Design-functionality relationships for adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins.

Glycan-lectin recognition is assumed to elicit its broad range of (patho)physiological functions via a combination of specific contact formation with generation of complexes of distinct signal-triggering topology on biomembranes. Faced with the challenge to understand why evolution has led to three particular modes of modular architecture for adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins in vertebrates, here we introduce protein engineering to enable design switches. The impact of changes is measured in assays on cell growth and on bridging fully synthetic nanovesicles (glycodendrimersomes) with a chemically programmable surface. Using the example of homodimeric galectin-1 and monomeric galectin-3, the mutual design conversion caused qualitative differences, i.e., from bridging effector to antagonist/from antagonist to growth inhibitor and vice versa. In addition to attaining proof-of-principle evidence for the hypothesis that chimera-type galectin-3 design makes functional antagonism possible, we underscore the value of versatile surface programming with a derivative of the pan-galectin ligand lactose. Aggregation assays with N,N'-diacetyllactosamine establishing a parasite-like surface signature revealed marked selectivity among the family of galectins and bridging potency of homodimers. These findings provide fundamental insights into design-functionality relationships of galectins. Moreover, our strategy generates the tools to identify biofunctional lattice formation on biomembranes and galectin-reagents with therapeutic potential.

Development, preclinical safety, formulation, and stability of clinical grade bevacizumab-800CW, a new near infrared fluorescent imaging agent for first in human use.

There is a dire need for better visualization of cancer and analysis of specific targets in vivo. Molecular imaging with fluorescence is gaining more and more attention, as it allows detection of these targets and has advantages over radioactivity, such as no radiation dose, and lower costs. A key challenge in optical imaging however, is translation of the newly developed tracers from pre-clinical phase to clinical application. We describe the development and safety testing of clinical grade bevacizumab-800CW, an antibody-based targeted agent for non-invasive imaging of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). Development included implementing the manufacturing process and analytical methods according to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), formulation studies, extended characterization and stability testing. For safety pharmacology an extended single dose toxicity study in mice was performed. Bevacizumab-800CW was formulated in isotonic phosphate buffered sodium chloride solution at pH 7. The production was robust and showed a reproducible labeling efficiency, and no impurities. The binding affinity to VEGF-A remained intact. The optimized product meets all release specifications, is stable up to at least 3months and its characteristics did not significantly differ from the unlabeled bevacizumab. Toxicity testing in mice showed no remarkable findings. In conclusion, sterile bevacizumab-800CW (6mg=6ml) can be produced in stock according to current Good Manufacturing Practice. It is ready for first-in-human use.

Phytochromes with noncovalently bound chromophores: the ability of apophytochromes to direct tetrapyrrole photoisomerization.

Chromophore-apoprotein interactions were studied with recombinant apoproteins, oat phytochrome (phyA) and CphB of the cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC7601, which were both incubated with the bilin compounds biliverdin (BV) IXalpha, phycocyanobilin (PCB) and the 3'-methoxy derivative of PCB. Previously it was shown that CphB and its homolog in Calothrix, CphA, show strong sequence similarities with each other and with the phytochromes of higher and lower plants, despite the fact that CphB carries a leucine instead of a cysteine at the chromophore attachment position and thus holds the chromophore only noncovalently. CphA binds tetrapyrrole chromophores in a covalent, phytochrome-like manner. For both eyanobacterial phytochromes, red and far-red light-induced photochemistry has been reported. Thus, the role of the binding site of CphB in directing the photochemistry of noncovalently bound tetrapyrroles was analyzed in comparison with the apoprotein from phyA phytochrome. Both the aforementioned compounds, which were used as chromophores, are not able to form covalent bonds with a phytochrome-type apoprotein because of their chemical structure (vinyl group at position 3 or methoxy group at position 3'). The BV adducts of both apoproteins showed phytochrome-like photochemistry (formation of red and far-red-absorbing forms of phytochrome [P(r) and P(fr) forms]). However, incubation of the oat apophytochrome with BV primarily yields a 700 nm form from which the P(r)-P(fr) photochemistry can be initiated and to which the system relaxes in the dark after illumination. The results for CphB were compared with a CphB mutant where the chromophore-binding cysteine had been introduced, which, upon incubation with PCB, shows spectral properties nearly identical with its (covalently binding) CphA homolog. A comparison of the spectral properties (P(r) and P(fr) forms) of all the PCB- and BV-containing chromoproteins reveals that the binding site of the cyanobacterial apoprotein is better suited than the plant (oat) phytochrome to noncovalently incorporate the chromophore and to regulate its photochemistry. Our findings support the proposal that the recently identified phytochrome-like prokaryotic photoreceptors, which do not contain a covalently bound chromophore, may trigger a light-induced physiological response.