Coupling of two endothelin receptor subtypes to differing signal transduction in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

We examined the intracellular signal transduction of two endothelin receptor subtypes (ETA and ETB) by transfection and stable expression of individual receptor cDNAs in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Both receptors showed a rapid and marked stimulation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and arachidonic acid release in response to agonist interaction. The two receptors, however, exhibited different responses in the cyclic AMP transduction cascades. ETA mediated the accumulation of cyclic AMP formation, whereas ETB displayed an inhibitory action on the forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation. In both receptors, the responses of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis, arachidonic acid release, and cyclic AMP formation were induced in complete agreement with the endothelin-binding selectivity of each receptor subtype. Endothelin, added together with GTP, activated the adenylate cyclase activity in membrane preparations of ETA-expressing cells, indicating the direct linkage of ETA to the adenylate cyclase system. Pertussis toxin treatment of ETA-expressing cells resulted in partial inhibition of the endothelin-induced cyclic AMP accumulation, whereas the same treatment of ETB-expressing cells completely abolished the endothelin-induced inhibition of cyclic AMP formation. Thus, the two endothelin receptor subtypes are coupled to multiple but distinct signal transduction cascades through different G proteins.     

Expression of biologically active human follitropin in Chinese hamster ovary cells

To study the structure-function relationships of follitropin (FSH), we expressed the hormone in a heterologous cell system. A genomic clone bearing a 3.7-kilobase FSH beta insert containing the entire coding sequence was transfected alone or together with the alpha subunit gene into Chinese hamster ovary cells and stable lines expressing either FSH beta or FSH dimer were selected. Pulse-chase experiments revealed that, when transfected alone FSH beta was very slowly secreted similar to lutropin beta and thyrotropin beta but unlike choriogonadotropin beta which is efficiently secreted. However, cotransfection of the FSH beta and alpha subunit genes resulted in "rescue" of the beta subunit and rapid secretion of dimer. These data support the hypothesis that the glycoprotein hormones of pituitary origin have determinants for secretion that differ from those on the placental hormone, choriogonadotropin. Recombinant FSH stimulated steroidogenesis comparable to purified human FSH isolated from pituitaries in an in vitro rat granulosa cell assay and appears more homogeneous by chromatofocusing. Human FSH produced by this cell line provides a source of bioactive FSH for experimental and clinical use.     

Expression and characterization of human apolipoprotein A-I in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We produced human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The CHO cells were transfected with an expression plasmid which placed the human apoA-I gene under the direction of the human metallothionein II gene promoter. Isolation of a clonal cell line resulted in high level expression of apoA-I. Greater than 30% of total protein secreted by these CHO cells was apoA-I, which enabled us to purify apoA-I with a single step purification scheme. As a result, large quantities of apoA-I can be produced and isolated without having to rely on plasma sources. Structural characterization of the recombinant apoA-I showed it to be identical to authentic apoA-I from human serum high density lipoprotein. Furthermore, we demonstrated approximately equal to 90% of the apoA-I secreted by CHO cells is processed, mature protein. A portion of the secreted recombinant apoA-I was associated with lipid and floated at a density approximately equal to 1.10 g/ml. Additional analysis identified the presence of five isoforms of apoA-I in the CHO cell conditioned medium. Processing and post-translational modification of the recombinant apoA-I occurred in the CHO cell cultures in the absence of serum components. We conclude that the human apoA-I produced by CHO cells is identical to circulating, mature apoA-I in humans and that recombinant mammalian expression offers an opportunity to investigate apoA-I processing.     

The origin of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with human DNA

Transfection of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with human DNA has been shown in several laboratories to produce clones which stably express the DNA-repair protein, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), that is lacking in the parent cell lines (Mex- phenotype). We have investigated the genetic origin of the MGMT in a number of such MGMT-positive (Mex+) clones by using human MGMT cDNA and anti-human MGMT antibodies as probes. None of the five independently isolated Mex+ lines has human MGMT gene sequences. Immunoblot analysis confirmed the absence of the human protein in the extracts of these cells. The MGMT mRNA in the lines that express low levels of MGMT (0.6-1.4 x 10(4) molecules/cell) is of the same size (1.1 kb) as that present in hamster liver. One cell line, GC-1, with a much higher level of MGMT (4 x 10(4) molecules/cell) has two MGMT mRNAs, a major species of 1.3 kb and a minor species of 1.8 kb. It has also two MGMT polypeptides (32 and 28 kDa), both of which are larger than the 25 kDa MGMT present in hamster liver and other Mex+ transfectants. These results indicate that the MGMT in all Mex+ CHO cell clones is encoded by the endogenous gene. While spontaneous activation of the MGMT gene cannot be ruled out in the Mex+ cell clones, the intervention of human DNA sequences may be responsible for activation of the endogenous gene in the GC-1 line.     

Expression of recombinant human apolipoprotein A-I in Chinese hamster ovary cells and Escherichia coli.

Human recombinant apolipoprotein (apo) A-I was produced by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and Escherichia coli with expression vectors containing cDNAs encoding preproapoA-I or apoA-I, respectively. The apoA-I from CHO cells was purified from the culture medium by ammonium sulfate precipitation, phenyl-Sepharose chromatography, and affinity purification on anti-apoA-I immunoabsorber. Human apoA-I was produced in E. coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase. A four amino acid linker, which separated the two proteins, was specifically recognized and cut by Factor Xa. The purification was accomplished by chromatography of E. coli extracts on glutathione-Sepharose and digestion with Factor Xa. The highest production level was found to be 0.5 micrograms/ml of culture medium per 48 h for a clone of stable transformant of CHO cells, whereas E. coli could produce as much as 20 micrograms/ml of bacterial culture. These apoA-I forms were compared in terms of molecular weight, isoelectric point, and expression of several epitopes. Recombinant apoA-I obtained from CHO cells appears intact and its isoelectric point is compatible with that of the mature form and the proform of apoA-I, whereas a part of the apoA-I produced by E. coli does not contain the COOH-terminus. Also, two of six epitopes are expressed to a greater extent in apoA-I obtained from E. coli than in apoA-I obtained from human plasma.     

Kinetics of folding and assembly of the human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

We have employed Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines transfected with either the wild type human chorionic gonadotropin beta (hCG-beta) gene alone (CHO beta cells) or in conjunction with the gene expressing the alpha subunit (CHO alpha,beta cells) to study the folding pathway of the hCG-beta subunit. In both CHO beta and CHO alpha,beta cells, the earliest detectable hCG-beta precursor, p beta 1, which had two of six potential disulfide bonds (34-88 and 38-57) formed, was converted to p beta 2, a form that, following the formation of disulfide bonds between cysteines 9-90 and 23-72, migrated more slowly than p beta 1 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions. The t1/2 for the conversion of p beta 1 to p beta 2 in CHO alpha,beta and CHO beta cells was 5 min, demonstrating that the alpha subunit had no effect on the rate of this conversion. Furthermore, the tryptic-releasable peptides generated from nonreduced p beta 1 or p beta 2 were the same in both CHO alpha,beta and CHO beta cells. Thus, both the rate and order of disulfide bond formation during the conversion of the folding intermediate p beta 1 into p beta 2 were the same whether or not the alpha subunit was present. A comparison between cell types expressing different alpha/beta subunit ratios revealed that the higher the glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit to beta subunit ratio, the greater the rate and extent of hCG heterodimer assembly.     

Sodium-dependent inactivation of sodium/calcium exchange in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells

High concentrations of cytosolic Na⁺ ions induce the time-dependent formation of an inactive state of the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCX), a process known as Na⁺-dependent inactivation. NCX activity was measured as Ca²⁺ uptake in fura 2-loaded Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing the wild-type (WT) NCX or mutants that are hypersensitive (F223E) or resistant (K229Q) to Na⁺-dependent inactivation. As expected, 1) Na⁺-dependent inactivation was promoted by high cytosolic Na⁺ concentration, 2) the F223E mutant was more susceptible than the WT exchanger to inactivation, whereas the K229Q mutant was resistant, and 3) inactivation was enhanced by cytosolic acidification. However, in contrast to expectations from excised patch studies, 1) the WT exchanger was resistant to Na⁺-dependent inactivation unless cytosolic pH was reduced, 2) reducing cellular phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate levels did not induce Na⁺-dependent inactivation in the WT exchanger, 3) Na⁺-dependent inactivation did not increase the half-maximal cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration for allosteric Ca²⁺ activation, 4) Na⁺-dependent inactivation was not reversed by high cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentrations, and 5) Na⁺-dependent inactivation was partially, but transiently, reversed by an increase in extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration. Thus Na⁺-dependent inactivation of NCX expressed in CHO cells differs in several respects from the inactivation process measured in excised patches. The refractoriness of the WT exchanger to Na⁺-dependent inactivation suggests that this type of inactivation is unlikely to be a strong regulator of exchange activity under physiological conditions but would probably act to inhibit NCX-mediated Ca²⁺ influx during ischemia. ischemia; cytosolic calcium concentration; cytosolic sodium concentration; cellular phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate     

Cycloheximide-resistance in Chinese hamster ovary cells and human fibroblast cells

Summary A total of 3000 men living in Yamaguchi were screened for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency using Beutler's spot test and three types of starch gel electrophoresis. These electrophoresis used a phosphate buffer system at pH 7.0, a TRIS-EDTA-borate buffer system at pH 8.6, and a TRIS-hydrochloride buffer system at pH 8.8. Fifteen G6PD-deficient variants were found at the rate of 0.5% and classified into four groups. As new variants, G6PD Konan, Kamiube, and Kiwa were identified. These three variants had a mild to moderate G6PD deficiency and were not associated with any clinical signs. G6PD Konan had fast electrophoretic mobility as compared with normal levels, G6PD Kiwa had slightly elevated electrophoretic mobility, and G6PD Kamiube had normal electrophoretic mobility. These three variants had normal levels of Km G6P, Km NADP, and Ki NADPH, normal utilizations of both 2-deoxy-G6P and deamino-NAPD, normal heat stability, and a normal pH curve. The other variant was G6PD Ube, which we had previously found in Yamaguchi (Nakashima et al., 1977). One boy with G6PD Ube was Korean.     

Expression and purification of recombinant human Angiopoietin-1 produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is an essential molecule for blood vessel formation. In an effort to produce large quantities of Ang1, recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cells expressing a high level of recombinant human Ang1 protein (rhAng1) with an amino terminal FLAG-tag were constructed by transfecting the expression vector into dihydrofolate reductase-deficient CHO cells and subsequent gene amplification in a medium containing step-wise increments of methotrexate, such as 0.02, 0.08, and 0.32 μM. The rhAng1 secreted from rCHO cells was purified at a purification yield of 18.4% from the cultured medium using an anti-FLAG M2 agarose affinity gel. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analyses showed that rCHO cells secret rhAng1 as heterogeneous multimers. Moreover, rhAng1 expressed in rCHO cells is biologically active in vitro as demonstrated by its ability to bind to the Tie2 receptor and to phosphorylate Tie2. Therefore, the rhAng1 produced from CHO cells could be useful for clarifying the biological effects of exogenous rhAng1 in the future.     

Expression and purification of recombinant human angiopoietin-2 produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) is a complex regulator of vascular remodeling that plays a role in both blood vessel sprouting and blood vessel regression through its receptor Tie2. Recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cell lines expressing a high level (20 microg/mL) of recombinant human Ang2 protein (rhAng2) with an amino-terminal FLAG-tag was constructed by transfecting the expression vectors into dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr)-deficient CHO cells and the subsequent gene amplification in medium containing stepwise increments in methotrexate level such as 0.02, 0.08, and 0.32 microM. The rhAng2 secreted from rCHO cells was purified at a purification yield of 53.6% from the cultured medium using an anti-FLAG M2 agarose affinity gel. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analyses showed that rCHO cells secret rhAng2 as a homodimeric glycoprotein form. Furthermore, rhAng2 binds to the Tie2 receptor and phosphorylates Tie2 in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, our rhAng2 could be useful for clarifying biological effect of exogenous Ang2 in the future.     

Quantitative immunocytochemical staining for recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease which cleaves plasminogen to its active form, plasmin. tPA plays a physiologic role in hemostasis, wound healing, and embryogenesis. Therapeutically, recombinant human tPA is used as a thrombolytic in myocardial infarction. Although production of therapeutic quantities of tPA in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the human gene for tPA is practical, production costs remain high. One important factor which determines the ultimate cost of tPA (or any other recombinant protein expressed in mammalian cells) is its production level on a per cell basis. We have used postembedding immunocytochemical staining with colloidal gold to study the subcellular localization of tPA in CHO cells expressing recombinant tPA (rCHO) in an effort to understand the factor(s) which might limit secretion. Staining for tPA was evaluated visually and by morphometric analysis and was specific and reproducible. Serially passaged rCHO showed no significant change in staining density over 31 serial passages. Staining density was greatest over dilated cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope. Golgi stacks and large acid phosphatase-positive vacuoles (probably lysosomes) were also heavily stained. Staining of lysosomal vacuoles suggested that rCHO might be degrading nascent tPA. Incubation of rCHO with 125I-tPA showed that the cells were not internalizing tPA from the media. These results suggest that rCHO fail to secrete a portion of the tPA they synthesize and that it is degraded in lysosomes. This observation may have important implications on the choice of expression systems for efficient production of large quantities of recombinant proteins.     

Dolichol metabolism in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The addition of oligosaccharide to asparagine residues of soluble and membrane-associated proteins in eukaryotic cells involves a polyisoprenoid lipid carrier, dolichol. In Chinese hamster ovary cells, the major isomer of this polyisoprenol has 19 isoprenyl units, the terminal one being saturated. Our laboratory has developed a procedure to analyze the levels and nature of the cell's dolichyl derivatives. Chinese hamster ovary cells contain predominately activated, anionic dolichol derivatives, such as oligosaccharyl pyrophosphoryldolichol, monoglycosylated phosphoryldolichols, and dolichyl phosphate. Our studies show that in growing cells there is continual synthesis of total dolichol. Also, preliminary data suggest there is no catabolism or secretion of this lipid. The level of dolichyl phosphate did not change significantly under a variety of conditions where the levels of enzyme activities utilizing dolichyl phosphate did change. These results suggested that these enzymes had access to the same pool of dolichyl phosphate and had similar Km values for this lipid.     

Direct linkage of three tachykinin receptors to stimulation of both phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and cyclic AMP cascades in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The mammalian tachykinin system consists of three distinct peptides, substance P, substance K, and neuromedin K, and possesses three corresponding receptors. In this investigation we examined intracellular signal transduction of the individual tachykinin receptors by transfection and stable expression of these receptor cDNAs in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The three receptors commonly showed a rapid and marked stimulation in both phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis and cyclic AMP formation in response to tachykinin interaction. Direct linkage of the three receptors to both phospholipase C and adenylate cyclase was evidenced by the finding that tachykinin, added together with GTP, activated these enzyme activities in membrane preparations derived from tachykinin receptor-expressing cells. The stimulation of cyclic AMP formation was less efficient than that of PI hydrolysis in receptor-expressing cells as well as their membrane preparations (about 1 order of magnitude difference in the effective peptide concentrations). However, the stimulatory responses of the PI hydrolysis and cyclic AMP formation in both receptor-expressing cells and their membrane preparations were induced in complete agreement with the tachykinin binding selectivity of each subtype of the receptors. This investigation demonstrated unequivocally that the tachykinin receptors have the potential to couple directly to both phospholipase C and adenylate cyclase and to stimulate PI hydrolysis and cyclic AMP formation.     

Production of human thyroid-stimulating hormone in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Human thyroid-stimulating hormone (hTSH) has been produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells co-transformed with two plasmids: one carrying the alpha subunit cDNA with mouse dihydrofolate reductase gene and the other carrying hTSH beta subunit cDNA. Each cDNA was driven to expression under the control of SV40 early promoter. hTSH and its alpha subunit were secreted into culture media, and their secretion increased with exposure of the cells to increasing concentrations of methotrexate. Gel filtration analysis revealed that the molecular size of the hTSH was the same as that of natural hTSH. Furthermore, the CHO cell-produced hTSH elevated the cyclic AMP level in the rat thyroid cell line FRTL-5 in the same manner as natural hTSH does.     

Expression of recombinant human choriogonadotropin in Chinese hamster ovary glycosylation mutants

Human CG, a member of the glycoprotein hormone family that includes LH, FSH, and TSH, is composed of two nonidentical subunits each containing two asparagine linked (N-linked) oligosaccharides. The role of the oligosaccharides in the action of these hormones is unclear. To examine the structure-activity relationships of the glycoprotein hormone oligosaccharides using nonenzymatic and nonchemical methods, we transfected CG subunit genes into mutant cell lines derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells. Two mutant cell lines that synthesize truncated oligosaccharides were used. Cell line 15B, lacking N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I, synthesizes N-linked carbohydrates containing Man5 oligomannosyl structures, and 1021, defective in transporting CMP-sialic acid into the Golgi, results in sialic-acid deficient glycoproteins. The binding of these derivatives to the LH/CG receptor did not differ significantly from purified CG (CR119), but the ability of the mutant hormones to stimulate cAMP biosynthesis in vitro is reduced compared to wild-type CG or CR119. Since the amino acid sequence of CG from the mutant and wild-type cells is identical, these data indicate that oligosaccharide structures, while not influencing receptor binding, directly affect signal transduction.     

Expression, purification, and characterization of human recombinant thrombopoietin in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a primary regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis, a process through which megakaryocytes proliferate and mature into platelets. Recombinant human TPO (rhTPO) was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and purified from the culture medium. The cDNA encoding full-length TPO, including the native signal peptide sequence, was amplified by PCR from a human fetal liver cDNA library. The product was cloned into a mammalian expression vector under the control of the SV40 early promoter and enhancer. Secreted rhTPO was purified in three conventional chromatography steps. It migrates on SDS-PAGE as a broad band, characteristic of a heavily glycosylated protein, with an average molecular mass of 85 kDa. rhTPO expressed in CHO cells is biologically active in vitro as demonstrated by its ability to stimulate the proliferation of a megakaryocytic cell line and to trigger the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway. rhTPO also shows activity in vivo as judged by the elevation of platelet count in treated mice.     

Expression and function of beta-tubulin isotypes in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The availability of isotype-specific antisera for beta-tubulin, coupled with genetic and biochemical analysis, has allowed the determination of beta-tubulin isotype expression and distribution in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Using genetic manipulations involving selection for colcemid resistance followed by reversion and reselection for drug resistance, we have succeeded in isolating cell lines that exhibit three major and one minor beta-tubulin spots by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. In concert with isotype-specific antibodies, analysis of these mutants demonstrates that CHO cells express two copies of isotype I, at least one copy of isotype IV, and very small amounts of isotype V. All three isotypes assemble into both cytoplasmic and spindle microtubules and are similar in their responses to cold, colcemid, and calcium-induced depolymerization. They have comparable turnover rates and are equally sensitive to depression of synthesis upon colchicine treatment. These results suggest that beta-tubulin isotypes are used interchangeably to assemble microtubule structures in CHO cells. However, of 18 colcemid-resistant mutants with a demonstrable alteration in beta-tubulin, all were found to have the alteration in isotype I, thus leaving open the possibility that subtle differences in isotype properties may exist.     

Expression of recombinant rat Neurotrophin-3 in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The CHO cell line stably producing recombinant rat NT-3 was established. The insertion of rNT-3 cDNA into transferred cell gonome was analyzed with Southern blot. The expressed protein was identified by Dot ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and Western blot. Western blot showed a clear specific band of about 14 ku for NT-3. The mean level of rNT-3 in four NT-3cDNA/CHO cell lines was about 2 100 ng/10⁶ cells/48 h determined by EIA. The conditioned-medium (CM) of NT-3cDNA/CHO cells could promote the fiber outgrowth of the dissociated dorsal root ganglion of 8-day-old chick embryos, which shows a dose-response relationship. A half-maximal concentration of the biological activity (EC50) of the recombinant protein was approximately 16.7 ng/mL. The MoAb 3W3 of NT-3 could neutralize the biological activity of the rNT-3.     

Expression of recombinant rat Neurotrophin-3 in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The CHO cell line stably producing recombinant rat NT-3 was established. The insertion of rNT-3 cDNA into transferred cell gonome was analyzed with Southern blot. The expressed protein was identified by Dot ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and Western blot. Western blot showed a clear specifie band of about 14 ku for NT-3. The mean level of rNT-3 in four NT-3eDNA/CHO cell lines was about 2 100 ng/10~6 cells/48 h determined by EIA. The conditioned-medium (CM) of NT-3cDNA/CHO cells could promote the fiber outgrowth of the dissociated dorsal root ganglion of 8-day-old chick embryos, which shows a dose-response relationship. A half-maximal concentration of the biological activity (EC50) of the recombinant protein was approximately 16.7 ng/mL. The MoAb 3W3 of NT-3 could neutralize the biological activity of the rNT-3.