Biopharmaceutical Analysis by HPLC: Practices and Challenges

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is an essential analytical technique in the biopharmaceutical industry, crucial for the separation, identification, and quantification of complex biological molecules such as monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. It plays a vital role in assessing the purity, potency, and stability of biopharmaceutical products, which are critical for regulatory approval. HPLC offers high resolution and sensitivity, allowing for the detection of small quantities of compounds in complex samples. Its versatility is evident in various modes, including reversed-phase, ion-exchange, size-exclusion, and affinity chromatography. However, challenges remain, such as selecting the appropriate stationary phase, addressing peak overlapping and matrix interference, and optimizing operational parameters like flow rate and mobile phase composition. Standardization and method validation are essential for ensuring reproducibility, accuracy, and regulatory compliance in HPLC analyses. The need for reliable reference materials and calibration methods is also a significant challenge. Recent advancements in HPLC technology, including ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and hybrid systems that integrate HPLC with mass spectrometry, are helping to overcome these challenges by enhancing sensitivity, resolution, and analysis speed. In summary, as biopharmaceutical products grow more complex, HPLC's role will continue to evolve, highlighting the need for ongoing research and development to refine this critical analytical tool.

A novel protein purification scheme based on salt inducible self-assembling peptides

BACKGROUND

Protein purification remains a critical need for biosciences and biotechnology. It frequently requires multiple rounds of chromatographic steps that are expensive and time-consuming. Our lab previously reported a cleavable self-aggregating tag (cSAT) scheme for streamlined protein expression and purification. The tag consists of a self-assembling peptide (SAP) and a controllable self-cleaving intein. The SAP drives the target protein into an active aggregate, then by intein-mediated cleavage, the target protein is released. Here we report a novel cSAT scheme in which the self-assembling peptide is replaced with a salt inducible self-assembling peptide. This allows a target protein to be expressed first in the soluble form, and the addition of salt then drives the target protein into the aggregated form, followed by cleavage and release.

RESULTS

In this study, we used MpA (MKQLEDKIEELLSKAAMKQLEDKIEELLSK) as a second class of self-assembling peptide in the cSAT scheme. This scheme utilizes low salt concentration to keep the fusion protein soluble, while eliminating insoluble cellular matters by centrifugation. Salt then triggers MpA-mediated self-aggregation of the fusion, removing soluble background host cell proteins. Finally, intein-mediated cleavage releases the target protein into solution. As a proof-of-concept, we successfully purified four proteins and peptides (human growth hormone, 22.1 kDa; LCB3, 7.7 kDa; SpyCatcherΔN-ELP-SpyCatcherΔN, 26.2 kDa; and xylanase, 45.3 kDa) with yields ranging from 12 to 87 mg/L. This was comparable to the classical His-tag method both in yield and purity (72-97%), but without the His-tag. By using a further two-step column purification process that included ion-exchange chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography, the purity was increased to over 99%.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that a salt-inducible self-assembling peptide can serve as a controllable aggregating tag, which might be advantageous in applications where soluble expression of the target protein is preferred. This work also demonstrates the potential and advantages of utilizing salt inducible self-assembling peptides for protein separation.

Selective C-Terminal Conjugation of Protease-Derived Native Peptides for Proteomic Measurements

Bottom-up proteomic experiments often require selective conjugation or labeling of the N- and/or C-termini of peptides resulting from proteolytic digestion. For example, techniques based on surface fluorescence imaging are emerging as a promising route to high-throughput protein sequencing but require the generation of peptide surface arrays immobilized through single C-terminal point attachment while leaving the N-terminus free. While several robust approaches are available for selective N-terminal conjugation, it has proven to be much more challenging to implement methods for selective labeling or conjugation of the C-termini that can discriminate between the C-terminal carboxyl group and other carboxyl groups on aspartate and glutamate residues. Further, many approaches based on conjugation through amide bond formation require protection of the N-terminus to avoid unwanted cross-linking reactions. To overcome these challenges, herein, we describe a new strategy for single-point selective immobilization of peptides generated by protease digestion via the C-terminus. The method involves immobilization of peptides via lysine amino acids which are found naturally at the C-terminal end of cleaved peptides from digestions of certain serine endoproteinases, like LysC. This lysine and the N-terminus, the sole two primary amines in the peptide fragments, are chemically reacted with a custom phenyl isothiocyanate (EPITC) that contains an alkyne handle. Subsequent exposure of the double-modified peptides to acid selectively cleaves the N-terminal amino acid, while the modified C-terminus lysine remains unchanged. The alkyne-modified peptides with free N-termini can then be immobilized on an azide surface through standard click chemistry. Using this general approach, surface functionalization is demonstrated using a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Zbasic: A Purification Tag for Selective Ion-Exchange Recovery

A positively charged protein domain, denoted Z_basic, can be used as a general purification tag for purification of recombinantly produced target proteins by cation-exchange chromatography. The Z_basic domain is constructed from the Protein A-derived Z-domain, and engineered to be highly charged, which allows selective capture on a cation exchanger at physiological pH values. Moreover, Z_basic is selective also under denaturing conditions and can be used for purification of proteins solubilized from inclusion bodies. Z_basic can then be used as a flexible linker to the cation-exchanger resin, and thereby allows solid-phase refolding of the target protein.Herein, protocols for purification of soluble Z_basic-tagged fusion proteins , as well as for integrated purification and solid-phase refolding of insoluble fusion proteins , are described. In addition, a procedure for enzymatic tag removal and recovery of native target protein is outlined.

Production of glucosyl glycerol by immobilized sucrose phosphorylase: Options for enzyme fixation on a solid support and application in microscale flow format

2-O-(α-d-Glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (αGG) is a natural osmolyte. αGG is produced industrially for application as an active cosmetic ingredient. The biocatalytic process involves a selective transglucosylation from sucrose to glycerol catalyzed by sucrose phosphorylase (SPase). Here we examined immobilization of SPase (from Leuconostoc mesenteroides) on solid support with the aim of enabling continuous production of αGG. By fusing SPase to the polycationic binding module Z_basic2 we demonstrated single-step noncovalent immobilization of the enzyme chimera to different porous supports offering an anionic surface. We showed that immobilization facilitated by Z_basic2 was similarly efficient as immobilization by multipoint covalent attachment on epoxy-activated supports in terms of production of αGG. Enzyme loadings of up to 90mg enzyme g^-1 support were obtained and the immobilized SPase was about half as effective as the enzyme in solution. The high regio- and chemo-selectivity of soluble SPase in αGG synthesis was retained in the immobilized enzyme and product yields of >85% were obtained at titers of ∼800mM. The Z_basic2-SPase immobilizates were fully recyclable: besides reuse of the enzyme activity, easy recovery of the solid support for fresh immobilizations was facilitated by the reversible nature of the enzyme attachment. Application of immobilized Z_basic2-SPase for continuous production of αGG in a microstructured flow reactor was demonstrated. Space-time yields of 500mmol αGG L^-1h^-1 were obtained at product titers of ∼200mM. The continuous microreactor was operated for 16days and an operational half-life of about 10days was determined.

Selective protein complexation and coacervation by polyelectrolytes

This review discusses the possible relationship between protein charge anisotropy, protein binding affinity, polymer structure, and selective phase separation. We hope that a fundamental understanding of primarily electrostatically driven protein-polyelectrolyte (PE) interactions can enable the prediction of selective protein binding, and hence selective coacervation through non-specific electrostatics. Such research will partially challenge the assumption that specific binding has to be realized through specific binding sites with a variety of short-range interactions and some geometric match. More specifically, the recent studies on selective binding of proteins by polyelectrolytes were examined from different assemblies in addition to the electrostatic features of proteins and PEs. At the end, the optimization of phase separation based on binding affinity for selective coacervation and some considerations relevant to using PEs for protein purification were also overviewed.

Purification of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) protein from transplastomic tobacco plants

Plants are low cost platforms for the production of recombinant proteins, but their complexity renders the purification of plant recombinant proteins more difficult than proteins expressed in yeast or bacteria. Plastid transformation enables high-level expression of foreign genes and the accumulation of recombinant proteins in plastid organelles. Histidine (His) tags are widely used for affinity purification of recombinant proteins in a nickel column. The human tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is one of the most important pharmaceutical recombinant proteins involved in the breakdown of blood clots in different parts of the body. The truncated form of the tissue plasminogen activator (K2S) has a longer plasma half-life, better diffusion into the clot, and higher fibrinolytic activity. In a construct designed to insert the K2S gene in the tobacco chloroplast, the sequence of six histidines and a factor Xa protease site was fused to the C-terminus of the K2S protein. The presence and amount of tPA recombinant protein in transplastomic tobacco plants was estimated by ELISA analysis using a specific antibody. The protein was purified from total soluble protein, insoluble protein aggregates and the protein was extracted from the isolated chloroplast using nickel resin and a chromatography column. After digestion of the purified protein with factor Xa, the presence of the purified tPA protein was confirmed by western blot analysis.

Site-specific immobilization of recombinant antibody fragments through material-binding peptides for the sensitive detection of antigens in enzyme immunoassays

The immobilization of an antibody is one of the key technologies that are used to enhance the sensitivity and efficiency of the detection of target molecules in immunodiagnosis and immunoseparation. Recombinant antibody fragments such as VHH, scFv and Fabs produced by microorganisms are the next generation of ligand antibodies as an alternative to conventional whole Abs due to a smaller size and the possibility of site-directed immobilization with uniform orientation and higher antigen-binding activity in the adsorptive state. For the achievement of site-directed immobilization, affinity peptides for a certain ligand molecule or solid support must be introduced to the recombinant antibody fragments. In this mini-review, immobilization technologies for the whole antibodies (whole Abs) and recombinant antibody fragments onto the surfaces of plastics are introduced. In particular, the focus here is on immobilization technologies of recombinant antibody fragments utilizing affinity peptide tags, which possesses strong binding affinity towards the ligand molecules. Furthermore, I introduced the material-binding peptides that are capable of direct recognition of the target materials. Preparation and immobilization strategies for recombinant antibody fragments linked to material-binding peptides (polystyrene-binding peptides (PS-tags) and poly (methyl methacrylate)-binding peptide (PMMA-tag)) are the focus here, and are based on the enhancement of sensitivity and a reduction in the production costs of ligand antibodies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent advances in molecular engineering of antibody.

Challenges and opportunities in the purification of recombinant tagged proteins

The purification of recombinant proteins by affinity chromatography is one of the most efficient strategies due to the high recovery yields and purity achieved. However, this is dependent on the availability of specific affinity adsorbents for each particular target protein. The diversity of proteins to be purified augments the complexity and number of specific affinity adsorbents needed, and therefore generic platforms for the purification of recombinant proteins are appealing strategies. This justifies why genetically encoded affinity tags became so popular for recombinant protein purification, as these systems only require specific ligands for the capture of the fusion protein through a pre-defined affinity tag tail. There is a wide range of available affinity pairs "tag-ligand" combining biological or structural affinity ligands with the respective binding tags. This review gives a general overview of the well-established "tag-ligand" systems available for fusion protein purification and also explores current unconventional strategies under development.

Zbasic: a purification tag for selective ion-exchange recovery

A positively charged protein domain, denoted Zbasic, can be used as a general purification tag for purification of recombinantly produced target proteins by cation-exchange chromatography. The Zbasic domain is constructed from the Protein A-derived domain and engineered to be highly charged, which allows selective capture on a cation exchanger at physiological pH values. Moreover, Zbasic is selective also under denaturing conditions and can be used for purification of proteins solubilized from inclusion bodies. Zbasic can then be used as a flexible linker to the cation-exchange resin and thereby allow solid-phase refolding of the target protein.Herein, protocols for purification of soluble Zbasic-tagged fusion proteins, as well as for integrated purification and solid-phase refolding of insoluble fusion proteins, are described. In addition, a procedure for enzymatic tag removal and recovery of native target protein is outlined.

Engineered fluorescence tags for in vivo protein labelling

In vivoprotein labelling with a peptide tag–fluorescent probe system is an important chemical biology strategy for studying protein distribution, interaction and function.

An orthogonal fusion tag for efficient protein purification

Protein fusion tags are important tools in research when robust methods for protein purification and detection are required. In this chapter we present an efficient method for stringent protein purification. A small domain, denoted ABDz1, with affinity for both human serum albumin and Protein A has been developed. The purification tag is based on an albumin-binding domain from Streptococcal Protein G that was engineered to bind Protein A. The ABDz1-tag can be fused to any protein of choice and the purification can be performed using standard laboratory equipment. In this chapter a method for purification of ABDz1-tagged proteins using two successive affinity purification steps is described.

Amination of enzymes to improve biocatalyst performance: coupling genetic modification and physicochemical tools

Improvement of the features of an enzyme is in many instances a pre-requisite for the industrial implementation of these exceedingly interesting biocatalysts.

Directed, strong, and reversible immobilization of proteins tagged with a β-trefoil lectin domain: a simple method to immobilize biomolecules on plain agarose matrixes

A highly stable lipase from Geobacillus thermocatenolatus (BTL2) and the enhanced green fluorescent protein from Aquorea victoria (EGFP) were recombinantly produced N-terminally tagged to the lectin domain of the hemolytic pore-forming toxin LSLa from the mushroom Laetiporus sulphureus . Such a domain (LSL(150)), recently described as a novel fusion tag, is based on a β-trefoil scaffold with two operative binding sites for galactose or galactose-containing derivatives. The fusion proteins herein analyzed have enabled us to characterize the binding mode of LSL(150) to polymeric and solid substrates such as agarose beads. The lectin-fusion proteins are able to be quantitatively bound to both cross-linked and non-cross-linked agarose matrixes in a very rapid manner, resulting in a surprisingly dynamic protein distribution inside the porous beads that evolves from heterogeneous to homogeneous along the postimmobilization time. Such dynamic distribution can be related to the reversible nature of the LSL(150)-agarose interaction. Furthermore, this latter interaction is temperature dependent since it is 4-fold stronger when the immobilization takes place at 25 °C than when it does at 4 °C. The strongest lectin-agarose interaction is also quite stable under a survey of different conditions such as high temperatures (up to 60 °C) or high organic solvent concentrations (up to 60% of acetonitrile). Notably, the use of cross-linked agarose would endow the system with more robustness due to its better mechanical properties compared to the noncross-linked one. The stability of the LSL(150)-agarose interaction would prevent protein leaching during the operation process unless high pH media are used. In summary, we believe that the LSL(150) lectin domain exhibits interesting structural features as an immobilization domain that makes it suitable to reversibly immobilize industrially relevant enzymes in very simple carriers as agarose.

Microbial polyhydroxyalkanote synthesis repression protein PhaR as an affinity tag for recombinant protein purification

Background

PhaR which is a repressor protein for microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) biosynthesis, is able to attach to bacterial PHA granules in vivo, was developed as an affinity tag for in vitro protein purification. Fusion of PhaR-tagged self-cleavable Ssp DnaB intein to the N-terminus of a target protein allowed protein purification with a pH and temperature shift. During the process, the target protein was released to the supernatant while PhaR-tagged intein was still immobilized on the PHA nanoparticles which were then separated by centrifugation.

Results

Fusion protein PhaR-intein-target protein was expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli. The cell lysates after sonication and centrifugation were collected and then incubated with PHA nanoparticles to allow sufficient absorption onto the PHA nanoparticles. After several washing processes, self-cleavage of intein was triggered by pH and temperature shift. As a result, the target protein was released from the particles and purified after centrifugation. As target proteins, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), maltose binding protein (MBP) and β-galactosidase (lacZ), were successfully purified using the PhaR based protein purification method.

Conclusion

The successful purification of EGFP, MBP and LacZ indicated the feasibility of this PhaR based in vitro purification system. Moreover, the elements used in this system can be easily obtained and prepared by users themselves, so they can set up a simple protein purification strategy by themselves according to the PhaR method, which provides another choice instead of expensive commercial protein purification systems.

Characterization of polystyrene-binding peptides (PS-tags) for site-specific immobilization of proteins

In this study, we characterized polystyrene-binding peptides (PS-tags) that possess a specific binding affinity for hydrophilic polystyrene (phi-PS) plates. Both the FITC-labeled PS19-1 (RAFIASRRIKRP) and PS19-6 (RIIIRRIRR) peptides showed strong binding affinity for commercially available hydrophilic, but not hydrophobic, PS plates in the presence of the non-ionic surfactant Tween 20. The dissociation constants (K(d)) of the PS19-1 and PS19-6 peptides for the hydrophilic PS-A plate were 169 and 86 nM, respectively, and the K(d) of both peptides increased with the concentration of NaCl or urea. Based on adsorption yield and residual activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) after fusion with the PS19-6 peptide or its variants, it was found that the basic amino acid in the PS-tags, i.e., Arg was essential for the strong binding affinity of PS-tags in both the peptide and peptide-fused protein forms The aliphatic amino acids in PS19-6 and PS19-6L, such as Ile or Leu, were also effective. Thus, a series of PS-tags that possess this unusual feature, especially the peptides PS19-6 (RIIIRRIRR) and PS19-6L (RLLLRRLRR), are potential candidate affinity peptide tags for site-specific immobilization of proteins onto hydrophilic PS plates, which show potential as solid supports for protein-based biochips.

Streptococcus agalactiae DNA polymerase I is an efficient reverse transcriptase

Genome annotations result generally from large sequence alignments by bioinformatics. Large scale biochemical data are more difficult to obtain. They derive for example from directed protein evolution experiments by selection. A previously reported directed enzyme evolution experiment by in vitro selection of Stoffel fragment variants of Taq DNA polymerase I was used here to predict the activities of Streptococcus agalactiae DNA polymerase I. The reverse transcriptase activity of S. agalactiae DNA polymerase I was measured and the kinetic parameters for this RNA-dependent DNA polymerase are given. RNA-templated DNA repair is suggested as a possible biological function for this biochemical activity.

Zbasic—A novel purification tag for efficient protein recovery

A positively charged protein domain, Z(basic), can be used as a general purification tag to achieve efficient recovery of recombinantly produced target proteins using cation-exchange chromatography. To construct a protein domain usable for ion-exchange chromatography, the surface of protein Z was engineered to be highly charged, which allowed for selective capture of target proteins on a cation-exchanger at physiological pH values. Interestingly, the novel domain, denoted Z(basic), was shown to be selective also under denaturing conditions and could preferably be used for purification of proteins solubilised from inclusion bodies. Moreover, a flexible process for solid-phase refolding was developed, using Z(basic) as a reversible linker to the cation-exchanger resin. This procedure has the inherited advantage of combining purification and refolding into a single step and still enabling elution of a concentrated product in a suitable buffer. This article summarizes development and use of the Z(basic) tag in small and pilot-plant-scale downstream processing.

Affinity-based methodologies and ligands for antibody purification: Advances and perspectives

Many successful, recent therapies for life-threatening diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis are based on the recognition between native or genetically engineered antibodies and cell-surface receptors. Although naturally produced by the immune system, the need for antibodies with unique specificities and designed for single application, has encouraged the search for novel antibody purification strategies. The availability of these products to the end-consumer is strictly related to manufacture costs, particularly those attributed to downstream processing. Over the last decades, academia and industry have developed different types of interactions and separation techniques for antibody purification, affinity-based strategies being the most common and efficient methodologies. The affinity ligands utilized range from biological to synthetic designed molecules with enhanced resistance and stability. Despite the successes achieved, the purification "paradigm" still moves interests and efforts in the continuous demand for improved separation performances. This review will focus on recent advances and perspectives in antibody purification by affinity interactions using different techniques, with particular emphasis on affinity chromatography.

High-throughput protein purification under denaturating conditions by the use of cation exchange chromatography

A high-throughput protein purification strategy using the polycationic Z(basic) tag has been developed. In order for the strategy to be useful both for soluble and less soluble proteins, a denaturating agent, urea, was used in all purification steps. First, four target proteins were genetically fused to the purification tag, Z(basic). These protein constructs were purified by cation exchange chromatography and eluted using a salt gradient. From the data achieved, a purification strategy was planned including stepwise elution to enable parallel protein purification using a laboratory robot. A protocol that includes all steps, equilibration of the chromatography resin, load of sample, wash, and elution, all without any manual handling steps, was handled by the laboratory robot. The program allows automated purification giving milligram amounts of pure recombinant protein of up to 60 cell lysates. In this study 22 different protein constructs, with different characteristics regarding pI and solubility, were successfully purified by the laboratory robot. The data show that Z(basic) can be used as a general purification tag also under denaturating conditions. Moreover, the strategy enables purification of proteins with different pI and solubility using ion exchange chromatography (IEXC). The procedure is highly reproducible and allows for high protein yield and purity and is therefore a good complement to the commonly used His(6)-tag.