Analysis of the interferences in quantitation of a site-specifically PEGylated exendin-4 analog by the Bradford method

Protein modification has been found to affect the estimation of protein concentration in some of the traditional dye-based absorbance measurements. In this work, a distinct reduction in A₅₉₅ was observed during the quantitation of a PEGylated exendin-4 analogue (Ex4C) by the Bradford method and the PEGylation process was found to interfere with the measurement. Lys¹², Arg²⁰, and Lys²⁷ were further proved to be the major amino acids that functioned as dye-binding sites. The shielding effect produced by the large polymer was demonstrated to depend on the length of PEG that was used for modification.     

Monitoring protein O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine status via metabolic labeling and copper-free click chemistry

O-Linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification found on the serine and threonine residues of intracellular proteins is an inducible post-translational modification that regulates numerous biological processes. In combination with other cell biological and biochemical approaches, a robust and streamlined strategy for detecting the number and stoichiometry of O-GlcNAc modification can provide valuable insights for decoding the functions of O-GlcNAc at the molecular level. Here, we report an optimized workflow for evaluating the O-GlcNAc status of proteins using a combination of metabolic labeling and click chemistry-based mass tagging. This method is strategically complementary to the chemoenzymatic-based mass-tagging method.     

Toward improving selectivity in affinity chromatography with PEGylated affinity ligands: The performance of PEGylated protein A

Chemical modification of macromolecular affinity chromatography ligands with polyethylene glycol chains or “PEGylation” can potentially improve selectivity by sterically suppressing non‐specific binding interactions without sacrificing binding capacity. For a commercial protein A affinity media and with yeast extract (YE) and fetal bovine serum (FBS) serving as mock contaminants, we found that the ligand accounted for more than 90% of the media‐associated non‐specific binding, demonstrating an opportunity for improvement. The IgG static binding affinity of protein A mono‐PEGylated with 5.0 and 20.7 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) chains was found to be preserved using a biomolecular interaction screening platform. Similar in situ PEGylations of the commercial protein A media were conducted and the modified media was functionally characterized with IgG solutions spiked with YE and FBS. Ligand PEGylation reduced the mass of media‐associated contaminants by a factor of two to three or more. Curiously, we also found an increase of up to 15% in the average recovery of IgG on elution after PEGylation. Combined, these effects produced an order of magnitude increase in the IgG selectivity on average when spiked with YE and a two‐ to three‐fold increase when spiked with FBS relative to the commercial media. Dynamic binding capacity and mass‐transfer resistance measurements revealed a reduction in dynamic capacity attributed to a decrease in IgG effective pore diffusivity and possibly slower IgG association kinetics for the PEGylated protein A ligands. Ligand PEGylation is a viable approach to improving selectivity in affinity chromatography with macromolecular ligands. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:1364–1379, 2014     

抗菌肽药物工程化技术研究进展

尽管抗生素在畜牧业疾病防治中的主导地位在短期内不会动摇,但病原菌耐药性形成与快速发展让抗菌肽成为近年新药研发热点之一。作为一种在生物体内广泛存在的天然免疫物质,抗菌肽具有抗菌、抗病毒、抗肿瘤和免疫调节等功能,由于药效短、对蛋白酶敏感、细胞毒性高等缺陷而限制其应用。本文综述了抗菌肽基因工程技术、聚乙二醇(PEG)化、靶向性改造和固定化等工程技术在抗菌肽新药开发中的应用研究进展,以促进抗菌肽产业化。     

聚乙二醇化重组人粒细胞刺激因子及其药品通用名称命名

有越来越多的聚乙二醇修饰人粒细胞刺激因子研发上市。为适应这类制品的发展,中国药品通用名命名原则也需要不断更新修订。简要介绍了聚乙二醇修饰蛋白技术以及WHO国际非专利药品名(INN)命名委员会对这类制品的命名情况,讨论了我国对这类制品的药品通用命名原则和方法,建议对聚乙二醇化不同的修饰形式在名称上适当加以区分,并注意加强与INN命名委员会的交流合作。     

The blood-brain barrier penetration and distribution of PEGylated fluorescein-doped magnetic silica nanoparticles in rat brain

PEGylated PAMAM conjugated fluorescein-doped magnetic silica nanoparticles (PEGylated PFMSNs) have been synthesized for evaluating their ability across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and distribution in rat brain. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetry analyses (TGA), zeta potential (ζ-potential) titration, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The BBB penetration and distribution of PEGylated PFMSNs and FMSNs in rat brain were investigated not only at the cellular level with Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), but also at the subcellular level with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results provide direct evidents that PEGylated PFMSNs could penetrate the BBB and spread into the brain parenchyma.     

Combined optimization of N‐terminal site‐specific PEGylation of recombinant hirudin using response surface methodology and kinetic analysis

In this study, a combined optimization method was developed to optimize the N‐terminal site‐specific PEGylation of recombinant hirudin variant‐2 (HV2) with different molecular weight mPEG‐propionaldehyde (mPEG‐ALD), which is a multifactor‐influencing process. The HV2‐PEGylation with 5 kDa mPEG‐ALD was first chosen to screen significant factors and determine the locally optimized conditions for maximizing the yield of mono‐PEGylated product using combined statistical methods, including the Plackett–Burman design, steepest ascent path analysis, and central composition design for the response surface methodology (RSM). Under the locally optimized conditions, PEGylation kinetics of HV2 with 5, 10, and 20 kDa mPEG‐ALD were further investigated. The molar ratio of polyethylene glycol to HV2 and reaction time (the two most significant factors influencing the PEGylation efficiency) were globally optimized in a wide range using kinetic analysis. The data predicted by the combined optimization method using RSM and kinetic analysis were in good agreement with the corresponding experiment data. PEGylation site analysis revealed that almost 100% of the obtained mono‐PEGylated‐HV2 was modified at the N‐terminus of HV2. This study demonstrated that the developed method is a useful tool for the optimization of the N‐terminal site‐specific PEGylation process to obtain a homogeneous mono‐PEGylated protein with desirable yield.     

Disulfide–bridging PEGylation during refolding for the more efficient production of modified proteins

Proteins that are modified by chemical conjugation require at least two separate purification processes. First the bulk protein is purified, and then after chemical conjugation, a second purification process is required to obtain the modified protein. In an effort to develop new enabling technologies to integrate bioprocessing and protein modification, we describe the use of disulfide‐bridging conjugation to conduct PEGylation during protein refolding. Preliminary experiments using a PEG‐mono‐sulfone reagent with partially unfolded leptin and unfolded RNAse T1 indicated that the cysteine thiols underwent disulfide‐bridging conjugation to give the PEGylated proteins. Interferon‐β1b (IFN‐β1b) was then expressed in E.coli as inclusion bodies and found to undergo disulfide bridging‐conjugation during refolding. The PEG‐IFN‐β1b was isolated by ion‐exchange chromatography and displayed in vitro biological activity. In the absence of the PEGylation reagent, IFN‐β1b refolding was less efficient and yielded protein aggregates. No PEGylation was observed if the cysteines on IFN‐β1b were first modified with iodoacetamide prior to refolding. Our results demonstrate that the simultaneous refolding and disulfide bridging PEGylation of proteins could be a useful strategy in the development of affordable modified protein therapeutics.     

PEGylated murine Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor: production, purification, and characterization

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) regulates proliferation, differentiation, and function of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Aside from expansion of hematopoietic cells, GM-CSF has shown efficacy in other diseases, including Crohn's disease. While GM-CSF being clinically used in humans, the ability to perform mechanistic studies in murine models is difficult due to the limited availability and rapid clearance of murine GM-CSF in the peripheral blood. To address these issues, we efficiently expressed murine GM-CSF under the control of the AOX1 gene promoter in Pichia pastoris using the Mut(S) strain KM71H. We describe the unique conditions that are required for efficient production by high-density fermentation and purification of mGM-CSF protein. Recombinant mGM-CSF protein was purified by tangential flow ultrafiltration and preparative reverse phase chromatography. To address limited half life or rapid clearance in mice, recombinant murine GM-CSF was modified by lysine-directed polyethylene glycol conjugation (PEGylation). PEG-modified and unmodified proteins were characterized by amino terminus sequence analysis and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Under the mild reaction conditions, the recombinant protein is efficiently modified by PEGylation on an average of 2-3 sites per molecule. In vivo treatment of mice with PEGylated mGM-CSF, but not the unmodified recombinant mGM-CSF, reproduces the potent colony stimulating effects of human GM-CSF in patients on myeloid progenitor populations, as assessed by FACs analysis. This simplified approach for the expression, purification, and modification of a biologically potent form of murine GM-CSF should facilitate the study of central mechanisms of action in murine disease models.