1
|
Knödler M, Opdensteinen P, Sankaranarayanan RA, Morgenroth A, Buhl EM, Mottaghy FM, Buyel JF. Simple plant-based production and purification of the assembled human ferritin heavy chain as a nanocarrier for tumor-targeted drug delivery and bioimaging in cancer therapy. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:1038-1054. [PMID: 36539373 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Nanoparticles are used as carriers for the delivery of drugs and imaging agents. Proteins are safer than synthetic nanocarriers due to their greater biocompatibility and the absence of toxic degradation products. In this context, ferritin has the additional benefit of inherently targeting the membrane receptor transferrin 1, which is overexpressed by most cancer cells. Furthermore, this self-assembling multimeric protein can be loaded with more than 2000 iron atoms, as well as drugs, contrast agents, and other cargos. However, recombinant ferritin currently costs ~3.5 million € g-1 , presumably because the limited number of producers cannot meet demand, making it generally unaffordable as a nanocarrier. Because plants can produce proteins at very-large-scale, we developed a simple, proof-of-concept process for the production of the human ferritin heavy chain by transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. We optimized the protein yields by screening different compartments and 5'-untranslated regions in PCPs, and selected the best-performing construct for production in differentiated plants. We then established a rapid and scalable purification protocol by combining pH and heat treatment before extraction, followed by an ultrafiltration/diafiltration size-based separation process. The optimized process achieved ferritin levels of ~40 mg kg-1 fresh biomass although depth filtration limited product recovery to ~7%. The purity of the recombinant product was >90% at costs ~3% of the current sales price. Our method therefore allows the production of affordable ferritin heavy chain as a carrier for therapeutic and diagnostic agents, which is suitable for further stability and functionality testing in vitro and in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Knödler
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., Aachen, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Patrick Opdensteinen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., Aachen, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Agnieszka Morgenroth
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Eva Miriam Buhl
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Institute for Pathology, University Hospital Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Felix M Mottaghy
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes Felix Buyel
- Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering (IBSE), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Reutovich AA, Srivastava AK, Arosio P, Bou-Abdallah F. Ferritin nanocages as efficient nanocarriers and promising platforms for COVID-19 and other vaccines development. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130288. [PMID: 36470367 PMCID: PMC9721431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130288] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of safe and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses with high antigenic drift is of crucial importance to public health. Ferritin is a well characterized and ubiquitous iron storage protein that has emerged not only as a useful nanoreactor and nanocarrier, but more recently as an efficient platform for vaccine development. SCOPE OF REVIEW This review discusses ferritin structure-function properties, self-assembly, and novel bioengineering strategies such as interior cavity and exterior surface modifications for cargo encapsulation and delivery. It also discusses the use of ferritin as a scaffold for biomedical applications, especially for vaccine development against influenza, Epstein-Barr, HIV, hepatitis-C, Lyme disease, and respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. The use of ferritin for the synthesis of mosaic vaccines to deliver a cocktail of antigens that elicit broad immune protection against different viral variants is also explored. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The remarkable stability, biocompatibility, surface functionalization, and self-assembly properties of ferritin nanoparticles make them very attractive platforms for a wide range of biomedical applications, including the development of vaccines. Strong immune responses have been observed in pre-clinical studies against a wide range of pathogens and have led to the exploration of ferritin nanoparticles-based vaccines in multiple phase I clinical trials. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE The broad protective antibody response of ferritin nanoparticles-based vaccines demonstrates the usefulness of ferritin as a highly promising and effective approaches for vaccine development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayush K Srivastava
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY 13676, USA
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
| | - Fadi Bou-Abdallah
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY 13676, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhu Y, Zhu Y, Cao T, Liu X, Liu X, Yan Y, Shi Y, Wang JC. Ferritin-based nanomedicine for disease treatment. Med Rev (2021) 2023; 3:49-74. [PMID: 37724111 PMCID: PMC10471093 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2023-0001] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin is an endogenous protein which is self-assembled by 24 subunits into a highly uniform nanocage structure. Due to the drug-encapsulating ability in the hollow inner cavity and abundant modification sites on the outer surface, ferritin nanocage has been demonstrated great potential to become a multi-functional nanomedicine platform. Its good biocompatibility, low toxicity and immunogenicity, intrinsic tumor-targeting ability, high stability, low cost and massive production, together make ferritin nanocage stand out from other nanocarriers. In this review, we summarized ferritin-based nanomedicine in field of disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The different types of drugs to be loaded in ferritin, as well as drug-loading methods were classified. The strategies for site-specific and non-specific functional modification of ferritin were investigated, then the application of ferritin for disease imaging, drug delivery and vaccine development were discussed. Finally, the challenges restricting the clinical translation of ferritin-based nanomedicines were analyzed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjun Zhu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuefeng Zhu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tianmiao Cao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyan Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Yan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yujie Shi
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Cheng Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Laboratory of Innovative Formulations and Pharmaceutical Excipients, Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicine, Peking University, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
Despite remarkable advances over the past several decades, many therapeutic nanomaterials fail to overcome major in vivo delivery barriers. Controlling immunogenicity, optimizing biodistribution, and engineering environmental responsiveness are key outstanding delivery problems for most nanotherapeutics. However, notable exceptions exist including some lipid and polymeric nanoparticles, some virus-based nanoparticles, and nanoparticle vaccines where immunogenicity is desired. Self-assembling protein nanoparticles offer a powerful blend of modularity and precise designability to the field, and have the potential to solve many of the major barriers to delivery. In this review, we provide a brief overview of key designable features of protein nanoparticles and their implications for therapeutic delivery applications. We anticipate that protein nanoparticles will rapidly grow in their prevalence and impact as clinically relevant delivery platforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Olshefsky
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Institute
for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Christian Richardson
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Institute
for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Suzie H. Pun
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Molecular
Engineering and Sciences Institute, University
of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Neil P. King
- Institute
for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| |
Collapse
|