Antibodies neutralizing hepsin protease activity do not impact cell growth but inhibit invasion of prostate and ovarian tumor cells in culture.

Hepsin is a type II transmembrane serine protease that is expressed in normal liver, and at lower levels in kidney, pancreas, and testis. Several studies have shown that hepsin mRNA is significantly elevated in most prostate tumors, as well as a significant fraction of ovarian and renal cell carcinomas and hepatomas. Although the overexpression of mRNA in these tumors has been extensively documented, there has been conflicting literature on whether hepsin plays a role in tumor cell growth and progression. Early literature implied a role for hepsin in human tumor cell proliferation, whereas recent studies with a transgenic mouse model for prostate cancer support a role for hepsin in tumor progression and metastases. To evaluate this issue further, we have expressed an activatable form of hepsin, and have generated a set of monoclonal antibodies that neutralize enzyme activity. The neutralizing antibodies inhibit hepsin enzymatic activity in biochemical and cell-based assays. Selected neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies were used in cell-based assays with tumor cells to evaluate the effect of antibodies on tumor cell growth and invasion. Neutralizing antibodies failed to inhibit the growth of prostate, ovarian, and hepatoma cell lines in culture. However, potent inhibitory effects of the antibodies were seen on invasion of ovarian and prostate cells in transwell-based invasion assays. These results support a role for hepsin in tumor cell progression but not in primary tumor growth. Consistent with this, immunohistochemical experiments with a mouse monoclonal antibody reveal progressively increased staining of prostate tumors with advanced disease, and in particular, extensive staining of bone metastatic lesions.

Identification of a novel prostate tumor target, mindin/RG-1, for antibody-based radiotherapy of prostate cancer.

Gene expression analysis showed that a human mindin homologue, mindin/RG-1, is expressed selectively in prostate tissues and that its expression level is elevated in some prostate tumors. Mindin/RG-1 protein expression is maintained in >80% of prostate cancers metastatic to bone or lymph nodes as well as in locally recurrent tumors in androgen-unresponsive patients. In contrast, mindin/RG-1 expression in other normal tissues is significantly lower than that seen in the prostate. A fully human antibody, 19G9, was generated against mindin/RG-1 protein and was shown to accumulate at high abundance in LNCaP tumor xenografts. Conjugates of this antibody with the chelator CHX-A''-DTPA were generated and radiolabeled with either 111In, 90Y, or 86Y. Small animal positron emission tomography imaging with the 86Y-radiolabeled conjugate showed very specific accumulation of the antibody in LNCaP tumor xenografts with clear tumor delineation apparent at 4 hours. The therapeutic efficacy of [90Y]-CHX-A''-DTPA-19G9 was evaluated in mice bearing LNCaP xenografts. A dose-finding study identified a nontoxic therapeutic dose to be approximately 75 microCi. Significant antitumor effects were seen with a single administration of radiolabeled antibody to animals bearing 200 to 400 mm3 tumors. Inhibition of tumor growth was observed in all treated animals over a 49-day period. At 49 days posttreatment, slow tumor growth recurred but this could be prevented for an additional 40-day period by a second administration of a 75 microCi dose at day 49. We conclude that [90Y]-CHX-A''-DTPA-19G9 is a novel antibody conjugate that has considerable promise for therapy of metastatic prostate cancer in androgen-unresponsive patients.