Optimal humanization of 1B4, an anti-CD18 murine monoclonal antibody, is achieved by correct choice of human V-region framework sequences

The murine anti-CD18 mAb 1B4 has been humanized using CDR grafting. Three VH (Gal, Jon, and New) and two VL (Rei and Len) human frameworks, whose selection was based exclusively on their sequence identity with m1B4, were used to construct five human gamma 4/kappa recombinant antibodies: Gal/Rei, Gal/Len, Jon/Rei, and New/Rei, and a "hemichimeric" antibody pairing the VH of m1B4 with grafted Rei. Each of these h1B4 constructs completely inhibited the binding of m1B4 to activated human leukocytes with avidities (IC50) ranging from 1.5 to 8.0 nM, compared to 0.5 nM for m1B4. Replacement of three VH residues in the best VH framework, Gal, with the corresponding m1B4 "packing" (nonsolvent exposed) residues gave an h1B4 (mutant Gal/Rei) with the same avidity as m1B4. Avidity correlated with overall percent identity between the human and murine VH frameworks and, in particular, with conservation of "packing" residues. Rei and Len VL frameworks proved to be interchangeable. Further characterization showed that the Gal/Rei prototype was equipotent to m1B4 in blocking adhesion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes to human vascular endothelium in vitro, and polymorphonuclear leukocyte extravasation into C5a-injected rabbit or monkey skin sites. Dual-label immunofluorescence microscopy of bone marrow cells with Gal/Rei h1B4 and m1B4 demonstrated that the fine specificity of the combining sites had not been altered by humanization. Reduced immunogenicity was demonstrated in rhesus monkeys that tolerated weekly treatment with h1B4 for 6 wk, whereas m1B4 induced profound anaphylaxis at 3 wk. Anti-1B4 titers in h1B4-treated rhesus were 50 to 66% lower and developed 1 wk later than in m1B4-treated monkeys. Crucially, the anti-h1B4 antibodies were anti-idiotypic while the anti-m1B4 antibodies were directed against constant and framework regions. We conclude that sequence identity searches are sufficient to identify suitable human frameworks for CDR-grafting of m1B4, yielding functionally equivalent humanized antibodies that are tolerated better in primates.