Patent Application
20230133672
The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted via EFS-Web and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said Sequence Listing, created on Dec. 12, 2022, is named 3570-820_ST25.txt and is 538,682 bytes in size.
The present invention relates to a fusion polypeptide comprising GDF15 (Growth differentiation factor 15) and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the fusion polypeptide, and a method for increasing in vivo duration of GDF15 comprising the step of fusing a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
Most protein or peptide drugs have a short duration of activity in the body, and their absorption rate is low when administered by methods other than intravenous administration, and therefore, there is an inconvenience of having to continuously inject these drugs repeatedly at short administration intervals when treatment of long-term drug administration is required. In order to solve such inconvenience, it is required to develop a technology for continuously releasing a drug with single administration. As a part to meet these needs, a sustained-release formulation for sustained release is being developed.
For examples, research on a sustained-release formulation in which in which the drug is slowly released while the matrix substance is slowly decomposed in vivo when it is administered, by preparing a microparticle in the form of a protein or peptide drug surrounded by a biodegradable polymer matrix is actively progressed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,017 discloses a sustained-release injection of erythropoietin using a gel having a hyaluronic acid concentration of 0.01 to 3%, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-287041 discloses a sustained-release injection in which insulin is contained in a gel having a hyaluronic acid concentration of 1%, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-213 discloses a sustained-release formulation in which calcitonin, elcatonin or human GDF15 is contained in hyaluronic acid having a concentration of 5%. In such a formulation, the protein drug dissolved in the gel of hyaluronic acid passes through the gel matrix with high viscosity at a slow speed, so it can exhibit a sustained release effect, but there are disadvantages in that it is not easy to administer by injection due to high viscosity, and it is difficult to release the drug for more than 1 day as the gel is easily diluted or decomposed by body fluids after injection.
On the other hand, there are examples of preparing solid microparticles by emulsion solvent extraction using a hyaluronic acid derivative having hydrophobicity (for example, hyaluronic acid-benzyl ester) (N. S. Nightlinger, et al., Proceed. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 22nd, Paper No. 3205 (1995); L. Ilum, et al., J. Controlled Rel., 29, 133(1994)). Since it is necessary to use an organic solvent in preparation of the drug release formulation particles using a hydrophobic hyaluronic acid derivative, there is a risk of denaturation of the protein drug by contact with the organic solvent, and the possibility of denaturation of the protein due to the hydrophobicity of the hyaluronic acid derivative is high.
Therefore, in order to improve in vivo persistence of a protein or peptide drug, an approach different from the conventional studies is required.
On the other hand, GDF15 (Growth differentiation factor 15) is a member of the TGF-beta family, and is a 25 kDa homodimer, and is a secretory protein circulating in plasma. The plasma level of GDF15 is related to BMI (body mass index) and GDF15 plays a role as a long-term regulator of energy homeostasis. GDF15 also has protective actions in pathological conditions such as cardiovascular disease, myocardial hypertrophy and ischemic injury. In addition, GDF15 plays a protective role against renal tubular and renal interstitial damage in models of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, GDF15 has a protective effect against age-related sensory and motor nerve loss, and can contribute to peripheral nerve damage recovery. Moreover, GDF15 has effects of weight loss and body fat reduction and glucose tolerance, and has an effect of increasing systemic energy consumption and oxidative metabolism. GDF15 exhibits an effect of glycemic control through body weight-dependent and non-dependent mechanisms.
The development of a technology for improving in vivo persistence of GDF15 protein exhibiting such various pharmacological effects is required.
In the present description, provided is a technology of increasing an in vivo half-life of GDF15 to enhance the in vivo duration and thereby, increasing the administration interval, by linking a polypeptide capable of O-glycosylation (for example, immunoglobulin hinge region, etc.) to GDF15 (Growth differentiation factor 15) to form a fusion polypeptide, compared to the case where it is not fused with a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
One embodiment provides a fusion polypeptide comprising GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
In the fusion polypeptide, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be comprised in the N-terminus of the GDF15.
The total number of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation comprised in the fusion polypeptide may be 1 or more, for example, 1 to 10, 1 to 8, 1 to 6, 1 to 4, 2 to 10, 2 to 8, 2 to 6, 2 to 4 (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10).
In one embodiment, the fusion polypeptide may be represented by the following general formula:
N′—(Z)n-Y—C′ [general formula]
in the formula,
N′ is the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide, and C′ is the C-terminus of the fusion polypeptide, and
Y is GDF15, and
Z is a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation, and
n is the number of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation positioned at the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide (bound to the N-terminus of GDF15) and an integer of 1 to 10 (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), 1 to 7, 1 to 5, or 1 to 3.
The n polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation comprised in the fusion polypeptide may be each independently selected among polypeptide regions comprising amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation. For example, the polypeptide regions comprising amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation may be immunoglobulin hinge regions. In one embodiment, the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be selected from the group consisting of immunoglobulin D (IgD) hinge regions and immunoglobulin A (IgA, for example, IgA1) hinge regions (i.e., n immunoglobulin hinge regions may be same or different each other).
In the fusion polypeptide, the GDF15 fused with the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation, is characterized by having increased in vivo (or in blood) stability (duration), compared to the GDF15 not fused with the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation (for example, in vivo or blood half-life increase).
Another embodiment provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide.
Another embodiment provides a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule.
Another embodiment provides a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Another embodiment provides a method for preparation of GDF15 with an increased in vivo (or in blood) half-life, or a method for preparation of a fusion polypeptide comprising the GDF15 with an increased in vivo (or in blood) half-life, comprising expressing the recombinant vector in a cell.
Another embodiment provides a method for increasing in vivo duration of GDF15, or a method for enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability of a GDF15 (protein or peptide) drug and/or increasing an in vivo (or in blood) half-life, comprising fusing (or linking or binding) GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation. In one specific example, the fusing may comprise fusing (or linking or binding) one or more polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation at the N-terminus of GDF15 through or not through a linker. The fusing (or linking or binding) may be performed in vitro.
Another embodiment provides a fusion polypeptide dimer, comprising two of the fusion polypeptides. The fusion polypeptide dimer may be formed by being linked by a bond (for example, disulfide bond) between GDF15 comprised in each fusion polypeptide. The fusion polypeptide dimer may be a homodimer.
Another embodiment provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a fusion polypeptide dimer comprising the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Another embodiment provides a method for preparing a pharmaceutical composition using one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a fusion polypeptide dimer comprising the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Another embodiment provides a use of one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a fusion polypeptide dimer comprising the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector, for preparing a pharmaceutical composition.
Another embodiment provides a use of a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation for enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability and/or increasing an in vivo (or in blood) half-life of a GDF15 (protein or peptide) drug. Specifically, an embodiment provides a composition for enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability and/or increasing an in vivo (or in blood) half-life of a GDF15 (protein or peptide) drug, the composition comprising a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
The present description provides a technology capable of enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability and/or in vivo (or in blood) duration in case of in vivo application of GDF15, by providing a fusion polypeptide form in which a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation such as an immunoglobulin hinge region is fused to GDF15.
One embodiment provides a fusion polypeptide comprising GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
In the fusion polypeptide, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be comprised at the N-terminus of the GDF15.
The total number of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation comprised in the fusion polypeptide may be 1 or more, for example, 1 to 10, 1 to 8, 1 to 6, 1 to 4, 2 to 10, 2 to 8, 2 to 6, 2 to 4 (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10).
In one embodiment, the fusion polypeptide may be represented by the following general formula:
N′—(Z)n-Y—C′ [general formula]
in the formula,
N′ is the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide, and C′ is the C-terminus of the fusion polypeptide, and
Y is GDF15, and
Z is a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation, and
n is the number of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation positioned at the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide (bound to the N-terminus of GDF15) and an integer of 1 to 10 (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), 1 to 7, 1 to 5, or 1 to 3.
In one embodiment, in the fusion polypeptide, when the active site of GDF15 is positioned at the C-terminus, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be fused to the N-terminus.
The n polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation comprised in the fusion polypeptide may be each independently selected among polypeptide regions comprising amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation. For example, the polypeptide regions comprising amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation may be immunoglobulin hinge regions. In one embodiment, the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be selected from the group consisting of immunoglobulin D (IgD) hinge regions and immunoglobulin A (IgA, for example, IgA1) hinge regions (i.e., n immunoglobulin hinge regions may be same or different each other).
In one specific embodiment, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation positioned (comprised) at the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide may be 1 or 2, and in case of 2 or more, each of the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be same or different each other. In one specific embodiment, one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation positioned at the N-terminus may be all IgD hinge regions or IgA (for example, IgA1) hinge regions, or comprise one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) IgD hinge regions and one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) IgA (for example, IgA1) hinge regions in various orders.
In other specific embodiment, when all the n polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation comprised in the fusion polypeptide are positioned only at the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide (in other words, when one or more polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation are present only at the N-terminus of the fusion polypeptide), the one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be all IgD hinge regions or IgA hinge regions, or comprise one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) IgD hinge regions and one or more (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) IgA hinge regions in various orders.
The polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation (each region when the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is 2 or more) may comprise 1 or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, 6 or more, or 7 or more O-glycosylation residues (the upper limit is 100, 50, 25, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, or 8) (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8). For example, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation (each region when the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is 2 or more) may comprise 1 to 10 or 3 to 10 O-glycosylation residues (amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation).
In one embodiment, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be one or more selected from immunoglobulin (for example, human immunoglobulin) hinge regions, and for example, may be IgD hinge regions, IgA hinge regions or a combination thereof.
Since hinge regions such as IgD hinge regions (for example, human IgD hinge regions) and/or IgA hinge regions (for example, human hinge regions) among the regions of immunoglobulin (for example, human immunoglobulin) comprise a residue capable of O-glycosylation, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may necessarily comprise one or more (human) IgD hinge regions and/or one or more (human) IgA hinge regions, or necessarily consist of the hinge regions. In one specific embodiment, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may not comprise one or more (e.g., 1, 2, or all 3) selected from the group consisting of CH1, CH2, and CH3 of immunoglobulin regions not comprising a residue capable of O-glycosylation (for example, IgD and/or IgA).
In addition, considering the number of appropriate residues capable of O-glycosylation in the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description, the polypeptide capable of O-glycosylation may comprise one or more, more specifically, 2 or more (for example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) IgD hinge regions (for example, human IgD hinge regions) and/or IgA hinge regions (for example, human IgA hinge regions).
More specifically, the IgD may be human IgD (for example, UniProKB P01880 (invariant domain; SEQ ID NO: 7), etc.), and the hinge region of IgD may be one or more selected from the group consisting of
a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of “N′-ESPKAQASSVPTAQPQAEGSLAKATTAPATTRNT-C′ (SEQ ID NO: 1); amino acid residues in bold are residues capable of O-glycosylation (7 in total)” or essentially consisting of the amino acid sequence (“IgD hinge”),
a polypeptide comprising 5 or more, 7 or more, 10 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 22 or more, or 24 or more (the upper limit is 34 or 33) consecutive amino acids comprising one or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, 6 or more, or 7 or more O-glycosylation residues in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or essentially consisting of the amino acids (“a part of IgD hinge”; for example, a polypeptide comprising 5 or more continuous amino acids comprising “SSVPT” (SEQ ID NO: 9) in SEQ ID NO: 1 or a polypeptide comprising 7 or more continuous amino acids comprising “TTAPATT” (SEQ ID NO: 10)), and
a polypeptide comprising 34 or more or 35 or more continuous amino acids comprising the amino acid sequence (IgD hinge) of SEQ ID NO: 1, in the IgD (for example, SEQ ID NO: 7) or 7 or more, 10 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 22 or more or 24 or more continuous amino acids comprising a part of the IgD hinge, or essentially consisting of the amino acids (“extension of IgD hinge”; for example, a polypeptide comprising 34 or more or 35 or more continuous amino acids comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 in “ESPKAQASS VPTAQPQAEG SLAKATTAPA TTRNTGRGGE EKKKEKEKEE QEERETKTP” (SEQ ID NO: 11) in the IgD (SEQ ID NO: 7) or a part of the IgD hinge).
The IgA may be human IgA (for example, IgA1 (UniProKB P01876, invariant domain; SEQ ID NO: 8), etc.), and the hinge region of the IgA may be one or more selected from the group consisting of a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of “N′-VPSTPPTPSPSTPPTPSPS-C′ (SEQ ID NO: 2); amino acid residues in bold are residues capable of O-glycosylation (8 in total)” or essentially consisting of the amino acid sequence (“IgA hinge”),
a polypeptide comprising 5 or more, 6 or more, 7 or more, 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 17 or more or 18 continuous amino acids comprising 1 or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, 6 or more, 7 or more or 8 O-glycosylation residues in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or essentially consisting of the amino acid sequence (“a part of IgA hinge”; for example, a polypeptide comprising 8 or more or 9 or more amino acids comprising “STPPTPSP” (SEQ ID NO: 12) in SEQ ID NO: 2), and
19 or more or 20 or more continuous amino acids comprising the amino acid sequence (IgA (for example, IgA1) hinge), in IgA (for example, IgA1 (SEQ ID NO: 8)), or a polypeptide comprising 7 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 17 or more, or 18 continuous amino acids comprising a part of the IgA (for example, IgA1) hinge, or essentially consisting of the amino acid sequence (“extension of IgA hinge”).
In other embodiment, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be a polypeptide region comprising 5 or more, 7 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 17 or more, 20 or more, 22 or more, 25 or more, 27 or more, 30 or more, 32 or more or 35 or more (the upper limit is 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 or the total amino acid number of each protein) continuous amino acids comprising 1 or more, 2 or more, 5 or more, 7 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, 15 or more, 17 or more, 20 or more, or 22 or more (for example, 1 to 10, 3 to 10; or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 or 25) amino acid residues capable of O-glycosylation in the proteins indicated in the following Table 1 (for example, proteins comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 23 to 113) or essentially consisting of the amino acids. In the present description, it is preferred that the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation does not affect the function of GDF15. The polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation of the proteins indicated in Table below may be selected from among regions not involved in the original function of a full-length protein, and thereby, the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may only serve to increase the half-life without affecting the function of GDF15:
The fusion polypeptide may have the total number of actually comprised O-glycan of 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, or 21 or more (the maximum value is determined by the number of the disclosed polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation and the number of O-glycosylation residues comprised in each of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation), or have the total number of theoretically comprised 0-glycan of 20 or more, 21 or more, 23 or 24 or more (the maximum value is determined by the number of the disclosed polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation and the number of O-glycosylation residues comprised in each of the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation). In addition, in the fusion polypeptide, the total number of actually comprised 0-glycan may be related to stability upon administration in the body (for example, in blood), and specifically, in the fusion polypeptide, as the total number of the actually comprised 0-glycan increases, the in vivo stability of the fusion polypeptide or GDF15 comprised in the fusion polypeptide may increases (in other words, in vivo (in blood) half-life increase and/or in vivo (in blood) concentration increase and/or in vivo (in blood) rate of degradation decrease, etc.).
The fusion polypeptide may further comprise a peptide linker between GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation and/or between polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation when 2 or more of the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation are comprised. In one embodiment, the peptide linker may be a GS linker repeatedly comprising one or more Gly(G) and one or more Ser(S), and for example, it may be (GGGGS)n (n is a repetition time of GGGGS (SEQ ID NO: 13) and is an integer of 1 to 10 or 1 to 5 (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5), but not limited thereto.
Other embodiment provides a fusion polypeptide dimer, comprising 2 of the fusion polypeptides. The fusion polypeptide dimer may be formed by being linked by a bond (for example, disulfide bond) between GDF15 comprised in each of the fusion polypeptides. The fusion polypeptide dimer may be a homodimer.
In the fusion polypeptide and/or fusion polypeptide dimer, the GDF15 fused with the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is characterized by increased in vivo (or in blood) stability, compared to GDF15 in which the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is not fused (for example, in vivo or in blood half-life increase).
Other embodiment provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide.
Other embodiment provides a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule.
Other embodiment provides a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Other embodiment provides a method for preparation of GGF15 with increased in vivo (or in blood) half-life, or a method for preparation of a fusion polypeptide comprising the GDF15 with increased in vivo (or in blood) half-life, comprising expressing the recombinant vector in a cell.
Other embodiment provides a method for increasing in vivo duration of GDF15 comprising fusing (or linking or binding) GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation. In one specific embodiment, the fusing may comprise fusing (or linking or binding) one or more polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation at the N-terminus, C-terminus or both terminuses of GDF15 through or not through a linker. The fusing (or linking or binding) may be progressed in vitro.
Other embodiment provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a fusion polypeptide dimer comprising the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Other embodiment provides a use for enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability and/or in vivo (or in blood) of a polypeptide (protein or peptide) drug of a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation. Specifically, one embodiment provides a composition for enhancing in vivo (or in blood) stability and/or increasing in vivo (or in blood) half-life of a polypeptide (protein or peptide) drug comprising a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation. As used in the present description, enhancing stability and/or increasing half-life mean that the stability is enhanced and/or the half-life is increased, compared to a polypeptide (protein or peptide) not comprising a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail:
In the present description, GDF15 (Growth differentiation factor 15) (corresponding to Y in the general formula) is a soluble polypeptide, and consists of amino acids from the 197th (A) to 308th (I) except for a signal peptide and a propeptide in total 308 amino acids (UniProt Q99988) (SEQ ID NO: 3; See
In the present description, GDF15 means, unless otherwise mentioned,
(1) the amino acid sequence from 197th (A) to 308th (I) of the full-length protein (UniProt Q99988) (SEQ ID NO: 3, See
(2) a functional variant of GDF15; and/or
(3) a polypeptide essentially comprising the amino acid sequence having the sequence homology of 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 96% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, or 99% or more to the amino acid sequence of the (1) and/or (2) in a range of maintaining the intrinsic activity and structure.
In the present description, the functional variant of GDF15 may be a variant mutated to be advantageous for dimer structure formation, while maintaining the intrinsic activity and structure. In one embodiment, the functional variant of GDF15 may be a N-terminal deletion variant in which one or more (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14) (for example, one or more from the N-terminus in order) at the N-terminus of the amino acid sequence of GDF15 of SEQ ID NO: 3 (in other words, 14 amino acid residues in total from the 1st to 14th) in SEQ ID NO: 1), for example, all the 14 amino acid residues are deleted. In one specific embodiment, the functional variant of GDF15 may be a polypeptide essentially comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 (CRLHTVRASL EDLGWADWVL SPREVQVTMC IGACPSQFRA ANMHAQIKTS LHRLKPDTVP APCCVPASYN PMVLIQKTDT GVSLQTYDDL LAKDCHCI) or the amino acid sequence having the sequence homology of 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 96% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, or 99% or more to the amino acid sequence in a range of maintaining the intrinsic activity and structure of GDF15.
In the fusion polypeptide comprising GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation provided in the present description, the GDF15 and polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation and/or 2 or more of polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be linked directly (for example, without a linker) or linked through an appropriate linker (for example, peptide linker) covalently or non-covalently. The peptide linker may be a polypeptide consisting of any amino acids of 1 to 20, 1 to 15, 1 to 10, 2 to 20, 2 to 15 or 2 to 10, and the kind of the comprised amino acids is not limited. The peptide linker may comprise, for example, Gly, Asn and/or Ser residues, and may also comprise neutral amino acids such as Thr and/or Ala, but not limited thereto, and the amino acid sequence suitable for a peptide linker is known in the art. In one embodiment, the peptide linker may be a GS linker repeatedly comprising one or more Gly(G) and one or more Ser(S), and for example, may be (GGGGS)n (n is a repetition time of GGGGS (SEQ ID NO: 13) and is an integer of 1 to 10 or 1 to 5 (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)), but not limited thereto.
In addition, the fusion polypeptide may comprise total 1 or more or total 2 or more (for example, 2 to 10, 2 to 8, 2 to 6, 2 to 5, 2 to 4, 2 or 3) polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation. When 2 or more of the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation are comprised, in the fusion polypeptide, 2 or more of the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation are linked to the N-terminus of GDF15 and each of the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation may be same or different each other. Then, between the polypeptide regions capable of O-glycosylation and/or between the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation and human GDF15, the aforementioned peptide linker may be further comprised.
The fusion polypeptide provided in the present description ma be recombinantly or synthetically produced, and it may not be naturally occurring.
The in vivo (in blood) half-life in a mammal of GDF15 comprised in the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description may be increased about 1.1 time or more, about 1.15 times or more, about 1.2 times or more, about 1.5 times or more, about 2 times or more, about 2.5 time or more, about 3 times or more, about 3.5 times or more, about 4 times or more, about 5 times or more, about 6 times or more, about 7 times or more, about 8 times or more, about 9 times or more, or about 10 times or more, compared to the GDF15 in which the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is not fused. Otherwise, the highest blood concentration in case of administration in a mammal body of GDF15 comprised in the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description may be higher about 1.2 times or more, about 1.5 times or more, about 2 times or more, about 2.5 times or more, about 3 times or more, about 3.5 times or more, or about 4 times or more, compared to the not fused GDF15. Otherwise, the time of reaching the highest blood concentration in case of administration in a mammal body of the GDF15 comprised in the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description may be extended about 2 times or more, about 3 times or more, about 4 times or more, about 5 times or more, about 6 times or more, about 7 times or more, about 8 times or more, about 9 times or more, about 10 times or more, about 11 times or more, about 12 times or more, about 13 times or more, about 14 times or more, about 15 times or more, about 18 times or more, about 20 times or more, or about 22 times or more, compared to the not fused GDF15. Otherwise, the area under the blood concentration-time curve up to the measurable last blood gathering time (AUClast) and/or the area under the blood concentration-time curve calculated by extrapolating from the measurable last blood gathering time to the infinite time (AUCinf), in case of administration in a mammal body of the GDF15 comprised in the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description may be increased about 2 times or more, about 2.5 times or more, about 3 times or more, about 3.5 times or more, about 4 times or more, about 4.5 times or more, about 5 times or more, about 6 times or more, about 7 times or more, about 8 times or more, about 9 times or more, about 10 times or more, about 11 times or more, about 12 times or more, about 13 times or more, about 14 times or more, or about 15 times or more, compared to the GDF15 not fused with the polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation.
As such, due to the increased GDF15 half-life, the GDF15 in a fusion polypeptide form to which a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is linked, has an advantage of having a longer administration interval, compared to the GDF15 in a form to which a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation is not linked.
The fusion polypeptide comprising GDF15 and a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation may be prepared by a common chemical synthesis method or recombinant method.
In the present description, the term “vector” means an expression means to express a target gene in a host cell, and for example, may be selected from the group consisting of a plasmid vector, a cosmid vector and a virus vector such as a bacteriophage vector, an adenovirus vector, a retrovirus vector, and an adeno-related virus vector, and the like. In one embodiment, the vector which can be used for the recombinant vector may be produced on the basis of a plasmid (for example, pcDNA series, pSC101, pGV1106, pACYC177, ColE1, pKT230, pME290, pBR322, pUC8/9, pUC6, pBD9, pHC79, pIJ61, pLAFR1, pHV14, pGEX series, pET series, pUC19, etc.), phage (for example, λgt4λB, λ-Charon, λΔz1, M13, etc.) or virus (for example, SV40, etc.), but not limited thereto.
The nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide in the recombinant vector may be operatively linked to a promoter. The term “operatively linked” means functional binding between a nucleic acid expression regulatory sequence (for example, promoter sequence) and other nucleic acid sequence. The regulatory sequence may regulate transcription and/or translation of other nucleic acid sequence by being “operatively linked”.
The recombinant vector may be typically constructed as a vector for cloning or an expression vector for expression. As the expression vector, common ones used for expressing a foreign protein in a plant, animal or microorganism may be used. The recombinant vector may be constructed by various methods known in the art.
The recombinant vector may be expressed using a eukaryote as a host. When an eukaryote is to be expressed as a host, the recombinant vector may comprise a replication origin such as f1 replication origin, SV40 replication origin, pMB1 replication origin, adeno replication origin, AAV replication origin and/or BBV replication origin, and the like, but not limited thereto, in addition to a nucleic acid molecule to be expressed and the aforementioned promoter, a ribosome binding site, a secretory signal sequence (See Patent Publication No. 2015-0125402) and/or a transcription/translation termination sequence. In addition, a promoter derived from genome of a mammal cell (for example, metallothionein promoter) or a promoter derived from a mammal virus (for example, adenovirus late promoter, vaccinia virus 7.5K promoter, SV40 promoter, cytomegalovirus and tk promoter of HSV) may be used and all secretory signal sequences commonly available as a secretory signal sequence may be used, and for example, the secretory signal sequence disclosed in Patent Publication No. 2015-0125402 may be used, but not limited thereto, and as a transcription termination sequence, a polyadenylation sequence may be comprised.
The recombinant cell may be obtained by introducing (transforming or transfecting) the recombinant vector into an appropriate host cell. The host cell may be selected from all eukaryotes which can stably and continuously clone or express the recombinant vector. The eukaryote available as a host includes a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), an insect cell, a plant cell and an animal cell, and the like, and for example, includes mice (for example, COP, L, C127, Sp2/0, NS-0, NS-1, At20, or NIH3T3), rats (for example, PC12, PC12h, GH3, or MtT), hamsters (for example, BHK, CHO, GS genetic defect CHO, or DHFR genetic defect CHO), monkeys (for example, COS (COS1, COS3, COS7, etc.), CV1 or Vero), humans (for example, HeLa, HEK-293, retina-derived PER-C6, cell derived from diploid fibroblast, myeloma cell or HepG2), other animal cells (for example, MDCK, etc.), insect cells (for example, Sf9 cell, Sf21 cell, Tn-368 cell, BTI-TN-5B1-4 cell, etc.), hybridoma, and the like, but not limited thereto.
By expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide provided in the present description in the aforementioned appropriate host cell, GDF15 with enhanced in vivo stability compared to the not fused form and a fusion polypeptide comprising thereof may be prepared. The method for preparation of the fusion polypeptide may comprise culturing a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule. The culturing may be performed under a common culturing condition. In addition, the method for preparation may further comprise separating and/or purifying the fusion polypeptide from the culture, after the culturing.
For delivery (introduction) of the nucleic acid molecule or recombinant vector comprising the same, a delivery method widely known in the art may be used. As the delivery method, for example, when the host cell is a eukaryote, microinjection, calcium phosphate precipitation, electroporation, liposome-mediated transfection and gene bombardment, and the like may be used, but not limited thereto.
The method for selecting the transformed (recombinant vector-introduced) host cell may be easily conducted according to a method widely known in the art, using a phenotype expressed by a selection marker. For example, when the selection marker is a specific antibiotic resistant gene, a recombinant cell in which a recombinant vector is introduced may be easily selected by culturing in a medium containing the antibiotic.
The fusion polypeptide may be used in prevention and/or treatment of all diseases which are related to GDF15 deficiency and/or dysfunction or can be treated, alleviated or improved by GDF15 activity.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector is provided. The pharmaceutical composition may be a pharmaceutical composition for prevention and/or treatment of diseases related to deficiency and/or dysfunction of GDF15 comprised in the fusion protein or diseases having a therapeutic and/or preventive effect of the GDF15.
Other embodiment provides a method for prevention and/or treatment of diseases related to deficiency and/or dysfunction of GDF15 comprised in the fusion protein or diseases having a therapeutic and/or preventive effect of the GDF15, comprising administering one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector, into a patient in need of prevention and/or treatment of diseases related to deficiency and/or dysfunction of GDF15 comprised in the fusion protein or diseases having a therapeutic and/or preventive effect of the GDF15. The method may further comprise confirming a patient in need of prevention and/or treatment of diseases related to deficiency and/or dysfunction of GDF15 comprised in the fusion protein or diseases having a therapeutic and/or preventive effect of the GDF15, before the administering.
The example of the diseases related to deficiency and/or dysfunction of GDF15 comprised in the fusion protein or diseases (or symptoms) having a therapeutic and/or preventive effect of the GDF15 may include obesity, diabetes (type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes), cardiovascular disease, myocardial hypertrophy, liver disease (e.g., nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), etc.), ischemic injury (ischemic brain damage, ischemic retina injury), peripheral nerve injury, age-related sensory and/or motor nerves loss, renal tubular and/or renal epileptic injury, but not limited thereto.
In other embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition or method comprising administering the same provided in the present description may have one or more effects selected from the group consisting of body weight loss, diet control (intake reduction), body fat reduction, and giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance, and in this case, the pharmaceutical composition or method may be applied as a use for reducing body weight, reducing body fat and/or giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance.
Therefore, in one embodiment, it may be a pharmaceutical composition or food composition (health functional food) for reducing a body weight, regulating a diet (reducing an amount of food), reducing body fat, or giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance, as a composition comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule, and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector.
Other embodiment provides a method for reducing a body weight, regulating a diet (reducing an amount of food), reducing body fat, or giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance, administering one or more selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the fusion polypeptide, a recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule and a recombinant cell comprising the recombinant vector, into a patient in need of reducing a body weight, regulating a diet (reducing an amount of food), reducing body fat, or giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance. The method may further comprise confirming the patient in need of reducing a body weight, regulating a diet (reducing an amount of food), reducing body fat, or giving and/or enhancing glucose tolerance, before the administering.
The pharmaceutical composition may comprise one or more of active ingredients selected from the group consisting of the fusion polypeptide, a fusion polypeptide dimer, a nucleic acid molecule, a recombinant vector and a recombinant cell comprising the fusion polypeptide in a pharmaceutically effective dose. The pharmaceutically effective dose means a contained amount or a dosage of the active ingredient capable of obtaining a desired effect. The contained amount or dosage of the active ingredient may be variously prescribed by factors such as preparation method, administration method, patient's age, body weight, gender, morbid condition, food, administration time, administration interval, administration route, excretion rate and reaction sensitivity. For example, the single dosage of the active ingredient may be in a range of 0.001 to 1000 mg/kg, 0.01 to 100 mg/kg, 0.01 to 50 mg/kg, 0.01 to 20 mg/kg, or 0.01 to 1 mg/kg, but not limited thereto.
Furthermore, the pharmaceutical composition may further comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, in addition the active ingredients. The carrier is one commonly used in preparation of a drug comprising a protein, nucleic acid or cell, and may be one or more selected from the group consisting of lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, starch, acacia gum, calcium phosphate, alginate, gelatin, calcium silicate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cellulose, water, syrup, methyl cellulose, methyl hydroxybenzoate, propylhydroxybenzoate, talc, magnesium stearate, mineral oil and the like, but not limited thereto. The pharmaceutical composition may also comprise one or more selected from the group consisting of diluents, excipients, lubricants, wetting agents, sweeteners, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, suspending agents, preservatives, and the like, commonly used in preparation of pharmaceutical compositions additionally.
The administration subject of the pharmaceutical composition may be a mammal including primates such as humans and monkeys, rodents such as mice and rats, and the like, or a cell, tissue, cell culture or tissue culture derived therefrom.
The pharmaceutical composition may be administered by oral administration or parenteral administration, or may be administered by contacting it to a cell, tissue or body fluid. Specifically, in case of parenteral administration, it may be administered by intravenous injection, subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, intraperitoneal injection, endothelial administration, local administration, intranasal administration, intrapulmonary administration and intrarectal administration, and the like. In case of oral administration, since proteins or peptides are digested, an oral composition should be formulated to coat an active agent or to protect it from degradation in the stomach.
In addition, the pharmaceutical composition may be formulated in a form of solution, suspension, syrup or emulsion in an oil or aqueous medium, or in a form of extract, powder, granule, tablet or capsule, or the like, and for formulation, it may further comprise a dispersing agent or stabilizing agent.
The GDF15 fused with a polypeptide region capable of O-glycosylation provided in the present description has a long duration when administered in vivo, so it is possible to increase the administration interval and thereby reduce the administration dose, and therefore, it has an advantageous effect in terms of administration convenience and/or economics and can be usefully applied to fields requiring GDF15 treatment.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by the following examples. However, they are intended to illustrate the present invention only, but the scope of the present invention is not limited by these examples.
1.1. Preparation of Fusion Polypeptide Comprising GDF15
Fusion polypeptides IgD-GDF15 (ID1-GDF15), IgD-IgD-GDF15 (ID2-GDF15), IgD-IgD-IgD-GDF15 (ID3-GDF15) (See
1.1.1. Preparation of Recombinant Expression Vector
1.1.1.1. Mature GDF15
In order to obtain a gene encoding mature GDF15, referring to the amino acid sequence information of UniprotKB Q99968, a gene encoding mature GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 5) was synthesized (Bioneer).
1.1.1.2. IgD Hinge (ID)
In order to obtain a gene encoding Human IgD Hinge, referring to the amino acid sequence information of UniprotKB P01880, a gene encoding 3 Human IgD Hinges (hereinafter, referred to as ‘ID3’) (SEQ ID NO: 6) was synthesized in Bioneer.
GAGAGCCCTA AGGCTCAGGC CTCTAGCGTG CCAACAGCTC AGCCACAAGC
TGAAGGAAGC CTGGCCAAGG CTACAACCGC CCCTGCCACA ACACGGAATA
CA
GAGTCCCC CAAGGCCCAG GCTAGCAGCG TGCCTACCGC CCAGCCTCAG
GCCGAGGGCT CCCTGGCTAA GGCCACAACC GCTCCCGCTA CAACCAGGAA
CACCG
AGTCT CCAAAGGCAC AGGCCTCCTC CGTGCCCACT GCACAACCCC
AAGCAGAGGG CAGCCTCGCC AAGGCAACCA CAGCCCCAGC CACCACCCGG
AACACA
(1-102 polynucleotide (underlined), 103-204 polynucleotide (bold), and 205-306 polynucleotide (bold+underlined) encode IgD Hinge, respectively)
1.1.1.3. Preparation of Expression Vector
A variant of pcDNA3.1(+) (Invitrogen, Cat. No. V790-20), pDHDD-D1G1 (comprising the promoter of KR10-1868139B1) was cut with BamHI and NotI, and a gene designed to encode a fusion protein having the structure below (See
pGDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site (GGATCC)-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-Mature GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site (GCGGCCGC)]-(C-terminus)’
pHT-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-His-Taq (SEQ ID NO: 15)-TEV Cleavage Site (SEQ ID NO: 16)-Mature GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
pID1-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-Mature GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
pHT-ID1-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-His-Taq (SEQ ID NO: 15)-TEV Cleavage Site (SEQ ID NO: 16)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
pID2-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction peptide]-(C-terminus)’
pHT-ID2-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-His-Taq (SEQ ID NO: 15)-TEV Cleavage Site (SEQ ID NO: 16)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
pID3-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
pHT-ID3-GDF15
‘(N-terminus)-[BamHI restriction site-signal peptide (SEQ ID NO: 14)-His-Taq (SEQ ID NO: 15)-TEV Cleavage Site (SEQ ID NO: 16)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-IgD Hinge (SEQ ID NO: 1)-GS Linker (SEQ ID NO: 17)-GDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 3)-NotI restriction site]-(C-terminus)’
1.1.2. Expression of Fusion Polypeptide
The prepared recombinant expression vectors, pGDF15, pHT-GDF15, pID1-GDF15, pHT-ID1-GDF15, pID2-GDF15, pHT-ID2-GDF15, pID3-GDF15, and pHT-ID3-GDF15 were introduced into ExpiCHO-S™ cell (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and cultured (Fed-Batch Culture; Day 1 & Day 5 Feeding) in ExpiCHO Expression Medium (Thermo Fisher Scientific; 400 mL) for 12 days, to express the fusion polypeptides GDF15, HT-GDF15, ID1-GDF15, HT-ID1-GDF15, ID2-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15, ID3-GDF15, and HT-ID3-GDF15.
1.1.3. Purification of Fusion Polypeptide
The fusion polypeptides HT-ID1-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15 and HT-ID3-GDF15 produced through the recombinant expression vector were purified and O-Glycan site Occupancy was analyzed using Sialic Acid content analysis and Q-TOF Mass Spectrometry.
Specifically, the fusion polypeptides were purified by continuously performing ultrafiltration/diafiltration, Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC), and Anion Exchange Chromatography (AEX). At first, the culture solution of the fusion protein in which cells were removed was filtered with a 0.22 μm filter. For the filtered solution, concentration was performed using TFF System and then buffer exchange was conducted with a tromethamine buffer solution. A column in which HiTrap™ Chelating HP (GE Healthcare Life Sciences) resin was packed was equipped and an equilibrium buffer (20 mM Tris pH 8.0, 0.5 M NaCl, 5 mM Imidazole) was flowed to equilibrate the column. The process solution in which the ultrafiltration/diafiltration was completed previously was injected into the column, and then the equilibrium buffer was flowed again to wash the column. After completing the washing operation of the column, the elution buffer (20 mM Tris pH 8.0, 0.5 M NaCl, 0.5 M Imidazole) was flowed into the column to elute a target protein.
For the obtained eluted solution, concentration was performed using Amicon Ultra Filter Device (MWCO 10K, Merck) and a centrifuge, and then buffer exchange was conducted with a tromethamine buffer solution. The process solution prepared as such was injected into the equilibrated anion exchange column, and the equilibrium buffer (20 mM Tris pH 8.0) was flowed and the column was washed. After completing the washing operation of the column, the elution buffer (20 mM Tris pH 8.0, 0.5 M NaCl) was flowed into the column under a concentration gradient condition to elute the target protein. Among eluted fractions, fractions with high concentration and high purity of the fusion polypeptide were collected and kept frozen.
For an animal experiment, concentration and buffer exchange for samples were performed with Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS, 10 mM Sodium Phosphate, 150 mM NaCl pH 7.4) using Amicon Ultra Filter Device (MWCO 10K, Merck) and a centrifuge.
The quantitative analysis of the fusion polypeptide was conducted by measuring the absorbance at 280 nm and 340 nm in UV Spectrophotometer (G113A, Agilent Technologies) by the following equation. As the extinction coefficient, a value theoretically calculated using the amino acid sequence was used.
*Extinction coefficient (0.1%): theoretical absorbance at 280 nm, assuming that the protein concentration is 0.1% (1 g/L), and all cysteines in Primary Sequence are oxidized to form disulfide bonds. Calculated via ProtParam tool (https://web.expasy.org/protparam/).
For the purified fusion polypeptides HT-ID1-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15 and HT-ID3-GDF15, after Sialic Acid content analysis and reducing, 0-Glycan site Occupancy was analyzed using Q-TOF Mass Spectrometry.
The result of analyzing the fusion polypeptides HT-ID1-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15 and HT-ID3-GDF15 by SDS-PAGE was shown in
2.1. Single Administration
2.1.1 Test Process
The pharmacological effect of the fusion polypeptides produced and purified in Example 1 above was tested in mice (C57BL/6J, 6-week-old, male, 100 mice; Raonbio).
In the present example, DI0 mouse model (Mouse, C57BL/6J-DIO, male, 100 mice, 14-week-old (obesity feed feeding for 8 weeks)) in which obesity was induced by feeding a high-fat diet into the C57BL/6J mice for 8 weeks was used. The DI0 mouse model is an animal model widely used for evaluation of diabetes and insulin improvement efficacy, as it exhibits clinical characteristics of type 2 diabetes such as hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia, and a lot of comparable basic data have been accumulated for the study of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, and therefore, it was suitable for the pharmacological effect test of the present example, and thus this model was selected.
The mouse model fed with the obesity feed for 8 weeks was subjected to a quarantine and acclimatization period of 2 weeks, and during this period, general symptoms were observed once a day, and healthy animals were selected by confirming whether they were healthy and suitable for conducting the experiment. During the acclimatization period, the animal's tail was marked with a red oil pen at the time of acquisition (tail marking), and temporary individual identification cards (test name, individual number, stocking time) were attached to the breeding box during the quarantine acclimatization period. At the time of group separation, individuals were marked on the tails of animals using a black oil pen and individual identification cards (test name, group information, individual number, gender, stocking time, administration period) were attached to each cage.
In order to minimize stress experienced by the experimental animals due to subcutaneous administration of the test substance (fusion polypeptide), 200 uL/head of sterile distilled physiological saline was administered subcutaneously to all animals using a 1 mL syringe from 3 days before the administration of the test substance. Pre-adaptation training for subcutaneous administration was conducted.
For healthy animals with no abnormalities found during the quarantine and acclimatization period, the body weight and feed intake were measured for all individuals after the acclimatization period.
The body weight and feed intake were measured, and group separation was performed so that the averages of the two measured values were similar between groups based on body weight. Test substance administration was started from the day after group separation. Remaining animals that were not selected were excluded from the test system after group separation was terminated.
The information of the high fat diet (obesity feed; HFD) fed to the C57BL/6J-DIO was as follows:
5.24 kcal/g, fat 60% by weight, protein 20% by weight, and carbohydrate-derived calories 20% by weight; Research Diet Inc., U.S.A.; Product No. High fat diet (Fat 60 kcal %, D12492).
The feed was fed by a free feeding (feeding during the acclimatization and test period) method.
The drinking water method was that tap water was filtered with a filter oil-water sterilizer and then ultraviolet rays were irradiated and it was freely ingested using a polycarbonate drinking water bottle (250 mL).
The administration of the test substances HT-ID1-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15, and HT-ID3-GDF15 and the control substance Semaglutide (Bachem) was conducted from the next day after group separation, and the administration time was performed at 9 AM every day. Subcutaneous administration was conducted for all the control substance and test substances. For the administration route of the control substance and test substances, subcutaneous administration was selected depending on the clinically scheduled administration route.
For all the control substance and test substances, the amount of the administration solution was set to 5 mL/kg and the administration liquid by individual was calculated on the basis of the recently measured body weight and it was administered by subcutaneous injection once on the start day of the test using a disposable syringe (1 mL). The test substances were administered only once. For comparison, the control group in which the control substance Semaglutide was administered was prepared, and the comparison group in which Semaglutide was administered was administered once a day, and all the administration was progressed from 9 AM.
The composition of the test groups and administration dose were summarized in Table 5 below:
As for the observation, measurement and test schedule for the test groups, the administration start date was set to Day 0, and 7 days from the administration start date were set to one week of administration.
The test schedule was summarized in Table 6:
General clinical symptoms were observed once a day for all animals, and the presence or absence of moribund and dead animals was checked twice a day, and these observations were conducted from the 1st day of administration to the end of administration. Only when there were abnormal symptoms during observation, it was recorded on the recording sheet.
The body weight of each mouse was measured on the day of the start of administration of the test substances (before administration), and thereafter, the body weight was measured every day (measured up to 9 days), and the amount of the administration solution of the test substances was determined on the basis of the most recently measured body weight.
In addition, after administering the test substances into mice, the daily feed intake was measured, and the feeding amount was measured using an electronic scale for each breeding box, and the remaining amount was measured to calculate the daily feed intake. In case of an individual that gnawed heavily on heed, it was excluded from the measurement.
All the experimental results obtained in the present example were expressed as mean±standard error and tested using Prism5 (version 5.01). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on all data, and when significance was observed, Dunnett's test was performed to find out the test groups with a significant difference from the control group (significance level: two-sided 5% and 1%, 0.1%).
2.1.2. Body Weight Loss Test Result
The change in the body weight measured in Example 2.1.1 above was shown in
As shown in the above result, it could be confirmed that there was little change in the body weight in case of the negative control group (vehicle administration group), while the body weight loss effect was continuously shown from Day 1 after administration in case of the positive control group (Semaglutide daily administration group). In addition, it could be confirmed that the body weight loss effect was shown immediately after single administration at Day 0 in case of the fusion polypeptide in which GDF15 was fused with IgD Hinge, and the body weight loss effect was not reduced and appeared continuously until 3-4 days.
2.1.3. Diet Intake Test Result
The change in the feed intake measured in Example 2.1.1 above was shown in Table 8 and
As shown in the above result, in case of the fusion polypeptide administration group in which GDF15 was fused with IgD Hinge, compared to the negative control group (vehicle administration group) administration group, the feed intake reduction effect was shown up to Day 6 at maximum depending on the fusion polypeptide, and this feed intake reduction effect of the fusion polypeptide can be said to be comparable to the case of administering Semaglutide, the positive control group, once a day throughout the test period.
2.2. Repeated Administration
2.2.1 Test Process
Except for the administration dose, animal number and administration cycle, most of the test processes were the same as in Example 2.1.1 above.
The test substances were administered twice a week (Days 0, 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25) for a total of 8 times. For comparison, the control group in which the control substance Semaglutide was administered every day was prepared, and the comparison group in which Semaglutide was administered every day was administered once a day daily, and all the administration was progressed from 9 AM.
The composition of the test groups and administration dose, and the like were summarized in Table 9 below:
2.2.2. Body Weight Loss Test Result
The change in the body weight measured in Example 2.2.1 above was shown in
As shown in the above result, it could be confirmed that there was little change in the body weight in case of the negative control group (vehicle administration group), while the body weight loss effect was continuously shown from Day 1 after administration. In addition, it could be confirmed that the body weight loss effect was shown immediately after single administration at Day 0 in case of the fusion polypeptide in which GDF15 was fused with IgD Hinge, and the body weight loss effect was continuously shown without being reduced, and the body weight loss effect was concentration-dependent.
2.2.3. Diet Intake Test Result
The change in the feed intake measured in Example 2.2.1 above was shown in Table 11 and
As shown in the above result, the administration group of the fusion polypeptide in which GDF15 was fused with IgD Hinge showed the feed intake reduction effect throughout the test period depending on the fusion polypeptide, compared to the negative control group (vehicle administration group) administration group, and showed a concentration-dependent tendency.
3.1. Test Group and Control Group Serum Preparation
For evaluation of pharmacokinetic characteristics when each fusion polypeptide was subcutaneously administered to rats, the fusion polypeptides HT-ID1-GDF15, HT-ID2-GDF15 and HT-ID3-GDF15 were subcutaneously administered into SD rats (Koatech, male, 7-week-old, about 250 g; n=3 each; test group) in an amount of 2 mg/kg, respectively, and about 200 μl of blood was collected through the caudal vein at a predetermined time. The blood collection time was performed before administration, and 1, 2, 4, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 168, 240 and 336 hours after administration. As the control group for comparison of pharmacokinetic characteristics, GDF15 (R&D Systems) was subcutaneously administered in an amount of 2 mg/kg by the same method to prepare a GDF15 administration group.
After administering into SD Rats as above, blood collected by time-point was centrifuged to obtain serum, and ELISA was performed using Human GDF15 Immunoassay (SGD150, R&D Systems), and the concentration in the serum was measured depending on the time of each polypeptide. Using this data, values of parameters including AUC (area under the curve) were obtained using a software for PK analysis (WinNonlin (Certara L. P.), etc.).
3.2 Pharmacokinetic Test Result
The obtained pharmacokinetic parameters of the fusion polypeptide were shown in Table 12, and the change in the concentration of the fusion polypeptide with time was shown in
As shown in the above result, it could be confirmed that the half-life was increased in case of the fusion polypeptide fused with IgD Hinge, compared to GDF15 (half-life: 19 hours), and in particular, in case of AUClast, it was increased 16.7 times at maximum compared to GDF15.
From the above description, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. In this regard, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention should be construed that all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims to be described later and their equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present invention, rather than the above detailed description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2019-0165052 | Dec 2019 | KR | national |
This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 National Phase Entry Application from PCT/KR2020/018053 filed on Dec. 10, 2020, which claims priority to and the benefits of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0165052, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 11, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2020/018053 | 12/10/2020 | WO |
