Biosynthesis of human-type N-glycans in heterologous systems

CD4 binding site immunogens elicit heterologous anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies in transgenic and wild-type animals

Passive transfer of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibodies (bNAbs) protects against infection, and therefore, eliciting bNAbs by vaccination is a major goal of HIV-1 vaccine efforts. bNAbs that target the CD4 binding site (CD4bs) on HIV-1 Env are among the most broadly active, but to date, responses elicited against this epitope in vaccinated animals have lacked potency and breadth. We hypothesized that CD4bs bNAbs resembling the antibody IOMA might be easier to elicit than other CD4bs antibodies that exhibit higher somatic mutation rates, a difficult-to-achieve mechanism to accommodate Env's N276gp120 N-glycan, and rare five-residue light chain complementarity-determining region 3. As an initial test of this idea, we developed IOMA germline-targeting Env immunogens and evaluated a sequential immunization regimen in transgenic mice expressing germline-reverted IOMA. These mice developed CD4bs epitope-specific responses with heterologous neutralization, and cloned antibodies overcame neutralization roadblocks, including accommodating the N276gp120 glycan, with some neutralizing selected HIV-1 strains more potently than IOMA. The immunization regimen also elicited CD4bs-specific responses in mice containing polyclonal antibody repertoires as well as rabbits and rhesus macaques. Thus, germline targeting of IOMA-class antibody precursors represents a potential vaccine strategy to induce CD4bs bNAbs.

Genome editing of a hybridoma cell line via the CRISPR/Cas9 system: A new approach for constitutive high-level expression of heterologous proteins in eukaryotic system

The power of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized genome editing in many fields of biology. These applications have expanded exponentially over recent years, including those regarding protein expression technologies. The CRISPR/Cas9 system avoids random integration of the gene of interest and due to this characteristic can be exploited to obtain a stable cell line for the high-yield expression of recombinant proteins. Here we propose a method to edit a hybridoma cell line for the constitutive expression of proteins of interest using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. First, with the scope of optimizing the method, we replaced part of the light chain of immunoglobulin with the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene, obtaining a precise knock-in in the hybridoma genome. We confirmed the expression and secretion of GFP into the culture medium via fluorimetric analysis, as well as correct genome editing by RNA sequencing. Then, using the same approach, we included the gene encoding a protein of diagnostic interest, the Bovine Herpesvirus 1 glycoprotein E, in the donor DNA. We obtained a stable clone able to secrete gE protein in fusion with GFP into the culture medium. This result was confirmed by ELISA and Western Blot analysis. This study confirms the suitability of this cell line for the production of proteins of diagnostic interest by stable gene expression in a mammalian system. These experiments will enable the technique to be developed from its proof of concept to more specific applications in the field of infectious disease diagnostics.

C-terminal peptide (hCTP) of human chorionic gonadotropin enhances in vivo biological activity of recombinant Japanese eel follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone produced in FreeStyle 293-F cell lines

Gonadotropins (Gths), follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh), and luteinizing hormone (Lh) play central roles in the reproductive biology of vertebrates. In this study, recombinant single-chain Japanese eel Gths (rGth: rFsh and rLh), and recombinant chimeric Gths (rGth-hCTPs: rFsh-hCTP and rLh-hCTP; rGth-eCTPs: rFsh-eCTP and rLh-eCTP) with an extra O-glycosylation site (either a C-terminal peptide of human (hCTP) or equine (eCTP) chorionic gonadotropin), which are known to prolong the half-life of glycoprotein were produced in HEK293 cells and highly purified. Lectin blot analyses demonstrated that all these recombinant Gths contained N-glycans of the high mannose and complex types. In contrast, only rGth-hCTPs and rGth-eCTPs possessed highly sialylated O-linked oligosaccharides. Further analyses of glycans by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry suggested that the species, amount, and degree of sialylation of N-glycans were comparable among recombinant Fshs and recombinant Lhs, while the amount of O-glycans with sialic acids in rGth-hCTPs was higher than that in the corresponding rGth-eCTPs. The serum levels of recombinant Gths in male eels significantly increased 12-24 h after a single injection of the Gths. The levels of rGth-hCTPs tended to be higher than those of the corresponding rGths and rGth-eCTPs throughout the experimental period, coinciding with the serum fluctuations of 11-ketotestosterone (11KT). The long-term treatment of male eels with these recombinant Gths also revealed the superiority of rGth-hCTPs in assisted reproduction; thus, the serum levels of 11KT and gonadosomatic indices in eels treated with rGth-hCTPs were higher than those in eels treated with the corresponding rGths and rGth-eCTPs. The induction of the entire process of spermatogenesis was only histologically observed in rGth-hCTPs-treated eels. These findings strongly suggest that hCTP enhances the in vivo biological activity of recombinant Japanese eel Gths due to the high abundance of O-linked glycans with sialylated antennae.

Characterization of Glycoproteins with the Immunoglobulin Fold by X-Ray Crystallography and Biophysical Techniques

Glycoproteins on the surface of cells play critical roles in cellular function, including signalling, adhesion and transport. On leukocytes, several of these glycoproteins possess immunoglobulin (Ig) folds and are central to immune recognition and regulation. Here, we present a platform for the design, expression and biophysical characterization of the extracellular domain of human B cell receptor CD22. We propose that these approaches are broadly applicable to the characterization of mammalian glycoprotein ectodomains containing Ig domains. Two suspension human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell lines, HEK293F and HEK293S, are used to express glycoproteins harbouring complex and high-mannose glycans, respectively. These recombinant glycoproteins with different glycoforms allow investigating the effect of glycan size and composition on ligand binding. We discuss protocols for studying the kinetics and thermodynamics of glycoprotein binding to biologically relevant ligands and therapeutic antibody candidates. Recombinant glycoproteins produced in HEK293S cells are amenable to crystallization due to glycan homogeneity, reduced flexibility and susceptibility to endoglycosidase H treatment. We present methods for soaking glycoprotein crystals with heavy atoms and small molecules for phase determination and analysis of ligand binding, respectively. The experimental protocols discussed here hold promise for the characterization of mammalian glycoproteins to give insight into their function and investigate the mechanism of action of therapeutics.

A Novel CRISPR/Cas9-Based Cellular Model to Explore Adenylyl Cyclase and cAMP Signaling

Functional characterization of adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms has proven challenging in mammalian cells because of the endogenous expression of multiple AC isoforms and the high background cAMP levels induced by nonselective AC activators. To simplify the characterization of individual transmembrane AC (mAC) isoforms, we generated a human embryonic kidney cell line 293 (HEK293) with low cAMP levels by knocking out two highly expressed ACs, AC3 and AC6, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Stable HEK293 cell lines lacking either AC6 (HEK-ACΔ6) or both AC3 and AC6 (HEK-ACΔ3/6) were generated. Knockout was confirmed genetically and by comparing cAMP responses of the knockout cells to the parental cell line. HEK-ACΔ6 and HEK-ACΔ3/6 cells revealed an 85% and 95% reduction in the forskolin-stimulated cAMP response, respectively. Forskolin- and Gα_s-coupled receptor-induced activation was examined for the nine recombinant mAC isoforms in the HEK-ACΔ3/6 cells. Forskolin-mediated cAMP accumulation for AC1-6 and AC8 revealed 10- to 250-fold increases over the basal cAMP levels. All nine mAC isoforms, except AC8, also exhibited significantly higher cAMP levels than the control cells after Gα_s-coupled receptor activation. Isoform-specific AC regulation by protein kinases and Ca²⁺/calmodulin was also recapitulated in the knockout cells. Furthermore, the utility of the HEK-ACΔ3/6 cell line was demonstrated by characterizing the activity of novel AC1 forskolin binding-site mutants. Hence, we have developed a HEK293 cell line deficient of endogenous AC3 and AC6 with low cAMP background levels for studies of cAMP signaling and AC isoform regulation.

Structural Aspects of ER Glycoprotein Quality-Control System Mediated by Glucose Tagging

N-linked oligosaccharides attached to proteins act as tags for glycoprotein quality control, ensuring their appropriate folding and trafficking in cells. Interactions with a variety of intracellular lectins determine glycoprotein fates. Monoglucosylated glycoforms are the hallmarks of incompletely folded glycoproteins in the protein quality-control system, in which glucosidase II and UDP-glucose/glycoprotein glucosyltransferase are, respectively, responsible for glucose trimming and attachment. In this review, we summarize a recently emerging view of the structural basis of the functional mechanisms of these key enzymes as well as substrate N-linked oligosaccharides exhibiting flexible structures, as revealed by applying a series of biophysical techniques including small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray crystallography, high-speed atomic force microscopy , electron microscopy , and computational simulation in conjunction with NMR spectroscopy.

His-FLAG Tag as a Fusion Partner of Glycosylated Human Interferon-Gamma and Its Mutant: Gain or Loss?

In order to obtain glycosylated human interferon-gamma (hIFNγ) and its highly prone to aggregation mutant K88Q, a secretory expression in insect cells was employed. To facilitate recombinant proteins purification, detection, and stability the baculovirus expression vectors were constructed to bear N-terminal His₆-FLAG tag. Although the obtained proteins were glycosylated, we found that their biological activity was 100 times lower than expected. Our attempts to recover the biological properties of both proteins by tag removal failed due to enterokinase resistance of the tag. Surprisingly, the tag was easily cleaved when the proteins were expressed in E. coli cells and the tag-free proteins showed fully restored activity. To shed light on this phenomenon we performed molecular dynamics simulations. The latter showed that the tags interact with the receptor binding domains and the flexible C-termini of the fusion proteins thus suppressing their complex formation with the hIFNγ receptor. We hypothesize that in the case of glycosylated proteins the tag/C-terminal interaction positions the FLAG peptide in close proximity to the glycans thus sterically impeding the enterokinase access to its recognition site.

N-Glyco-Engineering in Plants: Update on Strategies and Major Achievements

Plants are being developed as a cost-effective production system for biopharmaceuticals in large quantities. Although plants properly fold and assemble complex proteins from human origin, one issue that needs to be addressed is their glycan structure. In the past years we have been witnessing outstanding results in targeted manipulation of the plant N-glycosylation pathway allowing recombinant proteins to be produced with human-type oligosaccharides at large homogeneity. This opens new possibility in manufacturing next-generation biopharmaceuticals.This review presents a variety of technologies and strategies that are being employed to engineer the plant N-glycosylation, thus pointing to the enormous potential of plants being used as a novel production system with unique features and possibilities.

Strategies for Engineering Protein N-Glycosylation Pathways in Mammalian Cells

Complexity and heterogeneity of oligosaccharides present a considerable challenge to the biopharmaceutical industry to manufacture biotherapeutics with reproducible and consistent glycoform profiles. Mammalian cells, especially Chinese hamster ovary cells, are the most widely used platform for the production of biotherapeutics. The glycans produced are predominantly of the complex type, with some differences between human and nonhuman mammalian glycosylation existing. This review briefly summarizes metabolic glyco-engineering strategies used in mammalian cells in order to alter the glycosylation patterns attached to proteins applied for diverse biotechnology applications.

Elimination of diaminopeptidase activity in Pichia pastoris for therapeutic protein production

Yeast are important production platforms for the generation of recombinant proteins. Nonetheless, their use has been restricted in the production of therapeutic proteins due to differences in their glycosylation profile with that of higher eukaryotes. The yeast strain Pichia pastoris is an industrially important organism. Recent advances in the glycoengineering of this strain offer the potential to produce therapeutic glycoproteins with sialylated human-like N- and O-linked glycans. However, like higher eukaryotes, yeast also express numerous proteases, many of which are either localized to the secretory pathway or pass through it en route to their final destination. As a consequence, nondesirable proteolysis of some recombinant proteins may occur, with the specific cleavage being dependent on the class of protease involved. Dipeptidyl aminopeptidases (DPP) are a class of proteolytic enzymes which remove a two-amino acid peptide from the N-terminus of a protein. In P. pastoris, two such enzymes have been identified, Ste13p and Dap2p. In the current report, we demonstrate that while the knockout of STE13 alone may protect certain proteins from N-terminal clipping, other proteins may require the double knockout of both STE13 and DAP2. As such, this understanding of DPP activity enhances the utility of the P. pastoris expression system, thus facilitating the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins with their intact native sequences.

Interaction of factor XIII subunits

Coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) is a heterotetramer consisting of 2 catalytic A subunits (FXIII-A2) and 2 protective/inhibitory B subunits (FXIII-B2). FXIII-B, a mosaic protein consisting of 10 sushi domains, significantly prolongs the lifespan of catalytic subunits in the circulation and prevents their slow progressive activation in plasmatic conditions. In this study, the biochemistry of the interaction between the 2 FXIII subunits was investigated. Using a surface plasmon resonance technique and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-type binding assay, the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) for the interaction was established in the range of 10(-10) M. Based on the measured Kd, it was calculated that in plasma approximately 1% of FXIII-A2 should be in free form. This value was confirmed experimentally by measuring FXIII-A2 in plasma samples immunodepleted of FXIII-A2B2. Free plasma FXIII-A2 is functionally active, and when activated by thrombin and Ca(2+), it can cross-link fibrin. In cerebrospinal fluid and tears with much lower FXIII subunit concentrations, >80% of FXIII-A2 existed in free form. A monoclonal anti-FXIII-B antibody that prevented the interaction between the 2 subunits reacted with the recombinant combined first and second sushi domains of FXIII-B, and its epitope was localized to the peptide spanning positions 96 to 103 in the second sushi domain.

IgG-Fc glycoengineering in non-mammalian expression hosts

The remarkable success of therapeutic applications of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in form of monoclonal antibodies and pooled immunoglobulin G preparations has directed attention to this class of glycoproteins. It is commonly appreciated that oligosaccharides attached to the Fc-region play a critical role in the biological activity of IgGs. Thus, glycosylation has been a focus of interest for many scientists and the biopharmaceutical industry and expression hosts have been engineered in order to optimize antibody products. In this review we focus on efforts towards a targeted manipulation of IgG-Fc N-glycans using non-mammalian expression hosts, i.e. yeast, insect cells and plants. Current achievements in generating human-like N-glycan structures will be presented and recent data on the molecular mechanisms that might explain how these potent drugs mediate in vivo activities will be discussed.

Glyco-engineering in plants to produce human-like N-glycan structures

It is now possible to produce complex human proteins, largely correctly folded and N-glycosylated, in plants. Much effort has been invested in engineering expression technologies to develop products with superior characteristics. The results have begun to show success in controlling important posttranslational modifications such as N-glycosylation. With the emerging data increasingly indicating the significance of proper N-glycosylation for the efficacy of a drug, glyco-engineering has become an important issue not only for academia but also for the biopharmaceutical industry. Plants have demonstrated a high degree of tolerance to changes in the N-glycosylation pathway, allowing recombinant proteins to be modified into human-like structures in a specific and controlled manner. Frequently the results are a largely homogeneously glycosylated product, currently unrivalled by that of any other expression platforms. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in plant N-glyco-engineering in the context of the expression of therapeutically relevant proteins, highlighting both the challenges and successes in the application of such powerful technologies.

Molecular and structural basis for N-glycan-dependent determination of glycoprotein fates in cells

BACKGROUND

N-linked oligosaccharides operate as tags for protein quality control, consigning glycoproteins to different fates, i.e. folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), vesicular transport between the ER and the Golgi complex, and ER-associated degradation of glycoproteins, by interacting with a panel of intracellular lectins in the early secretory pathway.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the molecular and structural basis for glycoprotein-fate determination in cells that is achieved through the actions of the intracellular lectins and its partner proteins.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

Cumulative frontal affinity chromatography (FAC) data demonstrated that the intracellular lectins exhibit distinct sugar-binding specificity profiles. The glycotopes recognized by these lectins as fate determinants are embedded in the triantennary structures of the high-mannose-type oligosaccharides and are exposed upon trimming of the outer glucose and mannose residues during the N-glycan processing pathway. Furthermore, recently emerged 3D structural data offer mechanistic insights into functional interplay between an intracellular lectin and its binding partner in the early secretory pathway.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Structural biology approaches in conjunction with FAC methods provide atomic pictures of the mechanisms behind the glycoprotein-fate determination in cells. This article is a part of a Special issue entitled: Glycoproteomics.

Elimination of β-mannose glycan structures in Pichia pastoris

The methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris, is an important organism used for the production of therapeutic proteins. However, the presence of fungal-like glycans, such as those containing β-mannose (Man) linkages, can elicit an immune response or bind to Man receptors, thus reducing their efficacy. Recent studies have confirmed that P. pastoris has four genes from the β-mannosyl transferase (BMT) family and that Bmt2p is responsible for the majority of β-Man linkages on glycans. While expressing recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) in a developmental glycoengineered strain devoid of BMT2 gene expression, cross-reactivity was observed with an antibody raised against host cell antigens. Treatment of the rhEPO with protein N-glycosidase F eliminated cross-reactivity, indicating that the antigen was associated with the glycan. Thorough analysis of the glycan profile of rhEPO demonstrated the presence of low amounts of α-1,2-mannosidase resistant high-Man glycoforms. In an attempt to eliminate the α-mannosidase resistant glycoforms, we used a systemic approach to genetically knock-out the remaining members of the BMT family culminating in a quadruple bmt2,4,1,3 knock-out strain. Data presented here conclude that the additive elimination of Bmt2p, Bmt3p and Bmt1p activities are required for total abolition of β-Man-associated glycans and their related antigenicity. Taken together, the elimination of β-Man containing glycoforms represents an important step forward for the Pichia production platform as a suitable system for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of α2-3-sialylated carbohydrate epitopes

Sialic acids are common terminal carbohydrates on cell surface. Together with internal carbohydrate structures, they play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. In order to obtain α2-3-sialylated oligosaccharides, a highly efficient one-pot three-enzyme synthetic approach was applied. The P. multocida α2-3-sialyltransferase (PmST1) involved in the synthesis was a multifunctional enzyme with extremely flexible donor and acceptor substrate specificities. Sialyltransferase acceptors, including type 1 structure (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβProN(3)), type 2 structures (Galβ1-4GlcNAcβProN(3) and 6-sulfo-Galβ1-4GlcNAcβProN(3)), type 4 structure (Galβ1-3GalNAcβProN(3)), type 3 or core 1 structure (Galβ1-3GalNAcαProN(3)) and human milk oligosaccharide or lipooligosaccharide lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcβProN(3)), were chemically synthesized. They were then used in one-pot three-enzyme reactions with sialic acid precursor ManNAc or ManNGc, to synthesize a library of natural occurring α2-3-linked sialosides with different internal sugar units. The sialylated oligosaccharides obtained are valuable probes for their biological studies.

The annotation and the usage of scientific databases could be improved with public issue tracker software

Since the publication of their longtime predecessor The Atlas of Protein Sequences and Structures in 1965 by Margaret Dayhoff, scientific databases have become a key factor in the organization of modern science. All the information and knowledge described in the novel scientific literature is translated into entries in many different scientific databases, making it possible to obtain very accurate information on a biological entity like genes or proteins without having to manually review the literature on it. However, even for the databases with the finest annotation procedures, errors or unclear parts sometimes appear in the publicly released version and influence the research of unaware scientists using them. The researcher that finds an error in a database is often left in a uncertain state, and often abandons the effort of reporting it because of a lack of a standard procedure to do so. In the present work, we propose that the simple adoption of a public error tracker application, as in many open software projects, could improve the quality of the annotations in many databases and encourage feedback from the scientific community on the data annotated publicly. In order to illustrate the situation, we describe a series of errors that we found and helped solve on the genes of a very well-known pathway in various biomedically relevant databases. We would like to show that, even if a majority of the most important scientific databases have procedures for reporting errors, these are usually not publicly visible, making the process of reporting errors time consuming and not useful. Also, the effort made by the user that reports the error often goes unacknowledged, putting him in a discouraging position.

Structure-based evolutionary relationship of glycosyltransferases: a case study of vertebrate β1,4-galactosyltransferase, invertebrate β1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and α-polypeptidyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase

Cell surface glycans play important cellular functions and are synthesized by glycosyltransferases. Structure and function studies show that the donor sugar specificity of the invertebrate β1,4-N-acetyl-glactosaminyltransferase (β4GalNAc-T) and the vertebrate β1,4-galactosyltransferase I (β4Gal-T1) are related by a single amino acid residue change. Comparison of the catalytic domain crystal structures of the β4Gal-T1 and the α-polypeptidyl-GalNAc-T (αppGalNAc-T) shows that their protein structure and sequences are similar. Therefore, it seems that the invertebrate β4GalNAc-T and the catalytic domain of αppGalNAc-T might have emerged from a common primordial gene. When vertebrates emerged from invertebrates, the amino acid that determines the donor sugar specificity of the invertebrate β4GalNAc-T might have mutated, thus converting the enzyme to a β4Gal-T1 in vertebrates.

Redirecting lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with Sindbis virus-derived envelope proteins to DC-SIGN by modification of N-linked glycans of envelope proteins

Redirecting the tropism of viral vectors enables specific transduction of selected cells by direct administration of vectors. We previously developed targeting lentiviral vectors by pseudotyping with modified Sindbis virus envelope proteins. These modified Sindbis virus envelope proteins have mutations in their original receptor-binding regions to eliminate their natural tropisms, and they are conjugated with targeting proteins, including antibodies and peptides, to confer their tropisms on target cells. We investigated whether our targeting vectors interact with DC-SIGN, which traps many types of viruses and gene therapy vectors by binding to the N-glycans of their envelope proteins. We found that these vectors do not interact with DC-SIGN. When these vectors were produced in the presence of deoxymannojirimycin, which alters the structures of N-glycans from complex to high mannose, these vectors used DC-SIGN as their receptor. Genetic analysis demonstrated that the N-glycans at E2 amino acid (aa) 196 and E1 aa 139 mediate binding to DC-SIGN, which supports the results of a previous report of cryoelectron microscopy analysis. In addition, we investigated whether modification of the N-glycan structures could activate serum complement activity, possibly by the lectin pathway of complement activation. DC-SIGN-targeted transduction occurs in the presence of human serum complement, demonstrating that high-mannose structure N-glycans of the envelope proteins do not activate human serum complement. These results indicate that the strategy of redirecting viral vectors according to alterations of their N-glycan structures would enable the vectors to target specific cells types expressing particular types of lectins.

Carbohydrate analysis throughout the development of a protein therapeutic

This review discusses the challenges involved in the characterization of the glycosylation of therapeutic glycoproteins. The focus is on methods that are most commonly used in regulatory filings and lot release testing of therapeutic glycoproteins. The different types of assays for carbohydrate analysis are reviewed, including the distinction between assays appropriate for lot release or better suited to testing during early drug development or in-depth characterization of the glycosylation. Characteristics of the glycoprotein and production process that should be considered when determining the amount of testing, the number of different methods to employ and when the testing should be performed during development of protein therapeutics is also discussed.

Enzymatic synthesis of sialylation substrates powered by a novel polyphosphate kinase (PPK3)

Active inclusion bodies of polyphosphate kinase 3 and cytidine 5'-monophosphate kinase were combined with whole cells that co-express sialic acid aldolase and CMP-sialic acid synthetase. The biocatalytic mixture was used for the synthesis of CMP-sialic acid, which was then converted to 3'-sialyllactose by whole cells.

Japanese eel follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinizing hormone (Lh): production of biologically active recombinant Fsh and Lh by Drosophila S2 cells and their differential actions on the reproductive biology

Two gonadotropins (Gths), follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinizing hormone (Lh), control gonadal steroidogenesis and gametogenesis in vertebrates, including teleost fish. Here, we report on the production of biologically active recombinant Fsh (rec-Fsh) and Lh (rec-Lh) in Japanese eel using Drosophila S2 cells. The three subunits composing Gths, i.e., glycoprotein hormone, alpha polypeptide (Cga), follicle-stimulating hormone, beta polypeptide (Fshb), and luteinizing hormone, beta polypeptide (Lhb), were at first independently produced and were proven to be glycosylated and secreted as the mature peptides. Each beta subunit, along with its Cga, was simultaneously coexpressed to produce heterodimeric rec-Fsh and rec-Lh that were subsequently highly purified. The biological activity of rec-Gths was demonstrated in various in vitro assays. The rec-Gths differentially activated their receptors, which resulted in an increase in 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) secretion, a differential alteration of gene expression of steroidogenic enzymes in immature testis, and the induction of the complete process of spermatogenesis in vitro. The data strongly suggest that Fsh and Lh differentially play important roles in the reproductive physiology of the Japanese eel. By contrast, these rec-Gths exhibited little activity in the gonad when administered in vivo. This difference between in vitro and in vivo bioactivity is probably due to the qualitative nature of glycosylation in S2 cells, which resulted in degradation of the recombinant protein in vivo. These differences in the carbohydrate moieties need to be elucidated and ameliorated.

Sialic acids in human health and disease

The surfaces of all vertebrate cells are decorated with a dense and complex array of sugar chains, which are mostly attached to proteins and lipids. Most soluble secreted proteins are also similarly decorated with such glycans. Sialic acids are a diverse family of sugar units with a nine-carbon backbone that are typically found attached to the outermost ends of these chains. Given their location and ubiquitous distribution, sialic acids can mediate or modulate a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes. This review considers some examples of their established and newly emerging roles in aspects of human physiology and disease.

Structure and function of beta -1,4-galactosyltransferase

Beta-1,4-galactosylransferase (beta4Gal-T1) participates in the synthesis of Galbeta1-4-GlcNAc-disaccharide unit of glycoconjugates. It is a trans-Golgi glycosyltransferase (Glyco-T) with a type II membrane protein topology, a short N-terminal cytoplasmic domain, a membrane-spanning region, as well as a stem and a C-terminal catalytic domain facing the trans-Golgi-lumen. Its hydrophobic membrane-spanning region, like that of other Glyco-T, has a shorter length compared to plasma membrane proteins, an important feature for its retention in the trans-Golgi. The catalytic domain has two flexible loops, a long and a small one. The primary metal binding site is located at the N-terminal hinge region of the long flexible loop. Upon binding of metal ion and sugar-nucleotide, the flexible loops undergo a marked conformational change, from an open to a closed conformation. Conformational change simultaneously creates at the C-terminal region of the flexible loop an oligosaccharide acceptor binding site that did not exist before. The loop acts as a lid covering the bound donor substrate. After completion of the transfer of the glycosyl unit to the acceptor, the saccharide product is ejected; the loop reverts to its native conformation to release the remaining nucleotide moiety. The conformational change in beta4Gal-T1 also creates the binding site for a mammary gland-specific protein, alpha-lactalbumin (LA), which changes the acceptor specificity of the enzyme toward glucose to synthesize lactose during lactation. The specificity of the sugar donor is generally determined by a few residues in the sugar-nucleotide binding pocket of Glyco-T, conserved among the family members from different species. Mutation of these residues has allowed us to design new and novel glycosyltransferases, with broader or requisite donor and acceptor specificities, and to synthesize specific complex carbohydrates as well as specific inhibitors for these enzymes.

Unique Asn-linked oligosaccharides of the human pathogen Entamoeba histolytica

N-Glycans of Entamoeba histolytica, the protist that causes amebic dysentery and liver abscess, are of great interest for multiple reasons. E. histolytica makes an unusual truncated N-glycan precursor (Man(5)GlcNAc(2)), has few nucleotide sugar transporters, and has a surface that is capped by the lectin concanavalin A. Here, biochemical and mass spectrometric methods were used to examine N-glycan biosynthesis and the final N-glycans of E. histolytica with the following conclusions. Unprocessed Man(5)GlcNAc(2), which is the most abundant E. histolytica N-glycan, is aggregated into caps on the surface of E. histolytica by the N-glycan-specific, anti-retroviral lectin cyanovirin-N. Glc(1)Man(5)GlcNAc(2), which is made by a UDP-Glc: glycoprotein glucosyltransferase that is part of a conserved N-glycan-dependent endoplasmic reticulum quality control system for protein folding, is also present in mature N-glycans. A swainsonine-sensitive alpha-mannosidase trims some N-glycans to biantennary Man(3)GlcNAc(2). Complex N-glycans of E. histolytica are made by the addition of alpha1,2-linked Gal to both arms of small oligomannose glycans, and Gal residues are capped by one or more Glc. In summary, E. histolytica N-glycans include unprocessed Man(5)GlcNAc(2), which is a target for cyanovirin-N, as well as unique, complex N-glycans containing Gal and Glc.

Glycosylation engineering in yeast: the advent of fully humanized yeast

Yeasts have been extensively used as model organisms to elucidate cellular processes and their mechanism in lower eukaryotes. Consequently, a large number of powerful genetic tools have been developed to engineer yeast and improve its utility. These tools and the development of efficient large-scale fermentation processes have made recombinant protein expression in yeast an attractive choice. However, for the production of glycoproteins for human use, native high-mannose yeast glycosylation is not suitable and therefore represents a major limitation for yeast based protein expression systems. Over the last two decades several groups have attempted to overcome this problem, yet with limited success. Recently however, major advances in the glycoengineering of the yeast Pichia pastoris, have culminated in the production of fully humanized sialylated glycoproteins.

Protein N-glycosylation in the baculovirus-insect cell system

One of the major advantages of the baculovirus-insect cell system is that it is a eukaryotic system that can provide posttranslational modifications, such as protein N-glycosylation. However, this is a vastly oversimplified view, which reflects a poor understanding of insect glycobiology. In general, insect protein glycosylation pathways are far simpler than the corresponding pathways of higher eukaryotes. Paradoxically, it is increasingly clear that various insects encode and can express more elaborate protein glycosylation functions in restricted fashion. Thus, the information gathered in a wide variety of studies on insect protein N-glycosylation during the past 25 years has provided what now appears to be a reasonably detailed, comprehensive, and accurate understanding of the protein N-glycosylation capabilities of the baculovirus-insect cell system. In this chapter, we discuss the models of insect protein N-glycosylation that have emerged from these studies and how this impacts the use of baculovirus-insect cell systems for recombinant glycoprotein production. We also discuss the use of these models as baselines for metabolic engineering efforts leading to the development of new baculovirus-insect cell systems with humanized protein N-glycosylation pathways, which can be used to produce more authentic recombinant N-glycoproteins for drug development and other biomedical applications.

Biosynthesis of truncated N-linked oligosaccharides results from non-orthologous hexosaminidase-mediated mechanisms in nematodes, plants, and insects

In many invertebrates and plants, the N-glycosylation profile is dominated by truncated paucimannosidic N-glycans, i.e. glycans consisting of a simple trimannosylchitobiosyl core often modified by core fucose residues. Even though they lack antennal N-acetylglucosamine residues, the biosynthesis of these glycans requires the sequential action of GlcNAc transferase I, Golgi mannosidase II, and, finally, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases. In Drosophila, the recently characterized enzyme encoded by the fused lobes (fdl) gene specifically removes the non-reducing N-acetylglucosamine residue from the alpha1,3-antenna of N-glycans. In the present study, we examined the products of five beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase genes from Caenorhabditis elegans (hex-1 to hex-5, corresponding to reading frames T14F9.3, C14C11.3, Y39A1C.4, Y51F10.5, and Y70D2A.2) in addition to three from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtHEX1, AtHEX2, and AtHEX3, corresponding to reading frames At1g65590, At3g55260, and At1g05590). Based on homology, the Caenorhabditis HEX-1 and all three Arabidopsis enzymes are members of the same sub-family as the aforementioned Drosophila fused lobes enzyme but either act as chitotriosidases or non-specifically remove N-acetylglucosamine from both N-glycan antennae. The other four Caenorhabditis enzymes are members of a distinct sub-family; nevertheless, two of these enzymes displayed the same alpha1,3-antennal specificity as the fused lobes enzyme. Furthermore, a deletion of part of the Caenorhabditis hex-2 gene drastically reduces the native N-glycan-specific hexosaminidase activity in mutant worm extracts and results in a shift in the N-glycan profile, which is a demonstration of its in vivo enzymatic relevance. Based on these data, it is hypothesized that the genetic origin of paucimannosidic glycans in nematodes, plants, and insects involves highly divergent members of the same hexosaminidase gene family.

Role of a single amino acid in the evolution of glycans of invertebrates and vertebrates

Structures of glycoconjugate N-glycans and glycolipids of invertebrates show significant differences from those of vertebrates. These differences are due largely to the vertebrate beta1,4-galactosyltransferase-1 (beta4Gal-T1), which is found as a beta1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (beta4GalNAc-T1) in invertebrates. Mutation of Tyr285 to Ile or Leu in human beta4Gal-T1 converts the enzyme into an equally efficient beta4GalNAc-T1. A comparison of all the human beta4Gal-T1 ortholog enzymes shows that this Tyr285 residue in human beta4Gal-T1 is conserved either as Tyr or Phe in all vertebrate enzymes, while in all invertebrate enzymes it is conserved as an Ile or Leu. We find that mutation of the corresponding Ile residue to Tyr in Drosophila beta4GalNAc-T1 converts the enzyme to a beta4Gal-T1 by reducing its N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase activity by nearly 1000-fold, while enhancing its galactosyltransferase activity by 80-fold. Furthermore, we find that, similar to the vertebrate/mammalian beta4Gal-T1 enzymes, the wild-type Drosophila beta4GalNAc-T1 enzyme binds to a mammary gland-specific protein, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA). Thus, it would seem that, during the evolution of vertebrates from invertebrates over 500 million years ago, beta4Gal-T1 appeared as a result of the single amino acid substitution of Tyr or Phe for Leu or Ile in the invertebrate beta4GalNAc-T1. Subsequently, the pre-existing alpha-LA-binding site was utilized during mammalian evolution to synthesize lactose in the mammary gland during lactation.

Production and N-glycan analysis of secreted human erythropoietin glycoprotein in stably transfected Drosophila S2 cells

Schneider 2 (S2) cells from Drosophila melanogaster have been used as a plasmid-based, non-lytic expression system for foreign proteins. Here, a plasmid encoding the human erythropoietin (hEPO) gene fused with a hexahistidine (His(6)) tag under the control of the Drosophila metallothionein (MT) promoter was stably transfected into Drosophila S2 cells. After copper sulfate induction, transfected S2 cells were found to secrete hEPO with a maximum expression level of 18 mg/L and a secretion efficiency near 98%. The secreted hEPO from Drosophila S2 had an apparent molecular weight of about 23-27 kDa which was significantly lower than a recombinant hEPO expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells (about 36 kDa). N-glycosidase F digestion almost completely eliminated the difference and resulted in the same molecular weight ( approximately 20 kDa) of de-N-glycosylated hEPO proteins. These data suggest that recombinant hEPO from S2 cells was modified with smaller N-glycans. Subsequently, the major N-glycans were identified following glycoamidase A digestion, labeling with 2-aminopyridine (PA), and two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis in concert with exoglycosidase digestion. This analysis of N-glycans revealed that hEPO was modified to include paucimannosidic glycans containing two or three mannose residues with or without core fucose. A similar glycosylation pattern was observed on a recombinant human transferrin expressed in S2 cells. These results provide a detailed analysis of multiple N-glycan structures produced in a Drosophila cell line that will be useful in the subsequent application of these cells for the generation of heterologous glycoproteins.

Baculovirus as versatile vectors for protein expression in insect and mammalian cells

Today, many thousands of recombinant proteins, ranging from cytosolic enzymes to membrane-bound proteins, have been successfully produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Yet, in addition to its value in producing recombinant proteins in insect cells and larvae, this viral vector system continues to evolve in new and unexpected ways. This is exemplified by the development of engineered insect cell lines to mimic mammalian cell glycosylation of expressed proteins, baculovirus display strategies and the application of the virus as a mammalian-cell gene delivery vector. Novel vector design and cell engineering approaches will serve to further enhance the value of baculovirus technology.

Protein glycosylation in bacterial mucosal pathogens

In eukaryotes, glycosylated proteins are ubiquitous components of extracellular matrices and cellular surfaces. Their oligosaccharide moieties are implicated in a wide range of cell-cell and cell-matrix recognition events that are required for biological processes ranging from immune recognition to cancer development. Glycosylation was previously considered to be restricted to eukaryotes; however, through advances in analytical methods and genome sequencing, there have been increasing reports of both O-linked and N-linked protein glycosylation pathways in bacteria, particularly amongst mucosal-associated pathogens. Studying glycosylation in relatively less-complicated bacterial systems provides the opportunity to elucidate and exploit glycoprotein biosynthetic pathways. We will review the genetic organization, glycan structures and function of glycosylation systems in mucosal bacterial pathogens, and speculate on how this knowledge may help us to understand glycosylation processes in more complex eukaryotic systems and how it can be used for glycoengineering.

A mathematical model of N-linked glycosylation

Metabolic engineering of N-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis to produce novel glycoforms or glycoform distributions of a recombinant glycoprotein can potentially lead to an improved therapeutic performance of the glycoprotein product. A mathematical model for the initial stages of this process, up to the first galactosylation of an oligosaccharide, was previously developed by Umana and Bailey (1997) (UB1997). Building on this work, an extended model is developed to include further galactosylation, fucosylation, extension of antennae by N-acetyllactosamine repeats, and sialylation. This allows many more structural features to be predicted. A number of simplifying assumptions are also relaxed to incorporate more variables for the control of glycoforms. The full model generates 7565 oligosaccharide structures in a network of 22,871 reactions. Methods for solving the model for the complete product distribution and adjusting the parameters to match experimental data are also developed. A basal set of kinetic parameters for the enzyme-catalyzed reactions acting on free oligosaccharide substrates is obtained from the previous model and existing literature. Enzyme activities are adjusted to match experimental glycoform distributions for Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO). The model is then used to predict the effect of increasing expression of a target glycoprotein on the product glycoform distribution and evaluate appropriate metabolic engineering strategies to return the glycoform profile to its original distribution pattern. This model may find significant utility in the future to predict glycosylation patterns and direct glycoengineering projects to optimize glycoform distributions.