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Human IgG Fc glycosylation modulates immunological effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and phagocytosis. Engineering of Fc glycans therefore enables fine-tuning of the therapeutic properties of monoclonal antibodies. The N-linked glycans of Fc are typically complex-type, forming a network of noncovalent interactions along the protein surface of the Cγ2 domain. Here, we manipulate the mammalian glycan-processing pathway to trap IgG1 Fc at sequential stages of maturation, from oligomannose- to hybrid- to complex-type glycans, and show that the Fc is structurally stabilized following the transition of glycans from their hybrid- to complex-type state. X-ray crystallographic analysis of this hybrid-type intermediate reveals that N-linked glycans undergo conformational changes upon maturation, including a flip within the trimannosyl core. Our crystal structure of this intermediate reveals a molecular basis for antibody biogenesis and provides a template for the structure-guided engineering of the protein-glycan interface of therapeutic antibodies.

Original publication

DOI

10.1021/ja306068g

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Am Chem Soc

Publication Date

24/10/2012

Volume

134

Pages

17554 - 17563

Keywords

Crystallography, X-Ray, Humans, Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments, Models, Molecular, Molecular Structure, Polysaccharides, Protein Folding