ANTIBODY CONSTANT REGION VARIANT

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/257,112, having a 371 (c) date of Nov. 22, 2011, which is the National Stage of International Application Serial No. PCT/JP2010/054769, filed on Mar. 19, 2010, which claims priority to Japanese Application Serial No. 2009-068630, filed on Mar. 19, 2009.

[0002] The present invention relates to antibody constant regions with an altered amino acid sequence, and antibodies comprising these constant regions.

[0003] Antibodies are drawing attention as pharmaceuticals as they are highly stable in plasma (blood) and have few side effects. Of these, a number of IgG-type antibody pharmaceuticals are available on the market and many antibody pharmaceuticals are currently under development (Non-patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] Almost all antibody pharmaceuticals currently available on the market are of the IgG1 subclass. IgG1 type antibodies are expected be useful as anti-cancer antibody pharmaceuticals since they can bind to Fcγ receptor and exert ADCC activity. However, when it comes to antibody pharmaceuticals intended for neutralizing biological activity of an antigen, the binding of the Fc domain to Fcγ receptor, which is important for effector functions such as ADCC, can cause unnecessary side effects, and thus it is preferable to eliminate such binding activity (Non-patent Document 3). Furthermore, since Fcγ receptor is expressed on antigen-presenting cells, molecules that bind to Fcγ receptor tend to be presented as antigens. It has been reported that immunogenicity is and can be enhanced by linking a protein or peptide to the Fc domain of IgG1 (Non-patent Document 4 and Patent Document 1). Interaction between the antibody Fc domain and Fcγ receptor is thought to be a cause of the serious side effects encountered in phase-I clinical trials of TGN1412 (Non-patent Document 5). Thus, binding to Fcγ receptor is considered unfavorable in antibody pharmaceuticals intended for neutralizing the biological activity of an antigen from the perspective of side effects and immunogenicity.

[0005] A method for impairing the binding to Fcγ receptor is to alter the subtype of the IgG antibody from IgG1 to IgG2 or IgG4; however, this method cannot completely inhibit the binding (Non-patent Document 6). One of the methods reported for completely inhibiting the binding to Fcγ receptor is to artificially alter the Fc domain. For example, the effector functions of anti-CD3 antibodies and anti-CD4 antibodies cause side effects. Thus, amino acids that are not present in the wild type sequence were introduced into the Fcγ-receptor-binding domain of Fc (Non-patent Documents 3 and 7), and clinical trials are currently being conducted to assess anti-CD3 antibodies and anti-CD4 antibodies that have a mutated Fc domain and do not bind to Fcγ receptor (Non-patent Documents 5 and 8). Alternatively, Fcγ receptor-nonbinding antibodies can be prepared by altering the FcγR-binding sites of IgG1 (positions 233, 234, 235, 236, 327, 330, and 331 in the EU numbering; hereafter abbreviated as position X (EU numbering)) to an IgG2 or IgG4 sequence (Non-patent Document 9 and Patent Document 2). However, these molecules contain new non-native peptide sequences of nine to twelve amino acids, which may have a potential to become a T-cell epitope peptide and thus pose an immunogenicity risk. There is no previous report on Fcγ receptor-nonbinding antibodies that have overcome these problems.

[0006] Meanwhile, physicochemical properties of antibody proteins, in particular, homogeneity and stability, are very crucial in the development of antibody pharmaceuticals. For the IgG2 subtype, heterogeneity caused by disulfide bonds in the hinge region has been reported (Non-patent Documents 10, 16, 17, and 18 and Patent Document 3). It is not easy to manufacture them as a pharmaceutical in a large scale while maintaining differences of desired product/related substance-related heterogeneity between productions. Thus, single substances are desirable as much as possible for antibody molecules developed as pharmaceuticals. In the present invention, differences in heterogeneity among productions can be understood, for example, as differences in heterogeneity among production lots. Heterogeneity in the production lots can be evaluated quantitatively by determining the diversity of molecular weight and structure of the produced antibody molecules.

[0007] IgG2 and IgG4 are unstable under acidic conditions. IgG type antibodies are in general exposed to acidic conditions in the purification process using Protein A and the virus inactivation process. Thus, attention is needed regarding the stability of IgG2 and IgG4 during these processes, and it is preferable that antibody molecules developed as pharmaceuticals are also stable under acidic conditions. Natural IgG2 and IgG4, and Fcγ receptor-nonbinding antibodies derived from IgG2 or IgG4 (Non-patent Documents 6 and 7 and Patent Document 2) have such problems. It is desirable to solve these problems when developing antibodies into pharmaceuticals.

[0008] IgG1-type antibodies are relatively stable under acidic conditions, and the degree of heterogeneity caused by disulfide bonds in the hinge region is also lower in this type of antibodies. However, IgG1-type antibodies are reported to undergo non-enzymatic peptide bond cleavage in the hinge region in solutions when they are stored as formulations, and as a result, Fab fragments are generated as impurities (Non-patent Document 11). It is desirable to overcome the generation of impurities when developing antibodies into pharmaceuticals.

[0009] Furthermore, for heterogeneity of the C-terminal sequence of an antibody, deletion of C-terminal amino acid lysine residue, and amidation of the C-terminal amino group due to deletion of both of the two C-terminal amino acids, glycine and lysine, have been reported (Non-patent Document 12). It is preferable to eliminate such heterogeneity when developing antibodies into pharmaceuticals.

[0010] The constant region of an antibody pharmaceutical aimed at neutralizing an antigen preferably has a sequence that overcomes all the problems described above. However, a constant region that meets all the requirements has not been reported.

[0011] A preferred form of antibody pharmaceutical administration in chronic autoimmune diseases and such is thought to be subcutaneous formulation. Low-cost, convenient antibody pharmaceuticals that can be administered subcutaneously at longer intervals can be provided by increasing the half-life of an antibody in the plasma to prolong its therapeutic effect and thereby reduce the amount of protein administered, and by conferring the antibody with high stability so that high concentration formulations can be prepared.

[0012] In general, subcutaneous formulations need to be high-concentration formulations. From the perspective of stability and such, the concentration limit of IgG-type antibody formulations is generally thought to be about 100 mg/ml (Non-patent Document 13). Thus, it was a challenge to secure stability at high concentrations. However, there has been no report published on the improvement of the stability of IgG at high concentrations by introducing amino acid substitutions into its constant region. A method for prolonging the antibody half-life in plasma has been reported and it substitutes amino acids in the constant region (Non-patent Documents 14 and 15); however, introduction of non-native sequences into the constant region is unpreferable from the perspective of immunogenicity risk.

[0013] As described above, when the purpose of an antibody pharmaceutical is to neutralize an antigen, it is preferable that all of the problems described above have been overcome with regard to its constant-region sequence. However, a constant region that meets all the requirements has not been reported. Thus, there is a demand for antibody constant regions that have overcome the problems described above.

[0014] Documents of related prior arts for the present invention are described below.

• [0015] [Patent Document 1] US 20050261229 A1
• [0016] [Patent Document 2] WO 99/58572
• [0017] [Patent Document 3] US 2006/0194280

• [0018] [Non-patent Document 1] Janice M Reichert, Clark J Rosensweig, Laura B Faden & Matthew C Dewitz. Monoclonal antibody successes in the clinic. Nature Biotechnology (2005) 23, 1073-1078
• [0019] [Non-patent Document 2] Pavlou A K, Belsey M J. The therapeutic antibodies market to 2008. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2005 April; 59(3):389-96
• [0020] [Non-patent Document 3] Reddy M P, Kinney C A, Chaikin M A, Payne A, Fishman-Lobell J, Tsui P, Dal Monte P R, Doyle M L, Brigham-Burke M R, Anderson D, Reff M, Newman R, Hanna N, Sweet R W, Truneh A. Elimination of Fc receptor-dependent effector functions of a modified IgG4 monoclonal antibody to human CD4. J. Immunol. 2000 Feb. 15; 164(4):1925-33
• [0021] [Non-patent Document 4] Guyre P M, Graziano R F, Goldstein J, Wallace P K, Morganelli P M, Wardwell K, Howell A L. Increased potency of Fc-receptor-targeted antigens. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 1997 November-December; 45(3-4):146-8
• [0022] [Non-patent Document 5] Strand V, Kimberly R, Isaacs J D. Biologic therapies in rheumatology: lessons learned, future directions. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 2007 January; 6(1):75-92
• [0023] [Non-patent Document 6] Gessner J E, Heiken H, Tamm A, Schmidt R E. The IgG Fc receptor family. Ann. Hematol. 1998 June; 76(6):231-48
• [0024] [Non-patent Document 7] Cole M S, Anasetti C, Tso J Y. Human IgG2 variants of chimeric anti-CD3 are nonmitogenic to T cells. J. Immunol. 1997 Oct. 1; 159(7):3613-21
• [0025] [Non-patent Document 8] Chau L A, Tso J Y, Melrose J, Madrenas J. HuM291(Nuvion), a humanized Fc receptor-nonbinding antibody against CD3, anergizes peripheral blood T cells as partial agonist of the T cell receptor. Transplantation 2001 Apr. 15; 71(7):941-50
• [0026] [Non-patent Document 9] Armour K L, Clark M R, Hadley A G, Williamson L M. Recombinant human IgG molecules lacking Fcgamma receptor I binding and monocyte triggering activities. Eur. J. Immunol. 1999 August; 29(8):2613-24
• [0027] [Non-patent Document 10] Chu G C, Chelius D, Xiao G, Khor H K, Coulibaly S, Bondarenko P V. Accumulation of Succinimide in a Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody in Mildly Acidic Buffers Under Elevated Temperatures. Pharm. Res. 2007 Mar. 24; 24(6):1145-56
• [0028] [Non-patent Document 11] A J Cordoba, B J Shyong, D Breen, R J Harris. Nonenzymatic hinge region fragmentation of antibodies in solution. J. Chromatogr. B. Anal. Technol. Biomed. Life Sci. (2005) 818, 115-121
• [0029] [Non-patent Document 12] Johnson K A, Paisley-Flango K, Tangarone B S, Porter T J, Rouse J C. Cation exchange-C and mass spectrometry reveal C-terminal amidation of an IgG1 heavy chain. Anal. Biochem. 2007 Jan. 1; 360(1):75-83
• [0030] [Non-patent Document 13] Shire S J, Shahrokh Z, Liu J. Challenges in the development of high protein concentration formulations. J. Pharm. Sci. 2004 June; 93(6):1390-402
• [0031] [Non-patent Document 14] Hinton P R, Xiong J M, Johlfs M G, Tang M T, Keller S, Tsurushita N. An engineered human IgG1 antibody with longer serum half-life. J. Immunol. 2006 Jan. 1; 176(1):346-56
• [0032] [Non-patent Document 15] Ghetie V, Popov S, Borvak J, Radu C, Matesoi D, Medesan C, Ober R J, Ward E S. Increasing the serum persistence of an IgG fragment by random mutagenesis. Nat. Biotechnol. 1997 July; 15(7):637-40
• [0033] [Non-patent Document 16] Wypych J, Li M, Guo A, Zhang Z, Martinez T, Allen M J, Fodor S, Kelner D N, Flynn G C, Liu Y D, Bondarenko P V, Ricci M S, Dillon T M, Balland A. Human IgG2 antibodies display disulfide-mediated structural isoforms. J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun. 6; 283(23):16194-205
• [0034] [Non-patent Document 17] Dillon T M, Ricci M S, Vezina C, Flynn G C, Liu Y D, Rehder D S, Plant M, Henkle B, Li Y, Deechongkit S, Varnum B, Wypych J, Balland A, Bondarenko P V. Structural and functional characterization of disulfide isoforms of the human IgG2 subclass. J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun. 6; 283(23):16206-15
• [0035] [Non-patent Document 18] Martinez T, Guo A, Allen M J, Han M, Pace D, Jones J, Gillespie R, Ketchem R R, Zhang Y, Balland A. Disulfide connectivity of human immunoglobulin G2 structural isoforms. Biochemistry 2008 Jul. 15; 47(28):7496-508

[0036] The present invention was achieved in view of the above circumstances. Specifically, an objective of the present invention is to provide constant regions that can confer antibodies with properties preferable for pharmaceuticals, and antibodies comprising these constant regions and variable regions.

[0037] The present inventors conducted dedicated studies to generate antibody constant regions that have been improved by modifying their amino acid sequences, which have improved physicochemical properties (stability and homogeneity), immunogenicity, safety, and pharmacokinetics. As a result, the present inventors successfully produced antibody constant regions with reduced heterogeneity caused by disulfide bonds in the hinge region, reduced heterogeneity caused by the H-chain C terminus, and increased stability.

[0038] The present invention relates to antibody constant regions that are superior in terms of safety, immunogenicity risk, physicochemical properties (stability and homogeneity), and pharmacokinetics through improvement by amino acid alterations; antibodies comprising such antibody constant regions; pharmaceutical compositions comprising such antibodies; and methods for producing them. More specifically, the present invention provides:

[1] an antibody constant region comprising an amino acid sequence in which Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2 constant region) are other amino acids;
[2] the antibody constant region of [1], wherein His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) are also other amino acids;
[3] the antibody constant region of [1], wherein Cys at position 102 and Cys at position 103 are Ser;
[4] the antibody constant region of [2], wherein His at position 147 is Gln, Arg at position 234 is Gln, and Gln at position 298 is Glu;
[5] the antibody constant region of any one of [1] to [4], which comprises an amino acid sequence also comprising deletions of Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering));
[6] an antibody comprising the constant region of any one of (1) to (5) below:
(1) an antibody constant region comprising an amino acid sequence in which Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2 constant region) are other amino acids;
(2) the antibody constant region of (1), wherein Cys at position 102 and Cys at position 103 are Ser;
(3) the antibody constant region of (1) or (2), wherein His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) are also other amino acids;
(4) the antibody constant region of (3), wherein His at position 147 is Gln, Arg at position 234 is Gln, and Gln at position 298 is Glu; and
(5) the antibody constant region of any one of (1) to (4), which comprises an amino acid sequence also comprising deletions of Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)); and
[7] a pharmaceutical composition comprising the antibody of [6].

[0039] The present invention provides constant regions that can confer to antibodies properties desirable for pharmaceutical agents. By means of amino acid sequence alterations, the constant regions of the present invention can improve the following antibody properties to conditions favorable for pharmaceutical agents.

[0040] Polypeptides obtainable by expressing a DNA encoding a certain amino acid sequence should theoretically be homogeneous polypeptide molecules consisting of the same amino acid sequence. However, in practice, when a DNA encoding an antibody is expressed in suitable hosts, heterogeneous polypeptides with different structures may be formed due to various factors. In the production of antibodies, an antibody population comprising many heterogeneous polypeptides can be referred to as having high heterogeneity. The constant regions of the present invention have the causes of heterogeneity removed by amino acid sequence alteration. Therefore, constructing antibodies using the constant regions of the present invention enables production of antibodies with low heterogeneity. Specifically, by introducing alterations provided by the present invention into heavy chain constant regions of antibodies, the homogeneity of the antibodies can be maintained at a high level. Suppressing the antibody heterogeneity to a low level means ameliorating the heterogeneity and this is an important objective in maintaining the quality of pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the constant regions of the present invention contribute to the maintenance of the quality of antibody-containing pharmaceuticals.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention contributes to improvement of antibody pharmacokinetics. Specifically, when specific amino acid residues are altered in an antibody constant region of the present invention, blood concentration of the antibody composed of this constant region is maintained for a longer time than an antibody without amino acid sequence alterations. Maintaining blood concentration for as long a time as possible means that, when an antibody is administered as a pharmaceutical, its therapeutic effect can be maintained for a long time with a smaller amount of antibody. Alternatively, the antibody can be administered with wider intervals and smaller number of administrations.

[0051] The present invention provides antibody constant regions with altered amino acid sequence; antibodies comprising such constant regions; pharmaceutical compositions comprising such antibodies; and methods for producing them.

[0052] Herein, the antibody constant region refers to IgG1, IgG2, or IgG4 type constant region. The antibody constant region is preferably a human antibody constant region, and IgG2 constant region is preferred in particular. The amino acid sequences of human IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 constant regions are known.

Human IgG1 constant region, SEQ ID NO: 7
Human IgG2 constant region, SEQ ID NO: 8
Human IgG4 constant region, SEQ ID NO: 9

[0053] Regarding the human IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 constant regions of the present invention, a number of allotype sequences arising from genetic polymorphism are described in the Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, NIH Publication No. 91-3242, and all of them are acceptable in the present invention.

[0054] The antibody constant regions of the present invention can include additional alterations in addition to amino acid sequence alterations (modifications) introduced based on the present invention. For example, additional alterations can be selected from amino acid substitution, deletion, or modification, or their combinations. Specifically, constant regions containing alterations such as the following in their amino acid sequence are all included in the present invention.

• • [0055] Alterations based on the present invention introduced into the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (human IgG2 constant region).
  • [0056] Alterations based on the present invention introduced into an altered amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (human IgG2 constant region).
  • [0057] Alterations based on the present invention introduced into the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (human IgG2 constant region) with additional alterations.

[0058] Amino acid modifications of the present invention include post-translational modifications. Specific examples of post-translational modifications can include addition or deletion of sugar chains. For example, in the IgG2 constant region consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8, the amino acid residue at position 297 according to the EU numbering may be modified by sugar chains. The sugar chain structures involved in the modification are not limited. In general, antibodies expressed in eukaryotic cells include sugar chain modifications in the constant regions. Therefore, antibodies expressed in cells such as the following are usually modified by some kind of sugar chain:

[0059] antibody-producing cells of mammals; and

[0060] eukaryotic cells transformed with an expression vector containing an antibody-encoding DNA.

[0061] Eukaryotic cells indicated herein include yeast and animal cells. For example, CHO cells and HEK293H cells are representative animal cells for transformation using expression vectors containing an antibody-encoding DNA. Those without sugar chain modification at this position are also included in the constant regions of the present invention. Antibodies in which the constant regions are not modified by sugar chains can be obtained by expressing the antibody-encoding gene in prokaryotic cells such as Escherichia coli.

[0062] The present invention provides IgG2 constant regions with an improved stability under acidic conditions.

[0063] More specifically, the present invention provides IgG2 constant regions in which an amino acid residue other than Met has been substituted for Met at position 276 (position 397 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The type of amino acid residue after substitution can be any amino acid residue other than Met. In the present invention, a preferred amino acid residue is Val. The antibody stability under acidic conditions can be improved by substituting another amino acid for Met at position 276 (position 397 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.

[0064] The constant regions provided by the present invention, which have an improved stability under acidic conditions, may also have other amino acid substitutions, deletions, additions, and/or insertions, as long as they have at least the amino acid substitution described above.

[0065] The present invention provides constant regions with reduced heterogeneity of hinge region.

[0066] More specifically, the present invention provides IgG2 constant regions in which other amino acids have been substituted for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The type of other amino acids is not particularly limited; however, substitutions of Ser for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) are preferred.

[0067] These substitutions can reduce the heterogeneity arising from the hinge region of IgG2.

[0068] The constant regions provided by the present invention, which have reduced heterogeneity, may also have other amino acid substitutions, deletions, additions, and/or insertions, as long as they have at least the amino acid substitution described above.

[0069] The present invention also provides constant regions with reduced Fcγ receptor-binding activity.

[0070] More specifically, the present invention also provides constant regions comprising an amino acid sequence in which Ala at position 209 (position 330 (EU numbering)), Pro at position 210 (position 331 (EU numbering)), and/or Thr at position 218 (position 339 (EU numbering)) of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are Ser, Ser, and Ala, respectively. The substitutions for Ala at position 209 (position 330 (EU numbering)) and for Pro at position 210 (position 331 (EU numbering)) have already been reported to enable the impairment of the Fcγ receptor binding (Eur. J. Immunol. 1999 August; 29(8):2613-24). From the perspective of immunogenicity risk, however, these alterations are not preferred because they result in generation of non-human derived peptides that can become T-cell epitopes. However, the Fcγ receptor binding of IgG2 can be reduced by substituting Ala for Thr at position 218 (position 339 (EU numbering)) at the same time, and the 9-12 amino acid peptides which can become T-cell epitopes are derived from human only.

[0071] In the constant regions of the present invention, at least one of the three types of amino acid substitutions described above is another amino acid, but preferably all three types of the amino acids described above are other amino acids. In a preferred embodiment, the constant regions of the present invention include constant regions comprising an amino acid sequence in which Ala at position 209 (position 330 (EU numbering)), Pro at position 210 (position 331 (EU numbering)), and Thr at position 218 (position 339 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are Ser, Ser, and Ala, respectively.

[0072] The constant regions provided by the present invention, which have reduced Fcγ receptor-binding activity, may also have other amino acid substitutions, deletions, additions, and/or insertions, as long as they have at least the amino acid substitutions described above.

[0073] The present invention provides constant regions with reduced C-terminal heterogeneity.

[0074] More specifically, the present invention provides constant regions comprising an amino acid sequence in which Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)) have been deleted in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The heterogeneity derived from the C terminus of antibody H chain can be reduced only when both of the amino acids are deleted.

[0075] The constant regions provided by the present invention, which have reduced C-terminal heterogeneity, may also have other amino acid substitutions, deletions, additions, and/or insertions, as long as they have at least the amino acid deletions described above.

[0076] The present invention further provides constant regions with improved pharmacokinetics.

[0077] Specifically, the present invention provides IgG2 constant regions in which His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are other amino acids. These amino acid substitutions enable improvement of antibody pharmacokinetics. The type of amino acid after substitution is not particularly limited; however, His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)) is preferably Gln, Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)) is preferably Gln, and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) is preferably Glu. The constant regions of the present invention include constant regions comprising at least one of the three types of the amino acid substitutions described above; however, the constant regions preferably comprise all three types of the amino acid substitutions described above.

[0078] Furthermore, in the present invention, the following antibody can be presented as a preferred embodiment of antibodies with reduced heterogeneity of the hinge region and/or improved pharmacokinetics:

[0079] Antibody in which Cys at position 102, Cys at position 103, His at position 147, Arg at position 234, and Gln at position 298 in the antibody having the IgG2 constant region consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are other amino acids.

[0080] The other amino acids are not particularly limited, but preferably, Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) is Ser, Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) is Ser, His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)) is Gln, Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)) is Gln, and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) is Glu.

[0081] In another preferred embodiment, constant regions of the present invention include IgG2 constant regions resulting from the deletion of Gly at position 325 and Lys at position 326 in the above-described constant regions to reduce C-terminal heterogeneity. Examples of such antibodies include those having constant regions consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13 (M82).

[0082] These antibody constant regions have been optimized to have reduced Fcγ receptor binding activity, reduced immunogenicity risk, improved stability under acidic conditions, reduced heterogeneity, improved pharmacokinetics, and/or higher stability in preparations in comparison with the IgG1 constant region.

[0083] Furthermore, the present invention provides antibodies comprising any one of the antibody constant regions mentioned above. More specifically, the present invention relates to antibodies having the constant region of any one of (1) to (5) below:

(1) an antibody constant region having an amino acid sequence in which Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2 constant region) are other amino acids;
(2) the antibody constant region of (1), wherein Cys at position 102 and Cys at position 103 are Ser;
(3) the antibody constant region of (1) or (2), wherein His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) are also other amino acids;
(4) the antibody constant region of (3), wherein His at position 147 is Gln, Arg at position 234 is Gln, and Gln at position 298 is Glu; and
(5) the antibody constant region of any one of (1) to (4), having an amino acid sequence also containing deletions of Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)).

[0084] The type of antigen, the origin of antibody, and such are not limited for an antibody of the present invention; as long as it has an antibody constant region mentioned above, it may be any antibody.

[0085] The antibodies of the present invention also include modified products of antibodies comprising any of the amino acid substitutions described above. The origin of antibodies is not particularly limited. The antibodies include human, mouse, rat, and rabbit antibodies. The antibodies of the present invention may be chimeric, humanized, fully humanized antibodies, or such. In a preferred embodiment, the antibodies of the present invention are humanized antibodies.

[0086] Antibody molecules of the present invention usually include H chains and L chains. H chains may include variable regions in addition to constant regions. Variable regions may include variable portions derived not only from humans, but also from non-human animal species. Furthermore, CDR can be transplanted from variable portions derived from non-human species such as mice to humanize the variable portions. Antibody molecules composed of H chains and L chains may be oligomers. Specifically, they may be monomers, dimers, or larger oligomers. Alternatively, the antibody constant regions described above and/or antibody molecules comprising an antibody constant region described above can be linked as a form of Fc fusion molecule to antibody-like binding molecules (scaffold molecules), bioactive peptides, binding peptides, or such.

[0087] The antibodies of the present invention also include modification products of an antibody comprising any one of the constant regions described above.

[0088] Such antibody modification products include, for example, antibodies linked with various molecules such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and cytotoxic substances. Such antibody modification products can be obtained by chemically modifying antibodies of the present invention. Methods for modifying antibodies are already established in this field.

[0089] The antibodies of the present invention may also be bispecific antibodies. “Bispecific antibody” refers to an antibody that has in a single molecule variable regions that recognize different epitopes. The epitopes may be present in a single molecule or in separate molecules.

[0090] The antibody constant regions described above can be used as a constant region in an antibody against an arbitrary antigen. The antigen is not particularly limited.

[0091] The antibodies of the present invention can be obtained by, for example, the following methods. In one embodiment to obtain antibodies of the present invention, one or more amino acid residues are first deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest in the constant region. Methods for substituting amino acids of interest for one or more amino acid residues include, for example, site-directed mutagenesis (Hashimoto-Gotoh, T., Mizuno, T., Ogasahara, Y., and Nakagawa, M. An oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed dual amber method for site-directed mutagenesis. Gene (1995) 152, 271-275; Zoller, M. J., and Smith, M. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of DNA fragments cloned into M13 vectors. Methods Enzymol. (1983) 100, 468-500; Kramer, W., Drutsa, V., Jansen, H. W., Kramer, B., Pflugfelder, M., and Fritz, H. J. The gapped duplex DNA approach to oligonucleotide-directed mutation construction. Nucleic Acids Res. (1984) 12, 9441-9456; Kramer W., and Fritz H. J. Oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations via gapped duplex DNA Methods. Enzymol. (1987) 154, 350-367; Kunkel, T. A. Rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1985) 82, 488-492). These methods can be used to substitute other amino acids for target amino acids in the constant region of an antibody.

[0092] In another embodiment to obtain antibodies, an antibody that binds to an antigen of interest is first prepared by methods known to those skilled in the art. When the prepared antibody is derived from a non-human animal, it can be humanized. The binding activity of the antibody can be determined by known methods. Next, one or more amino acid residues in the constant region of the antibody are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest.

[0093] More specifically, the present invention relates to methods for producing antibodies, which comprise the steps of:

(a) expressing a DNA encoding an H chain in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest, and a DNA encoding an L chain; and
(b) collecting the expression products of step (a).

[0094] The first step of the production methods of the present invention is expressing a DNA encoding an antibody H chain in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest, and a DNA encoding an antibody L chain.

[0095] A DNA encoding an H chain in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest can be prepared, for example, by obtaining a DNA encoding the constant region of a wild type H chain, and introducing an appropriate substitution so that a codon encoding a particular amino acid in the constant region encodes an amino acid of interest.

[0096] Alternatively, a DNA encoding an H chain in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest can also be prepared by designing and then chemically synthesizing a DNA encoding a protein in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region of the wild type H chain are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest.

[0097] The type of amino acid substitution includes the substitutions described herein, but is not limited thereto.

[0098] Alternatively, a DNA encoding an H chain in which one or more amino acid residues in the constant region are deleted or replaced with amino acids of interest can also be prepared as a combination of partial DNAs. Such combinations of partial DNAs include, for example, the combination of a DNA encoding a variable region and a DNA encoding a constant region, and the combination of a DNA encoding an Fab region and a DNA encoding an Fc region, but are not limited thereto. A DNA encoding an L chain can also be prepared as a combination of partial DNAs.

[0099] Methods for expressing the above-described DNAs include the methods described below. For example, an H-chain expression vector is constructed by inserting a DNA encoding an H-chain variable region into an expression vector along with a DNA encoding an H-chain constant region. Likewise, an L-chain expression vector is constructed by inserting a DNA encoding an L-chain variable region into an expression vector along with a DNA encoding an L-chain constant region. Alternatively, these H and L chain genes may be inserted into a single vector. Expression vectors include, for example, SV40 virus-based vectors, EB virus-based vectors, and BPV (papilloma virus)-based vectors, but are not limited thereto.

[0100] Host cells are co-transformed with an antibody expression vector constructed by the methods described above. Such host cells include the above-described cells such as CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells as well as microorganisms such as E. coli, yeast, and Bacillus subtilis, and plants and animals (Nature Biotechnology (2007) 25, 563-565; Nature Biotechnology (1998) 16, 773-777; Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (1999) 255, 444-450; Nature Biotechnology (2005) 23, 1159-1169; Journal of Virology (2001) 75, 2803-2809; Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (2003) 308, 94-100). The transformation can be preferably achieved by using electroporation, the lipofectin method (R. W. Malone et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1989) 86, 6077; P. L. Feigner et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1987) 84, 7413), calcium phosphate method (F. L. Graham & A. J. van der Eb, Virology (1973) 52, 456-467), DEAE-Dextran method, and the like.

[0101] In the next step of antibody production, the expression products obtained in step (a) are collected. The expression products can be collected, for example, by culturing the transformants and then separating the products from the transformed cells or culture media. Separation and purification of antibodies can be achieved by an appropriate combination of methods such as centrifugation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, salting out, ultrafiltration, columns of 1 q, FcRn, Protein A, and Protein G, affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography.

[0102] The present invention provides antibodies produced as described above. More specifically, the present invention relates to antibodies that can be produced by the following steps:

(a) expressing in host cells, DNAs encoding an antibody heavy chain which comprises variable and constant regions, and a light chain; and
(b) collecting the antibodies expressed in (a).

[0103] A characteristic of the above-mentioned method is that the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain constant region is an above-mentioned constant region provided by the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the constant region consists of for example, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13. Linking a DNA consisting of the nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 12) encoding this amino acid sequence with a DNA encoding the heavy chain variable region can produce a DNA encoding the antibody heavy chain. The amino acid sequence indicated in SEQ ID NO: 6 is, for example, the full-length sequence of the heavy chain of a humanized antibody which recognizes the IL6 receptor. The constant region (120-443) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 is composed of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13. Meanwhile, 1-119 in SEQ ID NO: 6 correspond to the variable region.

[0104] As the light chains constituting the antibodies of the present invention, one may combine, for example, L0-k0 (SEQ ID NO: 2). The DNAs encoding the heavy and light chains used for obtaining the antibodies of the present invention can be obtained, for example, by synthesizing DNAs encoding these amino acid sequences. DNAs encoding the heavy and light chains can be further attached with an additional sequence such as a signal sequence when necessary and incorporated into suitable expression vectors. The vectors may include promoters and enhancers for expressing DNAs encoding antibodies incorporated into appropriate hosts.

[0105] Furthermore, the present invention relates to antibodies composed of a heavy chain constant region containing an altered amino acid sequence provided by the present invention. More specifically, the present invention provides an antibody comprising heavy chains composed of constant and variable regions, wherein the amino acid sequence of the constant region is an amino acid sequence in which at least two of the following amino acids in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are altered to other amino acids.

[0106] Amino acid residues to be altered: Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)).

[0107] In the present invention, the alteration of amino acid residues mentioned above may be substitution of Ser for Cys at position 102 and Cys at position 103. In addition to the above-mentioned alterations, the constant regions constituting the antibodies of the present invention can further include additional alterations. More specifically, the present invention relates to antibodies comprising constant regions in which, in addition to the above-mentioned alterations, a further additional alteration is made to at least one of the following amino acid residues.

[0108] Amino acids to be altered: His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)).

[0109] In the present invention, the following substitutions can be indicated as the alterations of the amino acid residues mentioned above.

[0110] His at position 147=>Gln

[0111] Arg at position 234=>Gln

[0112] Gln at position 298=>Glu

[0113] Alternatively, constant regions constituting the antibodies of the present invention may include, in addition to the above-mentioned alterations, further additional alterations. More specifically, the present invention relates to antibodies comprising a constant region introduced with at least one of the above-mentioned alterations and further having additional deletions of the following amino acid residues.

[0114] Amino acid residues to be deleted: Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)).

[0115] Antibodies of the present invention may include light chains in addition to the above-mentioned heavy chains. Preferred light chains in the present invention are light chains of IgG1 or IgG2. Similar to heavy chains, light chains can also include variable regions and constant regions. Amino acid alterations can be introduced into the variable regions or constant regions of the light chains as well. Alternatively, light chains without alterations or modifications of the amino acid sequence may also be combined.

[0116] The variable regions constituting the antibodies of the present invention may be variable regions that recognize any antigen. Preferred variable regions in the present invention include variable regions of antibodies having antigen-neutralizing actions. For example, a variable region of an antibody having the action of neutralizing the IL6 receptor can be used as a variable region constituting the antibodies of the present invention. Examples of such a variable region include the variable region of the heavy chain of an immunoglobulin indicated by the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6. Amino acid sequences constituting the heavy chain variable regions are allowed to include alterations of one or more amino acid residues as long as their antigen binding activities are maintained.

[0117] Furthermore, examples include variable regions of antibodies in which a high biological activity can be obtained only in the IgG4 isotypes due to the effect of disulfide bond patterns near the hinge region. Using the antibody constant regions of the present invention, it is possible to decrease binding to Fcγ receptors while maintaining high biological activity and further improve the pharmacokinetics compared to the IgG1 isotype.

[0118] In the present invention, when altering the amino acid sequence of the variable region, its CDR sequences are preferably conserved. Therefore, the amino acid sequences of at least one, preferably two, or more preferably all three CDRs are desirably conserved. By conserving the CDR amino acid sequences, the antigen-binding properties of the variable regions can be maintained. The number of amino acid residues allowed to be altered in the variable region is usually one to ten, for example one to five, and preferably one or two amino acids. In the antibodies of the present invention, amino acid sequence alteration may be at least one of amino acid residue substitution, addition, deletion, or modification.

[0119] For example, modification of the N-terminal glutamine of the variable region to pyroglutamic acid by pyroglutamylation is a modification well-known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, when the heavy chain N terminus of the antibodies of the present invention is glutamine, the antibodies of the present invention include variable regions in which the glutamine is modified to pyroglutamic acid.

[0120] Unless significant changes are introduced to antigen-binding properties determined by the heavy chain variable regions, light chains constituting the antibodies of the present invention may include discretionary variable regions. This is because antigen-binding activities of antibodies are determined mainly by the variable regions of the heavy chains. Alternatively, it is acceptable to alter the variable portions of the light chains for the purpose of improving the antibody properties to more desirable conditions. Preferred light chain variable regions are light chain variable regions of antibodies from which the heavy chain variable regions are derived. Therefore, when using the variable region included in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 for the heavy chain variable region, for example, a light chain consisting of the amino acid sequence of L0-k0 (SEQ ID NO: 2) may be combined. In the amino acid sequence of L0-k0 (SEQ ID NO: 2), the variable region is 1 to 107 and the constant region is 108 to 214 (SEQ ID NO: 14).

[0121] The present invention also relates to methods for reducing antibody heterogeneity, which comprise the step of substituting other amino acids for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2). The type of amino acid after substitution is not particularly limited; however, substitutions of Ser for both Cys at position 102 and Cys at position 103 are preferred. The methods of the present invention for reducing antibody heterogeneity may comprise other steps of amino acid substitution, as long as they comprise the step of substituting other amino acids for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2). The method for amino acid substitution is not particularly limited. The substitutions can be achieved, for example, by site-directed mutagenesis described above or a method described in the Examples.

[0122] Alternatively, the present invention provides methods for producing antibodies with reduced heterogeneity derived from the hinge portion of the IgG2 constant region. The production methods of the present invention include the steps of expressing a DNA encoding an antibody H chain composed of (a) a constant region in which other amino acid(s) is/are substituted for both or either one of Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) and Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (IgG2) and (b) a variable region, and a DNA encoding an antibody L chain; and collecting antibody molecules comprising the expressed antibody H chains and antibody L chains.

<Methods for Reducing the Heterogeneity Derived from Deletion of C-Terminal Amino Acids in an IgG2 Constant Region>

[0123] The present invention also relates to methods for reducing antibody heterogeneity, which comprise the step of deleting Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)) in an IgG2 constant region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The methods of the present invention for reducing antibody heterogeneity may comprise other steps of amino acid substitution, as long as they comprise the step of deleting Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)) in an IgG2 constant region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The method for amino acid substitution is not particularly limited. The substitution can be achieved, for example, by site-directed mutagenesis described above or a method described in the Examples.

[0124] Alternatively, the present invention provides methods for producing antibodies with heterogeneity derived from C-terminal amino acid deletion. The production methods of the present invention include the steps of expressing a DNA encoding an antibody H chain composed of (a) a constant region in which Gly at position 325 (position 446 (EU numbering)) and Lys at position 326 (position 447 (EU numbering)) in the IgG2 constant region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 are deleted and (b) a variable region, and a DNA encoding an antibody L chain; and collecting antibody molecules comprising the expressed antibody H chains and antibody L chains.

[0125] The present invention also relates to methods for improving the pharmacokinetics of an antibody, which comprise the step of substituting other amino acids for His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and/or Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) in an IgG2 constant region having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. The methods of the present invention for improving the pharmacokinetics of an antibody may comprise other steps of amino acid substitution, as long as they comprise the above-described step. The type of amino acid after substitution is not particularly limited; however, substitutions of Gln for His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Gln for Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Glu for Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) are preferred.

[0126] Alternatively, the present invention provides methods for producing antibodies with improved pharmacokinetics. The production methods of the present invention include the steps of expressing a DNA encoding an antibody H chain composed of (a) a constant region in which other amino acid(s) is/are substituted for at least one amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) in the IgG2 constant region having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 and (b) a variable region, and a DNA encoding an antibody L chain; and collecting antibody molecules comprising the expressed antibody H chains and antibody L chains.

[0127] Furthermore, the present invention relates to methods for reducing heterogeneity caused by the IgG2 hinge portion, methods for improving pharmacokinetics, and/or methods for reducing heterogeneity caused by the C terminus in the IgG2 constant region having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8, comprising the steps of:

(a) substituting another amino acid for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8;
(b) substituting another amino acid for Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8;
(c) substituting another amino acid for His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8;
(d) substituting another amino acid for Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8;
(e) substituting another amino acid for Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8; and
(f) deleting Gly at position 325 and Lys at position 326 (positions 446 and 447 (EU numbering)) of SEQ ID NO: 8.

[0128] The amino acids after substitution are not particularly limited, but preferably Ser is substituted for Cys at position 102 (position 219 (EU numbering)), Ser is substituted for Cys at position 103 (position 220 (EU numbering)), Gln is substituted for His at position 147 (position 268 (EU numbering)), Gln is substituted for Arg at position 234 (position 355 (EU numbering)), and Glu is substituted for Gln at position 298 (position 419 (EU numbering)).

[0129] Alternatively, the present invention relates to methods for producing antibodies with an improvement in either or both of heterogeneity and pharmacokinetics; wherein the methods comprise the steps of expressing a DNA encoding an antibody H chain with at least one amino acid residue alteration selected from the group consisting of (a) to (f) mentioned above and a DNA encoding an antibody L chain, and collecting antibody molecules comprising the expressed antibody H chains and antibody L chains.

[0130] The methods of the present invention may comprise other steps such as amino acid substitution and deletion, as long as they comprise the steps described above. The methods for amino acid substitution and deletion are not particularly limited. The substitution and deletion can be achieved, for example, by site-directed mutagenesis described above or a method described in the Examples.

[0131] The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising an antibody of the present invention.

[0132] The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be formulated, in addition to the antibodies, with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers by known methods. For example, the compositions can be used parenterally, when the antibodies are formulated in a sterile solution or suspension for injection using water or any other pharmaceutically acceptable liquid. For example, the compositions can be formulated by appropriately combining the antibodies with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or media, specifically, sterile water or physiological saline, vegetable oils, emulsifiers, suspending agents, surfactants, stabilizers, flavoring agents, excipients, vehicles, preservatives, binding agents, and such, by mixing them at a unit dose and form required by generally accepted pharmaceutical implementations. The content of the active ingredient in such a formulation is adjusted so that an appropriate dose within the required range can be obtained.

[0133] Sterile compositions for injection can be formulated using vehicles such as distilled water for injection, according to standard protocols.

[0134] Aqueous solutions used for injection include, for example, physiological saline and isotonic solutions containing glucose or other adjuvants such as D-sorbitol, D-mannose, D-mannitol, and sodium chloride. These can be used in conjunction with suitable solubilizers such as alcohol, specifically ethanol, polyalcohols such as propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol, and non-ionic surfactants such as Polysorbate 80′ and HCO-50.

[0135] Oils include sesame oils and soybean oils, and can be combined with solubilizers such as benzyl benzoate or benzyl alcohol. These may also be formulated with buffers, for example, phosphate buffers or sodium acetate buffers; analgesics, for example, procaine hydrochloride; stabilizers, for example, benzyl alcohol or phenol; or antioxidants. The prepared injections are typically aliquoted into appropriate ampules.

[0136] The administration is preferably carried out parenterally, and specifically includes injection, intranasal administration, intrapulmonary administration, and percutaneous administration. For example, injections can be administered systemically or locally by intravenous injection, intramuscular injection, intraperitoneal injection, or subcutaneous injection.

[0137] Furthermore, the method of administration can be appropriately selected according to the age and symptoms of the patient. A single dose of the pharmaceutical composition containing an antibody or a polynucleotide encoding an antibody can be selected, for example, from the range of 0.0001 to 1,000 mg per kg of body weight. Alternatively, the dose may be, for example, in the range of 0.001 to 100,000 mg/patient. However, the dose is not limited to these values. The dose and method of administration vary depending on the patient's body weight, age, and symptoms, and can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art.

[0138] As used herein, the three-letter and single-letter codes for respective amino acids are as follows:

[0139] Aspartic acid: Asp (D)

[0140] Glutamic acid: Glu (E)

[0141] All prior art documents cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0142] Heterogeneities of the C-terminal sequence of the IgG antibody H chain that have been reported are deletion of the C-terminal amino acid lysine residue, and amidation of the C-terminal carboxyl group due to deletion of both of the two C-terminal amino acids, glycine and lysine residues (Anal Biochem. 2007 Jan. 1; 360(1):75-83). In TOCILIZUMAB which is an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, the main component is a sequence in which the C-terminal amino acid lysine present on the nucleotide sequence is deleted by post-translational modification, but an accessory component with remnant lysine and an accessory component with an amidated C-terminal carboxyl group produced by deletion of both glycine and lysine are also present as heterogeneities. It is not easy to manufacture such an antibody as a pharmaceutical in a large scale, while maintaining differences of desired product/related substance-related heterogeneity between productions, which will lead to increased cost. Thus, single substances are desirable as much as possible, and in developing antibodies as pharmaceuticals, such heterogeneities are desirably reduced. Therefore, in terms of development as pharmaceuticals, absence of heterogeneities of the H-chain C terminal is desirable.

[0143] Thus, C-terminal amino acids were altered to reduce C-terminal heterogeneity. Specifically, the present inventors altered the nucleotide sequence of wild type IgG1 to delete the C-terminal lysine and glycine from the H-chain constant region of the IgG1, and assessed whether the amidation of the C-terminal amino group due to deletion of the two C-terminal amino acids glycine and lysine could be suppressed.

[0144] According to the method of Reference Example 1, TOCILIZUMAB (hereinafter abbreviated as IL6R H0/L0-IgG1) consisting of H0-IgG1 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 1) as an H chain and L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as an L chain was prepared. Furthermore, the nucleotide sequence of the H chain encoding Lys at position 447 and/or Gly at position 446 in the EU numbering was converted into a stop codon. Thus, expression vectors for antibody H chain H0-IgG1ΔK (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 3) engineered to lack the C-terminal amino acid lysine (position 447 (EU numbering)) and antibody H chain H0-IgG1ΔGK (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 4) engineered to lack the two C-terminal amino acids glycine and lysine (positions 446 and 447 (EU numbering), respectively) were constructed.

[0145] IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 consisting of H0-IgG1 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 1) as the H chain and L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as the L chain, IL6R H0-IgG1ΔK/L0-k0 consisting of H0-IgG1ΔK (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 3) as the H chain and L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as the L chain, and IL6R H0-IgG1ΔGK/L0-k0 consisting of H0-IgG1ΔGK-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 4) as the H chain and L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as the L chain were expressed and purified by the method described in Reference Example 1. The heavy-chain and light-chain combinations of the above-mentioned antibodies are summarized below.

Antibody	Heavy chain	Light chain
IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0	SEQ ID NO: 1	SEQ ID NO: 2
IL6R H0-IgG1ΔK/L0-k0	SEQ ID NO: 3	SEQ ID NO: 2
IL6R H0-IgG1ΔGK/L0-k0	SEQ ID NO: 4	SEQ ID NO: 2

[0146] Heterogeneity of the purified antibodies was evaluated by performing cation exchange chromatography. ProPac WCX-10, 4×250 mm (Dionex) was used for the column, 25 mmol/L MES/NaOH, pH 6.1 was used as mobile phase A, 25 mmol/L MES/NaOH, 250 mmol/L NaCl, pH 6.1 was used as mobile phase B, and the chromatography was performed using appropriate flow and gradient. The results of performing cation exchange chromatographic evaluations on the purified IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0, IL6R H0-IgG1ΔK/L0-k0, and IL6R H0-IgG1ΔGK/L0-k0 are shown in FIG. 1.

[0147] From the results, it was discovered that heterogeneity of the C-terminal amino acid can be decreased for the first time by deleting in advance both the C-terminal lysine and glycine of the H-chain constant region, not only the C-terminal lysine of the H-chain constant region, from the nucleotide sequence. In the human antibody constant regions of IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4, the C-terminal sequence is lysine at position 447 and glycine at position 446 in the EU numbering (see Sequences of proteins of immunological interest, NIH Publication No. 91-3242) in all cases; therefore, the method of reducing C-terminal amino acid heterogeneity discovered in the present examination was considered to be applicable to the IgG2 constant region and IgG4 constant region, or their modified forms.

[0148] For antibody pharmaceuticals against cancer such as those that kill target cells with effector functions and such, IgG1 constant region (isotype) having effector function is preferred. However, for antibody pharmaceuticals that neutralize the functions of a target antigen or antibody pharmaceuticals that bind to target cells but do not kill them, binding to Fcγ receptors is not preferred.

[0149] As methods for decreasing the binding to Fcγ receptors, the method of changing the IgG antibody isotype from IgG1 to IgG2 or IgG4 has been considered (Ann Hematol. 1998 June; 76(6):231-48), and from the viewpoint of binding to Fcγ receptor I and pharmacokinetics of each isotype, IgG2 was considered to be more desirable than IgG4 (Nat Biotechnol. 2007 December; 25(12):1369-72). On the other hand, when developing antibodies into pharmaceuticals, physicochemical properties of the proteins, particularly homogeneity and stability are extremely important. The IgG2 isotype has been reported to have a very high degree of heterogeneity caused by disulfide bond linkage differences in the hinge region (J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun. 6; 283(23):16194-205; J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun. 6; 283(23):16206-15; Biochemistry 2008 Jul. 15; 47(28):7496-508).

[0150] Accordingly, IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG1 and IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG2 were actually produced and heterogeneity evaluations were carried out for both of them. IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 which was produced in Example 1 consisting of IL6R H0-IgG1 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 1) as the H chain and IL6R L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as the L chain and IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0 consisting of IL6R H0-IgG2 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 5) as the H chain in which the H-chain constant region was converted to IgG2 and IL6R L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) as the L chain were expressed and purified by the method described in Reference Example 1. The heavy-chain and light-chain combinations in the above-mentioned antibodies are summarized below.

Antibody	Heavy chain	Light chain
IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0	SEQ ID NO: 1	SEQ ID NO: 2
IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0	SEQ ID NO: 5	SEQ ID NO: 2

[0151] Evaluation by cation exchange chromatography was carried out as the method for evaluating the heterogeneity caused by disulfide bonds in IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG1 and IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG2. ProPac WCX-10 (Dionex) was used for the column, 20 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0 was used as mobile phase A, 20 mM sodium acetate, 1 M NaCl, pH 5.0 was used as mobile phase B, and the chromatography was performed using appropriate flow and gradient. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG2 showed multiple peaks and it was found to have markedly high heterogeneity compared to IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 having the constant regions of natural IgG1 showing only almost single main peak.

[0152] The details of the structure around the hinge region of an IgG-type antibody are shown in FIG. 3. In IgG antibodies, H and L chains (or two H chains) form disulfide bonds near the hinge region. This pattern of disulfide bonds differ depending on the isotypes of the IgG-type antibodies as indicated below. It is considered that since disulfide bonds in the hinge region of natural IgG1 have a single pattern such as that shown in FIG. 4, heterogeneity caused by disulfide bonds does not exist and it was eluted as a nearly single main peak in cation exchange chromatography.

[0153] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3, regarding the disulfide bonds in the hinge region of natural IgG2, natural IgG2 has two cysteines in the hinge region (positions 219 and 220 (EU numbering)), and cysteines exist adjacent to these two cysteines of the hinge region, which are cysteine at position 131 in the EU numbering, present in the H-chain CH1 domain, cysteine at the L-chain C terminus, and two cysteines of the same hinge region of the H chain of the dimerization partner. Therefore, around the hinge region of IgG2, there are a total of eight neighboring cysteines when an H2L2 assembly is formed. This leads to the presence of a variety of heterogeneity due to disulfide bond linkage differences in natural IgG2, and the heterogeneity is considered to be remarkably high.

[0154] It is not easy to manufacture as a pharmaceutical in a large scale while maintaining the differences of desired product/related substance-related heterogeneity between productions (the differences caused by these disulfide bond linkage differences), and this leads to increased cost. Thus, single substances are desirable as much as possible. Therefore, in developing antibodies of the IgG2 isotype into pharmaceuticals, it is desirable to reduce heterogeneity derived from disulfide bonds without decreasing stability. In fact, it is reported in US 20060194280 (A1) that a variety of heterogeneous peaks derived from disulfide bonds were observed for natural IgG2 in ion exchange chromatographic analysis, and biological activities were also reported to be different among these peaks.

[0155] As a method for unifying these heterogeneous peaks, US 20060194280 (A1) reports refolding in the purification steps, but since using these steps in the production will be costly and complicated, preferably, unifying the heterogeneous peaks by producing an IgG2 variant in which disulfide bonds will be formed in a single pattern by means of amino acid substitutions was considered desirable. However, to date, there had been no reports on IgG2 variants that will form disulfide bonds in a single pattern.

[0156] As methods for reducing heterogeneity due to disulfide bond linkage differences in natural IgG2, one can consider the method of altering only cysteine at position 219 in the EU numbering, which is present in the hinge region of the H chain, to serine, and the method of altering only cysteine at position 220 to serine (Biochemistry 2008 Jul. 15; 47(28):7496-508). When such strategies are applied to the amino acid sequence (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 8) of the H-chain constant region of natural IgG2, variants such as the following are conceivable:

SC: H-chain constant region in which cysteine at position 219 in the EU numbering is altered to serine (SEQ ID NO: 10); and
CS: H-chain constant region in which cysteine at position 220 in the EU numbering is altered to serine (SEQ ID NO: 11).

[0157] However, similarly to the natural IgG2, these H-chain constant regions SC and CS do not have a single disulfide bond pattern, as shown in FIG. 5 and multiple patterns are possible. Thus, a lot of heterogeneity may still exist.

[0158] Accordingly, as an H-chain constant region that will form a single disulfide bond pattern, cysteine at position 219 in EU numbering of the H chain was further altered to serine in SC (SEQ ID NO: 10). Furthermore, M82 (SEQ ID NO: 13), which is an H-chain constant region in which histidine at position 268 is altered to glutamine, arginine at position 355 is altered to glutamine, and glutamine at position 419 is altered to glutamic acid for improvement of pharmacokinetics, and the C-terminal lysine and glycine of the H-chain constant region are deleted in advance from the nucleotide sequence to further avoid heterogeneity of the H-chain C terminus, was developed. As indicated in FIG. 6, M82 is thought to form a single disulfide bond pattern.

[0159] Subsequently, construction of an expression vector for IL6R H0-M82 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 6) was carried out by the method described in Reference Example 1. IL6R H0-M82 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 6) was used as the H chain, IL6R L0-k0 (amino acid SEQ ID NO: 2) was used as the L chain, and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 was expressed and purified by the method of Reference Example 1.

[0160] As a method for evaluating the heterogeneity of H0-M82/L0-k0, the above-described method using cation exchange chromatography was used to perform the analysis. The results of performing evaluations of IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0, IL6R H0-IgG2/L0-k0, and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 by cation exchange chromatography are shown in FIG. 7.

[0161] As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, heterogeneity increased by changing the H-chain constant region from IgG1 to IgG2, but heterogeneity drastically decreased by changing the H-chain constant region to M82.

[0162] The prolonged retention (slow elimination) of IgG molecule in plasma is known to be due to the function of FcRn which is known as a salvage receptor of IgG molecule (Nat. Rev. Immunol. 2007 September; 7(9):715-25). When taken up into endosomes via pinocytosis, IgG molecules bind to FcRn expressed in endosomes under the acidic conditions within the endosomes (approx. pH 6.0). While IgG molecules that do not bind to FcRn are transferred and degraded in lysosomes, those bound to FcRn are translocated to the cell surface and then released from FcRn back into plasma again under the neutral conditions in the plasma (approx. pH 7.4).

[0163] Known IgG-type antibodies include the IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 isotypes. The plasma half-lives of these isotypes in human are reported to be about 36 days for IgG1 and IgG2; about 29 days for IgG3; and 16 days for IgG4 (Nat. Biotechnol. 2007 December; 25(12):1369-72). Thus, the retention of IgG1 and IgG2 in plasma is believed to be the longest. In general, the isotypes of antibodies used as pharmaceutical agents are IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4. Methods reported for further improving the pharmacokinetics of these IgG antibodies include methods for improving the above-described binding to human FcRn, and this is achieved by altering the sequence of IgG constant region (J. Biol. Chem. 2007 Jan. 19; 282(3):1709-17; J. Immunol. 2006 Jan. 1; 176(1):346-56).

[0164] There are species-specific differences between mouse FcRn and human FcRn (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2006 Dec. 5; 103(49):18709-14). Therefore, to predict the plasma retention of IgG antibodies that have an altered constant region sequence in human, it is desirable to assess the binding to human FcRn and retention in plasma in human FcRn transgenic mice (Int. Immunol. 2006 December; 18(12):1759-69).

[0165] Human FcRn was prepared according to the method described in Reference Example 2. The binding to human FcRn was assessed using Biacore 3000. An antibody was bound to Protein L or rabbit anti-human IgG Kappa chain antibody immobilized onto a sensor chip, human FcRn was added as an analyte for interaction with the antibody, and the affinity (KD) was calculated from the amount of bound human FcRn. Specifically, Protein L or rabbit anti-human IgG Kappa chain antibody was immobilized onto sensor chip CMS (BIACORE) by the amine coupling method using 50 mM Sodium-phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) containing 150 mM NaCl as the running buffer. Then, IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 was each diluted with a running buffer containing 0.02% Tween20, and injected to be bound to the chip. Human FcRn was then injected and the binding of the human FcRn to antibody was assessed.

[0166] The affinity was computed using BIAevaluation Software. The obtained sensorgram was used to calculate the amount of hFcRn bound to the antibody immediately before the end of human FcRn injection. The affinity of the antibody for human FcRn was calculated by fitting with the steady state affinity method.

[0167] As a result of evaluating the binding of IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 towards human FcRn by BIAcore, as shown in Table 1, the binding of IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 was found to be increased approximately 1.34 times compared to that of IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0.

	TABLE 1
		KD/μM
	IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0	1.62
	IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0	1.21

[0168] The pharmacokinetics in human FcRn transgenic mice (B6.mFcRn−/−.hFcRn Tg line 276 +/+ mice; Jackson Laboratories) was assessed by the following procedure. IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 was each intravenously administered once at a dose of 1 mg/kg to mice, and blood was collected at appropriate time points. The collected blood was immediately centrifuged at 15,000 rpm and 4° C. for 15 minutes to obtain blood plasma. The separated plasma was stored in a freezer at −20° C. or below until use. The plasma concentration was determined by ELISA (see Reference Example 3).

[0169] As a result of evaluating the plasma retention of IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0 and IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 in human FcRn transgenic mice, as shown in FIG. 8, pharmacokinetics of IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 was confirmed to be improved compared to IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0. As indicated above, this was considered to be due to improvement in the binding of IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 to human FcRn compared to IL6R H0-IgG1/L0-k0.

[0170] IL6R H0-M82/L0-k0 not only avoids heterogeneity derived from disulfide bonds of natural IgG2, but also shows improvement of pharmacokinetics compared to natural IgG1 by means of substituting serine for cysteine at positions 219 and 220, EU numbering, in the H chain, and moreover, heterogeneity derived from the H-chain C terminus is also avoided by ΔGK modification of the H-chain C terminus indicated in Example 1. Thus, M82 (SEQ ID NO: 13)/k0 (SEQ ID NO: 14) was considered to be very useful as H-chain/L-chain constant regions of antibodies.

[0171] Generally, IgG antibodies are known to differ not only in their effector functions such as ADCC activity, but also differ greatly in terms of their antigen-binding ability and biological activity derived from binding to antigens depending on the isotype (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, or their modified forms) (Immunology 1996, 88, 169-173; Mol Immunol. 1994 June; 31(8):577-84; Infection and Immunity, March 2007, 1424-1435; Nat Biotechnol. 2007 December; 25(12):1369-72; Nat Biotechnol. 2008 February; 26(2):209-11). One of the reasons for this may be that flexibility of the IgG hinge portion is different depending on the isotype (J Immunol. 1997 Oct. 1; 159(7):3372-82; Mol Immunol. 1994 October; 31(15):1201-10). Factors affecting the flexibility of the hinge portion may be the disulfide bond patterns near the hinge region.

[0172] For example, in the case of antibodies for which a high biological activity is obtained only in the IgG4 isotype (WO 2005/035756), to obtain a high biological activity similar to that of IgG4, the same disulfide bond pattern near the hinge region as in the IgG4 isotype may be necessary. As described above, from the viewpoint of binding to Fcγ receptor I and pharmacokinetics of each isotype, IgG2 may be more desirable than IgG4 (Nat Biotechnol. 2007 December; 25(12):1369-72), but the disulfide bond patterns near the hinge region are different between IgG2 and IgG4. Therefore, it is very likely that high biological activity similar to that of the IgG4 isotype may not be obtainable with the IgG2 isotype.

[0173] As indicated in FIG. 9, since the disulfide bond pattern near the hinge region of the novel constant region M82 discovered in the present examination is the same as that of IgG4, it may have flexibility of the hinge portion similar to that of the IgG4 isotype. Therefore, the novel constant region M82 was considered to be very useful since it may be possible to maintain the high biological activity of the IgG4 isotype, decrease the binding to Fcγ receptors, and improve the pharmacokinetics compared to that of IgG1 in antibodies that yield high biological activity only in the IgG4 isotype.

[0174] Genes encoding the nucleotide sequences of the H chain and L chain of the antibody of interest were amplified using PCR and such by methods known to those skilled in the art. Introduction of amino acid substitutions were carried out by methods known to those skilled in the art using QuikChange Site-Directed Mutagenesis Kit (Stratagene), PCR, or such. The obtained plasmid fragment was inserted into an animal cell expression vector, and the H-chain expression vector and L-chain expression vector of interest were produced. The nucleotide sequence of the obtained expression vector was determined by a method known to those skilled in the art.

[0175] The antibodies were expressed by the following method. Human embryonic kidney cancer-derived HEK293H cells (Invitrogen) were suspended in DMEM (Invitrogen) supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (Invitrogen). The cells (10-ml/plate; cell density of 5 to 6×10⁵ cells/ml) were plated on dishes for adherent cells (10 cm in diameter; CORNING) and cultured in a CO₂ incubator (37° C., 5% CO₂) for one whole day and night. Then, the medium was removed by aspiration, and 6.9 ml of CHO-S-SFM-II medium (Invitrogen) was added. The prepared plasmids (H-chain expression vector and L-chain expression vector) were introduced into cells (co-transformation) by the lipofection method. The resulting culture supernatants were collected and centrifuged (approx. 2000 g, 5 min, room temperature) to remove the cells, and sterilized through 0.22-μm filter MILLEX®-GV (Millipore). Antibodies were purified from the obtained culture supernatant by a method known to those skilled in the art using rProtein A Sepharose™ Fast Flow (Amersham Biosciences). Absorbance at 280 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer to know the purified antibody concentrations. Extinction coefficient calculated from the obtained value by the PACE method was used to calculate the antibody concentration (Protein Science 1995; 4: 2411-2423).

[0176] FcRn is a complex of FcRn and β2-microglobulin. Oligo-DNA primers were prepared based on the human FcRn gene sequence disclosed (J. Exp. Med. (1994) 180(6), 2377-2381). A DNA fragment encoding the whole gene was prepared by PCR using human cDNA (Human Placenta Marathon-Ready cDNA, Clontech) as a template and the prepared primers. Using the obtained DNA fragment as a template, a DNA fragment encoding the extracellular domain containing the signal region (Met1-Leu290) was amplified by PCR, and inserted into an animal cell expression vector (the amino acid sequence of human FcRn as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 15). Likewise, oligo-DNA primers were prepared based on the human β2-microglobulin gene sequence disclosed (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. (2002) 99(26), 16899-16903). A DNA fragment encoding the whole gene was prepared by PCR using human cDNA (Hu-Placenta Marathon-Ready cDNA, CLONTECH) as a template and the prepared primers. Using the obtained DNA fragment as a template, a DNA fragment encoding the whole β2-microglobulin containing the signal region (Met1-Met119) was amplified by PCR and inserted into an animal cell expression vector (the amino acid sequence of human β2-microglobulin as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 16).

[0177] Soluble human FcRn was expressed by the following procedure. The plasmids constructed for human FcRn and β2-microglobulin were introduced into cells of the human embryonic kidney cancer-derived cell line HEK293H (Invitrogen) using 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (Invitrogen) by lipofection. The resulting culture supernatant was collected, and FcRn was purified using IgG Sepharose 6 Fast Flow (Amersham Biosciences) by the method described in J. Immunol. 2002 Nov. 1; 169(9):5171-80, followed by further purification using HiTrap Q HP (GE Healthcare).

[0178] Measurement of the mouse plasma antibody concentration was carried out by the ELISA method using anti-human IgG antibodies and using each of the antibodies as standards according to a method known to those skilled in the art.

[0179] The present invention is useful in the production of antibodies which will be administered to living organisms as pharmaceuticals. More specifically, antibodies comprising the constant regions of the present invention are advantageous in maintaining the quality of the pharmaceuticals since heterogeneity is low. In other words, by using an antibody comprising a constant region of the present invention as a pharmaceutical, a steady supply of homogeneous antibodies will be possible. For example, TOCILIZUMAB (common name) which is an antibody against the IL-6 receptor is a humanized antibody used for treatment of autoimmune diseases and such. Therefore, for example, quality can be kept stable by substituting a constant region provided by the present invention for the constant region of this antibody.

[0180] Furthermore, the present invention provided antibodies with improved pharmacokinetics by altering the amino acid sequence of the constant regions. Antibodies subjected to improvement of pharmacokinetics by the present invention maintain activity for a longer time in a living body. Therefore, for example, by substituting a constant region provided by the present invention for the constant region of TOCILIZUMAB (common name) which is an antibody against the IL-6 receptor, its pharmacokinetics is improved, and it can be an antibody that may maintain the active concentration in a living body for a long time. Furthermore, the present invention is useful also as constant regions of antibodies that can yield high biological activity in just the IgG4 isotype, since they have the same disulfide bond pattern as the IgG4 isotype.