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Jin H, Ji Y, An J, Ha DH, Lee YR, Kim HJ, Lee CG, Jeong W, Kwon IC, Yang EG, Kim KH, Lee C, Chung HS. Engineering Escherichia coli for constitutive production of monophosphoryl lipid A vaccine adjuvant. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1144-1162. [PMID: 38184812 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, expedient vaccine production has been slowed by the shortage of safe and effective raw materials, such as adjuvants, essential components to enhance the efficacy of vaccines. Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) is a potent and safe adjuvant used in human vaccines, including the Shingles vaccine, Shingrix. 3-O-desacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), a representative MPLA adjuvant commercialized by GSK, was prepared via chemical conversion of precursors isolated from Salmonella typhimurium R595. However, the high price of these materials limits their use in premium vaccines. To combat the scarcity and high cost of safe raw materials for vaccines, we need to develop a feasible MPLA production method that is easily scaled up to meet industrial requirements. In this study, we engineered peptidoglycan and outer membrane biosynthetic pathways in Escherichia coli and developed a Escherichia coli strain, KHSC0055, that constitutively produces EcML (E. coli-produced monophosphoryl lipid A) without additives such as antibiotics or overexpression inducers. EcML production was optimized on an industrial scale via high-density fed-batch fermentation, and obtained 2.7 g of EcML (about 135,000 doses of vaccine) from a 30-L-scale fermentation. Using KHSC0055, we simplified the production process and decreased the production costs of MPLA. Then, we applied EcML purified from KHSC0055 as an adjuvant for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate (EuCorVac-19) currently in clinical trial stage III in the Philippines. By probing the efficacy and safety of EcML in humans, we established KHSC0055 as an efficient cell factory for MPLA adjuvant production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunjung Jin
- Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuhyun Ji
- Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinsu An
- Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Da Hui Ha
- V Plant 125, Wonmudong-gil, Dongsan-myeon, EuBiologics., Co., Ltd., Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Ye-Ram Lee
- V Plant 125, Wonmudong-gil, Dongsan-myeon, EuBiologics., Co., Ltd., Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ji Kim
- V Plant 125, Wonmudong-gil, Dongsan-myeon, EuBiologics., Co., Ltd., Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Choon Geun Lee
- V Plant 125, Wonmudong-gil, Dongsan-myeon, EuBiologics., Co., Ltd., Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Wooyeon Jeong
- Doping Control Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ick Chan Kwon
- Medicinal Materials Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Gyeong Yang
- Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Hun Kim
- Doping Control Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chankyu Lee
- V Plant 125, Wonmudong-gil, Dongsan-myeon, EuBiologics., Co., Ltd., Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hak Suk Chung
- Chemical and Biological Integrative Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Wang Z, Zhao A, Qiao J, Yu J, He F, Bi Y, Yu L, Wang X. Engineering Escherichia coli MG1655 to Efficiently Produce 3-Deacyl-4'-monophosphoryl Lipid A. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:13376-13390. [PMID: 37656614 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c00681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Monophosphoryl lipid A, derived from Salmonella minnesota R595, has been used in various adjuvant formulations. Escherichia coli can produce lipid A, but its structure is different. In this study, E. coli MG1655 has been engineered to efficiently produce the monophosphoryl lipid A. First, 126 genes relevant to the biosynthesis of the fimbriae, flagella, and ECA were deleted in MG1655, resulting in WQM027. Second, the genes pldA, mlaA, and mlaC related to the phospholipid transport system, the gene ptsG related to the carbohydrate phosphotransferase system, and the gene eptA encoding phosphoethanolamine transferase for lipid A modification were further deleted from WQM027, resulting in MW020. Third, lpxE from Francisella novicida and pagP and pagL from Salmonella were overexpressed in pFT24, resulting in pTEPL. pTEPL was transformed into MW020, resulting in MW020/pTEPL. Finally, fabI encoding an enoyl-ACP reductase was deleted from the genome of MW020/pTEPL, resulting in MW021/pTEPL. MW021/pTEPL could produce 85.31 mg/L of lipid A species after 26 h of fed-batch fermentation. Mainly two monophosphoryl lipid A species were produced in MW021/pTEPL, one is 3-deacyl-2-acyloxyacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A and the other is 3-deacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A. E. coli MW021/pTEPL constructed in this study could be an ideal host for the industrial production of monophosphoryl lipid A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Aizhen Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jun Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Fenfang He
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yibing Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Letong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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