Antibody binding a linear epitope of human P53 and diagnostic applications thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an anti-human p53 antibody suitable for specifically binding a linear epitope which is exposed only in a conformationally altered isoform of the characteristic p53 protein of patients with Alzheimer's disease or prone to develop Alzheimer's disease or cognitive impairment during ageing. Methods and diagnostic and prognostic kits are also described.

Claims

1. An anti-human p53 antibody comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:8), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 9) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 10) and a light chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:11), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 12) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 13).

2. The anti-human p53 antibody of claim 1, wherein said heavy chain variable region comprises SEQ ID NO: 6 and said light chain variable region comprises SEQ ID NO: 7.

3. The anti-human p53 antibody of claim 1, wherein the antibody comprises a heavy chain constant region and a light chain constant region.

4. The anti-human p53 antibody of claim 3, wherein said heavy chain constant region is a mu heavy chain constant region.

5. The anti-human p53 antibody of claim 3, wherein said light chain constant region is a kappa light chain constant region.

6. The antibody of claim 1, which is a monoclonal antibody.

7. A pharmaceutical composition comprising an anti-human p53 antibody comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:8), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 9) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 10) and a light chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:11), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 12) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 13) in a pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier.

8. A kit for performing an immunoassay, the kit comprising an anti-human p53 antibody comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:8), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 9) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 10) and a light chain variable region comprising CDR1 (SEQ ID NO:11), CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 12) and CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 13), wherein said antibody is detectable in an immunoassay, and a container containing said antibody.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 discloses a P53 protein sequence;

(2) FIG. 2 discloses experimental data of 2d3A8/1620 ratio versus CONT, SAD and FAD;

(3) FIG. 3 discloses experimental data of example 4 of unfolded P53 PBMC 2d3A8 absorbance versus CONT, MCI and AD;

(4) FIG. 4 discloses experimental data of example 5, during ageing, of unfolded P53 PBMC 2d3A8 absorbance versus CONT, MCI and AD; and

(5) FIG. 5 discloses experimental data of example 5, decreasing of the scoring in the MMSE test, of unfolded P53 PBMC 2d3A8 absorbance versus CONT, MCI and AD.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) A first object of the present invention is therefore an anti-human p53 antibody, characterized in that it recognizes the linear epitope of sequence RRTEEENLRKKGEPHH (SEQ ID NO:1) present in the DNA binding domain (DBD) of human p53, said linear epitope spanning between the amino acid positions 282-297 of the amino acid sequence of human p53.

(7) The preparation of the antibody of the invention is described in the following experimental part.

(8) In a preferred embodiment, the antibody of the invention is a monoclonal antibody.

(9) The antibody of the present invention can be obtained by any well-known methodology for the preparation of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies. In the following experimental part, the preparation of the antibody by animal (mice) immunization with an antigen consisting of a peptide of sequence CRTEEENLRKKGEPHH (SEQ ID NO:2) conjugated with bovine serum albumin as carrier and hybridoma technique is described by way of example.

(10) As previously mentioned, the antibody object of the present invention specifically recognizes an isoform of human p53 protein which has been shown to be correlated to Alzheimer's disease and development of cognitive impairment during ageing. Such antibody therefore represents a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool.

(11) An in vitro method of determining an isoform conformationally altered by post-translational modification of p53 protein peculiar of Alzheimer's disease, as well as the diagnostic and prognostic methods as defined in the appended claims which form an integral part of the present description, are also part of the present invention.

(12) The method detects the formation of an immunocomplex between the human p53 protein and the antibody of the sample.

(13) An immunodiagnostic kit as defined in the appended claims is also part of the present invention.

(14) In order to implement the methods and kit of the invention any type of well-known immunoassay can be used, such as for example immunoprecipitation assay, ELISA or RIA, immunofluorescence, Western Blot, FACS analysis, immunocytochemistry/immunohistochemistry.

(15) An immunoassay kit may include the antibody and means for detecting the binding of the antibody to human p53 protein.

(16) The following non-limitative examples are provided to illustrate the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Example 1

(17) 1a. Immunization

(18) For the immunization, 6/8 week old mice which were healthy and disorder-free were used. The peptide used as antigen for antibody production had the following features:

(19) Sequence: “N-terminal” CRTEEENLRKKGEPHH “C terminal” (SEQ ID NO: 2)

(20) Length: 16 amino acids

(21) Molecular weight: 1960.94

(22) Purity: 96.4%

(23) Form: lyophilized powder

(24) Conjugation: Conjugated with BSA by the glutaraldehyde method

(25) The p53 protein sequence (SEQ ID NO: 3) is depicted in FIG. 1, where the DNA binding domain is highlighted in grey, and the linear epitope recognized by 2D3A8 antibody is underlined. The amino acid sequences of the 2D3A8 antibody include the heavy chain (SEQ ID NO: 4) and light chain (SEQ ID NO: 5), heavy chain variable region (SEQ ID NO: 6) and light chain variable region (SEQ ID NO: 7), heavy chain CDRs 1, 2 and 3 (SEQ ID NOS: 8, 9 and 10, respectively) and light chain CDRs 1, 2 and 3 (SEQ ID NOS: 11, 12 and 13, respectively).

(26) The first injection has been performed by emulsifying the antigen (50 μg) in Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). The subcutaneous injections have been performed in 2-3 sites on the animal. Additional injections have been performed at 3-week intervals with 50 μg of antigen emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA). The antibody titer is evaluated by ELISA.

(27) In the ELISA assay, the antibody titer present in the serum of 5 mice was evaluated after the third injection with the above-described peptide. The blood of immunized mice was collected from their caudal veins. The absorbance values obtained following the spectrophotometric reading provided important information on the antibody titer present in the various mice. Animals were subjected to further additional injections so that the antibody titer reached a sufficiently high level. The mouse with the best antibody titer was chosen for the first fusion.

(28) 1b. Development of Hybridomas

(29) The animals' splenocytes were fused with mouse myeloma cells (SP2/O cell line). The fusion products were subjected to screening against the antigen to select the antibody-producing clones. The growth of these clones was continued. This first screening was performed by ELISA methodology. The positive clones were labeled as “parental clones” and frozen after 3 passages. An antigen coating was created onto ELISA plates, and successively the fusion product supernatant was added. The serum of the immunized animals was used as a positive control in ELISA (Example 2).

Example 2

(30) After the fusion between the splenocytes of the mouse with the best antibody titer and mouse myeloma cells, an ELISA assay was performed to evaluate the fusion products. A coating with the antigen was created in a 96-well ELISA plate and serial dilutions of the supernatant from various clones were added to each well to evaluate their antibody production by spectrophotometric reading. The clones with the highest optical density at 450 nm (OD.sub.450 nm) were transferred to 24-well plates and after their growth the ELISA assay was repeated, the clones with the highest antibody production were transferred to 6-well plates, grown and tested again by ELISA. The procedure was repeated also for the clones transferred to culture flasks. These successive assays allowed the identification of the best clones which were tested for the last time by ELISA, with the limit dilution method to ensure that the positive clones showed an actual antibody response.

(31) The validated antibody was purified from the supernatant of the clone with the highest OD.sub.450 nm value and therefore with the best antibody titer. This antibody is named “clone 2D3A8” for brevity.

Example 3

(32) Study of the expression of the conformationally altered isoform of p53 protein recognized by 2D3A8 antibody in patients with sporadic and familial Alzheimer's disease and MCI.

(33) In immortalized B lymphocytes of patients diagnosed with sporadic Alzheimer (SAD) and familial Alzheimer (FAD), the conformational state of p53 was evaluated by the immunoprecipitation method, using two conformationally specific antibodies which recognize the wild-type isoform of the protein (PAb 1620) and a conformationally altered isoform (2D3A8). The immunoprecipitate was then visualized by Western Blot with a polyclonal anti-p53 antibody (CM1). The experimental data were expressed as ratio between the intensity of the band positive to 2D3A8 antibody and to PAb1620 of the same sample.

(34) In SAD and FAD samples, the 2D3A8/1620 ratio was significantly higher compared to the lymphocytes of dementia-free control patients (FIG. 2).

(35) 2D3A8 antibody can therefore discriminate a conformationally altered isoform of p53 peculiarly expressed in immortalized lymphocytes of patients with sporadic (SAD) and familial (FAD) Alzheimer.

Example 4

(36) In samples of fresh blood of patients diagnosed Alzheimer and of subjects with mild cognitive impairment, diagnosed MCI, the conformationally altered isoform of p53 recognized by 2D3A8 antibody (2D3A8-positive p53) was evaluated by ELISA. Healthy, dementia-free subjects of the same age were also evaluated.

(37) 2D3A8-positive p53 vas detected both in blood cells (PBMC) and in serum of the same patients or subjects. 2D3A8 antibody can recognize with high-specificity grade patients with Alzheimer. Interestingly, subjects with mild cognitive impairment express serum levels of 2D3A8-positive p53 statistically higher than the levels of protein isoform present in control subjects. In PBMCs and in serum of patients with Alzheimer, the 2D3A8-positive p53 isoform was statistically increased compared to the controls (FIG. 3).

Example 5

(38) The 2D3A8-positive p53 isoform correlates with age.

(39) During ageing, the expression of 2D3A8-positive p53 in blood cells (PBMC) increases in a statistically significant manner (FIG. 4).

(40) Moreover, the expression of 2D3A8-positive p53 correlates with the cognitive status, measured by the well-known neuropsychological test MMSE. The 2D3A8-positive p53 isoform increases with the decrease of the scoring obtained in the MMSE test, i.e., it increases with the progression of cognitive impairment (FIG. 5).