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In this method chapter, we provide a brief overview of the key methods available to measure self-association of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and explain for which experimental throughputs they are usually applied. We then focus on dynamic light scattering (DLS) and describe experimental details on how to measure the diffusion interaction parameter (kD) which is occasionally referred to as the gold standard for measuring self-association of proteins. The kD is a well-established parameter to predict solution viscosity, which is one of the most critical developability parameters of mAbs. Finally, we present a pH and excipient screen that is designed to measure self-association with DLS under conditions that are relevant for bioprocessing and formulation of mAbs. The presented light scattering methods are well suited for lead candidate selections where it is essential to select mAbs with high developability potential for progression toward first human dose.

In this method chapter, we provide a brief overview of the key methods available to measure self-association of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and explain for which experimental throughputs they are usually applied. We then focus on dynamic light scattering (DLS) and describe experimental details on how to measure the diffusion interaction parameter (k

The anorectic effect of PYYHalf-life extended PYYDeamidation of asparagine in position 18 and 29 was observed upon incubation at 37°C. Asparagine in position 18 - but not position 29 - could be substituted to glutamine without detrimental effects on YBy rational design, a chemically and physically stable Y

We describe a new method for screening protein-protein interaction of biopharmaceutical molecules at dilute concentrations to predict development issues at high concentration. The method is based on Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4) measurements using well known effects of protein-protein attraction on the fractionation profile due to elevated protein concentrations occurring close to the membrane. We explore the effect for 4 different monoclonal antibodies and show that the profiles obtained are quite different. Interestingly, we find that the recovery in AF4 correlates with the diffusion interaction parameter, which is a standard method for the analysis of protein-protein attraction. The results are insensitive to the protein concentration and buffer composition of the sample solution and only depend on the absolute amount of protein loaded and on the running buffer. This makes the method highly suitable for developability assessment in a compound discovery workflow.

Oral administration of therapeutic peptides is hindered by poor absorption across the gastrointestinal barrier and extensive degradation by proteolytic enzymes. Here, we investigated the absorption of orally delivered semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, coformulated with the absorption enhancer sodium N-[8-(2-hydroxybenzoyl) aminocaprylate] (SNAC) in a tablet. In contrast to intestinal absorption usually seen with small molecules, clinical and preclinical dog studies revealed that absorption of semaglutide takes place in the stomach, is confined to an area in close proximity to the tablet surface, and requires coformulation with SNAC. SNAC protects against enzymatic degradation via local buffering actions and only transiently enhances absorption. The mechanism of absorption is shown to be compound specific, transcellular, and without any evidence of effect on tight junctions. These data have implications for understanding how highly efficacious and specific therapeutic peptides could be transformed from injectable to tablet-based oral therapies.

Purpose To study the self-association states of insulin degludec and insulin aspart alone and combined in pharmaceutical formulation and under conditions simulating the subcutaneous depot. Methods Formulations were made of 0.6 mM degludec at 3 and 5 Zn/6 insulin monomers, and 0.6 mM aspart (2 Zn/6 insulin monomers). Self-association was assessed using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) monitored by UV and orthogonal reverse-phase chromatography. Results Simulating pharmaceutical formulation, degludec eluted as dihexamers, whereas aspart eluted as hexamers and monomers. Combining degludec at low zinc with aspart increased dihexamer content, indicating hybrid hexamer formation. At high zinc concentration, however, there was no evidence of this. Simulating the subcutaneous depot by removing preservative, degludec eluted as multihexamers and aspart as monomers. Aspart was incorporated into the multihexamer structures when combined with degludec at low zinc, but there was no such interaction with high-zinc degludec. SEC using progressively diluted concentrations of phenol and m-cresol showed that dissociation of aspart into monomers occurs before the formation of degludec multihexamers. Conclusion Insulins degludec and aspart can be combined without forming hybrid hexamers, but this combinability is dependent on zinc and preservative concentration, and requires that degludec is fully dihexameric before addition of aspart.

A specific covalently linked dimeric species of insulin high molecular weight products (HMWPs), formed during prolonged incubation of a neutral pharmaceutical formulation of human insulin, were characterized in terms of tertiary structure, self-association, biological activity, and fibrillation properties. The dimer was formed by a covalent link between A21Asn and B29Lys. It was analyzed using static and dynamic light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering to evaluate its self-association behavior. The tertiary structure was obtained using nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography. The biological activity of HMWP was determined using 2 in vitro assays, and its influence on fibrillation was investigated using Thioflavin T assays. The dimer's tertiary structure was nearly identical to that of the noncovalent insulin dimer, and it was able to form hexamers in the presence of zinc. The dimer exhibited reduced propensity for self-association in the absence of zinc but significantly postponed the onset of fibrillation in insulin formulations. Consistent with its dimeric state, the tested species of HMWP showed little to no biological activity in the used assays. This study is the first detailed characterization of a specific type of human insulin HMWP formed during storage of a marketed pharmaceutical formulation. These results indicate that this specific type of HMWP is unlikely to antagonize the physical stability of the formulation, as HMWP retained a tertiary structure similar to the noncovalent dimer and participated in hexamer assembly in the presence of zinc. In addition, increasing amounts of HMWP reduce the rate of insulin fibrillation.

In this study the poly-acid properties of biosynthetic hyaluronan produced by fermentation of Bacillus subtilis have been investigated. Potentiometric titration as well as 1H NMR titration have been used to determine the dissociation constants of the carboxylic group on hyaluronic acid. The intrinsic pKa and pKa, α=0.5 were determined in the presence of 0.1 M salt to be 2.99 and 3.37, respectively. The pKa, α=0.5 was found to be unaffected by variations in the ionic strength which is in good agreement with the fact that at α = 0.5, 50% of the carboxylic moieties on the hyaluronan are charged. On the other hand the intrinsic pKa was found to be dependent on the ionic strength until the Debye-Huckel screening length approaches the length of repeating disaccharide unit of hyaluronic acid. Our findings are in good agreement with previously determined dissociation constants for other sources of hyaluronan. We have also shown that 1H NMR spectroscopy is the preferred method for polyelectrolyte titration because of the ability to isolate the contribution of several ionisable groups on a polymer on molecular level.

The demand for highly purified plasmids in gene therapy and plasmid-based vaccines requires large-scale production of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid. Plasmid DNA was selectively precipitated from a clarified alkaline lysate using the polycation poly(N,N'-dimethyldiallylammonium) chloride which formed insoluble polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) with the plasmid DNA. Soluble PECs of DNA with polycations have earlier been used for cell transformation, but now the focus has been on insoluble PECs. Both DNA and RNA form stable PECs with synthetic polycations. However, it was possible to find a range of salt concentration where plasmid DNA was quantitatively precipitated whereas RNA remained in solution. The precipitated plasmid DNA was resolubilised at high salt concentration and the polycation was removed by gel-filtration.

Metal chelate affinity precipitation (MCAP) has been successfully developed as a simple purification process for proteins that have affinity for metal ions. The present lack of widespread applications for this technique as compared to immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) may be related to the scarcity of well-characterized metal affinity macroligands (AML) and their applications to the number of different purification systems. In the present work we describe a detailed study of a new purification system using metal-loaded thermoresponsive copolymers as AML. The copolymers of vinylimidazole (VI) with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) were synthesized by radical polymerization with imidazole contents of 15 and 24 mol%. When loaded with Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions the copolymers selectively precipitated extracellularly expressed histidine-tagged single-chain Fv-antibody fragments (His(6)-scFv fragments) from the fermentation broth free from E. coli cells. Precipitation was induced by salt at mild temperatures and the bound antibody fragments were recovered by dissolving the protein-polymer complex in EDTA buffer and subsequent reprecipitation of the polymer. His(6)-scFv fragments were purified with yields of 91 and 80% and purification folds of 16 and 21 when Cu(II) and Ni(II) copolymers were used, respectively. The protein precipitation capacity of the Ni(II) copolymer showed a dependence on the VI concentration in the copolymer. The SDS-PAGE pattern showed significant purification of the antibody fragments.

Formation of insoluble polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between RNA and polycations was followed by measuring the residual RNA absorbance in the solution after separation of the precipitate. The polycations studied were poly(N,N-dimethyldiallylammonium) chloride (pendant type) and 2,5-ionene bromide (integral type) with quaternary amino groups in every monomer unit. The data obtained were compared with the results of analogous studies of DNA-containing PECs. This study is a part of a project aimed at the specific separation of plasmid DNA from RNA, a major problem in the preparative isolation of plasmid DNA. We thus deliberately chose a heterogenous RNA sample as it represents the RNA present in a real cell extract. In contrast to the exhaustive precipitation of DNA observed at certain values, a significant part of RNA was nonprecipitated at any = [+]/[-], that is, at any ratio of positively charged quaternary amino groups and negatively charged phosphate groups. The addition of sodium chloride increased the nonprecipitated fraction of RNA. DNA, on the other hand, was completely precipitated by both polycations at > 0.7. The less effective precipitation of RNA was probably due to the presence of a considerable fraction of short-chained molecules, incapable of forming a sufficient cooperative system of salt bonds with the polycation. This assumption was supported by a separate experiment, in which the precipitation behavior of RNA fractions of different molecular masses was investigated. The same tendency, while less pronounced, was also ascertained for PECs formed by polycations with DNA fractions of different molecular masses. The possibility of using the revealed differences between DNA and RNA behavior for effective precipitation procedure useful in bioseparation is discussed. The difference in the precipitation behavior of nucleic acids of different molecular masses means there is a possibility for developing an enzymatic assay for DNAase and RNAase activity.

Factors affecting phase separation in water-salt solutions of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), formed by DNA and integral or pendant polycations with a quaternary amino group in every monomer unit, have been studied. When no salt was added, quantitative DNA precipitation occurred at a stoichiometric charge ratio, = [+]/[-] 1. In DNA mixtures with poly(N,N'-dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (PDMDAAC, a pendant polycation), insoluble PECs formed in the range 0.7 2. For different aliphatic ionene bromides (integral polycations), the range of corresponding to insoluble PECs was significantly broader, mainly due to the poor ability of the ionenes to form soluble, positively charged PECs. The range was also relatively broad for poly(N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide) (a pendant polycation) and became broader with decreasing degree of polymerization of the polycation. The formation of insoluble PECs was favored by the addition of salt (NaCl), and the effect was more pronounced when decreasing the relative content of the solubilizing component, i.e., the nucleic acid at 1. At moderate ionic strength, 0.12 M < [NaCl] < 0.6 M, quantitative precipitation of DNA was attained by addition of PDMAAC in the whole region studied: 1 < < 4.5. The data obtained strongly suggest that phase separation in solutions of DNA-containing PECs follows general rules revealed by studying PECs formed by flexible vinyl polyanions. However, the high rigidity of the DNA double helix appears to be responsible for the key feature revealed in the phase diagrams, i.e., significant broadening of the region for insoluble PECs at the expense of the region in which soluble DNA-containing PECs are formed. This feature may severely limit the application of DNA-containing PECs in medicine and biology but could be beneficial in the development of simple and effective procedures for DNA separation in biotechnology.

The copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and methacryloyl derivative of spirobenzopyran (MSBP) with a molecular weight of 21 000 g/mol and the average molar MSBP content of 1.9% was prepared by free radical polymerization. The copolymer displayed its phase transition in water in the temperature range of 30-50 degreesC. UV irradiation of its aqueous solution caused photoinduced transformation of MSBP units into their coloured merocyanine forms, while the cloud point of the irradiated copolymer shifted by ca. 10 degreesC to lower temperatures. During a long-term exposure to daylight (20 days) the copolymer gradually elapsed to its colourless spiropyran form, the process being ca. 100-times slower than that for monomeric MSBP. Due to the slow reverse isomerization of its merocyanine form and low solubility in water at room temperature the UV irradiated copolymer could be quantitatively separated from aqueous solution by centrifugation. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. (Less)

Lys(B29)(N(ε)ω-carboxyheptadecanoyl) des(B30) human insulin is an insulin analogue belonging to a class of analogues designed to form soluble depots in subcutis by self-association, aiming at a protracted action. On the basis of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) supplemented by a range of biophysical and structural methods (field flow fractionation, dynamic and multiangle light scattering, circular dichroism, size exclusion chromatography, and crystallography), we propose a mechanism for the self-association expected to occur upon subcutaneous injection of this insulin analogue. SAXS data provide evidence of the in solution structure of the self-associated oligomer, which is a long straight rod composed of "tense" state insulin hexamers (T(6)-hexamers) as the smallest repeating unit. The smallest oligomer building block in the process is a T(6)T(6)-dihexamer. This tense dihexamer is formed by the allosteric change of the initial equilibrium between a proposed "relaxed" state R(6)-hexamer and an R(3)T(3)T(3)R(3)-dihexamer. The allosteric change from relaxed to tense is triggered by removal of phenol, mimicking subcutaneous injection. The data hence provide the first unequivocal evidence of the mechanism of self-association for this type of insulin analogue.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Several studies have shown that adiponectin can lower blood glucose in diabetic mice. The aim of this study was to establish an effective adiponectin production process and to evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of the different adiponectin forms in diabetic mice and sand rats. METHODS: Human high molecular weight, mouse low molecular weight and mouse plus human globular adiponectin forms were expressed and purified from mammalian cells or yeast. The purified protein was administered at 10-30 mg/kg i.p. b.i.d. to diabetic db/db mice for 2 weeks. Furthermore, high molecular weight human and globular mouse adiponectin batches were administered at 5-15 mg/kg i.p. b.i.d. to diabetic sand rats for 12 days. RESULTS: Surprisingly, none of our batches had any effect on blood glucose, HbA1c, plasma lipids or body weight in diabetic db/db mice or sand rats. In vitro biological, biochemical and biophysical data suggest that the protein was correctly folded and biologically active. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Recombinant adiponectin is ineffective at lowering blood glucose in diabetic db/db mice or sand rats.

Purpose Basal insulins with improved kinetic properties can potentially be produced using acylation by fatty acids that enable soluble, high-molecular weight complexes to form post-injection. A series of insulins, acylated at B29 with fatty acids via glutamic acid spacers, were examined to deduce the structural requirements. Methods Self-association, molecular masses and hexameric conformations of the insulins were studied using size exclusion chromatography monitored by UV or multi-angle light scattering and dynamic light scattering, and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CDS) in environments (changing phenol and zinc concentration) simulating a pharmaceutical formulation and changes following subcutaneous injection. Results With depletion of phenol, insulin degludec and another fatty diacid–insulin analogue formed high molecular mass filament-like complexes, which disintegrated with depletion of zinc. CDS showed these analogues adopting stable T3R3 conformation in presence of phenol and zinc, changing to T6 with depletion of phenol. These findings suggest insulin degludec is dihexameric in pharmaceutical formulation becoming multihexameric after injection. The analogues showed weak dimeric association, indicating rapid release of monomers following hexamer disassembly. Conclusions Insulins can be engineered that remain soluble but become highly self-associated after injection, slowly releasing monomers; this is critically dependent on the acylation moiety. One such analogue, insulin degludec, has therapeutic potential.

Two structurally very different insulin analogues analysed here, belong to a class of analogues of which two have been reported to have a protracted action through self-assembly to high molar mass in subcutis. The process of self-association of insulin analogues Lys(B29) (N(e)ω-carboxyheptadecanoyl) des(B30) human insulin and Lys(B29) (N(e)-lithocholyl) des(B30) human insulin was investigated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) in connection with multi-angle light-scattering. Self-assembly to high molar mass was obtained by exchanging the formulation containing phenolic preservatives with an isotonic eluent during SEC. It was shown that increasing amounts of zinc in the formulations of the two analogues increased the size of the self assemblies formed during gel filtration. The addition of 0.2 mM phenol to the elution buffer slowed down the self-association process of zinc containing formulations and shed light on the initial association process. The results indicated that a dihexamer is a possible building block during self-association of Lys(B29) (N(e)ω-carboxyheptadecanoyl) des(B30) human insulin. Surprisingly, in the absence of zinc the two analogues behaved very differently. Lys(B29) (N(e)ω-carboxyheptadecanoyl) des(B30) human insulin was in equilibrium between oligomers smaller than a hexamer, whereas Lys(B29) (N(e)-lithocholyl) des(B30) human insulin self-associated and formed even larger complexes than in the presence of zinc.

We report the crystal structure of two variants of Drosophila melanogaster insulin-like peptide 5 (DILP5) at a resolution of 1.85 A. DILP5 shares the basic fold of the insulin peptide family (T conformation) but with a disordered B-chain C terminus. DILP5 dimerizes in the crystal and in solution. The dimer interface is not similar to that observed in vertebrates, i.e. through an anti-parallel β-sheet involving the B-chain C termini but, in contrast, is formed through an anti-parallel β-sheet involving the B-chain N termini. DILP5 binds to and activates the human insulin receptor and lowers blood glucose in rats. It also lowers trehalose levels in Drosophila. Reciprocally, human insulin binds to the Drosophila insulin receptor and induces negative cooperativity as in the human receptor. DILP5 also binds to insect insulin-binding proteins. These results show high evolutionary conservation of the insulin receptor binding properties despite divergent insulin dimerization mechanisms.

The demand for highly purified plasmids in gene therapy and plasmid-based vaccines requires large-scale production of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid. Large-scale purification of plasmid DNA from bacterial cell culture normally includes one or several chromatographic steps. Prechromatographic steps include precipitation with solvents, salts, and polymers combined with enzymatic degradation of nucleic acids. No method alone has so far been able to selectively capture plasmid DNA directly from a clarified alkaline lysate. We present a method for selective precipitation of plasmid DNA from a clarified alkaline lysate using polycation poly(N,N'-dimethyldiallylammonium) chloride (PDMDAAC). The specific interaction between the polycation and the plasmid DNA resulted in the formation of a stoichiometric insoluble complex. Efficient removal of contaminants such as RNA, by far the major contaminant in a clarified lysate, and proteins as well as 20-fold plasmid concentration has been obtained with about 80% recovery. The method utilizes a inexpensive, commercially available polymer and thus provides a capture step suitable for large-scale production. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.