Anti-CD40 Antibody 2C10 Binds to a Conformational Epitope at the CD40-CD154 Interface That is Conserved among Primate Species

The antagonistic anti-CD40 antibody, 2C10, and its recombinant primate derivative, 2C10R4, are potent immunosuppressive antibodies whose utility in allo- and xenotransplantation have been demonstrated in nonhuman primate studies. In this study, we defined the 2C10 binding epitope and found only slight differences in affinity of 2C10 for CD40 derived from four primate species. Staining of truncation mutants mapped the 2C10 binding epitope to the N-terminal portion of CD40. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of the first 60 residues in the CD40 ectodomain highlighted key amino acids important for binding of 2C10 and for binding of the noncross-blocking anti-CD40 antibodies 3A8 and 5D12. All four 2C10-binding residues defined by mutagenesis clustered near the membrane-distal tip of CD40 and partially overlap the CD154 binding surface. In contrast, the overlapping 3A8 and 5D12 epitopes map to an opposing surface away from the CD154 binding domain. This biochemical characterization of 2C10 confirms the validity of nonhuman primate studies in the translation of this therapeutic antibody and provides insight its mechanism of action.