Characterization of an IgG-Cleaving Protease from Streptococcus equi with Improved Activity Against Mouse IgGs

摘要

The Immunoglobulin-degrading enzyme from Streptococcus pyogenes (IdeS), which cleaves IgG molecules with exquisite specificity below the hinge region, is a valuable tool for characterization of therapeutic antibody candidates. Following reduction, three IgG fragments of approximately 25 kDa are produced after IdeS digestion which confer advantages in downstream LC-MS analysis including improved chromatographic separation of variants and improved ability to detect modifications in the mass spectrometer. While IdeS efficiently cleaves human IgG, it has minimal activity against mouse IgGs.