Mass spectrometry-based de novo sequencing of the anti-FLAG-M2 antibody using multiple proteases and a dual fragmentation scheme

preprint · bioRxiv · 2021

preprint · bioRxiv · 2021. Weiwei Peng et al. Antibody sequence information is crucial to understanding the structural basis for antigen binding and…
Date 2021-01-08
Type preprint
Venue bioRxiv
Publisher openRxiv
Contribution downstream-application
DOI 10.1101/2021.01.07.425675
Citations (OpenAlex) 3

Abstract

Antibody sequence information is crucial to understanding the structural basis for antigen binding and enables the use of antibodies as therapeutics and research tools. Here we demonstrate a method for direct de novo sequencing of monoclonal IgG from the purified antibody products. The method uses a panel of multiple complementary proteases to generate suitable peptides for de novo sequencing by LC-MS/MS in a bottom-up fashion. Furthermore, we apply a dual fragmentation scheme, using both stepped high-energy collision dissociation (stepped HCD) and electron transfer high-energy collision dissociation (EThcD) on all peptide precursors. The method achieves full sequence coverage of the monoclonal antibody Herceptin, with an accuracy of 99% in the variable regions. We applied the method to sequence the widely used anti-FLAG-M2 mouse monoclonal antibody, which we successfully validated by remodeling a high-resolution crystal structure of the Fab and demonstrating binding to a FLAG-tagged target protein in Western blot analysis. The method thus offers robust and reliable sequences of monoclonal antibodies.

Authors

  1. Weiwei Peng · Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Utrecht University
  2. Matti F Pronker · Utrecht University
  3. Joost Snijder · Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Utrecht University

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