Treating cell culture media with UV irradiation against adventitious agents: Minimal impact on CHO performance

Sterility of cell culture media is an important concern in biotherapeutic processing. In large scale biotherapeutic production, a unit contamination of cell culture media can have costly effects. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a sterilization method effective against bacteria and viruses while being non‐thermal and non‐adulterating in its mechanism of action. This makes UV irradiation attractive for use in sterilization of cell culture media. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of UV irradiation of cell culture media in terms of chemical composition and the ability to grow cell cultures in the treated media. The results showed that UV irradiation of commercial cell culture media at relevant disinfection doses impacted the chemical composition of the media with respect to several carboxylic acids, and to a minimal extent, amino acids. The cumulative effect of these changes, however, did not negatively influence the ability to culture Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, as evaluated by cell viability, growth rate, and protein titer measurements in simple batch growth compared with the same cells cultured in control media exposed to visible light. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:1190–1195, 2014     

芍药组织培养中污染现象的克服

针对芍药在组织培养过程中外植体污染难于控制的问题进行了研究。试验分别于不同的季节取材后对外植体进行不同的表面消毒处理。结果表明：以芍药带芽茎段、顶芽、侧芽为外植体,采用0.1%~0.2% HgCl2消毒8 min,结合母株黄化处理、4℃消毒液+搅拌的表面消毒处理,可降低外植体初期培养污染率;在培养基中添加抗菌素,可明显控制内生菌的污染。     

不同碳源下毕赤酵母GS115蛋白组学分析

毕赤酵母(Pichia pastoris)表达系统是目前最为成功的外源蛋白表达系统之一。该表达系统不存在原核表达系统的内毒素难以除去的问题,也不存在哺乳动物细胞表达系统的病毒和支原体污染问题;并能够对目的蛋白进行类似于高等真核生物的信号肽剪切、二硫键形成、糖基化等蛋白翻译后加工。但是不论是胞内表达或是分泌表达,大多数外源蛋白均面临着被降解的问题,这也是影响目的蛋白表达量的一个重要因素,同时还增加了纯化目的蛋白的难度。目的:研究毕赤酵母GS115在不同碳源培养过程中胞内外蛋白质组学的差异,指导毕赤酵母表达系统的优化。方法:利用LC-ESI-MS/MS方法分析了不同碳源的四种培养基中毕赤酵母GS115的胞内和胞外蛋白种类,利用Griffin等的计算方法计算各个蛋白的含量。结果:利用LC-ESI-MS/MS结合Griffin等的归一化非标定量法SI_N得到GS115胞内胞外详尽的蛋白质种类及准确百分比含量。结论:分析不同培养基之间蛋白质组成的差异,从而为以后构建新的毕赤酵母表达体系,为外源蛋白表达系统的优化提供一定的指导意义。     

Review: High temperature short time treatment of cell culture media and feed solutions to mitigate adventitious viral contamination in the biopharmaceutical industry

Events of viral contaminations occurring during the production of biopharmaceuticals have been publicly reported by the biopharmaceutical industry. Upstream raw materials were often identified as the potential source of contamination. Viral contamination risk can be mitigated by inactivating or eliminating potential viruses of cell culture media and feed solutions. Different methods can be used alone or in combination on raw materials, cell culture media, or feed solutions such as viral inactivation technologies consisting mainly of high temperature short time, ultraviolet irradiation, and gamma radiation technologies or such as viral removal technology for instance nanofiltration. The aim of this review is to present the principle, the advantages, and the challenges of high temperature short time (HTST) technology. Here, we reviewed effectiveness of HTST treatment and its impact on media (filterability of media, degradation of components), on process performance (cell growth, cell metabolism, productivity), and product quality based on knowledge shared in the literature.     

Degradation of nuclease-stabilized RNA oligonucleotides in Mycoplasma-contaminated cell culture media

Artificial RNA reagents such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and aptamers often must be chemically modified for optimal effectiveness in environments that include ribonucleases. Mycoplasmas are common bacterial contaminants of mammalian cell cultures that are known to produce ribonucleases. Here we describe the rapid degradation of nuclease-stabilized RNA oligonucleotides in a human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK) cell culture contaminated with Mycoplasma fermentans, a common species of mycoplasma. RNA with 2'-fluoro- or 2'-O-methyl- modified pyrimidines was readily degraded in conditioned media from this culture, but was stable in conditioned media from uncontaminated HEK cells. RNA completely modified with 2'-O-methyls was not degraded in the mycoplasma-contaminated media. RNA zymogram analysis of conditioned culture media and material centrifuged from the media revealed several distinct protein bands (ranging from 30 to 68?kDa) capable of degrading RNA with 2'-fluoro- or 2'-O-methyl-modified pyrimidines. Finally, the mycoplasma-associated nuclease was detected in material centrifuged from the contaminated culture supernatants in as little as 15 minutes with an RNA oligo-containing 2'-O-methyl-modified pyrimidines and labeled with a 5'-fluorescein amidite (FAM) and 3'-quencher. These results suggest that mycoplasma contamination may be a critical confounding variable for cell culture experiments involving RNA-based reagents, with particular relevance for applications involving naked RNA (e.g., aptamer-siRNA chimeras).     

Contribution of cytoplasmic enzymes to apparent heterogeneity of rat brain mitochondria

Summary The results of this investigation indicate that there is sufficient contamination of washed primary rat brain mitochondrial preparations with cytoplasmic enzymes to cause possible misinterpretation of mitochondrial heterogeneity after isopycnic sucrose density gradient centrifugation, when based solely on enzyme activity measurements. Most of the contamination may be removed by a single 30 min centrifugation using the 3–6 % discontinuous Ficoll gradient method of Clark and Nicklas (1970).     

Detection of microbial contaminants in mammalian cell cultures using a new fluorescence-based staining method

Aims: Microbial contamination of cell culture production processes is a current concern for biopharmaceutical industries. Traditional testing methods require several days to detect contamination and may advantageously be replaced by a rapid detection method. We developed a new method combining membrane filtration to microcolonies fluorescence staining method (MFSM) and compared it to epifluorescence microscopy. Methods and Results: Both methods were used to detect bacteria in CHO cells cultures. The epifluorescence microscopy showed to be limited by filterability, media interference and nonrobustness issues, whereas MFSM enabled consistent detection of Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes after, respectively, 8, 9 and 48 h of incubation. Thanks to the nondestructive feature of the MFSM, stained membranes could be reincubated on culture media to yield visible colonies used for identification. Conclusions: The new method described in this study showed its ability to detect microbial contaminants in cell culture samples with time‐to‐results from 2–5 times shorter than the traditional testing method. Significance and Impact of the Study: The MFSM can be used as monitoring tool for cell cultures to significantly shorten detection times of microbial contamination, while preserving the ability to identify the contaminants and their viability.     

The influence of androgen status on metabolic activity in the rat epididymis

Forty-two bovine fetal fluid samples (29 by transsacrosciatic amniocentesis, 2 by transischiorectal amniocentesis, 11 from slaughter-house material) were set up in tissue culture. Thirteen cultures failed due to either incubator failure, bacterial or fungal contamination, or the paucity of culturable cells. Sufficient growth for sex chromosome analysis was obtained in 29 smaples. Twenty-four of these were correctly sexed, three could not be verified and two were incorrectly sexed.Contamination of fetal fluid samples with maternal cells was found to be a major problem which could lead to the misinterpretation of results. To minimize this possibility: the first 1–2 ml of aspirated fetal fluids must be discarded; multiple cultures should be initiated from each sample; and when male cells are not observed, numerous metaphase spreads from each culture and from several passages must be analyzed.     

Trace metal levels in commercially prepared tissue culture media

Four trace elements, lead, copper, tin and zinc, in addition to certain electrolytes, were measured in 11 commercially prepared tissue culture media. Glass media bottles and plastic tissue culture dishes and flasks were treated with a HCl acid solution to determine the amounts of trace metals leached from their surfaces. Zinc, lead and copper were detected in all media. Tin was detected only in RPMI Medium 1640, fetal bovine serum, minimum essential medium and penicillin-streptomycin. It is possible that a major cause of variability in tissue culture experimental results may be due to effects on growth caused by fluctuation in trace element contamination from batch to batch. Variability in establishing primary cultures of corneal endothelial cells was traced to high lead levels in commercially prepared tissue culture media. A strong case is made for continued diligent efforts to expand analytical horizons and our definition of substances in culture media.     

The growth and long term survival of Acholeplasma laidlawii in media products used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing

Acholeplasma laidlawii is a potential contaminant of bovine serum and has also been found as a contaminant in serum free cell culture media products. Anecdotal evidence of A. laidlawii contamination of tryptone soya broth circulated for a number of years before it was acknowledged that the organism could contaminate microbiological broth powders. The occasional occurrence of A. laidlawii in broth powders and possibly in powdered components of cell culture media as part of the normal bioburden poses a serious threat to routine pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical operations where filtration is the sterilisation method of choice. Absence of visual evidence of contamination cannot be relied upon as there is variation with both organism strain and media product in the ability to produce turbidity. Strains of A. laidlawii which have been isolated from broth powders are not significantly different in temperature or media preferences from other strains. A. laidlawii is capable of growing to high titre at refrigeration and ambient temperatures in unsupplemented bacteriological sterility media or serum free cell culture media and can survive for prolonged periods in these products.     

Optimisation of media for the culture of normal human epithelial cells from oesophageal mucosa

A technique has been developed which allows growth and histology/cytochemistry of primary oesophageal mucosal explant cultures to be monitored over four weeks. The paper describes experiments designed to optimise media and culture conditions. The results suggest that optimal growth can be obtained in media containing RPMI 1640, and 10% horse or newborn calf serum. McCoy's 5A medium or Dulbecco's modified MEM could be substituted for RPMI but Iscove's serum-free medium or Ham's nutrient mixture inhibited growth or promoted fibroblast contamination. The essential additive appeared to be insulin while selenium was highly toxic to the cells. Hydrocortisone or EGF improved growth slightly under some conditions. Neither transferrin nor cholera toxin had any beneficial effect. None of the cell culture flask coating agents improved attachment or growth.     

Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) in cell cultures and trypsin

Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV), a member of the family Anelloviridae, is a single-stranded, circular DNA virus, widely distributed in swine populations. Presently, two TTSuV genogroups are recognized: Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) and Torque teno sus virus 2 (TTSuV2). TTSuV genomes have been found in commercial vaccines for swine, enzyme preparations and other drugs containing components of porcine origin. However, no studies have been made looking for TTSuV in cell cultures. In the present study, a search for TTSuV genomes was carried out in cell culture lineages, in sera used as supplement for cell culture media as well as in trypsin used for cell disaggregation. DNA obtained from twenty-five cell lineages (ten from cultures in routine multiplication and fifteen from frozen ampoules), nine samples of sera used in cell culture media and five batches of trypsin were examined for the presence of TTSuV DNA. Fifteen cell lineages, originated from thirteen different species contained amplifiable TTSuV genomes, including an ampoule with a cell lineage frozen in 1985. Three cell lineages of swine origin were co-infected with both TTSuV1 and TTSuV2. One batch of trypsin contained two distinct TTSuV1 plus one TTSuV2 genome, suggesting that this might have been the source of contamination, as supported by phylogenetic analyses of sequenced amplicons. Samples of fetal bovine and calf sera used in cell culture media did not contain amplifiable TTSuV DNA. This is the first report on the presence of TTSuV as contaminants in cell lineages. In addition, detection of the viral genome in an ampoule frozen in 1985 provides evidence that TTSuV contamination is not a recent event. These findings highlight the risks of TTSuV contamination in cell cultures, what may be source for contamination of biological products or compromise results of studies involving in vitro multiplied cells.     

苹果盘二孢Marssonina coronaria的分离培养研究

苹果盘二孢Marssonina coronaria引起的褐斑病是造成我国苹果树早期落叶的主要原因,由于该病菌分离培养困难,阻碍了对其生物学特性的研究,进而影响了对其防治机理和流行规律的研究.本研究应用4种培养基质,探索了3种方法对苹果盘二孢的分离效果.结果表明,3种方法均可分离到病原菌,但组织块分离法和分生孢子团分离法成功率仅有10%左右,而单孢分离法污染少,成功率高达到90%以上,明显优于其他两种方法.不同培养基上菌落形态、大小和产孢情况差异也很大,培养1个月(25℃)后PDA上菌落黑褐色隆起,表面蚯蚓粪状,无气生菌丝,无子实体和基内菌丝;10%V8培养基上菌落中央隆起,黑褐色,表面生少量气生菌丝,边缘放射状,基内菌丝深褐色,有子实体;苹果叶片葡萄糖琼脂培养基(LDA)上菌落平坦,黄褐色,表面生茂密的金黄色气生菌丝,基内菌丝深褐色,有子实体;苹果叶片煎汁葡萄糖琼脂培养基(LEDA)上菌落有明显的不规则隆起,黄褐色至黑褐色,表面生少许气生菌丝,菌落生长缓慢,无基内菌丝,分生孢子盘菌落表面生,菌落直径仅2mm左右,而在其他培养基上的菌落直径可达6-8mm,说明培养基质、分离方法均对苹果盘二孢的分离培养和生长发育有明显的影响.     

Development and qualification of a novel virus removal filter for cell culture applications

Commercial bioreactors employing mammalian cell cultures to express biological or pharmaceutical products can become contaminated with adventitious viruses. The high expense of such a contamination can be reduced by passing all gases and fluids feeding the bioreactor through virus inactivation or removal steps, which act as viral barriers around the bioreactor. A novel virus barrier filter has been developed for removing viruses from serum-free cell culture media. This filter removes the 20 nm minute virus of mice by >3 log reduction value (LRV), the 28 nm bacteriophage PhiX174 by >4.5 LRV, the mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii by > or =8.8 LRV, and the bacteria Brevundimonas diminuta by > or =9.2 LRV. Robust removal occurs primarily by size exclusion as demonstrated over a wide range of feedstocks and operating conditions. The filtered media are indistinguishable from unfiltered media in growth of cells to high densities, maintenance of cell viability, and productivity in expressing protein product. Insulin and transferrin show high passage through the filter. The virus barrier filter can be autoclaved. The relatively high membrane permeability enables the use of a moderate filtration area.     

Effect of flaming cotton-plugged tubes upon the contamination of media during culture transfers

The effect of flaming the mouth of cotton-plugged broth tubes upon the contamination of media during culture transfers was studied. It was shown that flaming did not reduce contamination significantly either under usual laboratory conditions or when the laboratory atmosphere had been seeded with a test organism so as to achieve higher rates of colony-forming settling particles.     

Effect of particle size distribution on filtration performance of cell culture medium

Cell culture media used in CHO-based biologic processes are typically sterile filtered to prevent microbial contamination prior to inoculation. In this study, the impact of common sterile filter throughput on a different, commercially available cell culture media was evaluated from the intermediate-adsorption fouling model of the filtration model. The key particle size range for optimum filter performance was discussed and identified by measuring the submicron order particle size distribution. It may be possible to predict the performance of filter capacity with size-exclusive separation by understanding the media particle counts and size distribution.     

Insect protein digestion improves purity of Steinernema carpocapsae in vitro culture and reduces culture period

Insect protein, used for in vitro culture media for entomopathogenic nematode, produces nematodes of high quality. However, the time-consuming culture and poor purity of nematodes hinder the commercial application of insect protein media. We show that hydrolyzed insect protein improves nematode purity in in vitro culture. The results revealed that nematode purity was increased by more than 90 %, and the culture period was reduced by 6 days. Estimated economic efficiency of using hydrolyzed insect protein medium was increased by 44.25 % over that obtained with non-hydrolyzed insect medium.     

Use of plant protein hydrolysates for varicella virus production in Serum-Free Medium

Serum-free media containing no animal-derived components were assessed for their efficacy to produce live attenuated varicella virus. Serum-free medium containing an ultrafiltrate of soy protein acid hydrolysate and lipid resulted in a viral production yield comparable to media containing fetal bovine serum, indicating that varicella virus can be produced without the risk of contamination associated with the use of bovine serum. Revisions requested; Revisions requested 20 December 2004; Accepted 21 December 2004     

The occurrence of bacteria and mycoplasma like organisms in a monogenean parasite Diclidophora merlangi.

Bacteria are not normal residents of the gut caeca of Diclidophora merlangi and are found in the gut lumen only as a result of contamination of the culture medium. Mycoplasma-like organisms have been found in the cytoplasm of gland cells associated with the anterior alimentary tract of the worm. Their occurrence is infrequent and does not involve cytoplasmic damage in the gland cell. Unlike the gut luminal bacteria, the mycoplasmas can be found in fresh worms and in worms kept in culture media containing antibiotics.     

Reduction of embryotoxicity by protein in embryo culture media.

Experiments tested the hypothesis that one role of protein in embryo culture media is protection of embryos against potentially embryotoxic substances in the media. Mouse embryos were cultured in modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium and in modified Tyrode's medium, aliquots of which were supplemented with 4 mg/ml of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA), while other aliquots were left protein free. The media were prepared using water samples that differed in purity, as reflected by differences in conductivity, with tap water being least pure (and considered to have the greatest potential for being embryotoxic) and water that had been purified by reverse osmosis, Milli-Q filtration, and triple distillation being most pure. Embryos were placed in the media while in the two-cell stage of development and their development was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 hr of culture. Rate of embryo development in BSA-supplemented media was greater than that in protein-free media only when the media were prepared with the least purified water samples. Because these water samples would have contained substances not contained in media prepared with purer water, or would have contained the substances in higher concentration, the data supported the hypothesis that protein can protect embryos during culture by negating effects of embryotoxic substances in the media.