Biophysical characterization of high affinity engineered single chain Fv antibody fragments

High affinity antibody binding interactions are important for both pharmaceutical and biotechnological uses. However, designing higher affinity interactions has remained difficult. Both high affinity interactions from nature and the results from directed evolution affinity maturation processes may yield clues about the important structural and energetic contributions to attain these tight associations. In this Thesis, we investigate affinity maturation of antibodies for very high affinity binding. Two single chain antigen-binding fragment (scFv) antibody systems that were engineered to obtain higher affinity interactions through directed evolution were probed using biophysical techniques to illuminate affinity modulation in proteins. First, anti-c-erbB-2 antibodies and their binding partner, the extracellular domain of the glycoprotein tumor antigen c-erbB-2, were examined. Thermodynamic studies were carried out on the originally identified human scFv and three higher affinity mutants. Although the first two steps included either entropic or enthalpic gains to affinity, the third improvement came from both types. This study demonstrates that a single energetic component is not generally responsible for the increased affinity within a given protein-protein affinity maturation pathway. Second, a family of anti-fluorescein antibodies and their binding to the small molecule fluorescein-biotin were explored. The femtomolar affinity matured anti-fluorescein antibody, 4M5.3, was compared to its wildtype high affinity precursor, 4-4-20. Affinity, thermodynamic, kinetic, and structural characterization of the binding identified 4M5.3 as one of the highest engineered affinity protein binding interactions known and

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Biological Engineering Division.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Midelfort, Katarina Senn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• K. Dane Wittrup.

• Biological Engineering Division.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30051

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/30051