Evaluation of Mut+ and MutS Pichia pastoris phenotypes for high level extracellular scFv expression under feedback control of the methanol concentration.

Extracellular secretion of over 4 g x L(-1) of the A33 scFv antibody fragment was achieved in Pichia pastoris at the 10 L bioreactor scale using minimal medium and feedback control of the methanol concentration. Since methanol acts as both inducer and carbon source, its close regulation is a crucial factor in achieving optimal fermentation conditions. The antibody fragment production levels of both Mut+ and MutS phenotypes were compared in a bioreactor under closed-loop PID control of the methanol level. As expected, the MutS phenotype has a growth rate lower than that of the Mut+ (0.37 vs 1.05 d(-1)) when growing under methanol. However, protein productivity and cell yield on substrate are almost double that of the Mut+ (18.2 vs 9.3 mg A33 sc per gram of methanol). Induction at wet cell weight of 350 g x L(-1) for the MutS also has a positive effect on the final product concentration. Both Mut+ and MutS phenotypes reach a maximum biomass density around 450 g x L(-1) wet cell weight, independent of methanol concentration, reactor scale, or induction density. This reactor configuration allows for reproducible fermentation schemes with different Pichia pastoris phenotypes with AOX promoters, without prior knowledge of the culture growth parameters.

Targeted delivery to cartilage is critical for in vivo efficacy of insulin-like growth factor 1 in a rat model of osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Acute articular injuries lead to an increased risk of progressive joint damage and osteoarthritis (OA), and no therapies are currently available to repair or protect the injured joint tissue. Intraarticular delivery of therapeutic proteins has been limited by their rapid clearance from the joint space and lack of retention within cartilage. The aim of this study was to test whether targeted delivery to cartilage by fusion with a heparin-binding domain would be sufficient to prolong the in vivo function of the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). METHODS: We produced a humanized and optimized recombinant HB-IGF-1 fusion protein. By injecting HB-IGF-1, IGF-1, or saline alone into the knee joints of adult Lewis rats, we tested whether fusion with a heparin-binding domain 1) altered the kinetics of retention in joint tissues, 2) prolonged functional stimulation as measured by radiolabel incorporation, and 3) enhanced efficacy in a rat model of surgically induced OA, using weekly injections. RESULTS: Fusion of heparin-binding domain with IGF-1 prolonged retention in articular and meniscal cartilage from <1 day to 8 days after injection. Unmodified IGF-1 had no functional effect 2 days after injection, whereas HB-IGF-1 stimulated meniscal cartilage at least 4 days after injection. HB-IGF-1, but not IGF-1, significantly slowed cartilage damage in a rat model of OA. CONCLUSION: Heparin-binding domain fusions can transform rapidly cleared proteins into potential intraarticular therapies by targeting them to cartilage.

Production of p-hydroxycinnamic acid from glucose in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli by expression of heterologous genes from plants and fungi.

Biological production of p-hydroxycinnamic acid (pHCA) from glucose can be achieved via deamination of the aromatic amino acids l-tyrosine or l-phenylalanine. Deamination of l-phenylalanine produces trans-cinnamic acid (CA) which is further hydroxylated in the para position to produce pHCA. However, when tyrosine is used as the substrate, trans-pHCA is produced in one step. This reaction is accomplished by phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL)/tyrosine ammonia-lyase (TAL). Various bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms were screened for their ability to produce a PAL/TAL enzyme with high TAL activity. Cell-free extracts of the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis possessed the highest level of TAL activity (0.0143U/mg protein) and the lowest PAL/TAL ratio (1.68) amongst species examined. The gene for this enzyme was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and the kinetics of the purified PAL/TAL determined. The recombinant PAL/TAL possessed characteristics similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. Functional expression of R. glutinis PAL/TAL enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells containing the plant C4H P-450 and P-450 reductase enzymes from Helianthus tuberosus allowed conversion of glucose to pHCA. Addition of l-phenylalanine to these cultures increased pHCA production confirming its production via the PAL route. When R. glutinis PAL/TAL was synthesized in an E. colil-phenylalanine producing strain (ATCC 31882) and grown on glucose, pHCA was formed in the absence of the Cytochrome P-450 and the P-450 reductase enzymes underlining its production via the TAL route without CA intermediacy.

Functional expression of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes in Escherichia coli for conversion of glucose to p-hydroxystyrene.

The chemical monomer p-hydroxystyrene (pHS) is used for producing a number of important industrial polymers from petroleum-based feedstocks. In an alternative approach, the microbial production of pHS can be envisioned by linking together a number of different metabolic pathways, of which those based on using glucose for carbon and energy are currently the most economical. The biological process conserves petroleum when glucose is converted to the aromatic amino acid L-tyrosine, which is deaminated by a tyrosine/phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL/TAL) enzyme to yield p-hydroxycinnamic acid (pHCA). Subsequent decarboxylation of pHCA gives rise to pHS. Bacteria able to efficiently decarboxylate pHCA to pHS using a pHCA decarboxylase (PDC) include Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Lactobacillus plantarum. Both B. subtilis and L. plantarum possess high levels of pHCA-inducible decarboxylase activity and were chosen for further studies. The genes encoding PDC in these organisms were cloned and the pHCA decarboxylase expressed in Escherichia coli strains co-transformed with a plasmid encoding a bifunctional PAL/TAL enzyme from the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis. Production of pHS from glucose was ten-fold greater for the expressed L. plantarum pdc gene (0.11mM), compared to that obtained when the B. subtilis PDC gene (padC) was used. An E. coli strain (WWQ51.1) expressing both tyrosine ammonia-lyase(PAL) and pHCA decarboxylase (pdc), when grown in a 14L fermentor and under phosphate limited conditions, produced 0.4g/L of pHS from glucose. We, therefore, demonstrate pHS production from an inexpensive carbohydrate feedstock by fermentation using a novel metabolic pathway comprising genes from E. coli, L. plantarum and R. glutinis.

Expression and purification of the cancer antigen SSX2: a potential cancer vaccine.

SSX2 is a cancer testis antigen expressed in a wide variety of cancers, including synovial sarcoma and melanoma. It holds promise as a potential antigen for cancer immunotherapy. A process for the production of recombinant SSX2 was developed by overexpressing a His-tagged fusion protein of SSX2 in Escherichia coli C41 (DE3). A T-7 promoter system was employed and a plasmid was introduced into the strain to compensate for rare codons in the SSX2 sequence. The production of SSX2 was scaled up to a 2-L fermentation that was operated under fed-batch conditions to improve productivity. After 32h cultivation, the wet cell mass reached 260mg/ml, with SSX2 produced mainly as inclusion bodies at a concentration of 1.1g/L. Urea-solubilized SSX2 was purified by nickel affinity, ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The recovery of SSX2 was 20%, and over 87% purity was obtained with an endotoxin level of 0.11EU/microg. The purified recombinant SSX2 was characterized by ELISA and was shown to be recognized by human sera that have been reported to carry anti-SSX2 antibodies.

Crystal structure of phenylalanine ammonia lyase: multiple helix dipoles implicated in catalysis.

The first three-dimensional structure of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) has been determined at 2.1 A resolution for PAL from Rhodosporidium toruloides. The enzyme is structurally similar to the mechanistically related histidine ammonia lyase (HAL), with PAL having an additional approximately 160 residues extending from the common fold. We propose that catalysis (including lowering the pK(a) of nonacidic C3 of l-phenylalanine for an E1cb mechanism) is potentially governed by dipole moments of seven alpha helices associated with the PAL active site (six positive poles and one negative pole). Cofactor 3,5-dihydro-5-methylidene-4H-imidazol-4-one (MIO) resides atop the positive poles of three helices, for increasing its electrophilicity. The helix dipoles appear fully compatible with a model of phenylalanine docked in the active site of PAL having the first covalent bond formed between the amino group of substrate and the methylidene group of MIO: 12 highly conserved residues (near the N termini of helices for enhancing function) are poised to serve roles in substrate recognition, MIO activation, product separation, proton donation, or polarizing electrons from the phenyl ring of substrate for activation of C3; and a highly conserved His residue (near the C terminus of the one helix that directs its negative pole toward the active site to increase the residue's basicity) is positioned to act as a general base, abstracting the pro-S hydrogen from C3 of substrate. A similar mechanism is proposed for HAL, which has a similar disposition of seven alpha helices and similar active-site residues. The helix dipoles appear incompatible with a proposed mechanism that invokes a carbocation intermediate.