Publications
Science advancesApr 2024 |
10
(
15
),
eadk8157
DOI:
10.1126/sciadv.adk8157

Combinatorially restricted computational design of protein-protein interfaces to produce IgG heterodimers

Azzam, Tala; Du, Jonathan J; Flowers, Maria W; Ali, Adeela V; Hunn, Jeremy C; Vijayvargiya, Nina; Knagaram, Rushil; Bogacz, Marek; Maravillas, Kino E; Sastre, Diego E; Fields, James K; Mirzaei, Ardalan; Pierce, Brian G; Sundberg, Eric J
Product Used
Genes
Abstract
Redesigning protein-protein interfaces is an important tool for developing therapeutic strategies. Interfaces can be redesigned by in silico screening, which allows for efficient sampling of a large protein space before experimental validation. However, computational costs limit the number of combinations that can be reasonably sampled. Here, we present combinatorial tyrosine (Y)/serine (S) selection (combYSelect), a computational approach combining in silico determination of the change in binding free energy (ΔΔG) of an interface with a highly restricted library composed of just two amino acids, tyrosine and serine. We used combYSelect to design two immunoglobulin G (IgG) heterodimers-combYSelect1 (L368S/D399Y-K409S/T411Y) and combYSelect2 (D399Y/K447S-K409S/T411Y)-that exhibit near-optimal heterodimerization, without affecting IgG stability or function. We solved the crystal structures of these heterodimers and found that dynamic π-stacking interactions and polar contacts drive preferential heterodimeric interactions. Finally, we demonstrated the utility of our combYSelect heterodimers by engineering both a bispecific antibody and a cytokine trap for two unique therapeutic applications.
Product Used
Genes

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