Charge-modified single chain antibody constructs of monoclonal antibody CC49: generation, characterization,...

A novel strategy was developed in which an antibody scFv fragment of the monoclonal antibody (MAb) CC49 was modified by engineering DNA coding sequences to lower its isoelectric point. Negatively charged amino acids were added to the carboxy terminus of the CC49 VH region by adding nucleotide sequences in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the coding sequence of CC49 scFv. Two new DNA constructs coding for CC49 scFv with lower isoelectric points of 5.8 and 5.2 were engineered. These novel strategy-generated, charge-modified antibody constructs were compared for their immunological, pharmacokinetic, and biodistribution properties in athymic mice bearing LS-174T human colon carcinoma xenografts.