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Development of conformational antibodies targeting Cripto-1 with neutralizing effects in vitro
Giuseppina Focà1, Emanuela Iaccarino1, Annalia Focà1
1Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council (IBB-CNR), Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Human Cripto-1 (Cripto-1), the founding member of the EGF-CFC superfamily, is a key regulator of many processes during embryonic development and oncogenesis. Cripto-1 is barely present or even absent in normal adult tissues while it is aberrantly re-expressed in various tumors. Blockade of the CFC domain-mediated Cripto-1 functions is acknowledged as a promising therapeutic intervention point to inhibit the tumorigenic activity of the protein. In this work, we report the generation and characterization of murine monoclonal antibodies raised against the synthetic folded CFC [112-150] domain of the human protein. Through subtractive ELISA assays clones were screened for the ability to specifically recognize "hot spot" residues on the CFC domain, which are crucial for the interaction with Activin Type I receptor (ALK4) and GRP78. On selected antibodies, SPR and epitope mapping studies have confirmed their specificity and have revealed that recognition occurs only on a conformational epitope. Furthermore, FACS analyses have confirmed the ability of 1B4 antibody to recognize the membrane-anchored and soluble native Cripto-1 protein in a panel of human cancer cells. Finally, we have evaluated its functional effects through in vitro cellular signaling assays and cell cycle analysis. These findings suggest that the selected anti-CFC mAbs have the potential to neutralize the protein oncogenic activity and may be used as theranostic molecules suitable as tumor homing agents for Cripto-1-overexpressing cancer cells and tissues and to overcome drug-resistance in routine cancer therapies.
Insights
Researchers developed novel monoclonal antibodies targeting the Cripto-1 protein
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Developmental Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Human Cripto-1 (Cripto-1), an EGF-CFC superfamily member, regulates embryonic development and oncogenesis.
- Cripto-1 is absent in normal adult tissues but re-expressed in various tumors, making it a therapeutic target.
- Blocking Cripto-1's CFC domain function is a promising strategy to inhibit tumor growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate and characterize murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the human Cripto-1 CFC domain.
- To identify specific mAbs that recognize key residues essential for Cripto-1's interaction with ALK4 and GRP78.
- To evaluate the potential of these mAbs as therapeutic and theranostic agents for cancer.
Main Methods:
- Generation of murine monoclonal antibodies against a synthetic Cripto-1 CFC domain.
- Subtractive ELISA, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), and epitope mapping for antibody specificity.
- Flow cytometry (FACS) to detect Cripto-1 on cancer cells.
- In vitro cellular signaling and cell cycle analyses.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated and characterized mAbs against the Cripto-1 CFC domain.
- Identified specific mAbs recognizing conformational epitopes crucial for ALK4/GRP78 binding.
- Demonstrated that the 1B4 antibody recognizes both membrane-bound and soluble Cripto-1 on human cancer cells.
- Observed functional effects on cellular signaling and cell cycle, suggesting neutralization of oncogenic activity.
Conclusions:
- Selected anti-CFC mAbs show potential to neutralize Cripto-1's oncogenic activity.
- These mAbs can serve as theranostic agents for targeting Cripto-1-overexpressing cancers.
- The developed antibodies may help overcome drug resistance in cancer therapies.
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