Purification of the N- and C-terminal subdomains of recombinant heavy chain fragment C of botulinum neurotoxin serotype C.

The N-terminal and C-terminal portions of the heavy chain fragment C from botulinum neurotoxin serotype C [rBoNT(HC)] were expressed in Pichia pastoris and purified by ion-exchange chromotography (IEC). The N-terminal fragment, rBoNTC(Hc)-N, was purified in three IEC steps: a Q Sepharose Fast Flow (FF) capture step followed by a negative SP Sepharose FF step, and finally, Q Sepharose FF as a polishing step. The purification process resulted in greater than 90% pure rBoNTC(Hc)-N based on SDS-PAGE, and yielded up to 1.02 g of rBoNTC(Hc)-N/kg of cells. Alternately, the C-terminal fragment, rBoNTC(Hc)-C, was purified by using a SP Sepharose FF capture step followed by a second SP Sepharose FF step, and finally a Q Sepharose FF as a polishing step. This purification process resulted in greater than 95% pure rBoNTC(Hc)-C based on SDS-PAGE, and yielded up to 0.2 g of rBoNTC(Hc)-C/kg cells. The final protein yield is a function of protein expression level during fermentation and the purification methods, and usually final protein yield between 0.1 and 2 mg/g cells is acceptable. Another concern is protein degradation. Especially with Pichia, protease activity during cell lysis and purification is always an issue. The importance of N-terminal degradation depends on product and its function. N-terminal sequencing revealed that the purified rBoNTC(Hc)-N is missing the first eight amino acids of the N-terminus of the protein, whereas the purified rBoNTC(Hc)-C protein is intact. After a mouse bioassay test, both the intact rBoNTC(Hc)-C and the rBoNTC(Hc)-N missing the first eight amino acids of the N-terminus have vaccine potency; consequently, partial degradation did not have an impact on these protein's utility.

Cell bank characterization and fermentation optimization for production of recombinant heavy chain C-terminal fragment of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (rBoNTE(H(c)): antigen E) by Pichia pastoris.

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(H(c)) in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(H(c)) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli-P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(H(c)) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(H(c)) from the Mut(+) HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in batch and fed-batch mode using a defined medium followed by a glycerol/methanol transition phase for adaptation to growth on methanol and a methanol induction phase resulting in the production of rBoNTE(H(c)). Specific growth rate, ratio of growth to induction phase, and time of induction were critical for optimal rBoNTE(H(c)) production and minimal proteolytic degradation. A computer-controlled exponential growth model was used for process automation and off-gas analysis was used for process monitoring. The optimized process had an induction time of 9 h on methanol and produced up to 3 mg of rBoNTE(H(c)) per gram wet cell mass as determined by HPLC and Western blot analysis.

Purification and scale-up of a recombinant heavy chain fragment C of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E in Pichia pastoris GS115.

A recombinant C-terminus heavy chain fragment from botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) is proposed as a vaccine against the serotype E neurotoxin. This fragment, rBoNTE(Hc), was produced intracellular in Pichia pastoris GS115 by a three-step fermentation process, i.e., glycerol batch phase and a glycerol fed-batch phase to achieve high cell densities, followed by a methanol fed-batch induction phase. The rBoNTE(Hc) protein was purified from the soluble fraction of cell lysates using three ion-exchange chromatography steps (SP Sepharose Fast Flow, Q Sepharose Fast Flow, Sp Sepharose High Performance) and polished with a hydrophobic charge induction chromatography step (MEP HyperCel). Method development at the bench scale was achieved using 7-380 mL columns and the process was performed at the pilot scale using 0.5-3.1 L columns in preparation for technology transfer to cGMP manufacturing. The purification process resulted in greater than 98% pure rBoNTE(Hc) based on HPLC and yielded up to 1.01g of rBoNTE(Hc)/kg cells at the bench scale and 580mg vaccine/kg cells at the pilot scale. N-terminal sequencing showed that the purified rBoNTE(Hc) N-terminus is intact and was found to protect mice against a challenge of 1000 mouse intraperitoneal LD50's of BoNT/E.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Na-ASP-1, a multi-domain pathogenesis-related-1 protein from the human hookworm parasite Necator americanus.

Human hookworm infection is a major cause of anemia and malnutrition in the developing world. In an effort to control hookworm infection, the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative has identified candidate vaccine antigens from the infective larval stage (L3) of the parasite, including a family of pathogenesis-related-1 (PR-1) proteins known as the ancylostoma-secreted proteins (ASPs). The functions of the ASPs are unknown. In addition, it is unclear why some ASPs have one while others have multiple PR-1 domains. There are no known structures of a multi-domain ASP and in an effort to remedy this situation, recombinant Na-ASP-1 has been expressed, purified and crystallized. Na-ASP-1 is a 406-amino-acid multi-domain ASP from the prevalent human hookworm parasite Necator americanus. Useful X-ray data to 2.2 A have been collected from a crystal that belongs to the monoclinic space group P2(1) with unit-cell parameters a = 67.7, b = 74.27, c = 84.60 A, beta = 112.12 degrees. An initial molecular-replacement solution has been obtained with one monomer in the asymmetric unit.

Improved production of recombinant ovine interferon-tau by mut(+) strain of Pichia pastoris using an optimized methanol feed profile.

Recombinant ovine interferon-tau (r-oIFN-tau) production by Pichia pastoris was studied using methanol as the sole carbon source during induction. The cells were grown on glycerol up to a certain cell density before induction of the AOX1 promoter by methanol for expression of the recombinant protein. Cell growth on methanol has been modeled using a substrate-feed equation, which served as the basis for an effective computer control of the process. The r-oIFN-tau concentration in the culture began to decline despite continued cell growth after 50 (+/- 6) h of induction, which was associated with an increase in proteolytic activity of the fermentation broth. A specific growth rate of 0.025 h(-1) was found to be optimal for r-oIFN-tau production. No significant improvement in r-oIFN-tau production was observed when the specific growth rate was stepped up before the critical point when r-oIFN-tau concentration started decreasing during fermentation. However, best results were obtained when the specific growth rate was stepped down from 0.025 to 0.02 h(-1) at 38 h of induction, whereby the active production period was prolonged until 70 h of induction and the broth protease activity was correspondingly reduced. The corresponding maximum protein yield was 391.7 mg x L(-1) after 70 h of fermentation. The proteolytic activity could be reduced by performing fermentations at specific growth rates of 0.025 h(-1) or below. The recombinant protein production can be performed at an optimal yield by directly controlling the methanol feed rate by a computer-controlled model. The production profile of r-oIFN-tau was found to be significantly different from other secreted and intracellular recombinant protein processes, which is an indication that recombinant protein production in Pichia pastoris needs to be optimized as individual processes following established principles.