Improvement of Vero cell growth in glutamate-based culture by supplementing ammoniagenic compounds

Ammonia has been identified as one of the most inhibitory substances for mammalian cells. We have attempted to develop a less-ammoniagenic medium for the growth of Vero cells by substitution of glutamine with glutamate. In spite of reduced ammonia formation, Vero cells cultured in glutamate-based medium (DMEM-glu) could not grow normally as in glutamine-based medium (DMEM-gln). After Vero cells adapted to DMEM-glu, alanine was consumed instead of accumulated and both asparagine and glutamine were almost undetectable, indicating the lacking for aminonitrogen. By supplementing NH₄Cl, the growth was significantly improved and the cellular uptake of glutamate from medium was greatly increased. However the growth was still not restored to the level in DMEM-gln, likely due to ammonia toxicity. Asparagine was chosen to support the growth of Vero cells in DMEM-glu, formulating DMEM-glu-asn. This replacement reduced ammonia formation by 79% and increased cell yields by 34% compared with DMEM-gln. After Vero cells adapted to DMEM-glu-asn, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity was elevated by 3.8 folds compared with control in DMEM-gln. In DMEM-glu-asn Vero cell growth was arrested by the specific GS inhibitor, methionine sulphoximine. This arrest affirmed the essential role of GS in glutamine synthesis and disconfirmed the potential role of asparagine synthase (AS) in glutamine formulation (also asparagine utilization).     

Real-time monitoring of adherent Vero cell density and apoptosis in bioreactor processes

This study proposes an easy to use in situ device, based on multi-frequency permittivity measurements, to monitor the growth and death of attached Vero cells cultivated on microporous microcarriers, without any cell sampling. Vero cell densities were on-line quantified up to 10⁶ cell mL⁻¹. Some parameters which could potentially impact Vero cell morphological and physiological states were assessed through different culture operating conditions, such as media formulation or medium feed-harvest during cell growth phase. A new method of in situ cell death detection with dielectric spectroscopy was also successfully implemented. Thus, through permittivity frequency scanning, major rises of the apoptotic cell population in bioreactor cultures were detected by monitoring the characteristic frequency of the cell population, f_c, which is one of the culture dielectric parameters. Both cell density quantification and cell apoptosis detection are strategic information in cell-based production processes as they are involved in major events of the process, such as scale-up or choice of the viral infection conditions. This new application of dielectric spectroscopy to adherent cell culture processes makes it a very promising tool for risk-mitigation strategy in industrial processes. Therefore, our results contribute to the development of Process Analytical Technology in cell-based industrial processes.     

Application of Taguchi’s method in the optimization of bridging efficiency between confluent and fresh microcarriers in bead-to-bead transfer of Vero cells

Taguchi’s L8 experimental design was firstly applied to identify critical parameters affecting the efficiency of bridge formation between confluent and fresh microcarriers in bead-to-bead transfer of Vero cells. Statistical analysis indicated that stirring time, rest time and the interactions between stirring time and rest time, stirring speed and rest time had significant effects. Subsequently, a two-stage cell transfer process was performed successfully, in which an efficiency of bridge formation (15.3 ± 1.7%) obtained from 8 h intermittent agitation made percentage of bare microcarriers decrease quickly from 66.7% to 2.0 ± 0.8%.     

SV40灭活疫苗的制备及其对小鼠免疫的研究

猿猴空泡病毒40(Simian vacuolating virus 40,SV40) 属于乳多空病毒科,是一种DNA肿瘤病毒。亚洲猿类特别是恒河猴是SV40的天然宿主。感染SV40病毒可导致猴体急性病变或呈长期带毒状态,此外能诱使幼鼠产生肿瘤,并能使多种培养细胞发生转化。本研究初步建立了SV40 病毒在Vero细胞中的增殖培养方法,并且初步建立了β丙内脂灭活病毒的方法和纯化工艺。使用SV40病毒灭活疫苗对Balb/c小鼠进行了免疫,结果表明该疫苗具有较好的免疫原性。随后对SV40 病毒DNA在免疫小鼠的重要脏器中的整合情况进行了调查,结果表明SV40病毒DNA未在小鼠重要脏器中整合。本研究为SV40病毒灭活疫苗的研制和进一步开展猴体抗SV40 感染实验奠定了良好的基础。     

鸡传染性支气管炎病毒的RNA干扰

为探讨短的双链RNA(siRNA)对鸡传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)增殖的干扰作用,利用软件设计siRNA1280个,75%位于Pol基因内。通过同源比较和保守性分析,筛选到针对Pol、M、N基因的12个siRNA(每个基因3～4个)作为后选目的片段,分别在Vero细胞、9日龄SPF鸡胚上进行基因干扰试验。结果,来自Pol、N靶序列的2个siRNA在Vero细胞上及鸡胚上均对IBV增殖产生明显的干扰作用,并与siRNA剂量有一定相关性,依赖于与mRNA互补的负链siRNA存在。本研究首次证实IBV增殖过程中存在siRNA干扰现象,为利用RNA干扰(RNAi)技术控制IBV提供了新手段。     

流感病毒在Vero细胞上的增殖

目的研究流感病毒在非洲绿猴肾细胞(Vero细胞)上高效增殖的最适条件。方法将Vero细胞在50cm2细胞瓶或3000mL旋转瓶中培养成单层,以不同感染复数接种流感病毒,在不同的培养条件下孵育,取上清测病毒血凝滴度。结果当加入胰酶终浓度为40μg·mL-1时,低感染复数接种流感病毒,可获得高效价病毒液,在3000mL旋转培养瓶中流感病毒的易感性较在50cm2静置培养瓶中略高。结论建立了流感病毒在Vero细胞上高效增殖的初步方法。     

地高辛标记探针检测Vero细胞狂犬病疫苗残余Vero细胞DNA含量

地高辛标记Vero细胞DNA,并制备成DNA探针,以此探针进行点杂交,确定探针的工作浓度,特异性及灵敏度,并用此法监测Vero细胞狂犬病疫苗浓缩原液纯化工艺的Vero细胞DNA去除率,测定精制Vero细胞狂犬病疫苗成品中残余Vero细胞DNA含量,结果明显,该法特异性强,重复性好,快速简便,灵敏度高,检测值可达5pg/剂量,可用于精制ero细胞狂犬病疫苗纯化工艺的质量控制和半成品检定。     

Dynamic Lung Tumor Tracking for Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy

Physicians considering stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the treatment of extracranial cancer targets must be aware of the sizeable risks for normal tissue injury and the hazards of physical tumor miss. A first-of-its-kind SBRT platform achieves high-precision ablative radiation treatment through a combination of versatile real-time imaging solutions and sophisticated tumor tracking capabilities. It uses dual-diagnostic kV x-ray units for stereoscopic open-loop feedback of cancer target intrafraction movement occurring as a consequence of respiratory motions and heartbeat. Image-guided feedback drives a gimbaled radiation accelerator (maximum 15 x 15 cm field size) capable of real-time ±4 cm pan-and-tilt action. Robot-driven ±60° pivots of an integrated ±185° rotational gantry allow for coplanar and non-coplanar accelerator beam set-up angles, ultimately permitting unique treatment degrees of freedom. State-of-the-art software aids real-time six dimensional positioning, ensuring irradiation of cancer targets with sub-millimeter accuracy (0.4 mm at isocenter). Use of these features enables treating physicians to steer radiation dose to cancer tumor targets while simultaneously reducing radiation dose to normal tissues. By adding respiration correlated computed tomography (CT) and 2-[¹⁸F] fluoro-2-deoxy-ᴅ-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) images into the planning system for enhanced tumor target contouring, the likelihood of physical tumor miss becomes substantially less¹. In this article, we describe new radiation plans for the treatment of moving lung tumors.     

Evaluation of in vitro activity of copper gluconate against SARS-CoV-2 using confocal microscopy-based high content screening

ContextSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged late in 2019 is the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). There is an urgent need to develop curative and preventive therapeutics to limit the current pandemic and to prevent the re-emergence of Covid-19. This study aimed to assess the in vitro activity of copper gluconate against SARS-CoV-2.MethodsVero E6 cells were cultured with or without copper gluconate 18−24 hours before infection. Cells were infected with a recombinant GFP expressing SARS-CoV-2. Cells were infected with a recombinant GFP expressing SARS-CoV-2. Infected cells were incubated in fresh medium containing varying concentration of copper gluconate (supplemented with bovine serum albumin or not) for an additional 48 -h period. The infection level was measured by the confocal microscopy-based high content screening method. The cell viability in presence of copper gluconate was assessed by XTT and propidium iodide assays.ResultsThe viability of Vero E6 cells exposed to copper gluconate up to 200 μM was found to be similar to that of unexposed cells, but it dropped below 70 % with 400 μM of this agent after 72 h of continuous exposure. The infection rate was 23.8 %, 18.9 %, 20.6 %, 6.9 %, 5.3 % and 5.2 % in cells treated prior infection with 0, 2, 10, 25, 50 and 100 μM of copper gluconate respectively. As compared to untreated cells, the number of infected cells was reduced by 71 %, 77 %, and 78 % with 25, 50, and 100 μM of copper gluconate respectively (p < 0.05). In cells treated only post-infection, the rate of infection dropped by 73 % with 100 μM of copper gluconate (p < 0.05). However, the antiviral activity of copper gluconate was abolished by the addition of bovine serum albumin.ConclusionCopper gluconate was found to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero E6 cells but this effect was abolished by albumin, which suggests that copper will not retain its activity in serum. Furthers studies are needed to investigate whether copper gluconate could be of benefit in mucosal administration such as mouthwash, nasal spray or aerosols.     

Data,Reagents, Assays and Merits of Proteomics for SARS-CoV-2 Research and Testing

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Highlights

• •In-depth proteomes of 4 SARS-CoV-2 cell line models (Vero E6, Calu-3, Caco-2, A549).
• •Proteomic evidence for thousands of Chlorocebus sabaeus proteins.
• •Proteomic response of Vero E6 cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• •Synthetic peptides, spectral libraries, and targeted assays for SARS-CoV-2 proteins.