Relationship between cyclic AMP, microtubule organization, and mammalian cell shape : Studies on Chinese hamster ovary cells and their variants

Treatment of Chinese hamster ovary cells with N⁶,2′-O-dibutyryl adenosine cyclic 3′,5′-monophosphate (db-cAMP) and hormones converts their shape from a knobbed, epithelial-like morphology to a smooth fibroblast-like form. Ultrastructural studies demonstrate an increased number of microtubules and their arrangement in parallel array along the long axis of the cell after treatment with these agents. Although an epithelial-like variant, when treated with db-cAMP, shows an increase in the number of microtubules; these microtubules remain in a disorganized nonparallel array. The numerous long microtubules which are already present in a fibroblast-like variant become further elongated when the cells are treated with db-cAMP. These experiments establish the relationship between cAMP level, assembly and organization of microtubules, and cell shape in cultured Chinese hamster cells.     

The ultrastructure of process formation following treatment with db-cAMP of a Chinese hamster ovary X Chinese hamster brain cell hybrid

Scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy studies were performed on a hybrid, resulting from the Sendai-virus fusion of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) Glycine A (Gly⁻A) auxotrophic mutant cell [1,2] with a freshly-biopsied suspension of Chinese hamster cerebral cortex cells. In normal growth medium the hybrid differs from the CHO parental cell in displaying a squamous, polygonal, epithelioid appearance with sparse microvilli and ribosome-filled knobs (blebs). Slender filopodia, which sometimes reach a length of 25 μm, extend from interphase cells. Bundles of microfilaments (6 nm diameter) are observed closely associated with the cell membrane and the perinuclear region, arranged more or less in parallel to the glass substrate. The untreated hybrid has a relatively unpatterned arrangement of microtubules and reveals desmosomes at points of cell contact. When treated with N⁶,O²-dibutyryl adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphoric acid (db-cAMP) plus the Synergist testololactone, the response of the hybrid differs markedly from the fibroblastic habitus assumed by CHO [3, 4, 5]. The hybrid cells become stellate, forming processes or cytoplasmic extensions which radiate from a central, microvillus-covered, rounded, cell body. The arborizing processes number 2–8 per cell and form a contiguous network between cells of a colony. Desmosomes are seen at these points of process-to-cell body junctions. Parallel microtubules, 10 nm filaments, and 6 nm microfilaments, as well as organelles of the unstimulated cytoplasm such as free ribosomes, lipid granules, mitochondria, rough ER, and myelin figures are present in the nerve-like extensions. Knobs disappear completely following cAMP treatment. On removal of the db-cAMP, disappearance of the processes is apparent in 1–2 h so that the cell returns to its original morphology. This reversal is accompanied by ruffling activity at the cell borders. The central, rounded portion of the cell returns to the former flattened state somewhat more slowly. These studies demonstrating a cAMP-induced change in morphology and microtubule arrangement, produced in CHO X brain cell hybrids support the previous proposals that: (1) cAMP action is necessary for organization of cellular microtubules to form a pattern; (2) this pattern is a function of the cellular differentiation state and is determined by genetic or epigenetic factors.     

A correlation between membrane glycopeptide composition and losses in concanavalin a agglutinability induced by db-cAMP in Chinese hamster ovary cells

A double-label method, employing [¹⁴C] - and [³H] -fucose, has been used to compare the carbohydrate components of surface glycoproteins from four different sub-clones of Chinese hamster ovary cells grown in the presence or absence of either 3′: 5′-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db-cAMP), 3′: 5′-cyclic AMP (cAMP) or a phosphodiesterase inhibitor SQ 20009. Following growth in one or more of these drugs, a number of these sub-clones showed a fairly small, but consistent reduction in the amount of the more rapidly eluting fucopeptides that could be isolated from the plasma membrane and a corresponding increase in lower molecular weight components as determined by Sephadex G-50 chromatography. This apparent decrease in the size of surface fucopeptides was related to a reduced sialic acid content of a class of surface glycopeptides isolated from the treated cells. This surface change was always correlated with a loss of concanavalin A (ConA)-mediated agglutinability. However, this surface change was not invariably associated with the drug-induced morphological transition towards a more fibroblast-like form. More-over, the sialic acid-rich glycopeptides bound only poorly to ConA affinity columns and were probably not therefore the lectin receptors. Double-label experiments have shown that upon addition of db-cAMP to the cells, existing glycopeptides are apparently unmodified but rather new components reaching the cell surface have a reduced amount of sialic acid associated with them. We propose that the loss in lectin-induced agglutinability and the reduction in glycopeptide size are related phenomena resulting from a primary change in cell surface chemistry.     

Cell cycle and cell protein content of Chinese hamster cells grown in culture with daily renewal of medium

Microspectrophotometric and autoradiographic procedures were used to determine cell protein content and cell cycle parameters of Chinese hamster V79 cells growing as monolayer cultures with daily renewal of medium. The frequency of G 1 cells decreased and then increased as the cultures grew. Cell size at mitosis and at the G 1/S boundary changed only slightly during growth. The changes were very similar to those reported earlier for cultures of the same cell line grown without renewal of medium, but changes in the frequency of G 1 were somewhat slower and those in cell size were much less marked when the medium was renewed daily. The results of the two studies taken together show that cell cycle parameters and cell size change even during periods of exponential growth, and that daily renewal of medium slows but does not prevent the changes. Both studies show that the onset of DNA synthesis is more sensitive to conditions in older cultures than is the onset of mitosis. Our results indicate that radiation from incorporated isotopes might seriously affect the results of the labeled mitoses method of cell cycle analysis, especially when cell crowding is involved.     

Hyperosmolarity enhances transient recombinant protein yield in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The effect of hyperosmolarity on transient recombinant protein production in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was investigated. Addition of 90 mM NaCl to the production medium ProCHO5 increased the volumetric yield of recombinant antibody up to 4-fold relative to transfection in ProCHO5 alone. Volumetric yields up to 50 mg l⁻¹ were achieved in a 6 day batch culture of 3 l. In addition, hyperosmolarity reduced cell growth and increased cell size. The addition of salt to cultures of transiently transfected CHO cells is a simple and cost-effective method to increase TGE yields in this host.     

Cell growth stimulating effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ganoderma lucidum</Emphasis> spores and their potential application for Chinese hamster ovary K1 cell cultivation

In this work, water-soluble extracts of Ganoderma lucidum spores (Gls), a Chinese medicinal herb that possesses cell growth stimulating function, were found to be an effective growth factor for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultivation. The Gls extract was prepared and supplemented to CHO K1 cell culture media with various serum levels. Our results obtained from both the static culture and the spinner-flask suspension culture showed that use of small-amount Gls extract effectively promoted cell growth and suppressed cell apoptosis induced by serum deprivation with normal cell cycle maintained in a low-serum medium. The low-serum medium containing 1 % (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 0.01 % (w/v) Gls extract showed a comparable performance on both cell growth and fusion protein productivity with the conventional CHO culture medium containing 10 % (v/v) FBS and a commercial serum-free medium. This is the first study of the potential of Gls extracts for use as an alternative cell growth factor and nutrient for CHO cells. The findings have presented a new approach to economic cultivation of CHO cells for therapeutic protein production.     

Endocytosis in Chinese hamster fibroblasts : Inhibition by glucose

Endocytosis in Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts was investigated by measuring the rate of uptake of ³H-sucrose, which is known to enter cells only by endocytosis. Serum, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), adenosine triphosphate, insulin, and cyclic 3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate, all of which are known to increase the rate of endocytosis by other cell systems, had no effect on Chinese hamster fibroblasts. However, medium in which these cells had been maintained for several days, referred to as conditioned medium, had a profound effect on endocytosis. These cells endocytosed 3 to 5 times as rapidly in conditioned medium as in fresh medium. A logarithmic inhibition of this effect was observed with increasing -glucose concentrations, however, glucose-free medium did not produce as great an effect as conditioned medium. This suggests that these cells may endocytose in response to their nutritional requirements.     

Genotoxic effects of fluoride evaluated by sister-chromatid exchange

The purpose of this investigation was to study the genotoxic potential of fluoride (in the form of sodium fluoride, NaF) using in vitro and in vivo sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) assays with Chinese hamster cells. The NaF concentrations used in cultures of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells ranged from 0 to 6.3 mM, both with and without S9 activation. Fluoride analysis of the culture medium demonstrated that it contained little indigenous fluoride, and the concentration of added fluoride was not affected by the components of the medium or the S9 mix. The CHO cells cultured in 6.3 mM NaF almost vanished, and at the concentration of 5.3 mM NaF in cultures without S9 microsome, only M1 cells were observed. In in vivo studies, Chinese hamsters were intubated with NaF dosages of 0, 0.1, 1.0, 10, 60 and 130 mg/kg, and the bone marrow (CHBM) cells were examined for SCE frequencies. Bone fluoride data showed that the intubated NaF was effectively absorbed. Death occurred in 3 of the 8 animals given 130 mg NaF/kg. The results indicated that NaF, in dosages up to 5.3 mM in CHO cell cultures and 130 mg/kg in in vivo CHBM cells, did not significantly increase the SCE frequencies over those observed in the negative (distilled water) controls. However, examination of the cell cycle revealed an inhibitory effect of NaF on cell proliferation with doses of NaF at or greater than 1.0 mM in cultured CHO cells and at or greater than 60 mg NaF/kg in in vivo CHMB cells. The results of the present study indicated an inhibition of the cell cycle and death of the cells with increasing concentrations of fluoride but not effect of fluoride on SCE frequency in CHO and CHBM cells.     

Extracellular purine and pyrimidine catabolism in cell culture

The presence of purines and pyrimidines bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides in the culture medium has shown to differently affect the growth of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line producing the secreted form of the human placental alkaline phosphatase enzyme (SEAP; Carvalhal et al., Biotech Prog. 2003;19:69-83). CHO, BHK, as well as Sf9 cell growth was clearly reduced in the presence of purines but was not affected by pyrimidines at the concentrations tested. The knowledge about the mechanisms by which nucleotides exert their effect when present outside the cells remains very incomplete. The catabolism of both extracellular purines and pyrimidines was followed during the culture of CHO cells. Purines/pyrimidines nucleotides added at a concentration of 1 mM to the culture medium decreased to negligible concentrations in the first 2 days. Purine and pyrimidine catabolism originated only purinic and pyrimidic end-products, respectively. The comparison between AMP catabolism in serum-free cultures (CHO cells expressing Factor VII and Sf9 cells) and in cultures containing serum (CHO cells expressing SEAP and BHK cells expressing Factor VII) showed that AMP extracellular catabolism is mediated by both cells and enzymes present in the serum. This work shows that the quantification of purines and pyrimidines in the culture medium is essential in animal cell culture optimization. When using AMP addition as a chemical cell growth strategy for recombinant protein production improvement, AMP extracellular concentration monitoring allows the optimization of the multiple AMP addition strategy for a prolonged cell culture duration with high specific productivity.     

Gadd45-induced cell cycle G2/M arrest for improved transient gene expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Gadd45 is a p53-regulated protein and is involved in cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. In an effort to improve transient gene expression (TGE) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, the effect of Gadd45-induced cell cycle arrest on TGE in CHO cells was investigated using the two different expression vectors encoding Fcfusion protein and recombinant antibody. To regulate the expression of Gadd45 in CHO cells, the CHO-TREx-gadd45 cell line was established using the T-REx system controlled by doxycycline. During the cultures for TGE, Gadd45 overexpression severely inhibited cell growth, but significantly enhanced TGE. Compared with the culture without Gadd45 overexpression, the TGE of Fc fusion protein and humanized antibody were increased by 111 and 93%, respectively. The enhanced TGE, despite the cell growth arrest induced by Gadd45 overexpression, was due to the significantly increased specific productivity, resulting from enhanced transfection efficiency, increased cell size, and active DNA demethylation. Taken together, the data obtained here demonstrate that Gadd45-induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase can significantly enhance TGE in CHO cells.     

Modulating and optimizing Pluronic F-68 concentrations and feeding for intensified perfusion Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures

Perfusion culture is often performed with micro-sparger to fulfill the high oxygen demand from the densified cells. Protective additive Pluronic F-68 (PF-68) is widely used to mitigate the adverse effect in cell viability from micro-sparging. In this study, different PF-68 retention ratio in alternating tangential filtration (ATF) columns was found to be crucial for cell performance of different perfusion culture modes. The PF-68 in the perfusion medium was found retained inside the bioreactor when exchanged through ATF hollow fibers with a small pore size (50 kD). The accumulated PF-68 could provide sufficient protection for cells under micro-sparging. On the other hand, with large-pore-size (0.2 μm) hollow fibers, PF-68 could pass through the ATF filtration membranes with little retention, and consequently led to compromised cell growth. To overcome the defect, a PF-68 feeding strategy was designed and successfully verified on promoting cell growth with different Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. With PF-68 feeding, enhancements were observed in both viable cell densities (20%–30%) and productivity (~30%). A threshold PF-68 concentration of 5 g/L for high-density cell culture (up to 100 × 10⁶ cells/mL) was also proposed and verified. The additional PF-68 feeding was not observed to affect product qualities. By designing the PF-68 concentration of perfusion medium to or higher than the threshold level, a similar cell growth enhancement was also achieved. This study systematically investigated the protecting role of PF-68 in intensified CHO cell cultures, shedding a light on the optimization of perfusion cultures through the control of protective additives.     

Development of a serum-free culture medium for the large scale production of recombinant protein from a Chinese hamster ovary cell line

A serum-free medium, WCM5, has been developed for the large scale propagation of CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells which express recombinant protein using dihydrofolate reductase as a selectable marker. WCM5 was prepared by supplementing Iscoves medium without lecithin, albumin or transferrin with a number of components which were shown to benefit growth. WCM5 medium contained 5 mg l^–1 human recombinant insulin (Nucellin) but was otherwise protein-free. CHO 3D11^* cells which had been engineered to express a humanised antibody, CAMPATH^*-1H, were routinely grown using serum-containing medium. From a seeding density of 10⁵ cells ml^–1, cells grown in static culture with serum reached a maximal cell density of 6.5×10⁵ cells ml^–1 after 6 days in culture and produced a maximal antibody concentration of 69 mg l^–1 after 11 days in culture. CHO 3D11^* cells grown with serum were washed in serum-free medium then cultured in WCM5 medium. Following a period of adaptation the cell growth and product yield was superior to that achieved with serum-containing medium. CHO cells producing CAMPATH-1H grown in an 8000 l stirred bioreactor seeded with 2×10⁵ cells ml^–1 reached a maximal viable cell density of 2.16×10⁶ cells ml^–1 after 108 h in culture and a maximal antibody concentration of 131.1 mg l^–1 after 122 h in culture.Abbreviations CHO Chinese hamster ovary - dhfr dihydrofolate reductase - dhfr dihydrofolate reductase deficient - MTX methotrexate - H hypoxanthine - T thymidine - T/V trypsin versene - F12 Hams F12 medium - NEAA non essential amino acids     

The growth factor inhibitor suramin reduces apoptosis and cell aggregation in protein-free CHO cell batch cultures

We have previously shown that Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells capable of growing in medium free of exogenous proteins die by apoptosis during all stages of a batch culture (Zanghi et al., 1999). On the basis of the hypothesis that extracellular death factors might be important in apoptosis under these conditions, we examined the effect of the growth factor inhibitor and antitumor agent suramin on CHO cell growth and apoptosis in serum-free culture. Suramin protected against apoptosis during exponential growth, as indicated by the absence of DNA laddering and an increase in cell viability from roughly 70% to above 95%. Suramin also effectively dispersed cell aggregates so that single-cell suspension culture was possible. However, suramin did not protect against apoptosis during the death phase, in contrast to serum, suggesting that antiapoptotic factors in the serum remain to be discovered. The increased viable cell yield following suramin supplementation resulted in a 40% increase in product yield, based on results with cells expressing recombinant secreted alkaline phosphatase. Polysulfated compounds dextran sulfate and polyvinyl sulfate worked nearly as well as suramin in dispersing cell clumps and increasing viable cell yield, which implies that suramin's high sulfate group density may be responsible for its effects in cell culture. In addition, suramin was beneficial for long-term adaptation of CHO cells to protein-free media suspension culture, and the compound was synergistic with insulin in accelerating this adaptation time.     

Multiple cell culture factors can affect the glycosylation of Asn-184 in CHO-produced tissue-type plasminogen activator

Human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) contains a variably occupied glycosylation site at Asn-184 in naturally produced t-PA and in t-PA produced in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The presence of an oligosaccharide at this site has previously been shown to reduce specific activity and fibrin binding. In this report, the site occupancy of t-PA is shown to increase gradually over the course of batch and fed-batch CHO cultures. Additional cell culture factors, including butyrate and temperature, are also shown to influence the degree of glycosylation. In each of these cases, conditions with decreased growth rate correlate with increased site occupancy. Investigations using quinidine and thymidine to manipulate the cell cycle distribution of cultures further support this correlation between site occupancy and growth state. Comparison of the cell cycle distribution across the range of cell culture factors investigated shows a consistent relationship between site occupancy and the fraction of cells in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. These results support a correlation between growth state and site occupancy, which fundamentally differs from site occupancy trends previously observed and illustrates the importance of the growth profile of CHO cultures in producing consistently glycosylated recombinant glycoproteins.     

Stable expression of recombinant human coagulation factor XIII in protein-free suspension culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells

The recombinant a and bsubunits for human coagulation factor XIII were transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. CHO cells were amplified and selected with methotrexate in adherent cultures containing serum, and CHO 1-62 cells were later selected in protein-free medium. To develop a recombinant factor XIII production process in a suspension culture, we have investigated the growth characteristics of CHO cells and the maintenance of factor XIII expression in the culture medium. Suspension adaptation of CHO cells was performed in protein-free medium, GC-CHO-PI, by two methods, such as serum weaning and direct switching from serum containing media to protein-free media. Although the growth of CHO cells in suspension culture was affected initially by serum depletion, cell specific productivity of factor XIII showed only minor changes by the direct switching to protein-free medium during a suspension culture. As for the long-term stability of factor XIII, CHO 1-62 cells showed a stable expression of factor XIII in protein-free condition for 1000 h. These results indicate that the CHO 1-62cells can be adapted to express recombinant human factor XIII in a stable maimer in suspension culture using a protein-free medium. Our results demonstrate that enhanced cell growth in a continuous manner is achievable for factor XIII production in a protein-free medium when a perfusion bioreactor culture system with a spin filter is employed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stimulation of melanotic expression in a melanoma cell line by theophylline

Theophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, was found to be a potent stimulator of melanogenesis in the RPMI 3460 hamster melanoma cell line. This stimulation was greater than that caused by either dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db-cAMP) or another phosphodiesterase inhibitor, papaverine. Theophylline and db-cAMP treatments also produced strikingly different morphologies in the monolayered cells. The theophylline effect on melanogenesis was diminished by db-cAMP, whereas simultaneous treatment of cells with db-cAMP and papaverine produced greater stimulation of melanotic activity than either agent acting alone. Theophylline, therefore, may have phenotypic effects that are at least partially independent of phosphodiesterase inhibition. Theophylline stimulated melanin biosynthesis, as measured by rates of 2- [2-¹⁴C] thiouracil incorporation, and also caused an increase in the level of tyrosinase (EC 1.10.3.1) activity. This melanotic stimulation was prevented by the presence of cordycepin or cycloheximide. Theophylline inhibited DNA synthesis and mitosis in the melanoma cell cultures but stimulated protein synthesis. However, inhibition of proliferation and the first appearance of induced melanotic activity did not bear an immediate direct relationship to one another.     

Effects of cysteine,asparagine, or glutamine limitations in Chinese hamster ovary cell batch and fed-batch cultures

Amino acid availability is a key factor that can be controlled to optimize the productivity of fed-batch cultures. To study amino acid limitation effects, a serum-free chemically defined basal medium was formulated to exclude the amino acids that became depleted in batch culture. The effect of limiting glutamine, asparagine, and cysteine on the cell growth, metabolism, antibody productivity, and product glycosylation was investigated in three Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines (CHO-DXB11, CHO-K1SV, and CHO-S). Cysteine limitation was detrimental to both cell proliferation and productivity for all three CHO cell lines. Glutamine limitation reduced growth but not cell specific productivity, whereas asparagine limitation had no significant effect on either growth or cell specific productivity. Neither glutamine nor asparagine limitation significantly affected antibody glycosylation. Replenishing the CHO-DXB11 culture with cysteine after 1 day of cysteine limitation allowed the cells to partially recover their growth and productivity. This recovery was not observed after 2 days of cysteine limitation. Based on these findings, a fed-batch protocol was developed using single or mixed amino acid supplementation. Although cell density and antibody concentration were lower compared to a commercial feed, the feeds based on cysteine supplementation yielded comparable cell specific productivity. Overall, this study showed that different amino acid limitations have varied effects on the performance of CHO cell cultures and that maintaining cysteine availability is a critical process parameter for the three cell lines investigated.     

The use of a CHO cell culture in studying Vibrio cholerae grown under different conditions]

Studies of biological activity of cholera vibrios in cultures of chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) have revealed their strong dependence on culture conditions. Elongation of CHO cells is caused only by choleragenic strains. Under stationary conditions of culture the vibrios were found to release haemolisin into the medium and had a cytotoxic effect. Most of cytotoxic supernatants exhibited a neuraminidase activity. Proteolytic activity was less dependent on the vibrio culture conditions. Strains with a high proteolytic activity caused rounding of the CHO cells.     

批次和流加培养中国仓鼠卵巢工程细胞的细胞周期相关基因转录谱分析

以表达人重组尿激酶原中国仓鼠卵巢 (CHO) 工程细胞系11G-S为研究对象,运用基因芯片技术比较了CHO工程细胞在批次及流加培养不同生长阶段基因表达水平的差异,在此基础上采用Genmapp软件,同时结合已知的细胞周期信号通路图,着重分析了批次及流加培养CHO工程细胞的细胞周期调控基因转录谱差异。在基因芯片涉及的19 191个目标基因中,批次和流加培养不同生长阶段CHO工程细胞的下调表达的基因数量多于上调表达基因数目;两种培养模式下的基因差异表达有着明显的不同,尤其是在细胞生长的衰退期,流加培养CHO工程细胞中下调表达的基因数量明显多于批次培养。有关调控细胞周期关键基因的转录谱分析表明,CHO工程细胞主要是通过下调表达CDKs、Cyclin及CKI家族中的Cdk6、Cdk2、Cdc2a、Ccne1、Ccne2基因及上调表达Smad4基因,来达到调控细胞增殖及维持自身活力的目的。     

A low-cost chemically defined protein free medium for a recombinant CHO cell line producing prothrombin

A chemically defined protein free medium, DF6S, was developed for the cultivation of a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO2DS) producing human prothrombin in suspension batch culture. DF6S was formulated by optimizing DME/F12 with amino acids and supplementing the optimized DME/F12 with aurintricarboxylic acid, ethanolamine, ferric sulfate, Pluronic F68, putrescine and sodium pyruvate. From a seeding density of 2.3 × 10⁵ cells ml^–1, CHO2DS cells grown in suspension in DF6S medium reached a maximal cell density of 1.92 × 10⁶ cells ml^–1 with an accumulated prothrombin concentration of 16.7 mg l^–1 after 6 days in culture.