mRNA display antibody library and methods

Abstract

Compositions, methods and uses of high-diversity nucleic acid library that encodes a plurality of antibodies or antibody fragments are presented. The high-diversity nucleic acid library comprises or is derived from (1) a V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, (2) a plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries, and (3) a V.sub.L sub-library, each of which comprises a plurality of members. Preferably, each member of the sub-libraries comprises at least one random cassette that has a plurality of degenerate base positions. In an especially preferred embodiment, at least portions of at least two members of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, the plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries, and the V.sub.L sub-library are recombined to form an expression library member in an expression library, where each member of the expression library encodes a distinct antibody or antibody fragment.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A high-diversity nucleic acid library composition having a plurality of library members, each library member comprising: a recombinant nucleic acid comprising a plurality of random cassettes, each having a plurality of degenerate base positions; wherein the plurality of random cassettes are derived from at least two members from any of two libraries from the following: (1) a V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, (2) a plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries, and (3) a V.sub.L sub-library; and wherein each of the sub-libraries comprises a plurality of members.

15. The composition of claim 14, wherein the plurality of members of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library comprises a random cassette corresponding to at least one of a portion of V.sub.H CDR1 and at a portion of V.sub.H CDR2.

16. The composition of claim 14, wherein the plurality of the members of the V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries comprises a random cassette corresponding to at least a portion of V.sub.H CDR3.

17. The composition of claim 14, wherein the plurality of the members of the V.sub.L sub-library comprises a random cassette at a portion of V.sub.L CDR3.

18. The composition of claim 14, wherein the random cassette is generated using an oligonucleotide selected from SEQ ID NO:1-SEQ ID NO:25.

19-20. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary randomization strategy using VH3/Vk1 pairs.

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary locations for sequence randomization in heavy chain CDR1 and CDR2.

[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary sequence randomization in heavy chain CDR3.

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary sequence randomization in light chain CDR3 with nucleic acid sequences to the left and amino acid choices to the right.

[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary generation of hybrid nucleic acid elements by isolating and combining random cassettes of multiple recombinant nucleic acid segments.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows a size exclusion chromatography result showing a single peak indicating a stable protein expression of αB7-H4.sub.801.

[0025] FIG. 7 shows a capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulfate (CE-SDS) data indicating similar molecular behavior of αB7-H4.sub.801 compared to commercial antibodies.

[0026] FIG. 8 shows graphs indicating binding of in vitro selected αB7-H4 antibodies to B7-H4.

[0027] FIG. 9 shows graphs of functional analysis of in vitro selected αB7-H4 binders and αPD-L1 binders.

[0028] FIG. 10 shows graphs indicating binding affinities of αB7-H4 scFv and αB7-H4 IgG1.

[0029] FIG. 11 shows an IL-8 activity assay and its result by measuring neutrophil size changes.

[0030] FIG. 12 shows bar graphs indicating neutralization effect of αIL-8 antibody to IL-8 activity of increasing neutrophil size.

[0031] FIG. 13 shows IL-8 activity assay and its results shown in bar graph indicating neutralization effect of αIL-8 antibody to IL-8 activity by inhibiting neutrophil migration.

[0032] FIG. 14 shows exemplary results using mRNA display library compositions presented herein with respect to selected antigen targets.

[0033] FIG. 15 shows an exemplary graph depicting affinities of selected binders configured as scFv versus IgG where the binders were identified using mRNA display library compositions presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The inventors now discovered that specific and effective recombinant antibodies or fragments thereof can be generated or identified by constructing a high-diversity nucleic acid library using targeted diversification of selected domains of the antibodies or fragments thereof encoded by members of the high-diversity nucleic acid library. In order to achieve such goal, the inventors have now discovered that one or more domains or subdomains of antibody/binder can be pre-selected and a plurality of nucleic acid sub-libraries can be generated using random cassettes in a pre-selected domain or subdomain. The inventors further discovered that the members of the sub-libraries can be recombined to construct the high-diversity nucleic acid library that allows high diversity among library members, yet provides higher probabilities of identifying antibodies/binders that are stable, soluble, functional, and adaptable when used in vivo against the cancer antigens or neoepitopes (preferably cancer-specific, patient-specific neoepitopes or neoantigens).

[0035] Indeed, and as shown in more detail below, the libraries presented herein allow for isolation of at least one binder to any arbitrary antigen, typically in a single or two-pass enrichment, where the binder has a K.sub.d of equal or less than 100 nM, and more typically equal or less than 10. Moreover, contemplated systems and methods allow for scFv libraries having a diversity of at least 10.sup.9, at least 10.sup.10, at least 10.sup.11, at least 10.sup.12, at least 10.sup.13, at least 10.sup.14, at least 10.sup.15, or at least 10.sup.16 distinct library members, all in a time frame that is significantly reduced as compared to conventional library construction. Thus, it should be appreciated that the speed of antibody discovery is substantially increased.

[0036] As used herein, the term “tumor” refers to, and is interchangeably used with one or more cancer cells, cancer tissues, malignant tumor cells, or malignant tumor tissue, that can be placed or found in one or more anatomical locations in a human body.

[0037] As used herein, the term “bind” refers to, and can be interchangeably used with a term “recognize” and/or “detect”, an interaction between two molecules with a high affinity with a K.sub.D of equal or less than 10.sup.−6M, or equal or less than 10.sup.−7M.

[0038] As used herein, the term “provide” or “providing” refers to and includes any acts of manufacturing, generating, placing, enabling to use, or making ready to use.

Construction of Nucleic Acid Sub-Libraries

[0039] Generally, structural components (heavy chain, light chain, constant domains, variable domains) of antibodies are closely related to their functions. For example, the variable domains in the heavy chain (V.sub.H) and light chain (V.sub.L) constitute, together, the epitope binding domain, which provides specificity to the antibodies. Each of the V.sub.H and V.sub.L includes three complementarity determining regions (CDRs, CDR1-3) with unique amino acid sequences based on their specificity to an antigen. Thus, it had previously been contemplated that a recombinant nucleic acid library for generating or identifying antibodies can be created by randomizing the sequences encoding the CDRs of V.sub.H and V.sub.L. However, the inventors found that while complete randomization of all CDRs of V.sub.H and V.sub.L may provide great diversity to the library, it also creates inefficiency in generating all combinations of random sequences and screening all randomized combinations as not all randomized V.sub.H and V.sub.L can be soluble or stably expressed when it is recombined to form an antibody (e.g., IgG1, etc.). Moreover, covering the entire diversity space is not practical due to the extremely large number of possible library members.

[0040] Thus, the inventors contemplate that subdomains of V.sub.H and V.sub.L can be divided into two categories: a framework region that are generally common among V.sub.H or V.sub.L of different antibodies (or genes encoding the antibodies) and a targeted diversification region that can be at least partially or completely randomized without significantly affecting the stability and/or solubility of the final peptide product (e.g., scFv, IgG1, etc.). Preferably, the targeted diversification region of V.sub.H includes at least a portion of CDR1, CDR2-n (N-terminus side of CDR2), CDR2-c (C-terminus side of CDR2), and CDR3. In further preferred aspects, the targeted diversification region of V.sub.L includes at least a portion of CDR3.

[0041] As such, in one exemplary and especially preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter, a nucleic acid library can be created by generating recombinant nucleic acids that include one or more random sequence cassettes in one or more targeted diversification region of V.sub.H and/or V.sub.L. In one preferred embodiment, the inventors contemplate three different sub-libraries having different sets of random sequence cassettes in different targeted diversification regions such that each sub-library retains the diversity within randomized targeted diversification regions while avoiding too many randomized recombinant sequences in a single sub-library that may render the volume of the single sub-library impractical or inefficient to handle for quick or timely screenings. Furthermore, conserved areas between the targeted diversification regions are selected or designed for maximum stability and solubility.

[0042] In one embodiment, the sub-libraries include a V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library. The V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library comprises a plurality of recombinant nucleic acids (e.g., recombinant DNA) having one or more random sequence cassettes corresponding to at least a portion of V.sub.H CDR1 and/or at a portion of V.sub.H CDR2. As used herein, the random cassette corresponding to a portion of V.sub.H CDR1 means that the random cassette is located in an area of the recombinant nucleic acid, in which sequences encoding CDR1 portion should be present in order to encode a portion of V.sub.H domain which is at least structurally or functionally similar to V.sub.H domains of natural antibodies. For example, recombinant nucleic acids in a V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library may have a structure as below (randomized region is underlined, and fixed sequenced region is parenthesized):

5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1)+CDR1+(FW2)+CDR2+(FW3−CDR3−FW4)

As used herein, UTR refers to untranslated region and FW refers framework region (e.g., FW1 is the first framework region that may be distinct from the second framework region (FW2)). In this structure, the random sequence cassettes can be inserted in areas of CDR1 or CDR2, or preferably, both CDR1 and CDR2. In some embodiments, more than one random sequence cassettes, preferably two random sequence cassettes can be inserted in the area of CDR2: CDR2-n (for 5′-end side of CDR2) and CDR-c (for 3′-end side of CDR2).

[0043] The sub-libraries can also include a plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries. Each of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library comprises a plurality of recombinant nucleic acids (e.g., recombinant DNA) having one or more random sequence cassettes corresponding to at least a portion of V.sub.H CDR3. Similar to the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, a recombinant nucleic acids in V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library may have a structure as below (randomized region is underlined, and fixed sequenced region is parenthesized):

5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3)−CDR3−(FW4)

Preferably, the fixed sequences (e.g., Promoter-5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3, FW4) of the recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library and/or the V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library are selected to use the most common and/or conserved sequences among the natural antibodies (e.g., IgG1s against various antigens) such that the fixed sequences are most expressable and adaptable to multiple formats including peptides expressed as a single chain variable fragment (scFv), a modified form of scFv, full length immunoglobulin, or a portion of immunoglobulin. Thus, in preferred embodiments, the fixed sequences of the recombinant nucleic acids of V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library and of the recombinant nucleic acids of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library are at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90% identical (shared) with each other.

[0044] The sub-libraries can also include a V.sub.L sub-library. The V.sub.L sub-library comprises a plurality of recombinant nucleic acids (e.g., recombinant DNA) having one or more random sequence cassettes corresponding to at least a portion of V.sub.L CDR3. Similar to the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, recombinant nucleic acids in V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library may have a structure as below (randomized region is underlined, and fixed sequenced region is parenthesized):

5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3)−CDR3−(FW4)

[0045] Preferably, the fixed sequences of the recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.L sub-library are at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90% identical (shared) to those of recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library or V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library.

[0046] While any randomized sequences can be considered to generate the random sequence cassettes, the inventors contemplate that strategized random sequence cassettes for CDR1, CDR2, CDR3 of the V.sub.H and CDR3 of the V.sub.L domain would render a high complexity and large potential binding surface when expressed as a binding peptide (e.g., scFv, etc.). For example, the strategized random sequence cassettes for CDR1, CDR2 of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library may be semi-random sequence cassettes having 3 or less, preferably 2 or less, or more preferably, one random sequence (encoding 3 or less, 2 or less, or one random amino acid per cassette) per cassette. The location of the random sequence in the random cassette may vary depending on the random amino acid in the cassette. In another example, the strategized random sequence cassettes for CDR3 of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library may include more randomized sequences such that 4 or more, preferably 5 or more, or more preferably 6 or more random sequences (encoding 4 or more, preferably 5 or more, or more preferably 6 or more random amino acids per cassette) are present per cassette. In yet another example, the strategized random sequence cassettes for CDR3 of V.sub.L sub-library may include more randomized sequences such that 4 or more, preferably 5 or more, or more preferably 6 or more random sequences (encoding 4 or more, preferably 5 or more, or more preferably 6 or more random amino acid per cassette) are present per cassette.

[0047] In an especially preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter, the inventors contemplate that preferred random sequence cassettes for sub-libraries can be generated using oligonucleotides presented in Table 1 (for V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library and V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library), and Table 2 (for V.sub.L sub-library). As shown in Tables 1 and 2, each oligonucleotide includes a random sequences (highlighted) having degenerate code, shown as IUPAC ambiguity codes. For example, one oligonucleotide for CDR1 random sequence cassette includes a random sequence “RVT”, which represents “A/G,A/C/G,T”, whose combination can encode one of threonine (T), alanine (A), asparagine (N), aspartic acid (D), serine (S) or glycine (G). The choice of amino acids encoded by the degenerate codons are depicted to the right and are indicated with X.

Additionally and preferably, the random sequence cassettes for V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library may include nucleic acid sequences in different length. For example, the random sequence cassettes for V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library may be in any length between 10-30 amino acids, preferably between 10-25 amino acids, more preferably between 10-20 amino acids. Thus, as shown in Table 1, the oligonucleotides for generating random sequence cassette for V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-library may include a various repeats (e.g., 4-10 repeats) of “NNK” (which represents G/A/T/C, G/A/T/C, G/T) between sequences encoding D/G-R/L and A/G (see also FIG. 3). Generation and diversity of light chain sequences are exemplarily shown in FIG. 4.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 V.sub.H CDR1 SEQ ID NO. 1: X = T, A, N, GGCTTAGGTCTCATTT D, S, G CRVTAGTTACGCTATG CATTGGGCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 2: x = T, A, N, GGCTTAGGTCTCATTT K, D, E,  CTCTRVKTACGCTATG S, R, G CATTGGGCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 3: X = G, W, GGCTTAGGTCTCATTT L, V CTCTAGTTACKKGATG CATTGGGCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 4: X = S, Y, T, N GGCTTAGGTCTCATTT CTCTAGTTACWMTATG CATTGGGCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 5: X = S, T, N GGCTTAGGTCTCATTT CTCTAGTTACGCTATG AVTTGGGCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG V.sub.H CDR2-n SEQ ID NO. 6: X = Y, F, S GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCA THCATTAGTGGTAGTGG ACGAGACGAGGTCTGAA CGG SEQ ID NO. 7: X = V, G, I, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCA S, L, R VKTATTAGTGGTAGTGG ACGAGACGAGGTCTGAA CGG SEQ ID NO. 8: X-W.R GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCAG CTATTYGGGGTAGTGGAC GAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 9: X = Y, N,  GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCAG D + N53 CTATTDATGGTAATGGAC GAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 101: X = Y, S, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCAG T, N CTATTAGTWMTAGTGGAC GAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 11: X = W, G GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCAG CTATTAGTKGGAGTGGAC GAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 12: X = D, G, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTTCAG S, N CTATTAGTGGTRRTGGAC GAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG V.sub.H CDR2-C SEQ ID NO. 13: X = S, T, G, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTGGAR A, N, K, VKAGTACTTACTACGCGA D, E GACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 14: X = Y, N, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTGGAG D, H GTNATACTTACTACGCGA GACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 15: X = T, K, R, GGCTTAGGTCTCGTGGAG E, A, G GTRVAACTTACTACGCGA GACGAGGTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 16: X = D, G, N,  GGCTTAGGTCTCGTGGAG S, H, R GTAGTACTVRTTACGCGA GACGAGGTCTGAACGG V.sub.H CDR3 SEQ ID NO. 17: (D, G)-(R, L)- GGCTTAGGTCTCTCCGTG (Xaa = 4-10)- RTCKC(NNK)nGSTTTCG (A, G) CGAGACGAGGTCTGAACGG

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 V.sub.L CDR3 SEQ ID NO. 18: Q-X1-X2-X3- GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA X4-P-X.sub.5 GDSGDMTRVTDSGCCT X.sub.1 = Y, D, L, TWCACTTCGAGACGAG A, H, S, F, GTCTGAACGG R, T, W, G SEQ ID NO. 19: X.sub.2 = Y, N, D, GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA S, T, A GBWTDMTRVTDSGCCT X.sub.3 = S, N, T, TWCACTTCGAGACGAG A, D, G GTCTGAACGG X.sub.4 = Y, F, A, L, SEQ ID NO. 20: T, S, H, W, I, GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA N, R, V, D, G GDSGDMTRVTNWTCCT X.sub.5 = L, Y, W, TWCACTTCGAGACGAG F, R GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 21: GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA GBWTDMTRVTNWTCCT TWCACTTCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 22: GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA GDSGDMTRVTDSGCCT YKGACTTCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 23: GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA GBWTDMTRVTDSGCCT YKGACTTCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 24: GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCA GDSGDMTRVTNWTCCT YKGACTTCGAGACGAG GTCTGAACGG SEQ ID NO. 25: GGCTTAGGTCTCTGCAG BWTDMTRVTNWTCCTYK GACTTCGAGACGAGGTC TGAACGG

[0048] Most typically, the oligonucleotides presented in Table 1 and 2 are provided in a single strand DNA, which can be converted using DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) into double-stranded DNA fragment to so be inserted into a backbone comprising the fixed sequenced region (e.g., 5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3)−(FW4) for recombinant nucleic acids of V.sub.L sub-library, etc.). Yet, it is also contemplated that the oligonucleotides presented in Table 1 and 2 are also present with the complementary oligonucleotides to form a double stranded nucleic acids without using polymerase enzymes.

[0049] In some embodiments, the recombinant nucleic acids of sub-libraries also include a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein tag such that the peptide encoded by the recombinant nucleic acids can be isolated using the binder against the protein tag. For example, preferred proteins tag include a FLAG tag (with a sequence motif DYKDDDDK), a Myc tag (with a sequence motif EQKLISEEDL), and an HA-tag. In some embodiments, the protein tags can be repeated to strengthen the signal or increase the detection (e.g., three repetitions of FLAG tag (3× FLAG), etc.)

[0050] It is contemplated that some random sequence cassettes inserted in the recombinant nucleic acids of sub-libraries, may introduce frame shifts, nonsense mutations, and sequence(s) that are destabilizing the structure of the peptide encoded by the recombinant nucleic acids. Thus, in some embodiments, the inventors contemplate that the recombinant nucleic acids of sub-libraries are in vitro tested so that any recombinant nucleic acids encoding unstable or misfolded peptides can be removed from the library. For example, the recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries or the V.sub.L sub-library can be tested for their binding affinity to protein A of Staphylococcus aureus or protein L of Finegoldia magna, which binds to structured epitopes of V.sub.H3 domain or V.sub.L (Vκ) domain of immunoglobulin independently to CDR sequences, respectively.

[0051] Any suitable methods to screen the recombinant nucleic acids by their binding affinities to protein A or protein L are contemplated. In one exemplary embodiment the recombinant nucleic acids of sub-libraries are transcribed into mRNAs by in vitro transcription and the 3′-end of the mRNAs are coupled (covalently linked) to puromycin. The puromycin-coupled mRNAs are in vitro translated such that the peptides transcribed from the puromycin-coupled mRNAs are coupled with the mRNAs via the puromycin. Next, the peptides are contacted with protein A or protein L to identify peptides effectively binding to the protein A or protein L. Preferably, peptides binding to protein A or protein L with an affinity with a K.sub.D of equal or less than 10.sup.−6M, preferably equal or less than 10.sup.−7M are selected and isolated. Once the peptides with high affinity to protein A or protein L are isolated, cDNAs of the isolated peptides can be generated via in vitro reverse-transcription of the mRNAs coupled with the puromycin and the peptides. The so generated cDNAs of the isolated peptides can be then inserted as random sequence cassettes to generate selected recombinant nucleic acids of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries or the V.sub.L sub-library. Alternatively, it is also contemplated that the recombinant nucleic acids of sub-libraries can be present in a form of mRNAs, which is optionally pre-coupled with puromycin molecule such that the in vitro transcription step for the recombinant nucleic acids (in DNA format) may not be needed.

Construction of scFv Library from the Sub-Libraries

[0052] The inventors further contemplate that at least two recombinant nucleic acids (members) of the sub-libraries can be recombined to form recombinant scFv nucleic acids. In a preferred embodiment, each of the at least two recombinant nucleic acids (members) is selected from different sub-libraries. For example, one recombinant nucleic acid may be selected from each of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, the plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries, and the V.sub.L sub-library. For other example, one recombinant nucleic acid may be selected from each of two of V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library, the plurality of V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries, and the V.sub.L sub-library. Preferably, at least one of, more preferably all of, the recombinant nucleic acid(s) selected from the sub-libraries are pre-selected via affinity binding screening as described above.

[0053] Most typically, the recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be constructed by recombining a portion of the recombinant nucleic acids from sub-libraries. In this embodiment, the portion of the recombinant nucleic acids includes the random sequence cassettes inserted into the recombinant nucleic acids. Thus, for example, as a first step, the portion of the recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library can be 5′−[CDR1+(FW2)+CDR2]-3′ (random sequence cassettes are underlined), preferably 5′-(portion of FW1)−[CDR1+(FW2)+CDR2]-(portion of FW3)-3′, more preferably 5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1)+CDR1+(FW2)+CDR2+(portion of FW3)-3′ or 5′-(Promoter-5′UTR−FW1)+CDR1+(FW2)+CDR2+(a small linker)-3′. Similarly, for example, the portion of the recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries can be 5′−[CDR3]−3′ (random sequence cassettes are underlined), preferably 5′-(portion of FW3)−CDR3−(portion of FW4)-3′, more preferably, 5′-(portion of FW3)−CDR3−(FW4)-3′, or 5′-(a small linker)−CDR3−(FW4)-3′. The portions of the recombinant nucleic acids from the V.sub.H-CDR1/2 sub-library and the V.sub.H-CDR3 sub-libraries are then isolated (e.g., by PCR) and can be recombined (e.g., fused via restriction-ligation methods, generated via a recombinant-PCR, etc.) to form a V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid. Thus, typically, the V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid would be in a structure of 5′-Promoter-5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3−CDR3−FW4−3′(random sequence cassettes are underlined). Optionally, the V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid may also include a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein tag (e.g., FLAG tag, Myc tag, HA tag, etc.) in its 3′-end as described above. In addition, such generated V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acids can be placed in a V.sub.H domain library as V.sub.H domain library members.

[0054] The so formed V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acids can be further recombined with recombinant nucleic acids of the V.sub.L sub-library to form the recombinant scFv nucleic acids. FIG. 5 shows one exemplary method of recombining the sequences from sub-libraries. As shown, and also typically, a portion of the V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid and a portion of the recombinant nucleic acid of the V.sub.L sub-library are fused into one the recombinant scFv nucleic acids. For example, the portion of V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid may include 5′-Promoter-[5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3−CDR3−FW4−3′ (preferably without any nucleic acid encoding a protein tag in its 3′-end), and the portion of the recombinant nucleic acid of the V.sub.L sub-library may include FW1′+CDR1+FW2′+CDR2+FW3′−CDR3−FW4′ (without promoter and 5′-UTR) such that the recombinant nucleic acid of the V.sub.L sub-library can be fused to the 3′-end of the portion of V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid. Thus, the typical recombinant scFv nucleic acid would be in a structure of 5′-Promoter−[5′UTR−FW1+CDR1+FW2+CDR2+FW3−CDR3−FW4]V.sub.H−[FW1′+CDR1+FW2′+CDR2+FW3′−CDR3−FW4′]V.sub.L−3′. It is highly preferred that the portion of V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid and the portion of the recombinant nucleic acid of the V.sub.L sub-library are placed in the same reading frame such that they encode a single polypeptide.

[0055] Preferably, the portion of V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid and the portion of the recombinant nucleic acid of the V.sub.L sub-library are fused via a nucleic acid encoding a linker (a short peptide spacer fragment) between two portions. Any suitable length and order of peptide sequence for the linker or the spacer can be used. However, it is preferred that the length of the linker peptide is between 3-30 amino acids, preferably between 5-20 amino acids, more preferably between 5-15 amino acids. For example, the inventors contemplate that glycine-rich sequences (e.g., gly-gly-ser-gly-gly, etc.) are employed to provide flexibility of scFv between the V.sub.H and V.sub.L domains.

[0056] Optionally, the recombinant scFv nucleic acids may also include a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein tag (e.g., FLAG tag, Myc tag, HA tag, etc.) in its 3′-end as described above. In addition, such generated recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be placed in an expression library as expression library members.

[0057] In some embodiments, the so formed recombinant scFv nucleic acids are further screened and/or ranked based on their binding affinities to one or more ligands of interest (e.g., cancer antigens, neoepitopes, etc.), stability, pH sensitivity, and/or species cross-reactivity. For example, the stability of the scFv peptides encoded by the recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be analyzed by size exclusion chromatography measuring the size of the peptide over time. For other example, pH sensitivity and binding affinity of the scFv peptides encoded by the recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be analyzed by contacting the scFv peptides with one or more ligands in different buffer conditions (pH, temperature, etc.).

[0058] For those analysis and further isolation of desired recombinant scFv nucleic acids from the expression library, the inventors contemplate that the recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be present in a form of mRNAs, which is optionally pre-coupled with puromycin molecule at the 3′-end of the mRNAs. The puromycin-coupled mRNAs can then be in vitro translated such that the peptides transcribed from the puromycin-coupled mRNAs are coupled with the mRNAs via the puromycin. Then, the peptides are contacted with one or more ligands, optionally in different buffer conditions (pH, temperature, etc.). Preferably, peptides binding to the ligand with an affinity with a K.sub.D of equal or less than 10.sup.−6M, preferably equal or less than 10.sup.−7M, between pH 5.0-8.0, preferably between pH 6.0-8.0, more preferably between pH 6.5-8.0 are selected and isolated. Once the peptides with high affinity to the ligand(s) are isolated, cDNAs of the isolated peptides can be generated via in vitro reverse-transcription of the mRNAs coupled with the puromycin and the peptides.

[0059] Additionally, the so generated cDNAs of the isolated peptides encoded by recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be grafted on and replaced the portion of the immunoglobulin to form a recombinant immunoglobulin or fragments thereof. For example, the so generated cDNA can be fused with the backbone of the immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region such that the variable region of heavy and light chain of the immunoglobulin can be replaced with the scFv formed by the isolated peptide. Alternatively, the inventors also contemplate that the V.sub.H portion (or derived from V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid) and V.sub.L portion (or derived from of the recombinant scFv nucleic acid) of the recombinant scFv nucleic acids can be grafted on and replaced the portion of the immunoglobulin to form a recombinant immunoglobulin or fragments thereof. For example, the V.sub.H portion (or derived from V.sub.H domain recombinant nucleic acid) and V.sub.L portion (or derived from of the recombinant scFv nucleic acid) of the recombinant scFv nucleic acids are fused with the backbone of the immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region or light chain constant region, respectively, to form an immunoglobulin with variable regions specific to the desired ligand.

[0060] In these examples, it is contemplated that the immunoglobulin can include any type (e.g., IgG, IgE, IgM, IgD, IgA and IgY) and any class (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA1 and IgA2) of heavy chain or constant domain to constitute different types of immunoglobulin. In addition, the “antibody” can include, but not limited to a human antibody, a humanized antibody, a chimeric antibody, a monoclonal antibody, a polyclonal antibody. In this context, it should be noted that contemplated systems and methods allow for the generation of species-specific antibodies by grafting the isolated V.sub.H and V.sub.L domains onto the remainder of the antibody of a desired species (e.g., human). In another example, the so generated cDNA can be fused with nucleic acids encoding other portion of the immunoglobulin to form a fragment of the immunoglobulin. In this example, it is contemplated that the fragment of the immunoglobulin can be Fab fragments, Fab′ fragments, F(ab′)2, disulfide linked Fvs (sdFvs), and Fvs. The inventors further contemplate that a portion of the so generated cDNA can be fused with nucleic acids encoding other portion of the immunoglobulin to form any fragment comprising either V.sub.H segment and/or V.sub.L segment.

[0061] Additionally, the inventors contemplate that the scFv portions may also be used as targeting entities for various proteins and non-protein molecules. For example, the scFv portions may be coupled (typically as chimeric protein) to an ALT-803 type molecule to form a T×M entity that has specific targeting capability (see e.g., J Biol Chem. 2016 Nov. 11; 291(46):23869-23881). In another example, the scFv portion may be coupled to a carrier protein (e.g., albumin) to allow target specific delivery of one or more drugs to a specific location in a tumor microenvironment where the drugs are coupled to the carrier.

[0062] The inventors further contemplate that by construction the sub-libraries via targeted diversification of random sequences, and/or preselecting the members of the sub-libraries, the expression library can achieve approximately 10.sup.12 complexity with minimal sacrifice of diversity by removing unstable, non-binding, or misfolded sequences. Thus, the above described approach to generate expression library provides meaningful size of sequence complexity, yet is practical to screen binders/antibodies in a small volume. In addition, the above described approach to generate expression library simplified the screening procedure of the binders/antibodies. Traditionally, in vitro validation of any nucleic acid sequences (e.g., randomized sequences) encoding binding domain (or motif) required the nucleic acid sequences converted to Fab domain, then the binding affinity could be tested via pull-down assay with the ligand of interest. The methods presented herein allows in vitro validation of nucleic acid sequences encoding binding domain (or motif) via ranking by affinity (e.g., Kd value), pH sensitivity, and species cross-reactivity (e.g., via surface plasmon resonance assay, etc.) without converting the nucleic acid sequences into Fab domain. Further, pre-selection of members from each library based on stability and sensitivity reduces the pool to be tested in the library such that the desired binders/scFv/antibody domains can be identified more quickly and efficiently. Therefore, the inventors also contemplate methods for isolation of high-affinity binders (e.g., with nano- and picomolar K.sub.d) from a high-diversity pool using mRNA display techniques in which library members after in vitro translation are screened against a solid phase bound antigen. Once binders are identified, they can be further characterized by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy with respect to affinity and K.sub.on/K.sub.off characteristics as is further described below. Viewed form a different perspective, contemplated systems and methods allow for rapid detection of binders and generation of scFv or antibodies in a process that is entirely independent from an in vivo immune system.

Examples

[0063] While any suitable diversification scheme to identify targeted diversification region(s) can be contemplated to maximize diversity while maintaining efficiency, the inventors found that VH3/Vk1 can be one of the good candidate regions for randomization among the various domains of immunoglobulin, VH3 is considered by far most stable and soluble V.sub.H domain, and Vk1 of light chain is stable and soluble. Thus, it is contemplated that the VH3/Vk1 randomized pairs would convert to a full size immunoglobulin more efficiently. Accordingly, the inventors developed pre-selection strategy using VH3 and Vk1 frameworks. FIG. 1 shows one exemplary randomization strategy using VH3/Vk1 pairs. Protein sequences of at least 14 immunoglobulin molecules specific to one antigen are compared and analyzed. The most stable and conserved sequences among 14 immunoglobulin molecules are used as frameworks and locus of variable sequences are analyzed to use as randomized sequences and the degree of randomization (e.g., complete random, partially random, etc.).

[0064] Based on the randomization strategy, the inventors further generated targeted diversified sequences (randomized sequences, random oligos) for CDR1, CDR2-n, CDR2-c of V.sub.H domain (see FIG. 2) and for CDR3 of V.sub.H domain (see FIG. 3). The process of generating recombinant scFv nucleic acids using the random oligos of CDR1, CDR2-n, CDR2-c, CDR3 of V.sub.H domain, and CDR3 of V.sub.L domain is described above and also shown in the schematic diagram in FIG. 4. A high-diversity library was constructed as exemplarily shown in FIG. 5 and discussed in more detail above.

[0065] Using the targeted diversification scheme and methods of generating recombinant scFv nucleic acids as described in FIGS. 1-5, the inventors generated a high-diversity library and isolated thereform a recombinant α-B7-H4.sub.801 (α-B7-H4, clone number 801) binder. The stability of the recombinant α-B7-H4.sub.801 was determined by analytical size exclusion chromatography over 15 min to evaluate any degradation or deformation of the antibody. As shown in FIG. 6, the eluate of α-B7-H4.sub.801 shows a single peak without any significant smaller peaks, indicating the α-B7-H4.sub.801 binder generated by methods described above could produce scFv or an antibody with high stability.

[0066] The inventors found that the recombinant α-B7-H4.sub.801 comprises antibody components of substantially similar to other commercially available α-B7-H4 antibodies (Rituxan®, LEAF®). The fragments of the recombinant α-B7-H4.sub.801 and two commercially available α-B7-H4 antibodies (Rituxan®, LEAF®) were analyzed via Capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulfate (CE-SDS). As shown in FIG. 7, CE-SDS separation of recombinant α-B7-H4.sub.801 antibody and two commercially available α-B7-H4 antibodies (Rituxan®, LEAF®) fragments show two profound peaks, each corresponds to light chain (middle peak) and glycosylated heavy chain (right peak). Left peak indicates the location of a 10 Kd standard marker for the CE-SDS analysis.

[0067] The inventors further found that various recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies may show different binding characters (e.g., affinities, specificities, etc.) to the target ligand. FIG. 8 shows two recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies, α-B7-H4.sub.801 and α-B7-H4817 that are tested for binding with B7-H4 expressing 293T cells, measured by mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). The results show that α-B7-H4.sub.801 antibodies have higher binding affinity to B7-H4 expressing 293T cells compared to α-B7-H4817 antibodies, indicating differently randomized CDR domains may render different binding affinities to the ligand. The right most panels show the control experiment with nonspecific human IgG1 (hIgG1).

[0068] The recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies were further tested to determine specific and effective binding to the ligands (B7-H4) expressed on the antigen presenting cells (APCs) using flow cytometry. As shown in FIG. 9, the recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies could specifically bind to B7-H4 ligands (separating the peak out from nonspecific isotype binding), indicating that the recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies are fully functional.

[0069] The inventors also found that scFv peptide against B7-H4 (scFv B7-H4.sub.801) and recombinant α-B7-H4 antibodies (IgG α-B7-H4.sub.801) generated by the same scFv peptide with the scFv B7-H4.sub.801 are functionally compatible using the surface plasmon resonance assay. In this assay, Flag-tagged scFv B7-H4.sub.801 are immobilized on the surface via α-Flag biotinylated antibody, which is coupled with surface-linked neutravidin. The surface immobilized scFv B7-H4.sub.801 peptides are then contacted with analyte including B7-H4. Similar assay was performed with α-B7-H4 antibodies. As shown in FIG. 10 and Table 3, scFv B7-H4.sub.801 and IgG α-B7-H4.sub.801 shows substantially similar affinity and binding characteristics to B7-H4, indicating that they are functionally compatible. Further, as the binding affinity of in vitro translated peptide (scFv) can be directly measured without grafting the peptide into an antibody backbone, more recombinant scFv nucleic acids in the expression library can be screened efficiently.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Ka Kd KD Res sd IgG 1.2e.sup.6 2.0e.sup.−4 175 pm 0.391 scFv 1.2e.sup.6 1.7e.sup.−4 141 pm 0.353

[0070] Among a plurality of scFv peptides against B7-H4 having various random sequence cassettes in CDR1-3 of V.sub.H and CDR3 of V.sub.L, the inventors examined whether similarities in specific domains (specific random sequence cassettes) may render the scFv peptides to have similar binding characteristics to the ligand. Five scFv peptides (801, 802, 905, 906, and 817) were examined for their binding affinities to B7-H4. Among those, as shown in Table 4, four scFv peptides (clone 801, 802, 905, 906) have similar CDR3 sequences. Those four scFv peptides having similar random sequence cassettes in CDR3 of V.sub.H show similar binding affinities to B7-H4 (as shown in Table 5) in both 25° C. and 37° C., indicating that at least in scFv peptides against B7-H4, sequences in CDR3 of V.sub.H may be critical in binding to the ligand.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Clone CDR1 CDR2 CDR3 CDR L3 801 NSYAMH  AISGN DRFRK DATFPL  (SEQ ID GGSTR VHG  (SEQ ID NO: 26) (SEQ ID (SEQ ID NO: 29) NO: 27) NO: 28) 802 GSYAMH  AISGS DLYR DYGFPL (SEQ ID GGSTR RVHG (SEQ ID NO: 30) (SEQ ID (SEQ ID NO: 33) NO: 31) NO: 32) 905 SSYLMH VISGS DLYR DYALPL (SEQ ID GGSTR RVAG (SEQ ID NO: 34) (SEQ ID (SEQ ID NO: 3 7) NO: 35) NO: 36) 906 SNYAMH AISGNG DRFR DYTFPL  (SEQ ID GSTH  RVYG (SEQ ID NO: 38) (SEQ ID (SEQ ID NO: 41) NO: 39) NO: 40) 817 SSYAMH  AISGS GRWS TDNFPY (SEQ ID GGSTR  KWG  (SEQ ID NO: 42) (SEQ ID (SEQ ID NO: 45) NO: 43) NO: 44)

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Temp scFv ka kd KD 25° C. 801 1.20E+06 2.00E−04 174 pM 802 4.50E+05 2.40E−05  54 pM 905 4.10E+05 1.20E−04 290 pM 906 1.70E+05 1.00E−05  59 pM 37° C. 801 6.10E+05 7.30E−04 1.2 nM 802 5.70E+05 5.50E−04 1.0 nM 905 5.80E+05 9.70E−04 1.7 nM 906 2.80E+05 3.80E−04 1.4 nM

[0071] The inventors also generated a plurality of scFv peptides binding to interleukin-8 (IL-8) (scFv IL-8) using the sub-libraries and expression library, and examined the affinity to IL-8 in different conditions (temperatures and pH). Exemplary scFv IL-8 peptides and their binding affinities measured in various conditions are shown in Table 6. Among the clones shown in Table 6, clones 49-7, 49-1 and 49-12 contain similar V.sub.H CDR3 sequences, and clones 49-19, 49-37, and 49-25 contain similar V.sub.H CDR3 sequences. In addition, clones 49-3 and 43-2 contain similar V.sub.H CDR3 sequences. In contrast to the scFv peptides against B7-H4, the inventors found that the binding affinity of scFv IL-8 peptides may not be critically dependent on the similarities in random sequences in CDR3 of V.sub.H. For example, while clone 49-18, 49-37, and 49-25 contain similar V.sub.H CDR3 sequences, the binding affinity (unit measured in K.sub.D×10.sup.−9 M) of those sequences varies between 0.894×10.sup.−9M and 25×10.sup.−9 M.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 clone count 25° C. pH 6 25° C. pH 6 37° C. 49-31 1/36 0.012 0.0025 49-22 3/36 0.113 0.328 49-7  1/36 0.166 0.462 49-32 1/36 0.239 0.714 49-34 1/36 0.618 0.342 49-18 1/36 0.894 2.23 49-3  4/36 1.26 6.68 2.14 3.14 9.19 43-2  5/16 1.41 1.3 0.79 0.96 0.89 49-37 1/36 1.46 4.01 43-12 3/16 1.5 11.04 49-10 6/36 1.65 8.58 2.21 8.7  3.45 49-1  1/36 2.66 6.13 49-6  1/36 4.8 17.6 49-12 3/36 10.1 11.9 49-25 2/36 25 7.26

[0072] The inventors further tested whether the scFv IL-8 can effectively trap IL-8 to thereby neutralize the effect of IL-8 by measuring neutrophil size. Generally, neutrophils are enlarged (e.g., having a larger diameter, etc.) upon being stimulated by IL-8 (as shown in FIG. 11). The inventors found that such IL-8 effect on neutrophil enlargement could be largely abolished upon addition of the recombinant α-IL-8 antibody (mAb αIL-8201, as shown in FIG. 12, upper-left graph) or several scFv IL-8 peptides (αIL-8.sub.#2, αIL-849-3, αIL-849-10, as shown in FIG. 12, lower graphs), indicating that the scFv IL-8 peptides could effectively neutralize the effect of IL-8 by binding to free IL-8 in the media.

[0073] IL-8 is a neutrophil chemotactic factor that causes neutrophils to migrate toward the site of IL-8 release (e.g., site of infection). In order to evaluate the functional effect of scFv IL-8 peptides, neutrophils were placed on the bottom of the insert having a porous membrane and placed in the media including various concentration of IL-8 such that attracted neutrophils by IL-8 can trans-migrate out of the insert through the porous membrane toward the media. As shown in FIG. 13, number of migrated neutrophils increased by increasing IL-8 concentration in the media. Interestingly, such IL-8 effect has almost completely abolished upon addition of the scFv IL-8 peptide (αIL-843-2) or the recombinant IL-8 antibody derived from a scFv IL-8 peptide (mAb αIL-8201).

[0074] FIG. 14 depicts further experimental data for a variety of scFvs isolated using the mRNA display library as presented herein. More specifically, each data point represents an scFv for the target indicated at the bottom, and affinity values for each scFv was determined. As can be readily seen, the (same) library yielded multiple high-affinity binders for a variety of distinct targets, with all of the bonders in the sub-microM, and many in the sub-nanoM affinity range. Moreover, the inventors also studies whether the affinity of the scFvs could be preserved upon CDR grafting onto a human IgG. FIG. 15 depicts exemplary results for 29 CDR grafting experiments for selected scFv that were grafted into a human IgG1 scaffold. As can be seen from the results in FIG. 15, the humanized IgG1 antibodies retained high specificity and affinity (typically within one order of magnitude).

[0075] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.