A fluorescent-based HPLC assay for quantification of cysteine and cysteamine adducts in Escherichia coli-derived proteins.

Recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli are often produced as unfolded, inactive forms accumulated in inclusion bodies. Redox-coupled thiols are typically employed in the refolding process in order to catalyze the formation of correct disulfide bonds at maximal folding efficiency. These thiols and the recombinant proteins can form mixed disulfide bonds to generate thiol-protein adducts. In this work, we apply a fluorescent-based assay for the quantification of cysteine and cysteamine adducts as observed in E. coli-derived proteins. The thiols are released by reduction of the adducted protein, collected and labeled with a fluorescent reagent, 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate. The derivatized thiols are separated by reversed-phase HPLC and can be accurately quantified after method optimization. The estimated thiol content represents total amount of adducted forms present in the analyzed samples. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was established; specifically, the lowest amount of quantifiable cysteine adduction is 30 picograms and the lowest amount of quantifiable cysteamine adduction is 60 picograms. The assay is useful for quantification of adducts in final purified products as well as in-process samples from various purification steps. The assay indicates that the purification process accomplishes a decrease in cysteine adduction from 0.19 nmol adduct/nmol protein to 0.03 nmol adduct/nmol protein as well as a decrease in cysteamine adduction from 0.24 nmol adduct/nmol protein to 0.14 nmol adduct/nmol protein.

Identification of potent, selective, and metabolically stable peptide antagonists to the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37-residue neuropeptide that can be converted to a CGRP(1) receptor antagonist by the truncation of its first seven residues. CGRP(8-37), 1, has a CGRP(1) receptor K(i) = 3.2 nM but is rapidly degraded in human plasma (t(1/2) = 20 min). As part of an effort to identify a prolonged in vivo circulating CGRP peptide antagonist, we found that the substitution of multiple residues in the CGRP peptide increased CGRP(1) receptor affinity >50-fold. Ac-Trp-[Arg(24),Lys(25),Asp(31),Pro(34),Phe(35)]CGRP(8-37)-NH(2), 5 (K(i) = 0.06 nM) had the highest CGRP(1) receptor affinity. Using complimentary in vitro and in vivo metabolic studies, we iteratively identified degradation sites and prepared high affinity analogues with significantly improved plasma stability. Ac-Trp-[Cit(11,18),hArg(24),Lys(25),2-Nal(27,37),Asp(31),Oic(29,34),Phe(35)]CGRP(8-37)-NH(2), 32 (K(i) = 3.3 nM), had significantly increased (>100-fold) stability over 1 or 5, with a cynomolgus monkey and human in vitro plasma half-life of 38 and 68 h, respectively.