Therapeutic antitumor efficacy of monoclonal antibody against Claudin-4 for pancreatic and ovarian cancers

Cancer Sci. 2009 Sep;100(9):1623-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2009.01239.x. Epub 2009 Jun 1.

Abstract

Claudin-4 (CLDN4) is a tetraspanin transmembrane protein of tight junction structure and is highly expressed in pancreatic and ovarian cancers. In this study, we aimed to generate an anti-Claudin-4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and evaluate its antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo. To isolate specific mAb, we generated CLDN3, 4, 5, 6, and 9, expressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and then used them as positive and negative targets through cell-based screening. As a result, we succeeded in isolating KM3900 (IgG2a), which specifically bound to CLDN4, from BXSB mice immunized with pancreatic cancer cells. Immunoprecipitation and flow cytometry analysis revealed that KM3900 recognized the conformational structure and bound to extracellular loop 2 of CLDN4. Furthermore, binding of KM3900 was detected on CLDN4-expressing pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells, but not on negative cells. Next, we made the mouse-human chimeric IgG1 (KM3934) and evaluated its antitumor efficacy. KM3934 induced dose-dependent antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro, and significantly inhibited tumor growth in MCAS or CFPAC-1 xenograft SCID mice in vivo (P < 0.05). These results suggest that mAb therapy against CLDN4 is promising for pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity*
  • Blotting, Western
  • CHO Cells
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Claudin-4
  • Complement System Proteins / immunology*
  • Cricetinae
  • Cricetulus
  • Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / immunology*
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Membrane Proteins / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, SCID
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / immunology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / immunology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / therapy*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / immunology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • CLDN4 protein, human
  • Claudin-4
  • Cldn4 protein, mouse
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Membrane Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Complement System Proteins