Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a group of heterogeneous and refractory breast cancers with the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Over the past decade, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) have ushered in a new era of targeting therapy. Since the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) are over expressed on triple-negative breast cancer, we developed novel ADCs by conjugating benzylguanine (BG)-modified monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to EpCAM- and EGFR-specific SNAP-tagged single chain antibody fragments (scFvs). Rapid and efficient conjugation was achieved by SNAP-tag technology. The binding and internalization properties of scFv-SNAP fusion proteins were confirmed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The dose-dependent cytotoxicity was evaluated in cell lines expressing different levels of EGFR and EpCAM. Both ADCs showed specific cytotoxicity to EGFR or EpCAM positive cell lines via inducing apoptosis at a nanomolar concentration. Our study demonstrated that EGFR specific scFv-425-SNAP-BG-MMAE and EpCAM-specific scFv-EpCAM-SNAP-BG-MMAE could be promising ADCs for the treatment of TNBC.
Keywords: EGFR; EpCAM; SNAP-tag technology; antibody drug conjugate; triple-negative breast cancer; tumor targeting therapy.