Glycan structures attached to the C_H2 domain of the Fc region of immunoglobulin G (IgG) are essential for specific effector functions but their role in modulating clearance is less clear. Clearance is of obvious importance for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) as it directly impacts efficacy. Here, we study the impact of Fc glycan structure on the clearance of four therapeutic human IgGs (one IgG1 and three IgG2s) in humans. The therapeutic IgGs were affinity purified from serum samples from human pharmacokinetic studies, and changes to the glycan profile over time were determined by peptide mapping employing high-resolution mass spectrometry. Relative levels of high-mannose 5 (M5) glycan decreased as a function of circulation time, whereas other glycans remained constant. These results demonstrate that therapeutic IgGs containing Fc high-mannose glycans are cleared more rapidly in humans than other glycan forms. The quantitative effect of this on pharmacokinetic area under the curve was calculated and shown to be relatively minor for three of the four molecules studied, but, depending on the dosing regimen and the relative level of the high-mannose glycan, this can also have significant impact. High-mannose content of therapeutic Mabs should be considered an important product quality attribute which may affect pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic antibodies.

In this work, we present studies of the covalent structure of human IgG2 molecules. Detailed analysis showed that recombinant human IgG2 monoclonal antibody could be partially resolved into structurally distinct forms caused by multiple disulfide bond structures. In addition to the presently accepted structure for the human IgG2 subclass, we also found major structures that differ from those documented in the current literature. These novel structural isoforms are defined by the light chain constant domain (C(L)) and the heavy chain C(H)1 domain covalently linked via disulfide bonds to the hinge region of the molecule. Our results demonstrate the presence of three main types of structures within the human IgG2 subclass, and we have named these structures IgG2-A, -B, and -A/B. IgG2-A is the known classic structure for the IgG2 subclass defined by structurally independent Fab domains and hinge region. IgG2-B is a structure defined by a symmetrical arrangement of a (C(H)1-C(L)-hinge)(2) complex with both Fab regions covalently linked to the hinge. IgG2-A/B represents an intermediate form, defined by an asymmetrical arrangement involving one Fab arm covalently linked to the hinge through disulfide bonds. The newly discovered structural isoforms are present in native human IgG2 antibodies isolated from myeloma plasma and from normal serum. Furthermore, the isoforms are present in native human IgG2 with either kappa or lambda light chains, although the ratios differ between the light chain classes. These findings indicate that disulfide structural heterogeneity is a naturally occurring feature of antibodies belonging to the human IgG2 subclass.

In the accompanying report ( Wypych, J., Li, M., Guo, A., Zhang, Z., Martinez, T., Allen, M. J., Fodor, S., Kelner, D. N., Flynn, G. C., Liu, Y. D., Bondarenko, P. V., Ricci, M. S., Dillon, T. M., and Balland, A. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 16194-16205 ), we have identified that the human IgG2 subclass exists as an ensemble of distinct isoforms, designated IgG2-A, -B, and -A/B, which differ by the disulfide connectivity at the hinge region. In this report, we studied the structural and functional properties of the IgG2 disulfide isoforms and compared them to IgG1. Human monoclonal IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies were designed with identical antigen binding regions, specific to interleukin-1 cell surface receptor type 1. In vitro biological activity measurements showed an increased activity of the IgG1 relative to the IgG2 in blocking interleukin-1beta ligand from binding to the receptor, suggesting that some of the IgG2 isoforms had lower activity. Under reduction-oxidation conditions, the IgG2 disulfide isoforms converted to IgG2-A when 1 m guanidine was used, whereas IgG2-B was enriched in the absence of guanidine. The relative potency of the antibodies in cell-based assays was: IgG1 > IgG2-A > IgG2 >> IgG2-B. This difference correlated with an increased hydrodynamic radius of IgG2-A relative to IgG2-B, as shown by biophysical characterization. The enrichment of disulfide isoforms and activity studies were extended to additional IgG2 monoclonal antibodies with various antigen targets. All IgG2 antibodies displayed the same disulfide conversion, but only a subset showed activity differences between IgG2-A and IgG2-B. Additionally, the distribution of isoforms was influenced by the light chain type, with IgG2lambda composed mostly of IgG2-A. Based on crystal structure analysis, we propose that IgG2 disulfide exchange is caused by the close proximity of several cysteine residues at the hinge and the reactivity of tandem cysteines within the hinge. Furthermore, the IgG2 isoforms were shown to interconvert in whole blood or a "blood-like" environment, thereby suggesting that the in vivo activity of human IgG2 may be dependent on the distribution of isoforms.

Therapeutic proteins contain a large number of post-translational modifications, some of which could potentially impact their safety or efficacy. In one of these changes, pyroglutamate can form on the N terminus of the polypeptide chain. Both glutamine and glutamate at the N termini of recombinant monoclonal antibodies can cyclize spontaneously to pyroglutamate (pE) in vitro. Glutamate conversion to pyroglutamate occurs more slowly than from glutamine but has been observed under near physiological conditions. Here we investigated to what extent human IgG2 N-terminal glutamate converts to pE in vivo. Pyroglutamate levels increased over time after injection into humans, with the rate of formation differing between polypeptide chains. These changes were replicated for the same antibodies in vitro under physiological pH and temperature conditions, indicating that the changes observed in vivo were due to chemical conversion not differential clearance. Differences in the conversion rates between the light chain and heavy chain on an antibody were eliminated by denaturing the protein, revealing that structural elements affect pE formation rates. By enzymatically releasing pE from endogenous antibodies isolated from human serum, we could estimate the naturally occurring levels of this post-translational modification. Together, these techniques and results can be used to predict the exposure of pE for therapeutic antibodies and to guide criticality assessments for this attribute.