Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K38/00—Medicinal preparations containing peptides
  • A61K38/16—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • A61K38/17—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from animals; from humans
  • A61K38/22—Hormones
  • A61K38/29—Parathyroid hormone, i.e. parathormone; Parathyroid hormone-related peptides
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P19/00—Drugs for skeletal disorders
  • A61P19/02—Drugs for skeletal disorders for joint disorders, e.g. arthritis, arthrosis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P19/00—Drugs for skeletal disorders
  • A61P19/08—Drugs for skeletal disorders for bone diseases, e.g. rachitism, Paget's disease
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P19/00—Drugs for skeletal disorders
  • A61P19/08—Drugs for skeletal disorders for bone diseases, e.g. rachitism, Paget's disease
  • A61P19/10—Drugs for skeletal disorders for bone diseases, e.g. rachitism, Paget's disease for osteoporosis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P3/00—Drugs for disorders of the metabolism
  • A61P3/12—Drugs for disorders of the metabolism for electrolyte homeostasis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P5/00—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P5/00—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system
  • A61P5/14—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system of the thyroid hormones, e.g. T3, T4
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P5/00—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system
  • A61P5/18—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system of the parathyroid hormones
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P5/00—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system
  • A61P5/18—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system of the parathyroid hormones
  • A61P5/20—Drugs for disorders of the endocrine system of the parathyroid hormones for decreasing, blocking or antagonising the activity of PTH
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P7/00—Drugs for disorders of the blood or the extracellular fluid
  • A61P7/04—Antihaemorrhagics; Procoagulants; Haemostatic agents; Antifibrinolytic agents
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07K—PEPTIDES
  • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • C07K14/435—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from animals; from humans
  • C07K14/575—Hormones
  • C07K14/635—Parathyroid hormone, i.e. parathormone; Parathyroid hormone-related peptides
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/63—Introduction of foreign genetic material using vectors; Vectors; Use of hosts therefor; Regulation of expression
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N2501/00—Active agents used in cell culture processes, e.g. differentation
  • C12N2501/30—Hormones
  • C12N2501/37—Parathyroid hormone [PTH]

Definitions

• the invention relates to parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogs, particularly those having long-acting agonist activity at the PTH receptor. These analogs can be used to treat diseases where long-acting activity is desirable, such as hypoparathyroidism.
• PTH parathyroid hormone
• PTH(l-34) is an effective therapeutic in treatment of osteoporosis and conditions of PTH deficiency, namely hypoparathyroidism.
• hypoparathyroidism is a life-long disease characterized by an inadequate production of parathyroid hormone (PTH) by the parathyroid glands. Because PTH is critical for regulation of calcium and phosphate levels, loss of PTH reduces calcium levels in blood and bones and increases phosphate levels (hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia). Hypocalcemia leads to symptoms such as neuromuscular irritability, including paresthesias, muscle twitching, laryngeal spasms (which can lead to inability to speak and to alert health providers to the underlying medical condition, which has led to delayed or incorrect treatment), and possibly tetany and seizures. It is the only endocrine disorder in which the missing hormone (namely PTII) is not yet available as therapy.
• PTII parathyroid hormone
• PTH(l-34) has been identified as a safe and effective alternative to calcitriol therapy for hypoparathyroidism and is able to maintain normal serum calcium levels without hypercalciuria (Winer et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:4214-4220, 2003). Nonetheless, the polypeptide requires injection at least twice daily, and the need in this disease for a long-acting PTH(l-34) analog has therefore been recognized (Winer et al., supra).
• the present invention relates to the development of PTH and PTHrP analogs.
• the exemplary polypeptides described herein, SP-PTH-AAK and Aib-SP-PTH-AAK have long-acting activity at the PTH receptor both in vitro and in vivo and exhibit high solubility in neutral aqueous solution.
• the polypeptides of the invention are therefore suitable for treatment of disease in which long-acting activity is desired, including hypoparathyroidism.
• polypeptide e.g., isolated
• pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof including the amino acid sequence of formula (I):
• X 01 is Ser, Ala, or Aib
• X 03 is Ser, Ala, or Aib
• X 0 g is Met, Leu, or Nle
• Xio is Asn, Ala, Val, Asp, He, Glu, or Gin
• X n is Leu, Ala, Val, Met, Lys, Arg, Har, or Trp
• X ] 2 is Gly, Ala, His, or Arg
• X ] 3 is Lys, Ala, Leu, Gin, Arg, His, or Trp
• X] 4 is His, Leu, Arg, Phe, Trp, or Ser
• X ) 5 is He or Leu
• X 16 is Gin or Asn
• Xi 7 is Asp or Ser
• X ] g is Ala, Leu, Met, Glu, Ser, or Phe
• X 22 is Ala, Phe, Glu, Ser, Leu, Asn, Trp, or Lys
• polypeptide includes formula (II):
• X 01 is Ser, Ala, or Aib
• X 03 is Ser, Ala, or Aib
• X 08 is Met, Leu, or Nle
• Xio is Asn, Gin, or Asp
• Xn is Leu, Arg, Har, or Lys
• X 12 is Gly or Ala
• X 14 is His, Trp, or Ser
• X 15 is He or Leu
• X 16 is Gin or Asn
• X 17 is Asp or Ser
• X lg is Ala or Leu
• polypeptide includes formula (III):
• X 0 j and X 03 are Ala; X 10 is Gin; X] ] is Arg; X J2 is Ala; and X 14 is Trp.
• ⁇ 0) is Ala; X 03 is Aib; X 10 is Gin; X n is Har; X 12 is Ala; and X 14 is Trp.
• the polypeptide is substantially identical (e.g., at least 90% or 95% identical) to a polypeptide described above (e.g., where X 18 and X 2 2 are Ala and where X 26 is Lys). In certain embodiments, the
• polypeptide exhibits greater solubility in neutral aqueous solution (e.g., phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4) as compared to SP-PTH (e.g., is at least 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% as soluble in neutral aqueous solution as compared to in acidic solution (e.g., pH 1, 2, 3, 4 such as 10 mM acetic acid (pH 2.9)).
• the polypeptide is biologically active (e.g., a PTH receptor agonist).
• the polypeptide binds to the R° state of the human PTH-1 receptor with an affinity greater than that of hPTH(l-34).
• the polypeptide is fewer than 200, 150, 100, 75, 50, 40, 39, 38, or 37 amino acids in length.
• the polypeptide may be amidated at its C-terminus.
• polypeptide includes or is the amino acid sequence:
• polypeptide includes or is the amino acid sequence:
• the peptide includes or is an amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of:
• the invention also features a pharmaceutical composition that includes a polypeptide of the invention (e.g., any polypeptide described above or herein) and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
• polypeptide of the invention is synthesized by solid-phase synthesis or is produced recombinantly.
• the invention also features a method for treating a subject having a disease selected, for example, from the group consisting of
• the method includes administering a polypeptide of the invention or a pharmaceutical composition including a polypeptide of the invention to the subject in an amount sufficient to treat the disease.
• the polypeptide or pharmaceutical composition may be administered, for example, subcutaneously, intravenously, intranasally, transpulmonarily, transdermally, and orally.
• the invention also features a nucleic acid including a sequence encoding a polypeptide of the invention.
• the nucleic acid may be operably linked to a promoter.
• the nucleic acid may be part of a vector.
• the invention also features a cell including the vector and a method of making a polypeptide by growing the cell under conditions where the encoded polypeptide is expressed.
• subject is meant either a human or non-human animal (e.g., a mammal).
• treating is meant ameliorating at least one symptom of a condition or disease in a subject having the condition or disease (e.g., a subject diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism), as compared with an equivalent untreated control.
• Such reduction in the symptom e.g., a reduction in blood calcium levels or increase in serum phosphate levels
• purified polypeptide or “isolated polypeptide” is meant a polypeptide that has been separated from other components. Typically, the polypeptide is substantially pure when it is at least 30%, by weight, free from other components. In certain embodiments, the preparation is at least 50%, 60%, 75%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% by weight, free from other components.
• a purified polypeptide may be obtained, for example, by extraction from a natural source; by expression of a recombinant polynucleotide encoding such a polypeptide; or by chemically synthesizing the polypeptide. Purity can be measured by any appropriate method, for example, column chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, or by HPLC analysis.
• biologically active is meant that the compound or composition (e.g., a polypeptide described herein) has at least one biologically significant effect upon administration to a cell or animal (e.g., a human or non-human mammal).
• Biological activities of PTH, PTHrP, and analogs thereof include, without limitation, receptor binding, cAMP or IP 3 production, protein kinase A, protein kinase C, phospholipasc C, phospholipase D, and phospholipase A 2 activation, changes (e.g., increases or decreases) in intracellular, plasma, or urinary calcium or phosphate levels, and changes in bone metabolism or catabolism in vivo or in vitro.
• a biologically active polypeptide of the invention may exhibit increases (e.g., at least 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 500%, 1000%, 10,000%) or decreases (e.g., 95%, 90%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 1 %, 0.1 %, 0.01 %, or 0.001 %) in any biological activity as compared to an appropriate control (e.g., a wild-type polypeptide or a phenocopy thereof such as PTH(l-34) or PTHrP(l-36)).
• an appropriate control e.g., a wild-type polypeptide or a phenocopy thereof such as PTH(l-34) or PTHrP(l-36)
• substantially identical is meant a nucleic acid or amino acid sequence that, when optimally aligned, for example, using the methods described below, share at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% sequence identity with a second nucleic acid or amino acid sequence, e.g., a PTH or PTHrP sequence or fragment thereof.
• sequence identity may be used to refer to various types and lengths of sequence, such as full-length sequence, epitopes or immunogenic peptides, functional domains, coding and/or regulatory sequences, exons, introns, promoters, and genomic sequences.
• Percent identity between two polypeptides or nucleic acid sequences is determined in various ways that are within the skill in the art, for instance, using publicly available computer software such as Smith Waterman Alignment (Smith et al, J Mol Biol 147:195-7, 1981); “Best Fit” (Smith and Waterman, Advances in Applied Mathematics, 482-489, 1981) as incorporated into GeneMatcher PlusTM, Schwarz and Dayhof (1979) Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, Dayhof, M.
• BLAST program Basic Local Alignment Search Tool; (Altschul et al., J Mol Biol 215: 403-10, 1990), BLAST-2, BLAST-P, BLAST-N, BLAST-X, WU-BLAST-2, ALIGN, ALIGN-2, CLUSTAL, or Megalign (DNASTAR) software.
• BLAST program Basic Local Alignment Search Tool; (Altschul et al., J Mol Biol 215: 403-10, 1990)
• BLAST-2, BLAST-P, BLAST-N, BLAST-X, WU-BLAST-2, ALIGN, ALIGN-2, CLUSTAL, or Megalign (DNASTAR) software Megalign
• the length of comparison sequences will be at least 6 or 8 amino acids, preferably 9, 10, 1 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, or 500 amino acids or more up to the entire length of the protein.
• the length of comparison sequences will generally be at least 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66, 69, 72, 75, 78, 81, 84, 87, 90, 93, 96, 99, 102, 105, 108, 111, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, or at least 1500 nucleotides or more up to the entire length of the nucleic acid molecule.
• a thymine nucleotide is equivalent to a uracil nucleotide.
• Conservative substitutions typically include substitutions within the following groups: glycine, alanine; valine, isoleucine, leucine; aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, glutamine; serine, threonine; lysine, arginine; and phenylalanine, tyrosine.
• neutral pH is meant a pH of about 6-9 (e.g., 6.5-8.0). Particular neutral pH values include 6.5, 6.6, 6.8, 7.0, 7.2, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8, and 8.0.
• Figures 1A and IB are graphs showing binding affinities of PTH analogs for the rat PTHR1 conformations in R° ( Figure 1 A) and RG ( Figure IB). As shown, SP-PTH-AAK exhibited the strongest binding to both the R° and RG forms of the receptor. PTH(l-34) exhibited the weakest binding to the R° form of the receptor. Curve fit parameters are shown below each graph.
• Figure 2 is a graph showing cAMP responses to PTH(l-34), SP-PTH,
• Figure 3 is a graph showing luminescence in MC3T3-E1 cells transfected with a cAMP-response element-luciferase gene construct following treatment with PTH( 1 -34), SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP-PTH, Aib-SP- PTH-AAK, or PTH(3-34). Curve fit parameters are shown below the graph.
• Figures 4A and 4B are graphs showing correlation between cAMP stimulation and either R° ( Figure 4A) or RG ( Figure 4B) binding.
• Figures 5 A and 5B are graphs showing binding affinity of PTH(l-34), SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP-PTH, and Aib-SP-PTI I-AAK to the R°
• Figure 6 is a graph showing cAMP stimulation of PTH(l-34), SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP-PTH, and Aib- SP-PTH-AAK at the human PTH-1 receptor as expressed on HKRK-B7 cells.
• Figures 7A and 7B are graphs showing cAMP stimulation following ligand washout.
• Figure 7A shows cAMP generation in pmol/well
• Figure 7B shows these results normalized to the maximal cAMP stimulation for each ligand.
• Figures 8A-8E are graphs showing blood calcium levels in mice receiving subcutaneous injections of vehicle, or at 5 nmol/kg PTH(l-34), SP- PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP-PTH, or Aib-SP-PTH-AAK for 0-8 hours ( Figure 8A) or 0-30 hours (Figure 8B). Similar results are shown for the peptides at 10 nmol/kg injected subcutaneously in Figure 8C (0-24 hours) and Figure 8D (0- 54 hours). Results from a similar experiment under fasting conditions are also shown (Figure 8E).
• Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the experimental protocol used in measuring blood calcium, serum phosphate levels, and calcium-to-creatinine ratio in urine from TPTX rats.
• Figures 10A-10E are graphs showing blood calcium (Figure 10A) and serum inorganic phosphate (Figure 10B) responses in TPTX rats administered a vehicle, SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP-PTH, or Aib-SP-PTH-AAK. Sham operated rats are shown as a control.
• Figure IOC A similar experiment comparing SP-PTH at 1.25 and 5 nmol/kg to PTH( 1 -34) at 1.25, 5, and 20 nmol/kg is also provided ( Figure IOC).
• Pharmacokinetic profiles in normal rats injected intravenously with 10 nmol/kg PTH(l-34) or SP-PTH are also shown ( Figure 10D).
• Figure 11 A is a schematic diagram showing the experimental protocol used in measuring serum and urinary calcium and phosphate levels in cynomolgus monkeys receiving an intravenous injection of SP-PTH or SP- PTH-AAK.
• Figure 1 IB is a graph showing plasma concentration of SP-PTH in monkey following intravenous injection of 1 nmol/kg.
• Figures 12A-12C are graphs showing serum calcium ( Figures 12A and 12C) and serum phosphate ( Figure 12B) in cynomolgus monkeys receiving an injection of vehicle, SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, or PTH(l-34) (* PO.05, vs. vehicle; ** P ⁇ 0.01 vs. vehicle).
• Figures 12A and 12B show results using 0.25 nmol/kg of SP-PTH or SP-PTH-AAK, or vehicle control injected
• Figure 12C shows serum calcium concentrations following a 40- fold increased dose (10 nmol/kg) of PTH(l-34) injected subcutaneously.
• Figures 13A and 13B are graphs showing urinary calcium (Figure 13A) and urinary phosphate ( Figure 13B) creatinine ratios in cynomolgus monkeys receiving an intravenous injection of vehicle, SP-PTH, or SP-PTH-AAK (* PO.05, vs. vehicle; ** PO.01 vs. vehicle).
• Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing the experimental protocol used in measuring serum calcium and serum phosphate levels in cynomolgus monkeys receiving vehicle or either 2.5 nmol/kg or 10 nmol/kg of SP-PTH or SP-PTH-AAK.
• Figures 15A-15H are graphs showing serum and urine calcium and phosphate levels and serum creatinine levels in cynomolgus monkeys receiving vehicle, 2.5 nmol/kg or 10 nmol/kg of SP-PTH-AAK, 10 nmol/kg of PTII(1- 34), or 10 nmol/kg of PTH(l-84).
• Figure 15A shows serum calcium levels
• Figures 15B and 15C show serum inorganic phosphate levels.
• Figure 15D shows serum creatinine levels.
• Figures 15E and 15G show urine calcium levels
• Figures 15F and 15H shown urine phosphate levels.
• Figures 16A and 16B are graphs showing solubility of polypeptides in PBS solution at pH 7.4.
• Figure 16C shows stability of SP-PTH-AAK in phosphate-citrate buffers and in 10 mM acetic acid at 5, 25, and 40 °C.
• FIGS 17A and 17B are graphs showing the effect of PTH(l-34)
• Figure 17A and 18B are graphs showing the effect of PTH(l-34) ( Figure 18A) and M-PTH(l-28) ( Figure 18B) on blood cAMP levels in mice that express either the wild-type or PD PTH receptor.
• Figure 19 is a graph showing the effect of SP-PTH-AAK on blood calcium levels in mice that expression either the wild-type or PD PTH receptor.
• Figures 20A-20D are graphs showing effects of once-daily SP-PTH on serum and urine Ca in TPTX rats.
• TPTX and sham-control rats were treated once daily, for 10 days, via sc. injection with either vehicle (Sham and TPTX) or SP-PTH (1, 2. 4, or 8 nmol/kg), or with l,25(OH) 2 D (0.075 or 0.2 ⁇ . orn).
• the present invention relates to new parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogs having prolonged activity at the PTH receptor.
• PTH parathyroid hormone
• SP-PTH-AAK [Ala 1 ' 3 ' , 2 ' 18 ' 22 ,Gln 10 ,Arg n ,T ⁇ 14 ,Lys 26 ]PTH(l-14)/PTHrP(15- 36)
• SP-PTH-AAK [Ala 1 ' 3 ' , 2 ' 18 ' 22 ,Gln 10 ,Arg n ,T ⁇ 14 ,Lys 26 ]PTH(l-14)/PTHrP(15- 36)
• Aib- SP-PTH-AAK [Ala 1 ' 3 ' , 2 ' 18 ' 22 ,Gln 10 ,Arg n ,T ⁇ 14 ,Lys 26 ]PTH(l-14)/PTHrP(15- 36)
• these polypeptides bind with higher affinity to the non-G protein coupled, R° conformation of the PTH-1 receptor (PTHR1) in vitro than PTH(l-34) and other reference polypeptides. Accordingly, these polypeptides induce prolonged cAMP signaling responses in cultured cells. These polypeptides also exhibited prolonged increases in blood ionized calcium levels in laboratory test animals (mice, rats, and monkeys) as compared to PTH(l-34) or other test analogs. Because of their confirmed long-acting properties in vivo, the analogs have utility as treatments for conditions such as
• the exemplary polypeptides, SP-PTH-AAK and Aib- SP-PTH- AAK, include an N-terminal portion based on the human PTH(1-14) sequence and a C-terminal portion based on the human PTHrP sequence (see Table 1 below), with both the N- and C-terminal portions containing affinity-enhancing amino- acid substitutions.
• These polypeptides exhibit surprisingly high binding affinities and cAMP signaling potencies in vitro, as well as enhanced functional effects in vivo, as illustrated in the Examples below.
• these polypeptides exhibited high solubility, comparable to the wild-type PTH(l-34) polypeptide, as described below. Based on these properties, these polypeptides can be used in any application where prolonged activity at the PTH receptor is desired, e.g., for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism.
• a novel "R°" state of the PTH receptor in which the receptor is not bound to its G-protein but is capable of agonist binding was identified.
• two forms of a G-protein-coupled receptor could be distinguished: a form (RG) that is bound to a G-protein and a form (R) that is not bound to a G-protein.
• GPCR signaling requires that the G-protein be directly activated by the receptor, i.e., the RG state must form, and this RG formation can be induced by binding of an agonist ligand.
• Binding of an agonist ligand induces or stabilizes the RG state, and reciprocally, the RG state stabilizes the high affinity binding of an agonist.
• GTP or, a non-hydro lyzable GTP analog, such as GTPyS
• a receptor-coupled G protein will dissociate from the receptor, causing the receptor to revert to a low affinity state.
• GPCRs like the PTHR, can form a novel state (R°) that can bind certain agonist ligands with high affinity even in the presence of GTPyS, and hence, even when the receptor is presumably not bound by a G protein.
• R° novel state
• PCT Publication WO 2009/017809 describes that ligands which bind with high affinity to the R° state, in addition to the RG state, have a longer activity half-life than ligands that bind to R with lower affinity. This prolonged activity does not depend on the bioavailability or the
• agonists with a short duration of action have a lower affinity for the R° form of the receptor.
• AAK exhibit substantially greater binding to the R° form of the PTH receptor as compared to hPTH(l-34) in vitro, and exhibit long-acting activity both in vitro and in vivo.
• the polypeptides of the invention are therefore suitable as long-acting PTH agonists.
• polypeptides of the invention are amenable to production by solution- or solid-phase peptide synthesis and by in-situ synthesis using combination chemistry.
• the solid phase peptide synthesis technique in particular, has been successfully applied in the production of human PTH and can be used for the production of these compounds (for guidance, see Kimura et al., supra and Fairwell et al., Biochem. 22:2691, 1983). Success with producing human PTH on a relatively large scale has been reported in Goud et al., J Bone Min Res 6:781, 1991.
• the synthetic peptide synthesis approach generally entails the use of automated synthesizers and appropriate resin as solid phase, to which is attached the C-terminal amino acid of the desired polypeptide. Extension of the peptide in the N-terminal direction is then achieved by successively coupling a suitably protected form of the next desired amino acid, using either FMOC-or BOC-based chemical protocols typically, until synthesis is complete. Protecting groups are then cleaved from the peptide, usually simultaneously with cleavage of peptide from the resin, and the peptide is then isolated and purified using conventional techniques, such as by reversed phase HPLC using acetonitrile as solvent and tri-fluoroacetic acid as ion-pairing agent. Such procedures are generally described in numerous publications and reference may be made, for example, to Stewart and Young, "Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis," 2 n Edition, Pierce Chemical Company, Rockford, IL (1984).
• Polypeptides of the invention can also be made recombinantly by any method known in the art.
• Prokaryotic (e.g., bacterial) and eukaryotic (e.g., yeast and mammalian) expression systems can also be used to produce polypeptides of the invention, particularly where the polypeptide includes only amino acids coded for the genome (e.g., not Aib or Har).
• polypeptides described herein e.g., SP-PTH-AAK and Aib-
• SP-PTH-AAK may contain one or more modifications such as N-terminal or C-terminal modifications. Modifications include acetylation, acylation, ADP- ribosylation, amidation, covalent attachment of flavin, covalent attachment of a heme moiety, covalent attachment of a nucleotide or nucleotide derivative, covalent attachment of a lipid or lipid derivative, covalent attachment of phospholidylinositol, cross-linking, cyclization, disulfide bond formation, demethylation, formation of covalent cross-links, formation of cystine, formation of pyroglutamate, formylation, garnma-carboxylation, glycosylation, GPI anchor formation, hydroxylation, iodination, methylation, myristoylation, oxidation, proteolytic processing, phosphorylation, prenylation, racemization, selenoylation, sulfation, transfer-RNA mediated addition of amino acids to proteins such as
• any of the polypeptides of the invention may further include a heterologous sequence (a fusion partner), thus forming a fusion protein.
• the fusion protein may include a fusion partner such as a purification or detection tag, for example, proteins that may be detected directly or indirectly such as green fluorescent protein, hemagglutinin, or alkaline phosphatase), DNA binding domains (for example, GAL4 or LexA), gene activation domains (for example, GAL4 or VP 16), purification tags, or secretion signal peptides (e.g., preprotyrypsin signal sequence).
• the fusion partner may be a tag, such as c-myc, poly histidine, or FLAG.
• Each fusion partner may contain one or more domains, e.g., a preprotrypsin signal sequence and FLAG tag.
• the fusion partner is an Fc protein (e.g., mouse Fc or human Fc).
• Any disease associated with PTH dysfunction or with calcium or phosphate imbalances can be treated with the polypeptides described herein (e.g., SP-PTH-AAK and Aib-SP-PTH-AAK).
• the polypeptides may be used to treat hypoparathyroidism, hyperphosphatemia, osteoporosis, fracture repair, osteomalacia, arthritis, or thrombocytopenia, or may be used to increase stem cell mobilization in a subject.
• Any mode of administration e.g., oral, intravenous, intramuscular, ophthalmic, topical, dermal, subcutaneous, and rectal
• a physician will determine appropriate dosing for the patient being treated, which will depend in part on the age and size of the patient, the severity of the disease or condition, and the particular disease or condition being treated.
• any polypeptide described herein may be by any suitable means that results in a concentration of the compound that treats the subject and disease condition.
• the polypeptide may be contained in any appropriate amount in any suitable carrier substance, and is generally present in an amount of 1-95% by weight of the total weight of the composition.
• the composition may be provided in a dosage form that is suitable for the oral, parenteral (e.g., intravenously or intramuscularly), rectal, cutaneous, nasal, vaginal, inhalant, skin (patch), ocular, or intracranial administration route.
• the composition may be in the form of, e.g., tablets, ampules, capsules, pills, powders, granulates, suspensions, emulsions, solutions, gels including hydrogels, pastes, ointments, creams, plasters, drenches, osmotic delivery devices, suppositories, enemas, injectables, implants, sprays, or aerosols.
• the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated according to conventional pharmaceutical practice (see, e.g., Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, 20 th edition, 2000, ed. A.R. Gennaro, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, and Encyclopedia of Pharmaceutical Technology, eds. J. Swarbrick and J. C. Boylan, 1988-1999, Marcel Dekker, New York).
• compositions may be formulated to release the active compound immediately upon administration or at any predetermined time or time period after administration.
• controlled release formulations which include (i) formulations that create substantially constant concentrations of the agent(s) of the invention within the body over an extended period of time; (ii) formulations that after a predetermined lag time create substantially constant concentrations of the agents of the invention within the body over an extended period of time; (iii) formulations that sustain the agent(s) action during a predetermined time period by maintaining a relatively constant, effective level of the agent(s) in the body with concomitant minimization of undesirable side effects associated with fluctuations in the plasma level of the agent(s) (sawtooth kinetic pattern); (iv) formulations that localize action of agent(s), e.g., spatial placement of a controlled release composition adjacent to or in the diseased tissue or organ; (v) formulations that achieve convenience of dosing, e.g., administering the composition once per week or once every two weeks; and
• controlled release is obtained by appropriate selection of various formulation parameters and ingredients, including, e.g., various types of controlled release compositions and coatings.
• the compound is formulated with appropriate excipients into a pharmaceutical composition that, upon administration, releases the compound in a controlled manner. Examples include single or multiple unit tablet or capsule compositions, oil solutions, suspensions, emulsions, microcapsules, molecular complexes, microspheres, nanoparticles, patches, and liposomes.
• composition containing polypeptides described herein may be administered parenterally by injection, infusion, or implantation (subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, or the like) in dosage forms, formulations, or via suitable delivery devices or implants containing conventional, non-toxic agents.
• compositions are well known to those skilled in the art of pharmaceutical formulation.
• compositions for parenteral use may be provided in unit dosage forms
• the composition may be in the form of a solution, a suspension, an emulsion, an infusion device, or a delivery device for implantation, or it may be presented as a dry powder to be reconstituted with water or another suitable vehicle before use.
• the composition may include suitable parenterally acceptable carriers and/or excipients.
• the active agent(s) may be incorporated into microspheres, microcapsules, nanoparticles, liposomes, or the like for controlled release.
• the composition may include suspending, solubilizing, stabilizing, pH-adjusting agents, tonicity adjusting agents, and/or dispersing agents.
• the pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention may be in a form suitable for sterile injection.
• the suitable active agent(s) are dissolved or suspended in a parenterally acceptable liquid vehicle.
• acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, water adjusted to a suitable pH by addition of an appropriate amount of hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide or a suitable buffer, 1,3-butanediol, Ringer's solution, dextrose solution, and isotonic sodium chloride solution.
• the aqueous formulation may also contain one or more preservatives (e.g., methyl, ethyl, or n-propyl p-hydroxybenzoate).
• a dissolution enhancing or solubilizing agent can be added, or the solvent may include 10-60% w/w of propylene glycol or the like.
• the solvent may include 10-60% w/w of propylene glycol or the like.
• Exemplary peptides [ ⁇ 1 , ' 12 , ⁇ 3 , ⁇ 1 ⁇ , 0 , ⁇ 8 ⁇ ⁇ , ⁇ ,4 ] ⁇ (1- 14)/PTHrP( 15-36) (Super-potent Aib-PTH: Aib-SP-PTH) and
• SP-PTH-AAK to the R and RG forms of the PTH-1 receptor was measured using a method as described in PCT Publication WO 2009/017809 or a similar method. Briefly, the R° form of the receptor can be favored by addition of the non-hydrolyzable nucleotide analog GTPyS. The RG form can be favored, for example, by co-transfection of cells with a negative dominant Ga s subunit. Binding is measured based on displacement of a radioactive tracer ligand ( I- PTH(l-34)). As shown in Figure 1 A, the four tested polypeptides exhibited about 1-2 orders of magnitude stronger binding to the R° form of the rat PTH receptor as compared to PTH(l-34).
• I- PTH(l-34) radioactive tracer ligand
• SP-PTH-AAK exhibited a greater than two orders of magnitude increase in binding (log EC 50 of -9.7 vs. - 7.5 for PTH(l-34)).
• Data are means of four experiments, each performed in duplicate. Curves were fit to the data using Graph-Pad Prism 4.0. The inset in each figure shows the fit parameters.
• cAMP stimulating activity of these polypeptides was also assessed, using two different methods: a radioimmunoassay (RIA; Figure 2) and a cAMP responsive element fused to a luciferase gene (Figure 3).
• a radioimmunoassay (RIA; Figure 2)
• Figure 3 a cAMP responsive element fused to a luciferase gene
• cAMP-response-element-luciferase response was measured as follows. MC3T3-E1 cells were transfected in 96-well plates with plasmid DNA encoding a luciferase gene fused to a cAMP-Response Element (CRE) promoter, a plasmid construct designed to assess signaling via the cAMP/PKA pathway. At 48 hours after transfection, the cells were incubated at 37 °C for four hours in media containing either vehicle (-14 log M on plot abscissa) or varying concentrations (-13 to -6 log M) of the indicated ligand.
• CRE cAMP-Response Element
• Luciferase activity was then measured using the Promega Steady-Glo reagent and a PerkinElmer Co. Envision plate reader. Data are means of three experiments, each performed in duplicate. The raw basal value obtained in vehicle-treated wells was 9434 ⁇ 1303 counts/second. Curves were fit to the data using Graph-Pad Prism 4.0. The inset in the Figure shows the fit parameters.
• cAMP potency assays were also measured using the human receptor (Figure 6).
• HKRK-B7 cells which are derived from LLC-PCK1 cells and are stably transfected with the human PTHR1 , were incubated for 30 minutes in buffer containing either vehicle (-1 1 log M on plot abscissa), or varying concentrations (-10 to -6 log M) of the indicated ligand, and cAMP content in the cells was measured by RIA.
• SP-PTH-AAK, Aib- SP-PTH-AAK, SP-PTH, and Aib-SP-PTH exhibited cAMP potencies similar to PTH(l-34).
• the cells were rinsed three times with buffer, and incubated in buffer for varying times, as indicated on the abscissa; after which the buffer was replaced by a buffer containing
• the SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib-SP- PTH, and Aib-SP-PTH-AAK maintained cAMP-stimulating activity for longer periods of time than PTH(l-34), thus indicating that these polypeptides have long-acting agonist activity.
• mice Blood Ca ⁇ responses in mice were also assayed. Mice (C57 BL/6) were injected subcutaneously with either vehicle or the indicated ligand to give a final dose of 5 nmol/kg body weight, and blood was withdrawn via the tail at times after injection and assessed for Ca ⁇ concentration using a Bayer Rapid Lab model 348 blood analyzer. As shown, all polypeptides, including PTH(1- 34) exhibited similar calcium levels two hours following administration (Figure 8A).
• thyroparathyroidectomy was also tested.
• five-week-old male Crl:CD(SD) rats were obtained from Charles River Laboratories Japan, Inc. (Kanagawa, Japan) and acclimated for 1 week under standard laboratory conditions at 20-26 °C and 35-75% humidity.
• the rats were fed free access to tap water and standard rodent chow (CE-2) containing 1.1% calcium, 1.0% phosphate, and 250 IU/l OOg of vitamin D 3 (Clea Japan, Inc., Shizuoka, Japan).
• Thyroparathyroidectomy was performed on six-week-old rats. TPTX rats were selected ( ⁇ 1.0 mM) by serum ionized calcium (iCa) from tail vein bleeding at 24 hours after the operation. TPTX rats were divided into six groups of five or six animals by iCa at 72 hours after the operation. TPTX- vehicle group intravenously received the vehicle (10 mM acetic acid solution) at a dose of 1 ml/kg body weight from tail vein.
• SP-PTH, SP-PTH-AAK, Aib- 5 SP-PTH, and Aib- SP-PTH-AAK were each intravenously injected into the
• TPTX rats at doses of 1.25 nmol/kg.
• SP-PTH and SP-PTH-AAK were tested in cynomolgus monkeys. Briefly, three- or four-year-old, male cynomolgus monkeys (HAMRI Co., Ltd., Ibaraki, Japan) were measured for their body weight. Blood was collected into tubes. Monkeys received intravenous or subcutaneous administration of each polypeptide at a dose of 0.3 ml/kg. Polypeptide concentrations in stock solution were adjusted by dilution with 25mmol/L phosphate-citrate
• Figure 15D shows increases in serum creatinine levels.
• the relative solubilities of SP-PTH-AAK and SP-PTH in different buffers were assessed in an in vitro precipitation assay.
• two vials each containing 50 ⁇ g of lyophilized polypeptide powder, were prepared; one vial was reconstituted in 50 ⁇ of PBS at pH 7.4; the other vial was reconstituted in 50 ⁇ of 10 mM acetic acid (pH 2.9) to give final concentrations of 1.0 mg/ml or 1.5 mg/ml. After one hour at room temperature, the vials were centrifuged at 1 ,000 x g for 2 minutes.
• the supernatant was removed and the protein content assayed using the Pierce BCA assay (Thermo Fischer Scientific, Rockford, 111.). For each polypeptide, the content of the PBS sample was expressed as percent of the content of the corresponding acetic acid sample.
• the SP-PTH-AAK and SP-Aib-PTH-AAK polypeptides exhibited solubility similar to hPTH(l-34)NH 2 .
• Solubility testing of hPTHrP, fragments, and analogs is shown in Figure 16B.
• Stability testing of SP-PTH-AAK was also performed.
• SP-PTH-AAK was stored at different peptide concentrations in 50 mM phosphate-citrate (PC) buffer (pH 4.0, 4.5, and 5.5) and l OmM acetic acid at 5, 25, and 40°C for 4 weeks.
• Analysis of intact peptide by reverse-phase HPLC revealed near full stability at 25°C for 4 weeks ( Figure 16C). At 40°C, a degraded product, likely a methionine-oxide derivative, was detected on the HPLC chromatograms as shoulder of the main peak.
• Blood cAMP levels were also compared between the two types of mice. For wild-type PTH(l-34) and for M-PTH(l-28), blood cAMP levels were increased in magnitude and prolonged in duration in the PD mice as compared to the wild-type mice ( Figures 18A and 18B).
• SP-PTH- AAK reduced blood calcium level for at least six hours after injection and never rose above the levels seen with the vehicle control.

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