Intracellular delivery of therapeutic antibodies into specific cells using antibody-peptide fusions

Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 10;9(1):18688. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-55091-0.

Abstract

Because of their favorable properties as macromolecular drugs, antibodies are a very successful therapeutic modality for interfering with disease-relevant targets in the extracellular space or at the cell membrane. However, a large number of diseases involve cytosolic targets and designing antibodies able to efficiently reach intracellular compartments would expand the antibody-tractable conditions. Here, we genetically fused cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) at various positions to an antibody targeting cancer cells, evaluated the developability features of the resulting antibody-peptide fusions and the ability of selected constructs to reach the cytosol. We first determined positions in the IgG structure that were permissive to CPP incorporation without destabilizing the antibody. Fusing CPPs to the C-terminus of the light chain and either before or after the hinge had the least effect on antibody developability features. These constructs were further evaluated for cell penetration efficiency. Two out of five tested CPPs significantly enhanced antibody penetration into the cytosol, in particular when fused before or after the hinge. Finally, we demonstrate that specific antibody binding to the cell surface target is necessary for efficient cell penetration of the CPP-antibody fusions. This study provides a solid basis for further exploration of therapeutic antibodies for intracellular targets.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies / administration & dosage*
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen / chemistry
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Cell Separation
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides / administration & dosage*
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Cytosol / metabolism
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Extracellular Space
  • Flow Cytometry
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / chemistry
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / chemistry
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / administration & dosage
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Domains
  • Protein Transport
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • CEACAM5 protein, human
  • Carcinoembryonic Antigen
  • Cell-Penetrating Peptides
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins