Identification of the major proteoglycans from human myometrium

Background. During pregnancy and parturition a remodeling within the extracellular matrix of the cervix and the corpus uteri occurs, which is of fundamental importance to a normal labor. The aim of this study is to identify the major proteoglycans in corpus uteri of non-pregnant subjects. Methods. From human uterine tissue proteoglycans were extracted and purified using CsCl-density gradient centrifugation, gel and ion-exchange chromatography. The proteoglycans were quantified and identified by Alcian Blue before and after ABC-digestion and by Western blotting. Results. The results showed that the corpus uteri contains a substantial amount of proteoglycans, 1.825 mug/mg wet weight. Decorin is dominating, constituting 63% of the total amount of proteoglycans. Heparan sulphate proteoglycans accounted for 20% and biglycan for 16%. Less than 1% consisted of the large proteoglycan versican. Conclusions. Further investigations must be performed to provide more information of the biological role of the proteoglycans in the uterus, especially during labor, by the presence of heparan sulphate proteoglycans and the minute presence of versican which indicate that the proteoglycan composition and organization is different to that of the cervix

Directed evolution of chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus generates biologically functional variants with reduced interaction with human antibodies

Chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus (CHIPS) is a protein that binds and blocks the C5a receptor (C5aR) and formylated peptide receptor, thereby inhibiting the immune cell recruitment associated with inflammation. If CHIPS was less reactive with existing human antibodies, it would be a promising anti-inflammatory drug candidate. Therefore, we applied directed evolution and computational/rational design to the CHIPS gene in order to generate new CHIPS variants displaying lower interaction with human IgG, yet retaining biological function. The optimization was performed in four rounds: one round of random mutagenesis to add diversity into the CHIPS gene and three rounds of DNA recombination by Fragment INduced Diversity (FIND((R))). Every round was screened by phage selection and/or ELISA for decreased interaction with human IgG and retained C5aR binding. The mean binding of human anti-CHIPS IgG decreased with every round of evolution. For further optimization, new amino acid substitutions were introduced by rational design, based on the mutations identified during directed evolution. Finally, seven CHIPS variants with low interaction with human IgG and retained C5aR blocking capacity could be identified

The CTLA-4 x OX40 bispecific antibody ATOR-1015 induces anti-tumor effects through tumor-directed immune activation

Abstract Background The CTLA-4 blocking antibody ipilimumab has demonstrated substantial and durable effects in patients with melanoma. While CTLA-4 therapy, both as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 targeting therapies, has great potential in many indications, the toxicities of the current treatment regimens may limit their use. Thus, there is a medical need for new CTLA-4 targeting therapies with improved benefit-risk profile. Methods ATOR-1015 is a human CTLA-4 x OX40 targeting IgG1 bispecific antibody generated by linking an optimized version of the Ig-like V-type domain of human CD86, a natural CTLA-4 ligand, to an agonistic OX40 antibody. In vitro evaluation of T-cell activation and T regulatory cell (Treg) depletion was performed using purified cells from healthy human donors or cell lines. In vivo anti-tumor responses were studied using human OX40 transgenic (knock-in) mice with established syngeneic tumors. Tumors and spleens from treated mice were analyzed for CD8+ T cell and Treg frequencies, T-cell activation markers and tumor localization using flow cytometry. Results ATOR-1015 induces T-cell activation and Treg depletion in vitro. Treatment with ATOR-1015 reduces tumor growth and improves survival in several syngeneic tumor models, including bladder, colon and pancreas cancer models. It is further demonstrated that ATOR-1015 induces tumor-specific and long-term immunological memory and enhances the response to PD-1 inhibition. Moreover, ATOR-1015 localizes to the tumor area where it reduces the frequency of Tregs and increases the number and activation of CD8+ T cells. Conclusions By targeting CTLA-4 and OX40 simultaneously, ATOR-1015 is directed to the tumor area where it induces enhanced immune activation, and thus has the potential to be a next generation CTLA-4 targeting therapy with improved clinical efficacy and reduced toxicity. ATOR-1015 is also expected to act synergistically with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. The pre-clinical data support clinical development of ATOR-1015, and a first-in-human trial has started (NCT03782467)

Directed evolution of chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus generates biologically functional variants with reduced interaction with human antibodies

Chemotaxis inhibitory protein of Staphylococcus aureus (CHIPS) is a protein that binds and blocks the C5a receptor (C5aR) and formylated peptide receptor, thereby inhibiting the immune cell recruitment associated with inflammation. If CHIPS was less reactive with existing human antibodies, it would be a promising anti-inflammatory drug candidate. Therefore, we applied directed evolution and computational/rational design to the CHIPS gene in order to generate new CHIPS variants displaying lower interaction with human IgG, yet retaining biological function. The optimization was performed in four rounds: one round of random mutagenesis to add diversity into the CHIPS gene and three rounds of DNA recombination by Fragment INduced Diversity (FIND((R))). Every round was screened by phage selection and/or ELISA for decreased interaction with human IgG and retained C5aR binding. The mean binding of human anti-CHIPS IgG decreased with every round of evolution. For further optimization, new amino acid substitutions were introduced by rational design, based on the mutations identified during directed evolution. Finally, seven CHIPS variants with low interaction with human IgG and retained C5aR blocking capacity could be identified

Development of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist mutants with enhanced antagonistic activity in vitro and improved therapeutic efficacy in collagen-induced arthritis.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a naturally occurring inhibitor of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-1-mediated activation of the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R). Although wild-type IL-1Ra is used for treatment of inflammatory diseases, its effect is moderate and/or short-lived. The objective of this study was to generate IL-1Ra mutants with enhanced antagonistic activity for potential therapeutic use. Using a directed evolution approach in which libraries of IL-1Ra gene mutants were generated and screened in functional assays, mutants with desired properties were identified. Initially, diversity was introduced into the IL-1Ra using random mutagenesis. Mutations resulting in enhanced antagonistic activity were identified by screening in a reporter cell assay. To further enhance the antagonistic activity, selected mutations were recombined using the DNA recombination technology Fragment-INduced Diversity (FIND). Following three rounds of FIND recombination, several mutants with up to nine times enhanced antagonistic activity (mean IC50 +/- SEM value: 0.78 +/- 0.050 vs. 6.8 +/- 1.1 ng/ml for mutant and wild-type, respectively) were identified. Sequence analysis identified the mutations D47N, E52R and E90Y as being most important for this effect, however, the mutations P38Y, H54R, Q129L and M136N further enhanced the antagonistic function. Analysis of identified mutations in protein models based on the crystal structure of the IL-1Ra/IL-1R complex suggested that mutations found to enhance the antagonistic activity had a stabilizing effect on the IL-1Ra mutants or increased the affinity for the IL-1R. Finally, the therapeutic effect of one mutant was compared to that of wild-type IL-1Ra in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Indeed, the enhanced antagonistic effect of the mutants observed in vitro was also seen in vivo. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that directed evolution of IL-1Ra is an effective means of generating highly potent therapeutic proteins