Patent Grant
7153948
Described herein are high affinity nucleic acid ligands to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The method utilized herein for identifying such nucleic acid ligands is called SELEX, an acronym for Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment.
Neovascularization or angiogenesis is the process in which sprouting new blood vessels are formed from the existing endothelium in response to external stimuli that signal inadequate blood supply. Angiogenesis is generally rare under normal physiological conditions but frequently accompanies certain pathological conditions such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemangioma, and solid tumor growth and metastasis (Folkman & Klagsbrun (1987) Science 235:442–447; Kim et al. (1993) Nature 362:841–844). Several growth factors that are capable of inducing angiogenesis in vivo have been identified to date including acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF, bFGF), transforming growth factors α and β (TGFα, TGFβ), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), angiogenin, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
VEGF was originally purified from guinea pig ascites and tumor cell cultures as a factor that increases vascular permeability (Senger, D. R. et al. (1983) Science 219:983–985) and it has therefore also been referred to as vascular permeability factor (VPF). VEGF is a heat and acid-stable, disulfide-linked homodimer. Four isoformns have been described (121, 165, 189 and 206 amino acids, respectively) and are believed to be the result of alternative splicing of mRNA. Despite the presence of an identical N-terminal hydrophobic signal sequence in all molecular isoforms of VEGF, only the two lower molecular weight species are efficiently secreted (Ferrara, N. et al. (1991) J. Cell. Biochem. 47:211–218). The predominant VEGF isoform in most cells and tissues is the 165 amino acid species. Although VEGF is typically glycosylated, glycosylation is only required for efficient secretion but not for activity (Yeo, T-.K. et al. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 179:1568–1575; Peretz, D. et al. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 182:1340–1347). The amino acid sequence of VEGF is highly conserved across species and exhibits a modest but significant homology (18–20%) to PDGF A and B (Jakeman L. B. et al. (1992) J. Clin. Invest. 89:244–253; Ferrara et al. (1992) Endocrine Rev. 13:18–32).
Unlike other angiogenic growth factors, target cell specificity of VEGF is limited to vascular endothelial cells. The biological actions of VEGF are mediated through its interaction with specific cell-associated receptors which have been identified in the majority of tissues and organs (Jakeman, L. B. (1992) J. Clin. Invest. 89:244–253). Three high-affinity receptors for VEGF have been cloned to date: fltl, kdr/flk-1 and flt4 (Vaisman, N. et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265:19461–19466; de Vries, C. et al. (1992) Science 255:989–991; Galland, F. et al. (1993) Oncogene 8:1233–1240). These receptors belong to a family of transmembrane tyrosine kinases and bind VEGF with dissociation constants between 10−11 M to 10−12 M. Recent experiments have shown that binding of VEGF to its high-affinity receptors is significantly enhanced by heparin or cell surface-associated heparin-like molecules (Gitay-Goren, H. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267:6093–6098).
In addition to promoting the growth of vascular endothelial cells and inducing vascular leakage, VEGF is also known to induce the proteolytic enzymes interstitial collagenase, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) (Unemori E. et al. (1993) J. Cell. Physiology 153:557; Pepper, M. S. et al. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 189:824). These enzymes are known to play a prominent role in angiogenesis-related extracellular matrix degradation.
As a secreted and specific mitogen for endothelial cells, VEGF may be one of the major angiogenesis inducers in vivo. Several recent observations have supported this notion. For example, the expression of VEGF and its receptors accompanies angiogenesis associated with (i) embryonic development (Breier, G. et al. (1992) Development 114:521–532), (ii) hormonally-regulated reproductive cycle and (iii) tumor growth (Dvorak, H. F. (1991) J. Exp. Med. 174:1275–1278; Shweiki, D. et al. (1992) Nature 359:843–845; Plate, K. H. et al. (1992) Nature 359:845–848). It is relevant to note that aggressive tumor growth is accompanied by the generation of necrotic areas where oxygen and nutrient supplies are inadequate. Oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) in tissues is a known angiogenesis stimulant. Interestingly, VEGF expression was found to be the highest in tumor cells facing the necrotic areas (Shweiki, D. et al. (1992) supra; Plate, K. H. et al. (1992) supra). It has therefore been suggested by these authors that VEGF plays a key role in hypoxia-induced angiogenesis.
Recent experiments with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to VEGF have been especially meaningful for establishing that this growth factor is an important tumor angiogenesis inducer in vivo (Kim, K. J. et al. (1993) Nature 362:841–844). Immunocompromised (nude) mice injected with human rhabdomyosarcoma, glioblastoma or leiomyosarcoma cell lines rapidly develop tumors. Specific neutralizing MAb to VEGF were found to inhibit the growth of these tumors. The density of tumor vasculature was decreased in MAb-treated animals as compared to controls. The same MAb, on the other hand, had no effect on the growth rate of the tumor cells in vitro suggesting that the growth inhibition was not mediated at the cellular level and appears to be mediated by the 165-amino acid isoform of VEGF.
Herein described is the isolation and characterization of binding properties of a set of high-affinity nucleic acid ligands to VEGF. RNA, modified RNA, and ssDNA ligands are provided by the present invention. These ligands were selected from an initial pool of about 1014 RNA or DNA molecules randomized at thirty or forty contiguous positions. The evolved RNA ligands shown in
Also included herein are modified RNA ligands to VEGF. Such modified RNA ligands may be prepared after the identification of 2′-OH RNA ligands or by performing SELEX using a candidate mixture of modified RNAs. For example, 2′-NH2 pyrimidine RNA ligands to VEGF are described herein and the evolved ligands are shown in
Also included herein are ssDNA ligands to VEGF. The evolved ssDNA ligands are shown in Table 8.
The present invention includes the method of identifying nucleic acid ligands and ligand sequences to VEGF comprising:
a) contacting a candidate mixture of nucleic acids with VEGF, wherein nucleic acids having an increased affinity to VEGF relative to the candidate mixture may be partitioned from the remainder of the candidate mixture;
b) partitioning the increased affinity nucleic acids from the remainder of the candidate mixture; and
c) amplifying the increased affinity nucleic acids, whereby nucleic acid ligands to VEGF may be identified.
This application describes high-affinity nucleic acid ligands to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) identified through the method known as SELEX. The SELEX method is described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/536,428, filed Jun. 11, 1990, entitled “Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment,” now abandoned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/714,131, filed Jun. 10, 1991, entitled “Nucleic Acid Ligands,” now U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,096, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/931,473, filed Aug. 17, 1992, entitled “Methods for Identifying Nucleic Acid Ligands,” now U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,163.
In its most basic form, the SELEX process may be defined by the following series of steps:
1) A candidate mixture of nucleic acids of differing sequence is prepared. The candidate mixture generally includes regions of fixed sequences (i.e., each of the members of the candidate mixture contains the same sequences in the same location) and regions of randomized sequences. The fixed sequence regions are selected either: a) to assist in the amplification steps described below; b) to mimic a sequence known to bind to the target; or c) to enhance the concentration of a given structural arrangement of the nucleic acids in the candidate mixture. The randomized sequences can be totally randomized (i.e., the probability of finding a base at any position being one in four) or only partially randomized (e.g., the probability of finding a base at any location can be selected at any level between 0 and 100 percent).
2) The candidate mixture is contacted with the selected target under conditions favorable for binding between the target and members of the candidate mixture. Under these circumstances, the interaction between the target and the nucleic acids of the candidate mixture can be considered as forming nucleic acid-target pairs between the target and those nucleic acids having the strongest affinity for the target.
3) The nucleic acids with the highest affinity for the target are partitioned from those nucleic acids with lesser affinity to the target. Because only an extremely small number of sequences (and possibly only one molecule of nucleic acid) corresponding to the highest affinity nucleic acids exist in the candidate mixture, it is generally desirable to set the partitioning criteria so that a significant amount of the nucleic acids in the candidate mixture (approximately 5–50%) are retained during partitioning.
4) Those nucleic acids selected during partitioning as having the relatively higher affinity to the target are then amplified to create a new candidate mixture that is enriched in nucleic acids having a relatively higher affinity for the target.
5) By repeating the partitioning and amplifying steps above, the newly formed candidate mixture contains fewer and fewer unique sequences, and the average degree of affinity of the nucleic acids to the target will generally increase. Taken to its extreme, the SELEX process will yield a candidate mixture containing one or a small number of unique nucleic acids representing those nucleic acids from the original candidate mixture having the highest affinity to the target molecule.
The SELEX Patent Applications describe and elaborate on this process in great detail. Included are targets that can be used in the process; methods for the preparation of the initial candidate mixture; methods for partitioning nucleic acids within a candidate mixture; and methods for amplifying partitioned nucleic acids to generate enriched candidate mixtures. The SELEX Patent Applications also describe ligand solutions obtained to a number of target species, including both protein targets where the protein is and is not a nucleic acid binding protein.
SELEX provides high affinity ligands of a target molecule. This represents a singular achievement that is unprecedented in the field of nucleic acids research. The present invention applies the SELEX procedure to the specific target of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In the Example section below, the experimental parameters used to isolate and identify the nucleic acid ligand solutions to VEGF are described.
In order to produce nucleic acids desirable for use as a pharmaceutical, it is preferred that the nucleic acid ligand 1) binds to the target in a manner capable of achieving the desired effect on the target; 2) be as small as possible to obtain the desired effect; 3) be as stable as possible; and 4) be a specific ligand to the chosen target. In most situations it is preferred that the nucleic acid ligand have the highest possible affinity to the target.
In co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/964,624, filed Oct. 21, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,938 ('938 patent), methods are described for obtaining improved nucleic acid ligands after SELEX has been performed. The '938 patent, entitled “Nucleic Acid Ligands to HIV-RT and HIV-1 Rev” is specifically incorporated herein by reference.
This invention includes the specific RNA ligands to VEGF shown in
This invention also includes the 2′-NH2 modified RNA ligands to VEGF as shown in
This invention also includes additional post-SELEX modified RNA ligands having 2′-O-methyl groups on various purine residues. In addition, nucleotides that contain phosphorothioate backbone linkages were added at the 5′ and 3′ ends of the ligands in order to reduce or prevent degradation by exonucleases. Internal backbone positions were also identified in which phosphorothioate linkages could be substituted, without the loss of binding affinity, to reduce or prevent endonucleolytic degradation. The post-SELEX modified RNA ligands provided in Table 4 (SEQ ID NOS:147–158) demonstrate an ability to inhibit the activity of exonucleases and endonucleases, without affecting binding affinities.
Further, this invention includes ssDNA ligands to VEGF. The specific ssDNA ligands are shown in Table 8 (SEQ ID NOS:159–230).
The scope of the ligands covered by this invention extends to all ssDNA ligands of VEGF identified according to the SELEX procedure. More specifically, this invention includes nucleic acid sequences that are substantially homologous to and that have substantially the same ability to bind VEGF as the specific nucleic acid ligands shown in Table 8. By substantially homologous it is meant a degree of primary sequence homology in excess of 70%, most preferably in excess of 80%. Substantially the same ability to bind VEGF means that the affinity is within one order of magnitude of the affinity of the ligands described herein. It is well within the skill of those of ordinary skill in the art to determine whether a given sequence—substantially homologous to those specifically described herein—has substantially the same ability to bind VEGF.
This invention encompasses the use of the disclosed ligands to identify a second ligand. In one embodiment, a first SELEX identified ligand which binds to a specific site of the target molecule is used to elute secondary ligands binding to the same site. In another embodiment, a first SELEX identified ligand binding to a specific site of the target molecule is used to select secondary ligands which do not bind to the same site. In this case, SELEX is conducted in the presence of the first ligand such that the binding site is saturated with the first ligand and selection occurs for ligands binding elsewhere on the target molecule. In a further embodiment analogous to the generation of anti-idiotype antibodies, a SELEX identified ligand to VEGF may itself be used as a target molecule to identify secondary ligands resembling the VEGF binding site. Such secondary ligands may compete with VEGF-substrate binding and inhibit the biological activity of VEGF.
A review of the sequence homologies of the nucleic acid ligands of VEGF shown in FIGS. 2A–F and 9A–G and Table 8 shows that sequences with little or no primary homology may have substantially the same ability to bind VEGF. For this reasons, this invention also includes nucleic acid ligands that have substantially the same structure as the ligands presented herein and the substantially the same ability to bind VEGF as the nucleic acid ligands shown in FIGS. 2A–F and 9A–G and Table 8.
The following examples are provided to explain and illustrate the present invention and are not to be taken as limiting of the invention.
Example 1 describes the experimental procedures used to generate high-affinity nucleic acid ligands to VEGF. Example 2 describes the high-affinity RNA ligands to VEGF shown in
Materials. Recombinant human VEGF (165 amino acid form; MW 46,000) was a generous gift from Dr. Napoleone Ferrara (Genentech). All other reagents and chemicals were of the highest purity available and were purchased from commercial sources.
SELEX. Essential features of the SELEX protocol have been described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,163 as well as in previous papers from these laboratories (See, e.g., Schneider et al. (1992) J. Mol. Biol. 228:862). Briefly, DNA templates for in vitro transcription (that contain a region of thirty random positions flanked by constant sequence regions) and the corresponding PCR primers were prepared chemically using established solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis protocols.
The random region was generated by utilizing an equimolar mixture of the four unmodified nucleotides during oligonucleotide synthesis. The two constant regions were designed to contain PCR primer annealing sites, primer annealing site for cDNA synthesis, T7 RNA polymerase promoter region and restriction enzyme sites that allow cloning into vectors (
Nitrocellulose Filter Binding Assays. Oligonucleotides bound to proteins can be effectively separated from the unbound species by filtration through nitrocellulose membrane filters (Yarus, M. and Berg, P. (1970) Anal. Biochem. 35:450–465; Lowary, P. T. and Uhlenbeck, O. C. (1987) Nucleic Acids Res. 15:10483–10493; Tuerk, C. and Gold, L. (1990) supra). Nitrocellulose filters (0.2 μm pore size, Schleicher and Schuell, Keene, N H) were secured on a filter manifold and washed with 4–10 ml of buffer. Following incubations of 32P labeled RNA with serial dilutions of the protein for 10 min at 37° C. in buffer (PBS) containing 0.01% human serum albumin (HSA), the solutions were applied to the filters under gentle vacuum in 45 ml aliquots and washed with 5 ml of PBS. The filters were then dried under an infrared lamp and counted in a scintillation counter.
Equilibrium Dissociation Constants. In the simplest case, equilibrium binding of RNA (R) to VEGF (P) can be described by eq. 1,
where Kd=([R][P]/[R.P]) is the equilibrium dissociation constant. Using the mass-balance equations, the fraction of bound RNA at equilibrium (q) can be expressed in terms of measurable quantities (eq. 2),
q=(f/2Rt){Pt+Rt+Kd−[(Pt+Rt+Kd)2−4PtRt]½} (2)
where Pt and Rt are total protein and total RNA concentrations and f reflects the efficiency of retention of the protein-RNA complexes on nitrocellulose filters. The average value of f for VEGF in our assays was 0.7.
Most RNA ligands exhibited biphasic binding to VEGF. For those ligands, binding of RNA to VEGF is described by a model where total RNA is assumed to be partitioned between two non-interconverting components (R1 and R2) that bind to VEGF with different affinities (eqs 3 and 4).
In this case, the fraction of total bound RNA (q) is given by eq. 5.
where χ1 and χ2(=1−c1) are the mole fractions of R1 and R2 and Kd1 and Kd2 are the corresponding dissociation constants.
Internally-labeled RNA ligands used for binding studies were prepared by in vitro transcription using T7 RNA polymerase (Milligan et al. (1987) Nucl. Acids Res. 15:8783) and were purified on denaturing polyacrylamide gels to ensure size homogeneity. All RNA ligands were diluted to about 1 nM in PBS, denatured at 90° C. for 2 minutes, and then cooled on ice prior to incubation with the protein. This denaturationlrenaturation cycle performed at high dilution is necessary to ensure that the RNA is essentially free from dimers and other higher order aggregates. Concentrations of the stock solutions of VEGF, from which other dilutions were made, were determined from the absorbance reading at 280 nm using the calculated value for ε280 of 46,600 M−1 cm−1 for the VEGF dimer (Gill et al. (1989) Anal. Biochem. 182:319). Data sets that define the binding curves were fit to either eq. 2 or eq. 5 by the non-linear least squares method using the software package Kaleidagraph (Synergy Software, Reading, Pa.).
Information Boundary Determninations. High-affinity VEGF ligands were radiolabeled at the 5′-end with γ-32P-ATP (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.) and T4 polynucleotide kinase (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.) for the 3′-boundary determinations, or at the 3′-end with α-32PCp and T4 RNA ligase (New England Biolabs) for the 5′-boundary determination. Radiolabeled RNA ligands were subjected to partial alkaline hydrolysis and then selectively bound in solution to VEGF at 5, 0.5, or 0.125 nM before being passed through nitrocellulose filters. Retained oligonucleotides were resolved on 8% denaturing polyacrylamide gels. In each experiment, the smallest radiolabeled oligonucleotide bound by VEFG at the lowest protein concentration defines the information boundary. Partial digests of the 5′- or the 3′-labelled RNA ligands with RNAse T1 (Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals, Indianapolis, Ind.) were used to mark the positions of labeled oligonucleotides ending with a guanosine.
Cloning and Sequencing. Individual members of the enriched pool were cloned into pUC18 vector and sequenced as described (Schneider, D. et al. (1992) J. Mol. Biol. 228:862–869).
Receptor Binding. VEGF was radioiodinated by the Jodegen method (Jakeman et al. (1992) J. Clin. Invest. 89:244) to a specific activity of 2.4×104 cpm/ng. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were plated in 24-well plates at a density of 1–2×105 cells/well and grown to confluence in EGM (Clonetics, San Diego, Calif.) media (24–48 hours). At confluence, the cells were washed 3 times with PBS and incubated for 2 hrs at 4° C. in α-MEM serum-free media containing 125I-labeled VEGF with or without unlabeled competitor (VEGF, EGF, or RNA). For experiments done with RNA, 0.2 units of placental RNase inhibitor (Promega, Madison, Wis.) were included in the media. It was determined that the RNA ligands were not degraded during the course of the experiment. At the end of the 2 hour incubation period, the supernatant was removed and the wells washed 2 times with PBS. HWVECs were then lysed with 1% triton X-100/1 M NaOH and the amount of cell-associated 125I-VEGF determined by gamma counting.
Approximately 1014 RNA molecules randomized at thirty contiguous positions (
Consensus Structures. In addition to allowing determination of consensus primary structures, groups of similar sequences consisting of members that share a defined functional property often contain useful clues for secondary structure prediction (James et al. (1989) Meth. Enzymnol. 180:227). The underlying assumption is that ligands with similar primary structures are capable of adopting similar secondarv structures in which the conserved residues are organized in unique, well-defined motifs. In this context, ligands which have strong, unambiguous secondary structures can provide good structural leads for other sequences within a similar set where consensus folding may be less obvious. Conserved elements of secondary structure, such as base-pairing, may also be detected through covariation analysis of aligned sequence sets (James et al. (1989) supra; Gutell et al. (1992) Nucl. Acids Res. 20:5785). The predicted consensus secondary structures for the six sequence families are shown in
The most highly conserved residues in the family 1 sequence set (A17, G19 and the CAUC sequence at positions 23–26) can be accommodated in the 9–10 nucleotide loop (SEQ ID NO:42). Base-pairing covariation between positions 16 and 27 (G-C occurs with a frequency of 8 out of 11 times (8/11) and C-G with a frequency of 3/11), positions 15 and 28 (U-G, 7/11; G-C, 3/11; U-A, 1/11) and positions 14 and 29 (G-C, 5/11; U-A, 2/11, and C-G, 1/11) supports the predicted secondary structure. It is worth noting that many ligands in this family have stable extended stems that contain up to 15 base pairs.
In the family 2 sequence set, the strongly conserved UGCCG and UUGAUG(G/U)G sequences (positions 8–12 and 26–33) are circularly permutated. In the consensus secondary structures, these nucleotides are found in an identical arrangement within or adjacent to the asymmetrical internal loop (
Family 3 and family 4 sequence sets are characterized by highly conserved contiguous stretches of 21 (GGGAACCUGCGU(C/U)UCGGCACC (SEQ ID NO:48), positions 11–31) and 15 (GGUUGAGUCUGUCCC (SEQ ID NO:49), positions 15–29) arranged in bulged hairpin motifs (
Family 5 consensus secondary structure is an asymmetrical internal loop where the conserved UAGUUGG (positions 9–15) and CCG (positions 29–31) sequences are interrupted by less conserved sequences (
Family 6 has only two sequences and therefore the concept of consensus sequence or consensus structure is less meaningful. Nevertheless, the two sequences are very similar (90% identity) and can be folded into a common motif (
Affinities. The affinity of all unique sequence clones for VEGF was screened by determining the amount of RNA bound to VEGF at two protein concentrations (1 and 10 nM). Binding of the best ligands from each of the six sequence families was then analyzed over a range of protein concentrations (
Information Boundaries. In order to determine the minimal sequence information necessary for high-affinity binding to VEGF, deletion analyses were performed with representative members from each of the six families. These experiments were done by radiolabeling RNA ligands at either the 3′ end or the 5′ end (for the 3′ or the 5′ boundary determinations, respectively) followed by limited alkaline hydrolysis, partitioning of the free and the bound RNA by nitrocellulose filtration and resolving the hydrolytic fragments that retained high affinity for VEGF on denaturing polyacrylamide gels (Tuerk et al. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 213:749). The combined information from the 3′ and the 5′ boundary experiments outlines the shortest sequence segment that has high affinity for the protein (
Competition experiments revealed that binding of all possible pairwise combinations of truncated ligands representing each of the families is mutually exclusive (100t, 44t, 12t, 40t, 84t and 126t (SEQ ID NOS:51–56, respectively). Furthermore, all of these ligands are displaced by low-molecular weight (≈5,100 Da) heparin (data not shown). Truncated ligands and low-molecular weight heparin were used in these studies in order to maximize the probability of observing non-competing ligand pairs. It appears, therefore, that although there are multiple non-isomorphic solutions to high-affinity binding to VEGF, all examined ligands may bind to the same region of the protein. Proteins in general may have “immunodominant” domains for nucleic acid ligands.
Binding of two truncated high-affinity ligands, 100t and 44t (SEQ ID NOS:51–52), to four other heparin binding proteins (bFGF, PDGF, antithrombin III and thrombin) was tested in order to address the question of specificity. Dissociation constants were determined using the nitrocellulose filter partitioning technique. Results are shown in Table 2. Binding of these ligands to VEGF in a buffer containing 10 mM dithiothreitol is at least 1000-fold weaker.
Receptor Binding. Unlabeled VEGF but not EGF was shown to inhibit binding of 125I-VEGF to HUVECs in a concentration-dependent manner (data not shown), confirming that 125I-VEGF binds to specific sites on HUVECs. As previous studies have reported (Myoken et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:5819), two classes of receptors on HUVECs were observed to bind VEGF with dissociation constants of ˜5×10−11 M (7,000 receptors/cell) and ˜5×10−10 M (20,000 receptors/cell) (
A group of truncated RNA ligands representing each of the sequence families (100t, family 1; 44t, family 2; 12t, family 3; 40t, family 4; 84t, family 5; and 126t, family 6 (SEQ ID NOS:51–56)), as well as random RNA were tested for their ability to inhibit binding of VEGF to its cell-surface receptors. All high-affinity ligands, but not random RNA, inhibited VEGF-VEGF receptor interaction in a concentration-dependent manner with half-inhibition occurring in the 20–40 nM range (
In order to generate ligands with improved stability in vivo, two SELEX experiments (A and B) targeting VEGF were initiated with separate pools of randomized RNA containing amino (NH2) functionalities at the 2′-position of each pyrimidine. Starting ligand pools for the two experiments contained approximately 1014 molecules (500 pmols) of modified RNA randomized at 30 (SELEX experiment A) and 50 (SELEX experiment B) contiguous positions. The starting RNAs and the corresponding PCR primers are defined in
Ligands with similar primary structures were grouped into 5 families and their consensus sequences are shown below each sequence set
In an attempt to further stabilize the nucleic acid ligands of the invention, certain post-SELEX modifications were done. The ligand NX107 (SEQ ID NO:147) was chosen as a model for post-SELEX modification. NX107 is a truncated version of Ligand 24A (SEQ ID NO:79) from Example 4. All of the pyrimidines in NX107 have an NH2 group substituted at the 2′-position of the ribose. This example describes substitution of O-Methyl groups at the 2′-position of the ribose of certain of the purines of NX107. Additionally, phosphorothioate nucleotides were added at the 5′ and 3′ ends of the ligands and in at least one instance, at an internal position. The various substitutions to the ligand were designed to inhibit the activity of exonucleases and endonucleases, but not affect binding affinity.
To this end, certain ligands were synthesized and tested for binding affinity. The sequences and the results of the binding studies are provided in Table 4. The binding studies were performed using the protocols described in Example 1.
In order to be able to quickly assess the effects of ligand modifications on stability to tissue nucleases, the following assay was developed. Brain, kidney, liver and spleen tissues were removed from a freshly sacrificed rat, washed in saline to remove blood, and sliced into approximately 10 mm3 pieces. Each piece was put into an Eppendorf tube with 50 μl PBS and quick frozen on dry ice. Tissues from the same rat were used for all the experiments described here. The ligand to be tested was 5′end-labeled with 32P, added to the thawed tissue slice in 80 μl PBS, and incubated at 37° C. Aliquots were withdrawn at 3, 10, 30, and 60 minutes, added to an equal volume of formamide dyes on ice, and quick-frozen on dry ice. The samples were run on a 20% denaturing acrylamide gel along with equal counts of the unincubated ligand, and a partial alkaline hydrolysate of the ligand (or a related ligand) for sequence markers. The gels were dried and exposed to X-ray film and a phosphorimager plate (for quantitation of degradation).
The VEGF ligands used in this study are shown in Table 4. Each ligand has the same core 24-mer sequence derived from a truncated 2′NH2-pyrimidine SELEXed ligand (NX-107)(SEQ ID NO:147). NX-178 (SEQ ID NO:149) is the same 2′amino pyrimidine ligand with phosphorothioate backbone linked thymidine caps at the 5′- and 3′-ends of the ligand. NX-190 (SEQ ID NO: 150) is an all DNA version of the same sequence with the above-described caps, and NX-191 (SEQ ID NO:151) is an all 2′OMe version. NX-213 (SEQ ID NO:152) is the capped amino ligand with all the purines 2′OMe substituted except four. NX-215 (SEQ ID NO:154) is the same as NX-213 with an internal phosphorothioate linkage between A7 and U8.
Tables 5 and 6 provide the results obtained by this assay on rat brain and kidney tissues as indicated by the percent of full length material found at the various time points. For this analysis, a ligand is still considered functionally intact with cuts in the phosphorothioate caps. The other tissues assayed had similar results. The post-SELEX modifications were successful in protecting the ligand from various endo- and exonucleases.
This example demonstrates the ability to obtain ssDNA ligands to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
Most of the materials and methods are the same as those described in Example 1. Two libraries of synthetic DNA oligonucleotides containing 40 random nucleotides flanked by invariant primer annealing sites were amplified by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using oligonucleotide primers as shown in Table 7 (SEQ ID NOS:237–242). The protocols for the SELEX procedure are as described by Jellinek et al. (PNAS (1993) 90:11227–11231), in the SELEX Patent Applications and in Example 1. VEGF protein binding assays, receptor binding assays, and information boundary determinations are also described in Example 1.
The ssDNA ligands identified are shown in Table 8 (SEQ ID NOS:159–220). Only the sequence of the evolved region is provided in Table 8, however, each of the clones also includes the fixed regions of either SEQ ID NO:237 or SEQ ID NO:240. Clones named with numbers only include the fixed regions of SEQ ID NO:237 and clones named with b and number included the fixed regions of SEQ ID NO:240. Truncations (information boundary determinations) were performed on a number of ligands, which is also provided in Table 8 (SEQ ID NOS:221–230). Four sequence families were obtained from the alignment of the primary sequences of these ligands and a consensus sequence generated for each family (SEQ ID NOS:231–236). Orphan sequences were also identified. Select ligands were tested in the VEGF protein binding assay with results being shown in Table 8. The starting DNA random pool bad a binding affinity Kd of approximately 200 nM. In the VEGF receptor binding assay, the truncated clone 33t (SEQ ID NO:224) had a Ki of 3 nM.
aBinding experiments were done as described in Example 2 and errors are given as standard deviations.
bFull-length and truncated ligands are listed in pairs and represent sequence families 1–6, in order.
cDissociation constant of the higher-affinity binding component as defined in eq. 5.
dMole fraction of the high-affinity binding component as defined in eq. 5.
eDissociation constant of the lower-affinity binding component as defined in eq. 5.
fDissociation constant for ligand 40t was determined by fitting the data points to eq. 2.
T*T*T*T* ACCCUG AUG GUA GAC GCC GGG GUG T*T*T*T*T
T*T*T*T* ACC CTG ATG GTA GAC GTT GGG GTG T*T*T*T*T
T*T*T*T* ACC CUG AUG GUA GAC GCC GGG GUG T*T*T*T*T
T*T*T*T* ACCCUG AUG GUA GAC GCC GGG GUG T*T*T*T*T
T*T*T*T* ACCCUG AUG GUA GAC GCC GGG GUG T*T*T*T*T
T*T*T*T* ACCCUG A*UG GUA GAC GCC GGG GUG T*T*T*T*T
N = 2′NH2
N = 2′OMe:2′OH::2:1
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,474, filed May 18, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,696,252, entitled “High-Affinity Oligonucleotide Ligands to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)”, which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/156,824, filed Sep. 18, 1998, now abandoned, entitled “High-Affinity Oligonucleotide Ligands to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF),” which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/447,169, filed May 19, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,533, entitled “High-Affinity Oligonucleotide Ligands to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)”. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,474 is also a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/233,012, filed Apr. 25, 1994 entitled “High-Affinity Oligonucleotide Ligands to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF),” now U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,479. All applications cited herein are expressly incorporated in their entirety by this reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5270163 | Gold et al. | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5459015 | Janjic et al. | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5476766 | Gold et al. | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5811533 | Gold et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5849479 | Janjic et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2 183 661 | Jun 1987 | GB |
| WO 8906694 | Jul 1989 | WO |
| WO 9119813 | Dec 1991 | WO |
| WO 9214843 | Sep 1992 | WO |
| WO 9408050 | Apr 1994 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20030176680 A1 | Sep 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09860474 | May 2001 | US |
| Child | 10409565 | US | |
| Parent | 09156824 | Sep 1998 | US |
| Child | 09860474 | US | |
| Parent | 08447169 | May 1995 | US |
| Child | 09156824 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 08233012 | Apr 1994 | US |
| Child | 08447169 | US | |
| Parent | 07964624 | Oct 1992 | US |
| Child | 08205515 | Mar 1994 | US |
| Parent | 07714131 | Jun 1991 | US |
| Child | 07964624 | US | |
| Parent | 07536428 | Jun 1990 | US |
| Child | 07714131 | US |
