PEGylation but Not Fc-Fusion Improves in Vivo Residence Time of a Thermostable Mutant of Bacterial Cocaine Esterase

Bioconjug Chem. 2019 Dec 18;30(12):3021-3027. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.9b00622. Epub 2019 Nov 25.

Abstract

It is very popular to fuse a protein drug or drug candidate to the Fc domain of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in order to prolong the in vivo half-life. In this study, we have designed, prepared, and tested an Fc-fused thermostable cocaine esterase (CocE) mutant (known as E196-301, with the T172R/G173Q/L196C/I301C substitutions on CocE) expressed in E. coli. As expected, Fc-fusion does not affect the in vitro enzyme activity and thermal stability of the enzyme and that Fc-E196-301 can favorably bind FcRn with Kd = 386 ± 35 nM. However, Fc-fusion does not prolong the in vivo half-life of E196-301 at all; Fc-E196-301 and E196-301 have essentially the same PK profile (t1/2 = 0.4 ± 0.1 h) in rats. This is the first time demonstrating that Fc-fusion does not prolong in vivo half-life of a protein. This finding is consistent with the mechanistic understanding that E196-301 and Fc-E196-301 are all degraded primarily through rapid proteolysis in the body. The Fc fusion cannot protect E196-301 from the proteolysis in the body. Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that PEGylation can effectively protect E196-301, as the PEGylated E196-301, i.e., PEG-E196-301, has a significantly prolonged in vivo half-life. It has also been demonstrated that both E196-301 and PEG-E196-301 have dose-dependent in vivo half-lives (e.g., 19.9 ± 6.4 h for the elimination t1/2 of 30 mg/kg PEG-E196-301), as the endogenous proteolytic enzymes responsible for proteolysis of E196-301 (PEGylated or not) are nearly saturated by the high plasma concentration produced by a high dose of E196-301 or PEG-E196-301.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / chemistry*
  • Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / genetics
  • Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / pharmacokinetics
  • Drug Design
  • Enzyme Stability / drug effects*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Half-Life
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / pharmacology
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Mutant Proteins / chemistry
  • Mutant Proteins / pharmacokinetics
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / pharmacology
  • Proteolysis / drug effects
  • Rats

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases
  • cocaine esterase