RNA interference of cofilin in Chinese hamster ovary cells improves recombinant protein productivity

RNA interference (RNAi) has been recently applied to improve the yield and quality of recombinant proteins produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, the most commonly used mammalian cell line for production of complex biopharmaceuticals. Proteomic profiling of CHO cells undergoing gene amplification identified cofilin, a key regulatory protein of actin cytoskeletal dynamics, as a cellular target for genetic engineering studies. Transient reduction of cofilin by small interfering RNA (siRNA) enhanced specific productivity in recombinant CHO cells by up to 80%. CHO cell lines expressing cofilin-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vectors showed up to a 65% increase in specific productivity. These results suggest that modulation of cofilin, and its regulatory pathways, may be a new approach to enhance recombinant protein productivity in CHO cells.     

Effect of shear stress on expression of a recombinant protein by Chinese hamster ovary cells

A flow chamber was used to impart a steady laminar shear stress on a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line expressing human growth hormone (hGH). The cells were subjected to shear stress ranging from 0.005 to 0.80 N m(-2). The effect of shear stress on the cell specific glucose uptake, cell specific hGH, and lactate productivity rates were calculated. No morphological changes to the cells were observed over the range of shear stresses examined. When the cells were subjected to 0.10 N m(-2) shear in protein-free media without Pluronic F-68, recombinant protein production ceased with no change in cell morphology, whereas control cultures were expressing hGH at 0.35 microg/10(6 )cells/h. Upon addition of the shear protectants, Pluronic F-68 (0.2% [w/v]) or fetal bovine serum (1.0% [v/v] FBS), the productivity of the cells was restored. The effect of increasing shear stress on the cells in protein-free medium containing Pluronic F-68 was also investigated. Cell specific metabolic rates were calculated for cells under shear stress and for no-shear control cultures performed in parallel, with shear stress rates expressed as a percentage of those obtained for control cultures. Upon increasing shear from 0.005 to 0.80 N m(-2), the cell specific hGH productivity decreased from 100% at 0.005 N m(-2) to 49% at 0.80 N m(-2) relative to the no-shear control. A concurrent increase in the glucose uptake rate from 115% at 0.01 N m(-2) to 142% at 0.80 N m(-2), and decreased lactate productivity from 92% to 50%, revealed a change in the yield of products from glucose compared with the static control. It was shown that shear stress, at sublytic levels in medium containing Pluronic F-68, could decrease hGH specific productivity.     

High-density culture of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells producing prothrombin in protein-free medium

A recombinant CHO cell line, CHO2DS, was immobilized on porous microcarrier Cytopore 1 and cultivated in 1 l modified Super-spinner and 2 l stirred tank bioreactor with the perfusion of a low-cost chemically defined protein-free medium DF6S. CHO2DS cells could enter into the inner space and grew both in the inner space and on the surface of Cytopore 1 in DF6S and produced prothrombin at 22 mg l^–1 after 10 days. From a seeding density of 5.7 × 10⁵ cells ml^–1, the highest viable cell density of CHO2DS was 1.12 × 10⁷ cells ml^–1.     

Butyrated ManNAc analog improves protein expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The chemical additive sodium butyrate (NaBu) has been applied in cell culture media as a direct and convenient method to increase the protein expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and other mammalian cells. In this study, we examined an alternative chemical additive, 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc, for its effect on recombinant protein production in CHO. Supplementation with 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc for two stable CHO cell lines, expressing human erythropoietin or IgG, enhanced protein expression for both products with negligible impact on cell growth, viability, glucose utilization, and lactate accumulation. In contrast, sodium butyrate treatment resulted in a ～20% decrease in maximal viable cell density and ～30% decrease in cell viability at the end of cell cultures compared to untreated or 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc treated CHO cell lines for both products. While NaBu treatment enhanced product yields more than the 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc treatment, the NaBu treated cells also exhibited higher levels of caspase 3 positive cells using microscopy analysis. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of four cell apoptosis genes (Cul2, BAK, BAX, and BCL2L11) were up‐regulated more in sodium butyrate treated wild‐type, erythropoietin, or IgG expressing CHO‐K1 cell lines while most of the mRNA levels of apoptosis genes in 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc treated cell lines remained equal or increased only slightly compared to the levels in untreated CHO cell lines. Finally, lectin blot analysis revealed that the 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc‐treated cells displayed higher relative sialylation levels on recombinant EPO, consistent with the effect of the ManNAc component of this additive, compared to control while NaBu treatment led to lower sialylation levels than control, or 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc‐treatment. These findings demonstrate that 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc has fewer negative effects on cell cytotoxicity and apoptosis, perhaps as a result of a more deliberate uptake and release of the butyrate compounds, while simultaneously increasing the expression of multiple recombinant proteins, and improving the glycosylation characteristics when applied at comparable molarity levels to NaBu. Thus, 1,3,4‐O‐Bu₃ManNAc represents a highly promising media additive alternative in cell culture for improving protein yields without sacrificing cell mass and product quality in future bioproduction processes.

     

Enhancement of recombinant protein production in Chinese hamster ovary cells through anti-apoptosis engineering using 30Kc6 gene

It was previously reported that silkworm hemolymph (SH) inhibits apoptosis and increases the production of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The apoptosis-inhibiting component in SH is a member of 30K protein family. In this study, the CHO cell line producing EPO was manipulated genetically to express the 30Kc6 gene encoding a 30K protein in the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The transient expression of 30Kc6 significantly suppressed the cell death induced by serum deprivation. A stable cell line expressing 30Kc6 with an anti-apoptotic property was established. The stable expression of 30Kc6 inhibited serum-deprivation-induced apoptosis and increased the cell density and EPO titer by 5- and 10-fold, respectively. The positive effects of the 30Kc6 expression on cell viability and productivity were due to the stable maintenance of the mitochondrial activity. The 30Kc6 expression efficiently suppressed the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane and subsequently balanced the generation/consumption of ATP. The use of the 30Kc6 gene is expected to provide a new method of host cell engineering for improving the productivity of the recombinant protein.     

Chinese hamster ovary cells produce sufficient recombinant insulin-like growth factor I to support growth in serum-free medium. Serum-free growth of IGF-I-producing CHO cells

Insulin-like growth factor I has similar mitogenic effects to insulin, a growth factor required by most cells in culture, and it can replace insulin in serum-free formulations for some cells. Chinese Hamster Ovary cells grow well in serum-free medium with insulin and transferrin as the only exogenous growth factors. An alternative approach to addition of exogenous growth factors to serum-free medium is transfection of host cells with growth factor-encoding genes, permitting autocrine growth. Taking this approach, we constructed an IGF-I heterologous gene driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter, introduced it into Chinese Hamster Ovary cells and examined the growth characteristics of Insulin-like growth factor I-expressing clonal cells in the absence of the exogenous factor. The transfected cells secreted up to 500 ng/10⁶ cells/day of mature Insulin-like growth factor I into the conditioned medium and as a result they grew autonomously in serum-free medium containing transferrin as the only added growth factor. This growth-stimulating effect, observed under both small and large scale culture conditions, was maximal since no further improvement was observed in the presence of exogenous insulin. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

RNA interference technology to improve recombinant protein production in Chinese hamster ovary cells

RNA interference (RNAi) technology has become a novel tool for silencing gene expression in cells or organisms, and has also been used to develop new therapeutics for certain diseases. This review describes its other application of using RNAi technology to increase cellular productivity and the quality of recombinant proteins that are produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, the most important mammalian cell line used in producing licensed biopharmaceuticals in these days. The approaches reported include the silencing of apoptosis-associated gene expression, protein glycosylation-associated gene expression, lactate dehydrogenase involved in cellular metabolism, and dihydrofolate reductase used for gene amplification. All of these works belong to the single component approach therefore depends strongly on the identification of the down-regulation of the critical target gene which can markedly influence the cellular functions associated with recombinant protein expression in CHO cells. Future RNAi approaches can be extended to silence multiple targets involved in different cellular pathways for changing the global gene regulation in cells, as well as the targets related to microRNA molecules for cellular self regulation.     

Heterogeneity within populations of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing human interferon-gamma

The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line has great commercial importance in the production of recombinant human proteins, especially those for therapeutic use. Much attention has been paid to CHO cell population physiology in order to define factors affecting product fidelity and yield. Such studies have revealed that recombinant proteins, including human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), can be heterogeneous both in glycosylation and in proteolytic processing. The type of heterogeneity observed depends on the growth physiology of the cell population, although the relationship between them is complex. In this article we report results of a cytological study of the CHO320 line which expresses recombinant human IFN-gamma. When grown in suspension culture, this cell line exhibited three types of heterogeneity: (1) heterogeneity of the production of IFN-gamma within the cell population, (2) heterogeneity of the number of nuclei and mitotic spindles in dividing cells, and (3) heterogeneity of cellular environment. The last of these arises from cell aggregates which form in suspension culture: Some cells are exposed to the culture medium; others are fully enclosed within the mass with little or no direct access to the medium. Thus, live cells producing IFN-gamma are heterogeneous in their environment, with variable access to O(2) and nutrients. Within the aggregates, it appears that live cells proliferate on a dead cell mass. The layer of live cells can be several cells deep. Specific cell-cell attachments are observed between the living cells in these aggregates. Two proteins, known to be required for the formation of certain types of intercellular junctions, spectrin and vinculin, have been localized to the regions of cell-cell contact. The aggregation of the cells appears to be an active process requiring protein synthesis. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Degradative activities in a recombinant chinese hamster ovary cell culture

Two degradative activities were found in a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell culture. These activities became more dominant under high cell density and extended running time, as achieved in a semi-continous perfusion culture. The first, insulin degradative activity caused a growth upset in the 3rd cycle of the perfusion culture and shortened the length of the bioreactor process. The second activity, derived from the neutral pH stable sialidase, was found to affect the integrity of the carbohydrate structure of the recombinant protein, causing increase in heterogeneity in molecular weight and pI of the glycoforms. The most efficient way to overcome these problems may be the use of genetically altered designer cells as the production cell line.Abbreviations IDA insulin degradative activity - 4MU-NeuAc 4-methylumbelliferyl acetyl neuraminic acid - 4MU-Gal 4-methylumbelliferyl-galactoside - PVDF polyvinylidene difluoride - q_glucose specific glucose consumption rate - specific growth rate     

Effect of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin expression on growth and specific tissue plasminogen activator productivity in recombinant chinese hamster ovary cells

Previous studies suggest that secretion of cloned proteins synthesized by recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells can be adenosine triphosphate (ATP) limited. Other research indicates that the presence of cloned Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) enhances ATP production in oxygen-limited Escherichia coli. To evaluate the influence of VHb expression on recombinant CHO cell productivity, the vhb gene has been fused to the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter and cloned in a CHO cell line previously engineered to express human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Western blot analysis confirms dexamethasone-inducible VHb expression in all of the clones tested. Batch cultivation experiments with one VHb-expressing clone and the parental CHO-tPA expressing cells. The VHb-expressing clone exhibits specific tPA production 40 to 100% greater than the parental CHO-tPA culture. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Production of human mutant biologically active hepatocyte growth factor in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent multifunctional cytokine that affects proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis of various cells. HGF is secreted as an inactive single-chain precursor protein and activated by the cleavage of serine proteases to form heterodimers. In our current study, the cleavage site of HGF was blocked by replaced Arg 494 of Glu (R494E) that resulted in the single-chain HGF (R494E) unable to be cleaved by serine proteases. We established Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells overexpressing HGF (R494E), the expression of HGF (R494E) achieved 12?mg/L and was similar to a previously reported study. The recombinant protein was then purified from culture medium using a two-step chromatographic procedure that resulted in about a 40% recovery rate. The purified HGF (R494E) was obtained as a single-chain active protein. It concluded that HGF (R494E) exhibited a biologically active protein and the overexpressing CHO cell line supplied sufficient material for future studies. The R494E replacement of the cleavage site would be beneficial to the utility of other similar therapeutic proteins.     

Effect of doxycycline-regulated calnexin and calreticulin expression on specific thrombopoietin productivity of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells

In an attempt to increase the specific thrombopoietin (TPO) productivity (q(TPO)) of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cells (CHO-TPO), the effect of expression level of calnexin (CNX) and calreticulin (CRT) on q(TPO) was investigated. To control both CNX and CRT expression levels simultaneously, the Tet-Off system was first introduced in CHO-TPO cells, and stable Tet-Off cells (TPO-Tet-Off) were screened by luciferase assay. The doxycycline-regulated CNX and CRT expression system in rCHO cells (TPO-CNX/CRT) was established by cotransfection of CNX and CRT expression vector and pTK-Hyg vector into TPO-Tet-Off cells and subsequent screening by Western blot analysis of CNX and CRT. The expression levels of CNX and CRT in TPO-CNX/CRT cells could be tightly controlled by adding different concentrations of doxycycline to a culture medium. Compared with the basal level (2 microg/mL doxycyline), a 2.9-fold increase in CNX expression and a 2.8-fold increase in CRT expression were obtained in the absence of doxycycline. This, in turn, resulted in a 1.9-fold increase in q(TPO), not inhibiting cell growth or changing in vivo biological activity of TPO. Taken together, these results demonstrate that a simultaneous overexpression of CNX and CRT can increase the q(TPO) of rCHO cells.     

Two-stage depth filter perfusion culture for recombinant antibody production by recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell

A rCHO cell line of DUKX origin 26*-320, producing recombinant antibody against the human platelet, was cultivated in a two-stage depth filter perfusion system (DFPS) for 20 days in order to attain high recombinant antibody concentration. The productivity of the first stage DFPS bioreactor reached 53 times that of the batch culture in a controlled stirred tank reactor and was showed 12.1 mg/L antibody concentration at a perfusion rate of 6.0 d⁻¹. Glucose concentration in the first DFPS was maintained at 1.5 g/L to avoid cell damage in the perfusion culture. A second stage DFPS system was attached to the first DFPS, which resulted in a low glucose concentration of 0.02 g/L and a high antibody concentration of 23.9 mg/L. The two-stage depth filter perfusion culture yielded 60% higher product concentration than the batch and 49-fold higher productivity of 69.3 mg/L/d in comparison with that (1.4 mg/L/d) in a batch system. Furthermore, antibody concentration of the second stage was 97% higher than that of the first stage, and the antibody productivities were comparable to that of the first stage. This two-stage DFPS system also showed potential for higher titer production of recombinant antibody and high volumetric productivity for long-term culture of bio-pharmaceutical substances.     

Cell cycle phase dependent productivity of a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell line

A Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line, CHO1-15₅₀₀, producing recombinant human tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) via the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) amplification system, was studied in batch culture. In this system both DHFR and tPA are under the control of the strong constitutive viral SV40 early promoter. Employing the cumulative viable cell-hour approach, the specific productivity of tPA had maxima in the lag (0.065 pg cell⁻¹ h⁻¹) and early decline (0.040 pg cell⁻¹ h⁻¹) population growth phases. The viable population was assigned into four subpopulations (G1, S, G2/M phase, and Apoptotic cells) using flow cytometric analysis. As expected, intracellular DHFR was maximally expressed during the S cell cycle phase. The production of tPA, however, was found to be a direct linear function of the G1 phase, with a subpopulation specific productivity of 0.080 pg c-h⁻¹. Productivity maxima in the lag and early decline corroborate the flow cytometric data, indicative that this recombinant tPA production occurs primarily in the G1 cell cycle phase, not the S phase. This suggests that endogenous regulatory mechanisms are important controlling influences on the production of recombinant tPA in this ovarian cell line. Productivity from recombinant cell lines cannot be inferred from either the plasmid construct or the host cell alone. Elucidation of the relationship between expression of recombinant protein and the cell cycle phases of the host cell is a major component of the characterization of the animal cell production system. This information facilitates rational process design, including operating mode, modelling and control, and medium formulation.     

批次和流加培养中国仓鼠卵巢工程细胞的细胞周期相关基因转录谱分析

以表达人重组尿激酶原中国仓鼠卵巢 (CHO) 工程细胞系11G-S为研究对象,运用基因芯片技术比较了CHO工程细胞在批次及流加培养不同生长阶段基因表达水平的差异,在此基础上采用Genmapp软件,同时结合已知的细胞周期信号通路图,着重分析了批次及流加培养CHO工程细胞的细胞周期调控基因转录谱差异。在基因芯片涉及的19 191个目标基因中,批次和流加培养不同生长阶段CHO工程细胞的下调表达的基因数量多于上调表达基因数目;两种培养模式下的基因差异表达有着明显的不同,尤其是在细胞生长的衰退期,流加培养CHO工程细胞中下调表达的基因数量明显多于批次培养。有关调控细胞周期关键基因的转录谱分析表明,CHO工程细胞主要是通过下调表达CDKs、Cyclin及CKI家族中的Cdk6、Cdk2、Cdc2a、Ccne1、Ccne2基因及上调表达Smad4基因,来达到调控细胞增殖及维持自身活力的目的。     

中国仓鼠卵巢工程细胞无血清流加培养关键工艺参数的考察

主要考察流加培养基中不同营养成分、流加起始时间及初始接种密度对11G-S细胞无血清流加培养的影响。在研究中以悬浮适应的表达尿激酶原 (Pro-urokinase,Pro-UK) CHO工程细胞系11G-S为研究对象,在100 mL的摇瓶中无血清悬浮流加培养11G-S细胞,同时以活细胞密度、细胞活力及Pro-UK活性为评价依据。结果表明在培养基中氨基酸、无血清添加成分及无机盐对促进细胞生长、细胞活力维持及蛋白表达起着较为重要的作用;且流加起始时间为72 h及初始接种密度为3×105~4×105 cells/     

Expression of recombinant rat Neurotrophin-3 in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The CHO cell line stably producing recombinant rat NT-3 was established. The insertion of rNT-3 cDNA into transferred cell gonome was analyzed with Southern blot. The expressed protein was identified by Dot ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and Western blot. Western blot showed a clear specifie band of about 14 ku for NT-3. The mean level of rNT-3 in four NT-3eDNA/CHO cell lines was about 2 100 ng/10~6 cells/48 h determined by EIA. The conditioned-medium (CM) of NT-3cDNA/CHO cells could promote the fiber outgrowth of the dissociated dorsal root ganglion of 8-day-old chick embryos, which shows a dose-response relationship. A half-maximal concentration of the biological activity (EC50) of the recombinant protein was approximately 16.7 ng/mL. The MoAb 3W3 of NT-3 could neutralize the biological activity of the rNT-3.