Preparation of monospecific polyclonal antibodies against Sambucus nigra lectin related protein, a glycosylated plant protein

A simple, but highly efficient, method was developed for the purification of monospecific antibodies against the plant glycoprotein Sambucus nigra lectin related protein. In a first step, the antiserum is purified by affinity chromatography on a column with the immobilized antigen. To deplete the affinity-purified antiserum from aspecific cross-reacting antibodies directed against the glycan part of the glycoprotein, a second affinity chromatography on an unrelated plant glycoprotein, in casu the Robinia pseudoacacia agglutinin, is included.     

Large-scale purification of beta-adrenergic receptors from mammalian cells in culture

S49 Mouse lymphoma wild-type cells were grown in spinner cultures of 40 liters to a density of approximately 3 million cells/ml. Growth of cells to high density (2-3 million cells/ml) required that the cell suspensions be bubbled with oxygen. Cells from 40 liter cultures were collected by centrifugation and disrupted by nitrogen cavitation. Highly purified membranes (0.35 g membrane protein) that were rich in beta-adrenergic receptor (0.4-0.7 pmol receptor/mg membrane protein) were prepared by differential centrifugation and then solubilized with the plant glycoside, digitonin (1.5% digitonin at 3 mg of membrane protein/ml). Beta-adrenergic receptors were isolated and purified by sequential affinity chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, and steric exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography. The extract was subjected to affinity chromatography on a derivatized Sepharose-4B CL column to which the high-affinity, beta-adrenergic antagonist (-)alprenolol had been immobilized. Following extensive washing, the receptor bound to this matrix was eluted using a 0-100 micromolar linear gradient of (-)alprenolol. The receptor eluted as a sharp peak at 30 micromolar ligand and displayed a specific activity of 280 pmol receptor/mg of protein. Ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel increased the specific activity to 950 pmol/mg of protein. The final step in the purification, steric-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography on two TSK-3000 and one TSK-2000 columns, tandem linked, resulted in a beta-adrenergic receptor preparation with a specific activity of 6700 pmol/mg of protein (15,900-fold purification). Autoradiography of the radioiodinated pure receptor, the receptor photolabeled with [125I]iodoazidobenzylpindolol or silver-staining of chemical amounts of protein revealed that the Mr of the pure receptor is 66,000 upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate under reducing conditions. The receptor is a beta2-subtype adrenergic receptor.     

A monoclonal antibody to a synthetic fragment of rabies virus glycoprotein binds ligands of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor

Rabies virus glycoprotein and snake venom curaremimetic neurotoxins share a region of high homology (30-45 for neurotoxins and 190-203 for the glycoprotein) in the regions that are believed to be responsible for binding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Monoclonal antibodies raised to the 190-203 synthetic fragment of rabies virus glycoprotein were immobilized on a high performance affinity chromatography column and were able to bind neurotoxins. Toxins were displaced from the affinity column by elution at acidic pH and by affinity competition with acetylcholine at neutral pH. Furthermore, the affinity column proved to be useful for the purification of cholinergic ligands. Overall, these results indicate that the paratope of our monoclonal antibodies could behave as an 'internal image' of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor acetylcholine binding site.     

Automated large-scale purification of a G protein-coupled receptor for neurotensin

Structure determination of integral membrane proteins requires milligram amounts of purified, functional protein on a regular basis. Here, we describe a protocol for the purification of a G protein-coupled neurotensin receptor fusion protein at the 3-mg or 10-mg level using immobilized metal affinity chromatography and a neurotensin column in a fully automated mode. Fermentation at a 200-l scale of Escherichia coli expressing functional receptors provides the material needed to feed into the purification routine. Constructs with tobacco etch virus protease recognition sites at either end of the receptor allow the isolation of neurotensin receptor devoid of its fusion partners. The presented expression and purification procedures are simple and robust, and provide the basis for crystallization experiments of receptors on a routine basis.     

Large-Scale Purification of Beta-Adrenergic Receptors from Mammalian Cells in Culture

S49 Mouse lymphoma wild-type cells were grown in spinner cultures of 40 liters to a density of approximately 3 million cells/ml. Growth of cells to high density (2–3 million cells/nil) required that the cell suspensions be bubbled with oxygen. Cells from 40 liter cultures were collected by centrifugation and disrupted by nitrogen cavitation. Highly purified membranes (0.35 g membrane protein) that were rich in beta-adrenergic receptor (0.4 – 0.7 pmol receptor/mg membrane protein) were prepared by differential centrifugation and then solubilized with the plant glycoside, digitonin (1.5% digitonin at 3 mg of membrane protein/ml). Beta-adrenergic receptors were isolated and purified by sequential affinity chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, and steric exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography. The extract was subjected to affinity chromatography on a dcrivatized Scpharose-4B CL column to which the high-affinity, beta-adrenergic antagonist (-)alprcnolol had been immobilized. Following extensive washing, the receptor bound to this matrix was eluted using a 0 – 100 micromolar linear gradient of (-)alprenolol. The receptor eluted as a sharp peak at 30 micromolar ligand and displayed a specific activity of 280 pmol receptor/mg of protein. Ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel increased the specific activity to 950 pmol/mg of protein. The final step in the purification, steric-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography on two TSK-3000 and one TSK-2000 columns, tandem linked, resulted in a beta-adrenergic receptor preparation with a specific activity of 6700 pmol/mg of protein (15, 900-fold purification). Autoradiography of the radioiodinated pure receptor, the receptor photolabcled with [¹²⁵l]iodoazidobenzylpindolol or silver-staining of chemical amounts of protein revealed that the M_r of the pure receptor is 66, 000 upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodccyl sulfate under reducing conditions. The receptor is a bcta₂-subtype adrenergic receptor.     

The rat ovarian lutropin receptor. Purification, hormone binding properties, and subunit composition

The luteinizing hormone/human choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor from superovulated rat ovary was purified to homogeneity. A novel scheme based on reverse immunoaffinity chromatography using immobilized antibodies to membrane proteins from receptor down-regulated ovary and subsequent two-step affinity purification on hCG-Sepharose was used to isolate homogeneous receptor. The purification method was also compared to an alternate scheme involving lectin affinity chromatography followed by hCG affinity chromatography. The purified receptor obtained by the latter method was heterogeneous and highly aggregated. The hormone binding properties, molecular size, and subunit composition of the purified receptor obtained by either method were identical. The stability of the receptor during and following solubilization was markedly improved by using 20% glycerol. The pure receptor consists of four nonidentical subunits of molecular weight 79,300 (alpha), 66,400 (beta), 55,300 (gamma), and 46,700 (delta) as indicated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions. All receptor subunits generally, but occasionally excepting the alpha-subunit, were specifically labeled with iodinated hCG in membrane and soluble receptor preparations using bifunctional cross-linking agents. Analysis of the cross-linked hormone-receptor complexes under nonreducing conditions showed the molecular mass of the undissociated receptor to be 268,000 daltons. Hormone binding studies demonstrated that the isolated receptor retained all of the specific binding characteristics expected for the luteinizing hormone/hCG receptor. In combination, these results indicate that the functional and structural properties of the receptor were not altered during purification.     

Purification of human interleukin-2 fusion protein produced in insect larvae is facilitated by fusion with green fluorescent protein and metal affinity ligand

The fusion protein of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and human interleukin-2 (hIL-2) was produced in insect Trichoplusia ni larvae infected with recombinant baculovirus derived from the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV). This fusion protein was composed of a metal ion binding site (His)6 for rapid one-step purification using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), UV-optimized GFP (GFPuv), enterokinase cleavage site for recovering hIL-2 from purified fusion protein, and hIL-2 protein. The additional histidine residues on fusion protein enabled the efficient purification of fusion protein based on immobilized metal affinity chromatography. In addition to advantages of GFP as a fusion marker, GFP was able to be used as a selectable purification marker; we easily determined the correct purified fusion protein sample fraction by simply detecting GFP fluorescence.     

用硝酸纤维素膜亲和法纯化抗体

介绍一种改进的纯化抗体方法。将抗原蛋白固定在硝酸纤维素膜上,然后对抗体进行亲和纯化,能快速有效获得高特异性抗体。     

Exploiting immobilized metal affinity membranes for the isolation or purification of therapeutically relevant species

Increasing reports regarding the isolation or purification of biospecies for therapeutic purpose using the immobilized metal affinity chromatography have been presented in recent years. At the same time, membrane chromatography technique has also gained more and more attention for their advantage in speeding the separation process. The immobilized metal affinity membrane technique developed by combining these two techniques may provide an alternative potential tool for separating the therapeutically relevant biospecies. In this review paper, the features of the immobilized metal affinity membranes are discussed and concentrated on three subtopics: membrane matrices, immobilized metal affinity method, and membrane module designs. Several examples of practically applying the immobilized metal affinity membranes on the purification of potential therapeutics reported in the literature are subsequently presented. Lastly, this review also provides an overall evaluation on the possible advantages and problems existing in this technique to point out opportunities and further improvements for more applied development of the immobilized metal affinity membranes.     

Affinity chromatography and co-chromatography of bispecific monoclonal antibody immunoconjugates

Bispecific monoclonal antibodies (bsMAb) are unique macromolecules functioning as cross-linkers with two different predetermined binding specificities. A wide range of potential applications employing these probes can be envisioned in immunodiagnostics and immunotherapy. One of the major limitations for the use of bsMAbs produced by hybrid-hybridomas is the production of parental monospecific antibodies along with bsMAbs. Hence, the purification of desired bsMAb free from both parental mAbs and other possible promiscuous combinations is essential. Purification of antibodies is the single greatest obstacle in obtaining an immunoprobe with high specific activity. This review describes the affinity purification and affinity co-purification techniques for the separation of bsMAb as a pre-formed immune complex or as a pure species. The use of immobilized ligands is the basis of affinity chromatography. Affinity chromatography can be classified into three different categories depending on the properties of the immobilized ligand. The ligand-specific affinity chromatography is based on the extremely specific immobilized ligand, directed towards the protein or antibody of interest. Using a dual, sequential affinity chromatography, bsMAb can be purified from a mixture of bispecific and monospecific monoclonal antibodies with a ligand specific for each antibody. Thiophilic adsorption is a group-specific affinity method that can be successfully used to separate monospecific forms from bispecific species by salt gradient elution. Affinity co-chromatography offers a convenient one-step method for purification of bulk amounts of immunoconjugates for diagnostic applications by exploiting several dye-ligands known to bind certain enzymes. The same method could be potentially used for quality control and quality assurance purposes in industrial biotechnology.     

Anti-angiotensin II anti-idiotypic antibodies bind to angiotensin II receptor

An anti-idiotypic serum from a rabbit immunized with one anti-angiotensin II (AII) monoclonal antibody (A25) was shown to identify a cross-reactive idiotope (CRI) shared by six anti-AII monoclonal antibodies, in addition to a binding site-associated private idiotope. This anti-idiotypic reagent bound to rat liver membranes bearing AII receptors; binding was abolished after pretreatment of the membranes with AII. In immunoblotting experiments with rat liver membranes, as well as with rat pituitary homogenates, a 63,000 +/- 2,000 dalton protein was revealed that co-migrated with the AII receptor. After purification by affinity chromatography on an immobilized CRI+-antibody (A41), anti-CRI antibodies could immunoprecipitate the hormone binding activity from detergent-treated rat liver membranes and still recognize the 63,000 dalton protein. In contrast, anti-idiotypic antibodies specific for the private idiotope failed to interact with the AII receptor. Similar results were obtained with a second anti-idiotypic serum produced by immunization with another CRI+ anti-AII monoclonal antibody (A22). The sharing of the CRI determinant between the AII receptor and anti-AII antibodies might account for the reactivity of anti-idiotypic antibodies towards the AII receptor.     

抗欧亚活血丹凝集素特异性多克隆抗体的制备

欧亚活血丹外源凝集素(Gleheda)是分离自欧亚活血丹 (Glechoma hederacea) 叶片中的一种糖基化植物新蛋白. 如同其他糖基化蛋白,通过免疫学方法探测 Gleheda 的过程中通常受到一些不相干糖蛋白的妨碍,为此制定了抗 Gleheda 特异性多克隆抗体的纯化方案. 免疫血清蛋白经硫酸铵选择性沉淀后,分别以 Gleheda 和刺槐外源凝集蛋白 (RPA) 结合在 Sepharose 4B作为亲和配体,采用亲和层析法连续纯化 2 次,然后进一步采用离子交换层析 Q Fast Flow 提纯. 经每一步骤提纯得到的抗体组分对 Gleheda 的特异性,均同时采用双向免疫扩散检验和 Western blot 分析. 结果表明,以 Gleheda 为配体,亲和纯化制备得到的抗体组分对叶片粗提物中的许多植物 (糖) 蛋白仍然表现交叉反应. 为除去由植物糖蛋白中的聚糖所引起这些非特异性交叉反应抗体,接着以 RPA 为配体再次进行亲和纯化,Western blot 分析显示,抗体的特异性得到提高但并非除去了所有非特异性交叉反应的抗体. 最后进一步采用离子交换层析制备得到仅抗 Gleheda 蛋白的特异性抗体组分,此抗体组分适用于免疫探测研究. 该抗体纯化制备程序简易而高效,而且不需要昂贵的设备.     

Evaluation of immobilized metal membrane affinity chromatography for purification of an immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody

The large scale production of monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) has gaining increased relevance with the development of the hybridoma cell culture in bioreactors creating a need for specific efficient bioseparation techniques. Conventional fixed bead affinity adsorption commonly applied for McAbs purification has the drawback of low flow rates and colmatage. We developed and evaluated a immobilized metal affinity chromatographies (IMAC) affinity membrane for the purification of anti-TNP IgG(1) mouse McAbs. We immobilized metal ions on a poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) hollow fiber membrane (Me(2+)-IDA-PEVA) and applied it for the purification of this McAbs from cell culture supernatant after precipitation with 50% saturation of ammonium sulphate. The purity of IgG(1) in the eluate fractions was high when eluted from Zn(2+) complex. The anti-TNP antibody could be eluted under conditions causing no loss of antigen binding capacity. The purification procedure can be considered as an alternative to the biospecific adsorbent commonly applied for mouse IgG(1) purification, the protein G-Sepharose.     

Fusion tails for the recovery and purification of recombinant proteins.

Several fusion tail systems have been developed to promote efficient recovery and purification of recombinant proteins from crude cell extracts or culture media. In these systems, a target protein is genetically engineered to contain a C- or N-terminal polypeptide tail, which provides the biochemical basis for specificity in recovery and purification. Tails with a variety of characteristics have been used: (1) entire enzymes with affinity for immobilized substrates or inhibitors; (2) peptide-binding proteins with affinity to immunoglobulin G or albumin; (3) carbohydrate-binding proteins or domains; (4) a biotin-binding domain for in vivo biotination promoting affinity of the fusion protein to avidin or streptavidin; (5) antigenic epitopes with affinity to immobilized monoclonal antibodies; (6) charged amino acids for use in charge-based recovery methods; (7) poly(His) residues for recovery by immobilized metal affinity chromatography; and (8) other poly(amino acid)s, with binding specificities based on properties of the amino acid side chain. Fusion tails are useful at the lab scale and have potential for enhancing recovery using economical recovery methods that are easily scaled up for industrial downstream processing. Fusion tails can be used to promote secretion of target proteins and can also provide useful assay tags based on enzymatic activity or antibody binding. Many fusion tails do not interfere with the biological activity of the target protein and in some cases have been shown to stabilize it. Nevertheless, for the purification of authentic proteins a site for specific cleavage is often included, allowing removal of the tail after recovery.     

The use of affinity chromatography in purification of cyclic nucleotide receptor proteins.

Biospecific affinity chromatography has been used to purify specific cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP receptor proteins. Several variables are important for successful purification of the cyclic AMP receptor protein, the most critical being the length of the aliphatic spacer side arm. 8-(2-Aminoethyl)-amino-cyclic AMP coupled to the aliphatic spacer side arm. 8-(2-Aminoethyl)-amino-cyclic AMP coupled to agarose specifically retains the cyclic AMP receptor protein by interaction with the immobilized nucleotide. Binding of the cyclic AMP receptor subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase to the immobilized nucleotide results in dissociation of the catalytic protein phosphokinase subunit which is not retained. The retained cyclic AMP receptor protein is subsequently eluted by cyclic AMP. Homogeneous cyclic AMP receptor protein prepared from rabbit skeletal muscle by affinity chromatography has been characterized. The molecular weight of the native protein as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at varying acrylamide concentrations is 76 800 and 82 000, respectively. The protein is asymmetric with frictional and axial ratios of 1.64 and 12. SDS and urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicate that the native cyclic AMP receptor is composed of two identical subunits of 42 700 molecular weight. The native protein dimer binds 2 moles of cyclic AMP per mole of protein and is active in suppressing activity of isolated catalytic subunits of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Cyclic GMP receptor protein from bovine lung has been purified using the same affinity chromatography media. Since cyclic nucleotide binding to cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase does not result in dissociation of regulatory receptor and catalytic phosphotransferase subunits, the cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase holoenzyme is retained on the column and can be subsequently specifically eluted with cyclic GMP.     

Purification of Neuronal Cell Surface Proteins and Generation of Epitope-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies Against Cell Adhesion Molecules

To establish a procedure for the purification of a broad spectrum of cell surface proteins, three separate methods based on different principles were compared with the aid of four marker proteins. Membrane preparation by sedimentation-flotation centrifugation, temperature-induced phase separation with Triton X-114, and lectin affinity chromatography were used separately as well as in combination. The two-step procedure of membrane preparation and lectin affinity chromatography provided by far the best enrichment of cell surface marker proteins. This result was further substantiated by screening greater than 6,600 hybridoma cultures that originated from mice that had been immunized with protein fractions obtained by different purification protocols. In addition, it was found that solubilized glycoproteins used as immunogens led to many more cell surface-specific monoclonal antibodies than glycoproteins immobilized on lectin-agarose beads. Three monoclonal antibodies that recognize distinct epitopes of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) were isolated. Monoclonal antibody C4 bound to a detergent-labile epitope of G4 (neuron-glia CAM). Monoclonal antibody D1 recognized specifically nonreduced neural CAM (N-CAM) with intact disulfide bridges, and monoclonal antibody D3 recognized only the 180-kilodalton isoform of N-CAM. Because of these specificities, these monoclonal antibodies promise to be useful tools for the elucidation of the structural organization of adhesion molecules.     

Membrane adsorbers as purification tools for monoclonal antibody purification

Downstream purification processes for monoclonal antibody production typically involve multiple steps; some of them are conventionally performed by bead-based column chromatography. Affinity chromatography with Protein A is the most selective method for protein purification and is conventionally used for the initial capturing step to facilitate rapid volume reduction as well as separation of the antibody. However, conventional affinity chromatography has some limitations that are inherent with the method, it exhibits slow intraparticle diffusion and high pressure drop within the column. Membrane-based separation processes can be used in order to overcome these mass transfer limitations. The ligand is immobilized in the membrane pores and the convective flow brings the solute molecules very close to the ligand and hence minimizes the diffusional limitations associated with the beads. Nonetheless, the adoption of this technology has been slow because membrane chromatography has been limited by a lower binding capacity than that of conventional columns, even though the high flux advantages provided by membrane adsorbers would lead to higher productivity. This review considers the use of membrane adsorbers as an alternative technology for capture and polishing steps for the purification of monoclonal antibodies. Promising industrial applications as well as new trends in research will be addressed.     

A simple strategy towards membrane protein purification and crystallization

A simple and cost-efficient detergent screening strategy has been developed, by which a number of detergents were screened for their efficiency to extract and purify the recombinant ammonium/ammonia channel, AmtB, from Escherichia coli, hence selecting the most efficient detergents prior to large-scale protein production and crystallization. The method requires 1 ml cell culture and is a combination of immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography and filtration steps in 96-well plates. Large-scale protein purification and subsequent crystallization screening resulted in AmtB crystals diffracting to low resolution with three detergents. This strategy allows exclusion of detergents with the lowest probability in yielding protein crystals and selecting those with higher probability, hence, reducing the number of detergents to be screened prior to large-scale membrane protein purification and perhaps also crystallization.     

A kainic acid receptor from frog brain purified using domoic acid affinity chromatography

A kainic acid receptor was purified from Triton X-100/digitonin-solubilized frog brain membranes. The purification was carried out in two steps: ion exchange chromatography using DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and affinity chromatography with domoic acid immobilized on Sepharose 4B. The specific binding activity of the affinity-purified receptor is 481-fold higher than that of the crude solubilized preparation and 1617-fold higher than that of the whole membrane fraction. Scatchard analyses of the affinity-purified receptor showed a curvilinear plot which fit a two-site model with dissociation constants of 5.5 and 34 nM and Bmax values of 1700 pmol/mg protein and 4400 pmol/mg protein for the high and low affinity components, respectively. The dissociation constants of the purified receptor are similar to those of the crude soluble preparation (4.8 and 39 nM). Inhibition constants for several kainic acid analogs were also similar for the purified and crude preparations. The active purified receptor migrated with a Mr = 570,000 on gel filtration analysis using Sepharose 6B. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the affinity-purified receptor showed a single broad band with silver stain, migrating with a Mr = 48,000.     

Improved purification of recombinant adenoviral vector by metal affinity membrane chromatography

The increasing importance of adenoviral vectors for gene therapy clinical trials necessitates the development of processes suitable for large-scale and commercial production of adenovirus. Here, we evaluated a novel purification process combining an anion-exchange chromatography and an immobilized metal affinity membrane chromatography for the purification of recombinant adenovirus. Adenovirus was initially purified from clarified infectious lysate by anion-exchange chromatography using Q Sepharose XL resin and further polished using a Sartobind IDA membrane unit charged with Zn²⁺ ions as affinity ligands. The metal affinity membrane chromatography efficiently removed residual host cell impurities that co-eluted with adenovirus during the previous anion-exchange chromatography step. The metal affinity membrane chromatography also separated defective adenovirus particles from the infectious adenovirus fraction. Furthermore, the metal affinity membrane chromatography showed an improved yield, when compared with a conventional bead-based metal affinity chromatography. The purity and specific activity of the adenovirus prepared using this two-step chromatography was comparable to those of adenovirus produced by the conventional CsCl density centrifugation. Therefore, our data provide an improved method for the purification of adenoviral vectors for clinical applications.