Production of Escherichia coli Heat-labile Enterotoxin in Fermenter Dialysis Culture

Production of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin was investigated with one porcine and one human strain in three different media under different cultivation conditions. Cultivation in aerated fermenters at pH 7·0 yielded 10–20 times more enterotoxin/ml of culture fluid than cultivation in shake flasks. A trypton-yeast extract medium was optimal in fermenter cultures. Comparatively good yields of enterotoxin in fermenters were also obtained in a glucose-salts medium. Continuous feeding of glucose and salts during fermenter cultivation resulted in a lower production of enterotoxin/mg of bacterial cells. Since this decrease in specific yield could be reversed by using dialysis culture, it was concluded that inhibition of toxin formation was due to the accumulation of extracellular low molecular weight metabolites. The highest yield of enterotoxin in dialysis culture was 80 ED₅₀ ml⁻¹ (rabbit jejunal loop test) which is at least eight times more toxin than in ordinary fermenter culture and 80 times more toxin than in shake flask cultures.     

A perfusion system for antibody production by shear-sensitive hybridoma cells in a stirred reactor

Summary A shear-sensitive hybridoma cell line, incapable of growth or antibody production in spinner or shake flasks agitated at 40 rpm, was grown successfully in a perfusion propagation system consisting of a bioreactor (1.5 liter), stirred with a cell-lift impeller at 60 rpm, and a tangential flow filtration unit for removal of spent culture medium from the reactor. The culture was maintained over a 48 day period and cell numbers reached 1.8 × 10⁷ cells/ml. Maximal monoclonal antibody concentration was 800 ug/ml, indicating a productivity of 504 mg/day.     

人三叶因子3在毕赤酵母中表达条件的研究

为提高人三叶因子 3 (HumanTrefoilfactor 3 ,hTFF3 )在毕赤酵母中的表达量 ,研究了转化子生长的培养条件 ,包括不同碳源对转化子生长的影响和接种量、甲醇浓度、pH值、摇瓶转速及不同诱导时间对人三叶因子 3表达的影响。结果表明转化子在生长阶段加入葡萄糖生长旺盛 ,培养 14h后OD₆₀₀ 就可达到 50。在 100mL生长培养基上的菌液以 1∶1接入诱导培养基时蛋白表达量最高 ;转化子在 1%的甲醇、pH60、摇瓶转速240r/min的条件下诱导4 8h ,菌体密度OD₆₀₀为 15 ,目的蛋白表达量达到 20mg L。用 5L发酵罐进行了高密度发酵 ,经2%甲醇32h诱导 ,最终菌体密度OD₆₀₀ 达到 120 ,每升发酵液中含目的蛋白100mg。     

High-density Escherichia coli cultivation process for hyperexpression of recombinant porcine growth hormone.

Fermentation studies were performed on an Escherichia coli culture that carries a recombinant plasmid composed of an ampicillin-resistant gene, a temperature-regulated pL promoter, and a porcine pituitary cDNA sequence coding for growth hormone. The objective was to achieve high cell density while maintaining the specific expression level of recombinant porcine growth hormone (r-pGH) observed in shake flasks. At a specific expression level of 20% of total cell protein, the cell density of a glucose-limited fed-batch process reached 38 units of OD600 in 14 h, compared to flask cultivation, which resulted in only 1.4 units of OD600 in the same period. The observed critical fermentation conditions for maximal expression included (1) limiting glucose concentration below 1 g l-1 throughout the fed-batch growth and induction phases, (2) keeping postinduction temperature at 42 degrees C for 5-7 h, and (3) maintaining a postinduction growth rate around 0.17-0.21 h-1.     

Functional expression of horseradish peroxidase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris

The ability to engineer proteins by directed evolution requires functional expression of the target polypeptide in a recombinant host suitable for construction and screening libraries of enzyme variants. Bacteria and yeast are preferred, but eukaryotic proteins often fail to express in active form in these cells. We have attempted to resolve this problem by identifying mutations in the target gene that facilitate its functional expression in a given recombinant host. Here we examined expression of HRP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Through three rounds of directed evolution by random point mutagenesis and screening, we obtained a 40-fold increase in total HRP activity in the S.cerevisiae culture supernatant compared with wild-type, as measured on ABTS ?2, 2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (260 units/l/OD(600)). Genes from wild-type and two high-activity clones were expressed in Pichia pastoris, where the total ABTS activity reached 600 units/l/OD(600) in shake flasks. The mutants show up to 5.4-fold higher specific activity towards ABTS and 2.3-fold higher specific activity towards guaiacol.     

Loss of secreted antibody from transgenic plant tissue cultures due to surface adsorption

The role of surface adsorption in the disappearance of secreted foreign proteins from the medium of transgenic plant cell and organ cultures was investigated. When mouse monoclonal IgG1 was added to sterile plant culture media in glass shake flasks, the antibody concentration declined rapidly demonstrating that antibody was labile in the plant culture environment even in the absence of biomass and proteases. Elution of bound antibody from the surfaces of the flasks indicated that adsorption had contributed to the observed loss of antibody from solution. Antibody retention in sterile plant culture media was improved significantly when protein-resistant polymer coatings were applied to the glass vessels containing the antibody solutions. Pluronic F127 applied at a concentration of 1 mg mL(-1) to a primary dimethyldichlorosilane layer on glass yielded the best results in sterile Murashige and Skoog medium. When this coating was used in shake flasks for culture of transgenic tobacco hairy roots, there was a significant improvement in the accumulation of secreted recombinant antibody in the medium consistent with a reduction in antibody adsorption. Medium antibody levels eventually declined, however, as medium protease concentrations rose rapidly towards the end of the culture period. This work demonstrates that surface adsorption reduces the medium antibody titre observed in transgenic plant tissue cultures.     

Construction of secretory expression system suitable to express glucagon under the control of PL promoter

It was reported that PL promoter and alkaline phosphatase (phoA) signal peptide were used to construct secretory expression plasmid suitable to express glucagon and [Des-His1] glucagon in E. coli BL21 herein. Expression studies showed these two peptides could be expressed and secreted into the culture medium. The expression yield of recombinant glucagon reached 3.46 mg/L/OD600 unit of cells in shake flask. The yield of [Des-His1] glucagon was found to be higher than that of glucagon. In addition, some factors involved in secretion were studied too.     

Scale-up and optimization of culture conditions of a human heterohybridoma producing serotype-specific antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Summary Three different stirred bioreactors of 0.5 to 12 l volume were used to scale up the production of a human monoclonal antibody. Inoculation density and stirrer speed were evaluated in batch cultures, whereas dilution rate and pH were optimized in chemostat cultures with respect to high specific antibody production rate and high antibody yield per time and reactor volume. The cell line used for the experiments was a heterohybridoma, producing immunoglobulin M (IgM) against lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cells were cultured in spinner flasks of 500 ml liquid volume for adaptation to stirred culture conditions. Subsequently cells were transferred to the 1.5-1 KLF 2000 bioreactor and to the 12-1 NLF 22 bioreactor for pilot-scale cultures. Chemostat experiments were done in the 1.5-1 KLF bioreactor. Cell density, viability, glucose and lactate and antibody concentration were measured during culture experiments. In batch cultures in all three stirred bioreactors, comparable maximal cell densities and specific growth rates were achieved. Chemostat experiments showed that at a pH of 6.9 and a dilution rate of 0.57 per day the specific antibody production rate was threefold higher than similar experiments done at pH 7.2 with a dilution rate of 0.36 per day. By optimizing pH and dilution rate in chemostat cultures the daily yield of human IgM increased nearly threefold from 6 to 16 mg/day and per litre of reactor volume. The yield per litre of medium increased twofold. Correspondence to: U. Schürch     

The hydroxylation of biphenyl by Aspergillus toxicarius: Conditions for a bench scale fermentation process

Fungi of the Aspergillus sp. can hydroxyate biphenyl to 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl, a chemical intermediate used in the plastics industry. The authors studied various batch culture conditions for the production of 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl, by Aspergillus toxicarius, in 25-mL shake flasks and 2-L fermenter cultures. Conditions investigated included temperature, aeration, carbon and nitrogen sources, biomass content, and time of substrate addition. Under optimum conditions we observed a rate of 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl production of 15-20 mg/day/g dry wt mycelia. Such a production rate is probably too low to support a commercial process and possible reasons for the low productivity are discussed.     

Expression and purification of truncated,non-glycosylated turkey beta-adrenergic receptors for crystallization

In order to purify milligram quantities of turkey beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) for structural analysis, we have expressed mutant betaARs using the baculovirus system. The initial betaAR construct was truncated at both N- and C-termini thus removing an N-glycosylation site. Cys 116 was mutated to leucine and a histidine tag was added at the C-terminus resulting in the betaAR construct 20-424/His6. Expression of this construct in Sf9 cells produced 0.5 mg of unpurified receptor per liter of culture which necessitated the use of a fermenter for large-scale production. The yield was improved more than 2-fold to 1.2 mg/l culture by using Tni cells which facilitated the production of receptor on a 4 litre scale in shake cultures. The receptor was purified to homogeneity with 35% recovery giving a yield of 2 mg receptor. A further deletion at the N-terminus (betaAR 34-424/His6) eliminated proteolysis which had been observed with the original construct and also increased expression more than 5-fold to 360 pmol/mg solubilized membrane protein. This expression level is one of the highest reported for a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and has enabled us to purify 10 mg betaAR for large-scale crystallization experiments.     

Expression and purification of truncated, non-glycosylated turkey beta-adrenergic receptors for crystallization

In order to purify milligram quantities of turkey β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) for structural analysis, we have expressed mutant βARs using the baculovirus system. The initial βAR construct was truncated at both N- and C-termini thus removing an N-glycosylation site. Cys 116 was mutated to leucine and a histidine tag was added at the C-terminus resulting in the βAR construct 20-424/His6. Expression of this construct in Sf9 cells produced 0.5 mg of unpurified receptor per liter of culture which necessitated the use of a fermenter for large-scale production. The yield was improved more than 2-fold to 1.2 mg/l culture by using Tni cells which facilitated the production of receptor on a 4 litre scale in shake cultures. The receptor was purified to homogeneity with 35% recovery giving a yield of 2 mg receptor. A further deletion at the N-terminus (βAR 34-424/His6) eliminated proteolysis which had been observed with the original construct and also increased expression more than 5-fold to 360 pmol/mg solubilized membrane protein. This expression level is one of the highest reported for a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and has enabled us to purify 10 mg βAR for large-scale crystallization experiments.     

Optimization of culture conditions for production of antimalarial menisporopsin A by the seed fungus Menisporopsis theobromae BCC 4162

AIMS: The aim of this work was to optimize the production of a novel antimaralial menisporopsin A by the seed fungus Menisporopsis theobromae BCC 4162. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fungal cultures were grown in shake flasks at 25 degrees C in the basal medium with varying carbon and nitrogen sources, aeration rates and initial pH levels. The optimal carbon and nitrogen sources that improved the production of menisporopsin A were 1% fructose and 2.5% meat extract respectively. The production was further enhanced when the culture incubated on a shaker at 200 rev min(-1) with an initial pH of 8. The yield of menisporopsin A cultured under the optimized conditions was increased from 348.30 (obtained from basal medium) to 889.02 mg l(-1), and the cultivation time was reduced from 28 to only 4 days. As a result, the productivity of menisporopsin A was greatly enhanced to 222.26 mg l(-1) day(-1) which is 18-fold higher than that of basal conditions. Larger scale production in a fermenter was also achieved, yielding menisporopsin A at a maximal level of 594.32 mg l(-1) in 4 days. CONCLUSIONS: The optimized culture conditions for menisporopsin A production by M. theobromae BCC 4162 was the cultivation under shaking or agitation at 25 degrees C in fructose-meat extract medium with an initial pH of 8. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The production of menisporopsin A in a fermenter with a relatively short incubation period could be valuable for further utilization for chemical structure modification and derivatization.     

重组角质酶的发酵制备及其对涤纶纤维的表面改性

对大肠杆菌表达嗜热子囊菌Thermobifida fusca角质酶的摇瓶诱导条件及3 L发酵罐扩大培养进行了研究,并探讨了角质酶对涤纶纤维的改性作用。结果表明,在摇瓶培养中,采用工业级TB培养基,用2 g/L乳糖诱导,菌体培养至对数生长前期添加0.5％甘氨酸,角质酶产量可达到128 U/mL。在3 L发酵罐扩大培养中,补料培养生物量 (OD600) 最大达到35,角质酶酶活最高达506 U/mL,是迄今国内外报道细菌来源角质酶的最高水平。紫外分光光度法分析初步表明涤纶纤维经角质酶水解产生了对苯二甲酸类物质     

Disposable orbitally shaken TubeSpin bioreactor 600 for Sf9 cell cultivation in suspension

Disposable orbitally shaken TubeSpin bioreactor 600 tubes (TS600s) were recently developed for the bench-scale cultivation of animal cells in suspension. Here we compared batch cultures of Sf9 insect cells in TS600s, spinner flasks, and shake flasks. Superior cell growth was observed in TS600s and shake flasks as compared with spinner flasks, and more favorable oxygen-enriched cell culture conditions were observed in TS600s as compared with either spinner or shake flasks. The results demonstrated the suitability of TS600s as a disposable vessel for the cultivation of Sf9 cells in suspension.     

Optimization of culture conditions for production of the anti-tubercular alkaloid hirsutellone A by Trichoderma gelatinosum BCC 7579

AIMS: This work aimed to optimize the culture conditions for production of a novel and potent anti-tubercular alkaloid, hirsutellone A, by the saprophytic soil fungus Trichoderma gelatinosum BCC 7579. METHODS AND RESULTS: The fungus was initially cultured in shake flasks at 25 degrees C in the potato dextrose broth (PDB) supplemented with various carbon and nitrogen sources and mineral salts to select suitable medium for mycelial growth and hirsutellone A production. Cultivation conditions were further optimized by adjusting initial pH and changing temperature levels to maximize the production of hirsutellone A. The optimal condition that increased the production of hirsutellone A from 19.04 mg l(-1), obtained from basal condition, to 610.55 mg l(-1) and reduced the cultivation time from 40 to 6 days was to cultivate in a shaker at 200 rev min(-1) at 25 degrees C in PDB plus 20 g l(-1) soluble starch, 10 g l(-1) peptone and 2.5% (v/v) salt solution with initial pH of 7. Production of hirsutellone A in larger-scale using a 5-l batch fermenter was also completed yielding 958 mg l(-1) of hirsutellone A within 6 days. CONCLUSIONS: The suitable culture conditions for hirsutellone A production by T. gelatinosum BCC 7579 was the cultivation in 5-l fermenter at 25 degrees C in PDB plus 20 g l(-1) soluble starch, 10 g l(-1) peptone and 2.5% (v/v) salt solution with an initial pH of 7. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The production of hirsutellone A in a fermenter to obtain a high yield and reduce an incubation period will become very useful in anti-tubercular drug development process in the future.     

Scale-up from shake flasks to fermenters in batch and continuous mode with Corynebacterium glutamicum on lactic acid based on oxygen transfer and pH

Scale-up from shake flasks to fermenters has been hampered by the lack of knowledge concerning the influence of operating conditions on mass transfer, hydromechanics, and power input. However, in recent years the properties of shake flasks have been described with empirical models. A practical scale-up strategy for everyday use is introduced for the scale-up of aerobic cultures from shake flasks to fermenters in batch and continuous mode. The strategy is based on empirical correlations of the volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k(L) a) and the pH. The accuracy of the empirical k(L) a correlations and the assumptions required to use these correlations for an arbitrary biological medium are discussed. To determine the optimal pH of the culture medium a simple laboratory method based on titration curves of the medium and a mechanistic pH model, which is solely based on the medium composition, is applied. The effectiveness of the scale-up strategy is demonstrated by comparing the behavior of Corynebacterium glutamicum on lactic acid in shake flasks and fermenters in batch and continuous mode. The maximum growth rate (micro(max) = 0.32 h(-1)) and the oxygen substrate coefficient (Y O2 /S= 0.0174 mol/l) of C. glutamicum on lactic acid were equal for shake flask, fermenter, batch, and continuous cultures. The biomass substrate yield was independent of the scale, but was lower in batch cultures (Y(X/S) = 0.36 g/g) than in continuous cultures (Y(X/S) = 0.45 g/g). The experimental data (biomass, respiration, pH) could be described with a simple biological model combined with a mechanistic pH model.     

Production of heterologous protein by Methylobacterium extorquens in high cell density fermentation

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used as a model protein to study the recombinant protein production by the strain Methylobacterium extorquens ATCC 55366. Scale-up from shake flasks to 20 l fed-batch fermentation was achieved using methanol as a sole carbon and energy source and a completely minimal culture medium. Two different expression vectors were used to express GFP. Clone PCM-GFP containing the vector pCM110 with native promoter of the methanol dehydrogenase PmxaF produced approximately 100-fold more GFP than the clone PRK-GFP containing the vector pRK310 with the heterogeneous promoter Plac. Several fed-batch fermentations with and without selective pressure (tetracycline) were run in a 20 l stirred tank fermenter using the two different clones of M. extorquens. The methanol concentration was monitored with an on-line semiconductor gas sensor in the culture broth. It was maintained at a non-toxic level of 1.4 g l(-1) with an adaptative control which regulates the methanol feed rate. The same growth profile was achieved in all fermentations. The maximum growth rate (micro(max)) was 0.18 h(-1) with an overall yield (Y(X/S)) of 0.3 g g(-1) methanol. With this high cell density fermentation process, we obtained high levels (up to 4 g l(-1)) of GFP with the clone PCM-GFP. The maximum specific GFP production (Y(GFP/X)) with this clone was 80 mg g(-1) representing approximately 16% of the total cell protein. Additional feeding of pure oxygen to the fermenter permitted a longer phase of exponential growth but had no effect on the total yields of biomass and GFP. The specific GFP production of clone PCM-GFP remained unaffected in the presence or absence of selective pressure (tetracycline), within the initial 50 h of the fermentation culture. These results suggest that M. extorquens ATCC 55366 could be an interesting candidate for overexpression of recombinant proteins.     

重组人α降钙素基因相关肽在大肠杆菌中表达条件的优化

为提高人α降钙素基因相关肽(bαCGRP)在大肠杆菌中的表达量,研究了本室构建的pET-hαCGRP重组质粒在E.coli BL21trxB(DE3)pKysS宿主菌中的表达条件.经SDS-PAGE分析和YLN2000凝胶影像分析结果表明,重组菌以LB为培养基,氨苄青霉素浓度为50 mg/L,开始诱导时的菌体密度为OD600=0.6～0.8,所加IPTG的浓度为0.75mmol/L,37℃摇床180±5r/min振荡诱导培养4 h时,可获得高效表达的hαCGRP融合蛋白.重组蛋白的最高表达量占菌体总蛋白的70%～80%;它主要以可溶性形式存在,为下一步纯化工作提供了方便.     

Production of monoclonal antibodies by tobacco hairy roots

Hairy roots of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) were used to produce full-length murine lgG(1) monoclonal antibody. The presence of heavy (gamma) and light (kappa) chains and fully assembled antibody was verified by Western blot analysis of root extracts. Antibody levels in the biomass and medium were quantified by ELISA based on detection of gamma-kappa complexes. Antibody produced by hairy roots was fully functional as demonstrated in bacterial aggregation assays which confirmed bivalent antigen-binding capacity. Eight antibody-producing hairy root clones retained their ability to produce mouse immunoglobulin over a period of 19 months after transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes. For hairy roots grown in Gamborg's B5 medium, the maximum level of assembled antibody after 21-day culture in shake flasks was 18 mg L(-1) or 1.8% total soluble protein; up to 14% of the antibody was secreted into the medium. Antibody production by transgenic hairy roots had a negligible effect on growth compared with hairy roots of wild-type tobacco. Antibody accumulation was growth associated with constant specific accumulation rate at the beginning of the culture; however, degradation of antibody was significant after 14 days and the amount of assembled antibody declined. Unlike hybridoma cultures, the time course of antibody accumulation by hairy roots showed a distinctive maximum very soon after the end of exponential growth. Total antibody levels were increased by addition of nitrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, or gelatin to the medium. Polyvinylpyrrolidone and gelatin also markedly improved extracellular antibody concentrations; with these treatments, up to 43% of the antibody present was secreted into the medium. Antibody production was tested using hairy roots grown in an air-driven bioreactor. The intracellular antibody content after 30-day bioreactor culture was similar to that measured in shake flasks; however, the final extracellular antibody level was 1.7 times higher than the maximum measured in shake flasks. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 54: 401-415, 1997.