Variability in tissue cultures of Choisy a ternata originating from a single tree

The extent of the variability has been studied in a population of variant strains of Choisya ternata obtained from two cell lines. The cultures differed from each other in morphological, physiological and biochemical traits. In particular, some of them yielded one of the two dihydrofuroquinoline alkaloids (platydesminiuro) in greater amounts than the whole plant while the other alkaloid (balfourodinium) was always produced in much lower quantities than in the whole plant or in cultures of rootless foliated stems. The variants obtained from the first line biotransformed ellipticine and gave rise to protoplast-derived clones more easily than the variants originating from the second line. Neither photoautotrophy, nor habituation, nor growth rate were correlated with alkaloid accumulation: these characters cannot be used for the selection of high-producing cultures. On the other hand, a photoautotrophic strain accumulated three free sterols not detected in the others or in the plant.     

Selection strategies for the establishment of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell line with dihydrofolate reductase-mediated gene amplification

To evaluate the efficacy of selection strategies for recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) clones undergone with dihydrofolate reductase-mediated gene amplification, rCHO cell lines producing a chimeric antibody were established using two strategies, one based on individual clones and the other based on cell pools. In a selection based on individual clones, cell cloning by limiting dilution method was performed twice, once after a round of selection of parental cell clones and once after obtaining high-producer clones. Thirty parental clones selected from 300 parental clones were cultivated independently throughout the gene amplification procedure. Using this labor-intensive strategy, it took approximately 17 weeks to obtain high-producing clones such as CS11-8 and CS18-3 clones. A selection based on cell pools, in which cell cloning was performed once at the final selection stage, required less effort and time to amplify large numbers of individual parental clones within the pool. However, high-producing clones were lost during the amplification procedure. The antibody expression level of high-producing clones such as PS7-2 and PS7-32 chosen on the basis of cell pools was less than one third of that of CS11-8 and CS18-3 clones. Taken together, a selection strategy based on individual clones is favored for establishment of high-producing rCHO clones because it is more efficient to perform cell cloning at the initial selection stage of parental cell clones.     

Efficient selection of high-producing subclones during gene amplification of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells by flow cytometry and cell sorting

The screening procedure for high-producing cell lines is extremely time- and labor-intensive and costly, and is at present guided by an empirical approach based on individual experience. Flow cytometry and cell sorting, with its ability to analyze and separate single cells, an ideal method in the selection of such rare cells. The isolation of recombinant cell lines is especially difficult due to repeated gene amplification, which introduces high mutational variation into the population. We have established and evaluated a modification of a previous method that traps secreted product on the surface of the secreting cell, thus allowing direct analysis of single cell specific production rates. This method was used to select for high-producing subclones of a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line producing a human antibody against HIV-1 by repeated rounds of gene amplification and cell sorting. This cell line has been amplified in previous investigations, so that the amount of work and testing required by traditional methods can be compared with the protocol described herein. Forty-five 96-well plates were necessary to obtain a high-producing subclone by limited dilution methods, whereas only five plates were required when cell sorting was used. The specific production rate of the best clone obtained by sorting, however, was five times that of the clone obtained by traditional methods. In contrast to the clones obtained by limited dilution, which consisted of several populations of low- and high-producing cells even at high methotrexate concentrations (6.4 microM), the clones isolated by sorting were already homogeneous at 0.8 microM methotrexate.     

The PiggyBac transposon enhances the frequency of CHO stable cell line generation and yields recombinant lines with superior productivity and stability

Generating stable, high-producing mammalian cell lines is a major bottleneck in the manufacture of recombinant therapeutic proteins. Conventional gene transfer methods for cell line generation rely on random plasmid integration, resulting in unpredictable and highly variable levels of transgene expression. As a consequence, a large number of stably transfected cells must be analyzed to recover a few high-producing clones. Here we present an alternative gene transfer method for cell line generation based on transgene integration mediated by the piggyBac (PB) transposon. Recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines expressing a tumor necrosis factor receptor:Fc fusion protein were generated either by PB transposition or by conventional transfection. Polyclonal populations and isolated clonal cell lines were characterized for the level and stability of transgene expression for up to 3 months in serum-free suspension culture. Pools of transposed cells produced up to fourfold more recombinant protein than did the pools generated by standard transfection. For clonal cell lines, the frequency of high-producers was greater following transposition as compared to standard transfection, and these clones had a higher volumetric productivity and a greater number of integrated transgenes than did those generated by standard transfection. In general, the volumetric productivity of the cell pools and individual cell lines generated by transposition was stable for up to 3 months in the absence of selection. Our results indicate that the PB transposon supports the generation of cell lines with high and stable transgene expression at an elevated frequency relative to conventional transfection. Thus, PB-mediated gene delivery is expected to reduce the extent of recombinant cell line screening.     

Derivation of High Enterotoxin B-Producing Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus from the Parent Strains

Certain pH-sensitive (membrane) mutants of Staphylococcus aureus, strains 14458 and 778, produce significantly more type-B enterotoxin (SEB) than the parent type. Some carbohydrate mutants (car) from these parent strains also are superior to the parent in SEB formation. By isolating car mutants from high-SEB-producing membrane mutants, it is possible to derive a double mutant producing from six to 50 times as much SEB as the parent type. Inversion of the sequence by isolating pH-sensitive mutants from car mutants does not yield clones with strikingly higher SEB production than the parent strain. The successful isolation sequence (pH-sensitive mutant first and car mutants derived from it) is relatively simple and virtually assures detection of a truly high-SEB-producing clone. The total number of clones whose direct assay for SEB formation is necessary for detection of a high-producing mutant is on the order of 50 to 60.     

抗噬菌体谷氨酸高产菌株选育

从污染的谷氨酸发酵废液中分离纯化噬菌体,并以高滴定度侵染生产敏感菌,借助菌的自发突变筛选出抗噬突变株,再运用紫外线、亚硝基胍复合诱变手段经过初筛、复筛,最后选育出抗噬谷氨酸高产菌株。其过程简单、便利,可靠性高,是选育抗噬谷氨酸高产菌株的好方法,对发酵行业具有指导意义。曾选育到抗噬谷氨酸高产菌株,其摇瓶发酵产量比对照提高26.4%。     

氯化锂诱变选育3-羟基丙酸高产菌株

本文以实验室筛选得到的翰逊德巴利酵母菌(Debaryomyces hansenii)DH01为出发菌株,利用氯化锂诱变选育3-羟基丙酸(3HP)产量高并且可以用于实际生产的突变株。经过两轮氯化锂诱变,筛选得到一株产酸量较高的菌株wt06。在培养温度为28℃,120 r/min的条件下,经过48 h培养后,该菌株3HP的产量最高达到23.70 g/L,是原始菌株产量的5.44倍,且该菌株具有良好的遗传稳定性。     

Characterization of Coptis japonica cells with different alkaloid productivities

Several cell lines of Coptis japonica with different alkaloid productivities were characterized to obtain information on how a high metabolite production is established. High and low metabolite producing cells, except those from one cell line, showed similar growth kinetics and a similar pattern of nutrient uptake. Amino acid contents, especially that of tyrosine, differed between cell lines, but no correlation was found between the amino acid or tyrosine levels and alkaloid production. Since the addition of tyrosine did not increase the production of berberine, this primary substrate is apparently not the limiting factor for high production in cultured Coptis cells. The addition of berberine to the medium revealed that low-producing cells also have the ability to store alkaloid, and that low productivity is not due to decomposition of alkaloids which have been produced. The direct measurement of the biosynthesis of berberine using ¹⁴C-tyrosine clearly showed that high-producing cells had a higher biosynthetic activity of berberine from tyrosine than low-producing cells. The measurement of enzyme activities in berberine biosynthesis indicated that the early steps of berberine biosynthesis are important in the increased production of berberine.     

Establishment of hairy root cultures ofDatura stramonium. Characterization and stability of tropane alkaloid production during long periods of subculturing

The aim of this paper was the screening of the variability of growth patterns, biomass and tropane alkaloid production of 500 hairy root lines ofDatura stramonium. Data on the long term stability in alkaloid production of these lines for more than 5 years are also provided. In an effort to obtain high alkaloid-producing root clones, it is demonstrated that systematic selection is necessary. Comparisons are made, mainly concerning alkaloid production and its stability, with normal root cultures initiated from the same mother plants when necessary. Hairy root cultures were found to have a hyoscyamine and scopolamine bioproductivity of 2 orders of magnitude higher than mother plants.     

Rapid construction of transgene-amplified CHO cell lines by cell cycle checkpoint engineering

The process of establishing high-producing cell lines for the manufacture of therapeutic proteins is usually both time-consuming and laborious due to the low probability of obtaining high-producing clones from a pool of transfected cells and slow cell growth under the strong selective pressure of screening to identify high-producing clones. We present a novel method to rapidly generate more high-producing cells by accelerating transgene amplification. A small interfering RNA (siRNA) expression vector against ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), a cell cycle checkpoint kinase, was transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The influences of ATR downregulation on gene amplification and the productivity were investigated in CHO cells producing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and secreting monoclonal antibody (mAb). The ATR-downregulated cells showed up to a 6-fold higher ratio of GFP-positive cells than that of the control cell pool. Moreover, the downregulated mAb-producing cells had about a 4-fold higher specific production rate and a 3-fold higher volumetric productivity as compared with the mock cells. ATR-downregulated cells showed a much faster increase in transgene copy numbers during the gene amplification process via methotrexate (MTX) treatment in both GFP- and mAb-producing cells. Our results suggest that a pool of high-producing cells can be more rapidly generated by ATR downregulation as compared with conventional gene amplification by MTX treatment. This novel method may be a promising approach to reduce time and labor in the process of cell line development.     

Somaclonal variation in the berberine-producing capability of a culture strain of Thalictrum minus

Variation in the productivity of berberine between clonal cell lines derived from a culture strain of Thalictrum minus. var. hypoleucum was investigated during the period of successive transfer generations. There was a correlation between berberine productivity and growth in these clonal cultures. Although no significant difference was found in the secretory function as well as the qualitative pattern of alkaloids, there was wide variation in the yield of berberine among the clones. Some of the cell lines have shown a high stability throughout the successive subculturing, whereas the other lines tended to either decrease or increase the productivity continually before they have become more or less stable at low or high levels. After eight months of subculturing, one of the high-producing cell lines yielded 0.76 g of berberine per liter in 14 days of culture strain. In view of variations observed in both primary and secondary clones, the possible cause of the quantitative variation in berberine production in Thalictrum cultures is discussed.Abbreviations LS Linsmaier and Skoog (1965) - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - BA 6-benzyladenine     

Selection methods for high-producing mammalian cell lines

The selection of high-producing mammalian cell lines represents a bottleneck in process development for the production of biopharmaceuticals. Traditional methods are time consuming (development times often exceed six months) and significantly limited by the number of clones that can be feasibly screened. The market for therapeutic proteins is set to double by 2010, so there is an increasing need to develop methods for the selection of mammalian cell lines stably expressing recombinant products at high levels in an efficient, cost-effective and high-throughput manner. Alternatives include higher throughput methods based on flow-cytometric screening and recently developed automated systems for the selection of high-producing cell lines.     

Chromosomal polymorphism of Acremonium chrysogenum strains producing cephalosporin C

Using pulse electrophoresis in controlled homogenous electric field we performed molecular karyotyping of cephalosporin C-producing industrial and laboratory strains of Acremonium chrysogenum. Differences in size of several chromosomes of high-producing strain CB26/8 compared to the wild-type strain ATCC 11550 were revealed. It was shown that chromosomal polymorphism in the high-producing strain was not associated with alteration of localization and copy number of cephalosporin C (CPC) biosynthesis and transport genes. A cluster of ??early?? CPC biosynthesis genes is located on chromosome VI (4.4 Mb); a cluster of the ??late genes??, on chromosome II (2.3 Mb). Both clusters are presented as a single copy per A. chrysogenum genome in the wild-type and in CB26/8 high-producing strains. Based on comparative analysis of laboratory and industrial CPC producers, a karyotype scheme for A. chrysogenum strains of various origins was designed.     

High-throughput clonal selection of recombinant CHO cells using a dominant selectable and amplifiable metallothionein-GFP fusion protein

Transfected mammalian cells can be used for the production of fully processed recombinant proteins for medical and industrial purposes. However, the isolation of high-producing clones is traditionally time-consuming. Therefore, we developed a high-throughput screening method to reduce the time and effort required to isolate high-producing cells. This involved the construction of an expression vector containing the amplifiable gene metallothionein (MT), fused in-frame to green fluorescent protein (GFP). The fusion gene (MTGFP) confers metal resistance similar to that of the wild-type metallothionein and expression can be monitored using either flow cytometry or a fluorometer to measure green fluorescence. Expression of MTGFP acted as a dominant selectable marker allowing rapid and more efficient selection of clones at defined metal concentrations than with the antibiotic G418. Cells harboring MTGFP responded to increasing metal concentrations with a corresponding increase in fluorescence. There was also a corresponding increase in recombinant protein production, indicating that MTGFP could be used as a selectable and amplifiable gene for the coexpression of foreign genes. Using our expression vector encoding MTGFP, we demonstrate a high-throughput clonal selection protocol for the rapid isolation of high-producing clones from transfected CHO cells. We were able to isolate cell lines reaching specific productivities of >10 microg hGH/10(6) cells/day within 4 weeks of transfection. The advantage of this method is that it can be easily adapted for automated procedures using robotic handling systems.     

Lysine regulation of penicillin biosynthesis in low-producing and industrial strains of Penicillium chrysogenum.

The inhibitory effect of L-lysine on penicillin biosynthesis by Penicillium chrysogenum has been compared in a low-producing strain (Wis. 54-1255) and a high-producing strain (ASP-78). Lysine inhibited total penicillin synthesis to a similar extent in both strains. However, in the high-producing strain the onset of penicillin synthesis occurred even at a high lysine concentration, whereas in the low-producing strain lysine had to be depleted before penicillin production commenced.     

化学诱变法选育D-核糖高产菌株工艺研究

研究了以硫酸二乙酯(DES)为诱变剂,诱变生产D-核糖的转酮醇酶缺陷型枯草芽孢杆菌HG02,考察了不同诱变剂用量对菌体致死率及其生产能力的影响。得出了以DES诱变该菌株的致死率曲线及最佳的诱变条件:诱变剂用量0.8%,诱变时间15min。该诱变条件下对大量的突变株进行筛选,得到D-核糖高产菌HG03,其D核糖产量较出发菌株提高81.69%。达到5.1g/100mL。     

Development of stable cell lines for production or regulated expression using matrix attachment regions

One of the major hurdles of isolating stable, inducible or constitutive high-level producer cell lines is the time-consuming selection procedure. Given the variation in the expression levels of the same construct in individual clones, hundreds of clones must be isolated and tested to identify one or more with the desired characteristics. Various boundary elements (BEs), matrix attachment regions, and locus control regions (LCRs) were screened for their ability to augment the expression of heterologous genes in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Of the chromatin elements assayed, the chicken lysozyme matrix-attachment region (MAR) was the only element to significantly increase stable reporter expression. We found that the use of the MAR increases the proportion of high-producing clones, thus reducing the number of clones that need to be screened. These benefits are observed both for constructs with MARs flanking the transgene expression cassette, as well as when constructs are co-transfected with the MAR on a separate plasmid. Moreover, the MAR was co-transfected with a multicomponent regulatable beta-galactosidase expression system in C2C12 cells and several clones exhibiting regulated expression were identified. Hence, MARs are useful in the development of stable cell lines for production or regulated expression.     

Simultaneous determination of scopolamine, hyoscyamine and littorine in plants and different hairy root clones of Hyoscyamus muticus by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Hyoscyamus muticus hairy root clones were established following infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains A4, LBA-9402 and 15834 and with A. tumefaciens strain C58C1pRTGus104. The accumulation of tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine, littorine and scopolamine was evaluated by micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis. Littorine was reported for the first time in these clones as well as in the roots of the intact plant and confirmed by collision induced dissociation-mass spectrometry. Tropane alkaloid content in hairy roots was compared with leaves and roots of normal plants at two vegetative stages. Significant differences appeared between the alkaloid contents of the different clones. In particular, all the hairy root clones and the roots of the intact plant produced 1.5-3 and 4.5-9 times more littorine than scopolamine, respectively. The only exception was clone KB7, carrying the h6h gene, which overproduced scopolamine. The aerial parts of H. muticus plants did not contain any littorine, thus indicating different transportation or translocation mechanisms of the various tropane alkaloids.     

捷安肽素高产突变株96孔板筛选方法的建立

建立了一种快速灵敏地筛选出捷安肽素(JAA)高产突变株的方法。主要利用96多孔板固体培养菌体,用50%乙醇为最佳浸提液浸提4h,滤纸片法检测JAA生物活性的点样量为100μL,筛选出5株高产突变株,经摇瓶复筛选出2株高产突变株,经一剂量法检测,其抑菌圈直径较出发菌株提高了14%左右。