Anti-DPP4 monoclonal antibody, clone CB6c [APC]

Using 2-chloro-trityl chloride resin as a solid phase carrier, a linear peptide was synthesized by Fmoc solid phase synthesis followed by liquid phase cyclization. After separation and purification by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), cyclic octapeptide samoamide A was prepared. The synthesis yield was 54.5%. The structure of cyclic octapeptide samoamide A was characterized by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. The biological activity was evaluated by the CCK-8 assay and DPP4 enzyme activity inhibition assay. This compound exhibited high antitumor activity. Using samoamide A as a lead compound, eight cyclic octapeptide samoamide A derivatives (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h) were designed and synthesized using the alanine scanning method. The molecular weight and chemical structure of these derivatives were verified by ESI-MS and NMR, and the antitumor activity of the derivatives was analyzed. The antitumor activity of compound f was similar to that of samoamide A, and its replacement site is the non-active site of samoamide A, providing a theoretical basis for further modification and transformation of samoamide A.

Post-translational modification of chemokines mediated by the dipeptidyl peptidase DPP4 (CD26) has been shown to negatively regulate lymphocyte trafficking, and its inhibition enhances T cell migration and tumor immunity by preserving functional chemokine CXCL10. By extending those initial findings to pre-clinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer, we discovered a distinct mechanism by which inhibition of DPP4 improves anti-tumor responses. Administration of the DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin resulted in higher concentrations of the chemokine CCL11 and increased migration of eosinophils into solid tumors. Enhanced tumor control was preserved in mice lacking lymphocytes and was ablated after depletion of eosinophils or treatment with degranulation inhibitors. We further demonstrated that tumor-cell expression of the alarmin IL-33 was necessary and sufficient for eosinophil-mediated anti-tumor responses and that this mechanism contributed to the efficacy of checkpoint-inhibitor therapy. These findings provide insight into IL-33- and eosinophil-mediated tumor control, revealed when endogenous mechanisms of DPP4 immunoregulation are inhibited.