Gram-scale production of plasmid pUDK-HGF with current good manufacturing practices for gene therapy of critical limb ischemia

The demand of a plasmid encoding human hepatocyte growth factor gene (pUDK-HGF) in large quantities at high purity and concentration has increased for gene therapy of critical limb ischemia (CLI) in clinical trials. In this article, we produced pUDK-HGF in compliance with current good manufacturing practices at gram scale. The process included a 50-L batch fermentation, continuous alkaline lysis, and integrated three-step chromatography on Sepharose 6 Fast Flow, PlasmidSelect Xtra, and Source 15Q. The production process has been scaled up to yield 4.24?±?0.41?g of pharmaceutical pUDK-HGF from 1.0?kg bacterial cell paste and the overall yield reached range from 58.37 to 66.70%. The final pUDK-HGF product exhibited high purity with supercoiled percentage of >?95.8% and undetectable residual RNA, contaminated protein, and bacterial endotoxin. The phase I clinical study indicates that intramuscular injection of pUDK-HGF is safe, well tolerated, and may provide symptomatic relief to CLI patients. These results show that our manufacturing process of pUDK-HGF is efficient in producing pharmaceutical-grade plasmid DNA and is safe for clinical applications.     

Production of plasmid DNA for human gene therapy using modified alkaline cell lysis and expanded bed anion exchange chromatography

We describe a process for the commercial manufacture of therapeutic grade plasmid DNA. The industrially scaleable unit operations employed in this process are: (i) optimized alkaline lysis; (ii) bag filtration; (iii) expanded bed anion exchange chromatography; (iv) ultrafiltration, and (v) size exclusion chromatography. These steps are scaleable alternatives to current approaches to plasmid DNA isolation such as high speed centrifugation for feedstock clarification and solvent precipitation for plasmid concentration, and an efficient alternative to conventional low through-put packed bed chromatography.The process produces plasmid DNA characterized by low level chromosomal DNA, RNA and endotoxin contamination without the use of flammable solvents or toxic reagents and is suitable for therapeutic administration.     

重组质粒pVAX1-PENK大规模制备研究

目的：建立质粒pVAX1-PENK的大规模制备2--艺。方法：对大肠杆菌工程菌DH5α-pVAX1-PENK进行补料发酵,利用自行发明的连续碱裂解过程对菌体进行裂解,经超滤浓缩后,用Sepharnse 6 Fast Flow层析柱分离DNA与RNA,再经Plasmidselect Xtra层析柱分离超螺旋质粒DNA与开环或线性质粒DNA,最后经Source 15Q层析柱精制质粒DNA。结果：发酵获得质粒pVAX1-PENK的产率为182mg／L,经碱裂解及层析分离后,最终制备的质粒DNA超螺旋比例大于98％,总回收率为60.5％,纯度（D260nm／D280nm）为1.8～2.0。结论：建立的质粒DNA生产工艺可以制备大量高纯度的质粒DNA,并避免了使用动物源性的酶及有毒试剂。     

一种碱裂解菌液直接电泳快速筛选重组子的方法

目的：从碱裂解法提取质粒DNA的原理．经过实验摸索获得一种快速、经济、结果可靠的菌液直接碱裂解电泳筛选重组子的方法。方法：不需提取质粒DNA．只需将细菌培养液碱裂解后直接进行普通琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析,就可以快速筛选出转化重组子。结果：结果和提取质粒酶切鉴定鉴定结果一致。结论：经实验证明菌液直接碱裂解电泳筛选重组子是一种快速、经济、可靠的方法。     

Intratumoral low-volume jet-injection for efficient nonviral gene transfer

Jet-injection has become an applicable technology among other established nonviral delivery systems, such as particle bombardment or in vivo electroporation. The low-volume jet injector employed in this study uses compressed air to inject solutions of 1.5–10 μL containing naked DNA into the desired tissue. The novel design of this prototype makes multiple jet-injections possible. Therefore, repeated jet-injections into one target tissue can be performed easily. This jet-injector hand-held system was used for the direct in vivo gene transfer of plasmid DNA into tumors to achieve efficient expression of reporter genes (β-galactosidase, green fluorescent protein [GFP]) and of therapeutic genes (TNF-α) in different tumor models. The study presented here revealed the key parameters of efficient in vivo jet-injection (jet-injection volume, pressure, jet penetration, DNA stability) to define the optimal conditions for a jet-injection-aided nonviral gene therapy.     

Rapid and reliable dideoxy sequencing of double-stranded DNA

We report a simple and reliable protocol for nucleotide sequencing using the Sanger dideoxy technique on linearized double-stranded DNA molecules with specific oligonucleotide primers. The method is demonstrated for restriction fragments cloned into the plasmid vectors pSP64 and pSP65 using two vector-specific primers, the M 13 reverse primer and a new SP6 primer, flanking the multiple cloning site. Template DNA may be prepared by a rapid alkaline lysis procedure. Mild linearization conditions with the appropriate restriction endonuclease avoid the appearance of artifact bands.     

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis: Theory,instruments and application

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a technique for the fractionation of high-molecular-weight DNA ranging from 10 kb to 10 Mb by electrophoresis in agarose gel with an electric field that alternates (pulsates) in two directions. This technology plays a key role in modern genomics, as it allows manipulations with DNA of whole chromosomes or their large fragments. In this review, we discuss (1) the theory behind PFGE; (2) different instruments based on the principle of pulsed field, as well as their advantages and limitations; (3) factors affecting the DNA mobility in PFGE gel; and (4) practical applications of the technique.     

大黄鱼源溶藻弧菌的鉴定及其菌蜕制备

【背景】菌蜕是诱导Phi X174噬菌体裂解基因E(Lysis E)在革兰氏阴性菌中表达后所获得无细胞内容物的细菌空壳。菌蜕生物安全性高,能以类似活菌方式诱导机体产生良好的系统和黏膜免疫应答。【目的】对分离自患溃疡病大黄鱼肝脏中的病原菌株16-3进行种属鉴定,利用温控调节表达系统控制Phi X174噬菌体裂解基因E在该菌株中的表达来制备菌蜕,为防控鱼类溶藻弧菌感染提供有效手段。【方法】采用形态特征观察、生理生化特性测定及16S r RNA基因序列分析等方法对菌株16-3进行鉴定;构建温控裂解质粒p BV220-Lysis E,并将其电转至溶藻弧菌菌株16-3,形成重组溶藻弧菌菌株16-3(p BV220-Lysis E);将不同起始浓度的重组溶藻弧菌培养物同时进行42°C升温诱导,比较其溶菌动力曲线和裂解效率的差异;在最佳条件下制备溶藻弧菌菌株16-3菌蜕,电镜观察其形态与结构,采用倾注平板法测定冻干菌蜕中的活菌数。【结果】综合菌株16-3在形态、生理生化及16S r RNA基因系统发育等方面的特性,确定其为溶藻弧菌;构建了温控裂解质粒p BV220-Lysis E和重组溶藻弧菌菌株16-3(p BV220-Lysis E);溶藻弧菌菌株16-3菌蜕制备的最佳条件是选择起始浓度OD600为0.3的菌液进行诱导,诱导3 h后即可收获菌蜕,其裂解效率为96.9%,但经冻干处理后的菌蜕无活菌残留;电镜观察发现菌株16-3菌蜕保持原细胞的基本形态,但细胞表面有明显的溶菌孔道,且由于细胞内容流失而使细胞表面发生皱缩。【结论】制备出溶藻弧菌菌株16-3菌蜕,为其作为疫苗或疫苗递送载体奠定了基础。     

Purification and characterization of the sopB gene product which is responsible for stable maintenance of mini-F plasmid

Summary The mini-F plasmid has the trans-acting sopA, sopB genes and the cis-acting sopC DNA which are essential for plasmid partitioning. In this paper, we report the purification of the sopB gene product from extracts of cells harboring a pBR322 derivative carrying the sopB gene. The purity of the final preparation was more than 95%, as determined by densitometry. The amino acid sequence of the amino-terminal region of the protein for the 17 residues identified was identical to that predicted from the DNA sequence of the sopB gene. Therefore, it was concluded that the protein was the sopB gene product. Using anti-SopB serum, the SopB protein was detected in the cell lysates of F⁺, F, and Hfr strains. The SopB protein bound to the plasmid DNA of a pBR322 derivative carrying the sopC DNA segment, but not to the vector plasmid pBR322.     

Frequent conjugative transfer accelerates adaptation of a broad-host-range plasmid to an unfavorable Pseudomonas putida host

IncP-1 plasmids are known to be promiscuous, but it is not understood if they are equally well adapted to various species within their host range. Moreover, little is known about their fate in bacterial communities. We determined if the IncP-1beta plasmid pB10 was unstable in some Proteobacteria, and whether plasmid stability was enhanced after long-term carriage in a single host and when regularly switched between isogenic hosts. Plasmid pB10 was found to be very unstable in Pseudomonas putida H2, and conferred a high cost (c. 20% decrease in fitness relative to the plasmid-free host). H2(pB10) was then evolved under conditions that selected for plasmid maintenance, with or without regular plasmid transfer (host-switching). When tested in the ancestral host, the evolved plasmids were more stable and their cost was significantly reduced (9% and 16% for plasmids from host-switched and nonswitched lineages, respectively). Our findings suggest that IncP-1 plasmids can rapidly adapt to an unfavorable host by improving their overall stability, and that regular conjugative transfer accelerates this process.     

Investigation of subpopulation heterogeneity and plasmid stability in recombinant escherichia coli via a simple segregated model

Many microbial and cell cultures exhibit phenomena that can best be described using a segregated modeling approach. Heterogeneties are more marked in recombinant cell cultures because subpopulations, which often exhibit different growth and productivity characteristics, are more easily identified by selective markers. A simple segregated mathematical model that simulates the growth of recombinant Escherichia coli cells is developed. Subpopulations of different growth rate, plasmid replication rate, and plasmid segregation probability are explicitly considered. Results indicate that a third mechanism of plasmid instability, referred to here as a "downward selective pressure," is significant when describing plasmid loss in batch and chemostat cultures. Also, the model agrees well with experimental data from cultures under antibiotic selective pressure. Finally, model simulations of chemostat cultures reveal the importance of initial conditions on culture stability and the possible presence of nonrandom partitioning functions. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.