Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry with improved electrochemical reduction enables comprehensive epitope mapping of a therapeutic antibody to the cysteine-knot containing vascular endothelial growth factor.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) has become a popular method for analysis of the conformational dynamics and interactions of proteins. Disulfide-bonded proteins, however, present a challenge to HDX-MS as they require efficient disulfide bond reduction prior to enzymatic proteolysis. Electrochemical reduction (ER) provides an attractive solution to tackle disulfide-bonded proteins that are resistant to conventional chemical reduction during HDX-MS. However, ER-enabled HDX-MS has been limited by technical challenges including partial unwanted protein oxidation side-reactions, incompatibility with certain buffer components and most importantly, a lack of overall method robustness. In this study, we have sought to address these challenges. We perform a systematic screening of the compatibility of ER to buffers commonly used in HDX-MS samples by using a reliable and simple system suitability test (SST). Furthermore, we demonstrate the benefits of a new design of the electrochemical cell (EC) for ER-enabled HDX-MS, which include a) high repeatability and robustness over large sample batches without the need for electrode polishing and b) high reduction efficiency of disulfide-bonded proteins without unwanted oxidation side-reactions. We show the real-world applicability of the optimized ER-enabled HDX-MS workflow by performing an epitope mapping of a Fab fragment of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) to the cysteine knot-containing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The results allow us to comprehensively map sites in VEGF involved in mAb binding. Overall, our findings show how ER and HDX-MS can be combined to enable analysis of the conformation and interactions of challenging disulfide-rich proteins.

A Two-pronged Binding Mechanism of IgG to the Neonatal Fc Receptor Controls Complex Stability and IgG Serum Half-life.

The success of recombinant monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG) is rooted in their ability to target distinct antigens with high affinity combined with an extraordinarily long serum half-life, typically around 3 weeks. The pharmacokinetics of IgGs is intimately linked to the recycling mechanism of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). For long serum half-life of therapeutic IgGs, the highly pH-dependent interaction with FcRn needs to be balanced to allow efficient FcRn binding and release at slightly acidic pH and physiological pH, respectively. Some IgGs, like the antibody briakinumab has an unusually short half-life of ∼8 days. Here we dissect the molecular origins of excessive FcRn binding in therapeutic IgGs using a combination of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and FcRn affinity chromatography. We provide experimental evidence for a two-pronged IgG-FcRn binding mechanism involving direct FcRn interactions with both the Fc region and the Fab regions of briakinumab, and correlate the occurrence of excessive FcRn binding to an unusually strong Fab-FcRn interaction.

Investigating the interaction between the neonatal Fc receptor and monoclonal antibody variants by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

The recycling of immunoglobulins by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is of crucial importance in the maintenance of antibody levels in plasma and is responsible for the long half-lives of endogenous and recombinant monoclonal antibodies. From a therapeutic point of view there is great interest in understanding and modulating the IgG-FcRn interaction to optimize antibody pharmacokinetics and ultimately improve efficacy and safety. Here we studied the interaction between a full-length human IgG(1) and human FcRn via hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and targeted electron transfer dissociation to map sites perturbed by binding on both partners of the IgG-FcRn complex. Several regions in the antibody Fc region and the FcRn were protected from exchange upon complex formation, in good agreement with previous crystallographic studies of FcRn in complex with the Fc fragment. Interestingly, we found that several regions in the IgG Fab region also showed reduced deuterium uptake. Our findings indicate the presence of hitherto unknown FcRn interaction sites in the Fab region or a possible conformational link between the IgG Fc and Fab regions upon FcRn binding. Further, we investigated the role of IgG glycosylation in the conformational response of the IgG-FcRn interaction. Removal of antibody glycans increased the flexibility of the FcRn binding site in the Fc region. Consequently, FcRn binding did not induce a similar conformational stabilization of deglycosylated IgG as observed for the wild-type glycosylated IgG. Our results provide new molecular insight into the IgG-FcRn interaction and illustrate the capability of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to advance structural proteomics by providing detailed information on the conformation and dynamics of large protein complexes in solution.

Molecular polygamy: The promiscuity of l-phenylalanyl-tRNA-synthetase triggers misincorporation of meta- and ortho-tyrosine in monoclonal antibodies expressed by Chinese hamster ovary cells.

In-depth analytical characterization of biotherapeutics originating from different production batches is mandatory to ensure product safety and consistent molecule efficacy. Previously, we have shown unintended incorporation of tyrosine (Tyr) and leucine/isoleucine (Leu/Ile) at phenylalanine (Phe) positions in a recombinant produced monoclonal antibody (mAb) using an orthogonal MASCOT/SIEVE based approach for mass spectrometry data analysis. The misincorporation could be avoided by sufficient supply of phenylalanine throughout the process. Several non-annotated signals in the primarily chromatographic peptide separation step for apparently single Phe→Tyr sequence variants (SVs) suggest a role for isobar tyrosine isoforms. Meta- and ortho-Tyr are spontaneously generated during aerobic fed-batch production processes using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Process induced meta- and ortho-Tyr but not proteinogenic para-Tyr are incorporated at Phe locations in Phe-starved CHO cultures expressing a recombinant mAb. Furthermore, meta- and ortho-Tyr are preferably misincorporated over Leu. Structural modeling of the l-phenylalanyl-tRNA-synthetase (PheRS) substrate activation site indicates a possible fit of non-cognate ortho-Tyr and meta-Tyr substrates. Dose-dependent misincorporations of Tyr isoforms support the hypothesis that meta- and ortho-Tyr are competing, alternative substrates for PheRS in CHO processes. Finally, easily accessible at-line surrogate markers for Phe→Tyr SV formation in biotherapeutic production were defined by the calculation of critical ratios for meta-Tyr/Phe and ortho-Tyr/Phe to support early prediction of SV probability, and finally, to allow for immediate process controlled Phe→Tyr SV prevention.

Structure-based prediction of asparagine and aspartate degradation sites in antibody variable regions.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and proteins containing antibody domains are the most prevalent class of biotherapeutics in diverse indication areas. Today, established techniques such as immunization or phage display allow for an efficient generation of new mAbs. Besides functional properties, the stability of future therapeutic mAbs is a key selection criterion which is essential for the development of a drug candidate into a marketed product. Therapeutic proteins may degrade via asparagine (Asn) deamidation and aspartate (Asp) isomerization, but the factors responsible for such degradation remain poorly understood. We studied the structural properties of a large, uniform dataset of Asn and Asp residues in the variable domains of antibodies. Their structural parameters were correlated with the degradation propensities measured by mass spectrometry. We show that degradation hotspots can be characterized by their conformational flexibility, the size of the C-terminally flanking amino acid residue, and secondary structural parameters. From these results we derive an accurate in silico prediction method for the degradation propensity of both Asn and Asp residues in the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of mAbs.

Protein correlation profiles identify lipid droplet proteins with high confidence.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are important organelles in energy metabolism and lipid storage. Their cores are composed of neutral lipids that form a hydrophobic phase and are surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer that harbors specific proteins. Most well-established LD proteins perform important functions, particularly in cellular lipid metabolism. Morphological studies show LDs in close proximity to and interacting with membrane-bound cellular organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and endosomes. Because of these close associations, it is difficult to purify LDs to homogeneity. Consequently, the confident identification of bona fide LD proteins via proteomics has been challenging. Here, we report a methodology for LD protein identification based on mass spectrometry and protein correlation profiles. Using LD purification and quantitative, high-resolution mass spectrometry, we identified LD proteins by correlating their purification profiles to those of known LD proteins. Application of the protein correlation profile strategy to LDs isolated from Drosophila S2 cells led to the identification of 111 LD proteins in a cellular LD fraction in which 1481 proteins were detected. LD localization was confirmed in a subset of identified proteins via microscopy of the expressed proteins, thereby validating the approach. Among the identified LD proteins were both well-characterized LD proteins and proteins not previously known to be localized to LDs. Our method provides a high-confidence LD proteome of Drosophila cells and a novel approach that can be applied to identify LD proteins of other cell types and tissues.

Triple SILAC to determine stimulus specific interactions in the Wnt pathway.

Many important regulatory functions are performed by dynamic multiprotein complexes that adapt their composition and activity in response to different stimuli. Here we employ quantitative affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry to efficiently separate background from specific interactors but add an additional quantitative dimension to explicitly characterize stimulus-dependent interactions. This is accomplished by SILAC in a triple-labeling format, in which pull-downs with bait, with bait and stimulus, and without bait are quantified against each other. As baits, we use full-length proteins fused to the green fluorescent protein and expressed under endogenous control. We applied this technology to Wnt signaling, which is important in development, tissue homeostasis, and cancer, and investigated interactions of the key components APC, Axin-1, DVL2, and CtBP2 with differential pathway activation. Our screens identify many known Wnt signaling complex components and link novel candidates to Wnt signaling, including FAM83B and Girdin, which we found as interactors to multiple Wnt pathway players. Girdin binds to DVL2 independent of stimulation with the ligand Wnt3a but to Axin-1 and APC in a stimulus-dependent manner. The core destruction complex itself, which regulates beta-catenin stability as the key step in canonical Wnt signaling, remained essentially unchanged.

Phosphatidylcholine synthesis for lipid droplet expansion is mediated by localized activation of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are cellular storage organelles for neutral lipids that vary in size and abundance according to cellular needs. Physiological conditions that promote lipid storage rapidly and markedly increase LD volume and surface. How the need for surface phospholipids is sensed and balanced during this process is unknown. Here, we show that phosphatidylcholine (PC) acts as a surfactant to prevent LD coalescence, which otherwise yields large, lipolysis-resistant LDs and triglyceride (TG) accumulation. The need for additional PC to coat the enlarging surface during LD expansion is provided by the Kennedy pathway, which is activated by reversible targeting of the rate-limiting enzyme, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT), to growing LD surfaces. The requirement, targeting, and activation of CCT to growing LDs were similar in cells of Drosophila and mice. Our results reveal a mechanism to maintain PC homeostasis at the expanding LD monolayer through targeted activation of a key PC synthesis enzyme.

Systems-wide analysis of a phosphatase knock-down by quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics.

Signal transduction in metazoans regulates almost all aspects of biological function, and aberrant signaling is involved in many diseases. Perturbations in phosphorylation-based signaling networks are typically studied in a hypothesis-driven approach, using phospho-specific antibodies. Here we apply quantitative, high-resolution mass spectrometry to determine the systems response to the depletion of one signaling component. Drosophila cells were metabolically labeled using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and the phosphatase Ptp61F, the ortholog of mammalian PTB1B, a drug target for diabetes, was knocked down by RNAi. In total we detected more than 10,000 phosphorylation sites in the phosphoproteome of Drosophila Schneider cells and trained a phosphorylation site predictor with this data. SILAC-based quantitation after phosphatase knock-down showed that apart from the phosphatase, the proteome was minimally affected whereas 288 of 6,478 high-confidence phosphorylation sites changed significantly. Responses at the phosphotyrosine level included the already described Ptp61F substrates Stat92E and Abi. Our analysis highlights a connection of Ptp61F to cytoskeletal regulation through GTPase regulating proteins and focal adhesion components.

A practical guide to the MaxQuant computational platform for SILAC-based quantitative proteomics.

MaxQuant is a quantitative proteomics software package designed for analyzing large mass spectrometric data sets. It is specifically aimed at high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) data. Currently, Thermo LTQ-Orbitrap and LTQ-FT-ICR instruments are supported and Mascot is used as a search engine. This protocol explains step by step how to use MaxQuant on stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) data obtained with double or triple labeling. Complex experimental designs, such as time series and drug-response data, are supported. A standard desktop computer is sufficient to fulfill the computational requirements. The workflow has been stress tested with more than 1,000 liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry runs in a single project. In a typical SILAC proteome experiment, hundreds of thousands of peptides and thousands of proteins are automatically and reliably quantified. Additional information for identified proteins, such as Gene Ontology, domain composition and pathway membership, is provided in the output tables ready for further bioinformatics analysis. The software is freely available at the MaxQuant home page.

Phosphorylation of SUMO-1 occurs in vivo and is conserved through evolution.

Protein dynamics is regulated by an elaborate interplay between different post-translational modifications. Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) are small proteins that are covalently conjugated to target proteins with important functional consequences. One such modifier is SUMO, which mainly modifies nuclear proteins. SUMO contains a unique N-terminal arm not present in ubiquitin and other Ubls, which functions in the formation of SUMO polymers. Here, we unambiguously show that serine 2 of the endogenous SUMO-1 N-terminal protrusion is phosphorylated in vivo using very high mass accuracy mass spectrometry at both the MS and the MS/MS level and complementary fragmentation techniques. Strikingly, we detected the same phosphorylation in yeast, Drosophila and human cells, suggesting an evolutionary conserved function for this modification. The nearly identical human SUMO-2 and SUMO-3 isoforms differ in serine 2; thus, only SUMO-3 could be phosphorylated at this position. Our finding that SUMO can be modified may point to an additional level of complexity through modifying a protein-modifier.