Use of fed-batch cultivation for achieving high cell densities for the pilot-scale production of a recombinant protein (phenylalanine dehydrogenase) in Escherichia coli

A fed-batch process for the high cell density cultivation of E. coli TG1 and the production of the recombinant protein phenylalanine dehydrogenase (PheDH) was developed. A model based on Monod kinetics with overflow metabolism and incorporating acetate utilization kinetics was used to generate simulations that describe cell growth, acetate production and reconsumption, and glucose consumption during fed-batch cultivation. Using these simulations a predetermined feeding profile was elaborated that would maintain carbon-limited growth at a growth rate below the critical growth rate for acetate formation (mu < mu(crit)). Two starvation periods are incorporated into the feed profile in order to induce acetate utilization. Cell concentrations of 53 g dry cell weight (DCW)/L were obtained with a final intracellular product concentration of recombinant protein corresponding to approximately 38% of the total cell protein. The yield of PheDH was 129 U/mL with a specific activity of 1.2 U/mg DCW and a maximum product formation rate of 0.41 U/mg DCW x h. The concentration of aectate was maintained below growth inhibitory levels until 3 h before the end of the fermentation when the concentration reached a maximum of 10.7 g/L due to IPTG induction of the recombinant protein.     

Assessment of fed-batch, semicontinuous, and continuous epothilone D production processes

Epothilone D is a member of a class of potent antineoplastic natural products produced by myxobacteria. Previously, we have described a fed-batch epothilone D production process in which an adsorber resin is incorporated into the bioreactor setup to capture and stabilize the product in situ, preventing its degradation within the bioreactor. The capture of epothilone D by these relatively large resin beads enables the development of continuous and semicontinuous culturing systems incorporating bead retention mechanisms to completely retain the product within the bioreactor, increasing the epothilone D product titer by almost 3-fold in both cases over a baseline fed-batch system. These product retention strategies, described here for production of the epothilones, are generally applicable to any system using adsorber resins as a method to capture product during a microbial cultivation.     

Multi-stage high cell continuous fermentation for high productivity and titer

We carried out the first simulation on multi-stage continuous high cell density culture (MSC-HCDC) to show that the MSC-HCDC can achieve batch/fed-batch product titer with much higher productivity to the fed-batch productivity using published fermentation kinetics of lactic acid, penicillin and ethanol. The system under consideration consists of n-serially connected continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs) with either hollow fiber cell recycling or cell immobilization for high cell-density culture. In each CSTR substrate supply and product removal are possible. Penicillin production is severely limited by glucose metabolite repression that requires multi-CSTR glucose feeding. An 8-stage C-HCDC lactic acid fermentation resulted in 212.9 g/L of titer and 10.6 g/L/h of productivity, corresponding to 101 and 429% of the comparable lactic acid fed-batch, respectively. The penicillin production model predicted 149% (0.085 g/L/h) of productivity in 8-stage C-HCDC with 40 g/L of cell density and 289% of productivity (0.165 g/L/h) in 7-stage C-HCDC with 60 g/L of cell density compared with referring batch cultivations. A 2-stage C-HCDC ethanol experimental run showed 107% titer and 257% productivity of the batch system having 88.8 g/L of titer and 3.7 g/L/h of productivity. MSC-HCDC can give much higher productivity than batch/fed-batch system, and yield a several percentage higher titer as well. The productivity ratio of MSC-HCDC over batch/fed-batch system is given as a multiplication of system dilution rate of MSC-HCDC and cycle time of batch/fed-batch system. We suggest MSC-HCDC as a new production platform for various fermentation products including monoclonal antibody.     

Fed-batch production of recombinant beta-galactosidase using the universal stress promoters uspA and uspB in high cell density cultivations

A high-level production system using the universal stress promoters uspA and uspB in a fed-batch cultivation based on minimal medium was designed. In development it was shown that a standard industrial fed-batch protocol could not be used for this purpose since it failed to induce the levels of product as compared to the basal level. Instead, a batch protocol followed by a low constant feed of glucose was shown to give full induction. The levels of the product protein, beta-galactosidase, corresponded to approximately 25% of the total protein. Higher levels were found using the uspA than uspB vectors where uspA showed considerably higher basal level. The data indicate that the sigma(70) regulated promoter, uspA, although affected by the alarmone guanosine tetraphosphate, ppGpp, worked partly in a similar manner to constitutive promoters. An industrial high cell density fed-batch cultivation on the basis of the suggested fed-batch protocol and the uspA promoter gave a final beta-galatosidase concentration of 7 g/L and a final cell concentration of 65 g/L. The heterogeneity in production of the individual cell was measured by fluorescence microscopy. The data show that there is a process time independent heterogeneity in production, which is suggested to be caused by heterogeneity in the substrate uptake rate of the individual cell.     

Development of a chemically defined platform fed-batch culture media for monoclonal antibody-producing CHO cell lines with optimized choline content

A chemically defined platform basal medium and feed media were developed using a single Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line that produces a monoclonal antibody (mAb). Cell line A, which showed a peak viable cell density of 5.9 × 10⁶ cells/mL and a final mAb titer of 0.5 g/L in batch culture, was selected for the platform media development. Stoichiometrically balanced feed media were developed using glucose as an indicator of cell metabolism to determine the feed rates of all other nutrients. A fed-batch culture of cell line A using the platform fed-batch medium yielded a 6.4 g/L mAb titer, which was 12-fold higher than that of the batch culture. To examine the applicability of the platform basal medium and feed media, three other cell lines (A16, B, and C) that produce mAbs were cultured using the platform fed-batch medium, and they yielded mAb titers of 8.4, 3.3, and 6.2 g/L, respectively. The peak viable cell densities of the three cell lines ranged from 1.3 × 10⁷ to 1.8 × 10⁷ cells/mL. These results show that the nutritionally balanced fed-batch medium and feeds worked well for other cell lines. During the medium development, we found that choline limitation caused a lower cell viability, a lower mAb titer, a higher mAb aggregate content, and a higher mannose-5 content. The optimal choline chloride to glucose ratio for the CHO cell fed-batch culture was determined. Our platform basal medium and feed media will shorten the medium-development time for mAb-producing cell lines.     

Process strategies to enhance pyruvate production with recombinant Escherichia coli: from repetitive fed-batch to in situ product recovery with fully integrated electrodialysis

Using the pyruvate production strain Escherichia coli YYC202 ldhA::Kan different process alternatives are studied with the aim of preventing potential product inhibition by appropriate product separation. This strain is completely blocked in its ability to convert pyruvate into acetyl-CoA or acetate, resulting in acetate auxotrophy during growth in glucose minimal medium. Continuous experiments with cell retention, repetitive fed-batch, and an in situ product recovery (ISPR) process with fully integrated electrodialysis were tested. Although the continuous approach achieved a high volumetric productivity (QP) of 110 g L(-1) d(-1), this approach was not pursued because of long-term production strain instabilities. The highest pyruvate/glucose molar yield of up to 1.78 mol mol(-1) together with high QP 145 g L(-1) d(-1) and high pyruvate titers was achieved by the repetitive fed-batch approach. To separate pyruvate from fermentation broth a fully integrated continuous process was developed. In this process electrodialysis was used as a separation unit. Under optimum conditions a (calculated) final pyruvate titer of >900 mmol L(-1) (79 g L(-1)) was achieved.     

Perfusion culture process plus H2O2 stimulation for efficient astaxanthin production by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

A semicontinuous perfusion culture process (repeated medium renewal with cell retention) was evaluated together with batch and repeated fed-batch processes for astaxanthin production in shake-flask cultures of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. The perfusion process with 25% medium renewal every 12 h for 10 days achieved a biomass density of 65.6 g/L, a volumetric astaxanthin yield of 52.5 mg/L, and an astaxanthin productivity of 4.38 mg/L-d, which were 8.4-fold, 5.6-fold, and 2.3-fold of those in the batch process, 7.8 g/L, 9.4 mg/L, and 1.88 mg/L-d, respectively. The incorporation of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) stimulation of astaxanthin biosynthesis into the perfusion process further increased the astaxanthin yield to 58.3 mg/L and the productivity to 4.86 mg/L-d. The repeated fed-batch process with 8 g/L glucose and 4 g/L corn steep liquor fed every 12 h achieved 42.2 g/L biomass density, 36.5 mg/L astaxanthin yield, and 3.04 mg/L-d astaxanthin productivity. The lower biomass and astaxanthin productivity in the repeated fed-batch than in the perfusion process may be mostly attributed to the accumulation of inhibitory metabolites such as ethanol and acetic acid in the culture. The study shows that perfusion process plus H(2)O(2) stimulation is an effective strategy for enhanced astaxanthin production in X. dendrorhous cultures.     

Production of recombinant Chikungunya virus envelope 2 protein in Escherichia coli

Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), has drawn substantial attention after its reemergence causing massive outbreaks in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. The recombinant envelope 2 (rE2) protein of CHIKV is a potential diagnostic as well as vaccine candidate. Development of cost-effective cultivation media and appropriate culture conditions are generally favorable for large-scale production of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. The effects of medium composition and cultivation conditions on the production of recombinant Chikungunya virus E2 (rCHIKV E2) protein were investigated in shake flask culture as well as batch cultivation of Escherichia coli. Further, the fed-batch process was also carried out for high cell density cultivation of E. coli expressing rE2 protein. Expression of rCHIKV E2 protein in E. coli was induced with 1 mM isopropyl-beta-thiogalactoside (IPTG) at ~23 g dry cell weight (DCW) per liter of culture and yielded an insoluble protein aggregating to form inclusion bodies. The final DCW after fed-batch cultivation was ~35 g/l. The inclusion bodies were isolated, solubilized in 8 M urea and purified through affinity chromatography to give a final product yield of ~190 mg/l. The reactivity of purified E2 protein was confirmed by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results show that rE2 protein of CHIKV may be used as a diagnostic reagent or for further prophylactic studies. This approach of producing rE2 protein in E. coli with high yield may also offer a promising method for production of other viral recombinant proteins.     

Protein-free fed-batch culture of non-GS NS0 cell lines for production of recombinant antibodies

Presented is a novel antibody production platform based on the fed-batch culture of recombinant, NS0-derived cell lines. A standardized fed-batch cell culture process was developed for five non-GS NS0 cell lines using enriched and optimized protein-free, cholesterol-free, and chemically defined basal and feed media. The process performed reproducibly and scaled faithfully from the 2-L to the 100-L bioreactor scale achieving a volumetric productivity of > 120 mg/L per day. Fed-batch cultures for all five cell lines exhibited significant lactate consumption when the cells entered the stationary or death phase. Peak and final lactate concentrations were low relative to a previously developed fed-batch process (FBP). Such low lactate production and high lactate consumption rates were unanticipated considering the fed-batch culture basal medium has an unconventionally high initial glucose concentration of 15 g/L, and an overall glucose consumption in excess of 17 g/L. The potential of this process platform was further demonstrated through additional media optimization, which has resulted in a final antibody concentration of 2.64 +/- 0.19 g/L and volumetric productivity of > 200 mg/L per day in a 13-day FBP for one of the five production cell lines. Use of this standardized protein-free, cholesterol-free NS0 FBP platform enables consistency in development time and cost effectiveness for manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies.     

High-cell-density fermentation of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae using glycerol

To obtain a high cell density of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae (INVSc 1 strain bearing a 2 microm plasmid, pYES2 containing a GAL1 promoter for expression of the beta-galactosidase gene), the yeast was grown with glycerol as the substrate by fed-batch fermentation. The feeding strategy was based on an on-line response of the medium pH to the consumption of glycerol. The approach was to feed excess carbon into the medium to create a benign environment for rapid biomass buildup. During cell growth in the presence of glycerol, the release of protons in the medium caused a decrease in pH and the consumption rate of ammonium phosphate served as an on-line indicator for the metabolic rate of the organism. The extent of glycerol feeding in a fed-batch mode with pH control at 5.0 +/- 0.1 was ascertained from the automatic addition of ammonium phosphate to the medium. The glycerol feeding to ammonium phosphate addition ratio was found to be 2.5-3.0. On the basis of the experiments, a maximum dry cell biomass of 140 g per liter and a productivity of 5.5 g DCW/L/h were achieved. The high cell density of S. cerevisiae obtained with good plasmid stability suggested a simple and efficient fermentation protocol for recombinant protein production.     

大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)磷酸转乙酰基酶缺陷变株的发酵研究

研究了E.coliBL21(DE3)及其磷酸转乙酰基酶(PTA)缺陷变株FR55发酵过程中菌体生长和有机酸产生情况,并以肿瘤坏死因子(TNF)为外源蛋白表达的模型考察了pta基因缺陷对外源蛋白表达的影响。在摇瓶培养条件下,pta变株TNF的表达水平比亲株提高了23%。在5L发酵罐中进行了补料分批培养试验,在不限制比生长速率的条件下pta变株能够以较长时间和较高比生长速率保持对数生长,最终达到32.5g(DCW)/L的菌密度,TNF的总表达量达2.8g/L;而在相同条件下,以BL21(DE3)为受体菌的对照组最高菌密度为19.5g(DCW)/L,TNF总表达量只有0.84g/L。表明pta变株对于提高工程菌外源蛋白的表达和实现高密度培养具有一定应用价值。分析了补料分批培养过程中发酵液有机酸组成和含量的动态变化情况,发现pta变株乙酸累积水平明显降低(为亲株乙酸累积水平的42%)的同时,其他几种有机酸(丙酮酸、乳酸、琥珀酸)的累积有显著增加的趋势,使发酵液中总有机酸浓度增加了123%,其中乳酸的累积是影响菌体进一步生长的主要因素。     

营养条件和流加发酵对放射型根瘤菌(Rhizobium radiobacter)产辅酶Q10的影响

利用放射型根瘤菌WSH2 6 0 1(RhizobiumradiobacterWSH2 6 0 1)重点考察了葡萄糖、蔗糖、玉米浆和蛋白胨、添加物以及流加发酵对细胞生长和产辅酶Q1 0 的影响 ,结果表明 ,葡萄糖和蔗糖适合于生产辅酶Q1 0 的最佳浓度分别为 30g L和 40g L ;辅酶Q1 0 发酵时玉米浆和蛋白胨的最适浓度分别为 11g L和 16g L ;添加蕃茄汁、玉米浆能提高发酵液的生物量 ,玉米浆、异戊醇、L 甲硫氨基酸等能促进辅酶Q1 0 的积累 ;与分批发酵相比 ,在 7L罐上流加蔗糖其细胞生物量 (DCW)和辅酶Q1 0 积累量增加 ,若在流加蔗糖的同时流加适当浓度的玉米浆能显著提高辅酶Q1 0 的产量 ,最大产量达到 5 2 .4mg L ;最大生物量 (DCW)和胞内辅酶Q1 0 含量 (C B值 )分别达到 2 6 .4g L和 2 .38mg g DCW ,比不流加的分批发酵分别提高 5 3 %和 33% ,比只流加蔗糖分别提高 2 4%和 2 6 %。     

碱性果胶酶在重组毕赤酵母中高效表达的关键因素研究

为提高重组毕赤酵母生产碱性果胶酶的产量和生产强度, 在摇瓶条件下优化了重组毕赤酵母生产碱性果胶酶的关键因素。结果表明, 以下条件：初始甘油浓度40 g/L、初始甲醇浓度3.1 g甲醇/g DCW、每24 h添加0.51 g甲醇/g DCW、诱导表达周期72 h、250 mL三角瓶诱导培养基装液量30 mL、初始pH 6.0, 最适于菌体生长与产物表达。在此基础上, 7 L罐上通过恒速流加甘油进一步提高细胞密度, 诱导阶段甲醇采取前期恒速流加和后期DO-stat, 发酵结束菌体干重达80 g/L, 酶活为217 U/mL, 比摇瓶结果提高了66.2%。     

碱性果胶酶在重组毕赤酵母中高效表达的关键因素研究

为提高重组毕赤酵母生产碱性果胶酶的产量和生产强度,在摇瓶条件下优化了重组毕赤酵母生产碱性果胶酶的关键因素。结果表明,以下条件：初始甘油浓度40g／L、初始甲醇浓度3.1g甲醇／gDCW、每24h添加0.51g甲醇／gDCW、诱导表达周期72h、250mL三角瓶诱导培养基装液量30mL、初始pH6,0,最适于菌体生长与产物表达。在此基础上,7L罐上通过恒速流加甘油进一步提高细胞密度,诱导阶段甲醇采取前期恒速流加和后期DO-stat,发酵结束菌体干重达80g／L,酶活为217U／mL,比摇瓶结果提高了66.2％。     

代谢工程改造大肠杆菌生产辅酶Q10

辅酶Q10(CoQ10)是一种脂溶性抗氧化剂,具有提高人体免疫力、延缓衰老和增强人体活力等功能,广泛应用于制药行业和化妆品行业。微生物发酵法能可持续性生产辅酶Q10,具有越来越多的商业价值。本研究首先将来自类球红细菌的十聚异戊二烯焦磷酸合成酶基因(dps)整合到大肠杆菌ATCC 8739染色体上,敲除内源的八聚异戊二烯焦磷酸合成酶基因(ispB),使内源的辅酶Q8合成途径被辅酶Q10合成途径取代,得到稳定生产辅酶Q10的菌株GD-14,其辅酶Q10产量达0.68 mg/L,单位细胞含量达0.54 mg/g DCW。随后用多个固定强度调控元件在染色体上对MEP途径的关键基因dxs和idi基因以及ubiCA基因进行组合调控,将辅酶Q10单位细胞含量提高2.46倍(从0.54到1.87 mg/g)。进一步引入运动发酵单胞菌Zymomonas mobilis的Glf转运蛋白代替自身的磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸:碳水化合物磷酸转移酶系统(PTS),使辅酶Q10产量进一步提高16%。最后,对高产菌株GD-51进行分批补料发酵,辅酶Q10产量达433 mg/L,单位细胞含量达11.7 mg/g DCW。这是目前为止文献报道的大肠杆菌产辅酶Q10最高菌株。     

High cell density fermentation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gluconobacter oxydans</Emphasis> DSM 2003 for glycolic acid production

Gluconobacter oxydans has a lower biomass yield. Uniform design (UD) was applied to determine the optimum composition of the critical media and their mutual interactions for increased biomass yield of Gluconobacter oxydans DSM 2003 in shake flasks. Fed-batch fermentation process for biomass was optimized in a 3.7-l fermentor. By undertaking a preliminary and improved fed-batch fermentation-process strategy, a cell density of 6.0 g/l (DCW) was achieved in 22 h and 14.1 g/l (DCW) in 35 h, which is the highest cell density of G. oxydans produced thus far in a 3.7-l bioreactor. The biomass production was increased by 135% compared with that using the original cultivation strategy. Bioconversion of ethylene glycol to glycolic acid was catalyzed by the resting cells of G. oxydans DSM 2003, and conversion rate reached 86.7% in 48 h. In summary, the approach including high-density fermentation of G. oxydans DSM 2003 and bioconversion process was established and proved to be an effective method for glycolic acid production.     

Optimization of medium composition for improving biomass production of Lactobacillus plantarum Pi06 using the Taguchi array design and the Box-Behnken method

An immune-enhancing strain, Lactobacillus plantarum Pi06, isolated from a healthy infant was used for biomass production following optimization of the medium in shake-flask culture. Preliminary studies showed that commercial MRS medium and cultivation under static conditions generated higher biomass production than four other tested media with or without a shaking condition. The selected medium composition, consisting of glucose, yeast extract, soy peptone, ammonium citrate, and corn steep liquor, was further optimized using a systematic method that integrated the Taguchi array design and the Box-Behnken method. The response effects of these factors were first investigated using Taguchi design under an L ₁₆ (4⁵) array. The suggested medium composition, derived from Statistica 7.1 using the Taguchi design, was applied to cultivate cells and a biomass of 7.16 g dry cell weight (DCW)/L was obtained. Response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken method for the three response variables of glucose, yeast extract, and corn steep liquor was then used to further increase the biomass level to 8.94 g DCW/L. The resulting optimum medium consisted of 35 g/L glucose, 35 g/L yeast extract, and 40 mL/L corn steep liquor. Compared with the initial medium, the biomass yield was improved from 4.31 to 8.94 g DCW/L, an enhancement of approximately 107%.     

Recombinant trypsin production in high cell density fed-batch cultures in Escherichia coli

Fed-batch techniques were employed to obtain high cell density cultures (92-100 g DCW/L) of Escherichia coli strain X90 producing a recombinant serine protease, rat anionic trypsin, secreted to the periplasm. The specific growth rate was controlled to minimize growth-inhibiting acetate formation by utilizing an exponential feeding profile determined from mass balance equation. The volumetric yield of recombinant rat anionic trypsin was 56 mg/L, and the final cell density was 92 g DCW/L when the culture was induced in the late logarithmic phase. However, when the culture was induced in the early logarithmic phase, the volumetric yield was 13 mg/L and the final cell density was 14 g DCW/L. Thus, the induction timing is shown to have a significant effect on the final cell density as well as the overall volumetric yield of the recombinant protease. (c) 1993 Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

吸水链霉菌发酵生产谷氨酰胺转胺酶的补料研究

在吸水链霉菌(Streptomyces hygroscopicus)分批发酵研究的基础上,通过在菌体生长阶段指数流加葡萄糖,进行高细胞密度培养,获得了较高的菌体量;待菌体生长进入产酶期后,通过补加氮源,为产酶提供充足的氮源,其中通过流加蛋白质氮源,可以减少蛋白酶对成熟MTG的分解,促进产酶。结果表明,8~16 h采用较高的的比生长速率(0.15 h-1),后期降低比生长速率(0.10 h-1),此时得到的菌体量较高,可达到36 g/L,比分批发酵下的菌体量提高了80%。同时在培养基中添加50g/L的豆饼粉,最终酶活可达到5.79U/ml,提高了83%。     

The role of amino acids in the amplification and quality of DNA vectors for industrial applications

In this study, we have demonstrated that the type and feeding regimen of amino acids have a significant impact on the quality as well as the quantity of DNA vectors produced. Nutrient pool and factorial design experiments were carried out in order to identify the amino acids involved in increased biomass and induction of plasmid amplification. Leucine, glycine, and histidine were responsible for increased biomass and leucine starvation in the presence of histidine was implicated in plasmid amplification. Supercoiling of the plasmid was optimized using a dual feeding strategy. As a result of this, a fed-batch fermentation strategy for the production of a 6.9 kb plasmid, pSVß, in Escherichia coli DH5α was developed. In batch fermentation, a maximum plasmid yield of 39.4 mg/L equivalent to 11.3 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW) was achieved with casein hydrolysate limitation. About 90% of plasmid was in the supercoiled (SC) form after 31 hr of fermentation but only remained so for a short period, leading to a very brief window for harvesting cells at scale. Subsequently, a fed-batch fermentation using a dual feeding strategy was employed. A mean maximum plasmid yield of 44 mg/L equivalent to 9.1 mg plasmid/g DCW was achieved. After 25 hr, 90% of plasmid was in the SC form and remained at this level for the remaining 10 hr of the fermentation, allowing adequate time for the harvesting of cells without the loss of supercoiling of product. This study emphasized that optimizing fermentation strategy and identifying the essential nutrients are beneficial for bioprocessing of plasmid DNA for therapeutic applications.