Harnessing the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of genetically tractable microbial cells to design biohybrid wearables.

Cells' biomechanical responses to external stimuli have been intensively studied but rarely implemented into devices that interact with the human body. We demonstrate that the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of living cells can be engineered to design biohybrid wearables, which give multifunctional responsiveness to human sweat. By depositing genetically tractable microbes on a humidity-inert material to form a heterogeneous multilayered structure, we obtained biohybrid films that can reversibly change shape and biofluorescence intensity within a few seconds in response to environmental humidity gradients. Experimental characterization and mechanical modeling of the film were performed to guide the design of a wearable running suit and a fluorescent shoe prototype with bio-flaps that dynamically modulates ventilation in synergy with the body's need for cooling.

Highly regio- and enantioselective multiple oxy- and amino-functionalizations of alkenes by modular cascade biocatalysis.

New types of asymmetric functionalizations of alkenes are highly desirable for chemical synthesis. Here, we develop three novel types of regio- and enantioselective multiple oxy- and amino-functionalizations of terminal alkenes via cascade biocatalysis to produce chiral α-hydroxy acids, 1,2-amino alcohols and α-amino acids, respectively. Basic enzyme modules 1-4 are developed to convert alkenes to (S)-1,2-diols, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-1,2-diols to (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-hydroxyacids to (S)-α-aminoacids, respectively. Engineering of enzyme modules 1 &2, 1 &3 and 1, 2 &4 in Escherichia coli affords three biocatalysts over-expressing 4-8 enzymes for one-pot conversion of styrenes to the corresponding (S)-α-hydroxyacids, (S)-aminoalcohols and (S)-α-aminoacids in high e.e. and high yields, respectively. The new types of asymmetric alkene functionalizations provide green, safe and useful alternatives to the chemical syntheses of these compounds. The modular approach for engineering multi-step cascade biocatalysis is useful for developing other new types of one-pot biotransformations for chemical synthesis.

Rate-limiting step analysis of the microbial desulfurization of dibenzothiophene in a model oil system.

A mechanistic analysis of the various mass transport and kinetic steps in the microbial desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) by Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8 in a model biphasic (oil-water), small-scale system was performed. The biocatalyst was distributed into three populations, free cells in the aqueous phase, cell aggregates and oil-adhered cells, and the fraction of cells in each population was measured. The power input per volume (P/V) and the impeller tip speed (vtip ) were identified as key operating parameters in determining whether the system is mass transport controlled or kinetically controlled. Oil-water DBT mass transport was found to not be limiting under the conditions tested. Experimental results at both the 100 mL and 4 L (bioreactor) scales suggest that agitation leading to P/V greater than 10,000 W/ m(3) and/or vtip greater than 0.67 m/s is sufficient to overcome the major mass transport limitation in the system, which was the diffusion of DBT within the biocatalyst aggregates.

Exploring the mechanism of biocatalyst inhibition in microbial desulfurization.

Microbial desulfurization, or biodesulfurization (BDS), of fuels is a promising technology because it can desulfurize compounds that are recalcitrant to the current standard technology in the oil industry. One of the obstacles to the commercialization of BDS is the reduction in biocatalyst activity concomitant with the accumulation of the end product, 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP), during the process. BDS experiments were performed by incubating Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8 resting-cell suspensions with hexadecane at 0.50 (vol/vol) containing 10 mM dibenzothiophene. The resin Dowex Optipore SD-2 was added to the BDS experiments at resin concentrations of 0, 10, or 50 g resin/liter total volume. The HBP concentration within the cytoplasm was estimated to decrease from 1,100 to 260 µM with increasing resin concentration. Despite this finding, productivity did not increase with the resin concentration. This led us to focus on the susceptibility of the desulfurization enzymes toward HBP. Dose-response experiments were performed to identify major inhibitory interactions in the most common BDS pathway, the 4S pathway. HBP was responsible for three of the four major inhibitory interactions identified. The concentrations of HBP that led to a 50% reduction in the enzymes' activities (IC50s) for DszA, DszB, and DszC were measured to be 60 ± 5 µM, 110 ± 10 µM, and 50 ± 5 µM, respectively. The fact that the IC50s for HBP are all significantly lower than the cytoplasmic HBP concentration suggests that the inhibition of the desulfurization enzymes by HBP is responsible for the observed reduction in biocatalyst activity concomitant with HBP generation.

High-throughput analysis of intraclonal variability of glycoprotein sialylation.

Development of recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells producing therapeutic proteins requires analyzing the quality, such as sialic acid content, of proteins produced by many cell clones. In order to perform these analyses, high-throughput methods are required. Conventional methods for quantifying sialic acid, however, require protein purification, which is time consuming and cannot be used for high-throughput analysis. Here we used a high-throughput method (HTM) that we recently developed to analyze the intraclonal variability of 24 CHO cell subclones. The sialic acid content varied significantly from 1 to 70 mg sialic acid/g protein, and the concentration of total proteins secreted by the cells varied from 41 to 214 mg/L. In addition, the sialic acid content was negatively correlated with total protein concentration. This trend agrees with previous theoretical and experimental studies. Overall, the HTM can finish these analyses in 15 minutes, while conventional methods used in previous studies will require at least 24 days. Thus, the HTM can significantly accelerate the analyses of clonal and intraclonal variability in cell line development

Facile fabrication of recyclable and active nanobiocatalyst: purification and immobilization of enzyme in one pot with Ni-NTA functionalized magnetic nanoparticle.

Ni-NTA functionalized iron oxide magnetic nanoparticle was synthesized and used to selectively immobilize a his-tagged enzyme from cell free extract as an active and recyclable nanobiocatalyst, where purification and immobilization of the target enzyme were accomplished in one pot.

Concurrent oxidations with tandem biocatalysts in one pot: green, selective and clean oxidations of methylene groups to ketones.

A novel tandem-biocatalysts system consisting of a monooxygenase-containing microorganism and an alcohol dehydrogenase is developed for the concurrent oxidations of methylene groups to ketones in one pot, providing green, clean and simple access to valuable ketones with high yield, excellent selectivity and efficient cofactor recycling.

Perfusion of 3D encapsulated hepatocytes--a synergistic effect enhancing long-term functionality in bioreactors.

Long-term primary cultures of hepatocytes are essential for bioartificial liver (BAL) devices and to reduce and replace animal tests in lead candidate optimization in drug discovery and toxicology tests. The aim of this work was to improve bioreactor cultures of hepatocyte spheroids by adding a more physiological perfusion feeding regime to these bioreactor systems. A continuous perfusion feeding was compared with 50% medium replacement (routinely used for in vitro tests) at the same dilution rate, 0.125 day(-1), for three operative weeks. Perfusion feeding led to a 10-fold improvement in albumin synthesis in bioreactors containing non-encapsulated hepatocyte spheroids; no significant improvement was observed in phase I drug metabolizing activity. When ultra high viscous alginate encapsulated spheroids were cultured in perfusion, urea synthesis, phase I drug metabolizing activity and oxygen consumption had a threefold improvement over the 50% medium replacement regime; albumin production was the same for both feeding regimes. The effective diffusion of albumin in the alginate capsules was 7.75.10(-9) cm(2) s(-1) and no diffusion limitation for this protein was observed using these alginate capsules under our operational conditions. In conclusion, perfusion feeding coupled with alginate encapsulation of hepatocyte spheroids showed a synergistic effect with a threefold improvement in three independent liver-specific functions of long-term hepatocyte spheroid cultures.

A high-throughput method for quantification of glycoprotein sialylation.

Sialic acid can improve qualities of therapeutic glycoproteins such as circulatory half-life, biological activity, and solubility. In production of therapeutic glycoproteins, a high-throughput method is required for process monitoring and optimization to ensure consistent and optimal sialic acid content. Current methods for quantifying sialic acid, however, require chromatographic separation that is time-consuming and cannot rapidly analyze many samples in parallel. Here we present a novel high-throughput method for quantifying glycoprotein sialylation. Using chemical reduction, enzymatic release of sialic acid, and chemical derivatization of the sialic acid, the method can accurately, rapidly (15 min), and specifically analyze many samples in parallel. It requires only 45 µl of sample and has a quantitation limit of 2 µM sialic acid. It has also been validated for monitoring sialylation of recombinant interferon gamma (IFN-γ) produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture. This method is useful for various applications in upstream and downstream bioprocesses.

Uncovering the design rules for peptide synthesis of metal nanoparticles.

Peptides are multifunctional reagents (reducing and capping agents) that can be used for the synthesis of biocompatible metal nanoparticles under relatively mild conditions. However, the progress in peptide synthesis of metal nanoparticles has been slow due to the lack of peptide design rules. It is difficult to establish sequence-reactivity relationships from peptides isolated from biological sources (e.g., biomineralizing organisms) or selected by combinatorial display libraries because of their widely varying compositions and structures. The abundance of random and inactive amino acid sequences in the peptides also increases the difficulty in knowledge extraction. In this study, a "bottom-up" approach was used to formulate a set of rudimentary rules for the size- and shape-controlled peptide synthesis of gold nanoparticles from the properties of the 20 natural alpha-amino acids for AuCl(4)(-) reduction and binding to Au(0). It was discovered that the reduction capability of a peptide depends on the presence of certain reducing amino acid residues, whose activity may be regulated by neighboring residues with different Au(0) binding strengths. Another finding is the effect of peptide net charge on the nucleation and growth of the Au nanoparticles. On the basis of these understandings, several multifunctional peptides were designed to synthesize gold nanoparticles in different morphologies (nanospheres and nanoplates) and with sizes tunable by the strategic placement of selected amino acid residues in the peptide sequence. The methodology presented here and the findings are useful for establishing the scientific basis for the rational design of peptides for the synthesis of metal nanostructures.

Vector fragmentation: characterizing vector integrity in transfected clones by Southern blotting.

The Chinese Hamster Ovary production cell line development process using methotrexate (MTX) amplification is well studied and commonly used for biopharmaceutical processes. However, successful MTX amplification varies from clone to clone and suggested reasons include vector fragmentation during the transfection process and genomic rearrangement of the Chinese Hamster Ovary chromosomes. Here, we elucidated the vector integration patterns of 40 transfected single-cell clones by Southern blotting and showed that vector fragmentation occurs at a significant level in our experiment. This concurs with MTX amplification studies implying that single-cell cloning is necessary to ensure a successful amplification process. Truncations at the ends of the integrated vectors were also observed, whereas gross DNA insertions were not detected in our data. This suggests that end deletions are common, whereas insertion events are rare in animal cells.

Recyclable nanobiocatalyst for enantioselective sulfoxidation: facile fabrication and high performance of chloroperoxidase-coated magnetic nanoparticles with iron oxide core and polymer shell.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with a core diameter of 30 nm comprising several iron oxide crystals, a poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) shell with a thickness of 30 nm, and a surface coated with chloroperoxidase (CPO) were facilely fabricated as a nanobiocatalyst for asymmetric sulfoxidation. The covalently bound CPO did not change the original conformation of the active site and showed the same catalytic activity and enantioselectivity as free CPO for the sulfoxidation of thioanisole to produce (R)-methyl phenyl sulfoxide in >99% ee. The thick PGMA shell significantly increased the stability of the nanobiocatalyst: no loss of the sulfoxidation activity was observed after 11 times of recycling and reuse of the catalyst. Thus, the nanobiocatalyst fabricated here showed the best performance among nanosized biocatalyst particles regarding both the retaining of free enzyme activity and the recycling of catalyst. This is also the first example of a nanobiocatalyst for asymmetric oxidation, and the concept could be generally applicable for fabricating active and recyclable nanobiocatalysts.

Template-free synthesis of porous platinum networks of different morphologies.

A simple one-pot template-free synthesis was used to form porous Pt networks from the CO-induced self-organization of monodisperse primary Pt nanoparticles. Spherical, rod-shaped, knot-like, multibranched, and hyperbranched porous networks could be obtained under different conditions through changes in the reaction temperature and citrate ion concentration. The formation of these porous platinum networks could be rationalized by a mechanism where citrate ions and Chini-like platinum carbonyl clusters formed upon CO exposure are the most important contributors.

Bioreduction with efficient recycling of NADPH by coupled permeabilized microorganisms.

The glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) from Bacillus subtilis BGSC 1A1 was cloned and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(pGDH1) and XL-1 Blue(pGDH1). Controlled permeabilization of recombinant E. coli BL21 and XL-1 Blue with EDTA-toluene under optimized conditions resulted in permeabilized cells with specific activities of 61 and 14 U/g (dry weight) of cells, respectively, for the conversion of NADP(+) to NADPH upon oxidation of glucose. The permeabilized recombinant strains were more active than permeabilized B. subtilis BGSC 1A1, did not exhibit NADPH/NADH oxidase activity, and were useful for regeneration of both NADH and NADPH. Coupling of permeabilized cells of Bacillus pumilus Phe-C3 containing an NADPH-dependent ketoreductase and an E. coli recombinant expressing GDH as a novel biocatalytic system allowed enantioselective reduction of ethyl 3-keto-4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate with efficient recycling of NADPH; a total turnover number (TTN) of 4,200 mol/mol was obtained by using E. coli BL21(pGDH1) as the cofactor-regenerating microorganism with initial addition of 0.005 mM NADP(+). The high TTN obtained is in the practical range for producing fine chemicals. Long-term stability of the permeabilized cell couple and a higher product concentration were demonstrated by 68 h of bioreduction of ethyl 3-keto-4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate with addition of 0.005 mM NADP(+) three times; 50.5 mM (R)-ethyl 3-hydroxy-4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate was obtained with 95% enantiomeric excess, 84% conversion, and an overall TTN of 3,400 mol/mol. Our method results in practical synthesis of (R)-ethyl 3-hydroxy-4,4,4-trifluorobutyrate, and the principle described here is generally applicable to other microbial reductions with cofactor recycling.

Overexpression of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein increases interferon-gamma production in Chinese-hamster ovary cells.

Culturing recombinant CHO (Chinese-hamster ovary) cells at low temperatures (30-33 degrees C) increases specific recombinant protein productivity by 2-5-fold. However, even though the specific productivity is increased, cell growth is decreased in low-temperature culture such that the final recombinant protein titre remains unchanged or is even diminished, owing to the lower cell density. Exposing mammalian cells to low temperatures results in a change in the expression of many 'cold-stress' genes. CIRP (cold-inducible RNA-binding protein) is a cold-stress protein that is highly expressed at 32 degrees C, but not at 37 degrees C. In the present study we demonstrated that overexpression of CIRP at 37 degrees C can increase the recombinant-protein titre in CHO cells. Stable overexpression of CIRP at 37 degrees C improved the final titre of CHO IFN-gamma, a recombinant CHO cell line producing human IFN-gamma (interferon-gamma), by 25% in adherent culture and up to 40% in suspension culture. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the increase in the recombinant IFN-gamma titre could be attributed to increased recombinant IFN-gamma mRNA levels, while growth data showed that CIRP overexpression did not result in growth arrest in CHO IFN-gamma cells. Glycan analysis showed that the increase in IFN-gamma titre as a result of CIRP overexpression did not affect the site occupancy, glycan structures or sialic acid content of IFN-gamma. Using this strategy, the final IFN-gamma titre was increased by 40% compared with current temperature-based strategies. Furthermore, there is no decrease in cell growth or recombinant-protein glycosylation quality, as previously observed in low-temperature culture.

The synthesis of SERS-active gold nanoflower tags for in vivo applications.

This paper reports a simple, one-pot, template-free synthesis of flower-like Au nanoparticles (three-dimensional branched nanoparticles with more than 10 tips) with high yield and good size monodispersity at room temperature. The size of the Au nanoflowers could be tuned by controlling the composition of the starting reaction mixture. The key synthesis strategy was to use a common Good's buffer, HEPES, as a weak reducing and particle stabilizing agent to confine the growth of the Au nanocrystals in the special reaction region of limited ligand protection (LLP). Time-course measurements by UV-vis spectroscopy and TEM were used to follow the reaction progress and the evolution of the flower-like shape. The Au nanoflowers exhibited strong surface-enhanced effects which were utilized in the design of an efficient, stable, and nontoxic Raman-active tag for in vivo applications.

Application of destabilizing sequences on selection marker for improved recombinant protein productivity in CHO-DG44.

We have developed a systematic and generic way to improve recombinant protein productivities in stable transfections by applying mRNA and protein destabilizing elements to reduce selection marker expression strength. Interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) expression vectors containing different combinations of AU-rich elements (ARE) and mouse ornithine decarboxylase (MODC) PEST region on the amplifiable dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) selection marker were stably transfected into CHO-DG44 cells. Improvements in specific IFNgamma productivities were 1.7-, 6.6- and 13.3-fold with the application of ARE, MODC PEST, and both ARE and MODC PEST, respectively. To further enhance productivities, compatibility of the destabilizing sequences with methotrexate (MTX) amplification was validated by amplifying the transfected cells to 50nM MTX. A 14- to 27-fold increase in specific IFNgamma productivities were observed after amplification, indicating the compatibility of the two systems. A high specific IFNgamma productivity of 1.05pg/cell/day was also attained by the amplified cell pool with both ARE and MODC PEST.

Identification of active biomolecules in the high-yield synthesis of single-crystalline gold nanoplates in algal solutions.

In this work, single-crystalline gold nanoplates were produced by treating an aqueous solution of chloroauric acid with the extract of the unicellular green alga Chlorella vulgaris at room temperature. The results suggest proteins as the primary biomolecules involved in providing the dual function of Au(III) reduction and the size- and shape-controlled synthesis of the nanogold crystals. A protein with a molecular weight of approximately 28 kDa was isolated and purified by reversed-phase HPLC; this protein tested positive for the reduction of chloroauric acid in aqueous solution. The isolated protein (named gold shape-directing protein, or GSP for convenience) was then used to produce gold nanoplates with distinctive triangular and hexagonal shapes in high yields (approximately 90 %). The kinetics of the reduction reaction could be manipulated through changes in the GSP concentration to produce plates with lateral sizes ranging from nanometers to micrometers. The growth of gold nanoplates in the GSP solution with time was monitored by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, thereby allowing the detection of several key intermediates in the growth process.

Silver nanoplates: from biological to biomimetic synthesis.

This paper describes the synthesis of single-crystalline Ag nanoplates using the extract of unicellular green alga Chlorella vulgaris at room temperature. Proteins in the extract were involved in the biological synthesis, providing the dual function of Ag ion reduction and shape-controlled synthesis of nanosilver. Hydroxyl groups in Tyr residues and carboxyl groups in Asp and/or Glu residues were further identified as the most active functional groups for Ag ion reduction and for directing the anisotropic growth of Ag nanoplates, respectively. The kinetics of Ag ion reduction in biological systems was discussed and probed by using custom-designed peptides. The results showed the Tyr content (the reduction source) and the content of Ag complexers (the reaction inhibitors, e.g., His and Cys) in the protein molecules as important factors affecting the reduction kinetics. The comprehensive system identification effort has led to the design of a simple bifunctional tripeptide (DDY-OMe) with one Tyr residue as the reduction source and two carboxyl groups in the Asp residues as shape-directors, which could produce small Ag nanoplates with low polydispersivity in good yield (>55%). The roles of the carboxyl groups in the formation of Ag nanoplates were also discussed.