One-step purification of a fusion protein of glucagon-like peptide-1 and human serum albumin expressed in pichia pastoris by an immunomagnetic separation technique

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has great therapeutic potential to treat diabetes type 2, mainly due to its unique glucose-dependent stimulation of insulin secretion profiles, but its clinical application is limited by its short half-life in vivo, which resultes from degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase IV and/or renal clearance. Developing long-acting GLP-1 analogs is therefore an important step toward using them therapeutically. In this study, the GLP-1/human serum albumin (HSA) fusion protein gene was cloned into the secretor type expression vector pPIC9K and subsequently expressed in Pichia pastoris. The expression quantity reached 58.5 mg/l in small-scale incubation. After optimization and characterization, the GLP-1/HSA fusion protein was successfully purified from the supernatant of the broth using immunomagnetic cellulose microspheres. HPLC showed that the purified GLP-1/HSA had an overall purity of 93.9%, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) confirmed the fusion protein exhibited the expected molecular mass of 70 kDa. Furthermore, that analysis of in vivo activity indicated that GLP-1/HSA reduced the blood glucose level after intraperitoneal administration to Chinese Kunming mice in a dose-dependent manner, and the effects held significantly 4 h after administration. Overall, this study illustrates the development of a long-acting GLP-1/HSA fusion protein expressed in Pichia pastoris.     

截短型胰高血糖素样肽-1的融合构建与表达

为了延长截短型胰高血糖素样肽1（shorted glucagon like peptide1,sGLP1）在血浆中的半衰期,将sGLP1的C端与人血清白蛋白（human albumin,HSA）的N端通过6个氨基酸的柔性连接子融合在一起,构建了融合表达菌株Pichia pastoris GS115/sGLP1HSA。以4g/L G418筛选出来的阳性工程菌株,经5L发酵罐培养,甲醇诱导48h,表达量可达0.8g/L。培养液经超滤、葡聚糖G25除盐、蓝色凝胶亲和层析纯化后,经HPLC分析产物纯度达95%,回收率达60%。正常小鼠糖耐量实验和对GKⅡ型糖尿病模型鼠的治疗证明sGLP1/HSA具有明显的降糖效果,为获得大量sGLP1/HSA融合蛋白进行临床实验研究奠定了基础。     

The N-terminal alanine-extended GLP-1/IgG-Fc fusion protein confers resistance to DPP-IV and reduces serum glucose level in db/db mice

The aim of this study was to develop novel long-acting glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogs resistant to dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). We constructed three fusion proteins comprising GLP-1 and the human immunoglobulin gamma heavy chain (IgG-Fc); wild-type GLP-1 and IgG-Fc (GLP-1/IgG-Fc) and two N-terminal-extended fusion proteins in which an additional Ala (A) or Gly (G) was located on the N-terminus of GLP-1 (A-GLP-1/IgG-Fc or G-GLP-1/IgG-Fc). The fusion proteins expressed in CHO-K1 cells were secreted into medium and purified by Protein A affinity chromatography. Here, we show that the Ala or Gly-extended GLP-1/IgG-Fc fusion protein is resistant to DPP-IV and has increased half-life in vivo. To our surprise, the A-GLP-1/IgG-Fc fusion protein was more effective than wildtype GLP-1/IgG-Fc fusion protein in reducing blood glucose levels in db/db mice. Our findings suggest that the A-GLP-1/IgG-Fc fusion protein could be a potential long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes.     

人甲状旁腺激素-血清白蛋白融合蛋白的构建及在毕赤酵母中的表达

利用重叠PCR技术拼接PTH和HSA基因,并将构建好的融合基因插入到载体pUC19测序后插入表达载体pPIC9K中,在启动子AOXⅠ和α交配因子信号肽的作用下,分泌表达融合蛋白PTH-HSA。重组质粒pPIC9K/PTH-HSA经SalⅠ线性化后,电击转化毕赤酵母KM71,经G418筛选得到的转化子。PCR鉴定后,用甲醇诱导表达,蛋白电泳分析表明融合基因得到表达; Western blot分析表明发酵液上清中表达的融合蛋白PTH-HSA具有HSA的抗原性:用酶标法测定发酵上清中融合蛋白的甲状旁腺激素活性为318IU/ml     

重组胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白的纯化及活性研究

利用构建的重组菌株Pichia pastoris GS115/GLP-1/HSA,在10L发酵罐中表达了胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白(GLP-1/HSA),表达量为63.6mg/L。发酵液经中空纤维柱浓缩、疏水层析、阴离子交换层析和凝胶过滤分离纯化,获得了较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,经HPLC分析纯度达95.8%。进一步的体内活性分析结果表明,GLP-1/HSA不仅具有天然GLP-1的生物活性,而且在给药后4h仍能发挥显著性降血糖作用。以上结果表明,利用Pichia pastoris分泌型表达系统和建立的分离纯化方法,能获得大量较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,为进一步研究和开发能够用于糖尿病临床治疗的长效GLP-1类似物奠定了基础。     

人β干扰素-血清白蛋白融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的分泌表达

利用重叠PCR技术在体外拼接IFN β和HSA基因,将得到的融合基因插入到毕赤酵母分泌型表达载体pPIC9K中,置于启动子AOX1和α交配因子信号肽的作用下,分泌表达融合蛋白IFNβ-HSA。重组质粒pPIC9K-IFNβ-HSA经SalI线性化,电击转化毕赤酵母KM71,经G418筛选得到高拷贝转化子。PCR鉴定后,用甲醇诱导表达,SDS-PAGE和Western blot分析表达的融合蛋白IFNβ-HSA表明该蛋白分子量约为90kDa且具有HSA的抗原性;用细胞病变抑制法测定发酵液上清中融合蛋白的干扰素活性约为640IU/ml。     

A novel exendin-4 human serum albumin fusion protein,E2HSA,with an extended half-life and good glucoregulatory effect in healthy rhesus monkeys

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has attracted considerable research interest in terms of the treatment of type 2 diabetes due to their multiple glucoregulatory functions. However, the short half-life, rapid inactivation by dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) and excretion, limits the therapeutic potential of the native incretin hormone. Therefore, efforts are being made to develop the long-acting incretin mimetics via modifying its structure. Here we report a novel recombinant exendin-4 human serum albumin fusion protein E2HSA with HSA molecule extends their circulatory half-life in vivo while still retaining exendin-4 biological activity and therapeutic properties. In vitro comparisons of E2HSA and exendin-4 showed similar insulinotropic activity on rat pancreatic islets and GLP-1R-dependent biological activity on RIN-m5F cells, although E2HSA was less potent than exendin-4. E2HSA had a terminal elimation half-life of approximate 54 h in healthy rhesus monkeys. Furthermore, E2HSA could reduce postprandial glucose excursion and control fasting glucose level, dose-dependent suppress food intake. Improvement in glucose-dependent insulin secretion and control serum glucose excursions were observed during hyperglycemic clamp test (18 h) and oral glucose tolerance test (42 h) respectively. Thus the improved physiological characterization of E2HSA make it a new potent anti-diabetic drug for type 2 diabetes therapy.     

Expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant human serum albumin fusion protein with two human glucagon-like peptide-1 mutants in Pichia pastoris

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a 30-residue peptide hormone secreted by intestinal L-cells in response to nutrient ingestion. In the present study, overlapping PCR technology was employed to construct two GLP-1 mutants (GLP-1(A2G))2 and human albumin (HSA) genes in vitro without linker. The spliced gene, (GLP-1(A2G))2-HSA, was over expressed under the control of promoter AOX1 and Mat alpha signal peptide in Pichia pastoris. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting were applied to assay the recombinant fusion protein in the culture broth. The results demonstrated that the recombinant (GLP-1(A2G))2-HSA concentration in the broth could reach a level of 245.0 mg/L and the expressed fusion protein was capable of cross-reacting with anti-human GLP-1 and anti-human albumin antibody. The recombinant (GLP-1(A2G))2-HSA protein was purified by ultrafiltration, columns of Q-sepharose fast flow and Superdex 75 size-exclusion. The recombinant (GLP-1(A2G))2-HSA protein obtained could lower in vivo glucose concentration in blood and stimulate in vitro islet cell proliferation. In mouse model, the fusion protein was detectable in plasma even 308 h after a single subcutaneous dose of 1.25 mg/kg. The result showed that the terminal biological half-time of the protein was about 54.2 h which is 650-fold longer than that of GLP-1. The pharmacokinetic analysis of the protein suggests its promising application in clinical medicine.     

人胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

目的：在巴斯德毕赤酵母中表达有降糖活性的人胰高血糖素样肽-1（hGLP-1）突变体（2Gly-hGLP-1）与人血清白蛋白（HSA）的融合蛋白。方法：为将GLP-1氨基酸序列第2位的丙氨酸（Ala）定点突变为甘氨酸（Gly）,根据毕赤酵母偏爱密码子合成编码2Gly-hGLP-1的基因;采用重叠PCR法拼接2Gly-hGLP-1和HSA的基因,使得2Gly-hGLP-1的C端与HSA的N端通过甘氨酸五肽接头连接;将该融合基因插入表达载体pPIC9构建为重组载体pPIC9/2Gly-hGLP-1-HSA,电击转化至毕赤酵母GS115细胞,通过表型筛选和诱导表达实验获得高效表达菌株;工程菌在5L发酵罐中培养后,对发酵产物进行分离纯化和生物学活性分析。结果：融合蛋白在5L发酵罐中的表达量约为200mg/L,经纯化后纯度可达95%以上;小鼠糖耐量实验表明该融合蛋白具有明显的控血糖活性。结论：在毕赤酵母中分泌表达的融合蛋白2Gly-hGLP-1-HSA具有降血糖活性。     

Expression, purification and characterization of recombinant human interleukin-2-serum albumin (rhIL-2-HSA) fusion protein in Pichia pastoris

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays important roles in variety of immune functions. Recombinant IL-2 has become an important therapeutic protein for therapy of melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Previously, it was proved that the therapeutic efficacy of rIL-2 expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was improved by prolonging its in vivo half-life through genetic fusion with albumin. In this study, a fusion protein composed of hIL-2 genetically fused to HSA was expressed as a secretory protein under AOX1 (alcohol oxidase 1) promoter in Pichia pastoris. An effective strategy was established to express rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein in 5L scale and the optimal purification procedure was investigated. The purity of rhIL-2-HSA in final product was about 95%. The purified rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein could be recognized by both anti-hIL-2 and anti-human serum albumin monoclonal antibody. Bioactivity analysis showed that the purified rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein displayed high level activity on proliferation in IL-2 dependent manner in CTLL2-cells. rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein also showed a extended half-life in plasma compared with IL-2 when tested in a BALB/c mouse model. This study provides an alternative strategy for large-scale production of bioactive rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein using P. pastoris as an expression host.     

生长激素释放激素和人血清白蛋白融合蛋白的克隆表达

目的:通过与人血清白蛋白(HSA)融合,延长生长激素释放激素(GHRH)在体内的半衰期。方法:根据毕赤酵母偏爱密码子重新设计GHRH的核酸序列,并通过化学合成和重叠PCR法将GHRH的N端与HSA的C端通过一个11肽的接头连接,获得GHRH和HSA融合的全长基因序列。构建pPIC9-HSA-GHRH表达载体,电击转化毕赤酵母GS115感受态细胞,通过表型筛选和诱导表达实验得到蛋白表达工程菌,对表达产物进行分离纯化和生物学活性分析。结果:克隆了HSA-GHRH融合基因,构建了pPIC9-HSA-GHRH融合表达载体;电击转化后通过表型筛选和诱导表达实验得到蛋白表达工程菌;经分离纯化后,对表达产物的生物学活性分析显示其在体内有促进生长的作用。结论:与人血清白蛋白的融合有效地提高了GHRH的表达水平,并延长了GHRH的半衰期。     

重组胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白的纯化及活性研究

利用构建的重组菌株Pichia pastoris GS115/GLP-1/HSA,在10L发酵罐中表达了胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白（GLP-1/HSA）,表达量为63.6mg/L。发酵液经中空纤维柱浓缩、疏水层析、阴离子交换层析和凝胶过滤分离纯化,获得了较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,经HPLC分析纯度达95.8%。进一步的体内活性分析结果表明,GLP-1/HSA不仅具有天然GLP-1的生物活性,而且在给药后4 h仍能发挥显著性降血糖作用。以上结果表明,利用Pichia pastoris分泌型表达系统和建立的分离纯化方法,能获得大量较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,为进一步研究和开发能够用于糖尿病临床治疗的长效GLP-1类似物奠定了基础。     

Novel AGLP-1 albumin fusion protein as a long-lasting agent for type 2 diabetes

Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) regulates glucose mediated-insulin secretion, nutrient accumulation, and β-cell growth. Despite the potential therapeutic usage for type 2 diabetes (T2D), GLP-1 has a short half-life in vivo (t_1/2 ＜2 min). In an attempt to prolong half-life, GLP-1 fusion proteins were genetically engineered: GLP-1 human serum albumin fusion (GLP-1/HSA), AGLP-1/HSA which has an additional alanine at the N-terminus of GLP-1, and AGLP-1-L/HSA, in which a peptide linker is inserted between AGLP-1 and HSA. Recombinant fusion proteins secreted from the Chinese Hamster Ovary-K1 (CHO-K1) cell line were purified with high purity (＞96%). AGLP-1 fusion protein was resistant against the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). The fusion proteins activated cAMP-mediated signaling in rat insulinoma INS-1 cells. Furthermore, a C57BL/6N mice pharmacodynamics study exhibited that AGLP-1-L/HSA effectively reduced blood glucose level compared to AGLP-1/HSA. [BMB Reports 2013; 46(12): 606-610]     

Characterization of a long-acting recombinant human serum albumin-atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) expressed in Pichia pastoris

The cardiac hormone atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) combines pharmacological properties of drugs used to treat essential hypertension (EH), congestive heart failure (CHF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Treatment of CHF or AMI patients with an intravenous (iv) infusion of the circulating form of ANF (ANF(99-126)) produces significant clinical improvement. The short half-life (5 min) and peptide nature of ANF impose logistic restrictions for chronic administration. To increase its half-life, we fused ANF and human serum albumin (HSA) mini-genes by recombination in Pichia pastoris. The activity of three configurations of the fusion protein was tested in vitro and in vivo. The fusion protein that comprised of C-terminus HSA connected to N-terminus ANF via a hexaglycine linker showed the best outcome; it increased cGMP production in vitro. In vivo an iv bolus of HSA-ANF into mice increased significantly plasma cGMP levels and lowered blood pressure (BP) for up to 6 h hence successfully extended ANF half-life in plasma while retaining its biological activity. HSA-ANF represents the basis for development in the chronic therapeutic use of ANF.     

人血清白蛋白-血管钠肽融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

人工合成VNP基因,通过酶连构建HSA和VNP基因的融合基因,插入表达载体pPIC9K,电转至毕赤酵母GS115,构建成工程茵,甲醇诱导表达。重组表达质粒经双酶切验证构建正确;表达产物经SDS-PAGE分析分子量为69 000 Da,与理论值相符;Western blot鉴定产物兼有HSA和VNP免疫原性,说明其为杂合分子;兔胸主动脉环离体灌流实验证明融合蛋白具有舒张血管活性。本研究说明毕赤酵母适于HSA-VNP融合蛋白的表达,为进一步开发稳定的VNP药物提供了生物制备方法。     

人血清白蛋白和人干扰素α2b的融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

为了延长IFNα2b在血浆中的半衰期,构建了编码HSA和hIFNα2b的融合基因并在毕赤酵母中获得高效表达,工程菌经5L发酵罐培养后获得的含融合蛋白的培养液经超滤浓缩、蓝色葡聚糖凝胶层析、疏水柱层析以及阴离子柱层析,融合蛋白的纯度达到95%以上。该融合蛋白能与干扰素抗体和人血清白蛋白抗体结合,并表现出与重组干扰素α2b相似的抗病毒活性。以猕猴为动物模型,分别从静脉和皮下单剂量给药,给药浓度为90μg/kg时,在336h后血浆中仍可检测到融合蛋白。其静脉注射的血浆半衰期为101h,皮下注射的半衰期为68.2h。皮下注射的生物利用度为67.9%。IFNα2b与HSA融合后,明显的延长了血浆半衰期,显现了其良好的临床应用前景。     

应用双质粒共表达体系提高融合蛋白GGH在毕赤酵母GS115中的表达量

为实现人胰高血糖素样肽-1-人血清白蛋白融合蛋白 ((GLP-1A2G)2-HSA,简称GGH) 的规模化制备,通过pPICZαB与pPIC9K双质粒共表达体系提高融合蛋白GGH在毕赤酵母中的表达量。首先运用PCR技术扩增出融合蛋白GGH的基因片段,构建了表达质粒pPICZαB-ggh,并电转至经载体pPIC9K-ggh异位整合的GGH分泌型菌株——毕赤酵母GS115/F2;然后采用免疫学方法并结合高浓度抗生素筛选获得高产菌GS115/F3,在30 ℃,3％甲醇诱导80 h后GGH的表达量达到了491 m     

利用BglBrick方法进行HSA/Exendin-4长效融合蛋白的快速组装

目的：通过合成生物学的BglBrick方法快速构建不同种类HSA/ Exendin-4长效融合蛋白,为进行各HSA/Exendin-4融合蛋白生物学活性的筛选比较奠定基础。方法：选用酵母表达载体pPICZαA质粒,构建pPICZαA-E4和pPICZαA-HSA两种基础Brick表达载体,运用BglBrick方法,实现了不同数目Exendin-4分子在HSA的不同末端的快速组装。将构建出的10种HSA/Exendin-4融合蛋白,转入毕赤酵母菌KM71H中,用甲醇诱导目的蛋白的表达。结果：用BglBrick方法构建的HSA/Exendin-4融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中都成功诱导表达出相应的目的蛋白。结论：利用BglBrick方法能够实现HSA长效融合蛋白的快速组装。     

Expression and purification of exendin-4, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in Escherichia coli

Exendin-4 is a 39 amino acid peptide isolated from salivary secretions of Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum). It shows 53% sequence similarity to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is evaluated for the regulation of plasma glucose in type 2 diabetes. Exendin-4 is a potent and long-acting agonist of GLP-1 receptor. In the present study, the exendin-4 gene obtained by PCR with an enterokinase site at N-terminus and a termination codon at C-terminus was expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3) harboring pET32a(+). The fusion protein was purified by chromatography on Ni-NTA-agarose column. Recombinant exendin-4 was obtained by enterokinase cleavage of the fusion protein and subsequent purification. The yield of recombinant exendin-4 was 3.15mg/10g bacteria. The obtained recombinant exendin-4 shows glucose-lowering action in vivo.     

重组毕氏酵母中降解hIFNβ-HSA蛋白酶的鉴定及其活性控制

研究了重组毕赤酵母KM71／pPIC9K—IFNβ-HSA表达融合蛋白hIFNβ—HSA过程中产物降解的问题。十二烷基磺酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（SDS—PAGE）和Western—Blotting分析结果表明,发酵液中除了9．0×10^4的目的融合蛋白hIFNβ-HSA外,同时还出现了6．5×10^4的降解带,进一步结合HPLC分析证实该降解发生在融合蛋白hIFNβ—HSA的HSA区域。在此基础上,采用十二烷基磺酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（SDS—PAGE）活性电泳的方法,确定在融合蛋白hIFNβ-HSA表达的过程中,引起融合蛋白hIFNβ-HSA降解的蛋白酶为蛋白酶B（Proteinase B,PrB）。最后,确定了可以抑制融合蛋白hIFNβ-HSA降解的最佳的蛋白酶抑制剂EDTA,通过在诱导表达阶段添加不同浓度的蛋白酶抑制剂EDTA,使融合蛋白的表达量达到22．18mg/mL,与空白对照组相比增加了61％。