微生物谷氨酰胺转氨酶催化细胞色素c赖氨酸残基的定点修饰

研究微生物谷氨酰胺转氨酶(mTG)催化细胞色素c(Cytc)的PEG定点修饰的可行性,并优化修饰条件,研究PEG修饰对Cytc性质的影响。将单甲氧基聚乙二醇氨(mPEG-NH_2)与N-苄氧羰基-谷氨酰胺-甘氨酸(CBZ-QG)共价结合制备含谷氨酰胺残基的甲氧基聚乙二醇衍生物(N-苄氧羰基-谷氨酰胺-甘氨酰-单甲氧基聚乙二醇,CBZ-QG-mPEG);mTG分别催化mPEG-NH_2、CBZQG-mPEG(mTG)修饰Cytc,研究酶法定点修饰Cytc残基的可行性;改变酶的用量、温度、反应时间和p H等反应条件优化谷胺酰胺转氨酶催化修饰Cytc的条件。研究结果表明:(1)mPEG-NH_2不能作为mTG的底物修饰Cytc,甲氧基聚乙二醇氨(mPEG-NH_2)分子上引入谷氨酰胺残基后,在mTG的催化作用下了实现Cytc的PEG修饰,而且基于mTG的底物特异性实现了PEG定点修饰Cytc的赖氨酸(Lys)残基;(2)37℃温度下,p H 8.0的溶液中,1mg/ml的mTG催化修饰反应2h是最佳修饰反应条件;(3)化学法PEG修饰Cytc产物复杂,是多种多点修饰产物的混合物,酶法催化PEG修饰Cytc只产生单一产物;(4)与天然Cytc相比,修饰后Cytc的活力、稳定性都有所提高。提出的谷胺酰胺转胺酶催化修饰法解决了蛋白质Lys残基难以定点修饰的难题,拓展了mTG在蛋白质修饰方面的应用。     

聚乙二醇修饰重组人干扰素α-2b的碘染色法

目的：建立检测聚乙二醇位点特异性修饰重组人干扰素α-2b反应的方法。方法：采用分子量20000的甲氧基聚乙二醇马来酰亚胺修饰重组人干扰素α-2b,反应混合物样品经十二烷基硫酸钠聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（SDS-PAGE）后,碘染色法判断反应产物组成。结果：该修饰反应产物除含有单PEG化的干扰素α-2b外,还有不同修饰程度的多PEG化干扰素。结论：本方法方便快捷、分辨率高、特异性强,同时可用于其它聚乙二醇修饰蛋白质的分析研究。     

胸腺素α1/干扰素α-2b融合基因表达载体的构建与表达

通过PCR人工合成模板的方法获得牛Tα1基因,与含IFNα-2b基因的pAG-IFN重组质粒,构建Tα1/IFNα-2b融合基因重组质粒pUC18-Tα1/IFN,经序列分析证实,融合基因Tα1和IFNα-2b与GenBank登录基因的序列一致性分别为100%和98.5%,仅IFNα-2b有两处碱基发生无义突变.再将融合基因亚克隆入pBV220,构建融合表达载体pBV220-Tα1/IFN,转化到E.coli M15经IPTG诱导,实现了Tα1-IFNα-2b融合蛋白的高表达,约占菌体总蛋白的24.5%,为包涵体形式.这为研制Tα1-IFNα-2b双重活性的融合蛋白奠定了基础.     

聚乙二醇化干扰素的抗病毒和抗肿瘤活性的研究

观察聚乙二醇化干扰素 (PEG IFNα2b)抗病毒和抗肿瘤的生物学活性 ,并与干扰素 (IFNα2b)进行比较。结果表明 :PEG IFNα2b抗病毒活性约下降 15倍 ,但抗人肿瘤细胞增殖的活性明显增强。     

重组人粒细胞集落刺激因子的N端氨基定点PEG化修饰

尽管重组粒细胞集落刺激因子(rhG-CSF)具有重大的治疗价值,然而在实际应用却受到体内半衰期过短因而需要频繁重复注射的限制．为了解决这一问题,我们利用两种不同分子量（5 kD和 20 kD）的单甲氧基聚乙二醇丙醛（mPEG-PAL）对rhG-CSF的N端氨基进行了定点PEG化修饰．通过正交实验的统计学方法得到了最适修饰条件．研究发现,PEG化后的rhG-CSF具有了更高的体外稳定性,其体内活性也得到了很大提高,体内作用时间得到很大延长．因此,对于rhG-CSF的N端氨基定点PEG化修饰,可以显著提高rhG-CSF的临床应用价值．     

PEG-重组酵母尿酸酶结合物的基本特性研究

重组Candida utilis尿酸酶由含PET-Uricase表达质粒的重组E.coli JM109(DE3)经乳糖诱导表达,菌体破碎后依次经过硫酸铵沉淀、阴离子交换层析和凝胶过滤层析可以获得纯度95%的重组尿酸酶。还原性SDS-PAGE和HPLC测得其亚基表观分子量和天然分子量分别约为33 kDa和130 kDa。获得的纯酶与20 kDa (mPEG)2 -Lys-NHS在特定的条件下反应合成PEG-重组酵母尿酸酶结合物,考察了重组酵母尿酸酶PEG化前后的基本性质,结果显示PEG化尿酸酶的最适pH为7.5,较修饰前下降了1个pH单位,酸碱稳定范围与修饰前类似,都在pH 6-10范围内稳定;修饰前后最适温度均为40℃,重组酵母尿酸酶的热稳定性和抗蛋白酶水解能力较PEG修饰前有较大提高;PEG化尿酸酶可保留修饰前酶活力的87.5%;在最适条件下,PEG-尿酸酶结合物的Km为3.57×10-5 mol/L,而修饰前测得的Km为3.91×10-5 mol/L。研究结果为深入探讨PEG化尿酸酶的结构与功能奠定了基础。     

干扰素α-2b的聚乙二醇修饰

采用分子量为20 kD的单甲氧基聚乙二醇丙醛(mPEG-ALD)修饰重组人干扰素α-2b(IFN α-2b),建立了修饰反应及分离纯化工艺.考察了修饰反应各因素对单修饰转化率以及单修饰产物体外活性的影响,获得了优化的修饰反应条件,即在pH 6.5,20 mmol/L的磷酸氢二钠-柠檬酸缓冲溶液中,干扰素α-2b的浓度为4 mg/mE,PEG与IFN α-2b的摩尔比为8:1,4℃时反应20 h;在优化的反应条件下,单修饰PEG-IFN α-2b的转化率达到55%.并且,采用离子交换层析对修饰产物进行分离纯化,单修饰产品纯度达到97%,体外活性保留达到未修饰干扰素α-2b的13.4%,其在SD大鼠体内的循环半袁期得到了较大的延长,且具有较好的水溶液稳定性.     

重组人睫状神经营养因子的聚乙二醇化修饰

目的:研究重组人睫状神经营养因子(rhCNTF)突变体的聚乙二醇(PEG)化修饰,对rhCNTF的PEG化产物进行初步分离纯化及相关生物活性检测。方法:采用分子生物学技术经点突变得到rhCNTF的突变体CN10,通过实验设计研究CN10的最佳PEG化条件;采用分子筛层析方式对偶联产物进行初步纯化,最后用ELISA和小鼠体重增长抑制法检测PEG化后的CN10蛋白的生物活性。结果:能运用mPEG-MAL对CN10进行定点修饰,PEG化后用Superdex200能够分离CN10;PEG化后的CN10每2 d腹腔注射1次,对小鼠体重的增长抑制率可达50%,与rhCNTF每天注射2次的体重增长抑制作用相当。结论:CN10蛋白在PEG化修饰后,其减重效应持续时间明显延长。     

重组人干扰素α2b的制备研究

为了获得高活性高纯度的rh IFNα2b,对重组人干扰素α2b进行克隆、表达,并深入研究了其纯化工艺。采用重叠延伸PCR法合成了编码IFNα2b的基因,用DNA重组技术构建了原核表达载体p BV220-IFNα2b,获得了稳定的工程菌种。发酵产物通过破菌、洗涤获得包涵体,再经过变性、复性、离子交换层析和凝胶过滤层析的纯化,得到rh IFNα2b纯品,其比活可达1×10~8IU/mg。实验结果为进一步开展临床前研究和长效制剂奠定了基础。     

蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶成熟肽基因mpg原核表达及其多克隆抗体的制备

蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶(Protein-glutaminase,简称PG)是一种新型蛋白质脱酰胺酶,在蛋白质改性领域具有广阔的应用前景。但是,目前关于蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶的测定方法主要是通过苯酚-次氯酸盐反应测定铵离子含量指示蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶的酶活,该方法精确度和灵敏度有限。因此,利用原核表达系统表达解朊金黄杆菌(Chryseobacterium proteolyticum)分泌的蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶成熟肽基因mpg,纯化后制备其多克隆抗体用于检测解朊金黄杆菌分泌的蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶的含量。首先以解朊金黄杆菌基因组为模板扩增出成熟肽基因mpg,将其与pET32a载体连接构建重组质粒pET32a-mpg,转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)。在25℃条件下,经异丙基-β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导6 h,目的蛋白表达量最高、呈可溶性蛋白。通过Ni-NTA柱纯化的重组蛋白mPG-His_6,将其作为抗原,免疫新西兰白兔制备多克隆抗体。间接酶联免疫法检测其效价,所得抗体效价为1∶5 000。蛋白质免疫印迹实验结果说明,该多克隆抗体特异性良好。最后使用该多克隆抗体对解朊金黄杆菌的发酵上清液进行蛋白质免疫印迹反应,检测天然蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶,结果表明该抗体特异性良好,可用于检测解朊金黄杆菌分泌的蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶,为深入研究蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶的生物学功能、建立蛋白质谷氨酰胺酶高产菌株的高通量筛选方法奠定了基础。     

Site-specific PEGylation at histidine tags

The efficacy of protein-based medicines can be compromised by their rapid clearance from the blood circulatory system. Achieving optimal pharmacokinetics is a key requirement for the successful development of safe protein-based medicines. Protein PEGylation is a clinically proven strategy to increase the circulation half-life of protein-based medicines. One limitation of PEGylation is that there are few strategies that achieve site-specific conjugation of PEG to the protein. Here, we describe the covalent conjugation of PEG site-specifically to a polyhistidine tag (His-tag) on a protein. His-tag site-specific PEGylation was achieved with a domain antibody (dAb) that had a 6-histidine His-tag on the C-terminus (dAb-His(6)) and interferon α-2a (IFN) that had an 8-histidine His-tag on the N-terminus (His(8)-IFN). The site of PEGylation at the His-tag for both dAb-His(6)-PEG and PEG-His(8)-IFN was confirmed by digestion, chromatographic, and mass-spectral studies. A methionine was also inserted directly after the N-terminal His-tag in IFN to give His(8)Met-IFN. Cyanogen bromide digestion studies of PEG-His(8)Met-IFN were also consistent with PEGylation at the His-tag. By using increased stoichiometries of the PEGylation reagent, it was possible to conjugate two separate PEG molecules to the His-tag of both the dAb and IFN proteins. Stability studies followed by in vitro evaluation confirmed that these PEGylated proteins retained their biological activity. In vivo PK studies showed that all of the His-tag PEGylated samples displayed extended circulation half-lives. Together, our results indicate that site-specific, covalent PEG conjugation at a His-tag can be achieved and biological activity maintained with therapeutically relevant proteins.     

Transglutaminase-mediated dual and site-specific incorporation of poly(ethylene glycol) derivatives into a chimeric interleukin-2

To expand the applications of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-protein conjugates for clinical use, we have developed a novel method for dual and site-specific incorporations of PEG derivatives into proteins using a substrate peptide (AQQIVM, named TG2) and transglutaminase (TGase). In our previous studies, TG2 was shown to be a special peptide with two adjacent Gln substrates for guinea pig liver transglutaminase (G-TGase). We have now constructed a chimeric protein (named rTG2-IL-2) of human interleukin-2 (IL-2), in which TG2 was fused to the N-terminus of IL-2. For the G-TGase-catalyzed reaction, rTG2-IL-2 was dually and site-specifically modified with alkylamine derivatives of PEG (PEG10, average M(r) 10 kDa) at both the Gln2 and Gln3 residues in the appended tag. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the G-TGase-catalyzed PEG-incorporation, we have compared the characteristics and the biological properties of PEG10-rTG2-IL-2 species with two PEG10 molecules attached to rTG2-IL-2 [(PEG10)(2)-rTG2-IL-2] with that of (PEG10)(2)-rhIL-2(R), in which PEG10 was randomly incorporated into rhIL-2 by a general procedure using a N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester of PEG (PEG10-COOSu) (M(r) 10 kDa). (PEG10)(2)-rTG2-IL-2 was found to be superior in its in vitro bioactivities and equivalent in its pharmacokinetic profiles to (PEG10)(2)-rhIL-2(R). Unlike most previous methods, this approach can place dual PEG chains at designed sites on chimeric proteins without decreasing their bioactivities. Thus, TGase-catalyzed PEG-incorporation would improve the therapeutic utility of PEG-protein conjugates.     

Synthesis of a New Tri-Branched PEG-IFNα2 and Its Impact on Anti Viral Bioactivity

Efficacy of proteins can be enhanced by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugation (PEGylation) to the protein molecules. Mobile non-toxic PEG chains conjugated to bio-therapeutics increase their hydrodynamic volume and in turn can prolong their plasma retention time and increase their solubility. An important aspect of PEGylation is the selection of PEG molecule with suitable structure and molecular weight. In this study, conceiving the idea that branched PEG-conjugates show superior efficacy over the linear PEG-conjugates, a tri-branched PEG-interferon (mPEG₃L₂-IFN) was synthesized by reacting a 30 KDa tri-branched mPEG₃L₂-NHS reagent with IFN to improve its pharmacokinetic properties and reduce the loss of in vitro bioactivity (which is generally exhibited by PEGylation) of the conjugated protein to some extent. The PEGylation procedure was optimized in terms of concentration and molar ratios of reactants, reaction time, temperature and pH conditions of the reaction mix. The conjugate was purified by cation exchange chromatography and characterized by SDS-PAGE and SE-HPLC. Trypsin digestion of mPEG₃L₂-IFN indicated a single site specificity of PEGylation. Anti viral bioactivity of mPEG₃L₂-IFN was found to be 2.38 × 10⁷ IU/mg which is approximately 9.52% of native IFNα2 (2.5 × 10⁸ IU/mg) and better than PEGasys from Roche Pharma. Therefore, it is reported that the tri-branched mPEG₃L₂-NHS reagent has the potential to be used to conjugate proteins for the promising therapeutic results.     

An enzymatic strategy for site-specific immobilization of functional proteins using microbial transglutaminase

A novel strategy for site-specific immobilization of recombinant proteins was investigated using microbial transglutaminase (MTG). Alkaline phosphatase (AP) was selected as a model protein and tagged with a short peptide (MKHKGS) at the N-terminus to provide a reactive Lys residue for MTG. On the other hand, casein, a well-known substrate for MTG, was chemically attached onto a polyacrylic resin to provide reactive Gln residues for the enzymatic immobilization of the recombinant AP. As a result, we succeeded in MTG-mediated functional immobilization of the recombinant AP onto casein-coated polyacrylic resin. It was found that the immobilized AP prepared using MTG exhibited much higher specific activity than that prepared by chemical modification. Moreover, enzymatic immobilization gave an immobilized formulation with higher stability upon repeated use than that obtained by physical adsorption. Use of this ability of MTG in posttranslational protein modification will provide us with a benign, site-specific immobilization method for functional proteins.     

Further studies on the site-specific protein modification by microbial transglutaminase

A guinea pig liver transglutaminase (G-TGase)-mediated procedure for the site-specific modification of chimeric proteins was recently reported. Here, an alternative method with advantages over the recent approach is described. This protocol utilizes a microbial transglutaminase (M-TGase) instead of the G-TGase as the catalyst. M-TGase, which has rather broad structural requirements as compared to the G-TGase, tends to catalyze an acyl transfer reaction between the gamma-carboxamide group of a intact protein-bound glutamine residue and various primary amines. To demonstrate the applicability of the M-TGase-catalyzed protein modification in a drug delivery system, we have utilized recombinant human interleukin 2 (rhIL-2) as the target protein and two synthetic alkylamine derivatives of poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG12; MW 12 kDa) and galactose-terminated triantennary glycosides ((Gal)(3))) as the modifiers. For the M-TGase-catalyzed reaction with PEG12 and (Gal)(3), 1 mol of alkylamine was incorporated per mole of rhIL-2, respectively. Peptide mapping of (Gal)(3)-modified rhIL-2 ((Gal)(3)-rhIL-2) by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) suggested that the Gln74 residue in rhIL-2 was site specifically modified with (Gal)(3). The PEG12-rhIL-2 and (Gal)(3)-rhIL-2 conjugates retained full bioactivity relative to the unmodified rhIL-2. In pharmacokinetic studies, PEG12-rhIL-2 was eliminated more slowly from the circulation than rhIL-2, whereas (Gal)(3)-rhIL-2 accumulated in the liver via hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor binding. The results of this study expand the applicability of the TGase-catalyzed methodology for the preparation of protein conjugates for clinical use.     

聚乙二醇定点修饰蛋白质药物的技术和临床研究进展

聚乙二醇(PEG)定点修饰蛋白药物是针对蛋白特定基团特定位点的修饰,相比于非定点随机修饰的特点是PEG修饰位点的单一与确定,避免了修饰异构体的干扰,能较好的保留药物体内外活性;修饰产物组成均一、性质稳定,便于质量控制,降低由修饰异构体引起的潜在的安全性风险,并很大程度上提高得率,降低成本。已有PEG定点修饰蛋白药物上市,还有部分处于临床试验阶段。本文综述了PEG定点修饰蛋白药物的技术研究与临床进展,包括PEG定点修饰剂、定点修饰方法、PEG定点修饰的上市和临床药物及面临的问题,并展望了PEG修饰技术未来的发展前景。     

Comparison of substrate specificities of transglutaminases using synthetic peptides as acyl donors

Transglutaminase (TGase) is an enzyme that catalyzes acyl transfer reactions between primary amines and Gln residues in proteins or peptides. Substrate specificities of TGase, Ca2+-independent microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), and Ca2+-dependent tissue type transglutaminase from guinea pig liver (GTGase) and fish, Red sea bream (Pagrus major), liver (FTGase), for acyl donors were investigated using synthetic peptides containing Gln residues and Gln analogues with different lengths of side chain. MTGase dose not recognize the Gln analogues as a substrate and has strict substrate specificities toward L-Gln. Substrate peptides with a variety of sequences around the Gln residue, GXXQXXG (X=G, A, S, L, V, F, Y, R, N, E, L) were synthesized and used as acyl donors. As an acyl acceptor, the fluorescent reagent monodancyl cadaverine was used and the reactions analyzed with RP-HPLC. Substitution of the C-terminal of a Gln residue with a hydrophobic amino acid accelerated the reaction by GTGase and FTGase. N-terminal substitution of Gln residues had similar effects on the reaction by MTGase.     

Mutants of immunotoxin anti-Tac(dsFv)-PE38 with variable number of lysine residues as candidates for site-specific chemical modification. 1. Properties of mutant molecules

Chemical modification of proteins with substances such as poly(ethylene glycol) can add useful properties to proteins. Currently PEGylation is done in a random manner utilizing amino residues dispersed throughout a protein. For proteins such as immunotoxins, which have several different functional domains, random modification leads to inactivation. To determine if we could produce an immunotoxin with a diminished number of lysine residues so that chemical modification could be restricted to certain regions of the protein, we chose the recombinant immunotoxin anti-Tac(dsFv)-PE38 that has 13 lysine residues in the Fv portion and 3 in the toxin. We prepared a series of mutants with 0-12 lysines in the Fv and 0 or 3 in the toxin. Almost all of these molecules retain full biological activity. Our data indicate that replacement of lysine residues can be achieve without loss of biological potency. These molecules are a useful starting point to carry out site-specific PEGylation experiments.     

GlycoPEGylation of recombinant therapeutic proteins produced in Escherichia coli

Covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol, PEGylation, has been shown to prolong the half-life and enhance the pharmacodynamics of therapeutic proteins. Current methods for PEGylation, which rely on chemical conjugation through reactive groups on amino acids, often generate isoforms in which PEG is attached at sites that interfere with bioactivity. Here, we present a novel strategy for site-directed PEGylation using glycosyltransferases to attach PEG to O-glycans. The process involves enzymatic GalNAc glycosylation at specific serine and threonine residues in proteins expressed without glycosylation in Escherichia coli, followed by enzymatic transfer of sialic acid conjugated with PEG to the introduced GalNAc residues. The strategy was applied to three therapeutic polypeptides, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), interferon-alpha2b (IFN-alpha2b), and granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which are currently in clinical use.