Selective inhibition of IL-6 trans-signaling by a miniaturized, optimized chimeric soluble gp130 inhibits TH17 cell expansion.

Precision blockade of inflammatory IL-6: The cytokine IL-6 performs critical functions in various tissue types but is implicated in autoimmune disease. Therefore, precisely targeting the pathway by which IL-6 induces inflammatory immune cell activation could leave other signaling pathways and functions of IL-6 intact. Currently, such targeted molecules lack sufficient selectivity. Heise et al. developed a chimeric molecule that bound to and "trapped" a critical IL-6 trans-signaling protein complex and that was smaller, had greater selectivity for the IL-6 complex over a similar IL-11 complex, and more effectively inhibited the IL-6–induced inflammatory activation of cultured T cells. These findings may lead to improved therapeutics for patients with autoimmune disease. The cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) signals through three mechanisms called classic signaling, trans-signaling, and trans-presentation. IL-6 trans-signaling is distinctly mediated through a soluble form of its transmembrane receptor IL-6R (sIL-6R) and the coreceptor gp130 and is implicated in multiple autoimmune diseases. Although a soluble form of gp130 (sgp130) inhibits only IL-6 trans-signaling, it also blocks an analogous trans-signaling mechanism of IL-11 and its soluble receptor sIL-11R. Here, we report miniaturized chimeric soluble gp130 variants that efficiently trap IL-6:sIL-6R but not IL-11:sIL-11R complexes. We designed a novel IL-6 trans-signaling trap by fusing a miniaturized sgp130 variant to an IL-6:sIL-6R complex–binding nanobody and the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (IgG). This trap, called cs-130Fc, exhibited improved inhibition of as well as increased selectivity for IL-6 trans-signaling compared to the conventional fusion protein sgp130Fc. We introduced affinity-enhancing mutations in cs-130Fc and sgp130Fc that further improved selectivity toward IL-6 trans-signaling. Moreover, cs-130Fc efficiently inhibited the expansion of T helper 17 (T_H17) cells in cultures of mouse CD4⁺ T cells treated with IL-6:sIL-6R. Thus, these variants may provide or lead to the development of more precisely targeted therapeutics for inflammatory disorders associated with IL-6 trans-signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]