Download MendeleyMonovalent antibody design and mechanism of action of onartuzumab, a MET antagonist with anti-tumor activity as a therapeutic agent.
Merchant, M., Ma, X., Maun, H.R., Zheng, Z., Peng, J., Romero, M., Huang, A., Yang, N.Y., Nishimura, M., Greve, J., Santell, L., Zhang, Y.W., Su, Y., Kaufman, D.W., Billeci, K.L., Mai, E., Moffat, B., Lim, A., Duenas, E.T., Phillips, H.S., Xiang, H., Young, J.C., Vande Woude, G.F., Dennis, M.S., Reilly, D.E., Schwall, R.H., Starovasnik, M.A., Lazarus, R.A., Yansura, D.G.(2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110: E2987-E2996
- PubMed: 23882082
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1302725110
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
4K3J - PubMed Abstract:
Binding of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) to the receptor tyrosine kinase MET is implicated in the malignant process of multiple cancers, making disruption of this interaction a promising therapeutic strategy. However, targeting MET with bivalent antibodies can mimic HGF agonism via receptor dimerization. To address this limitation, we have developed onartuzumab, an Escherichia coli-derived, humanized, and affinity-matured monovalent monoclonal antibody against MET, generated using the knob-into-hole technology that enables the antibody to engage the receptor in a one-to-one fashion. Onartuzumab potently inhibits HGF binding and receptor phosphorylation and signaling and has antibody-like pharmacokinetics and antitumor activity. Biochemical data and a crystal structure of a ternary complex of onartuzumab antigen-binding fragment bound to a MET extracellular domain fragment, consisting of the MET Sema domain fused to the adjacent Plexins, Semaphorins, Integrins domain (MET Sema-PSI), and the HGF β-chain demonstrate that onartuzumab acts specifically by blocking HGF α-chain (but not β-chain) binding to MET. These data suggest a likely binding site of the HGF α-chain on MET, which when dimerized leads to MET signaling. Onartuzumab, therefore, represents the founding member of a class of therapeutic monovalent antibodies that overcomes limitations of antibody bivalency for targets impacted by antibody crosslinking.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Translational Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA. merchant.mark@gene.com
