combination of antibodies activated the EGFR kinase and induced ubiquitination of the EGFR, the kinase activity was not required for internalization of the EGFR. In contrast to EGF-induced EGFR down-regulation, the antibody combination efficiently degraded the EGFR without initiating downstream proliferative signaling. The antibody-induced internalization of EGFR was found not to depend on clathrin and/or dynamin, but depended on actin polymerization, suggesting induction of macropinocytosis. Macropinocytosis may cause internalization of large membrane areas, and this could explain the highly efficient internalization of the EGFR induced by combination of antibodies.     

In-depth biophysical analysis of interactions between therapeutic antibodies and the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor

Targeting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with monoclonal antibodies has become an established antitumor strategy in clinical use or in late stages of drug development. The mAbs effector mechanisms have been widely analyzed based on in vivo or cell studies. Hereby we intend to complement these functional studies by investigating the mAb-EGFR interactions on a molecular level. Surface plasmon resonance, isothermal titration calorimetry, and static light scattering were employed to characterize the interactions of matuzumab, cetuximab, and panitumumab with the extracellular soluble form ecEGFR. The kinetic and thermodynamic determinants dissected the differences in mAbs binding mechanism toward ecEGFR. The quantitative stoichiometric data clearly demonstrated the bivalent binding of the mAbs to two ecEGFR molecules. Our results complement earlier studies on simultaneous binding of cetuximab and matuzumab. The antibodies retain their bivalent binding mode achieving a 1:2:1 complex formation. Interestingly the binding parameters remain nearly constant for the individual antibodies in this ternary assembly. In contrast the binding of panitumumab is almost exclusive either by directly blocking the accessibility for the second antibody or by negative allosteric modulation. Overall we provide a comprehensive biophysical dataset on binding parameters, the complex assembly, and relative epitope accessibility for therapeutic anti-EGFR antibodies.     

Recombinant IgE antibody engineering to target EGFR

Monoclonal antibodies have become a mainstay for the targeted treatment of cancer today. Some of the most successful targets of monoclonal antibodies are constituted by the epidermal growth factor receptor family spearheaded by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Prompted by studies indicating that IgE compared to IgG may harness alternate effector functions to eradicate malignant cells, we addressed the establishment, engineering, and the potential tumoricidal effects of recombinant anti-EGFR IgE. Therefore, two different therapeutic EGFR-specific antibodies, 225 and 425, were chosen for re-cloning into different chimeric IgE and IgG formats and produced in human cells. Simultaneous antibody binding to the sEGFR demonstrated accessibility of both epitopes for recombinant IgE. Proliferation and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated signal blocking and effector mediating capability of IgE isotypes. Pronounced degranulation in the presence of sEGFR upon activation exclusively with two IgE antibodies verified the epitope proximity and provides evidence that tumor-targeting by anti-EGFR IgE is safe with regard to soluble target structures. Degranulation mediated by tumor cells expressing EGFR could be demonstrated for singular and combined IgE antibodies; however, use of two IgE specificities was not superior to use of one IgE alone. The data suggest that the surface distribution of EGFR is optimally suited to mount a robust effector cell trigger and corroborate the potential and specificity of the IgE/IgE receptor network to react to xenobiotic or pathogenic patterns for targeting malignancies.     

A fibronectin scaffold approach to bispecific inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor

Engineered domains of human fibronectin (Adnectins?) were used to generate a bispecific Adnectin targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), two transmembrane receptors that mediate proliferative and survival cell signaling in cancer. Single-domain Adnectins that specifically bind EGFR or IGF-IR were generated using mRNA display with a library containing as many as 10¹³ Adnectin variants. mRNA display was also used to optimize lead Adnectin affinities, resulting in clones that inhibited EGFR phosphorylation at 7 to 38 nM compared to 2.6 μM for the parental clone. Individual, optimized, Adnectins specific for blocking either EGFR or IGF-IR signaling were engineered into a single protein (EI-Tandem Adnectin). The EI-Tandems inhibited phosphorylation of EGFR and IGF-IR, induced receptor degradation, and inhibited down-stream cell signaling and proliferation of human cancer cell lines (A431, H292, BxPC3 and RH41) with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.1 to 113 nM. Although Adnectins bound to EGFR at a site distinct from those of anti-EGFR antibodies cetuximab, panitumumab and nimotuzumab, like the antibodies, the anti-EGFR Adnectins blocked the binding of EGF to EGFR. PEGylated EI-Tandem inhibited the growth of both EGFR and IGF-IR driven human tumor xenografts, induced degradation of EGFR, and reduced EGFR phosphorylation in tumors. These results demonstrate efficient engineering of bispecific Adnectins with high potency and desired specificity. The bispecificity may improve biological activity compared to monospecific biologics as tumor growth is driven by multiple growth factors. Our results illustrate a technological advancement for constructing multi-specific biologics in cancer therapy.     

Anti-EGFR biparatopic-SEED antibody has enhanced combination-activity in a single molecule

Certain combinations of non-competitive anti-EGFR antibodies have been reported to produce new effects on cells compared to either antibody used separately. New and enhanced combination-activity includes increased inhibition of signaling, increased receptor internalization and degradation, reduced proliferation of tumor cell lines and induction of complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) effector function. To test requirements and mechanisms to elicit enhanced combination-activity with different EGFR binding domains, we created an anti-EGFR biparatopic antibody. A biparatopic antibody interacts through two different antigen-binding sites to a single antigen. A heterodimeric antibody with one binding domain derived from the C225 antibody and one binding domain derived from the humanized 425 (hu425) antibody was built on the strand-exchange engineered domain (SEED) scaffold. This anti-EGFR biparatopic-SEED antibody was compared to parental antibodies used alone and in combination, and to the corresponding monovalent anti-EGFR-SEED antibodies used alone or in combination. We found that the anti-EGFR biparatopic-SEED had enhanced activity, similar to the combination of the two parental antibodies. Combinations of monovalent anti-EGFR-SEED antibodies did not produce enhanced effectiveness in cellular assays. Our results show that the anti-EGFR biparatopic antibody created using the SEED scaffold has enhanced combination-activity in a single molecule. Furthermore, these data suggest that the potential to cross-link the two different epitopes is an important requirement in the mechanism of enhanced combination-activity.     

Elucidation of the critical epitope of an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody EMab-134

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a type-1 transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase, which activates the downstream signaling cascades in many tumors, such as oral and lung cancers. We previously developed EMab-134, a novel anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (mAb), which reacts with endogenous EGFR-expressing cancer cell lines and normal cells independent of glycosylation in Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical analysis. EMab-134 showed very high sensitivity (94.7%) to oral squamous cell carcinomas in immunohistochemical analysis. In this study, we performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical analysis to determine the epitope of EMab-134. A blocking peptide (375–394 amino acids of EGFR) neutralized the EMab-134 reaction against oral cancer cells in flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The minimum epitope of EMab-134 was found to be the _377-RGDSFTHTPP_?386 sequence. Our findings can be applied for the production of more functional anti-EGFR mAbs that in turn can be used for antitumor treatments.     

A fibronectin scaffold approach to bispecific inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor

Engineered domains of human fibronectin (Adnectins™) were used to generate a bispecific Adnectin targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), two transmembrane receptors that mediate proliferative and survival cell signaling in cancer. Single-domain Adnectins that specifically bind EGFR or IGF-IR were generated using mRNA display with a library containing as many as 10¹³ Adnectin variants. mRNA display was also used to optimize lead Adnectin affinities, resulting in clones that inhibited EGFR phosphorylation at 7 to 38 nM compared to 2.6 µM for the parental clone. Individual optimized Adnectins specific for blocking either EGFR or IGF-IR signaling were engineered into a single protein (EI-Tandem Adnectin). The EI-Tandems inhibited phosphorylation of EGFR and IGF-IR, induced receptor degradation and inhibited down-stream cell signaling and proliferation of human cancer cell lines (A431, H292, BxPC3 and RH41) with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.1 to 113 nM. Although Adnectins bound to EGFR at a site distinct from those of anti-EGFR antibodies cetuximab, panitumumab and nimotuzumab, like the antibodies, the anti-EGFR Adnectins blocked the binding of EGF to EGFR. PEGylated EI-Tandem inhibited the growth of both EGFR and IGF-IR driven human tumor xenografts, induced degradation of EGFR and reduced EGFR phosphorylation in tumors. These results demonstrate efficient engineering of bispecific Adnectins with high potency and desired specificity. The bispecificity may improve biological activity compared to monospecific biologics as tumor growth is driven by multiple growth factors. Our results illustrate a technological advancement for constructing multi-specific biologics in cancer therapy.Key words: Adnectin, biologics, EGFR, IGF-IR, bispecific     

Role of targeted therapy in the treatment of squamous cell head and neck cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in head and neck cancer (HNC). Since EGFR has a large extracellular ligand binding as well as an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain, anti-EGFR therapy may involve anti-ligand binding domain antibody- or tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies. Phase II-III studies confirmed the efficacy of anti-EGFR antibody therapy in case of squamous cell HNC. In combination with irradiation, anti-EGFR antibody therapy improved survival of locally advanced HNC patients. In case of recurrent or metastatic HNC, anti-EGFR antibody therapy in combination with chemotherapy significantly increased remission rate without increasing toxicity. Although studies on EGFR kinase inhibitors in HNC are in early phase, preliminary data are encouraging.     

A combinatorial mutagenesis approach for functional epitope mapping on phage-displayed target antigen

Although multiple different procedures to characterize the epitopes recognized by antibodies have been developed, site-directed mutagenesis remains the method of choice to define the energetic contribution of antigen residues to binding. These studies are useful to identify critical residues and to delineate functional maps of the epitopes. However, they tend to underestimate the roles of residues that are not critical for binding on their own, but contribute to the formation of the target epitope in an additive, or even cooperative, way. Mapping antigenic determinants with a diffuse energetic landscape, which establish multiple individually weak interactions with the antibody paratope, resulting in high affinity and specificity recognition of the epitope as a whole, is thus technically challenging. The current work was aimed at developing a combinatorial strategy to overcome the limitations of site-directed mutagenesis, relying on comprehensive randomization of discrete antigenic regions within phage-displayed antigen libraries. Two model antibodies recognizing epidermal growth factor were used to validate the mapping platform. Abrogation of antibody recognition due to the introduction of simultaneous replacements was able to show the involvement of particular amino acid clusters in epitope formation. The abundance of some of the original residues (or functionally equivalent amino acids sharing their physicochemical properties) among the set of mutated antigen variants selected on a given antibody highlighted their contributions and allowed delineation of a detailed functional map of the corresponding epitope. The use of the combinatorial approach could be expanded to map the interactions between other antigens/antibodies.     

Differential and synergistic effects of epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies on unliganded ErbB dimers and oligomers

Antibodies directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) offer a potentially powerful therapeutic approach against cancers driven by the EGFR pathway. EGFR antibodies are believed to halt cell surface activation by blocking ligand-induced receptor tyrosine kinase activation, i.e., ligand binding, a change in conformation, or the monomer-dimer transition. In this work, we demonstrate that wild-type EGFR and the truncated de2-7-EGFR (tumor-associated mutant) formed unliganded homo-oligomers and examined the effects of two clinically relevant antibodies on the conformation and quaternary state of these ligand-free EGFR oligomers on the surface of cells. The EGFR antibodies were mAb528, a ligand-blocking antibody that binds domain III, and mAb806, a conformationally sensitive antibody that binds near the dimer interface in domain II. We used a model cellular system, BaF/3 cells, with GFP-tagged receptors in the absence of interference from secreted ligands or other erbB receptor members. Different antibody-mediated effects (conformational transition, receptor cross-linking, or receptor dissociation) were distinguished by combining two complementary biophysical techniques: image correlation spectroscopy (submicrometer scale clustering) and homo-Forster resonance energy transfer (association and/or conformation on a 1-10 nm scale). mAb528 cross-linked EGFR into an inactive EGFR dimer of dimers but had no effect when added to de2-7-EGFR oligomers. mAb806 had a minor effect on EGFR dimers as expected from its poor binding to a conformationally shielded epitope on wtEGFR but bound de2-7-EGFR oligomers, causing a conformational change in the intracellular C-terminal GFP-tagged tail. The combination of the two antibodies had synergistic effects, increasing the level of cross-linking of de2-7-EGFR, but did not lead to enhanced cross-linking of EGFR. The results reveal new modes of receptor-antibody interactions for EGFR and de2-7-EGFR.     

A combinatorial mutagenesis approach for functional epitope mapping on phage-displayed target antigen: Application to antibodies against epidermal growth factor

Although multiple different procedures to characterize the epitopes recognized by antibodies have been developed, site-directed mutagenesis remains the method of choice to define the energetic contribution of antigen residues to binding. These studies are useful to identify critical residues and to delineate functional maps of the epitopes. However, they tend to underestimate the roles of residues that are not critical for binding on their own, but contribute to the formation of the target epitope in an additive, or even cooperative, way. Mapping antigenic determinants with a diffuse energetic landscape, which establish multiple individually weak interactions with the antibody paratope, resulting in high affinity and specificity recognition of the epitope as a whole, is thus technically challenging. The current work was aimed at developing a combinatorial strategy to overcome the limitations of site-directed mutagenesis, relying on comprehensive randomization of discrete antigenic regions within phage-displayed antigen libraries. Two model antibodies recognizing epidermal growth factor were used to validate the mapping platform. Abrogation of antibody recognition due to the introduction of simultaneous replacements was able to show the involvement of particular amino acid clusters in epitope formation. The abundance of some of the original residues (or functionally equivalent amino acids sharing their physicochemical properties) among the set of mutated antigen variants selected on a given antibody highlighted their contributions and allowed delineation of a detailed functional map of the corresponding epitope. The use of the combinatorial approach could be expanded to map the interactions between other antigens/antibodies.     

Efficient inhibition of EGFR signalling and of tumour growth by antagonistic anti-EGFR Nanobodies

The development of a number of different solid tumours is associated with over-expression of ErbB1, or the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and this over-expression is often correlated with poor prognosis of patients. Therefore, this receptor tyrosine kinase is considered to be an attractive target for antibody-based therapy. Indeed, antibodies to the EGFR have already proven their value for the treatment of several solid tumours, especially in combination with chemotherapeutic treatment regimens. Variable domains of camelid heavy chain-only antibodies (called Nanobodies) have superior properties compared with classical antibodies in that they are small, very stable, easy to produce in large quantities and easy to re-format into multi-valent or multi-specific proteins. Furthermore, they can specifically be selected for a desired function by phage antibody display. In this report, we describe the successful selection and the characterisation of antagonistic anti-EGFR Nanobodies. By using a functional selection strategy, Nanobodies that specifically competed for EGF binding to the EGFR were isolated from "immune" phage Nanobody repertoires. The selected antibody fragments were found to efficiently inhibit EGF binding to the EGFR without acting as receptor agonists themselves. In addition, they blocked EGF-mediated signalling and EGF-induced cell proliferation. In an in vivo murine xenograft model, the Nanobodies were effective in delaying the outgrowth of A431-derived solid tumours. This is the first report describing the successful use of untagged Nanobodies for the in vivo treatment of solid tumours. The results show that functional phage antibody selection, coupled to the rational design of Nanobodies, permits the rapid development of novel anti-cancer antibody-based therapeutics.     

Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor sequences as E. coli fusion proteins: applications in the study of tyrosine kinase function

To investigate the functions of key domains of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), various EGFR-derived peptide sequences were expressed in Escherichia coli as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. The purified fusion proteins (GST-TK0-8) were tested as substrates for the tyrosine kinase activities of the EGFR and c-src. Both the GST-TK4 fusion protein, which contains the major C-terminal tyrosine autophosphorylation sites of the EGFR, and GST-TK7, which contains the connecting sequence between the EGFR kinase domain and the C-terminal autophosphorylation domain, were strongly phosphorylated by the EGFR and c-src. Hence the candidate tyrosine phosphorylation sites present in the connecting sequences of the EGFR, as well as the known autophosphorylation sites of the EGFR, can be phosphorylated by the two tyrosine kinases. The protein GST-TK7 was phosphorylated by c-src with a KM of 5-10 microM, which indicated a potential interaction between the connecting segment of the EGFR and the c-src kinase. The GST fusion proteins were also used to map the sites recognized by two anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies and a polyclonal serum raised against an EGFR tyrosine kinase domain fragment. The recognition site of one monoclonal antibody was determined to be in a short sequence surrounding tyr1068, a primary site of autophosphorylation in the C-terminal domain of the receptor. The anti-peptide polyclonal serum recognized only sequences in the GST-TK7 fusion protein, and hence binds to the connecting sequence between the kinase core and the C-terminal domain. These antibodies will therefore be useful reagents for studying the function of two key structural elements of the EGFR tyrosine kinase. The GST-TK fusion proteins should have many other applications in the study of EGFR catalysis and mitogenic signalling.     

Comparative in vitro and experimental in vivo studies of the anti–epidermal growth factor receptor antibody nimotuzumab and its aglycosylated form produced in transgenic tobacco plants

A broad variety of foreign genes can be expressed in transgenic plants, which offer the opportunity for large‐scale production of pharmaceutical proteins, such as therapeutic antibodies. Nimotuzumab is a humanized anti–epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) recombinant IgG1 antibody approved in different countries for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, paediatric and adult glioma, and nasopharyngeal and oesophageal cancers. Because the antitumour mechanism of nimotuzumab is mainly attributed to its ability to interrupt the signal transduction cascade triggered by EGF/EGFR interaction, we have hypothesized that an aglycosylated form of this antibody, produced by mutating the N₂₉₇ position in the IgG₁ Fc region gene, would have similar biochemical and biological properties as the mammalian‐cell‐produced glycosylated counterpart. In this paper, we report the production and characterization of an aglycosylated form of nimotuzumab in transgenic tobacco plants. The comparison of the plantibody and nimotuzumab in terms of recognition of human EGFR, effect on tyrosine phosphorylation and proliferation in cells in response to EGF, competition with radiolabelled EGF for EGFR, affinity measurements of Fab fragments, pharmacokinetic and biodistribution behaviours in rats and antitumour effects in nude mice bearing human A431 tumours showed that both antibody forms have very similar in vitro and in vivo properties. Our results support the idea that the production of aglycosylated forms of some therapeutic antibodies in transgenic plants is a feasible approach when facing scaling strategies for anticancer immunoglobulins.     

Increasing FcγRIIa affinity of an FcγRIII-optimized anti-EGFR antibody restores neutrophil-mediated cytotoxicity

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been suggested as an essential mechanism for the in vivo activity of cetuximab, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting therapeutic antibody. Thus, enhancing the affinity of human IgG1 antibodies to natural killer (NK) cell-expressed FcγRIIIa by glyco- or protein-engineering of their Fc portion has been demonstrated to improve NK cell-mediated ADCC and to represent a promising strategy to improve antibody therapy. However, human polymorphonuclear (PMN) effector cells express the highly homologous FcγRIIIb isoform, which is described to be ineffective in triggering ADCC. Here, non-fucosylated or protein-engineered anti-EGFR antibodies with optimized FcγRIIIa affinities demonstrated the expected benefit in NK cell-mediated ADCC, but did not mediate ADCC by PMN, which could be restored by FcγRIIIb blockade. Furthermore, eosinophils and PMN from paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria patients that expressed no or low levels of FcγRIIIb mediated effective ADCC with FcγRIII-optimized anti-EGFR antibody. Additional experiments with double FcγRIIa/FcγRIII-optimized constructs demonstrated enhanced PMN-mediated ADCC compared with single FcγRIII-optimized antibody. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that FcγRIIIb engagement impairs PMN-mediated ADCC activity of FcγRIII-optimized anti-EGFR antibodies, while further optimization of FcγRIIa binding significantly restores PMN recruitment.