Selection of human single domain antibodies (sdAb) against thymidine kinase 1 and their incorporation into sdAb-Fc antibody constructs for potential use in cancer therapy

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 3;17(3):e0264822. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264822. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) is primarily known as a cancer biomarker with good prognostic capabilities for both hematological and solid malignancies. However, recent studies targeting TK1 at protein and mRNA levels have shown that TK1 may be useful as a therapeutic target. In order to examine the use of TK1 as a therapeutic target, it is necessary to develop therapeutics specific for it. Single domain antibodies (sdAbs), represent an exciting approach for the development of immunotherapeutics due to their cost-effective production and higher tumor penetration than conventional antibodies. In this study, we isolated sdAb fragments specific to human TK1 from a human sdAb library. A total of 400 sdAbs were screened through 5 rounds of selection by monoclonal phage ELISA. The most sensitive sdAb fragments were selected as candidates for preclinical testing. The sdAb fragments showed specificity for human TK1 in phage ELISA, Western blot analysis and had an estimated limit of detection of 3.9 ng/ml for the antibody fragments 4-H-TK1_A1 and 4-H-TK1_D1. The antibody fragments were successfully expressed and used for detection of membrane associated TK1 (mTK1) through flow cytometry on cancer cells [lung (~95%), colon (~87%), breast (~53%)] and healthy human mononuclear cells (MNC). The most sensitive antibody fragments, 4-H-TK1_A1 and 4-H-TK1_D1 were fused to an engineered IgG1 Fc fragment. When added to cancer cells expressing mTK1 co-cultured with human MNCs, the anti-TK1-sdAb-IgG1_A1 and D1 were able to elicit a significant antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) response against lung cancer cells compared to isotype controls (P<0.0267 and P<0.0265, respectively). To our knowledge this is the first time that the isolation and evaluation of human anti-TK1 single domain antibodies using phage display technology has been reported. The antibody fragments isolated here may represent a valuable resource for the detection and the targeting of TK1 on tumor cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / genetics
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Single-Domain Antibodies*
  • Thymidine Kinase / genetics

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Single-Domain Antibodies
  • Thymidine Kinase
  • thymidine kinase 1

Grants and funding

Funding for this research was partially obtained from a cancer fellowship from the BYU’s Simmons Center for Cancer Research and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University to fund the salaries of one graduate student EJV and research assistants JDC, TBH. This research was also partially sponsored with a scholarship from the Mexican Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) #411434 awarded to EVJ. There was no additional external funding received for this study.