Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Feb 2023)

A universal GlycoDesign for lysosomal replacement enzymes to improve circulation time and biodistribution

  • Yen-Hsi Chen,
  • Yen-Hsi Chen,
  • Weihua Tian,
  • Weihua Tian,
  • Makiko Yasuda,
  • Zilu Ye,
  • Zilu Ye,
  • Ming Song,
  • Ulla Mandel,
  • Claus Kristensen,
  • Lorenzo Povolo,
  • André R. A. Marques,
  • Tomislav Čaval,
  • Tomislav Čaval,
  • Albert J. R. Heck,
  • Julio Lopes Sampaio,
  • Ludger Johannes,
  • Takahiro Tsukimura,
  • Takahiro Tsukimura,
  • Robert Desnick,
  • Sergey Y. Vakhrushev,
  • Zhang Yang,
  • Zhang Yang,
  • Henrik Clausen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1128371
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Currently available enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage diseases are limited in their effectiveness due in part to short circulation times and suboptimal biodistribution of the therapeutic enzymes. We previously engineered Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to produce α-galactosidase A (GLA) with various N-glycan structures and demonstrated that elimination of mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) and conversion to homogeneous sialylated N-glycans prolonged circulation time and improved biodistribution of the enzyme following a single-dose infusion into Fabry mice. Here, we confirmed these findings using repeated infusions of the glycoengineered GLA into Fabry mice and further tested whether this glycoengineering approach, Long-Acting-GlycoDesign (LAGD), could be implemented on other lysosomal enzymes. LAGD-engineered CHO cells stably expressing a panel of lysosomal enzymes [aspartylglucosamine (AGA), beta-glucuronidase (GUSB), cathepsin D (CTSD), tripeptidyl peptidase (TPP1), alpha-glucosidase (GAA) or iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS)] successfully converted all M6P-containing N-glycans to complex sialylated N-glycans. The resulting homogenous glycodesigns enabled glycoprotein profiling by native mass spectrometry. Notably, LAGD extended the plasma half-life of all three enzymes tested (GLA, GUSB, AGA) in wildtype mice. LAGD may be widely applicable to lysosomal replacement enzymes to improve their circulatory stability and therapeutic efficacy.

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