The present invention relates to novel antibodies capable of binding specifically to the human insulin-like growth factor I receptor IGF-IR and/or capable of specifically inhibiting the tyrosine kinase activity of said IGF-IR, especially monoclonal antibodies of murine, chimeric and humanized origin, as well as the amino acid and nucleic acid sequences coding for these antibodies. The invention likewise comprises the use of these antibodies as a medicament for the prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment of cancers overexpressing IGF-IR or any pathology connected with the overexpression of said receptor as well as in processes or kits for diagnosis of illnesses connected with the overexpression of the IGF-IR. The invention finally comprises products and/or compositions comprising such antibodies in combination with anti-EGFR antibodies and/or anti-VEGF antibodies and/or antibodies directed against other growth factors involved in tumor progression or metastasis and/or compounds and/or anti-cancer agents or agents conjugated with toxins and their use for the prevention and/or the treatment of certain cancers.
The insulin-like growth factor I receptor called IGF-IR is a well described receptor with tyrosine kinase activity having 70% homology with the insulin receptor IR. IGF-IR is a glycoprotein of molecular weight approximately 350,000.
It is a hetero-tetrameric receptor of which each half-linked by disulfide bridges is composed of an extracellular α-subunit and of a transmembrane β-subunit. IGF-IR binds IGF1 and IGF2 with a very high affinity (Kd #1 nM) but is equally capable of binding to insulin with an affinity 100 to 1000 times less. Conversely, the IR binds insulin with a very high affinity although the IGFs only bind to the insulin receptor with a 100 times lower affinity. The tyrosine kinase domain of IGF-IR and of IR has a very high sequence homology although the zones of weaker homology respectively concern the cysteine-rich region situated on the α-subunit and the C-terminal part of the β-subunit. The sequence differences observed in the α-subunit are situated in the binding zone of the ligands and are therefore at the origin of the relative affinities of IGF-IR and of IR for the IGFs and insulin respectively. The differences in the C-terminal part of the β-subunit result in a divergence in the signalling pathways of the two receptors; IGF-IR mediating mitogenic, differentiation and anti-apoptosis effects, while the activation of the IR principally involves effects at the level of the metabolic pathways (Baserga et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1332:F105-126, 1997; Baserga R., Exp. Cell. Res., 253:1-6, 1999).
The cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase proteins are activated by the binding of the ligand to the extracellular domain of the receptor. The activation of the kinases in its turn involves the stimulation of different intra-cellular substrates, including IRS-1, IRS-2, Shc and Grb 10 (Peruzzi F. et al., J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol., 125:166-173, 1999). The two major substrates of IGF-IR are IRS and Shc which mediate, by the activation of numerous effectors downstream, the majority of the growth and differentiation effects connected with the attachment of the IGFs to this receptor. The availability of substrates can consequently dictate the final biological effect connected with the activation of the IGF-IR. When IRS-1 predominates, the cells tend to proliferate and to transform. When Shc dominates, the cells tend to differentiate (Valentinis B. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 274:12423-12430, 1999). It seems that the route principally involved for the effects of protection against apoptosis is the phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinases (PI 3-kinases) route (Prisco M. et al., Horm. Metab. Res., 31:80-89, 1999; Peruzzi F. et al., J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol., 125:166-173, 1999).
The role of the IGF system in carcinogenesis has become the subject of intensive research in the last ten years. This interest followed the discovery of the fact that in addition to its mitogenic and antiapoptosis properties, IGF-IR seems to be required for the establishment and the maintenance of a transformed phenotype. In fact, it has been well established that an overexpression or a constitutive activation of IGF-IR leads, in a great variety of cells, to a growth of the cells independent of the support in media devoid of fetal calf serum, and to the formation of tumors in nude mice. This in itself is not a unique property since a great variety of products of overexpressed genes can transform cells, including a good number of receptors of growth factors. However, the crucial discovery which has clearly demonstrated the major role played by IGF-IR in the transformation has been the demonstration that the R-cells, in which the gene coding for IGF-IR has been inactivated, are totally refractory to transformation by different agents which are usually capable of transforming the cells, such as the E5 protein of bovine papilloma virus, an overexpression of EGFR or of PDGFR, the T antigen of SV 40, activated ras or the combination of these two last factors (Sell C. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 90:11217-11221, 1993; Sell C. et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 14:3604-3612, 1994; Morrione A. J., Virol., 69:5300-5303, 1995; Coppola D. et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 14:4588-4595, 1994; DeAngelis T. et al., J. Cell. Physiol., 164:214-221, 1995).
IGF-IR is expressed in a great variety of tumors and of tumor lines and the IGFs amplify the tumor growth via their attachment to IGF-IR. Other arguments in favor of the role of IGF-IR in carcinogenesis come from studies using murine monoclonal antibodies directed against the receptor or using negative dominants of IGF-IR. In effect, murine monoclonal antibodies directed against IGF-IR inhibit the proliferation of numerous cell lines in culture and the growth of tumor cells in vivo (Arteaga C. et al., Cancer Res., 49:6237-6241, 1989; Li et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Com., 196:92-98, 1993; Zia F. et al., J. Cell. Biol., 24:269-275, 1996; Scotlandi K. et al., Cancer Res., 58:4127-4131, 1998). It has likewise been shown in the works of Jiang et al. (Oncogene, 18:6071-6077, 1999) that a negative dominant of IGF-IR is capable of inhibiting tumor proliferation.
Cancer pathologies are characterized by an uncontrolled cellular growth. In several cancer, growth factors are specifically binding with their receptors and then transmit growth, transformation and/or survival signals to the tumoral cell. The growth factor receptors over-expression at the tumoral cell surface is largely described (Salomon D. S. et al., Crit. Rev. Oncol. Hematol., 1995, 19:183; Burrow S. et al., J. Surg. Oncol., 1998, 69:21; Hakam A. et al., Hum. Pathol., 1999, 30:1128; Railo M. J. et al., Eur. J. Cancer, 1994, 30:307; Happerfield L. C. et al., J. Pathol., 1997, 183:412). This over-expression, or abnormal activation, leading to a direct perturbation of cellular growth regulation mechanisms, can also affect the cell sensibility to induced apoptose by classical chemotherapies or radiotherapies.
During last few years, it has been shown that the targeting of growth factor receptors, like EGFR or Her2/neu over-expressed on the tumoral cell surface, with respectively humanized (Herceptin®) or chimeric (C225) antibodies results in an significant inhibition of the tumoral growth in patients and in a significant increase of the efficacity of classical chemotherapy treatments (Carter P., Nature Rev. Cancer, 2001, 1(2):118; Hortobagyi G. N., Semin. Oncol., 2001, 28:43; Herbst R. S. et al., Semin. Oncol., 2002, 29:27). Other receptors like IGF-IR or VEGF-R (for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor) have been identified as potential target in several preclinical studies.
More particularly, IGF-IR is part of the tyrosine kinase receptors. It shows a high homology with the Insulin receptor (IR) which exist under two isoforms A and B.
Sequences of IR, isoforms A and B, are registered under Accession Numbers X02160 and M10051, respectively, in the NCBI Genbank. Other data, without limitations, relating to IR are incorporated herein by references (Vinten et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:249-252; Belfiore et al., 2002, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277:39684-39695; Dumesic et al., 2004, The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism, 89(7):3561-3566).
The IGF-IR and IR are tetrameric glycoproteins composed of two extracellular α- and two transmembrane β-subunits linked by disulfide bonds. Each α-subunit, containing the ligand-binding site is approximately 130- to 135-kDa, whereas each β-subunit containing the tyrosine kinase domain is approximately 90- to 95-kDa. These receptors share more than 50% overall amino acid sequence similarity and 84% similarity in the tyrosine kinase domain. After ligand binding, phosphorylated receptors recruit and phosphorylate docking proteins, including the insulin receptor substrate-1 protein family (IRS1), Gab1 and Shc (Avruch, 1998, Mol. Cell. Biochem., 182, 31-48; Roth et al., 1988, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 53, 537-543; White, 1998, Mol. Cell. Biochem., 182, 3-11; Laviola et al., 1997, J. Clin. Invest. 99, 830-837; Cheatham et al., 1995, Endocr. Rev. 16, 117-142), leading to the activation of different intracellular mediators. Although both the IR and IGF-IR similarly activate major signalling pathways, differences exist in the recruitment of certain docking proteins and intracellular mediators between both receptors (Sasaoka et al., 1996, Endocrinology 137, 4427-4434; Nakae et al., 2001, Endocr. Rev. 22, 818-835; Dupont and Le Roith 2001, Horn. Res. 55, Suppl. 2, 22-26; Koval et al., 1998, Biochem. J. 330, 923-932). These differences are the basis for the predominant metabolic effects elicited by IR activation and the predominant mitogenic, transforming and anti-apoptotic effects elicited by IGF-IR activation (De Meyts et al., 1995, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 766, 388-401; Singh et al., 2000, Prisco et al., 1999, Horm. Metab. Res. 31, 80-89; Kido et al. 2001, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 86, 972-979). Insulin binds with high affinity to the IR (100-fold higher than to the IGF-IR), whereas insulin-like growth factors (IGF1 and IGF2) bind to the IGF-IR with 100-fold higher affinity than to the IR.
The human IR exists in two isoforms, IR-A and IR-B, generated by alternative splicing of the IR gene that either excludes or includes 12 amino acid residues encoded by a small exon (exon 11) at the carboxy-terminus of the IR α-subunit. The relative abundance of IR isoforms is regulated by tissue specific and unknown factors (Moller et al., 1989, Mol. Endocrinol., 3, 1263-1269; Mosthaf et al., 1990, EMBO J., 9, 2409-2413). IR-B is the predominant IR isoform in normal adult tissues (adipose tissue, liver and muscle) that are major target tissues for the metabolic effects of insulin (Moller et al., 1989; Mosthaf et al., 1990). IR-A is the predominant isoform in fetal tissues and mediates fetal growth in response to IGF2 (Frasca et al., 1999, Mol. Cell. Biol., 19, 3278-3288), as also suggested by genetic studies carried out in transgenic mice (DeChiara et al., 1990, Nature 345, 78-80; Louvi et al., 1997, Dev. Biol. 189, 33-48). Moreover, when cells transform and become malignant, dedifferentiation is often associated with an increased IR-A relative abundance (Pandini et al., 2002, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 277, No 42, pp 39684-39695).
Given the high degree of homology, the insulin and IGF-I half-receptors (composed of one α- and one β-subunit) can heterodimerize, leading to the formation of insulin/IGF-I hybrid receptors (Hybrid-R) (Soos et al., 1990, Biochem J., 270, 383-390; Kasuya et al., 1993, Biochemistry 32, 13531-13536; Seely et al., 1995, Endocrinology 136, 1635-1641; Bailyes et al., 1997, Biochem J. 327, 209-215).
Both IR isoforms are equally able to form hybrids with IGF-IR. Hybrid-R, however, have different functional characteristics. Hybrid-RsB has reduced affinity for IGF1 and especially for IGF2. In contrast, Hybrid-RsA has a high affinity for IGF1 and bind also IGF2 and insulin at a physiological concentration range. The expression of Hybrid-RsA up-regulates the IGF system by two different mechanisms i) binding (with high affinity) and activation by both IGF1 and IGF2 (which do not occur with the Hybrid-RsB), ii) activation of the IGF-IR pathway after insulin binding. Insulin binding to Hybrid-RsA phosphorylates the IGF-IR β-subunit and activates an IGF-IR-specific substrate (CrkII) so that Hybrid-RsA shifts insulin to IGF-IR signaling (Pandini et al., 2002).
In several tissues, like liver, spleen or placenta, Hybrid-R are more represented than IGF-IR (Bailyes et al., 1997). As tumor tissues overexpress, or present an abnormal activation, both IGF-IR and IR-A (Frasca et al., 1999; Sciacca et al., 1999, Oncogene 18, 2471-2479; Vella et al., 2001, Mol. Pathol., 54, 121-124), Hybrid-RsA may also be overexpressed in a variety of human malignancies, including thyroid and breast cancers providing a selective growth advantage to malignant cells able to respond by a type IGF-IR signalisation following a stimulation by IGF1 and/or IGF2 but also by insulin at physiological concentrations (Bailyes et al., 1997; Pandini et al., 1999, Clin. Cancer Res., 5, 1935-1944; Belfiore et al., 1999, Biochimie (Paris) 81, 403-407; Frasca et al. 1999, Sciacca et al., 1999; Vella et al., 2001).
The realisation of such “therapeutic tools” able to block in the same time the two receptors is of particular interest as they will allow to avoid the escape phenomena mediated by the expression, or abnormal activation, in a same tumor of IGF-IR and hybrid-R.
Regarding the increasing interest on IGF-IR and, more particularly, monoclonal antibodies able to bind to, or inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity of, IGF-IR, the applicants have already developed and characterized a humanized monoclonal antibody called 7C10 or h7C10 (coded F50035). An international patent application PCT/FR 03/00178 relating to this antibody and its uses have been filed and published on 24 Jul. 2003 under the publication number WO 03/059951. The content of this patent application is incorporated herein by reference.