Effect of cysteamine on cell growth and IgG[4] production in recombinant Sp2.0 cells

The manipulation of redox potential in secretory pathway by thiol reducing agents can be a strategy to improve the production levels of disulfide-bonded proteins including recombinant antibodies. Here we have studied the influence of cysteamine on viability and the production level of IgG[4] in Sp2.0 cells. For this purpose, the recombinant Sp2.0 cells producing an anti CD33 IgG[4], were subjected to different concentrations of cysteamine. At concentrations of 2, 4 and 5 mM cysteamine, the secreted levels of IgG[4] did not change significantly. However, in concentration of 7 mM cysteamine, a significant decrease was observed in IgG[4] levels which may indicate the cytotoxicity of this compound in higher concentrations. Our results show that the cysteamine treatment reduces the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Also it was observed that 2 mM cysteamine had no late effect on IgG4 production level and only at day 3, this concentration of cysteamine decreased the cell viability significantly. To test whether the addition of cysteamine can affect the expression level of protein disulfide isomerase, RT-PCR analysis was carried out. The results revealed that cysteamine does not affect the PDI transcription and expression level of IgG[4] in this type of recombinant cells

Effects of peptone supplementation in different culture media on growth, metabolic pathway and productivity of CHO DG44 cells; a new insight into amino acid profiles

The optimization of bioprocess conditions towards improved growth profile and productivity yield is considered of great importance in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Peptones as efficient sources of nutrients have been studied for their effect on media development; however, their role on metabolic pathway is not well understood. In the present study, the effect of different concentration of peptones on a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary [CHO] cell line grown in three serum-free suspension cultures was determined. Six peptones of different origins and available amino acid profiles were investigated regarding their impact on cell growth, productivity, and metabolic pathways changes. In optimized feeding strategies, increases of 136% and 159% in volumetric productivity [for a low-nutrient culture media] and 55% [for a high-nutrient culture media] were achieved. Furthermore, particular sources of peptones with specific amino acid profile developed preferential results for each different culture medium. Two peptones, SoyA2SC and SoyE-110, were the only hydrolysates that showed production improvement in all three media. Casein Peptone plus Tryptone N1 and SoyA3SC showed different improved results based on their implemented concentration for each individual basal medium. The amino acid profile of peptones may provide clues to identify the most effective feeding strategies for recombinant CHO cells

[ effects of recombinant IgG4 expression on the growth of Sp2.0 cell lines]

The study of physiological changes in recombinant cell lines provides useful information to improve production performance. In this study, we investigate the effects of an anti-CD33 chimeric IgG4 expression on Sp2.0 cell growth. Variable region genes of light and heavy chains of monoclonal antibody produced by M195 were cloned in pFUSE-CLIg-hk and pFUSE-CHIg-hG4 expression vectors, respectively. Transfection of recombinant plasmids into Sp2.0 cell lines was performed using lipofectamine in two steps. Positive transformant cells were isolated and subjected to PCR, RT-PCR and Western blot analysis to confirm the integration of gene cassettes and the expression of recombinant IgG4. To assess the growth parameters, recombinant and parent Sp2.0 cell lines were seeded at a density of 1×10[5] cells/ml in duplicate into 12-well plates. For nine days, culture plates were sampled daily and viable cell count and viability determined. The results of PCR, RT-PCR and Western blot analyses confirmed the generation of stable producer cell lines. In recombinant cells, the maximum cell density decreased by 46%. However, it was observed that IgG4 expression had no effect on cell viability of these transfectants. Our results showed that the expression of recombinant IgG4 can change growth parameters in Sp2.0 cell lines that express the pFUSE-CHIg-hG4-pFUSE-CLIg-hk construct

[Enhancement of recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator expression in CHO cells using matrix attachment region containing vectors in combination with promoter activation strategy]

Development of high producing mammalian cell lines is a major bottleneck in manufacturing of recombinant therapeutic proteins. This study examines the effect of using the matrix attachment region from the human interferon beta gene in combination with promoter activation strategy with E1A 13S protein on human tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA] expression in Chinese hamster ovary [CHO] cells. The matrix attachment region was cloned in 3' and 5' flanking sides of the t-PA expression cassette in pTPA vector to generate pMTPA. After transfection of the cells with pTPA and pMTPA vectors, stable cell pools were developed and the t-PA expression level determined for each stable cell line. In the next step, E1A 13S expression plasmid was transfected to stable cell pools and t-PA titers were measured after 72 hours. Integration of pTPA and pMTPA vectors in the CHO genome was confirmed by PCR analysis on genomic DNA of stable cell pools. Analysis of the t-PA expression level showed a three-fold enhancement in pMTPA transfected cells compared to pTPAcontaining cells. t-PA expression was further enhanced up to 1771 U/ml by transient expression of E1A 13S in pMTPA stable cell pools. These results have shown that incorporation of matrix attachment region in an expression vector in combination with promoter activation can effectively enhance recombinant protein expression levels in CHO cells.

[ comparison of bone morphogenetic protein-7 mutant expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts]

Bone morphogenetic protein-7 [BMP-7] is a multifunctional growth factor predominantly recognized for its osteoinductive properties. Due to the high cost of this protein, the availability of BMP-7 for treatment is limited. The heterologous production of recombinant hBMP-7 has been performed in a number of expression systems. In this study a novel form of BMP-7 was expressed in eukaryotic and prokaryotic hosts. For expression in the prokaryotic system, the novel protein was secreted to the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli using a pelB signal sequence followed by singlestep purification by Ni2+-charged column chromatography. In the mammalian cell expression system, we transferred a full-length cDNA encoding precursor of the novel protein to CHO cells then selected stable clones by using the appropriate antibiotic concentration. Expressions in both systems were confirmed by Western blot analysis. The novel recombinant protein was produced as a 36-38 kDa dimer in the CHO cell line and a 16 kDa monomer in the Escherichia coli system. Quantitative analysis according to ELISA showed that the expression levels of the mutant protein in the eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems were 40 ng/ml and 135 ng/ml of the culture media, respectively. In this study, the expression level in Escherichia coli was at least three times more than observed in the CHO cells. However, further optimization is required to obtain a dimer protein in Escherichia coli. The results show that periplasmic expression may be suitable for the production of complex proteins such as BMPs

Periplasmic expression of a novel human bone morphogenetic protein-7 mutant in escherichia coli

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins [BMPs] belong to the transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-beta] superfamily, and play an important role in bone metabolism. Recombinant forms of BMP-2 and BMP-7 are the only BMPs used clinically. In this study the mature part of human bone morphogenetic protein-7 [BMP-7] was engineered through substitution of the BMP-7 Nterminal sequence by heparin-binding site of BMP-2. This targeted substitution was made to enhance the binding affinity of the novel protein to the extracellular matrix components such as heparin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans [HSPGs]. The engineered protein was expressed in Escherichia coli [E.coli]. The PelB signal sequence was used to translocate soluble proteins into the periplasmic space of E.coli. The protein was purified from periplasmic extract using Ni-NTA chromatography and the SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis confirmed the successful expression of the novel protein. The novel hBMP-7 mutant was produced as approximately 16 kDa monomer. It was found that the heparin binding of this protein was approximately 50% more than that of the wild-type at a protein concentration of 500 ng/ml. The findings showed that the periplasmic expression may be suitable to produce complex proteins like BMPs