Inhibition of Aurora-A kinase induces cell cycle arrest in epithelial ovarian cancer stem cells by affecting NFĸB pathway

Recurrent ovarian cancer is resistant to conventional chemotherapy. A sub-population of ovarian cancer cells, the epithelial ovarian cancer stem cells (EOC stem cells) have stemness properties, constitutive NFκB activity, and represent the chemoresistant population. Currently, there is no effective treatment that targets these cells. Aurora-A kinase (Aurora-A) is associated with tumor initiation and progression and is overexpressed in numerous malignancies. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Aurora-A inhibition in EOC stem cells. EOC stem cells were treated with the Aurora-A inhibitor, MK-5108. Cell growth was monitored by Incucyte real-time imaging system, cell viability was measured using the Celltiter 96 assay and cytokine levels were quantified using xMAP technology. The intracellular changes associated with MK-5108 treatment are: (1) polyploidy and cell cycle arrest; (2) inhibition of NFκB activity; (3) decreased cytokine production; and (4) nuclear accumulation of IκBα. Thus, inhibition of Aurora-A decreases cell proliferation in the EOC stem cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and affecting the NFκB pathway. As EOC stem cells represent a source of recurrence and chemoresistance, these results suggest that Aurora-A inhibition may effectively target the cancer stem cell population in ovarian cancer.     

Cell growth arrest by nucleotides,nucleosides and bases as a tool for improved production of recombinant proteins

Arresting cell growth and thus decreasing cell division potentially lessens the chance for genetic drift in the cell population; this would be of utmost importance for the consistent production of biopharmaceuticals during long periods. The drawback of the addition of well-known synchronizing agents, such as chemotherapeutics, is that they cause a disproportionate accumulation of cellular constituents, leading to cell death. The use of compounds that are naturally synthesized by the cell, as is the case of nucleotides, nucleosides, and bases (Nt/Ns/B), is shown in this work to be a promising tool. The addition of purines and pyrimidines was tested using a CHO cell line producing the secreted form of the human placental alkaline phosphatase enzyme (SEAP). From the chemical alternatives tested, AMP was the most promising compound for protein production improvement; it reduced cell growth and maintained the culture with high cell viability for long periods, while increasing SEAP specific productivity 3-fold. The use of CHO and BHK mammalian cells producing Factor VII and the use of a insect cell line (Sf9) showed that the effect of AMP addition seems to be independent of the r-protein and cell line. With the addition of AMP, accumulation of cells at the S phase was accompanied by an increase of the protein specific productivity. Addition of known synchronizing drugs (aphidicolin and doxorubicin) and application of environmental cell growth arrest strategies (depletion of nutrients and byproduct accumulation) showed also to effectively arrest CHO cell growth. A careful look onto cell cycle distribution in the different scenarios created, shows whether it is important to consider r-protein expression dependency upon cell cycle in process optimization and operation strategies.     

Inhibition of Aurora-A kinase induces cell cycle arrest in epithelial ovarian cancer stem cells by affecting NFκB pathway

Recurrent ovarian cancer is resistant to conventional chemotherapy. A sub-population of ovarian cancer cells, the epithelial ovarian cancer stem cells (EOC stem cells) have stemness properties, constitutive NFκB activity, and represent the chemoresistant population. Currently, there is no effective treatment that targets these cells. Aurora-A kinase (Aurora-A) is associated with tumor initiation and progression and is overexpressed in numerous malignancies. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Aurora-A inhibition in EOC stem cells. EOC stem cells were treated with the Aurora-A inhibitor, MK-5108. Cell growth was monitored by Incucyte real-time imaging system, cell viability was measured using the Celltiter 96 assay and cytokine levels were quantified using xMAP technology. The intracellular changes associated with MK-5108 treatment are: (1) polyploidy and cell cycle arrest; (2) inhibition of NFκB activity; (3) decreased cytokine production; and (4) nuclear accumulation of IκBα. Thus, inhibition of Aurora-A decreases cell proliferation in the EOC stem cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and affecting the NFκB pathway. As EOC stem cells represent a source of recurrence and chemoresistance, these results suggest that Aurora-A inhibition may effectively target the cancer stem cell population in ovarian cancer.Key words: ovarian cancer stem cells, aurora-A kinase, cell cycle arrest, nuclear factor kappaB     

Cell cycle kinetics and monoclonal antibody productivity of hybridoma cells during perfusion culture

The flow-cytometric (FCM) analysis of bivariate DNA/lgG distributions has been conducted to study the cell cycle kinetics and monoclonal antibody (MAb) production during perfusion culture of hybridoma cells. Three different perfusion rates were employed to demonstrate the dependency of MAb synthesis and secretion on cell cycle and growth rate. The results showed that, during the rapid growth period of perfusion culture, the level of intracellular igG contents of hybridoma cells changed significantly at each perfusion rate, while the DNA histograms showing cell cycle phases were almost constant. Meanwhile, during the reduced growth period of perfusion culture, the fraction of cells in the S phase decreased, and the fraction cells in the G1/G0 phase increased with decreasing growth rate. The fraction of cells in the G2/M phase was relatively constant during the whole period of perfusion culture. Positive correlation was found between mean intracellular IgG contents and the specific MAb production rate, suggesting that the deletion of intracellular IgG contents by a flow cytometer could be used as a good indicator for the prediction of changes in specific MAb productivity following manipulation of the culture condition. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

大规模动物细胞培养技术研究进展

利用动物细胞大规模培养技术可生产多种生物制品,为提高细胞活力和表达水平及有利于表达产物的纯化,采用有多种添加成分的无血清培养基培养细胞,选择更有利于细胞生长又可提高培养细胞密度的微载体和条件温和、易操作、气体交换速度快的生物反应器,在线监控细胞生存环境和生理活动,减少培养过程培养基中的抑制因素,可创造更适合细胞生存的环境,提高表达水平,向细胞中导入抗凋亡基因,可提高细胞活性和蛋白产量。利用多也微载体以球转球方式大规模培养动物细胞有很好的发展前景。     

The isolation and identification of a secreted biomarker associated with cell stress in serum‐free CHO cell culture

One approach to improving mammalian culture productivity has been to reduce cell stress and cell death in the bioreactor, thus enhancing productivity through a longer phase of viability. Here we describe the isolation and identification of a biomarker for stress and viability loss in CHO culture. Using SELDI‐TOF mass spectrometry to profile the protein component of supernatant culture media we have identified a peak at 7.7 kDa that was associated with loss of viability toward the end of the culture and simulated stress from both toxic metabolite accumulation and nutrient depletion. The relative intensity (signal/noise ratio) of the peak increased rapidly at the onset of dropping viability toward the end of the growth phase. Also, the peak height was seen to increase significantly when cells were grown under conditions emulating ammonia accumulation and glutamine deprivation. The species has been identified as a fragment of Galectin‐1 (Gal‐1) via MS/MS fingerprinting. We propose that this peak could be utilized as a marker for early onset of stress in cell culture. This work demonstrates the efficacy of SELDI technology to identify biomarkers in mammalian cell culture and highlights its value as a tool for the monitoring and improvement of culture processes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 590–600 © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stability of antibody productivity is improved when hybridoma cells are entrapped in calcium alginate beads

Loss of monoclonal antibody (MAb) productivity in long-term, free-suspended cell culture is often attributed to the appearance of a nonproducing population of hybridoma cell (NP) in the culture which has a growth advantage over the producing population (P). However, when an NP appears in long-term culture of entrapped cells, it may not be able to take over the whole culture in a short period of time due to the limited growth of the entrapped cells. In order to examine the hypothesis that entrapped cells can have improved stability of MAb productivity due to limited cell growth, free-suspended cell culture and calcium alginate-entrapped cell culture with inocula consisting of a P and an NP were compared with regard to stability of MAb productivity in a repeated fed-batch culture. In free-suspended cell culture, the NP appeared to take over the whole culture within three batches, and thereby MAb production completely disappeared. In entrapped cell culture, an NP appeared to outgrow the P rapidly only during an exponential growth phase, resulting in a significant decrease in specific MAb productivity, q(MAb), from 11.58 mug/10(6) cell/day to 2.76 mug/10(6) cell/day. However, when the cell growth was limited in entrapped cell culture, the NP no longer outgrew the P rapidly, as indicated by the stable value of q(MAb). In addition, when the cells recovered from the alginate beads by citrate buffer treatment were subcultured in free-suspended cell culture, MAb production rapidly deteriorated and completely disappeared within two batches. Thus, the P present at a small fraction of viable cell concentration in the beginning of the free-suspended cell culture, which were previously entrapped in alginate beads, seemed to be outgrown rapidly by the NP. Taken together, the results obtained from these experiments support the hypothesis that the limited cell growth in entrapped cell culture, which keeps an NP from taking over the whole culture, is responsible, in part, for the improved stability of MAb productivity. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Specific monoclonal antibody productivity and the cell cycle-comparisons of batch,continuous and perfusion cultures

A selection of mouse hybridoma cell lines showed a variation of approximately two orders of magnitude in intracellular monoclonal antibody contents. The different levels directly influenced apparent specific monoclonal antibody productivity during the death phase but not during the growth phase of a batch culture. The pattern of changes in specific productivity during culture remained basically similar even though at different levels for all cell lines tested. Arresting the cells in the G₁ phase using thymidine increased the specific productivity, cell volume and intracellular antibody content but at the same time led to decreased viability. In continuous culture DNA synthesis decreased with decreasing dilution rate though without an accompanying change in cell cycle and cell size distributions. The data shows both the decrease in viability and intracellular antibody content to be important factors which influence the negative association between specific antibody productivity and growth rate. In high cell density perfusion culture, when the cell cycle was prolonged by slow growth, viability was low and dead, but not lysed, cells were retained in the system, the specific antibody productivity was nearly two fold higher than that obtained in either batch or continuous cultures. The results imply that the prolongation of G₁ phase and the increase in death rate of cells storing a large amount of antibody together cause an apparent increase in specific antibody productivity.     

Enumeration of alphafetoprotein secreting cells using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay during the growth of Morris hepatoma 7777 in culture.

Enumeration of alphafetoprotein (AFP) secreting cells in subcultures of rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 has been achieved by a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. The proportion of the cell population engaged in AFP production varies during the growth. Its maximum is reached during the late exponential phase and precedes the maximum of daily AFP accumulation in the culture medium. Then the proportion of AFP secreting cells decreases whereas AFP accumulation remains high, suggesting a change in AFP secretion rate.     

Morphologic and phenotypic changes of human neuroblastoma cells in culture induced by cytosine arabinoside

The effects of cytosine-arabinoside (ARA-C) on the growth and phenotypic expression of a new human neuroblastoma (NB) cell line (GI-ME-N) have been extensively tested. Low doses of ARA-C allowing more than 90% cell viability induce morphological differentiation and growth inhibition. Differentiated cells were larger and flattened with elongated dendritic processes; such cells appeared within 48 h after a dose of ARA-C as low as 0.1 micrograms/ml (about 1000-fold lower than the conventional clinic dose). The new morphological aspect reached the maximum expression after 5-6 days of culture being independent from the addition of extra drug to the culture. A decrease in [3H]thymidine incorporation was also observed within 24 h and the cell growth was completely inhibited on the sixth day. Moreover, ARA-C strongly inhibited anchorage-independent growth in soft agar assay. Membrane immunofluorescence showed several dramatic changes in NB-specific antigen expression after 5 days of treatment with ARA-C. At the same time ARA-C also modulated cytoskeletal proteins and slightly increased catecholamine expression. These findings suggest that noncytotoxic doses of ARA-C do promote the differentiation of GI-ME-N neuroblastoma cells associated with reduced expression of the malignant phenotype.     

The production of monoclonal antibody in growth-arrested hybridomas cultivated in suspension and immobilized modes.

The effects of the microenvironment and the nature of the limiting nutrient on culture viability and overall MAb productivity were explored using a hybridoma cell line which characteristically produces MAb in the stationary phase. A direct comparison was made of the changes in the metabolic profiles of suspension and PEG-alginate immobilized (0.8 mm beads) batch cultures upon entry into the stationary phase. The shifts in glucose, glutamine, and amino acid metabolism upon entry into the stationary phase were similar for both microenvironments. While the utilization of most nutrients in the stationary phase decreased to below 20% of that in the growth phase, antibody production was not dramatically affected. The immobilized culture did exhibit a 1.5-fold increase in the specific antibody rate over the suspension culture in both the growth and stationary phases. The role of limiting nutrient on MAb production and cell viability was assessed by artificially depleting a specific nutrient to 1% of its control concentration. An exponentially growing population of HB121 cells exposed to these various depletions responded with dramatically different viability profiles and MAb production kinetics. All depletions resulted in growth-arrested cultures and nongrowth-associated MAb production. Depletions in energy sources (glucose, glutamine) or essential amino acids (isoleucine) resulted in either poor viability or low antibody productivity. A phosphate or serum depletion maintained antibody production over at least a six day period with each resulting in a 3-fold higher antibody production rate than in growing batch cultures. These results were translated to a high-density perfusion culture of immobilized cells in the growth-arrested state with continued MAb expression for 20 days at a specific rate equal to that observed in the phosphate- and serum-depleted batch cultures.     

Temperature reduction in cultures of hGM-CSF-expressing CHO cells: effect on productivity and product quality

We have demonstrated that temperature reduction from 37 to 33 degrees C in the culture of a CHO cell line producing recombinant human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (CHO-K1-hGM-CSF) leads to a reduced growth rate, increased cell viability, improved cellular productivity, and decreased cell metabolism. In the present study, CHO-K1-hGM-CSF cells were cultured in a biphasic mode: first, a 37 degrees C growth phase for achieving a high cell number, followed by a production phase where the culture temperature was shifted to 33 degrees C. The maximum cell density was not affected after temperature reduction while cell viability remained above 80% for a further 3.7 days in the culture kept at the lower temperature, when compared to the control culture maintained at 37 degrees C. Furthermore, the total rhGM-CSF production increased 6 times in the culture shifted to 33 degrees C. Because the quality and hence the in vivo efficacy of a recombinant protein might be affected by numerous factors, we have analyzed the N- and O-glycosylation of the protein produced under both cell culture conditions using high-pH anion-exchange chromatography and complementary mass spectrometry techniques. The product quality data obtained from the purified protein preparations indicated that decreasing temperature had no significant effect on the rhGM-CSF glycosylation profiles, including the degree of terminal sialylation. Moreover, both preparations exhibited the same specific in vitro biological activity. These results revealed that the employed strategy had a positive effect on the cell specific productivity of CHO-K1-hGM-CSF cells without affecting product quality, representing a novel procedure for the rhGM-CSF production process.     

Inhibition of sodium butyrate-induced apoptosis in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells by constitutively expressing antisense RNA of caspase-3

Sodium butyrate (NaBu) can enhance the expression of genes controlled by some of the mammalian promoters, but it can also inhibit cell growth and induce cellular apoptosis. Thus, the beneficial effect of using a higher concentration of NaBu on a foreign protein expression is compromised by its cytotoxic effect on cell growth. To overcome this cytotoxic effect of NaBu, the expression vector of antisense RNA of caspase-3 was constructed and transfected to recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cells producing a humanized antibody. Using this antisense RNA strategy, rCHO cells (B3) producing a low level of caspase-3 proenzyme were established. When batch cultures of both B3 cells and control cells transfected with antisense RNA-deficient plasmid were performed in the absence of NaBu, both cells showed similar profiles of cell growth and antibody production. Compared with control cell culture, under the condition of 5 mM NaBu addition at the exponential growth phase, expression of antisense RNA of caspase-3 significantly suppressed the NaBu-induced apoptosis of B3 cells and extended culture longevity by >2 days if the culture was terminated at cell viability of 50%. However, compared with control cell culture, the final antibody concentration of B3 cell culture was not increased in the presence of NaBu, which may be due to the loss of cellular metabolic capability resulted from the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane. Taken together, this study suggests that, although expression of antisense RNA of caspase-3 does not improve antibody productivity of rCHO cells, it can suppress NaBu-induced apoptotic cell death of rCHO cells and thereby may reduce problems associated with cellular disintegration.     

Properties of a Candida albicans strain possessing an increased sensitivity to polyene antibiotics]

Characteristics of a mutant of the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans with increased sensitivity to amphotericin B, levorin and nystatin is presented. Increased sensitivity to the polyens in the isolate must be associated with changes in the cell wall and/or with decreased total viability of the strain. The following factors were in favour of this: presence of significant amounts of pseudomycelial cells with thinner cell walls as compared to the yeast cells in the population of the mutant strain; a higher rate of potassium liberation from the cells of the mutant strain in the presence of amphotericin B; a lower growth rate of the mutant strain on solid and liquid media; an increased death rate of the cells in the intact culture of the mutant strain as compared to the initial strain; absence of changes in the absorption spectrum of sterols isolated from the cells of the mutant strain as compared to the initial culture.     

Increased levels of apoptosis of leukocyte subsets in cultured PBMCs compared to whole blood as shown by Annexin V binding: relevance to cytokine production

Most of the investigatory studies of cytokine production by cells have been performed on purified cells or cell lines by measuring the secreted cytokine levels in the bulk culture supernatant. However, results of cytokine production from isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) cultivated in synthetic media, have been reported to be inaccurate and of low reproducibility. Isolation procedures have been shown to be toxic to certain cells. We hypothesised that purified cell culture techniques may result in increased levels of apoptosis of cells compared with whole blood culture techniques. To compare the effects on cell viability between PBMCs and whole blood techniques, an Annexin V binding assay was utilised. The effect of different cell concentration and serum/plasma concentrations on apoptosis levels in the various leukocyte subsets in PBMC and whole blood cultures following stimulation was investigated. There were significantly increased levels of apoptosis of cells in PBMC compared to whole culture at similar plasma concentrations, suggesting that cell viability was plasma concentration-dependent. There were significantly increased levels of apoptosis in PBMC cultures at the same cell concentration to whole blood techniques, suggesting that interaction between all cellular elements (as in whole blood techniques) is important in maintaining cell viability. These results suggest that whole blood culture techniques provide the best conditions for study of leukocyte cytokine production. If PBMC culture is performed, similar plasma and cell concentration to whole blood will best preserve cell viability.     

Effect of conditioned medium factors on productivity and cell physiology in Trichoplusia ni insect cell cultures

The influence of conditioned medium (CM) on cell physiology and recombinant protein production in Trichoplusia ni insect cells (T. ni, BTI-Tn-5B1-4) has been investigated. Cell cycle analysis showed that a high proportion of the cell population (80-90%) was in G1 during the whole culture, indicating that the S and G2/M phases are short relative to the G1 phase. Directly after inoculation, a rapid decrease of the S-phase population occurred, which could be observed as a lag-phase. The following increase in the number of cells in S occurred after 7 h of culture for cells in fresh medium, whereas for cells with the addition of CM it occurred at an earlier time point (5 h) and these cells had therefore a shorter lag-phase. The initial changes in the S-phase population were also affected by the inoculum cell density, as higher seeding cell densities resulted in a more rapid increase in the S-phase population after inoculation. These changes in cell cycle distribution were reflected in the cell size, and the CM-cells were smaller than the cells in fresh medium. Recombinant protein production in T. ni cells was improved by the addition of CM. The specific productivity was increased by 30% compared to cells in fresh medium. This beneficial effect was seen between 20 and 72 h of culture. In contrast, the highest specific productivity was obtained already at 7 h for the cells in fresh medium and then decreased rapidly. The total product concentration was around 30% higher in the culture with CM compared to the culture in fresh medium, and the maximum product concentration was obtained on day 2 compared to day 3 for the cells in fresh medium. Our results indicate that the positive effect on productivity by CM is related to its growth-promoting effect, suggesting that the proliferation potential of the culture determines the productivity.     

胍丁胺对体外培养脊髓神经元的影响及在谷氨酸诱导损伤条件下的作用

研究胍丁胺(agmatine,AG)对培养脊髓神经元的作用及谷氨酸(glutamate,Glu)损伤后的影响,探讨其对神经元的毒性作用及其可能的机理.采用原代细胞培养法,分离培养胚胎大鼠脊髓神经元,3d后加入不同浓度的AG(0.5～80mg/L)继续培养12、24、36h,接着采用四甲基氮唑蓝法和中性红法分别测定胍丁胺对细胞存活率以及毒性的影响.在加入AG的同时给予2mmol/LGlu对细胞进行损伤,建立体外的损伤模型.然后进行细胞形态学观察、NeuN免疫细胞化学染色、四甲基氮唑蓝法测定细胞存活率、Hoechst33342和PI染色检测细胞凋亡和坏死率,同时对神经元中丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)含量的变化检测,最后对各组进行比较和统计分析.结果发现,AG作用浓度低于40mg/L对正常培养的脊髓神经元的存活没有明显的影响,而80mg/L的AG对神经元生长有毒副作用.在给予Glu损伤后,细胞生长状态较差,细胞出现退化,而且细胞存活率显著下降,细胞坏死和凋亡率显著增高(P<0.05或0.01),而同时给予AG干预(AG-Glu组),细胞生长较正常培养的细胞生长状态略差,但明显优于Glu组,而且细胞凋亡和坏死率降低,细胞存活率增高,MDA含量减少(P<0.05).结果提示AG作为一种新发现的神经递质或调质,在正常生理情况下对神经元的生长没有毒副作用,而在Glu诱导损伤条件下,能够抑制Glu诱导的损伤.其发生机制可能与AG通过拮抗N-甲基-M-天冬氨酸(N-methyl-D-aspartate,NMDA)受体,阻断或抑制Glu的氧化毒性的级链反应有关.     

Usability of size-excluded fractions of soy protein hydrolysates for growth and viability of Chinese hamster ovary cells in protein-free suspension culture

To investigate the effect of size-excluded fraction of non-animal protein hydrolysate on growth, viability and longevity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, several commercially available protein hydrolysates were evaluated as a feed supplement to chemically-defined protein-free suspension culture. Soy protein hydrolysates showed better supporting capability for cell growth and viability than the other types of hydrolysates. Maximal cell growth was not affected greatly by size exclusion of some soy hydrolysates such as bacto soytone and soy hydrolysates. CHO cells supplemented with size-excluded fractions of the two hydrolysates showed viable cell density and viability almost equal to those with their crude hydrolysates, although soy hydrolysates showed a little better performance. This suggested that the size-excluded hydrolysate fractions of some soy hydrolysate might be a potential culture medium additive to achieve better downstream operation in a large-scale production as well as enhanced productivity.     

Effects of temperature shift on cell cycle, apoptosis and nucleotide pools in CHO cell batch cultues

Temperature reduction in CHO cell batch culture may be beneficial in the production of recombinant protein and in maintenance of viability. The effects on cell cycle, apoptosis and nucleotide pools were studied in cultures initiated at 37°C and temperature shifted to 30 °C after 48 hours. In control cultures maintained at 37 °C, viable cells continued to proliferate until the termination of the culture, however, temperature reduction caused a rapid decrease in the percent of cells in S phase and accumulation of cells in G-1. This was accompanied by a concurrent reduction in U ratio (UTO/UDP-GNAc), previously shown to be a sensitive indicator of growth rate. Culture viability was extended following temperature shift, as a result of delayed onset of apoptosis, however, once initiated, the rate and manner of cell death was similar to that observed at 37 °C. All nucleotide pools were similarly degraded at the time of apoptotic cell death. Temperature reduction to 30 °C did not decrease the energy charge of the cells, however, the overall rate of metabolism was reduced. The latter may be sufficient to extend culture viability via a reduction in toxic metabolites and/or limitation of nutrient deprivation. However, the possibility remains that the benefits of temperature reduction in terms of both viability and productivity are more directly associated with cultures spending extended time in G-1.