Site-Specific Cross-Linking of Galectin-1 Homodimers via Poly(ethylene glycol) Bismaleimide

Introduction The promise of the natural immunoregulator, Galectin-1 (Gal1), as an immunomodulatory therapeutic is challenged by its unstable homodimeric conformation. Previously, a Gal1 homodimer stabilized via covalent poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) cross-linking demonstrated higher activity relative to the non-covalent homodimer. Methods Here, we report Gal1 homodimers formed using an alternative thiol-Michael addition linker chemistry. Results Poly(ethylene glycol) bismaleimide (PEGbisMal) reacted with Gal1 at multiple sites with greater efficiency than PEGDA. However, multiple PEGbisMal molecules were conjugated to Gal1 C130, a Gal1 mutant with one surface cysteine (cys-130) and two cysteines thought to be buried in the solvent-inaccessible protein core (cys-42 and cys-60). Site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that cys-60 was the site at which additional PEGbisMal molecules were conjugated onto Gal1 C130. Compared to WT-Gal1, Gal1 C130 had low activity for inducing Jurkat T cell death, characterized by phosphatidylserine exposure and membrane permeability. PEG cross-linking could restore the function of Gal1 C130, such that at high concentrations Gal1 C130 cross-linked by PEGbisMal had higher activity than both WT-Gal1 and Gal1 C130 cross-linked by PEGDA. Mutating cys-42 and cys-60 to serines in Gal1 C130 did not affect the cell death signaling activity of the Gal1 C130 homodimer cross-linked by PEGbisMal. PEGylated Gal1 C130 variants also eliminated the need for a reducing agent, such as dithiothreitol, which is required to maintain WT-Gal1 signaling activity. Conclusion Collectively, these data demonstrate that thiol-Michael addition bioconjugation leads to a PEG-cross-linked Gal1 homodimer with improved extracellular signaling activity that does not require a reducing environment to be functional.