Anti-IL-2 antibodies and compositions and uses thereof
The present invention provides antibodies, or antigen-binding portions thereof, which specifically bind to IL-2 and reduce the affinity of IL-2 binding to IL-2Rα and IL-2Rβ. The invention further provides a method of obtaining such antibodies and nucleic acids encoding the same. The invention further relates to compositions and therapeutic methods for use of these antibodies for the treatment and/or prevention of autoimmune diseases, disorders or conditions and for immunosuppression, including, but not limited to, administering a complex comprising the antibody and IL-2.
1. An isolated nucleic acid encoding a heavy chain, a light chain, or both a heavy chain and a light chain of an antibody or an antigen-binding portion thereof that specifically binds human interleukin-2 (hIL-2), wherein said nucleic acid comprises:
(a) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 48;
(b) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 49; or
(c) the nucleotide sequence pairs
SEQ ID NOs: 48 and 49.
2. A vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim 1 .
3. A host cell comprising the nucleic acid of claim 2 .
4. The host cell of claim 3 , wherein the cell is a mammalian cell.
5. A method of producing an antibody or an antigen-binding portion thereof that specifically binds human interleukin-2 (hIL-2), said method comprising:
a) culturing the host cell of claim 4 under conditions that allow said antibody or antigen-binding portion to be expressed, wherein the host cell comprises nucleotide sequences coding the heavy chain and light chain of the antibody or antigen-binding portion, and
b) isolating said antibody or antigen-binding portion from the culture.
6. An isolated polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide encoded by the plasmid deposited with American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) under deposit number PTA-123497 or PTA-123498.