Metabolic characterization of a hyper-productive state in an antibody producing NS0 myeloma cell line

Metabolic profiling or metabolomics is the analysis of a larger number of small metabolic compounds within cells. While this technique has been utilized to study microbial and yeast strains under different physiochemical conditions, very little has been reported regarding its application in mammalian cell culture. Here, the physiological and metabolic changes observed during the proliferation arrest of an antibody producing GS-NS0 mouse myeloma cell line were studied using conventional biochemical analysis and one-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolic profiling. Proliferation-arrested cells had increased antibody productivity, enhanced normalized mitochondrial membrane potential, and showed changes in the consumption of several amino acids. Further investigation into these physiological changes was carried out by ¹H NMR profiling followed by principle component analysis (PCA). The resulting data showed a clear separation of the arrested and control spectra that related to the altered metabolic state of the arrested culture. Metabolites associated with phosphatidylcholine homeostasis, lipid and fatty acid metabolism, and ascorbate formation were found to be present in significant amount in these cultures. Taken together, the results suggested that there was a link between the metabolic alterations and the hyper-productive state, possibly relating to vesicle recycling and secretory functions, and mechanism to counteract against the generation of reactive oxygen species. While the use of metabolic profiling is still in its infancy, its potential to enhance the understanding of physiological processes in mammalian cell lines used for antibody production is certain.     

Metabolic and proteomic study of NS0 myeloma cell line following the adaptation to protein-free medium

Proteomics and metabolomics technologies are potentially useful tool for the study of the very complex process of cell adaptation to protein-free medium. In this work, we used the iTRAQ technology to analyze different protein levels in adapted and non-adapted NS0 myeloma cell line. Several proteins with differential expression profile were characterized and quantified. Carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis and membrane transport were the principal pathways that change after the adaptation. Changes in lactate production rate with respect to glucose consumption rate were observed according to the changes observed by proteomic.     

Inhibition of caspase activity delays apoptosis in a transfected NS/0 myeloma cell line

The productivity of NS/0 myeloma batch cultures is often compromised by the premature induction of apoptosis, now established to be the predominant method of cell death during culture decline. Caspase proteases have recently been shown to play a major role in the transmission of signals for apoptotic cell death. Using a specific inhibitor that targets a range of caspases (Z-VAD-fmk) we assessed whether inhibition of caspase activity could prolong the viability of NS&vbar;h=0 cells under conditions that cause apoptotic cell death in batch cultures. Z-VAD-fmk was found to significantly reduce apoptotic cell death (by approximately 50%) induced by cytotoxins and to preserve membrane integrity to a similar extent. In conditions of low serum, Z-VAD-fmk reduced certain features of apoptosis (e.g., DNA fragmentation), but only marginally improved viability. In medium-depleted batch cultures, Z-VAD-fmk afforded a delay of between 24 and 48 h in both the induction of apoptosis and loss of viability. Despite an apparent increase in viability in Z-VAD-fmk-treated NS&vbar;h=0 cultures, no improvement in productivity could be demonstrated, suggesting that at least some normal pathways for protein production are shut down upstream of caspase activation. An examination of mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim) in Z-VAD-fmk-treated and untreated NS&vbar;h=0 cells revealed only a small initial difference (5%) in the levels of Deltapsim depolarization. Similar levels of mitochondrial dysfunction, despite caspase inactivity, may therefore be responsible for the comparable productivity in untreated and Z-VAD-fmk-treated cultures. Thus, this study suggests that, while a delay in cell death due to caspase inhibition may reduce problems associated with cellular disintegration, it does not permit productivity improvements in this type of culture.     

Molecular analysis of successful cell line selection in transfected GS-NS0 myeloma cells

The production of recombinant proteins from mammalian cells is now an essential part of biotechnology. However, despite this importance, the detailed characteristics of good producing cell lines remain largely unknown. The industrially important GS-NS0 mammalian expression system is able to produce large amounts of protein from relatively few copies of recombinant genes. This makes GS-NS0 cell lines ideal candidates to study the consequence of recombinant plasmid transfection in mammalian cells. This study investigated the molecular features of a panel of 17 randomly chosen GS-NS0 cell lines engineered to produce a recombinant antibody. The research analysed antibody production via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and investigated the molecular features of the transfectants by Northern, Southern and copy number analysis. The cell lines generated produced a range of antibody concentrations. In addition, for transfectants defined as producers of recombinant antibody there was a positive correlation between specific productivity and heavy chain mRNA expression. The use of Northern and Southern analysis allowed determination of the functional integrity of the transfected plasmid. Over 50% of the transfectants studied had molecular defects at the level of mRNA and/or cDNA. Cell lines were identified with suspected defects in the regulatory regions of transfected genes in addition to cell lines which lacked recombinant genes. Also, "false-positive" cell lines were generated which were able to overcome the GS selection pressure without producing any recombinant antibody. This article discusses these findings in relation to vector design.     

Glycosidase activities of the 293 and NS0 cell lines, and of an antibody-producing hybridoma cell line

We have previously demonstrated that Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lysates harbor sialidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-hexosaminidase, and fucosidase activities that can accumulate extracellularly in CHO cell culture, thereby potentially leading to extracellular modification of glycoprotein oligosaccharides. The sialidase activity in CHO cell lysates was surprisingly active and stable at pH 7.5, with a half-life of 57 h at 37 degrees C.We have extended this work to determine whether 293, NS0, or hybridoma cell lysates contain similar glycosidase activities. The pH-activity profiles of beta-galactosidase and beta-hexosaminidase in lysates of these three cell lines resemble the pH-activity profiles for these enzymes in CHO cell lysate, whereas the pH-activity profiles of sialidase and fucosidase appear to be cell-type dependent. Sialidase activities were relatively stable at pH 4.5 in 293, NS0, and hybridoma cell lysates. However, the activities in 293 and NS0 cell lysates were unstable at pH 7.5, with no activity remaining after a 2-h incubation at 37 degrees C. The sialidase activity in hybridoma cell lysate was moderately stable at pH 7.5 with 30% of the activity remaining after a 2-h incubation at 37 degrees C. We conclude that the sialidase activites from 293, NS0, and hybridoma cells have characteristics similar to the vast majority of reported mammalian sialidase activities, and that these activities are markedly differant from the CHO cell sialidase activity.Finally, sialidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-hexosaminidase, and fucosidase activities were measured at pH 7 in cell-free bioreactor supernatants of the hybridoma cell line. As previously observed in CHO cell culture, all four glycosidase activities were present in the hybridoma supernatants. However, the sialidase activity in hybridoma supernatant was an order of magnitude lower than in CHO cell culture supernatant despite the fact that the hybridoma cell lysis rate was an order of magnitude higher. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Defined protein-free NS0 myeloma cell cultures: stimulation of proliferation by conditioned medium factors

A chemically defined, protein-free, and animal-component-free medium, designated RITM01, has been developed for NS0 myeloma cells. The basal medium used was a commercial serum-free and protein-free hybridoma medium, which was supplemented with phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, beta-cyclodextrin, and ferric citrate. Increasing the amino acid concentration significantly improved cell growth. An NS0 cell line, constitutively producing a human IgG1 antibody, reached a peak cell density of 3 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) in this medium. The antibody yield was 195 mg L(-1) in batch culture, which is a 3-fold increase compared to that of a standard serum-supplemented medium, even though the cell yield was the same. The increase in antibody yield was a consequence of a longer growth phase and a slight increase in specific antibody production rate at low specific proliferation rates. Adaptation of the NS0 myeloma cell line to the protein-free conditions required about 3 weeks before viability and cell densities were stabilized. Most probably, changes in gene expression and phenotypic behavior necessary for cell survival and proliferation occurred. We hypothesize that mitogenic factors produced by the cells themselves are involved in autocrine control of proliferation. To investigate the presence of such factors, the effect of conditioned (spent) medium (CM) on cell growth and proliferation was studied. Ten-fold concentrated CM, harvested at a cell density of 2 x 10(6) cells mL(-1), had a clear positive effect on proliferation even if supplied at only 2.5% (v/v). CM was found to contain significant amounts of extracellular proteins other than the antibody. Fractionation of CM on a gel filtration column and subsequent supplementation of new NS0 cultures with the individual fractions showed that factors eluting at 20-25 kDa decreased the lag phase and increased the peak cell density as compared to control cultures. Identification of autocrine factors involved in regulation of proliferation may lead to completely new strategies for control of growth and product formation in animal cell processes.     

Cellular and transcriptomic analysis of NS0 cell response during exposure to hypoxia

Mammalian cells have the ability to alter their gene expression in order to survive or adapt to a variety of environment stresses including hypoxic stress. Maintaining oxygen supply has been accepted as essential for cell survival and growth. To determine the cellular and molecular changes which take place under oxygen deprivation, an NS0 cell line producing a human-mouse chimeric antibody was cultured under hypoxic conditions (<1%). Various cellular parameters such as viability, productivity, metabolism, apoptosis and cell cycle were studied and notable changes were shown to be accompanied by changes in metabolic rates. When the cells where exposed to hypoxia for 48 h, cell growth was suppressed and cell death was detected. To better understand and explore the mechanisms underpinning these biological alterations and to identify the genes involved in the genetic reprogramming, genome-wide analyses were performed using GeneChip Mouse Genome arrays. The gene expression profiling generated by the microarray technique revealed that hypoxia, even in the early stages (12h), induces significant changes in gene expression in NS0 cells. The primary responses to hypoxia within the cells were: (1) the up-regulation of pathways such as glycolysis that ultimately lead to alternative routes of ATP generation and increased oxygen availability; and (2) the down-regulation of genes involved in purine/pyrimidine and one carbon pool metabolisms required for DNA and RNA synthesis. By combining gene expression and physiological changes under hypoxia, it was possible to explore the mechanisms of hypoxia-induced alterations in more depth.     

Biochemical genetic analysis of the role of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase in a murine lymphoid cell line

The enzyme methylthioadenosine phosphorylase functions in both purine and polyamine metabolism is dividing mammalian cells. To determine the effects of the loss of this enzyme on cell growth and metabolism, we selected two methylthioadenosine phosphorylase-deficient mutant clones of the transplantable murine T lymphoma cell line R1.1. The first had 3.5% of wild type methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity. The second was completely enzyme-deficient. The loss of the enzyme did not alter the growth rate, cloning efficiency, or tumor-forming ability of the T lymphoma cells. The methylthioadenosine phosphorylase-deficient clones excreted substantial amounts of methylthioadenosine into the culture medium (0.13 and 0.32 nmol/h/mg of protein, respectively) and were unable to utilize the methylthioadenosine phosphorylase substrate 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine as a purine source when de novo purine synthesis was blocked. Spermine levels were 10-20% lower in the enzyme-deficient clones than in wild type cells. The loss of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase rendered the mutants exquisitely sensitive to the antiproliferative effects of methylthioadenosine. Methylthioadenosine at 3-6 microM inhibited their growth by 50%. The toxic effects of methylthioadenosine were not attributable to inhibition of purine, pyrimidine, or polyamine synthesis.     

The use of LC-MS to identify differentially expressed proteins in docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer cell lines

Docetaxel is a taxane-derived chemotherapy drug that has been approved for treatment of prostate cancer. While docetaxel is frequently used as a treatment for hormone-refractory prostate cancer, a subset of patients either do not respond to this treatment or those that do respond eventually become resistant to the drug over time. Resistance to docetaxel is complex and multi-factoral and further understanding of the cellular biochemistry underlying resistance is vital to improve treatment efficacy. To identify proteins altered in the resistant phenotype, three parental cell lines DU145, 22RV1 and PC-3, as well as their docetaxel resistant sub-lines, were subjected to quantitative label-free LC-MS proteomic profiling. A total of 189 significant (p < 0.05) protein abundance changes were identified in the DU145 resistant sub-lines, 254 in the 22RV1 sub-lines, and 51 and 72 in the 8 and 12 nM resistant PC-3 sub-lines, respectively. From these, 29 proteins demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) fold change across two or more resistant variants. These included proteins indicative of an epithelial-to-mesenchemyl transition as well as altered heat shock response elements.     

Modeling suppression of cell death by Bcl-2 over-expression in myeloma NS0 6A1 cells

A novel population-balance model was employed to evaluate the suppression of cell death in myeloma NS0 6A1 cells metabolically engineered to over-express the apoptotic suppressor Bcl-2. The model is robust in its ability to simulate cell population dynamics in batch suspension culture and in response to thymidine-induced growth inhibition: 89% of simulated cell concentrations are within two standard deviations of experimental data. Kinetic rate constants in model equations suggest that Bcl-2 over-expression extends culture longevity from 6 days to at least 15 days by suppressing the specific rate of early apoptotic cell formation by more than 6-fold and necrotic cell formation by at least 3-fold, despite nearly a 3-fold decrease in initial cell growth rate and no significant change in the specific rate of late apoptotic cell formation. This computational analysis supports a mechanism in which Bcl-2 is a common mediator of early apoptotic and necrotic events occurring at rates that are dependent on cellular factors accumulating over time. The model has current application to the rational design of cell cultures through metabolic engineering for the industrial production of biopharmaceuticals.     

Insertional activation of N-myc by endogenous Moloney-like murine retrovirus sequences in macrophage cell lines derived from myeloma cell line-macrophage hybrids.

Hybrids formed from a myeloma cell line, NS1, and macrophages initially show myeloma properties but later, after loss of the parental macrophage genome and consequent loss of myeloma characteristics, express macrophage properties. Molecular studies demonstrated that macrophage properties in the hybridomas originate from the NS1 parental cells (M. Setoguchi, S. Yoshida, Y. Higuchi, S. Akizuki, and S. Yamamoto, Somatic Cell Mol. Genet. 14:427-438, 1988). In such hybrids, N-myc was activated by insertion of endogenous Moloney-like retrovirus sequences into mouse N-myc exon 3 when the hybrids gained macrophage properties. Interestingly, expression of N-myc took place in all aged hybrids. These results suggest that such unique insertional mutagenesis occurs in a regionally specific manner and that expression of N-myc may play a role in hematopoietic lineage conversion.     

Immunization of mice with dengue structural proteins and nonstructural protein NS1 expressed by baculovirus recombinant induces resistance to dengue virus encephalitis.

We have constructed a recombinant baculovirus containing a 4.0-kilobase dengue virus cDNA sequence that codes for the three virus structural proteins, capsid (C) protein, premembrane (PreM) protein, and envelope glycoprotein (E), and nonstructural proteins NS1 and NS2a. Infection of cultured Spodoptera frugiperda cells with this recombinant virus resulted in the production of E and NS1 proteins that were similar in size to the corresponding viral proteins expressed in dengue virus-infected simian cells. Other dengue virus-encoded proteins such as PreM and C were also synthesized. Rabbits immunized with the dengue virus protein products of the recombinant virus developed antibodies to PreM, E, and NS1, although the titers were low, especially to PreM and E. Nevertheless, the dengue virus antigens produced by the recombinant virus induced resistance in mice to fatal dengue encephalitis.     

Growing cholesterol-dependent NS0 myeloma cell line in the wave bioreactor system: overcoming cholesterol-polymer interaction by using pretreated polymer or inert fluorinated ethylene propylene

Difficulty in growing cholesterol-dependent NS0 cells in the Wave bioreactor using the original low-density polypropylene (LDPE) bags has been encountered. It has been shown that in these bags chemically defined cholesterol is depleted from solution and therefore unavailable for the cells. Our data suggest that the cause of the depletion is not chemical but is due to the physical structure of the polymer. It is proposed that polymer structures with inkbottle pores retain cholesterol, whereas structures with V-shaped pores adsorb cholesterol reversibly. Ultra-low-density polyethylene (ULDPE) bags can support cell growth but need to be pretreated with excess cholesterol. Another material, fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) does not need to be pretreated and is found to be superior (negligible cholesterol adsorption) as a result of its inert characteristics.     

Functional proteomic analysis of GS-NS0 murine myeloma cell lines with varying recombinant monoclonal antibody production rate

We previously compared changes in individual protein abundance between the proteomes of GS-NS0 cell lines with varying rates of cell-specific recombinant monoclonal antibody production (qMab). Here we extend analyses of our proteomic dataset to statistically determine if particular cell lines have distinct functional capabilities that facilitate production of secreted recombinant Mab. We categorized 79 proteins identified by mass spectrometry according to their biological function or location in the cell and statistically compared the relative abundance of proteins in each category between GS-NS0 cell lines with varying qMab. We found that the relative abundance of proteins in ER chaperone, non-ER chaperone, cytoskeletal, cell signaling, metabolic, and mitochondrial categories were significantly increased with qMab. As the GS-NS0 cell line with highest qMab also had an increased intracellular abundance of unassembled Mab heavy chain (HC), we tested the hypothesis that the increased ER chaperone content was caused by induction of an unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathway. Immunoblot analyses revealed that spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), a marker for UPR induction, was not detectable in the GS-NS0 cells with elevated qMab, although it was induced by chemical inhibitors of protein folding. These data suggest that qMab is functionally related to the abundance of specific categories of proteins that together facilitate recombinant protein production. We infer that individual cells within parental populations are more functionally equipped for high-level recombinant protein production than others and that this bias could be used to select cells that are more likely to achieve high qMab.