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Roelle S, Kamath ND, Matreyek KA. Mammalian Genomic Manipulation with Orthogonal Bxb1 DNA Recombinase Sites for the Functional Characterization of Protein Variants. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3352-3365. [PMID: 37922210 PMCID: PMC10661055 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
The Bxb1 bacteriophage serine DNA recombinase is an efficient tool for engineering recombinant DNA into the genomes of cultured cells. Generally, a single engineered "landing pad" site is introduced into the cell genome, permitting the integration of transgenic circuits or libraries of transgene variants. While sufficient for many studies, the extent of genetic manipulation possible with a single recombinase site is limiting and insufficient for more complex cell-based assays. Here, we harnessed two orthogonal Bxb1 recombinase sites to enable alternative avenues for using mammalian synthetic biology to characterize transgenic protein variants. By designing plasmids flanked by a second pair of auxiliary recombination sites, we demonstrate that we can avoid the genomic integration of undesirable bacterial DNA elements using the same starting cells engineered for whole-plasmid integration. We also created "double landing pad" cells simultaneously harboring two orthogonal Bxb1 recombinase sites at separate genomic loci, allowing complex cell-based genetic assays. Integration of a genetically encoded calcium indicator allowed for the real-time monitoring of intracellular calcium signaling dynamics, including kinetic perturbations that occur upon overexpression of the wild-type or variant version of the calcium signaling relay protein STIM1. A panel of missense mutants of the HIV-1 accessory protein Vif was paired with various paralogs within the human Apobec3 innate immune protein family to identify combinations capable or incapable of interacting within cells. These cells allow transgenic protein variant libraries to be readily paired with assay-specific protein partners or biosensors, enabling new functional readouts for large-scale genetic assays for protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah
M. Roelle
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Nisha D. Kamath
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Kenneth A. Matreyek
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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2
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Nguyen NTB, Leung HW, Pang KT, Tay SJ, Walsh I, Choo ABH, Yang Y. Optimizing effector functions of monoclonal antibodies via tailored N-glycan engineering using a dual landing pad CHO targeted integration platform. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15620. [PMID: 37731040 PMCID: PMC10511539 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42925-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) eliminate cancer cells via various effector mechanisms including antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), which are influenced by the N-glycan structures on the Fc region of mAbs. Manipulating these glycan structures on mAbs allows for optimization of therapeutic benefits associated with effector functions. Traditional approaches such as gene deletion or overexpression often lead to only all-or-nothing changes in gene expression and fail to modulate the expression of multiple genes at defined ratios and levels. In this work, we have developed a CHO cell engineering platform enabling modulation of multiple gene expression to tailor the N-glycan profiles of mAbs for enhanced effector functions. Our platform involves a CHO targeted integration platform with two independent landing pads, allowing expression of multiple genes at two pre-determined genomic sites. By combining with internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-based polycistronic vectors, we simultaneously modulated the expression of α-mannosidase II (MANII) and chimeric β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase III (cGNTIII) genes in CHO cells. This strategy enabled the production of mAbs carrying N-glycans with various levels of bisecting and non-fucosylated structures. Importantly, these engineered mAbs exhibited different degrees of effector cell activation and CDC, facilitating the identification of mAbs with optimal effector functions. This platform was demonstrated as a powerful tool for producing antibody therapeutics with tailored effector functions via precise engineering of N-glycan profiles. It holds promise for advancing the field of metabolic engineering in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngan T B Nguyen
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Hau Wan Leung
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Kuin Tian Pang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Shi Jie Tay
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Ian Walsh
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Andre B H Choo
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Yuansheng Yang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 20 Biopolis Way, #06-01 Centros, Singapore, 138668, Singapore.
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3
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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4
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Kalkan AK, Palaz F, Sofija S, Elmousa N, Ledezma Y, Cachat E, Rios-Solis L. Improving recombinant protein production in CHO cells using the CRISPR-Cas system. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 64:108115. [PMID: 36758652 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are among the most widely used mammalian cell lines in the biopharmaceutical industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that significant efforts have been made around the engineering of CHO cells using genetic engineering methods such as the CRISPR-Cas system. In this review, we summarize key recent studies that have used different CRISPR-Cas systems such as Cas9, Cas13 or dCas9 fused with effector domains to improve recombinant protein (r-protein) production in CHO cells. Here, every relevant stage of production was considered, underscoring the advantages and limitations of these systems, as well as discussing their bottlenecks and probable solutions. A special emphasis was given on how these systems could disrupt and/or regulate genes related to glycan composition, which has relevant effects over r-protein properties and in vivo activity. Furthermore, the related promising future applications of CRISPR to achieve a tunable, reversible, or highly stable editing of CHO cells are discussed. Overall, the studies covered in this review show that despite the complexity of mammalian cells, the synthetic biology community has developed many mature strategies to improve r-protein production using CHO cells. In this regard, CRISPR-Cas technology clearly provides efficient and flexible genetic manipulation and allows for the generation of more productive CHO cell lines, leading to more cost-efficient production of biopharmaceuticals, however, there is still a need for many emerging techniques in CRISPR to be reported in CHO cells; therefore, more research in these cells is needed to realize the full potential of this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Kerem Kalkan
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK; Environmental Engineering Department, Gebze Technical University, Turkey
| | - Fahreddin Palaz
- Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Turkey
| | - Semeniuk Sofija
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Nada Elmousa
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK
| | - Yuri Ledezma
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK; Biology Department, Faculty of Pure and Natural Sciences, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia
| | - Elise Cachat
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Leonardo Rios-Solis
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK; School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Division, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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5
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Amiri S, Adibzadeh S, Ghanbari S, Rahmani B, Kheirandish MH, Farokhi-Fard A, Dastjerdeh MS, Davami F. CRISPR-interceded CHO cell line development approaches. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:865-902. [PMID: 36597180 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
For industrial production of recombinant protein biopharmaceuticals, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells represent the most widely adopted host cell system, owing to their capacity to produce high-quality biologics with human-like posttranslational modifications. As opposed to random integration, targeted genome editing in genomic safe harbor sites has offered CHO cell line engineering a new perspective, ensuring production consistency in long-term culture and high biotherapeutic expression levels. Corresponding the remarkable advancements in knowledge of CRISPR-Cas systems, the use of CRISPR-Cas technology along with the donor design strategies has been pushed into increasing novel scenarios in cell line engineering, allowing scientists to modify mammalian genomes such as CHO cell line quickly, readily, and efficiently. Depending on the strategies and production requirements, the gene of interest can also be incorporated at single or multiple loci. This review will give a gist of all the most fundamental recent advancements in CHO cell line development, such as different cell line engineering approaches along with donor design strategies for targeted integration of the desired construct into genomic hot spots, which could ultimately lead to the fast-track product development process with consistent, improved product yield and quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Amiri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Setare Adibzadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samaneh Ghanbari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Rahmani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad H Kheirandish
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aref Farokhi-Fard
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mansoureh S Dastjerdeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Davami
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Altamura R, Doshi J, Benenson Y. Rational design and construction of multi-copy biomanufacturing islands in mammalian cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:561-578. [PMID: 34893882 PMCID: PMC8754653 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell line development is a critical step in the establishment of a biopharmaceutical manufacturing process. Current protocols rely on random transgene integration and amplification. Due to considerable variability in transgene integration profiles, this workflow results in laborious screening campaigns before stable producers can be identified. Alternative approaches for transgene dosage increase and integration are therefore highly desirable. In this study, we present a novel strategy for the rapid design, construction, and genomic integration of engineered multiple-copy gene constructs consisting of up to 10 gene expression cassettes. Key to this strategy is the diversification, at the sequence level, of the individual gene cassettes without altering their protein products. We show a computational workflow for coding and regulatory sequence diversification and optimization followed by experimental assembly of up to nine gene copies and a sentinel reporter on a contiguous scaffold. Transient transfections in CHO cells indicates that protein expression increases with the gene copy number on the scaffold. Further, we stably integrate these cassettes into a pre-validated genomic locus. Altogether, our findings point to the feasibility of engineering a fully mapped multi-copy recombinant protein 'production island' in a mammalian cell line with greatly reduced screening effort, improved stability, and predictable product titers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Altamura
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel, 4058, Switzerland
| | - Jiten Doshi
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel, 4058, Switzerland
| | - Yaakov Benenson
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel, 4058, Switzerland
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7
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Furukawa A, Tanaka A, Yamaguchi S, Kosuda M, Yamana M, Nagasawa A, Kohno G, Ishihara H. Using recombinase-mediated cassette exchange to engineer MIN6 insulin-secreting cells based on a newly identified safe harbor locus. J Diabetes Investig 2021; 12:2129-2140. [PMID: 34382357 PMCID: PMC8668067 DOI: 10.1111/jdi.13646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS/INTRODUCTION Recent studies have identified genomic and transcript level changes along with alterations in insulin secretion in patients with diabetes and in rodent models of diabetes. It is important to establish an efficient system for testing functional consequences of these changes. We aimed to generate such a system using insulin-secreting MIN6 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS MIN6 cells were first engineered to have a tetracycline-regulated expression system. Then, we used the recombination-mediated cassette exchange strategy to explore the silencing-resistant site in the genome and generated a master cell line based on this site. RESULTS We identified a site 10.5 kbps upstream from the Zxdb gene as a locus that allows homogenous transgene expression from a tetracycline responsible promoter. Placing the Flip/Frt-based platform on this locus using CRISPR/Cas9 technology generated modified MIN6 cells applicable to achieving cassette exchange on the genome. Using this cell line, we generated MIN6 subclones with over- or underexpression of glucokinase. By analyzing a mixed population of these cells, we obtained an initial estimate of effects on insulin secretion within 6 weeks. Furthermore, we generated six MIN6 cell sublines simultaneously harboring genes of inducible overexpression with unknown functions in insulin secretion, and found that Cited4 and Arhgef3 overexpressions increased and decreased insulin secretion, respectively. CONCLUSIONS We engineered MIN6 cells, which can serve as a powerful tool for testing genetic alterations associated with diabetes, and studied the molecular mechanisms of insulin secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asami Furukawa
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Aya Tanaka
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Suguru Yamaguchi
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Minami Kosuda
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Midori Yamana
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Akiko Nagasawa
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Genta Kohno
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
| | - Hisamitsu Ishihara
- Division of Diabetes and Metabolic DiseasesNihon University School of MedicineItabashiJapan
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8
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Shin S, Kim SH, Lee JS, Lee GM. Streamlined Human Cell-Based Recombinase-Mediated Cassette Exchange Platform Enables Multigene Expression for the Production of Therapeutic Proteins. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:1715-1727. [PMID: 34133132 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A platform, based on targeted integration of transgenes using recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) coupled with CRISPR/Cas9, is increasingly being used for the development of mammalian cell lines that produce therapeutic proteins, because of reduced clonal variation and predictable transgene expression. However, low efficiency of the RMCE process has hampered its application in multicopy or multisite integration of transgenes. To improve RMCE efficiency, nuclear transport of RMCE components such as site-specific recombinase and donor plasmid was accelerated by incorporation of nuclear localization signal and DNA nuclear-targeting sequence, respectively. Consequently, the efficiency of RMCE in dual-landing pad human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cell lines harboring identical or orthogonal pairs of recombination sites at two well-known human safe harbors (AAVS1 and ROSA26 loci), increased 6.7- and 8.1-fold, respectively. This platform with enhanced RMCE efficiency enabled simultaneous integration of transgenes at the two sites using a single transfection without performing selection and enrichment processes. The use of a homotypic dual-landing pad HEK293 cell line capable of incorporating the same transgenes at two sites resulted in a 2-fold increase in the transgene expression level compared to a single-landing pad HEK293 cell line. In addition, the use of a heterotypic dual-landing pad HEK293 cell line, which can incorporate transgenes for a recombinant protein at one site and an effector transgene for cell engineering at another site, increased recombinant protein production. Overall, a streamlined RMCE platform can be a versatile tool for mammalian cell line development by facilitating multigene expression at genomic safe harbors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seunghyeon Shin
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Hyun Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Seong Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyun Min Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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9
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Dias MM, Vidigal J, Sequeira DP, Alves PM, Teixeira AP, Roldão A. Insect High FiveTM cell line development using site-specific flipase recombination technology. G3 (Bethesda) 2021; 11:6274903. [PMID: 33982066 PMCID: PMC8763235 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Insect Trichoplusia ni High FiveTM (Hi5) cells have been widely explored for production of heterologous proteins, traditionally mostly using the lytic baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), and more recently using virus-free transient gene expression systems. Stable expression in such host cells would circumvent the drawbacks associated with both systems when it comes to scale-up and implementation of more efficient high-cell density process modes for the manufacturing of biologics. In this work, we combined Flipase (Flp) recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for generating a stable master clonal Hi5 cell line with the flexibility to express single or multiple proteins of interest from a tagged genomic locus. The 3-step protocol herein implemented consisted of (i) introducing the RMCE docking cassette into the cell genome by random integration followed by selection in Hygromycin B and FACS (Hi5-tagging population), (ii) eliminating cells tagged in loci with low recombination efficiency by transfecting the tagging population with an eGFP-containing target cassette followed by selection in G418 and FACS (Hi5-RMCE population), and (iii) isolation of pure eGFP-expressing cells by FACS and expansion to suspension cultures (Hi5-RMCE master clone). Exchangeability of the locus in the master clone was demonstrated in small-scale suspension cultures by replacing the target cassette by one containing a single protein (i.e. iCherry, as an intracellular protein model) or two proteins (i.e. influenza HA and M1 for virus-like particles production, as an extracellular protein model). Overall, the stable insect Hi5 cell platform herein assembled has the potential to assist and accelerate biologics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda M Dias
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - João Vidigal
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Daniela P Sequeira
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paula M Alves
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana P Teixeira
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,ETH Zurich, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 - Basel, Switzerland
| | - António Roldão
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
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10
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Ng D, Zhou M, Zhan D, Yip S, Ko P, Yim M, Modrusan Z, Joly J, Snedecor B, Laird MW, Shen A. Development of a targeted integration Chinese hamster ovary host directly targeting either one or two vectors simultaneously to a single locus using the Cre/Lox recombinase-mediated cassette exchange system. Biotechnol Prog 2021; 37:e3140. [PMID: 33666334 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cell line development (CLD) by random integration (RI) can be labor intensive, inconsistent, and unpredictable due to uncontrolled gene integration after transfection. Unlike RI, targeted integration (TI) based CLD introduces the antibody-expressing cassette to a predetermined site by recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). The key to success for the development of a TI host for therapeutic antibody production is to identify a transcriptionally active hotspot that enables highly efficient RMCE and antibody expression with good stability. In this study, a genome wide search for hotspots in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1-M genome by either RI or PiggyBac (PB) transposase-based integration has been described. Two CHO-K1-M derived TI host cells were established with the Cre/Lox RMCE system and are described here. Both TI hosts contain a GFP-expressing landing pad flanked by two incompatible LoxP recombination sites (L3 and 2L). In addition, a third incompatible LoxP site (LoxFAS) is inserted in the GFP landing pad to enable an innovative two-plasmid based RMCE strategy, in which two separate vectors can be targeted to a single locus simultaneously. Cell lines generated by the TI system exhibit comparable or higher productivity, better stability and fewer sequence variant (SV) occurrences than the RI cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domingos Ng
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Meixia Zhou
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Shirley Yip
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Peggy Ko
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Mandy Yim
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Zora Modrusan
- DNA Sequencing Lab, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - John Joly
- Department of Analytical Development and Quality Control, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Brad Snedecor
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michael W Laird
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Amy Shen
- Department of Cell Culture and Bioprocess Operations, Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
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11
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Wu M, Ruan J, Ye X, Zhao S, Tang X, Wang X, Li H, Zhong B. P25 Gene Knockout Contributes to Human Epidermal Growth Factor Production in Transgenic Silkworms. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2709. [PMID: 33800168 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenic silkworm expression systems have been applied for producing various recombinant proteins. Knocking out or downregulating an endogenous silk protein is considered a viable strategy for improving the ability of transgenic expression systems to produce exogenous proteins. Here, we report the expression of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in a P25 gene knockout silkworm. The hEGF gene regulated by the P25 gene promoter was integrated into a silkworm's genome. Five transgenic positive silkworm lineages were generated with different insertion sites on silkworm chromosomes and the ability to synthesize and secrete proteins into cocoons. Then, a cross-strategy was used to produce transgenic silkworms with a P25 gene knockout background. The results of the protein analysis showed that the loss of an endogenous P25 protein can increase the hEGF production to about 2.2-fold more than normal silkworms. Compared to those of transgenic silkworms with wild type (non-knockout) background, the morphology and secondary structure of cocoon silks were barely changed in transgenic silkworms with a P25 gene knockout background, indicating their similar physical properties of cocoon silks. In conclusion, P25 gene knockout silkworms may become an efficient bioreactor for the production of exogenous proteins and a promising tool for producing various protein-containing silk biomaterials.
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Carver J, Ng D, Zhou M, Ko P, Zhan D, Yim M, Shaw D, Snedecor B, Laird MW, Lang S, Shen A, Hu Z. Maximizing antibody production in a targeted integration host by optimization of subunit gene dosage and position. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 36:e2967. [DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joe Carver
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Domingos Ng
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Michelle Zhou
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Peggy Ko
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Dejin Zhan
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Mandy Yim
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - David Shaw
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Brad Snedecor
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Michael W. Laird
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Steven Lang
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Amy Shen
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
| | - Zhilan Hu
- Department of Cell CultureGenentech, Inc. South San Francisco California USA
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Gaidukov L, Wroblewska L, Teague B, Nelson T, Zhang X, Liu Y, Jagtap K, Mamo S, Tseng WA, Lowe A, Das J, Bandara K, Baijuraj S, Summers NM, Lu TK, Zhang L, Weiss R. A multi-landing pad DNA integration platform for mammalian cell engineering. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:4072-4086. [PMID: 29617873 PMCID: PMC5934685 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineering mammalian cell lines that stably express many transgenes requires the precise insertion of large amounts of heterologous DNA into well-characterized genomic loci, but current methods are limited. To facilitate reliable large-scale engineering of CHO cells, we identified 21 novel genomic sites that supported stable long-term expression of transgenes, and then constructed cell lines containing one, two or three 'landing pad' recombination sites at selected loci. By using a highly efficient BxB1 recombinase along with different selection markers at each site, we directed recombinase-mediated insertion of heterologous DNA to selected sites, including targeting all three with a single transfection. We used this method to controllably integrate up to nine copies of a monoclonal antibody, representing about 100 kb of heterologous DNA in 21 transcriptional units. Because the integration was targeted to pre-validated loci, recombinant protein expression remained stable for weeks and additional copies of the antibody cassette in the integrated payload resulted in a linear increase in antibody expression. Overall, this multi-copy site-specific integration platform allows for controllable and reproducible insertion of large amounts of DNA into stable genomic sites, which has broad applications for mammalian synthetic biology, recombinant protein production and biomanufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Gaidukov
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Brian Teague
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tom Nelson
- Cell Line Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Science, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Xin Zhang
- Biomedicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yan Liu
- Biomedicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kalpana Jagtap
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Selamawit Mamo
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Wen Allen Tseng
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alexis Lowe
- Biomedicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jishnu Das
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kalpanie Bandara
- Cell Line Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Science, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Swetha Baijuraj
- Cell Line Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Science, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Nevin M Summers
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Timothy K Lu
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Lin Zhang
- Cell Line Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Science, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Ron Weiss
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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14
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Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used for the production of therapeutic proteins. Customarily, CHO production cell lines are established through random integration, which requires laborious screening of many clones to isolate suitable producers. In contrast, site-specific integration (SSI) accelerates cell line development by targeting integration of transgenes to pre-validated genomic loci capable of supporting high and stable expression. To date, a relatively small number of these so called 'hot spots' have been identified, mainly through empirical methods. Nevertheless, nuclease-mediated and recombinase-mediated SSI have revolutionized cell line engineering by enabling rational and reproducible transgene targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel K Hamaker
- Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, DE.,Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, DE.,Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
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15
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Zhao M, Wang J, Luo M, Luo H, Zhao M, Han L, Zhang M, Yang H, Xie Y, Jiang H, Feng L, Lu H, Zhu J. Rapid development of stable transgene CHO cell lines by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated site-specific integration into C12orf35. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6105-6117. [PMID: 29789882 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9021-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most widely used mammalian hosts for recombinant protein production. However, by conventional random integration strategy, development of a high-expressing and stable recombinant CHO cell line has always been a difficult task due to the heterogenic insertion and its caused requirement of multiple rounds of selection. Site-specific integration of transgenes into CHO hot spots is an ideal strategy to overcome these challenges since it can generate isogenic cell lines with consistent productivity and stability. In this study, we investigated three sites with potential high transcriptional activities: C12orf35, HPRT, and GRIK1, to determine the possible transcriptional hot spots in CHO cells, and further construct a reliable site-specific integration strategy to develop recombinant cell lines efficiently. Genes encoding representative proteins mCherry and anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody were targeted into these three loci respectively through CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Stable cell lines were generated successfully after a single round of selection. In comparison with a random integration control, all the targeted integration cell lines showed higher productivity, among which C12orf35 locus was the most advantageous in both productivity and cell line stability. Binding affinity and N-glycan analysis of the antibody revealed that all batches of product were of similar quality independent on integrated sites. Deep sequencing demonstrated that there was low level of off-target mutations caused by CRISPR/Cas9, but none of them contributed to the development process of transgene cell lines. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of C12orf35 as the target site for exogenous gene integration, and strongly suggested that C12orf35 targeted integration mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 is a reliable strategy for the rapid development of recombinant CHO cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menglin Zhao
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jiaxian Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China.,Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Manyu Luo
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Han Luo
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Meiqi Zhao
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lei Han
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Mengxiao Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hui Yang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yueqing Xie
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., 7320 Executive Way, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA
| | - Hua Jiang
- Jecho Laboratories, Inc., 7320 Executive Way, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA
| | - Lei Feng
- Instrumental Analysis Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Huili Lu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell and Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China. .,Jecho Laboratories, Inc., 7320 Executive Way, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA.
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Abstract
Despite substantial advances in the field of mammalian expression, there are still proteins that are characterized as difficult to express. Determining the expression bottleneck requires troubleshooting techniques specific for the given molecule and host. The complex array of intracellular processes involved in protein expression includes transcription, protein folding, post-translation processing, and secretion. Challenges in any of these steps could result in low protein expression, while the inherent properties of the molecule itself may limit its production via mechanisms such as cytotoxicity or inherent instability. Strategies to identify the rate-limiting step and subsequently improve expression and production are discussed here.
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17
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Hacker DL, Balasubramanian S. Recombinant protein production from stable mammalian cell lines and pools. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2016; 38:129-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Ray Owens
- The Oxford Protein Production Facility-UK, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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