title: Isolation and characterization of human monoclonal antibodies specific to MMP-1A, MMP-2 and MMP-3.
abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of more than 20 zinc-containing endopeptidases, are up-regulated in many diseases, but the use of MMP inhibitors for therapeutic purposes has often been disappointing, possibly for the limited specificity of the drugs used in clinical trials. In principle, individual MMPs could be specifically drugged by monoclonal antibodies, either by inhibition of their catalytic activity or by antibody-based pharmacodelivery strategies. In this article we describe the isolation and affinity maturation of recombinant antibodies (SP1, SP2, SP3) specific to the murine catalytic domains of MMP-1A, MMP-2 and MMP-3. These novel reagents allowed a systematic comparative immunofluorescence analysis of the expression patterns of their cognate antigens in a variety of healthy, cancerous and arthritic murine tissues. While all three MMPs were strongly expressed in tumor and arthritis specimens, MMP-1A was completely undetectable in the normal tissues tested, while MMP-2 and MMP-3 exhibited a weak expression in certain normal tissues (e.g., liver). The new antibodies may serve as building blocks for the development of antibody-based therapy strategies in mouse models of pathology.
authors.affiliation: ETH Zürich HCI G396, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pfaffen
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hemmerle
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neri
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001168:Arthritis / Q000201:enzymology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057127:Single-Chain Antibodies / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007527:Isoenzymes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D057127:Single-Chain Antibodies; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1; C425310:Mmp1a protein, mouse