Haploid yeast cells transformed with a library of expression vectors encoding a fully human antibody repertoire

Abstract

Compostions, kits and methods are provided for generating highly diverse libraries of proteins such as antibodies via homologous recombination in vivo, and screening these libraries against protein, peptide and nucleic acid targets using a two-hybrid method in yeast. The method for screening a library of tester proteins against a target protein or peptide comprises: expressing a library of tester proteins in yeast cells, each tester protein being a fusion protein comprised of a first polypeptide subunit whose sequence varies within the library, a second polypeptide subunit whose sequence varies within the library independently of the first polypeptide, and a linker peptide which links the first and second polypeptide subunits; expressing one or more target fusion proteins in the yeast cells expressing the tester proteins, each of the target fusion proteins comprising a target peptide or protein; and selecting those yeast cells in which a reporter gene is expressed, the expression of the reporter gene being activated by binding of the tester fusion protein to the target fusion protein.

Description

REFERENCES TO PARENT AND CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. Application entitled "Generation of highly diverse library of expression vectors via homologous recombination in yeast", Attorney Docket No. 25636-702; U.S. Application entitled "Highly diverse library of yeast expression vectors", Attorney Docket No. 25636-703; and U.S. Application entitled "Methods for screening a highly diverse library of proteins in yeast", Attorney Docket No. 25636-704. The above applications are hereby incorporated by reference.[0002] 1. Field of the Invention[0003] This invention relates to compositions, methods and kits for generating libraries of recombinant expression vectors and using these libraries in screening of affinity-binding pairs, and, more particularly, for generating libraries of recombinant human antibodies and screening for their affinity binding with target antigens.[0004] 2. Description of Related Art[0005] Antibodies are a diverse class of m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0119] An advantage of the present invention is that the overall process of generating, selecting and optimizing large, diverse libraries of antibodies mimics the process of natural antibody diversification and maturation in a mammal. In the natural process of antibody affinity maturation, the affinity of the antibodies against their antigen(s) is progressively increased with the passage of time after immunization, largely due to the accumulation of point mutations specifically in the coding sequences of both the heavy- and light-chain variable regions.

[0120] According to the present invention, extensive diversification is achieved by recombination and mutagenesis of the V.sub.H and V.sub.L chain libraries derived from a wide variety of sources including natural and artificial or synthetic sources. The homologous combination of V.sub.H and V.sub.L in vivo to form the primary library of single-chain antibodies mimics the natural process of antibody gene assembly from different pools of gene segments encoding V.sub.H and V.sub.L of the antibodies. Since the method is preferably practiced with yeast cells, the highly efficient homologous recombination in yeast is particularly useful to facilitate such assembly of V.sub.H and V.sub.L in vivo.

[0121] The fast proliferation rate of yeast cells and ease of handling makes a process of "molecular evolution" dramatically shorter than the natural process of antibody affinity maturation in a mammal. Therefore, antibody repertoires with extremely high diversity can be produced and screened directly in yeast cells at a much lower cost and higher efficiency than prior processes such as the painstaking, stepwise "humanization" of monoclonal murine antibodies isolated by using the conventional hybridoma technology (a "protein redesign") or the recently-developed XENOMOUSE.TM. technology.

[0122] According to the "protein redesign" approach, murine monoclonal antibodies of desired antigen specificity are modified or "humanized" in vitro in an attempt to reshape the murine antibody to resemble more closely its human counterpart while retaining the original antigen-binding specificity. Riechmann et al. (1988) Nature 332:323-327. This humanization demands extensive, systematic genetic engineering of the murine antibody, which could take months, if not years. Additionally, extensive modification of the backbone of the murine monoclonal antibody may result in reduced specificity and affinity.

[0123] In comparison, by using the method of the present invention, fully human antibodies with high affinity to a specified antigen or antigens can be screened and isolated directly from yeast cells without going through site-by-site modification of the antibody, and without sacrifice of specificity and affinity of the selected antibodies.

[0124] The XENOMOUSE.TM. technology has been used to generate fully human antibodies with high affinity by creating strains of transgenic mice that produce human antibodies while suppressing the endogenous murine Ig heavy- and light-chain loci. However, the breeding of such strains of transgenic mice and selection of high affinity antibodies can take a long period of time. The antigen against which the pool of the human antibody is selected has to be recognized by the mouse as a foreign antigen in order to mount immune response; antibodies against a target antigen that does not have immunogenicity in a mouse may not be able to be selected by using this technology.

Problems solved by technology

In addition, bacteria do not readily process, assemble, or express / secrete functional antibodies.

However, the breeding of such strains of transgenic mice and selection of high affinity antibodies can take a long period of time.

Further, the antigen against which the pool of the human antibody is selected has to be recognized by the mouse as a foreign antigen in order to mount immune response; antibodies against a target antigen that does not have immunogenicity in a mouse may not be able selected by using this technology.

In addition, there may be a regulatory issue regarding the use of transgenic animals, such as transgenic goats (developed by Genzyme Transgenics, Framingham, Mass.) and chickens (developed by Geneworks, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich

.), to produce antibody, as well as safety issues concerning containment of transgenic animals infected with recombinant viral vectors.

However, due to the long growth circles of plants screening for antibody with high binding affinity toward a target antigen may not be efficient and feasible for high throughput screening in plants.

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