1
|
Bachhav B, de Rossi J, Llanos CD, Segatori L. Cell factory engineering: Challenges and opportunities for synthetic biology applications. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2441-2459. [PMID: 36859509 PMCID: PMC10440303 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The production of high-quality recombinant proteins is critical to maintaining a continuous supply of biopharmaceuticals, such as therapeutic antibodies. Engineering mammalian cell factories presents a number of limitations typically associated with the proteotoxic stress induced upon aberrant accumulation of off-pathway protein folding intermediates, which eventually culminate in the induction of apoptosis. In this review, we will discuss advances in cell engineering and their applications at different hierarchical levels of control of the expression of recombinant proteins, from transcription and translational to posttranslational modifications and subcellular trafficking. We also highlight challenges and unique opportunities to apply modern synthetic biology tools to the design of programmable cell factories for improved biomanufacturing of therapeutic proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhagyashree Bachhav
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, United States
| | - Jacopo de Rossi
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, United States
| | - Carlos D. Llanos
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, United States
| | - Laura Segatori
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, United States
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, United States
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhou LY, Zhang S, Li LY, Yang GY, Zeng L. Optimization of mammalian expression vector by cis-regulatory element combinations. Mol Genet Genomics 2023:10.1007/s00438-023-02042-0. [PMID: 37318628 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-023-02042-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of gene expression in mammalian cells by combining various cis-regulatory features has rarely been discussed. In this study, we constructed expression vectors containing various combinations of regulatory elements to examine the regulation of gene expression by different combinations of cis-regulatory elements. The effects of four promoters (CMV promoter, PGK promoter, Polr2a promoter, and EF-1α core promoter), two enhancers (CMV enhancer and SV40 enhancer), two introns (EF-1α intron A and hybrid intron), two terminators (CYC1 terminator and TEF terminator), and their different combinations on downstream gene expression were compared in various mammalian cells using fluorescence microscopy to observe fluorescence, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and western blot. The receptor binding domain (RBD) sequence from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein was used to replace the eGFP sequence in the expression vector and the RBD expression was detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. The results showed that protein expression can be regulated by optimizing the combination of cis-acting elements. The vector with the CMV enhancer, EF-1α core promoter, and TEF terminator was found to express approximately threefold higher eGFP than the unmodified vector in different animal cells, as well as 2.63-fold higher recombinant RBD protein than the original vector in HEK-293T cells. Moreover, we suggest that combinations of multiple regulatory elements capable of regulating gene expression do not necessarily exhibit synergistic effects to enhance expression further. Overall, our findings provide insights into biological applications that require the regulation of gene expression and will help to optimize expression vectors for biosynthesis and other fields. Additionally, we provide valuable insights into the production of RBD proteins, which may aid in developing reagents for diagnosis and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Yu Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Biochemistry and Nutrition, Henan Agricultural University, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Growth and Development, The Education Department of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Biochemistry and Nutrition, Henan Agricultural University, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Growth and Development, The Education Department of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Yun Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Biochemistry and Nutrition, Henan Agricultural University, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Growth and Development, The Education Department of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guo-Yu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Biochemistry and Nutrition, Henan Agricultural University, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Growth and Development, The Education Department of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Zeng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Biochemistry and Nutrition, Henan Agricultural University, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Growth and Development, The Education Department of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hu J, Chen X, Zhang X, Yuan X, Yang M, Dai H, Yang W, Zhou Q, Wen W, Wang Q, Qin W, Zhao A. A fusion-protein approach enabling mammalian cell production of tumor targeting protein domains for therapeutic development. Protein Sci 2018; 27:933-944. [PMID: 29500915 PMCID: PMC5916118 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 02/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A single chain Fv fragment (scFv) is a fusion of the variable regions of heavy (VH ) and light (VL ) chains of immunoglobulins. They are important elements of chimeric antigen receptors for cancer therapy. We sought to produce a panel of 16 extracellular protein domains of tumor markers for use in scFv yeast library screenings. A series of vectors comprising various combinations of expression elements was made, but expression was unpredictable and more than half of the protein domains could not be produced using any of the constructs. Here we describe a novel fusion expression system based on mouse TEM7 (tumor endothelial marker 7), which could facilitate protein expression. With this approach we could produce all but one of the tumor marker domains that could not otherwise be expressed. In addition, we demonstrated that the tumor associated antigen hFZD10 produced as a fusion protein with mTEM7 could be used to enrich scFv antibodies from a yeast display library. Collectively our study demonstrates the potential of specific fusion proteins based on mTEM7 in enabling mammalian cell production of tumor targeting protein domains for therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jia Hu
- Lung Cancer Research CenterWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduChina
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Xiang Chen
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Xuhua Zhang
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- School of Life SciencesZhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina
| | - Xiaopeng Yuan
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Zhujiang Hospital, SouthernMedical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Mingjuan Yang
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Hui Dai
- Xinjiang Karamay Central HospitalKaramay CityXinjiangChina
| | - Wei Yang
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Qinghua Zhou
- Lung Cancer Research CenterWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduChina
| | - Weihong Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of ImmunologyXijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical UniversityChinaXi'an
| | - Qirui Wang
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- College of Traditional Chinese MedicineSouthernMedical UniversityGuang DongChina
| | - Weijun Qin
- Department of UrologyXijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical UniversityChinaXi'an
| | - Aizhi Zhao
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kang SY, Kim YG, Kang S, Lee HW, Lee EG. A novel regulatory element (E77) isolated from CHO-K1 genomic DNA enhances stable gene expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Biotechnol J 2016; 11:633-41. [PMID: 26762773 PMCID: PMC5067685 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201500464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Vectors flanked by regulatory DNA elements have been used to generate stable cell lines with high productivity and transgene stability; however, regulatory elements in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are the most widely used mammalian cells in biopharmaceutical production, are still poorly understood. We isolated a novel gene regulatory element from CHO‐K1 cells, designated E77, which was found to enhance the stable expression of a transgene. A genomic library was constructed by combining CHO‐K1 genomic DNA fragments with a CMV promoter‐driven GFP expression vector, and the E77 element was isolated by screening. The incorporation of the E77 regulatory element resulted in the generation of an increased number of clones with high expression, thereby enhancing the expression level of the transgene in the stable transfectant cell pool. Interestingly, the E77 element was found to consist of two distinct fragments derived from different locations in the CHO genome shotgun sequence. High and stable transgene expression was obtained in transfected CHO cells by combining these fragments. Additionally, the function of E77 was found to be dependent on its site of insertion and specific orientation in the vector construct. Our findings demonstrate that stable gene expression mediated by the CMV promoter in CHO cells may be improved by the isolated novel gene regulatory element E77 identified in the present study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Young Kang
- Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Gu Kim
- Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.,Biotechnology Process Engineering Center, KRIBB, Ochang, Republic of Korea
| | - Seunghee Kang
- Biotechnology Process Engineering Center, KRIBB, Ochang, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Weon Lee
- Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.,Biotechnology Process Engineering Center, KRIBB, Ochang, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Gyo Lee
- Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea. .,Biotechnology Process Engineering Center, KRIBB, Ochang, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mufarrege EF, Antuña S, Etcheverrigaray M, Kratje R, Prieto C. Development of lentiviral vectors for transient and stable protein overexpression in mammalian cells. A new strategy for recombinant human FVIII (rhFVIII) production. Protein Expr Purif 2014; 95:50-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2013.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
6
|
Minn I, Menezes ME, Sarkar S, Yarlagadda K, Das SK, Emdad L, Sarkar D, Fisher PB, Pomper MG. Molecular-genetic imaging of cancer. Adv Cancer Res 2014; 124:131-69. [PMID: 25287688 PMCID: PMC4339000 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-411638-2.00004-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Molecular-genetic imaging of cancer using nonviral delivery systems has great potential for clinical application as a safe, efficient, noninvasive tool for visualization of various cellular processes including detection of cancer, and its attendant metastases. In recent years, significant effort has been expended in overcoming technical hurdles to enable clinical adoption of molecular-genetic imaging. This chapter will provide an introduction to the components of molecular-genetic imaging and recent advances on each component leading to safe, efficient clinical applications for detecting cancer. Combination with therapy, namely, generating molecular-genetic theranostic constructs, will provide further impetus for clinical translation of this promising technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Il Minn
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Siddik Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Keerthi Yarlagadda
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Swadesh K Das
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Luni Emdad
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA; VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Martin G Pomper
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lv H. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics towards understanding of gene functions with a diversity of biological contexts. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2013; 32:118-128. [PMID: 22890819 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2011] [Revised: 01/25/2012] [Accepted: 03/30/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Currently, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics studies extend beyond conventional chemical categorization and metabolic phenotype analysis to understanding gene function in various biological contexts (e.g., mammalian, plant, and microbial). These novel utilities have led to many innovative discoveries in the following areas: disease pathogenesis, therapeutic pathway or target identification, the biochemistry of animal and plant physiological and pathological activities in response to diverse stimuli, and molecular signatures of host-pathogen interactions during microbial infection. In this review, we critically evaluate the representative applications of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to better understand gene function in diverse biological contexts, with special emphasis on working principles, study protocols, and possible future development of this technique. Collectively, this review raises awareness within the biomedical community of the scientific value and applicability of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics strategies to better understand gene function, thus advancing this application's utility in a broad range of biological fields.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Lv
- Center for Women's Infectious Diseases Research, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
CHO cell engineering to prevent polypeptide aggregation and improve therapeutic protein secretion. Metab Eng 2013; 21:91-102. [PMID: 23380542 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2012.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 12/13/2012] [Accepted: 12/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The ability to efficiently produce recombinant proteins in a secreted form is highly desirable and cultured mammalian cells such as CHO cells have become the preferred host as they secrete proteins with human-like post-translational modifications. However, attempts to express high levels of particular proteins in CHO cells may consistently result in low yields, even for non-engineered proteins such as immunoglobulins. In this study, we identified the responsible faulty step at the stage of translational arrest, translocation and early processing for such a "difficult-to-express" immunoglobulin, resulting in improper cleavage of the light chain and its precipitation in an insoluble cellular fraction unable to contribute to immunoglobulin assembly. We further show that proper processing and secretion were restored by over-expressing human signal receptor protein SRP14 and other components of the secretion pathway. This allowed the expression of the difficult-to-express protein to high yields, and it also increased the production of an easy-to-express protein. Our results demonstrate that components of the secretory and processing pathways can be limiting, and that engineering of the secretory pathway may be used to improve the secretion efficiency of therapeutic proteins from CHO cells.
Collapse
|