Issue 47, 2019

Cysteine-to-lysine transfer antibody fragment conjugation

Abstract

The modification of lysine residues with acylating agents has represented a ubiquitous approach to the construction of antibody conjugates, with the resulting amide bonds being robustly stable and clinically validated. However, the conjugates are highly heterogeneous, due to the presence of numerous lysines on the surface of the protein, and greater control of the sites of conjugation are keenly sought. Here we present a novel approach to achieve the targeted modification of lysines distal to an antibody fragment's binding site, using a disulfide bond as a temporary ‘hook’ to deliver the acylating agent. This cysteine-to-lysine transfer (CLT) methodology offers greatly improved homogeneity of lysine conjugates, whilst retaining the advantages offered by the formation of amide linkages.

Graphical abstract: Cysteine-to-lysine transfer antibody fragment conjugation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
01 Aug 2019
Accepted
11 Oct 2019
First published
11 Oct 2019
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2019,10, 10919-10924

Cysteine-to-lysine transfer antibody fragment conjugation

N. Forte, I. Benni, K. Karu, V. Chudasama and J. R. Baker, Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 10919 DOI: 10.1039/C9SC03825F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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