Histidine engineered light chain antibodies and genetically modified non-human animals for generating same

1. A method of obtaining a nucleic acid encoding a human immunoglobulin variable domain of an antigen-binding protein, comprising isolating from a B cell of a non-human animal, or a hybridoma produced from the B cell, either or both:

(i) a first nucleic acid comprising a first sequence that encodes a human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain, and/or

(ii) a second nucleic acid comprising a second sequence that encodes a human immunoglobulin light chain variable domain;

wherein the non-human animal comprises in its germline genome both:

(a) an immunoglobulin heavy chain locus that comprises an unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene sequence comprising human V H , D H , and J H segments, and

(b) an immunoglobulin light chain locus that comprises a single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence comprising either

a human Vκ1-39 gene segment rearranged with a human Jκ5 gene segment, or

a human Vκ3-20 gene segment rearranged with a human Jκ1 gene segment,

wherein the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence comprises a substitution of at least one non-histidine codon of the Vκ segment sequence with a histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position (according to IMGT numbering); and wherein the human Vκ1-39 gene segment is a germline human Vκ1-39 gene segment but for the histidine substitution or the human Vκ3-20 gene segment is a germline human Vκ3-20 gene segment but for the histidine substitution; and wherein the second sequence is derived from the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence and comprises the histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising immunizing the non-human animal with an antigen of interest, and allowing the animal to mount an immune response to the antigen of interest before isolating the first and/or second nucleic acid(s), wherein the human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain and/or the human immunoglobulin light chain variable domain specifically binds the antigen of interest.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and/or second nucleic acid(s) comprises at least one somatic hypermutation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first nucleic acid further comprises, in operable linkage to the first sequence, an endogenous non-human immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene sequence and/or wherein second nucleic acid further comprises, in operable linkage to the second sequence, an endogenous non-human immunoglobulin light chain constant region gene sequence.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising replacing in the first nucleic acid the endogenous non-human immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene sequence with a human immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene sequence and/or replacing in the second nucleic acid the endogenous non-human immunoglobulin light chain constant region gene sequence with a human immunoglobulin light chain constant region gene sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-human animal lacks a functional unrearranged immunoglobulin κ light chain variable region.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CDR3 position is selected from the group consisting of 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111 and a combination thereof (according to IMGT numbering).

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the substitution is of one, two, three, or four CDR3 codon(s).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region is derived from a rearranged Vκ1-39/Jκ5 gene sequence, and wherein the Vκ1-39/Jκ5 gene sequence comprises a replacement of at least one non-histidine codon with a histidine codon designed to express a histidine at a position selected from the group consisting of 105, 106, 108, 111, and a combination thereof (according to IMGT numbering).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region is derived from a rearranged Vκ3-20/Jκ1 gene sequence, and wherein the Vκ3-20/Jκ1 gene sequence comprises a replacement of at least one non-histidine codon with a histidine codon designed to express a histidine at position selected from the group consisting of 105, 106, 107, 109, and a combination thereof (according to IMGT numbering).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-human animal is a rodent selected from a rat, a mouse and a hamster.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the rodent is a rat or a mouse.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the rodent is a mouse.

14. A nucleic acid obtained by the method of claim 1 .

15. A nucleic acid obtained by the method of claim 5 .

16. A cell comprising the nucleic acid of claim 14 .

17. A cell comprising the nucleic acid of claim 15 .

18. A method of obtaining a cell that expresses a human immunoglobulin variable domain with at least one histidine comprising isolating a B cell from a non-human animal that comprises in its germline genome both:

(a) an immunoglobulin heavy chain locus that comprises an unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene sequence comprising human V H , D H , and J H segments, and

(b) an immunoglobulin light chain locus that comprises a single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence comprising either

a human Vκ1-39 gene segment rearranged with a human Jκ5 gene segment, or

a human Vκ3-20 gene segment rearranged with a human Jκ1 gene segment,

wherein the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence comprises a substitution of at least one non-histidine codon of the Vκ segment sequence with a histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position (according to IMGT numbering), and wherein the human Vκ1-39 gene segment is a germline human Vκ1-39 gene segment but for the histidine substitution or the human Vκ3-20 gene segment is a germline human Vκ3-20 gene segment but for the histidine substitution, wherein the B cell expresses a nucleic acid that is derived from the single rearranged human immunoglobulin light chain variable region gene sequence and comprises the histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising producing a hybridoma from the isolated B cell.

20. A B cell obtained according to the method of claim 18 .

21. An in vitro method of making a human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain comprising:

expressing in a host cell one or more nucleotides comprising the first and/or second sequences, respectively, of the first and/or second nucleic acids obtained according to the method of claim 1 .

22. An in vitro method of making a human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain comprising:

expressing in a host cell one or more nucleotides comprising the first and/or second sequences, respectively, of the first and/or second nucleic acids obtained according to the method of claim 5 .

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Vκ1-39 gene segment sequence consists essentially of a substitution of at least one non-histidine codon with a histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position (according to IMGT numbering).

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein the Vκ1-39 gene segment sequence consists essentially of a substitution of at least one non-histidine codon with a histidine codon that is expressed at a CDR3 position (according to IMGT numbering).