Light Chain Exchange Research Articles

A Rational Strategy for Reducing On-Target Off-Tumor Effects of CD38-Chimeric Antigen Receptors by Affinity Optimization

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can effectively redirect cytotoxic Tcells toward highly expressed surface antigens on tumor cells. The low expression of several tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) on normal tissues, however, hinders their safe targeting by CAR Tcells due to on-target/off-tumor effects. Using the multiple myeloma (MM)-associated CD38 antigen as a model system, here, we present a rational approach for effective and tumor-selective targeting of such TAAs. Using "light-chain exchange" technology, we combined the heavy chains of two high-affinity CD38 antibodies with 176 germline light chains and generated ∼124 new antibodies with 10- to >1,000-fold lower affinities to CD38. After categorizing them into three distinct affinity classes, we incorporated the single-chain variable fragments of eight antibodies from each class into new CARs. Tcells carrying these CD38-CARs were extensively evaluated for their on-tumor/off-tumor cytotoxicity as well as CD38-dependent proliferation and cytokine production. We identified CD38-CAR Tcells of ∼1,000- fold reduced affinity, which optimally proliferated, produced Th1-like cytokines, and effectively lysed CD382+ MM cells, but spared CD38+ healthy hematopoietic cells invitro and invivo. Thus, this systematicapproach is highly suitable for the generation of optimal CARs for effective and selective targeting of TAAs.

Reducing on-Target Off-Tumor Effects of CD38-Chimeric Antigen Receptors By Affinity Optimization

Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) are engineered transmembrane proteins consisting of an antibody (ab)-derived antigen recognition domain linked to intracellular T cell signaling domains. Cytotoxic T cells endowed with tumor-reactive CARs are highly promising tools for immunotherapy of cancer. There are however only a few truly tumor specific molecules that can be targeted by CARs, a drawback for the broad application of CAR T cell therapy. Indeed, when we recently aimed at targeting CD38high multiple myeloma (MM) with T cells transduced with high affinity CD38CARs, we observed that they not only lysed the CD38high MM cells but also CD38+ normal hematopoietic cells, pointing towards potential safety issues of such tumor-associated, but not entirely tumor-specific CARs. Therefore, using CD38 as a model for antigen we now tested whether it would be possible to reduce the on target, off-tumor effects of such CARs by optimizing their target cell affinity. To this end, we generated a new panel of CD38 abs through the "light chain exchange" method, in which heavy chains of two high affinity CD38 abs were combined with 176 different germ line light chains. This approach revealed around 100 new abs, which displayed 10- >1000 fold lower affinity to CD38 as compared to the parental abs. After categorizing them in three classes based on CD38 binding affinity, we used 8 abs from each class to generate 24 different CD38-CAR constructs. Testing the cytotoxic activity of T cells transduced with these CD38-CARs against CD38++ MM cell lines, primary MM cells and CD38+ normal hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that CD38-CAR T cells with ca. 1000 fold lower affinity to CD38 could still effectively lyse CD38++ MM cells while there was little or no cytotoxicity against CD38+ healthy hematopoietic cells. The results of this study reveal that it is possible to reduce the on-target off-tumor effects of CARs by optimizing their affinity. Thus, tailored affinity of the ab binding domain may open up new roads for CAR therapy. Disclosuresvan de Donk:Janssen: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Lokhorst:Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Genmab: Research Funding. Mutis:Celgene: Research Funding; Genmab: Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Myosin-3B and its Light Chains

Unconventional myosin-3B is a single-headed myosin containing an amino-terminal kinase domain. In vitro, we find full length and truncated versions of the molecule to bind the regulatory light chain (RLC) and calmodulin (CaM). The RLC binds to the first IQ-like motif and CaM to the second IQ motif within the neck region of the molecule. Uniquely, we find the RLC to be reversibly exchangeable with CaM in the presence of calcium. Calcium-free conditions favor RLC binding. Exchange of RLC versus CaM to the first IQ motif significantly increases the steady-state ATPase activity in the presence of calcium and modulates the interaction of the molecule with F-actin. This observation shows that the calcium-dependent light chain exchange triggers the activity of human myosin-3B as a molecular motor and suggests that myosin motor function is directly influenced by the set of light chains bound to the neck region.

Human autoantibody silencing by immunoglobulin light chains.

Several newly arising human antibodies are polyreactive, but in normal individuals the majority of these potentially autodestructive antibodies are removed from the repertoire by receptor editing or B cell deletion in the bone marrow. To determine what proportion of naturally arising autoantibodies can be silenced by immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain receptor editing, we replaced the light chains in 12 such antibodies with a panel of representative Igκ and Igλ chains. We found that most naturally arising autoantibodies are readily silenced by light chain exchange. Thus, receptor editing may account for most autoreactive antibody silencing in humans. Light chain complementarity determining region (CDR) isoelectric points did not correlate with silencing activity, but Igλ genes were more effective than Igκ genes as silencers. The greater efficacy of Igλ chains as silencer of autoreactivity provides a possible explanation for the expansion and altered configuration of the Igλ locus in evolution.

Essential Light Chain Exchange in Smooth Muscle Myosin

The exchange of 17-kDa essential light chain (LC17) in smooth muscle myosin was carried out by incubating myosin with a 10-fold molar excess of exogenously added LC17 over the corresponding endogenous light chain in the presence of trifluoperazine and 4.5mammonium chloride. Porcine aorta myosin contains two kinds of LC17 isoform, LC17nm and LC17gi, while chicken gizzard myosin contains only one kind of LC17 isoform. As LC17gi can be separated from LC17nm and gizzard LC17 by urea–gel electrophoresis, LC17nm in aorta myosin and LC17 in gizzard myosin were exchanged with LC17gi and LC17gi in aorta myosin was exchanged with LC17nm, and the degree of exchange was estimated by urea–gel electrophoresis. Under the optimal conditions (6 and 10°C for aorta and gizzard myosin, respectively), nearly 90% of exchange, which is close to the theoretical value, was achieved for the former combinations, and a slightly lower exchange was obtained for the latter. The LC17-exchanged myosins contained stoichiometric amounts of the heavy and light chains and retained the original nature in the phosphorylation-dependent actin-activated ATPase activity, 6S–10S conformational transition, and filament assembly.

Inhibition of 20-kDa myosin light chain exchange by monoclonal antibodies against 17-kDa myosin light chain

Two anti-17,000 Da myosin light chain (LC17) monoclonal antibodies (MM2 and MM10), which increase the actin-activated Mg 2+-ATPase activity of dephosphorylated smooth muscle myosin, inhibited the exchange of the 20,000 Da regulatory light chain of myosin (LC20). MM2, which shows higher potency of activation of ATPase activity, inhibited the exchange more extensively than MM10, suggesting that there is a correlation between the activation of ATPase activity and the inhibition of the LC20 exchange. The inhibition of the exchange was observed for intact myosin and heavy meromyosin but not subfragment 1, suggesting that the heavy chain at the head—rod junction is involved in the inhibition of LC20 exchange by anti-LC17 antibodies. Alternatively, the interaction between the two heads of the myosin molecule may influence the inhibition of LC20 exchange. These results suggest that LC20 interacts with both LC17 and the heavy chain, and the interaction between LC20 and LC17 is involved in the activation of actin-activated ATPase activity of smooth muscle myosin.

Engineered cysteine mutants of myosin light chain 2. Fluorescent analogues for structural studies.

Site-directed mutagenesis has been used to insert cysteine residues at specific locations in the myosin light chain 2 (LC2) sequence. The aim was to modify these cysteines with one or more spectroscopic probes and to reconstitute myosin with labeled light chains for structural studies. Native LC2 has two endogenous cysteine residues at positions 126 and 155; a third sulfhydryl was added by replacing either Pro2, Ser73, or Pro94 with cysteine. By oxidizing the endogenous cysteines to an intramolecular disulfide bond (Katoh, T., and Lowey, S., (1989) J. Cell Biol. 109, 1549), it was expected that the new cysteine could be selectively labeled with a fluorescent probe. This proved more difficult to accomplish than anticipated due to the formation of secondary disulfide bonds between the newly engineered cysteines and the native ones. Nevertheless, the unpaired cysteines were labeled with 5-(iodoacetamido)fluorescein, and singly labeled species were purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Chymotryptic digestion of the light chains, followed by high performance liquid chromatography separation of the peptides, led to the identification of the fluorescein-labeled cysteines. After light chain exchange into myosin, the position of the thiols was mapped by antifluorescyl antibodies in the electron microscope. Rotary-shadowed images showed the antibody bound at the head/rod junction of myosin for all the mutants. These mapping studies, together with the finding that widely separated cysteines can form multiple disulfide bonds, support a model for LC2 as a flexible, globular molecule that resembles other Ca/Mg-binding proteins in tertiary structure.

Temperature and ionic strength dependence of the subunit interactions in vertebrate skeletal myosin. A comparison of the interaction between the alkali light and heavy chains of mammalian and avian myosin.

The stability of the interaction of A1 in myosin and subfragment 1 isolated from fast-twitch mammalian and avian muscles with respect to temperature and ionic strength has been examined. This was done by determining the extent of exchange of the endogenous free A1 light chain into these proteins from the two species. Whereas the extent of exchange at 37 degrees C into mammalian S1, occurring after 60 min, is about 80% of the theoretically expected amount at physiological ionic conditions, the level of exchange observed with the avian S1 is significantly lower. However, close to the theoretical limit is observed for the avian S1 when exchange is done at 43 degrees C which is close to average avian body temperature. A similar dependence with temperature is observed in the case of exchanges into avian myosin. In the case of mammalian myosin, 50% of the theoretical exchange is observed at 37 degrees C under physiological ionic strength, whereas the level of exchange observed under these conditions with the avian protein is much lower in agreement with recent observations (Waller, G. S., and Lowey, S. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14368-14373; Pastra-Landis, S. C., and Lowey, S. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14811-14816). If, however, the exchanges are done at 43 degrees C in physiological ionic strength, significant extents of exchange can be observed in avian myosin. These results suggest that at physiological ionic and temperature conditions relevant for the source of myosin and S1 being investigated, the alkali light chains are in dynamic equilibrium between free and heavy chain associated states. Therefore, the failure to observe alkali light chain exchange in avian myosin at 37 degrees C appears to be related to the higher temperature stability of its interaction with the heavy chain.

Myosin subunit interactions. Properties of the 19,000-dalton light chain-deficient myosin.

The 19,000-dalton light chain (LC2) can be completely and reversibly removed from chicken pectoralis myosin in 1 mM EDTA and 5 mM ATP using immunoaffinity chromatography at 37 degrees C. Earlier methods have led to only partial removal of LC2 or have caused limited degradation of the heavy chain. Electron microscopy of LC2-deficient myosin showed it to have a marked tendency to aggregate into oligomers through the "neck" region of the myosin head. Myosin reverted to the monomeric form when it was reconstituted with light chains. LC2-deficient myosin retained full K+ (EDTA) or Ca2+-ATPase activity, and the actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase was similar to that of the native molecule. Alkali light chain exchange at 37 degrees C, which has been demonstrated in subfragment 1 prepared with chymotrypsin, does not occur with intact myosin molecules or with papain subfragment 1, both of which contain LC2. However, a temperature-dependent exchange of alkali light chains was observed in myosin lacking LC2. The interaction of the alkali light chain with the heavy chain thus appears to be influenced by the presence of LC2, which may have an important stabilizing effect on the myosin molecule.

Essential light chain exchange in scallop myosin.

The exchange of essential light chains (SH-LCs) of scallop myosin was followed with the aid of scallop SH-LC alkylated with 14C-labeled iodoacetate. More than 70% of the SH-LCs were exchanged in myosin preparations that were desensitized by removal of both regulatory light chains (R-LCs) with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment. Although desensitized myosin solubilized with 0.6 M NaCl or with 10 mM adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) in the absence of salt equilibrated rapidly with SH-LCs even in the cold, exchange in myosin filaments required elevated temperatures. Equilibration of the SH-LCs in desensitized preparations did not depend on ATP or magnesium ions but was significantly accelerated by actin. The desensitized myosin preparations containing alkylated SH-LCs (approximately 1 mol of thiol alkylated/mol of SH-LC) readily recombined with R-LCs. The preparations regained fully the calcium dependence of the actin-activated magnesium adenosinetriphosphatase (Mg-ATPase), contained R-LCs and SH-LCs in equimolar amounts, and had an ATPase activity similar to that of untreated myosin preparations. R-LCs interfered with the equilibration of the SH-LCs. In intact myosin preparations, the exchange of SH-LCs was slow and was frequently associated with the dissociation of the R-LCs. The blocking action of the R-LC on SH-LC exchange agrees with evidence showing that the two light chain types interact and suggests that parts of the SH-LC may lie between the R-LC and the heavy chain of myosin.

Myosin heavy chain-light chain recombinations and interactions between the two classes of light chains.

Myosin subfragment 1 (S1) heavy chains were prepared from chicken muscle S1 by immunoadsorption in NH4Cl and from rabbit muscle S1 by ion exchange chromatography at 37 degrees C in MgATP. Both heavy chain preparations contained some intact S1, and the ATPase activities of both preparations were less than those of control S1. Recombinations of these heavy chains with alkali light chains prior to removing NH4Cl or MgATP lessened the decreases in ATPase activities. However, once NH4Cl or MgATP was removed, alkali light chain recombination did not result in any increase in ATPase activity. Thus, the lower activities appear to result from the instability of the S1 heavy chain in the absence of alkali light chain. When incubated with a 10-fold molar excess of radiolabeled alkali light chains for 1 h under approximately physiological conditions, almost all of the alkali light chains of S1 but only 8% of those of myosin or myofibrils were exchanged. Aggregation of myosin into filaments accounts for part of this difference in exchangeability. Removal of 30% of the 19,000-Da 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) light chains from myosin increased 3-fold the amount of alkali light chain exchanged. The exchange of the alkali light chains of S1 is inhibited by the presence of DTNB light chains, and cleavage of the DTNB light chains of heavy meromyosin to 17,000-Da fragments increased the rate of alkali light chain exchange. There was no detectable difference in the exchangeability of the two different alkali light chains.

Subunit interactions of skeletal muscle myosin and myosin subfragment 1. Formation and properties of thermal hybrids.

The formation of hybrid myosin and subfragment 1 species by incubation of these proteins with free alkali light chains at physiological ionic and temperature conditions is described. Exchange of bound alkali light chain on myosin by free alkali light chains under these conditions is readily demonstrated from the subunit composition of the isolated myosin. Therefore, the light chain exchange previously described for the one-headed subfragment 1 [Sivaramakrishnan, M., & Burke, M (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 2607--2610] also occurs in the two-headed myosin molecule. It is found than the isozyme to hybrid transformation is dependent on both the temperature and the ionic strength of the incubation mixture but is relatively independent of pH in the range 6.5--8.0. A comparison of the SF1(A1) leads to SF1(A2)h system with the SF1(A2) leads to SF1(A1)h system indicates that more hybrid is formed in the latter case. With the assumption that hybrid formation reflects the degree of reversible dissociation exhibited by the isozyme, under the particular experimental condition employed, the data signify that the subunit interactions in the two isozymes are not identical and that the heavy chain--A1 interactions are significantly more stable that the heavy chain--A2 ones. An examination of the ATPase properties of the thermal hybrids in the presence and absence of actin indicates close similarities to their corresponding "native" isozymic counterparts.

Studies on the actomyosin ATPase and the role of the alkali light chains.

Myosin isoenzymes, highly enriched in either alkali 1 or alkali 2 light chains have been prepared by light chain exchange in 4.7 M ammonium chloride, under conditions where there is minimal loss of ATPase activity. While the actin-activated ATPase measurements were complicated by a biphasic dependence on actin concentration, the two myosin isoenzymes behaved in a similar manner; at a variety of ionic strength conditions their maximum rates of ATP hydrolysis were nearly identical. Furthermore, under conditions where their Km values could be reliably determined, their apparent affinities for actin in the presence of ATP did not differ greatly. These results suggest that the presence of a particular alkali light chain does not influence the maximum rate of ATP turnover by actomyosin under ionic strength conditions approximating physiological.

Formation and characterization of myosin hybrids containing essential light chains and heavy chains from different muscle myosins.

Light chain exchange in 4.7 M NH4Cl was used to hybridize the essential light chain of cardiac myosin with the heavy chain of fast muscle myosin subfragment 1, S-1. The actin-activated ATPase properties of this hybrid were compared to those of the two fast S-1 isoenzymes, S-1(A1), fast muscle subfragment 1 which contains only the alkali-1 light chain, and S-1(A2), fast muscle myosin subfragment 1 which contains only the alkali-2 light chain. This hybrid S-1 behaved like S-1(A1)., At low ionic strength in the presence of actin, this hybrid had a maximal rate of ATP hydrolysis about the same as that of S-1(A1) and about one-half that of S-1(A2), while at higher ionic strengths the actin-activated ATPases of these three S-2 species were all similar. Light chain exchange in NH4Cl was also used to hybridize the essential light chains of fast muscle myosin with the heavy chains of cardiac myosin and to hybridize the essential light chains of cardiac myosin with the heavy chains of fast muscle myosin. In 60 and 100 mM KCl, the actin-activated ATPases of these two hybrid myosins were very different from those of the control myosins with the same essential light chains but were very similar to those of the control myosins with the same heavy chains, differing at most by one-third.

Involvement of 17K dalton light chain of smooth muscle myosin in substrate-induced conformational change.

Conformational changes of the region involving 17K dalton light chain (G2) in gizzard myosin induced by ATP and its analogs were studied by a combination of light chain exchange and fluorescence spectroscopy. The cysteinyl residues of myosin light chain mixture, 20K dalton G1 and 17K dalton G2 chain, were labeled with a fluorescent thiol reagent, N-(1-anilionon-aphthyl-4ymaleimide (ANM). Chicken gizzard myosin was incubated with a large excess of the fluorescence labeled exogenous light chains in 2 M urea. After removal of urea and unbound light chains, a strong fluorescent band was observed at the position of the 17K dalton light chain (G2) of myosin on SDS PAGE. There was no difference in enzymatic activity and light chain composition between myosins before and after light chain exchange. The emission spectrum of ANM label in 17K dalton light chain in the bound state in myosin showed a fluorescence enhancement and a blue shift on adding ATP but not ADP. The spectral change disappeared after conversion of ATP to ADP. Various nucleoside triphosphates other than ATP had similar effects on the fluorescence spectrum. The relative effectiveness of most nucleotides on the fluorescence spectral change of ANM in the light chain bound in myosin agreed well with that on tryptophan residues in myosin, except in the case of ADP and CTP. These results suggest that 17K dalton light chain of gizzard myosin is closely related to the ATPase site of myosin.