Muteins of human tear lipocalin capable of binding lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501510-B2
Application number	US-201615744531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure provides human tear lipocalin muteins that specifically bind to LAG-3, which can be used in pharmaceutical applications, for example, as anti-cancer agents and/or immune modulators for the treatment or prevention of human diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases. The present disclosure further shows the human lipocalin muteins can inhibit the binding of LAG-3 to MHC class II on cells overexpressing MHC class II. The present disclosure also concerns methods of making LAG-3 binding lipocalin muteins described herein as well as compositions comprising such lipocalin muteins. The present disclosure further relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding such lipocalin muteins and to methods for generation of such lipocalin muteins and nucleic acid molecules. In addition, the application discloses therapeutic and/or diagnostic uses of these lipocalin muteins as well as compositions comprising one or more of such lipocalin muteins.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mutein of human tear lipocalin that is capable of binding lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3),
wherein the amino acid sequence of the mutein comprises at least 14 of the following mutated amino acid residues in comparison with the linear polypeptide sequence of mature human tear lipocalin (SEQ ID NO: 1): Ser 14→Pro; Asp 25→Ser; Arg 26→Ser, Phe, Gly, Ala, Asp or Glu; Glu 27→Asp, Val or Thr; Phe 28→Cys or Asp; Pro 29→Phe, Leu or Trp; Glu 30→Trp, Asn or Tyr; Met 31→Ile, Val, Asp, Leu or Tyr; Asn 32→Asp, Glu, Tyr, Trp, Val, Thr or Met Leu 33→Asp, Glu or Pro; Glu 34→Val, Trp or His; Val 36→Ala; Asn 48→Asp; Lys 52→Glu, Ser, Arg or Asn; Val 53→Ala; Met 55→Ala or Val; Leu 56→Asp, Gln or Asn; Ile 57→Leu; Ser 58→Phe, Trp or Asp; Arg 60→Phe or Glu; Cys 61→Pro, Leu or Trp; Ala 66→Asn; Ala 79→Glu; Val 85→Ala; Ala 86→Asp; Cys 101→Ser or Phe; Glu 104→Tyr; Leu 105→Cys or Gly; His 106→Ala, Glu, Thr, Tyr, Gln or Val; Lys 108→Tyr, Phe, Thr or Trp; Val 110→Gly or Ala; Arg 111→Pro; Gly 112→Met or Thr; Lys 114→Trp or Ala; Lys 121→Thr; Ser 140→Gly; and Cys 153→Ser, and
wherein the mutein has at least 80% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 7-22.

2. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of binding LAG-3 with an affinity measured by K d of about 500 nM or lower.

3. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of binding LAG-3 with an affinity measured by K d of about 160 nM or lower.

4. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of binding LAG-3 with an affinity measured by K d of about 30 nM or lower.

5. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of binding LAG-3 with an affinity measured by EC 50 of about 109 nM or lower.

6. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is cross-reactive with both human LAG-3 and cynomolgus LAG-3.

7. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of binding cynomolgus LAG-3 with an affinity measured by K d of about 160 nM or lower.

8. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the mutein is capable of interfering or competing with the binding of LAG-3 to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II.

9. The mutein of claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the mutein comprises one of the following sets of mutated amino acid residues in comparison with the linear polypeptide sequence of mature human tear lipocalin (SEQ ID NO: 1):

(a)

Arg 26 → Ser; Glu 27 → Asp; Phe 28 → Cys;

Pro 29 → Phe; Glu 30 → Trp; Met 31 → Ile;

Asn 32 → Glu; Leu 33 → Glu; Glu 34 → Trp;

Leu 56 → Asp; Ser 58 → Phe; Arg 60 → Phe;

Cys 61 → Trp; Cys 101 → Ser; Leu 105 → Cys;

His 106 → Ala; Lys 108 → Phe; Arg 111 → Pro;

Lys 114 → Trp;

and

Cys 153 → Ser;

(b)

Ser 14 → Pro; Asp 25 → Ser; Arg 26 → Gly;

Phe 28 → Asp; Asn 32 → Thr; Lys 52 → Asn;

Met 55 → Ala; Ser 58 → Asp; Ala 66 → Asn;

Ala 79 → Glu; Ala 86 → Asp; Cys 101 → Phe;

Leu 105 → Gly; Lys 108 → Thr; Val 110 → Ala; 

Gly 112 → Thr; Lys 114 → Ala;

and

Lys 121 → Thr;

(c)

Arg 26 → Phe; Glu 27 → Val; Phe 28 → Cys;

Pro 29 → Leu; Glu 30 → Tyr; Met 31 → Asp;

Asn 32 → Val; Leu 33 → Pro; Leu 56 → Gln;

Ser 58 → Trp; Arg 60 → Glu; Cys 61 → Leu;

Cys 101 → Ser; Glu 104 → Tyr; Leu 105 → Cys;

His 106 → Val; Lys 108 → Tyr; Arg 111 → Pro;

Lys 114 → Trp;

and

Cys 153 → Ser;

(d)

Arg 26 → Glu; Glu 27 → Thr; Phe 28 → Cys;

Pro 29 → Trp; Glu 30 → Trp; Met 31 → Tyr;

Asn 32 → Val; Leu 33 → Asp; Glu 34 → His;

Leu 56 → Asn; Ile 57 → Leu; Ser 58 → Trp;

Arg 60 → Phe; Cys 61 → Trp; Cys 101 → Ser;

Leu 105 → Cys; His 106 → Gln; Lys 108 → Trp;

Arg 111 → Pro; Lys 114 → Trp;

and

Assignees

• Pieris Pharmaceuticals Gmbh

Inventors

• Rothe Christine
• Allersdorfer Andrea
• Wiedenmann Alexander
• Bel Aiba Rachida Siham
• Olwill Shane
• Eichner Timo

Classifications

• A61P43/00

  Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00 · CPC title

• A61P37/06

  Immunosuppressants, e.g. drugs for graft rejection · CPC title

• A61P37/04

  Immunostimulants · CPC title

• A61P35/00

  Antineoplastic agents · CPC title

• A61P31/00

  Antiinfectives, i.e. antibiotics, antiseptics, chemotherapeutics · CPC title