Characterization of Tiki, a New Family of Wnt-specific Metalloproteases.

The Wnt family of secreted glycolipoproteins plays pivotal roles in development and human diseases. Tiki family proteins were identified as novel Wnt inhibitors that act by cleaving the Wnt amino-terminal region to inactivate specific Wnt ligands. Tiki represents a new metalloprotease family that is dependent on Mn(2+)/Co(2+) but lacks known metalloprotease motifs. The Tiki extracellular domain shares homology with bacterial TraB/PrgY proteins, known for their roles in the inhibition of mating pheromones. The TIKI/TraB fold is predicted to be distantly related to structures of additional bacterial proteins and may use a core ß-sheet within an α+ß-fold to coordinate conserved residues for catalysis. In this study, using assays for Wnt3a cleavage and signaling inhibition, we performed mutagenesis analyses of human TIKI2 to examine the structural prediction and identify the active site residues. We also established an in vitro assay for TIKI2 protease activity using FRET peptide substrates derived from the cleavage motifs of Wnt3a and Xenopus wnt8 (Xwnt8). We further identified two pairs of potential disulfide bonds that reside outside the ß-sheet catalytic core but likely assist the folding of the TIKI domain. Finally, we systematically analyzed TIKI2 cleavage of the 19 human WNT proteins, of which we identified 10 as potential TIKI2 substrates, revealing the hydrophobic nature of Tiki cleavage sites. Our study provides insights into the Tiki family of proteases and its Wnt substrates.

Quantitative analysis of target coverage and germinal center response by a CXCL13 neutralizing antibody in a T-dependent mouse immunization model.

PURPOSE: Study the impact of CXCL13 neutralization on germinal center (GC) response in vivo, and build quantitative relationship between target coverage and pharmacological effects at the target tissue. METHODS: An anti-CXCL13 neutralizing monoclonal antibody was dosed in vivo in a T-dependent mouse immunization (TDI) model. A quantitative site-of-action (SoA) model was developed to integrate antibody PK and total CXCL13 levels in serum and spleen towards estimating target coverage as a function of dose. To aid in the SoA model development, a radio-labeled study using [I(125)] CXCL13 was conducted in mice. Model estimated target coverage was linked to germinal center response using a sigmoidal inhibitory effect model. RESULTS: In vivo studies demonstrated that CXCL13 inhibition led to an architectural change in B-cell follicles, dislocation of GCs and a significant reduction in the GC absolute numbers per square area (GC/mm(2)). The SoA modeling analysis indicated that ~79% coverage in spleen was required to achieve 50% suppression of GC/mm(2). The 3 mg/kg dose with 52% spleen coverage resulted in no PD suppression, whereas 30 mg/kg with 93% coverage achieved close to maximum PD suppression, highlighting the steepness of PD response. CONCLUSIONS: This study showcases an application of SoA modeling towards a quantitative understanding of CXCL13 pharmacology.

Pharmacokinetic Properties of Baitouweng Decoction in Bama Miniature Pigs: Implications for Clinical Application in Humans.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as a significant adjunct to chemical treatment for chronic diseases. For instance, the administration of Baitouweng decoction (BTWD) has proven effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. However, the limited understanding of its pharmacokinetics (PK) has impeded its widespread use. Chinese Bama miniature pigs possess anatomical and physiological similarities to the human body, making them a valuable model for investigating PK properties. Consequently, the identification of PK properties in Bama miniature pigs can provide valuable insights for guiding the clinical application of BTWD in humans. To facilitate this research, a rapid and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of eleven active ingredients of BTWD in plasma. Chromatographic separation was conducted using an Acquity UPLC HSS T3 C18 column and a gradient mobile phase comprising acetonitrile and water (containing 0.1% acetic acid). The methodology was validated in accordance with the FDA Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidance for Industry. The lower limit of quantitation fell within the range of 0.60-2.01 ng/mL. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that coptisine chloride, berberine, columbamine, phellodendrine, and obacunone exhibited low Cmax, while fraxetin, esculin, fraxin, and pulchinenoside B4 were rapidly absorbed and eliminated from the plasma. These findings have implications for the development of effective components in BTWD and the adjustment of clinical dosage regimens.

Factor XIa-specific IgG and a reversal agent to probe factor XI function in thrombosis and hemostasis.

Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Current antithrombotic drugs are not ideal in that they must balance prevention of thrombosis against bleeding risk. Inhibition of coagulation factor XI (FXI) may offer an improvement over existing antithrombotic strategies by preventing some forms of thrombosis with lower bleeding risk. To permit exploration of this hypothesis in humans, we generated and characterized a series of human immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) that blocked FXIa active-site function but did not bind FXI zymogen or other coagulation proteases. The most potent of these IgGs, C24 and DEF, inhibited clotting in whole human blood and prevented FeCl3-induced carotid artery occlusion in FXI-deficient mice reconstituted with human FXI and in thread-induced venous thrombosis in rabbits at clinically relevant doses. At doses substantially higher than those required for inhibition of intravascular thrombus formation in these models, DEF did not increase cuticle bleeding in rabbits or cause spontaneous bleeding in macaques over a 2-week study. Anticipating the desirability of a reversal agent, we also generated a human IgG that rapidly reversed DEF activity ex vivo in human plasma and in vivo in rabbits. Thus, an active site-directed FXIa-specific antibody can block thrombosis in animal models and, together with the reversal agent, may facilitate exploration of the roles of FXIa in human disease.

The functional repertoire of rabbit antibodies and antibody discovery via next-generation sequencing.

To gain insight into the functional antibody repertoire of rabbits, the VH and VL repertoires of bone marrow (BM) and spleen (SP) of a naïve New Zealand White rabbit (NZW; Oryctolagus cuniculus) and that of lymphocytes collected from a NZW rabbit immunized (IM) with a 16-mer peptide were deep-sequenced. Two closely related genes, IGHV1S40 (VH1a3) and IGHV1S45 (VH4), were found to dominate (~90%) the VH repertoire of BM and SP, whereas, IGHV1S69 (VH1a1) contributed significantly (~40%) to IM. BM and SP antibodies recombined predominantly with IGHJ4. A significant proportion (~30%) of IM sequences recombined with IGHJ2. The VK repertoire was encoded by nine IGKV genes recombined with one IGKJ gene, IGKJ1. No significant bias in the VK repertoire of the BM, SP and IM samples was observed. The complementarity-determining region (CDR)-H3 and -L3 length distributions were similar in the three samples following a Gaussian curve with average length of 12.2 ± 2.4 and 11.1 ± 1.1 amino acids, respectively. The amino acid composition of the predominant CDR-H3 and -L3 loop lengths was similar to that of humans and mice, rich in Tyr, Gly, Ser and, in some specific positions, Asp. The average number of mutations along the IGHV/KV genes was similar in BM, SP and IM; close to 12 and 15 mutations for VH and VL, respectively. A monoclonal antibody specific for the peptide used as immunogen was obtained from the IM rabbit. The CDR-H3 sequence was found in 1,559 of 61,728 (2.5%) sequences, at position 10, in the rank order of the CDR-H3 frequencies. The CDR-L3 was found in 24 of 11,215 (0.2%) sequences, ranking 102. No match was found in the BM and SP samples, indicating positive selection for the hybridoma sequence. Altogether, these findings lay foundations for engineering of rabbit V regions to enhance their potential as therapeutics, i.e., design of strategies for selection of specific rabbit V regions from NGS data mining, humanization and design of libraries for affinity maturation campaigns.

CDR-restricted engineering of native human scFvs creates highly stable and soluble bifunctional antibodies for subcutaneous delivery.

While myriad molecular formats for bispecific antibodies have been examined to date, the simplest structures are often based on the scFv. Issues with stability and manufacturability in scFv-based bispecific molecules, however, have been a significant hindrance to their development, particularly for high-concentration, stable formulations that allow subcutaneous delivery. Our aim was to generate a tetravalent bispecific molecule targeting two inflammatory mediators for synergistic immune modulation. We focused on an scFv-Fc-scFv format, with a flexible (A4T)3 linker coupling an additional scFv to the C-terminus of an scFv-Fc. While one of the lead scFvs isolated directly from a naïve library was well-behaved and sufficiently potent, the parental anti-CXCL13 scFv 3B4 required optimization for affinity, stability, and cynomolgus ortholog cross-reactivity. To achieve this, we eschewed framework-based stabilizing mutations in favor of complementarity-determining region (CDR) mutagenesis and re-selection for simultaneous improvements in both affinity and thermal stability. Phage-displayed 3B4 CDR-mutant libraries were used in an aggressive "hammer-hug" selection strategy that incorporated thermal challenge, functional, and biophysical screening. This approach identified leads with improved stability and>18-fold, and 4,100-fold higher affinity for both human and cynomolgus CXCL13, respectively. Improvements were exclusively mediated through only 4 mutations in VL-CDR3. Lead scFvs were reformatted into scFv-Fc-scFvs and their biophysical properties ranked. Our final candidate could be formulated in a standard biopharmaceutical platform buffer at 100 mg/ml with<2% high molecular weight species present after 7 weeks at 4 °C and viscosity<15 cP. This workflow has facilitated the identification of a truly manufacturable scFv-based bispecific therapeutic suitable for subcutaneous administration.

A human CXCL13-induced actin polymerization assay measured by fluorescence plate reader.

The chemokine receptor CXCR5 is predominantly expressed on mature B cells and follicular T-helper cells. CXCR5 and its ligand CXCL13 participate in ectopic germinal center formation at the inflammatory sites of multiple immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Sjogren's syndrome. Therefore, disrupting CXCL13-induced chemotaxis may be a fruitful approach for developing therapeutics in treating these diseases. Cells undergo cytoskeletal rearrangement prior to chemotaxis, and therefore actin polymerization can be used as a surrogate readout more proximal to chemokine receptor activation than chemotaxis. Conventionally, actin polymerization is measured by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry, which are either of low throughput or in need of special instruments. We developed a 96-well actin polymerization assay that can process 1,000 to 1,500 samples a day. This assay uses a standard laboratory fluorescence microplate reader as the detection instrument and was optimized for various experimental conditions such as cell density, actin filament staining reagent, staining buffer, and cell culture conditions. We demonstrate that this actin polymerization assay in 96-well format exhibits the expected pharmacology for human CXCR5 and is suitable as a primary functional assay to screen neutralizing scFv in crude bacterial peri-preps and a secondary assay for small compound collections.