The Fab region of IgG impairs the internalization pathway of FcRn upon Fc engagement

Binding to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) extends serum half-life of IgG, and antagonizing this interaction is a promising therapeutic approach in IgG-mediated autoimmune diseases. Fc-MST-HN, designed for enhanced FcRn binding capacity, has not been evaluated in the context of a full-length antibody, and the structural properties of the attached Fab regions might affect the FcRn-mediated intracellular trafficking pathway. Here we present a comprehensive comparative analysis of the IgG salvage pathway between two full-size IgG1 variants, containing wild type and MST-HN Fc fragments, and their Fc-only counterparts. We find no evidence of Fab-regions affecting FcRn binding in cell-free assays, however, cellular assays show impaired binding of full-size IgG to FcRn, which translates into improved intracellular FcRn occupancy and intracellular accumulation of Fc-MST-HN compared to full size IgG1-MST-HN. The crystal structure of Fc-MST-HN in complex with FcRn provides a plausible explanation why the Fab disrupts the interaction only in the context of membrane-associated FcRn. Importantly, we find that Fc-MST-HN outperforms full-size IgG1-MST-HN in reducing IgG levels in cynomolgus monkeys. Collectively, our findings identify the cellular membrane context as a critical factor in FcRn biology and therapeutic targeting.