Structural and Physical Basis for Anti-IgE Therapy

Sci Rep. 2015 Jun 26:5:11581. doi: 10.1038/srep11581.

Abstract

Omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody, used to treat severe allergic asthma and chronic idiopathic urticaria, binds to IgE in blood or membrane-bound on B lymphocytes but not to IgE bound to its high (FcεRI) or low (CD23) affinity receptor. Mutagenesis studies indicate overlapping FcεRI and omalizumab-binding sites in the Cε3 domain, but crystallographic studies show FcεRI and CD23-binding sites that are far apart, so how can omalizumab block IgE from binding both receptors? We report a 2.42-Å omalizumab-Fab structure, a docked IgE-Fc/omalizumab-Fab structure consistent with available experimental data, and the free energy contributions of IgE residues to binding omalizumab, CD23, and FcεRI. These results provide a structural and physical basis as to why omalizumab cannot bind receptor-bound IgE and why omalizumab-bound IgE cannot bind to CD23/FcεRI. They reveal the key IgE residues and their roles in binding omalizumab, CD23, and FcεRI.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / immunology
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / metabolism
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / chemistry*
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / metabolism
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / therapeutic use
  • Asthma / drug therapy
  • Asthma / immunology
  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin E / chemistry*
  • Immunoglobulin E / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutation
  • Omalizumab / chemistry*
  • Omalizumab / metabolism
  • Omalizumab / therapeutic use
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Receptors, IgE / chemistry
  • Receptors, IgE / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic
  • Receptors, IgE
  • anti-IgE antibodies
  • Omalizumab
  • Immunoglobulin E