US 7,695,936 B2 · Knobs and holes heteromeric polypeptides

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of preparing heteromultimeric polypeptides such as bispecific antibodies, bispecific immunoadhesins and antibody-immunoadhesin chimeras. The invention also relates to the heteromultimers prepared using the method. Generally, the method involves introducing a protuberance at the interface of a first polypeptide and a corresponding cavity in the interface of a second polypeptide, such that the protuberance can be positioned in the cavity so as to promote heteromultimer formation and hinder homomultimer formation. “Protuberances” are constructed by replacing small amino acid side chains from the interface of the first polypeptide with larger side chains (e.g. tyrosine or tryptophan). Compensatory “cavities” of identical or similar size to the protuberances are created in the interface of the second polypeptide by replacing large amino acid side chains with smaller ones (e.g. alanine or threonine). The protuberance and cavity can be made by synthetic means such as altering the nucleic acid encoding the polypeptides or by peptide synthesis.

Claims73

Dependent claims

A method of preparing a heteromultimer comprising a first polypeptide and a second polypeptide each comprising a CH3 antibody constant domain, wherein said polypeptides meet at an interface, comprising the steps of:

(a) altering the nucleic acid encoding at least one amino acid residue of the first polypeptide selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues 366, 405, and 407, according to the amino acid numbering as shown in FIG. 5, so as to create a protuberance or cavity;
and
(b) altering the nucleic acid encoding at least one amino acid residue of the second polypeptide selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues 407 if amino acid residue 366 is altered in the first polypeptide, amino acid residue 394 if amino acid residue 405 is altered in the first polypeptide, and amino acid residue 366 if amino acid residue 407 is altered in the first polypeptide, according to the amino acid numbering as shown in FIG. 5, so as to create a cavity or protuberance positionable in a protuberance or cavity, respectively, in the first polypeptide;
and
(c) expressing said nucleic acid in a host cell to obtain the heteromultimer;
(d) recovering the heteromultimer from the host cell culture.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Knobs and holes heteromeric polypeptides

Life of this patent

Knobs and holes heteromeric polypeptides

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims73