The use of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites produced in HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 microcarriers as antigen in serological assays: an application of microcarrier technology.

Toxoplasma gondii can infect nearly all warm-blooded animals, including humans. In the laboratory diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, serological tests have importance in detecting antibody response. Traditionally T. gondii tachyzoites grown in vivo are being used as an antigen source in serological assays. Currently, tachyzoites produced in vitro are being tested as an antigen source in order to decrease animal use. Microcarrier technology allowed us to grow anchorage-dependent host cells on microcarrier suspension in short time and approximately 10 times more than traditional flask technique. The ability of T. gondii tachyzoites to grow in host cells adhered to microcarriers has not been analyzed yet. In this study, we aimed to develop a novel in vitro culture method to produce T. gondii tachyzoites abundantly using HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 microcarriers. Initially, the growth of HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 was analyzed using RPMI 1640, DMEM, and EMEM. Next, HeLa cells with a concentration of 1 × 105 cells/ml and 2 × 105 cells/ml were adhered to Cytodex 1 and grown in spinner flasks. Then, T. gondii tachyzoites were inoculated with 1:1 and 2:1 cell:tachyzoite ratios to HeLa cells adhered to microcarriers in spinner flaks. During continuous production in spinner flasks, tachyzoites were harvested at the 2nd, 4th, and 7th day of culture and the quality of antigens produced from these tachyzoites were tested in ELISA and Western Blotting using sera of patients with toxoplasmosis. The optimization studies showed that finest HeLa inoculation value was 2 × 105 cells/ml using RPMI 1640, and the cell:tachyzoite ratio to obtain the highest tachyzoite yield (17.1 × 107) was 1:1 at the 4th day of inoculation. According to the results of ELISA comparing HeLa cell and mouse derived antigens, the highest correlation with mouse antigen was achieved at the 4th day of HeLa cell culture with 1:1 HeLa:tachyzoite ratio (P < 0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity ratios of ELISA were 100%. In addition, Western blotting banding patterns of the antigen derived at the 4th day of HeLa cell culture with 1:1 HeLa:tachyzoite ratio was comparable with mouse derived antigen. Overall, this novel methodology can be an alternative source of antigen in diagnostic assays, decrease animal use for antigen production, and contribute to the solution of ethical and economic problems.

Comparative investigation of the use of various commercial microcarriers as a substrate for culturing mammalian cells.

Microcarriers provide large adhesion area allowing high cell densities in bioreactor systems. This study focused on the investigation of cell adhesion and cell growth characteristics of both anchorage-dependent CHO-K1 and anchorage-independent Ag8 myeloma cell lines cultivated on four different microcarriers (Biosilon®, Microhex®, Cytodex 3®, Cytoline 2®) by considering the cell kinetics and physiological data. Experiments were performed in both static and agitated cell culture systems by using 24-well tissue culture plates and then 50-ml spinner flasks. In agitated cultures, the highest specific growth rates (0.026 h for CHO-K1 and 0.061 h for Ag8 cell line) were obtained with Cytodex 3® and Cytoline 2® microcarriers for CHO-K1 and Ag8 cell line, respectively. Metabolic characteristics showed some variation among the cultures with the four microcarriers. The most significant being the higher production of lactate with microcarriers with CHO-K1 cells relative to the Ag8 cells. SEM analyses revealed the differences in the morphology of the cells along with microcarriers. On Cytodex 3® and Cytoline 2®, CHO-K1 cells attached to the substratum through long, slender filopodia, whereas the cells showed a flat morphology by covering the substratum on the Biosilon® and Microhex®. Ag8 cells maintained their spherical shapes throughout the culture for all types of microcarriers. In an attempt to scale-up, productions were carried out in 50-ml spinner flasks. Cytodex 3® (for CHO-K1 cells) and Cytoline 2® (for Ag8 cells) were evaluated. The results demonstrate that high yield of biomass could be achieved through the immobilization of the cells in each culture system. And cell cultures on microcarriers, especially on Cytodex 3® and Cytoline 2®, represented a good potential as microcarriers for larger scale cultures of CHO-K1 and Ag8, respectively. Moreover, owing to the fact that the cell lines and culture media are specific, outcomes will be applicable for other clones derived from the same host cell lines.

Effect of operating conditions in production of diagnostic Salmonella Enteritidis O-antigen-specific monoclonal antibody in different bioreactor systems.

In this study, different cultivation systems such as roller bottles (RB), 5-L stirred-tank bioreactor (STR), and disposable bioreactors were used to cultivate hybridoma for lab-scale production of Salmonella Enteritidis O-antigen-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb). Hybridoma cell line was cultivated in either serum-containing or serum-free medium (SFM) culture conditions. In STR, MAb production scaled up to 4 L, and production capabilities of the cells were also evaluated in different featured production systems. Moreover, the growth parameters of the cells in all production systems such as glucose consumption, lactate and ammonia production, and also MAb productivities were determined. Collected supernatants from the reactors were concentrated by a cross-flow filtration system. In conclusion, cells were not adapted to SFM in RB and STR. Therefore, less MAb titer in both STR and RB systems with SFM was observed compared to the cultures containing fetal bovine serum-supplemented medium. A higher MAb titer was gained in the membrane-aerated system compared to those in STR and RB. Although the highest MAb titer was obtained in the static membrane bioreactor system, the highest productivity was obtained in STR operated in semicontinuous mode with overlay aeration.

Enhanced growth and lipid accumulation by a new Ettlia texensis isolate under optimized photoheterotrophic condition.

A green microalgae, named as Ettlia texensis was obtained from local freshwater in Turkey. The effects of autotrophic, photoheterotrophic and heterotrophic cultivations on biomass and lipid production were studied. Searching the preferences of the carbon and nitrogen source revealed that this strain could grow photoheterotrophically well with glucose and yeast extract. In the optimized medium, the highest biomass productivity and total lipid content achieved were 0.97 g/L d and 26% of dry weight basis, respectively. Moreover, the major fatty acid methyl esters were C16:0; C18:1; C18:2 and C18:3. In a scale-up attempt, productions were accomplished in a 3 L stirred tank bioreactor. The final biomass and lipid productivities obtained in bioreactor with 250 rpm agitation rate were 0.92 g/L d and 322 mg/L d, respectively. The biochemical compositions were monitored simultaneously by the FTIR spectroscopy during the production in bioreactor. E. texensis could be potent candidate for commercial production in the bioreactor photoheterotrophically.

Purification of alginate and feasible production of monoclonal antibodies by the alginate-immobilized hybridoma cells.

Alginate has an extensive usage in the immobilization of many cell types. Although they have high biocompatibility, commercial alginates contain various degrees of contaminants such as polyphenols, endotoxins and proteins. Thus, these alginates show cytotoxicity against sensitive cell types such as hybridoma cells. In the studies so far, owing to this fact, commercially purchased high-priced ultrapure alginates have been used in the immobilization of hybridoma cells for monoclonal antibody production. However in this study, as a novelty, low-priced commercial alginate was purified, and then the cultivation of alginate-immobilized hybridoma cells was performed for feasible monoclonal antibody production. Low-priced commercial alginate was purified with a profitability ratio of 40%. Then, an optimized immobilization procedure was conducted effectively by using the purified alginate. During more than 25 days of cultivation, serum concentration was kept low, and approximately 2 times greater monoclonal antibody production was achieved, in comparison with its free suspended counterpart. The results showed that the efficiency of monoclonal antibody production via alginate-immobilized hybridoma cultivation can be increased by performing a proved in-house purification method. By shedding light on the efficiency of the in-house purification method, the results also indicated a feasible way of monoclonal antibody production.