Crystal structures of immunoglobulin Fc heterodimers reveal the molecular basis for heterodimer formation

Abstract

We determined the X-ray crystal structure of an immunoglobulin fragment crystallizable (Fc) heterodimer, EW-RVT, at a resolution of 2.5Å and found that the designed asymmetric interaction residues located in the heterodimeric CH3 interface favor Fc heterodimer formation. We further generated an inter-CH3 disulfide-bonded heterodimeric Fc variant, EW-RVT(S-S), which exhibited improved heterodimer formation and thermodynamic stability compared with the parent EW-RVT variant. The crystal structure of EW-RVTS-S superimposed very closely with the wild-type Fc structure. Our results provide the detailed structure of heterodimeric Fc scaffolds, which will be useful for the generation of immunoglobulin G (IgG)-like bispecific antibodies.

Keywords: Asymmetric disulfide bonds; Bispecific antibody; CH3 domain interface; Fc engineering; Immunoglobulin Fc heterodimer; Thermal stability.