Inhibition of allergen-dependent IgE activity by antibodies of the same specificity but different class

IgG4 purified from patients undergoing specific allergen immunotherapy inhibits the activities of the serum IgE in in vitro assays and is thought to reduce the symptoms of the disease. However, it is not known whether this is related to an intrinsic property of this subclass or only the allergen specificity. We tested the hypothesis that allergen specificity is the critical determinant for this activity using a panel of antibodies with identical specificity but different subclasses. The different antibodies were all able to inhibit the activity of IgE to the same extent. We demonstrate that specificity is the dominant factor determining the ability of an antibody to block allergen-dependent IgE activity.

Harnessing engineered antibodies of the IgE class to combat malignancy: initial assessment of FcɛRI-mediated basophil activation by a tumour-specific IgE antibody to evaluate the risk of type I hypersensitivity

BACKGROUND

IgE antibodies, sequestered into tissues and retained locally by the high-affinity IgE receptor, FcɛRI, on powerful effector cells such as mast cells, macrophages and eosinophils, may offer improvements in the therapy of solid tumours. The chimeric antibody, MOv18 IgE, against the human ovarian carcinoma antigen, folate receptor α (FRα), is more effective than its IgG1 counterpart in xenograft models of ovarian cancer. Although MOv18 IgE binds to a single epitope on FRα and cannot cross-link IgE receptors on basophils, there remains a risk that components in the circulation of ovarian cancer patients might cross-link FRα-MOv18-IgE-receptor-FcɛRI complexes on basophils to cause type I hypersensitivity.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the propensity for MOv18 used in a therapeutic setting to cause FcɛRI-mediated type I hypersensitivity.

METHODS

As validated readouts of the potential for MOv18 to cause FcɛRI-mediated type I hypersensitivity we measured release of a granule-stored mediator from a rat basophilic leukaemia cell line RBL SX-38 stably transfected with human tetrameric (αβγ2) FcɛRI, and induction of CD63 on blood basophils from patients with ovarian carcinoma and healthy controls ex vivo.

RESULTS

Serum FRα levels were increased in ovarian cancer patients compared with healthy controls. MOv18 IgE alone, or in the presence of its antigen recombinant human FRα, or of healthy volunteer (n=14) or ovarian carcinoma patient (n=32) sera, did not induce RBL SX-38 cell degranulation. Exposure to FRα-expressing ovarian tumour cells at target-to-effector ratios expected within tumours induced degranulation. MOv18 IgE did not induce expression of CD63 in blood basophils from either healthy volunteers (n=6), or cancer patients, despite detectable levels of circulating FRα (n=5).

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

These encouraging data are compatible with the hypothesis that, when ovarian carcinoma patients are treated with MOv18, FcɛRI-mediated activation of effector cells occurs within the tumour mass but not in the circulation mandating, with due caution, further pre-clinical studies.

The structure of the IgE Cepsilon2 domain and its role in stabilizing the complex with its high-affinity receptor FcepsilonRIalpha

The stability of the complex between IgE and its high-affinity receptor, FcepsilonRI, on mast cells is a critical factor in the allergic response. The long half-life of the complex of IgE bound to this receptor in situ ( approximately 2 weeks, compared with only hours for the comparable IgG complex) contributes to the permanent sensitization of these cells and, hence, to the immediate response to allergens. Here we show that the second constant domain of IgE, Cepsilon2, which takes the place of the flexible hinge in IgG, contributes to this long half-life. When the Cepsilon2 domain is deleted from the IgE Fc fragment, leaving only the Cepsilon3 and Cepsilon4 domains (Cepsilon3-4 fragment), the rate of dissociation from the receptor is increased by greater than 1 order of magnitude. We report the structure of the Cepsilon2 domain by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and show by chemical shift perturbation that it interacts with FcepsilonRIalpha. By sedimentation equilibrium we show that the Cepsilon2 domain binds to the Cepsilon3-4 fragment of IgE. These interactions of Cepsilon2 with both FcepsilonRIalpha and Cepsilon3-4 provide a structural explanation for the exceptionally slow dissociation of the IgE-FcepsilonRIalpha complex.

Molecular model of a lattice of signalling proteins involved in bacterial chemotaxis

Coliform bacteria detect chemical attractants by means of a membrane-associated cluster of receptors and signalling molecules. We have used recently determined molecular structures, in conjunction with plastic models generated by three-dimensional printer technology, to predict how the proteins of the complex are arranged in relation to the plasma membrane. The proposed structure is a regular two-dimensional lattice in which the cytoplasmic ends of chemotactic-receptor dimers are inserted into a hexagonal array of CheA and CheW molecules. This structure creates separate compartments for adaptation and downstream signalling, and indicates a possible basis for the spread of activity within the cluster.

Identification of contact residues and definition of the CAR-binding site of adenovirus type 5 fiber protein

The binding of adenovirus (Ad) fiber knob to its cellular receptor, the coxsackievirus and Ad receptor (CAR), promotes virus attachment to cells and is a major determinant of Ad tropism. Analysis of the kinetics of binding of Ad type 5 (Ad5) fiber knob to the soluble extracellular domains of CAR together (sCAR) and each immunoglobulin (Ig) domain (IgV and IgC2) independently by surface plasmon resonance demonstrated that the IgV domain is necessary and sufficient for binding, and no additional membrane components are required to confer high-affinity binding to Ad5 fiber knob. Four Ad5 fiber knob mutations, Ser408Glu and Pro409Lys in the AB loop, Tyr477Ala in the DG loop, and Leu485Lys in beta strand F, effectively abolished high-affinity binding to CAR, while Ala406Lys and Arg412Asp in the AB loop and Arg481Glu in beta strand E significantly reduced the level of binding. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that these mutations do not disorder the secondary structure of the protein, implicating Ser408, Pro409, Tyr477, and Leu485 as contact residues, with Ala406, Arg412, and Arg481 being peripherally or indirectly involved in CAR binding. The critical residues have exposed side chains that form a patch on the surface, which thus defines the high-affinity interface for CAR. Additional site-directed mutagenesis of Ad5 fiber knob suggests that the binding site does not extend to the adjacent subunit or toward the edge of the R sheet. These findings have implications for our understanding of the biology of Ad infection, the development of novel Ad vectors for targeted gene therapy, and the construction of peptide inhibitors of Ad infection.

Inhibition of IgE-receptor interactions

Immunoglobulin E plays a central role in allergic disease and, as our understanding of the network of interactions between IgE and its receptors improves, new opportunities for therapeutic intervention emerge. IgE binding to its 'high-affinity' receptor, Fc epsilon RI, first identified on mast cells and now known to be expressed on a variety of other cell types, is the best characterised interaction, and has attracted most attention. The 'low affinity' receptor, Fc epsilon RII/CD23, first found on B-cells, appears to be part of a more complex network that has yet to be fully elucidated. Two recent advances concerning the IgE-Fc epsilon RI interaction are noteworthy. The first is the development of a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, now in advanced clinical trials, which inhibits this interaction and certainly proves the viability of this approach. The second is the publication of the crystal structure of the complex between IgE and Fc epsilon RI, which opens the way for the first structure-based design of small molecule inhibitors.

Mutations in the DG loop of adenovirus type 5 fiber knob protein abolish high-affinity binding to its cellular receptor CAR

The amino acid residues in adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) fiber that interact with its cellular receptor, the coxsackie B virus and Ad receptor (CAR), have not been defined. To investigate this, multiple mutations were constructed in the region between residues 479 and 497 in Ad5 fiber (beta-strands E and F and the adjacent region of the DG loop). The effects of these mutations on binding to CAR were determined by use of cell-binding competition experiments, surface plasmon resonance, and direct binding studies. The mutation effects on the overall folding and secondary structure of the protein were assessed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Deletions of two consecutive amino acids between residues 485 and 493 abolished high-affinity binding to CAR; the CD spectra indicated that although there was no disruption of the overall folding and secondary structure of the protein, local conformational changes did occur. Moreover, single site mutations in this region of residues with exposed, surface-accessible side chains, such as Thr492, Asn493, and Val495, had no effect on receptor binding, which demonstrates that these residues are not in contact with CAR themselves. This implies the involvement of residues in neighboring loop regions. Replacement of the segment containing the two very short beta-strands E and F and the turn between them (residues 479 to 486) with the corresponding sequence from Ad3 (betaEFAd3-->5 mutation) resulted in the loss of receptor binding. The identical CD spectra for betaEFAd3-->5 and wild-type proteins suggest that these substitutions caused no conformational rearrangement and that the loss of binding may thus be due to the substitution of one or more critical contact residues. These findings have implications for our understanding of the interaction of Ad5 fiber with CAR and for the construction of targeted recombinant Ad5 vectors for gene therapy purposes.

Interaction of the low-affinity receptor CD23/Fc epsilonRII lectin domain with the Fc epsilon3-4 fragment of human immunoglobulin E

CD23/Fc epsilonRII, the low-affinity receptor for IgE, is a multifunctional protein of importance in blood cell development and the immune system. We have studied the interaction of CD23 with IgE in solution using hydrodynamic methods applied to recombinant fragments of both ligands: sCD23, corresponding to the soluble lectin domain of CD23, and Fc epsilon3-4, a dimer of the C epsilon3-C epsilon4 sequence of IgE. The hydrodynamic, spectroscopic, and biological properties of these fragments suggest that they have a fully native structure. Sedimentation equilibrium studies on mixtures of sCD23 and Fc epsilon3-4 indicate that IgE has two binding sites for CD23, each characterized by affinities of approximately 10(5) M(-1). Analysis of the sedimentation as a function of temperature allows conclusions to be drawn about the thermodynamics of binding at the two sites. Binding at the first site is characterized by large changes in enthalpy (delta H(degree)To = -2.1 +/- 3.3 kcal mol(-1)) and heat capacity (delta Cp(degree) = -320 +/- 320 cal mol(-1) K(-1)), whereas binding at the second site is characterized by small changes in enthalpy (delta H(degree)To = 0.1 +/- 5.6 kcal mol(-1)) and heat capacity (delta Cp(degree) = -140 +/- 550 cal mol(-1) K(-1)). In native CD23, there are two or three lectin domains, associated through an alpha-helical coiled-coil stalk. The predicted structure of the CD23 oligomers and symmetry considerations rule out the possibility of two lectin domains from one oligomer binding to identical sites in IgE. The notion of two types of interaction in the 2:1 complex between CD23 and IgE is consistent with the thermodynamic data presented.

Automated hydrodynamic modelling of a complex between a human IgE fragment (Fc epsilon 3-4) and the IgE high affinity receptor Fc epsilon RI alpha-chain

The binding of IgE to its high affinity receptor Fc epsilon RI plays an important role in the allergic response. The interaction between soluble Fc epsilon RI alpha-chain (sFc epsilon RI alpha) and Fc epsilon 3-4, a fragment of IgE consisting of the C epsilon 3 and C epsilon 4 heavy chain constant domains, has been studied using analytical ultracentrifugation (Keown et al. this volume). Here we describe the development of a simple automated hydrodynamic modelling technique and its application to this interaction. This procedure utilises sphere models of the two molecules and performs an automated systematic translational search of sFc epsilon RI alpha relative to Fc epsilon 3-4. The result of this is the generation of 40,359 individual models of how the receptor can be placed relative to Fc epsilon 3-4. These are then assessed for consistency by comparing the sedimentation coefficients generated for the models to the experimentally determined sedimentation coefficients, and are displayed graphically to show allowed and disallowed complexes. From this analysis, it is clear that the complex between sFc epsilon RI alpha and Fc epsilon 3-4 is compact, with the most elongated models being excluded. In addition, sFc epsilon RI alpha appears not to interact with the C-terminal end of Fc epsilon 3-4, and probably binds either to the sides or face, observations which are consistent with other experimental data on the Fc epsilon RI alpha/IgE interaction. Automated hydrodynamic modelling also has the potential to be used for other interactions, providing a simple way of looking at a large number of models, and making rigorous studies of interacting components more feasible.

Structure based design and characterization of peptides that inhibit IgE binding to its high-affinity receptor

We have designed synthetic peptide inhibitors of the interaction between IgE and its high affinity receptor, Fc epsilon RI. The structure of the second domain of CD2 was used as a modelling template for the second alpha-chain domain of Fc epsilon RI, the C-C' loop of which has been implicated in the interaction with IgE. An L-amino acid peptide and a retro-enantiomeric D-amino acid peptide were designed to mimic the conformation of the C-C' region. Both peptides were cyclized by disulphide bond formation between terminal cysteine residues, and show mirror image symmetry by circular dichroism analysis. The C-C' peptide mimics act as competitive inhibitors of IgE binding. The cyclic L- and retro D-peptides exhibited KDs of approximately 3 microM and 11 microM, respectively, for IgE. Further, the peptides inhibit IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation, an in vitro model of an allergic response.

Bent domain structure of recombinant human IgE-Fc in solution by X-ray and neutron scattering in conjunction with an automated curve fitting procedure

Human immunoglobulin E (IgE) consists of 14 domains, each with the characteristic immunoglobulin fold structure. Compared with the 12-domain structure of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgE has an additional pair of domains (C epsilon 2) in the Fc region in place of the hinge of IgG. The crystal structure of the 4-domain Fc fragment of IgG is known, but not that of the 6-domain Fc fragment of IgE (IgE-Fc). In order to elucidate the position of the C epsilon 2 domains in the domain structure of IgE-Fc, IgE-Fc was studied by synchrotron X-ray and pulsed neutron scattering. The upper limit on the X-ray radius of gyration RG which determines macromolecular elongation was determined to be 3.52 +/- 0.14 nm. That for the neutron RG (measured in 100% 2H2O buffers) was 3.53 +/- 0.05 nm. The X-ray and neutron cross-sectional radii of gyration were 1.89 +/- 0.05 and 1.56 +/- 0.09 nm, respectively. The scattering curves were modeled on the basis of a previously-predicted model for IgE-Fc (Helm, B. A., Ling, Y., Teale, C., Padlan, E. A., & Brüggemann, M. (1991) Eur. J. Immunol. 21, 1543-1548). The extended arrangement of domains in that model resulted in poor agreement with experimental data. Interactive and automated procedures for the fitting of crystallographically-derived domain models to scattering data were developed. Each pair of C epsilon 2, C epsilon 3, and C epsilon 4 domains was translated and rotated relative to the remaining structure in a comprehensive five-parameter search of more than 37,000 models. Substantially improved agreement between the experimental and calculated scattering curves was obtained. Bent models for IgE-Fc in which the C epsilon 2 domain pair is rotated by at least 40-50 degrees from its position in the previously predicted linear IgE model consistently gave the best agreement with the X-ray and neutron scattering curves. Such a structure for the Fc fragment accounts in part for the bent structure previously proposed for intact human IgE, which is important for understanding the interaction between IgE and its receptors.

Hydrodynamic studies of a complex between the Fc fragment of human IgE and a soluble fragment of the Fc epsilon RI alpha chain

The interaction between immunoglobulin E (IgE) and its high-affinity receptor Fc epsilon RI is central to allergic disease. The binding site for Fc epsilon RI lies in the third constant region domain of the epsilon heavy chain of IgE (C epsilon 3). Identical epitopes on the two C epsilon 3 domains in the IgE-Fc are predicted to be on opposite sides of the structure, and therefore each could bind independently to a receptor molecule. Titrations, however, reveal that the IgE-Fc forms an equimolar complex with a soluble fragment of the Fc epsilon RI alpha chain (sFc epsilon RI alpha), and the molecular weight of the complex, as determined by sedimentation equilibrium, confirms this stoichiometry. The measured sedimentation coefficients of the two ligands are in good agreement with computed values for a compact IgE-Fc and an elongated sFc epsilon RI alpha structure. The calculated sedimentation coefficients for possible models of a 1:1 complex lead to exclusion of all highly extended geometries for the complex. Possible explanations for the paradoxical stoichiometry of the IgE-Fc/sFc epsilon RI alpha complex, in terms of the curved shape of IgE, a conformational change in IgE when the receptor binds, and steric interference between two molecules of Fc epsilon RI binding to identical sites, are discussed.

Alpha-helical coiled-coil stalks in the low-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII/CD23) and related C-type lectins

The low-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII/CD23) is a cell surface glycoprotein that plays a role in both cellular immunity and allergic inflammation. Its extracellular IgE-binding domain bears homology to C-type animal lectins, and the protein is, therefore, classified as a member of this superfamily. We predict that this lectin-like domain is separated from the cell membrane by an extensive region of alpha-helical coiled-coil structure, based upon sequence comparisons with tropomyosin, the archetypal alpha-helical coiled-coil structure, and detection of characteristic heptad repeats. Analysis of other receptor protein sequences identified a similar structural motif in other membrane-bound members of the C-type lectin superfamily, including the asialoglycoprotein receptor, the Kupffer cell receptor, and the B-cell differentiation antigen Lyb-2 (CD72). It appears that within the C-type lectin superfamily, there is a subfamily of structurally related membrane-bound receptor proteins that contain alpha-helical coiled-coil stalks of various lengths.