title: Antibody variable region binding by Staphylococcal protein A: thermodynamic analysis and location of the Fv binding site on E-domain.
abstract: Immunoglobulins of human heavy chain subgroup III have a binding site for Staphylococcal protein A on the heavy chain variable domain (V(H)), in addition to the well-known binding site on the Fc portion of the antibody. Thermodynamic characterization of this binding event and localization of the Fv-binding site on a domain of protein A is described. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to characterize the interaction between protein A or fragments of protein A and variants of the hu4D5 antibody Fab fragment. Analysis of binding isotherms obtained for titration of hu4D5 Fab with intact protein A suggests that 3-4 of the five immunoglobulin binding domains of full length protein A can bind simultaneously to Fab with a Ka of 5.5+/-0.5 x 10(5) M(-1). A synthetic single immunoglobulin binding domain, Z-domain, does not bind appreciably to hu4D5 Fab, but both the E and D domains are functional for hu4D5 Fab binding. Thermodynamic parameters for titration of the E-domain with hu4D5 Fab are n = 1.0+/-0.1, Ka = 2.0+/-0.3 x 10(5) M(-1), and deltaH = -7.1+/-0.4 kcal mol(-1). Similar binding thermodynamics are obtained for titration of the isolated V(H) domain with E-domain indicating that the E-domain binding site on Fab resides within V(H). E-domain binding to an IgG1 Fc yields a higher affinity interaction with thermodynamic parameters n = 2.2+/-0.1, Ka > 1.0 x 10(7) M(-1), and deltaH = -24.6+/-0.6 kcal mol(-1). Fc does not compete with Fab for binding to E-domain indicating that the two antibody fragments bind to different sites. Amide 1H and 15N resonances that undergo large changes in NMR chemical shift upon Fv binding map to a surface defined by helix-2 and helix-3 of E-domain, distinct from the Fc-binding site observed in the crystal structure of the B-domain/Fc complex. The Fv-binding region contains negatively charged residues and a small hydrophobic patch which complements the basic surface of the region of the V(H) domain implicated previously in protein A binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Protein Engineering, Grenentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080, USA. star@gene.com
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Starovasnik
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Fairbrother
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Kelley
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A