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Schloßhauer JL, Tholen L, Körner A, Kubick S, Chatzopoulou S, Hönow A, Zemella A. Promoting the production of challenging proteins via induced expression in CHO cells and modified cell-free lysates harboring T7 RNA polymerase and mutant eIF2α. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2024; 9:416-424. [PMID: 38601208 PMCID: PMC11004649 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2024.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are crucial in biopharmaceutical production due to their scalability and capacity for human-like post-translational modifications. However, toxic proteins and membrane proteins are often difficult-to-express in living cells. Alternatively, cell-free protein synthesis can be employed. This study explores innovative strategies for enhancing the production of challenging proteins through the modification of CHO cells by investigating both, cell-based and cell-free approaches. A major result in our study involves the integration of a mutant eIF2 translation initiation factor and T7 RNA polymerase into CHO cell lysates for cell-free protein synthesis. This resulted in elevated yields, while eliminating the necessity for exogenous additions during cell-free production, thereby substantially enhancing efficiency. Additionally, we explore the potential of the Rosa26 genomic site for the integration of T7 RNA polymerase and cell-based tetracycline-controlled protein expression. These findings provide promising advancements in bioproduction technologies, offering flexibility to switch between cell-free and cell-based protein production as needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L. Schloßhauer
- Fraunhofer Project Group PZ-Syn of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Tholen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexander Körner
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Kubick
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus –Senftenberg, The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sofia Chatzopoulou
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anja Hönow
- New/era/mabs GmbH, August-Bebel-Str. 89, 14482, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne Zemella
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology-IZI, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses-IZI-BB, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam, Germany
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Zeh N, Schmidt M, Schulz P, Fischer S. The new frontier in CHO cell line development: From random to targeted transgene integration technologies. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 75:108402. [PMID: 38950872 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Cell line development represents a crucial step in the development process of a therapeutic glycoprotein. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most frequently employed mammalian host cell system for the industrial manufacturing of biologics. The predominant application of CHO cells for heterologous recombinant protein expression lies in the relative simplicity of stably introducing ectopic DNA into the CHO host cell genome. Since CHO cells were first used as expression host for the industrial production of biologics in the late 1980s, stable genomic transgene integration has been achieved almost exclusively by random integration. Since then, random transgene integration had become the gold standard for generating stable CHO production cell lines due to a lack of viable alternatives. However, it was eventually demonstrated that this approach poses significant challenges on the cell line development process such as an increased risk of inducing cell line instability. In recent years, significant discoveries of new and highly potent (semi)-targeted transgene integration systems have paved the way for a technological revolution in the cell line development sector. These advanced methodologies comprise the application of transposase-, recombinase- or Cas9 nuclease-mediated site-specific genomic integration techniques, which enable a scarless transfer of the transgene expression cassette into transcriptionally active loci within the host cell genome. This review summarizes recent advancements in the field of transgene integration technologies for CHO cell line development and compare them to the established random integration approach. Moreover, advantages and limitations of (semi)-targeted integration techniques are discussed, and benefits and opportunities for the biopharmaceutical industry are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas Zeh
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Moritz Schmidt
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Patrick Schulz
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Simon Fischer
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
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Cordova LT, Dahodwala H, Cooley R, Lee KH. Prediction of CHO cell line stability using expression of DNA repair genes. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300425. [PMID: 37970758 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300425] [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: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are essential to biopharmaceutical manufacturing and production instability, the loss of productivity over time, is a long-standing challenge in the industry. Accurate prediction of cell line stability could enable efficient screening to identify clones suitable for manufacturing saving significant time and costs. DNA repair genes may offer biomarkers to address this need. In this study, over 40 cell lines representing various host lineages from three companies/organizations were evaluated for expression of five DNA repair genes (Fam35a, Lig4, Palb2, Pari, and Xrcc6). Expression measured in cells with less than 30 population doubling levels (PDLs) was correlated to stability profiles at 60+ PDL. Principal component analysis identified markers which separate stable and unstable CHO-DG44 cell lines. Notably, two genes, Lig4 and Xrcc6, showed higher expression in unstable CHO-DG44 cell lines with copy number loss identified as the mechanism of production instability. Expression levels across all cell ages showed lower DNA repair gene expression was associated with increased cell age. Collectively, DNA repair genes provide critical insight into long-term behavior of CHO cells and their expression levels have potential to predict cell line stability in certain cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Cordova
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Hussain Dahodwala
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Rebecca Cooley
- Pfizer, Inc, 875 Chesterfield Pkwy W, Chesterfield, Missouri, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
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Huang Z, Habib A, Zhao G, Ding X. CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Stable Expression of Exogenous Proteins in the CHO Cell Line through Site-Specific Integration. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16767. [PMID: 38069090 PMCID: PMC10706275 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are a popular choice in biopharmaceuticals because of their beneficial traits, including high-density suspension culture, safety, and exogenously produced proteins that closely resemble natural proteins. Nevertheless, a decline in the expression of exogenous proteins is noted as culture time progresses. This is a consequence of foreign gene recombination into chromosomes by random integration. The current investigation employs CRISPR-Cas9 technology to integrate foreign genes into a particular chromosomal location for sustained expression. Results demonstrate the successful integration of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and human serum albumin (HSA) near base 434814407 on chromosome NC_048595.1 of CHO-K1 cells. Over 60 successive passages, monoclonal cell lines were produced that consistently expressed all relevant external proteins without discernible variation in expression levels. In conclusion, the CHO-K1 cell locus, NC_048595.1, proves an advantageous locus for stable exogenous protein expression. This study provides a viable approach to establishing a CHO cell line capable of enduring reliable exogenous protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Huang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Arslan Habib
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Guoping Zhao
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Xiaoming Ding
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Hamaker NK, Lee KH. High-efficiency and multilocus targeted integration in CHO cells using CRISPR-mediated donor nicking and DNA repair inhibitors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2419-2440. [PMID: 37039773 PMCID: PMC10524319 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28393] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to leverage clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) for targeted genomic modifications in mammalian cells are limited by low efficiencies and heterogeneous outcomes. To aid method optimization, we developed an all-in-one reporter system, including a novel superfolder orange fluorescent protein (sfOrange), to simultaneously quantify gene disruption, site-specific integration (SSI), and random integration (RI). SSI strategies that utilize different donor plasmid formats and Cas9 nuclease variants were evaluated for targeting accuracy and efficiency in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Double-cut and double-nick donor formats significantly improved targeting accuracy by 2.3-8.3-fold and 19-22-fold, respectively, compared to standard circular donors. Notably, Cas9-mediated donor linearization was associated with increased RI events, whereas donor nicking minimized RI without sacrificing SSI efficiency and avoided low-fidelity outcomes. A screen of 10 molecules that modulate the major mammalian DNA repair pathways identified two inhibitors that further enhance targeting accuracy and efficiency to achieve SSI in 25% of transfected cells without selection. The optimized methods integrated transgene expression cassettes with 96% efficiency at a single locus and with 53%-55% efficiency at two loci simultaneously in selected clones. The CRISPR-based tools and methods developed here could inform the use of CRISPR/Cas9 in mammalian cell lines, accelerate mammalian cell line engineering, and support advanced recombinant protein production applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel K. Hamaker
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Kelvin H. Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19713, USA
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6
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Kalkan AK, Palaz F, Sofija S, Elmousa N, Ledezma Y, Cachat E, Rios-Solis L. Improving recombinant protein production in CHO cells using the CRISPR-Cas system. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 64:108115. [PMID: 36758652 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are among the most widely used mammalian cell lines in the biopharmaceutical industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that significant efforts have been made around the engineering of CHO cells using genetic engineering methods such as the CRISPR-Cas system. In this review, we summarize key recent studies that have used different CRISPR-Cas systems such as Cas9, Cas13 or dCas9 fused with effector domains to improve recombinant protein (r-protein) production in CHO cells. Here, every relevant stage of production was considered, underscoring the advantages and limitations of these systems, as well as discussing their bottlenecks and probable solutions. A special emphasis was given on how these systems could disrupt and/or regulate genes related to glycan composition, which has relevant effects over r-protein properties and in vivo activity. Furthermore, the related promising future applications of CRISPR to achieve a tunable, reversible, or highly stable editing of CHO cells are discussed. Overall, the studies covered in this review show that despite the complexity of mammalian cells, the synthetic biology community has developed many mature strategies to improve r-protein production using CHO cells. In this regard, CRISPR-Cas technology clearly provides efficient and flexible genetic manipulation and allows for the generation of more productive CHO cell lines, leading to more cost-efficient production of biopharmaceuticals, however, there is still a need for many emerging techniques in CRISPR to be reported in CHO cells; therefore, more research in these cells is needed to realize the full potential of this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Kerem Kalkan
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK; Environmental Engineering Department, Gebze Technical University, Turkey
| | - Fahreddin Palaz
- Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Turkey
| | - Semeniuk Sofija
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Nada Elmousa
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK
| | - Yuri Ledezma
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK; Biology Department, Faculty of Pure and Natural Sciences, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia
| | - Elise Cachat
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Leonardo Rios-Solis
- Centre for Engineering Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK; Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK; School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Division, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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7
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Amiri S, Adibzadeh S, Ghanbari S, Rahmani B, Kheirandish MH, Farokhi-Fard A, Dastjerdeh MS, Davami F. CRISPR-interceded CHO cell line development approaches. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:865-902. [PMID: 36597180 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
For industrial production of recombinant protein biopharmaceuticals, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells represent the most widely adopted host cell system, owing to their capacity to produce high-quality biologics with human-like posttranslational modifications. As opposed to random integration, targeted genome editing in genomic safe harbor sites has offered CHO cell line engineering a new perspective, ensuring production consistency in long-term culture and high biotherapeutic expression levels. Corresponding the remarkable advancements in knowledge of CRISPR-Cas systems, the use of CRISPR-Cas technology along with the donor design strategies has been pushed into increasing novel scenarios in cell line engineering, allowing scientists to modify mammalian genomes such as CHO cell line quickly, readily, and efficiently. Depending on the strategies and production requirements, the gene of interest can also be incorporated at single or multiple loci. This review will give a gist of all the most fundamental recent advancements in CHO cell line development, such as different cell line engineering approaches along with donor design strategies for targeted integration of the desired construct into genomic hot spots, which could ultimately lead to the fast-track product development process with consistent, improved product yield and quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Amiri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Setare Adibzadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samaneh Ghanbari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Rahmani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad H Kheirandish
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aref Farokhi-Fard
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mansoureh S Dastjerdeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Davami
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Szkodny AC, Lee KH. Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2022; 13:141-165. [PMID: 35300518 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-092220-125832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This review describes key milestones related to the production of biopharmaceuticals-therapies manufactured using recombinant DNA technology. The market for biopharmaceuticals has grown significantly since the first biopharmaceutical approval in 1982, and the scientific maturity of the technologies used in their manufacturing processes has grown concomitantly. Early processes relied on established unit operations, with research focused on process scale-up and improved culture productivity. In the early 2000s, changes in regulatory frameworks and the introduction of Quality by Design emphasized the importance of developing manufacturing processes to deliver a desired product quality profile. As a result, companies adopted platform processes and focused on understanding the dynamic interplay between product quality and processing conditions. The consistent and reproducible manufacturing processes of today's biopharmaceutical industry have set high standards for product efficacy, quality, and safety, and as the industry continues to evolve in the coming decade, intensified processing capabilities for an expanded range of therapeutic modalities will likely become routine. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Volume 13 is October 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana C Szkodny
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA; ;
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA; ;
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