A selective insecticidal protein from Pseudomonas mosselii for corn rootworm control.

The coleopteran insect western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) is an economically important pest in North America and Europe. Transgenic corn plants producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins have been useful against this devastating pest, but evolution of resistance has reduced their efficacy. Here, we report the discovery of a novel insecticidal protein, PIP-47Aa, from an isolate of Pseudomonas mosselii. PIP-47Aa sequence shows no shared motifs, domains or signatures with other known proteins. Recombinant PIP-47Aa kills WCR, two other corn rootworm pests (Diabrotica barberi and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) and two other beetle species (Diabrotica speciosa and Phyllotreta cruciferae), but it was not toxic to the spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) or seven species of Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. Transgenic corn plants expressing PIP-47Aa show significant protection from root damage by WCR. PIP-47Aa kills a WCR strain resistant to mCry3A and does not share rootworm midgut binding sites with mCry3A or AfIP-1A/1B from Alcaligenes that acts like Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1. Our results indicate that PIP-47Aa is a novel insecticidal protein for controlling the corn rootworm pests.

HPN328, a Trispecific T Cell-activating Protein Construct Targeting DLL3-Expressing Solid Tumors.

Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) is expressed in more than 70% of small cell lung cancers (SCLCs) and other neuroendocrine-derived tumor types. SCLC is highly aggressive and limited therapeutic options lead to poor prognosis for patients. HPN328 is a tri-specific T cell activating construct (TriTAC) consisting of three binding domains: a CD3 binder for T cell engagement, an albumin binder for half-life extension, and a DLL3 binder for tumor cell engagement. In vitro assays, rodent models and non-human primates were used to assess the activity of HPN328. HPN328 induces potent dose-dependent killing of DLL3-expressing SCLC cell lines in vitro concomitant with T cell activation and cytokine release. In an NCI-H82 xenograft model with established tumors, HPN328 treatment led to T cell recruitment and anti-tumor activity. In an immunocompetent mouse model expressing a human CD3ε epitope, mice previously treated with HPN328 withstood tumor rechallenge, demonstrating long-term anti-tumor immunity. When repeat doses were administered to cynomolgus monkeys, HPN328 was well tolerated up to 10 mg/kg. Pharmacodynamic changes, such as transient cytokine elevation, were observed, consistent with the expected mechanism of action of T cell engagers. HPN328 exhibited linear pharmacokinetic in the given dose range with a serum half-life of 78 to 187 hours, supporting weekly or less frequent administration of HPN328 in humans. Preclinical and nonclinical characterization suggests that HPN328 is a highly efficacious, safe, and novel therapeutic candidate. A phase 1/2 clinical trial is currently underway testing safety and efficacy in patients with DLL3 expressing malignancies.

Detection of endogenous B-type natriuretic peptide at very low concentrations in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: The myocardium secretes B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in response to stimuli associated with heart failure (HF). However, high immunoreactive-BNP levels in patients with HF are associated with a paradoxical lack of natriuretic response. We hypothesized that commercially available assays for immunoreactive BNP do not reflect the bioactivity of the natriuretic peptide system, because they measure both unprocessed inactive pro-BNP and mature BNP 1-32. We describe an assay for the detection of bioactive BNP 1-32 and confirm very low concentrations in plasma from HF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We developed a quantitative mass spectrometry immunoassay to capture endogenous BNP peptides using high affinity antibodies. Bound BNP and its truncated fragments were detected by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry based on their predicted masses. Mass spectrometry immunoassay revealed rapid in vitro degradation of BNP 1-32 in plasma, which requires plasma collection in the presence of high protease inhibitor concentrations. In 11 of 12 HF patients BNP 1-32 was detectable, ranging from 25 to 43 pg/mL. Several degraded forms of BNP were also detected at similarly low levels. In contrast, parallel measurements of immunoreactive BNP using the Biosite assay ranged from 900 to 5000 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of endogenous BNP 1-32 requires special preservation of plasma samples. Mass spectrometry immunoassay technology demonstrates that HF patients have low levels of BNP 1-32. Commercially available immunoreactive-BNP assays overrepresent biological activity of the natriuretic peptide system because they cannot distinguish between active and inactive forms. This observation may, in part, explain the "natriuretic paradox."

Evidence for functional heterogeneity of circulating B-type natriuretic peptide.

OBJECTIVES: These studies describe molecular forms of circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as well as their biological activity. BACKGROUND: Increased circulating levels of immunoreactive BNP correlate with the severity of heart failure and are considered a sensitive biomarker. However, little is known about the molecular forms of circulating BNP and their biological activity. METHODS: Western blot analysis was used to characterize immunoreactive BNP species in heart failure plasma. Recombinant proBNP was assessed for reactivity in commercially available BNP assays and cell activity by cyclic guanosine monophosphate production in vascular cells. RESULTS: Heart failure plasma contained both low- (LMW-BNP) and high-molecular-weight (HMW-BNP) forms. The LMW-BNP migrated similarly to a 32-amino acid BNP standard, whereas HMW-BNP, when deglycosylated, was similar to deglycosylated recombinant proBNP. Recombinant proBNP and BNP were equally recognized by the Triage BNP assay (Biosite, San Diego, California). Furthermore, recombinant proBNP and BNP were both recognized by the Advia Centaur BNP test (Bayer Diagnostics, Tarrytown, New York), but only recombinant proBNP was recognized by the Elecsys NTproBNP assay (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, Indiana). Recombinant proBNP exerted significantly less biological activity than BNP on human endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Comparison of effective concentration (50%) values indicates that proBNP is 6- to 8-fold less potent than BNP in these human cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that proBNP, constituting a substantial portion of immunoreactive BNP in heart failure plasma, possesses significantly lower biological activity than the processed 32-amino acid hormone. These results implicate a discordance in heart failure between the high circulating levels of immunoreactive BNP and hormone activity, suggesting that some patients may be in a state of natriuretic peptide deficiency.

The precursor to B-type natriuretic peptide is an O-linked glycoprotein.

Human pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP), the precursor for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and compared by Western blot analysis to BNP cross-reacting material immunoprecipitated from the plasma of heart failure patients. Both recombinant and native forms co-migrated as a diffuse band centered around 25 kDa and were reduced to a 12 kDa species by treatment with a mixture of O-link deglycosylation enzymes. The 108-amino acid CHO-expressed protein was examined by tryptic mapping and LC-MS and found to be an O-linked glycoprotein. Determination of the sites of O-glycosyl addition by blank cycle sequencing of tryptic and Glu-C (Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease) peptides showed that there are seven sites of glycosylation confined to a 36-amino acid residue stretch within the center of the propeptide region. This data is consistent with previous observations of higher molecular weight isoforms of BNP.

Defects in the N-linked oligosaccharide biosynthetic pathway in a Trypanosoma brucei glycosylation mutant.

Concanavalin A (ConA) kills the procyclic (insect) form of Trypanosoma brucei by binding to its major surface glycoprotein, procyclin. We previously isolated a mutant cell line, ConA 1-1, that is less agglutinated and more resistant to ConA killing than are wild-type (WT) cells. Subsequently we found that the ConA resistance phenotype in this mutant is due to the fact that the procyclin either has no N-glycan or has an N-glycan with an altered structure. Here we demonstrate that the alteration in procyclin N-glycosylation correlates with two defects in the N-linked oligosaccharide biosynthetic pathway. First, ConA 1-1 has a defect in activity of polyprenol reductase, an enzyme involved in synthesis of dolichol. Metabolic incorporation of [3H]mevalonate showed that ConA 1-1 synthesizes equal amounts of dolichol and polyprenol, whereas WT cells make predominantly dolichol. Second, we found that ConA 1-1 synthesizes and accumulates an oligosaccharide lipid (OSL) precursor that is smaller in size than that from WT cells. The glycan of OSL in WT cells is apparently Man9GlcNAc2, whereas that from ConA 1-1 is Man7GlcNAc2. The smaller OSL glycan in the ConA 1-1 explains how some procyclin polypeptides bear a Man4GlcNAc2 modified with a terminal N-acetyllactosamine group, which is poorly recognized by ConA.