Enhancement of antibody production by growth factor addition in perfusion and hollow-fiber culture systems

The effects of the high-molecular-weight growth factors, transferrin and bovine serum albumin (BSA), on antibody production were analyzed quantitatively in continuous hollow-fiber cultivation over a period of 60 days. Transferrin enhanced cell growth but had no significant effect on the specific antibody production rate, whereas BSA significantly enhanced antibody production. The antibody production rate was increased 4- and 14-fold respectively by feeding BSA at 2 and 5 g L(-1) into the EC side of the system (the side connected to the cell-containing outer part of the hollow-fiber unit) compared with the production achieved without BSA. Addition of 5 g L(1) BSA into the IC side of the system (the side connected to the inner part of the hollow-fiber unit) resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in the antibody production rate. The effect of BSA was also analyzed using the perfusion culture system with a separation unit. When fresh medium containing either 2 or 5 g L(-1) BSA was fed into the reactor, both the specific growth rate and specific death rate increased, while the specific antibody production rate was increased 2- and 25-fold, respectively, by feeding BSA at these two concentrations compared with no addition. Comparing the two systems, the increase in the antibody production rate achieved with the hollow-fiber system was threefold greater than that in the perfusion culture system with the same concentration of BSA feeding. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of hippuric acid in human urine

A method is described for the determination of urinary hippuric acid by high-performance liquid chromatography. The method used ethyl acetate extraction for partial clean-up of the urine. The separation was carried out on a reversed-phase column using 20% methanol in 0.01 M aqueous potassium phosphate containing 0.5% acetic acid as a mobile phase. The column effluent was monitored with a UV detector at 254 nm. Hippuric acid was separated from other normal urine constituents in less than 10 min. Metabolites of xylene and styrene did not interfere with the assay. Analytical recoveries from urine were excellent and peak height and concentration were linearly related.     

Purification of lipase from Chromobacterium viscosum by chromatography on palmitoyl cellulose.

Palmitoyl cellulose was used to adsorb the extracellular lipase [triacylglycerol acyl-hydrolase EC 3.1.1.3] of Chromobacterium viscosum from crude enzyme solution, and the adsorbed enzyme was eluted with a suitable detergent, such as Adekatol 45-S-8 or Triton X-100. The enzyme was then purified by chromatography on a palmitoylated gauze column with an overall recovery of 71% and an increase in the specific activity of 11-fold from the supernatant fluid of bacterial cultures. Further purification procedures included fractionation with acetone, and chromatography on Sephadex G-150 and G-75 columns. Two isoenzymes were obtained, each in a homogeneous state on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: one had a molecular weight of 120,000 and pI of 3.7 and the other a molecular weight of 30,000 with a pI of 7.3.     

Oxidative pathway of choline to betaine in the soluble fraction prepared from Arthrobacter globiformis.

One strain of bacteria which showed high H2O2-generating activity was isolated from soil and characterized as Arthrobacter globiformis based on its morphological, nutritional, and physiological characteristics. The activities of H2O2 generation, NAD reduction and oxygen consumption in the bacterial cells were examined using choline, betaine aldehyde or betaine as substrate. Choline was oxidized to betaine aldehyde under aerobic conditions in a reaction coupled with H2O2 generation and oxygen consumption. On the other hand, betaine aldehyde seemed to be oxidized to betaine through two distinct oxidative reactions, H2O2 generation (oxygen consumption) under aerobic conditions and NAD reduction under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. These enzyme activities were found in the supernatant fraction of the sonicated cell preparation.     

Purification and characterization of choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis

Choline oxidase was purified from the cells of Arthrobacter globiformis by fractionations with acetone and ammonium sulfate, and column chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose and on Sephadex G-200. The purified enzyme preparation appeared homogeneous on disc gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was a flavoprotein having a molecular weight of approx. 83,000 (gel filtration) or approx. 71,000 (sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis) and an isoelectric point (pI) around pH 4.5. Identification of the reaction products showed that the enzyme catalyzed the following reactions: choline + O2 leads to betaine aldehyde + H2O2, betaine aldehyde + O2 + H2O leads to betaine + H2O2. The enzyme was highly specific for choline and betaine aldehyde (relative reaction velocities: choline, 100%; betaine aldehyde, 46%; N,N-dimethylaminoethanol, 5.2%; triethanolamine, 2.6%; diethanolamine, 0.8%; monoethanolamine, N-methylaminoethanol, methanol, ethanol, propanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and propionaldehyde, 0%). Its Km values were 1.2 mM for choline and 8.7 mM for betaine aldehyde. The optimum pH for the enzymic reaction was around pH 7.5.