Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity
Protein aggregation constitutes a recurring complication in the manufacture and clinical use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and mAb derivatives. Antibody aggregates can reduce production yield, cause immunogenic reactions, decrease the shelf-life of the pharmaceutical product and impair...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Pharmaceutics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/11/1747 |
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| author | Esteban Cruz Vicki Sifniotis Zeynep Sumer-Bayraktar Mouhamad Reslan Lorna Wilkinson-White Stuart Cordwell Veysel Kayser |
| author_facet | Esteban Cruz Vicki Sifniotis Zeynep Sumer-Bayraktar Mouhamad Reslan Lorna Wilkinson-White Stuart Cordwell Veysel Kayser |
| author_sort | Esteban Cruz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Protein aggregation constitutes a recurring complication in the manufacture and clinical use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and mAb derivatives. Antibody aggregates can reduce production yield, cause immunogenic reactions, decrease the shelf-life of the pharmaceutical product and impair the capacity of the antibody monomer to bind to its cognate antigen. A common strategy to tackle protein aggregation involves the identification of surface-exposed aggregation-prone regions (APR) for replacement through protein engineering. It was shown that the insertion of <i>N</i>-glycosylation sequons on amino acids proximal to an aggregation-prone region can increase the physical stability of the protein by shielding the APR, thus preventing self-association of antibody monomers. We recently implemented this approach in the Fab region of full-size adalimumab and demonstrated that the thermodynamic stability of the Fab domain increases upon <i>N</i>-glycosite addition. Previous experimental data reported for this technique have lacked appropriate confirmation of glycan occupancy and structural characterization of the ensuing glycan profile. Herein, we mutated previously identified candidate positions on the Fab domain of Trastuzumab and employed tandem mass spectrometry to confirm attachment and obtain a detailed <i>N</i>-glycosylation profile of the mutants. The Trastuzumab glycomutants displayed a glycan profile with significantly higher structural heterogeneity compared to the HEK Trastuzumab antibody, which contains a single <i>N</i>-glycosylation site per heavy chain located in the CH2 domain of the Fc region. These findings suggest that Fab <i>N</i>-glycosites have higher accessibility to enzymes responsible for glycan maturation. Further, we have studied effects on additional glycosylation on protein stability via accelerated studies by following protein folding and aggregation propensities and observed that additional glycosylation indeed enhances physical stability and prevent protein aggregation. Our findings shed light into mAb glycobiology and potential implications in the application of this technique for the development of “biobetter” antibodies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:09:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27bac9247a2f4765aa65510509848ca7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4923 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:09:43Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceutics |
| spelling | doaj.art-27bac9247a2f4765aa65510509848ca72023-11-23T00:56:57ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232021-10-011311174710.3390/pharmaceutics13111747Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan ComplexityEsteban Cruz0Vicki Sifniotis1Zeynep Sumer-Bayraktar2Mouhamad Reslan3Lorna Wilkinson-White4Stuart Cordwell5Veysel Kayser6Sydney School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney Analytical, Core Research Facilities, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSydney School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaProtein aggregation constitutes a recurring complication in the manufacture and clinical use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and mAb derivatives. Antibody aggregates can reduce production yield, cause immunogenic reactions, decrease the shelf-life of the pharmaceutical product and impair the capacity of the antibody monomer to bind to its cognate antigen. A common strategy to tackle protein aggregation involves the identification of surface-exposed aggregation-prone regions (APR) for replacement through protein engineering. It was shown that the insertion of <i>N</i>-glycosylation sequons on amino acids proximal to an aggregation-prone region can increase the physical stability of the protein by shielding the APR, thus preventing self-association of antibody monomers. We recently implemented this approach in the Fab region of full-size adalimumab and demonstrated that the thermodynamic stability of the Fab domain increases upon <i>N</i>-glycosite addition. Previous experimental data reported for this technique have lacked appropriate confirmation of glycan occupancy and structural characterization of the ensuing glycan profile. Herein, we mutated previously identified candidate positions on the Fab domain of Trastuzumab and employed tandem mass spectrometry to confirm attachment and obtain a detailed <i>N</i>-glycosylation profile of the mutants. The Trastuzumab glycomutants displayed a glycan profile with significantly higher structural heterogeneity compared to the HEK Trastuzumab antibody, which contains a single <i>N</i>-glycosylation site per heavy chain located in the CH2 domain of the Fc region. These findings suggest that Fab <i>N</i>-glycosites have higher accessibility to enzymes responsible for glycan maturation. Further, we have studied effects on additional glycosylation on protein stability via accelerated studies by following protein folding and aggregation propensities and observed that additional glycosylation indeed enhances physical stability and prevent protein aggregation. Our findings shed light into mAb glycobiology and potential implications in the application of this technique for the development of “biobetter” antibodies.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/11/1747protein aggregationtherapeutic monoclonal antibodiesTrastuzumabglycosylationbiobetters |
| spellingShingle | Esteban Cruz Vicki Sifniotis Zeynep Sumer-Bayraktar Mouhamad Reslan Lorna Wilkinson-White Stuart Cordwell Veysel Kayser Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity Pharmaceutics protein aggregation therapeutic monoclonal antibodies Trastuzumab glycosylation biobetters |
| title | Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity |
| title_full | Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity |
| title_fullStr | Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity |
| title_short | Glycan Profile Analysis of Engineered Trastuzumab with Rationally Added Glycosylation Sequons Presents Significantly Increased Glycan Complexity |
| title_sort | glycan profile analysis of engineered trastuzumab with rationally added glycosylation sequons presents significantly increased glycan complexity |
| topic | protein aggregation therapeutic monoclonal antibodies Trastuzumab glycosylation biobetters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/11/1747 |
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