Novel mesothelin antibodies enable crystallography of the intact mesothelin ectodomain and engineering of potent, T cell-engaging bispecific therapeutics

Mesothelin is a glypiated, cell-surface glycoprotein expressed at low levels on normal mesothelium but overexpressed by many cancers. Implicated in cell adhesion and multiple signaling pathways, mesothelin’s precise biological function and overall structure remain undefined. Antibodies targeting mesothelin have been engineered into immunotoxins, antibody-drug conjugates, CAR-T cells, or bispecific T cell engagers as candidate therapeutics but most face challenges, including binding epitopes that are not optimal for selected modalities. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of a novel anti-mesothelin antibody, 1A12, including crystallographic mapping of the 1A12 epitope in relation to other antibodies (amatuximab, anetumab). 1A12 possesses uniquely favorable properties, including a membrane-proximal epitope, and enabled structure determination of the complete mesothelin ectodomain. We incorporated 1A12 into two different bispecific T cell engaging architectures with various anti-CD3 co-targeting elements as candidate therapeutics, demonstrating in vitro functionality and potency

Increased origin activity in transformed versus normal cells: identification of novel protein players involved in DNA replication and cellular transformation

Using libraries of replication origins generated previously, we identified three clones that supported the autonomous replication of their respective plasmids in transformed, but not in normal cells. Assessment of their in vivo replication activity by in situ chromosomal DNA replication assays revealed that the chromosomal loci corresponding to these clones coincided with chromosomal replication origins in all cell lines, which were more active by 2–3-fold in the transformed by comparison to the normal cells. Evaluation of pre-replication complex (pre-RC) protein abundance at these origins in transformed and normal cells by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, using anti-ORC2, -cdc6 and -cdt1 antibodies, showed that they were bound by these pre-RC proteins in all cell lines, but a 2–3-fold higher abundance was observed in the transformed by comparison to the normal cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) performed on the most efficiently replicating clone, using nuclear extracts from the transformed and normal cells, revealed the presence of a DNA replication complex in transformed cells, which was barely detectable in normal cells. Subsequent supershift EMSAs suggested the presence of transformation-specific complexes. Mass spectrometric analysis of these complexes revealed potential new protein players involved in DNA replication that appear to correlate with cellular transformation

The interaction between Y box binding protein 1 and DNA replication proteins

A coordinated response to DNA damage is vital to maintain cellular viability and prevent the onset of disease. In mammalian cells, the intra-S phase checkpoint regulator, ATR (Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and RAD3-related) kinase coordinates the response to DNA damage to ensure the genome is accurately and completely replicated before the cell enters mitosis. Y box Binding Protein 1 (YB-1), a transcription and translation factor, has previously been implicated in cell proliferation and the development of chemotherapeutic resistance. YB-1 has been linked to a wide variety of cellular stresses, but has not been studied in the context of DNA replication. In this study, we determined that YB-1 associates to both the β-globin replication origin (origin-containing) and the control (origin-lacking) DNA regions. This observation suggested that YB-1 may be involved in DNA replication elongation instead of initiation. By immunoprecipiating YB-1, we identified that PCNA and MCM7 preferentially interact with YB-1 during S phase. The examination of the spatial and temporal dynamics of these interactions by immunofluorescence microscopy, however, did not reveal nuclear colocalization of these proteins. By treating cells with hydroxyurea to stall the replication fork, we re-examined the protein-protein interaction between YB-1 and MCM7 and found that following 8 hours of hydroxyurea treatment, YB-1 and MCM7 exhibited diffuse colocalization in the cell nucleus. This finding may implicate YB-1 in exerting a late-onset response to prolonged replication fork arrest either directly at stalled replication forks or at "dormant" origins bound by MCM complexes. A number of roles for YB-1 can be postulated, such as the requirement of YB-1 in facilitating the resumption of DNA replication, or the activation of additional origins to duplicate the genome in the presence of a replication stress. This finding may in turn account foUne réponse coordonnée lors de dommages à l'ADN est vitale pour le maintien de la viabilité cellulaire et pour éviter l'installation de maladies. Dans les cellules de mammifères, le point de contrôle de la phase S, la protéine kinase ATR (Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and RAD3-related), coordonne la réponse aux dommages de l'ADN afin d'assurer une réplication complète et fidèle du génome avant l'entrée en mitose. La protéine YB-1 (Y box Binding Protein 1), un facteur de transcription et de traduction, est impliqué dans la prolifération cellulaire et la résistance aux chimiothérapies. YB-1 est également lié à une large variété de stress cellulaires but aucune donnée n'est disponible quant à son rôle dans la réplication de l'ADN. Lors de mon travail de Master, j'ai pu montrer qu'YB-1 s'associe à la fois à l'origine de réplication de la β-globine et dans les régions contrôles de l'ADN. Ce résultat suggère qu'YB-1 pourrait être impliqué dans la phase d'élongation de la réplication de l'ADN plutôt que dans celui de l'initiation. Par immunoprécipitation, j'ai identifié PCNA et MCM7 comme interacteurs préférentiels d'YB-1 en phase S. Par contre, en immunofluorescence, je n'observe pas de colocalisation nucléaire entre ces protéines. Lors du blocage de la fourche de réplication par un traitement à l'hydroxyurée, l'interaction entre YB-1 et MCM7 a été réexaminée et j'ai mis en évidence que 8h après le traitement, ces deux protéines présentent une co-localisation diffuse dans le noyau. Ces données indiquent qu'YB-1 pourrait être impliqué dans une réponse tardive suite à un arrêt prolongé de la fourche de réplication soit directement au point d'arrêt soit au niveau d'origines « dormantes » liées aux complexes MCM. YB-1 peut donc avoir plusieurs rôles tels que l'aide à la reprise de la réplication de l'ADN ou l'activation d'origines de réplicati