Role of glycosylation in conformational stability, activity, macromolecular interaction and immunogenicity of recombinant human factor VIII

Factor VIII (FVIII) is a multi-domain glycoprotein that is an essential cofactor in the blood coagulation cascade. Its deficiency or dysfunction causes hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder. Replacement using exogenous recombinant human factor VIII (rFVIII) is the first line of therapy for hemophilia A. The role of glycosylation on the activity, stability, protein-lipid interaction, and immunogenicity of FVIII is not known. In order to investigate the role of glycosylation, a deglycosylated form of FVIII was generated by enzymatic cleavage of carbohydrate chains. The biochemical properties of fully glycosylated and completely deglycosylated forms of rFVIII (degly rFVIII) were compared using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, size exclusion chromatography, and clotting activity studies. The biological activity of degly FVIII decreased in comparison to the fully glycosylated protein. The ability of degly rFVIII to interact with phosphatidylserine containing membranes was partly impaired. Data suggested that glycosylation significantly influences the stability and the biologically relevant macromolecular interactions of FVIII. The effect of glycosylation on immunogenicity was investigated in a murine model of hemophilia A. Studies showed that deletion of glycosylation did not increase immunogenicity.