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- Honarvar, Hadis, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of backbone-cyclized HER2-binding 2-helix Affibody molecule for In Vivo molecular imaging
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nuclear Medicine and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8051 .- 1872-9614. ; 40:3, s. 378-386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Affibody molecules, small scaffold proteins, have demonstrated an appreciable potential as imaging probes. Affibody molecules are composed of three alpha-helices. Helices 1 and 2 are involved in molecular recognition, while helix 3 provides stability. The size of Affibody molecules can be reduced by omitting the third alpha-helix and cross-linking the two remaining, providing a smaller molecule with better extravasation and quicker clearance of unbound tracer. The goal of this study was to develop a novel 2-helix Affibody molecule based on backbone cyclization by native chemical ligation (NCL). Methods: The HER2-targeting NCL-cyclized Affibody molecule Z(HER2:342min) has been designed, synthesized and site-specifically conjugated with a DOTA chelator. DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) was labeled with In-111 and (68) Ga. The binding affinity of DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) was evaluated in vitro. The targeting properties of In-111- and (68) Ga-DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) were evaluated in mice bearing SKOV-3 xenografts and compared with the properties of In-111- and (68) Ga-labeled PEP09239, a DOTA-conjugated 2-helix Affibody analogue cyclized by a homocysteine disulfide bridge. Results: The dissociation constant (K-D) for DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) binding to HER2 was 18 nM according to SPR measurements. DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) was labeled with In-111 and (68) Ga. Both conjugates demonstrated bi-phasic binding kinetics to HER2-expressing cells, with K-D1 in low nanbmolar range. Both variants demonstrated specific uptake in HER2-expressing xenografts. Tumor-to-blood ratios at 2 h p.i. were 6.1 +/- 1.3 for In-111-DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) and 4.6 +/- 0.7 for (68) Ga-DOTA-Z(HER2:342min). However, the uptake of DOTA-Z(HER2:342min) in lung, liver and spleen was appreciably higher than the uptake of PEP09239-based counterparts. Conclusions: Native chemical ligation enables production of a backbone-cyclized HER2-binding 2-helix Affibody molecule (Z(HER2:342min)) with low nanomolar target affinity and specific tumor uptake.
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2. |
- Rosik, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Incorporation of a Triglutamyl Spacer Improves the Biodistribution of Synthetic Affibody Molecules Radiofluorinated at the N-Terminus via Oxime Formation with F-18-4-Fluorobenzaldehyde
- 2014
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Ingår i: Bioconjugate chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1043-1802 .- 1520-4812. ; 25:1, s. 82-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Affibody molecules are a class of affinity agents for molecular imaging based on a non-immunoglobulin protein scaffold. Previous studies have demonstrated high contrast for in vivo imaging of cancer-associated molecular abnormalities using Affibody molecules. Using the radionuclide F-18 for labeling and PET as the imaging modality, the sensitivity of molecular imaging using Affibody molecules can be further increased. The use of oxime formation between an aminooxy-functionalized peptide and F-18-fluorobenzaldehyde (F-18-FBA) is a promising way of radiolabeling of targeting peptides. However, previous studies demonstrated that application of this method to Affibody molecules is associated with high liver uptake. We hypothesized that incorporation of a triglutamyl spacer between the aminooxy moiety and the N-terminus of a synthetic Affibody molecule would decrease the hepatic uptake of the F-18-N-(4-fluorobenzylidine)oxime) (F-18-FBO)-labeled tracer. To verify this, we have produced two variants of the HER2-targeting Z(HER2:342) Affibody molecule by peptide synthesis: OA-PEP4313, where aminooxyacetic acid was conjugated directly to the N-terminal alanine, and OA-E-3-PEP4313, where a triglutamyl spacer was introduced between the aminooxy moiety and the N-terminus. We have found that the use of the spacer is associated with a minor decrease of affinity, from K-D = 49 pM to K-D = 180 pM. Radiolabeled F-18-FBO-E-3-PEP4313 demonstrated specific binding to HER2-expressing ovarian carcinoma SKOV-3 cells and slow internalization. Biodistribution studies in mice demonstrated that the use of a triglutamyl linker decreased uptake of radioactivity in liver 2.7-fold at 2 h after injection. Interestingly, radioactivity uptake in kidneys was also reduced (2.4-fold). Experiments in BALB/C nu/nu mice bearing SKOV-3 xenografts demonstrated HER2-specific uptake of F-18-FBO-E-3-PEP4313 in tumors. At 2 h pi, the tumor uptake (20 +/- 2% ID/g) exceeded uptake in liver 5-fold and uptake in kidneys 3.6-fold. The tumor-to-blood ratio was 21 +/- 3. The microPET/CT imaging experiment confirmed the biodistribution data. In conclusion, the use of a triglutamyl spacer is a convenient way to improve the biodistribution profile of Affibody molecules labeled at the N-terminus using F-18-FBA. It provides a tracer capable of producing high-contrast images of HER2-expressing tumors.
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