EST sequencing for gene discovery in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Evolution from adherent to suspension: systems biology of HEK293 cell line development

The need for new safe and efficacious therapies has led to an increased focus on biologics produced in mammalian cells. The human cell line HEK293 has bio-synthetic potential for human-like production attributes and is currently used for manufacturing of several therapeutic proteins and viral vectors. Despite the increased popularity of this strain we still have limited knowledge on the genetic composition of its derivatives. Here we present a genomic, transcriptomic and metabolic gene analysis of six of the most widely used HEK293 cell lines. Changes in gene copy and expression between industrial progeny cell lines and the original HEK293 were associated with cellular component organization, cell motility and cell adhesion. Changes in gene expression between adherent and suspension derivatives highlighted switching in cholesterol biosynthesis and expression of five key genes (RARG, ID1, ZIC1, LOX and DHRS3), a pattern validated in 63 human adherent or suspension cell lines of other origin.

Genome sequence comparison between Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) DG44 cells and mouse using end sequences of CHO BAC clones based on BAC-FISH results

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have frequently been used in biotechnology as a mammalian host cell platform for expressing genes of interest. Previously, we constructed a detailed physical chromosomal map of the CHO DG44 cell line by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) imaging using 303 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones as hybridization probes (BAC-FISH). BAC-FISH results revealed that the two longest chromosomes were completely paired. However, other chromosomes featured partial deletions or rearrangements. In this study, we determined the end sequences of 303 BAC clones (BAC end sequences), which were used for BAC-FISH probes. Among 606 BAC-end sequences (BESs) (forward and reverse ends), 558 could be determined. We performed a comparison between all determined BESs and mouse genome sequences using NCBI BLAST. Among these 558 BESs, 465 showed high homology to mouse chromosomal sequences. We analyzed the locations of these BACs in chromosomes of the CHO DG44 cell line using a physical chromosomal map. From the obtained results, we investigated the regional similarities among CHO chromosomes (A-T) and mouse chromosomes (1-19 and sex) about 217 BESs (46.7% of 465 high homologous BESs). Twenty-three specific narrow regions in 13 chromosomes of the CHO DG44 cell line showed high homology to mouse chromosomes, but most of other regions did not show significant correlations with the mouse genome. These results contribute to accurate alignments of chromosomes of Chinese hamster and its genome sequence, analysis of chromosomal instability in CHO cells, and the development of target locations for gene and/or genome editing techniques.

A Comparative Transcriptomics Workflow for Analyzing Microarray Data From CHO Cell Cultures

Microarray-based comparative transcriptomics analysis is a powerful tool to understand therapeutic protein producing mammalian cell lines at the gene expression level. However, an integrated analysis workflow specifically designed for end-to-end analysis of microarray data for CHO cells, the most prevalent host for commercial recombinant protein production, is lacking. To address this gap, an automated data analysis workflow in R that leverages public domain analysis modules is developed to analyze microarray based gene expression data. In addition to testing the global transcriptome differences of CHO cells at different conditions, the workflow identifies differentially expressed genes and pathways with intuitive visualizations as the outputs. The utility of this automated workflow is demonstrated by comparing the transcriptomic profiles of recombinant protein expressing CHO cells with and without a temperature shift. Statistically significant differential expression at the gene, pathway, and global transcriptome levels are identified and visualized. An automated workflow like the one developed in this study will enable rapid translation of CHO culture microarray data into biologically relevant information for mechanism-driven cell line optimization and bioprocess development.

Fluorescent Hexose Conjugates Establish Stringent Stereochemical Requirement by GLUT5 for Recognition and Transport of Monosaccharides

The specificity characteristics of transporters can be exploited for the development of novel diagnostic therapeutic probes. The facilitated hexose transporter family (GLUTs) has a distinct set of preferences for monosaccharide substrates, and while some are expressed ubiquitously (e.g., GLUT1), others are quite tissue specific (e.g., GLUT5, which is overexpressed in some breast cancer tissues). While these differences have enabled the development of new molecular probes based upon hexose- and tissue-selective uptake, substrate design for compounds targeting these GLUT transporters has been encumbered by a limited understanding of the molecular interactions at play in hexose binding and transport. Four new fluorescently labeled hexose derivatives have been prepared, and their transport characteristics were examined in two breast cancer cell lines expressing mainly GLUTs 1, 2, and 5. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, a stringent stereochemical requirement for recognition and transport by GLUT5. 6-NBDF, in which all substituents are in the d-fructose configuration, is taken up rapidly into both cell lines via GLUT5. On the other hand, inversion of a single stereocenter at C-3 (6-NBDP), C-4 (6-NBDT), or C-5 (6-NDBS) results in selective transport via GLUT1. An in silico docking study employing the recently published GLUT5 crystal structure confirms this stereochemical dependence. This work provides insight into hexose-GLUT interactions at the molecular level and will facilitate structure-based design of novel substrates targeting individual members of the GLUT family and forms the basis of new cancer imaging or therapeutic agents.

Hyperosmotic stimulus study discloses benefits in ATP supply and reveals miRNA/mRNA targets to improve recombinant protein production of CHO cells

Biopharmaceuticals are predominantly produced by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cultivated in fed-batch mode. Hyperosmotic culture conditions (≥ 350 mOsmol kg(∑1) ) resulting from feeding of nutrients may enhance specific product formation rates (qp ). As an improved ATP supply was anticipated to enhance qp this study focused on the identification of suitable miRNA/mRNA targets to increase ATP levels. Therefor next generation sequencing and a compartment specific metabolomics approach were applied to analyze the response of an antibody (mAB) producing CHO cell line upon osmotic shift (280 → 430 mOsmol kg(-1) ). Hyperosmotic culture conditions caused a ∼2.6-fold increase of specific ATP formation rates together with a ∼1.7-fold rise in cytosolic and mitochondrial ATP-pools, thus showing increased ATP supply. mRNA expression analysis identified several genes encoding glycosylated proteins with strictly tissue related function. In addition, hyperosmotic culture conditions induced an upregulation of miR-132-3p, miR-132-5p, miR-182, miR-183, miR-194, miR-215-3p, miR-215-5p which have all been related to cell cycle arrest/proliferation in cancer studies. In relation to a previous independent CHO study miR-183 may be the most promising target to enhance qp by stable overexpression. Furthermore, deletion of genes with presumably dispensable function in suspension growing CHO cells may enhance mAB formation by increased ATP levels.

Global insights into the Chinese hamster and CHO cell transcriptomes

Transcriptomics is increasingly being used on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to unveil physiological insights related to their performance during production processes. The rich transcriptome data can be exploited to provide impetus for systems investigation such as modeling the central carbon metabolism or glycosylation pathways, or even building genome-scale models. To harness the power of transcriptome assays, we assembled and annotated a set of RNA-Seq data from multiple CHO cell lines and Chinese hamster tissues, and constructed a DNA microarray. The identity of genes involved in major functional pathways and their transcript levels generated in this study will serve as a reference for future studies employing kinetic models. In particular, the data on glycolysis and glycosylation pathways indicate that the variability of gene expression level among different cell lines and tissues may contribute to their differences in metabolism and glycosylation patterns. Thereby, these insights can potentially lead to opportunities for cell engineering. This repertoire of transcriptome data also enables the identification of potential sequence variants in cell lines and allows tracing of cell lineages. Overall the study is an illustration of the potential benefit of RNA-Seq that is yet to be exploited.

Sequencing the CHO DXB11 genome reveals regional variations in genomic stability and haploidy

Background

The DHFR negative CHO DXB11 cell line (also known as DUX-B11 and DUKX) was historically the first CHO cell line to be used for large scale production of heterologous proteins and is still used for production of a number of complex proteins.

Results

Here we present the genomic sequence of the CHO DXB11 genome sequenced to a depth of 33x. Overall a significant genomic drift was seen favoring GC → AT point mutations in line with the chemical mutagenesis strategy used for generation of the cell line. The sequencing depth for each gene in the genome revealed distinct peaks at sequencing depths of 0x, 16x, 33x and 49x coverage corresponding to a copy number in the genome of 0, 1, 2 and 3 copies. This indicate that 17% of the genes are haploid revealing a large number of genes which can be knocked out with relative ease. This tendency of haploidy was furthermore shown to be present in eight additional analyzed CHO genomes (15-20% haploidy) but not in the genome of the Chinese hamster. The dhfr gene is confirmed to be haploid in CHO DXB11; transcriptionally active and the remaining allele contains a G410C point mutation causing a Thr137Arg missense mutation. We find ~2.5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP’s), 44 gene deletions in the CHO DXB11 genome and 9357 SNP's, which interfere with the coding regions of 3458 genes. Copy number variations for nine CHO genomes were mapped to the chromosomes of the Chinese hamster showing unique signatures for each chromosome. The data indicate that chromosome one and four appear to be more stable over the course of the CHO evolution compared to the other chromosomes thus might presenting the most attractive landing platforms for knock-ins of heterologous genes.

Conclusions

Our studies reveal an unexpected degree of haploidy in CHO DXB11 and CHO cells in general and highlight the chromosomal changes that have occurred among the CHO cell lines sequenced to date.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1391-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Glycosylation-related genes in NS0 cells are insensitive to moderately elevated ammonium concentrations

NS0 and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are used to produce recombinant proteins for human therapeutics; however, ammonium accumulation can negatively impact cell growth, recombinant protein production, and protein glycosylation. To improve product quality and decrease costs, the relationship between ammonium and protein glycosylation needs to be elucidated. While ammonium has been shown to adversely affect glycosylation-related gene expression in CHO cells, NS0 studies have not been performed. Therefore, this study sought to determine if glycosylation in NS0 cells were ammonium-sensitive at the gene expression level. Using a DNA microarray that contained mouse glycosylation-related and housekeeping genes, these genes were analyzed in response to various culture conditions - elevated ammonium, elevated salt, and elevated ammonium with proline. Surprisingly, no significant differences in gene expression levels were observed between the control and these conditions. Further, the elevated ammonium cultures were analyzed using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) for key glycosylation genes, and the qRT-PCR results corroborated the DNA microarray results, demonstrating that NS0 cells are ammonium-insensitive at the gene expression level. Since NS0 are known to have elevated nucleotide sugar pools under ammonium stress, and none of the genes directly responsible for these metabolic pools were changed, consequently cellular control at the translational or substrate-level must be responsible for the universally observed decreased glycosylation quality under elevated ammonium.

Discovery of transcription start sites in the Chinese hamster genome by next-generation RNA sequencing

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are one of the major production tools for monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and therapeutics. Although many efforts have significantly improved the availability of sequence information for CHO cells in the last years, forthcoming draft genomes still lack the information depth known from the mouse or human genomes. Many genes annotated for CHO cells and the Chinese hamster reference genome still are in silico predictions, only insufficiently verified by biological experiments. The correct annotation of transcription start sites (TSSs) is of special interest for CHO cells, as these directly define the location of the eukaryotic core promoter. Our study aims to elucidate these largely unexplored regions, trying to shed light on promoter landscapes in the Chinese hamster genome. Based on a 5' enriched dual library RNA sequencing approach 6547 TSSs were identified, of which over 90% were assigned to known genes. These TSSs were used to perform extensive promoter studies using a novel, modular bioinformatics pipeline, incorporating analyses of important regulatory elements of the eukaryotic core promoter on per-gene level and on genomic scale.

Transcriptome analyses of CHO cells with the next-generation microarray CHO41K: development and validation by analysing the influence of the growth stimulating substance IGF-1 substitute LongR(3.)

The increasing importance of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells for the production of pharmaceutical proteins has awakened the demand to understand the cellular metabolism of these cells. However, satisfactory gene expression studies have yet been impractical due to insufficient coverage of sequences. In this work, previously determined sequence information of CHO cells and newly derived data from 454 and Illumina sequencing was used to establish the CHO41K microarray which contains 41,304 probes. Self-hybridisation was performed for replica determination and samples were run in triplicates to increase statistical power. For determination of technical variance, confidence intervals at an M-value of ±0.6 for 95% and at ±2.3 for 99% of the probes were calculated. Intra-microarray and slide to slide variance was not detectable. In a first application, this microarray enabled an in-depth look inside the cellular transcriptome of CHO cells cultured in the presence or absence of the growth supporting substance "insulin like growth factor 1" (IGF-1) analogue LongR(3). Its effect on the cells ranged from enhanced growth to delay of cell death as well as cytoskeletal installation. Suggesting that under supplementation, a minimised cellular effort in installation of a large cytoskeleton occurs, possibly in favour of promoting faster cell division.

The relationship between mTOR signalling pathway and recombinant antibody productivity in CHO cell lines

Background

High recombinant protein productivity in mammalian cell lines is often associated with phenotypic changes in protein content, energy metabolism, and cell growth, but the key determinants that regulate productivity are still not clearly understood. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway has emerged as a central regulator for many cellular processes including cell growth, apoptosis, metabolism, and protein synthesis. This role of this pathway changes in response to diverse environmental cues and allows the upstream proteins that respond directly to extracellular signals (such as nutrient availability, energy status, and physical stresses) to communicate with downstream effectors which, in turn, regulate various essential cellular processes.

Results

In this study, we have performed a transcriptomic analysis using a pathway-focused polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array to compare the expression of 84 target genes related to the mTOR signalling in two recombinant CHO cell lines with a 17.4-fold difference in specific monoclonal antibody productivity (q_p). Eight differentially expressed genes that exhibited more than a 1.5-fold change were identified. Pik3cd (encoding the Class 1A catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PI3K]) was the most differentially expressed gene having a 71.3-fold higher level of expression in the high producer cell line than in the low producer. The difference in the gene’s transcription levels was confirmed at the protein level by examining expression of p110δ.

Conclusion

Expression of p110δ correlated with specific productivity (q_p) across six different CHO cell lines, with a range of expression levels from 3 to 51 pg/cell/day, suggesting that p110δ may be a key factor in regulating productivity in recombinant cell lines.

Proteins improving recombinant antibody production in mammalian cells

Mammalian cells have been successfully used for the industrial manufacture of antibodies due to their ability to synthesize antibodies correctly. Nascent polypeptides must be subjected to protein folding and assembly in the ER and the Golgi to be secreted as mature proteins. If these reactions do not proceed appropriately, unfolded or misfolded proteins are degraded by the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. The accumulation of unfolded proteins or intracellular antibody crystals accompanied by this failure triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which can considerably attenuate the levels of translation, folding, assembly, and secretion, resulting in reduction of antibody productivity. Accumulating studies by omics-based analysis of recombinant mammalian cells suggest that not only protein secretion processes including protein folding and assembly but also translation are likely to be the rate-limiting factors for increasing antibody production. Here, this review describes the mechanism of antibody folding and assembly and recent advantages which could improve recombinant antibody production in mammalian cells by utilizing proteins such as ER chaperones or UPR-related proteins.

Recent advances in mammalian protein production

Mammalian protein production platforms have had a profound impact in many areas of basic and applied research, and an increasing number of blockbuster drugs are recombinant mammalian proteins. With global sales of these drugs exceeding US$120 billion per year, both industry and academic research groups continue to develop cost effective methods for producing mammalian proteins to support pre-clinical and clinical evaluations of potential therapeutics. While a wide range of platforms have been successfully exploited for laboratory use, the bulk of recent biologics have been produced in mammalian cell lines due to the requirement for post translational modification and the biosynthetic complexity of the target proteins. In this review we highlight the range of mammalian expression platforms available for recombinant protein production, as well as advances in technologies for the rapid and efficient selection of highly productive clones.

CHO microRNA engineering is growing up: recent successes and future challenges

microRNAs with their ability to regulate complex pathways that control cellular behavior and phenotype have been proposed as potential targets for cell engineering in the context of optimization of biopharmaceutical production cell lines, specifically of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. However, until recently, research was limited by a lack of genomic sequence information on this industrially important cell line. With the publication of the genomic sequence and other relevant data sets for CHO cells since 2011, the doors have been opened for an improved understanding of CHO cell physiology and for the development of the necessary tools for novel engineering strategies. In the present review we discuss both knowledge on the regulatory mechanisms of microRNAs obtained from other biological models and proof of concepts already performed on CHO cells, thus providing an outlook of potential applications of microRNA engineering in production cell lines.

Genomic landscapes of Chinese hamster ovary cell lines as revealed by the Cricetulus griseus draft genome

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, first isolated in 1957, are the preferred production host for many therapeutic proteins. Although genetic heterogeneity among CHO cell lines has been well documented, a systematic, nucleotide-resolution characterization of their genotypic differences has been stymied by the lack of a unifying genomic resource for CHO cells. Here we report a 2.4-Gb draft genome sequence of a female Chinese hamster, Cricetulus griseus, harboring 24,044 genes. We also resequenced and analyzed the genomes of six CHO cell lines from the CHO-K1, DG44 and CHO-S lineages. This analysis identified hamster genes missing in different CHO cell lines, and detected >3.7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 551,240 indels and 7,063 copy number variations. Many mutations are located in genes with functions relevant to bioprocessing, such as apoptosis. The details of this genetic diversity highlight the value of the hamster genome as the reference upon which CHO cells can be studied and engineered for protein production.

Advances in Mammalian cell line development technologies for recombinant protein production

From 2006 to 2011, an average of 15 novel recombinant protein therapeutics have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) annually. In addition, the expiration of blockbuster biologics has also spurred the emergence of biosimilars. The increasing numbers of innovator biologic products and biosimilars have thus fuelled the demand of production cell lines with high productivity. Currently, mammalian cell line development technologies used by most biopharmaceutical companies are based on either the methotrexate (MTX) amplification technology or the glutamine synthetase (GS) system. With both systems, the cell clones obtained are highly heterogeneous, as a result of random genome integration by the gene of interest and the gene amplification process. Consequently, large numbers of cell clones have to be screened to identify rare stable high producer cell clones. As such, the cell line development process typically requires 6 to 12 months and is a time, capital and labour intensive process. This article reviews established advances in protein expression and clone screening which are the core technologies in mammalian cell line development. Advancements in these component technologies are vital to improve the speed and efficiency of generating robust and highly productive cell line for large scale production of protein therapeutics.

Overexpression of CHOP alone and in combination with chaperones is effective in improving antibody production in mammalian cells

Secretory capacities including folding and assembly are believed to be limiting factors in the establishment of mammalian cell lines producing high levels of recombinant therapeutic proteins. To achieve industrial success, it is also important to improve protein folding, assembly, and secretory processes in combination with increasing transcription and translation. Here, we identified the expression of CHOP/Gadd153 and GRP78, which are unfolded protein response (UPR)-related genes, correlated with recombinant antibody production in stable CHO cells. Subsequently, CHOP overexpression resulted in increasing recombinant antibody production in some mammalian cell lines, and in addition a threefold further enhancement was obtained by combining expression with UPR-related genes or ER chaperones in transient assays. Overexpression of CHOP had no effect on the biochemical characteristics of the product. These results suggest overexpression of CHOP and its combinations may be an effective method to efficiently select a single cell line with a high level of antibody production in the development of cell lines for manufacturing.

Amino acids potentiate insulin signaling in CHO-K1 at high glucose conditions

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Amino acids reportedly increase the glucose uptake under high glucose conditions. However, there are controversies in the role of amino acids in diabetes mellitus. The present study explores the insulin signaling pathway involved in glucose uptake mediated by amino acids in CHO-K1 cells.

METHODS

CHO-K1 cells were exposed to normal (7 mM) and high glucose (17 and 27 mM) with 100 nM insulin in the presence and absence of amino acid mixtures (AAM) in varying concentration (5 and 20 mM) followed by the assays, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (IRTK) and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) by autoradiography, protein kinase B (Akt) and glucose transporter (GLUT4) by Western blot and glycogen synthase (GS) by HPLC.

RESULTS

The addition of 5 and 20 mM AAM significantly increased IRTK and PI3K activity (ANOVA p = 0.025, p = 0.003, respectively) with increasing glucose concentration. Addition of 5 mM AAM in the presence of normal glucose significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated Akt Ser473 (p = 0.02) with no significant change at high glucose. At 20 mM AAM there was a significant decrease in Akt phosphorylation (p = 0.035) that was increased by high glucose concentration. GLUT4 protein levels were increased with AAM (5 mM) along with increase in glycogen synthase activity at all glucose concentrations (p <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Amino acids as a mixture is beneficial in augmenting insulin signaling pathway via IRTK/PI3K/GLUT4 pathway along with activation of GS in CHO-K1 cells, thereby ensuring increased intracellular glucose availability.

Genomics in mammalian cell culture bioprocessing

Explicitly identifying the genome of a host organism including sequencing, mapping, and annotating its genetic code has become a priority in the field of biotechnology with aims at improving the efficiency and understanding of cell culture bioprocessing. Recombinant protein therapeutics, primarily produced in mammalian cells, constitute a $108 billion global market. The most common mammalian cell line used in biologic production processes is the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, and although great improvements have been made in titer production over the past 25 years, the underlying molecular and physiological factors are not well understood. Confident understanding of CHO bioprocessing elements (e.g. cell line selection, protein production, and reproducibility of process performance and product specifications) would significantly improve with a well understood genome. This review describes mammalian cell culture use in bioprocessing, the importance of obtaining CHO cell line genetic sequences, and the current status of sequencing efforts. Furthermore, transcriptomic techniques and gene expression tools are presented, and case studies exploring genomic techniques and applications aimed to improve mammalian bioprocess performance are reviewed. Finally, future implications of genomic advances are surmised.

Unraveling the Chinese hamster ovary cell line transcriptome by next-generation sequencing

The pyrosequencing technology from 454 Life Sciences and a novel assembly approach for cDNA sequences with the Newbler Assembler were used to achieve a major step forward to unravel the transcriptome of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Normalized cDNA libraries originating from several cell lines and diverse culture conditions were sequenced and the resulting 1.84 million reads were assembled into 32,801 contiguous sequences, 29,184 isotigs, and 24,576 isogroups. A taxonomic classification of the isotigs showed that more than 70% of the assembled data is most similar to the transcriptome of Mus musculus, with most of the remaining isotigs being homologous to DNA sequences from Rattus norvegicus. Mapping of the CHO cell line contigs to the mouse transcriptome demonstrated that 9124 mouse transcripts, representing 6701 genes, are covered by more than 95% of their sequence length. Metabolic pathways of the central carbohydrate metabolism and biosynthesis routes of sugars used for protein N-glycosylation were reconstructed from the transcriptome data. All relevant genes representing major steps in the N-glycosylation pathway of CHO cells were detected. The present manuscript represents a data set of assembled and annotated genes for CHO cells that can now be used for a detailed analysis of the molecular functioning of CHO cell lines.

Dynamic mRNA and miRNA profiling of CHO-K1 suspension cell cultures

In spite of the importance of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells for recombinant protein production, very little is known about the molecular and gene regulatory mechanisms that control cellular phenotypes such as enhanced growth under serum-free conditions or high productivity. Most microarray analyses to this purpose are performed with samples taken during the exponential growth phase. However, the cellular transcriptome is dynamic, changing in response to external and internal stimuli and thus reflecting the current functional capacity of cells as well as their ability to adapt to a changing environment. Therefore, during batch or fed-batch cultivations it can be expected that the transcription pattern of genes will change and that such changes may give indications on the cellular state in terms of viability, growth, and productivity. In the current study we monitored the change in expression patterns of mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNA) during lag, exponential, and stationary phases in CHO-K1 suspension cell cultures. In total, over 1400 mRNAs and more than 100 miRNAs were differentially regulated (p<0.05) relative to the batch culture at the starting point. Functional clustering revealed groups of genes with similar expression patterns, which were subjected to functional pathway analysis. In addition, as miRNAs generally act as negative post-transcriptional regulators of mRNAs, we looked for changes in their expression that were inverse to those of their predicted target mRNAs.

Genomic sequencing and analysis of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line using Illumina sequencing technology

Background

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are among the most widely used hosts for therapeutic protein production. Yet few genomic resources are available to aid in engineering high-producing cell lines.

Results

High-throughput Illumina sequencing was used to generate a 1x genomic coverage of an engineered CHO cell line expressing secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP). Reference-guided alignment and assembly produced 3.57 million contigs and CHO-specific sequence information for ~ 18,000 mouse and ~ 19,000 rat orthologous genes. The majority of these genes are involved in metabolic processes, cellular signaling, and transport and represent attractive targets for cell line engineering.

Conclusions

This demonstrates the applicability of next-generation sequencing technology and comparative genomic analysis in the development of CHO genomic resources.

An investigation of intracellular glycosylation activities in CHO cells: effects of nucleotide sugar precursor feeding

Controlling glycosylation of recombinant proteins produced by CHO cells is highly desired as it can be directed towards maintaining or increasing product quality. To further our understanding of the different factors influencing glycosylation, a glycosylation sub-array of 79 genes and a capillary electrophoresis method which simultaneously analyzes 12 nucleotides and 7 nucleotide sugars; were used to generate intracellular N-glycosylation profiles. Specifically, the effects of nucleotide sugar precursor feeding on intracellular glycosylation activities were analyzed in CHO cells producing recombinant human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Galactose (+/-uridine), glucosamine (+/-uridine), and N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) (+/-cytidine) feeding resulted in 12%, 28%, and 32% increase in IFN-gamma sialylation as compared to the untreated control cultures. This could be directly attributed to increases in nucleotide sugar substrates, UDP-Hex ( approximately 20-fold), UDP-HexNAc (6- to 15-fold) and CMP-sialic acid (30- to 120-fold), respectively. Up-regulation of B4gal and St3gal could also have enhanced glycan addition onto the proteins, leading to more complete glycosylation (sialylation). Combined feeding of glucosamine + uridine and ManNAc + cytidine increased UDP-HexNAc and CMP-sialic acid by another two- to fourfold as compared to feeding sugar precursors alone. However, it did not lead to a synergistic increase in IFN-gamma sialylation. Other factors such as glycosyltransferase or glycan substrate levels could have become limiting. In addition, uridine feeding increased the levels of uridine- and cytidine-activated nucleotide sugars simultaneously, which could imply that uridine is one of the limiting substrates for nucleotide sugar synthesis in the study. Hence, the characterization of intracellular glycosylation activities has increased our understanding of how nucleotide sugar precursor feeding influence glycosylation of recombinant proteins produced in CHO cells. It has also led to the optimization of more effective strategies for manipulating glycan quality.

Methods in mammalian cell line engineering: from random mutagenesis to sequence-specific approaches

Due to the increasing demand for recombinant proteins, the interest in mammalian cell culture, especially of Chinese hamster ovary cells, grows rapidly. This is accompanied by the desire to improve cell lines in order to achieve higher titers and a better product quality. Until recently, most cell line development procedures were based on random integration and gene amplification, but several methods for targeted genetic modification of cells have been developed. Some of those are homologous recombination, RNA interference and zinc-finger nucleases. Especially the latter two have evolved considerably and will soon become a standard for cell line engineering in research and industrial application. This review presents an overview of established as well as new and promising techniques for targeted genetic modification of mammalian cells.

Regulation of XBP-1 signaling during transient and stable recombinant protein production in CHO cells

X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1) is a key regulator of cellular unfolded protein response (UPR). The spliced isoform of XBP-1, XBP-1S, is a transcription activator, which is expressed only when UPR is induced. However, the impact of recombinant protein production on the regulation of XBP-1 signaling in CHO cells is not well understood. In this report, we cloned the Chinese hamster XBP-1 homolog to aid the investigation of the interplay between protein productivity, culture conditions, and endogenous XBP-1 signaling in CHO cells. Interestingly, expression of XBP-1S is detected in the non-producing and unstressed CHO-K1 cells. Transient expression of recombinant erythropoietin reveals a positive correlation between XBP-1 mRNA abundance and protein production level. However, such a correlation is not observed in batch cultivation of stable producing cell lines. The increased XBP-1 splicing is detected in late-phase cultures, suggesting that induction of XBP-1S may be a result of nutrient limitations or other environmental stresses rather than that of increased intracellular accumulation of recombinant proteins. Our data suggest that XBP-1 is a key determinant for the secretory capacity of CHO cells. Understanding its dynamic regulation hence provides a rational basis for cellular engineering strategies to improve recombinant protein secretion.

Into the unknown: expression profiling without genome sequence information in CHO by next generation sequencing

The arrival of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has led to novel opportunities for expression profiling and genome analysis by utilizing vast amounts of short read sequence data. Here, we demonstrate that expression profiling in organisms lacking any genome or transcriptome sequence information is feasible by combining Illumina’s mRNA-seq technology with a novel bioinformatics pipeline that integrates assembled and annotated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) sequences with information derived from related organisms. We applied this pipeline to the analysis of CHO cells which were chosen as a model system owing to its relevance in the production of therapeutic proteins. Specifically, we analysed CHO cells undergoing butyrate treatment which is known to affect cell cycle regulation and to increase the specific productivity of recombinant proteins. By this means, we identified sequences for >13 000 CHO genes which added sequence information of ∼5000 novel genes to the CHO model. More than 6000 transcript sequences are predicted to be complete, as they covered >95% of the corresponding mouse orthologs. Detailed analysis of selected biological functions such as DNA replication and cell cycle control, demonstrated the potential of NGS expression profiling in organisms without extended genome sequence to improve both data quantity and quality.

Using microarray technology to select housekeeping genes in Chinese hamster ovary cells

In the present study, we have identified species-specific housekeeping genes (HKGs) for Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells using data from microarray gene expression profiling. HKGs suitable for quantitative RT-PCR normalization should display relatively stable expression levels across experimental conditions. We analyzed transcription profiles of several IgG-producing recombinant CHO cell lines under numerous culture conditions using a custom CHO DNA microarray platform and calculated relative expression variability from 124 microarrays. We selected a novel panel of candidate HKGs based on their low variability in expression from the microarray data. Compared to three traditional HKGs (Gapdh, Actb, and B2m), the majority of genes on this panel demonstrated lower or equal variability. Each candidate HKG was then validated using qRT-PCR. Final selection of CHO-specific HKGs include Actr5, Eif3i, Hirip3, Pabpn1, Vezt, Cog1, and Yaf2. The results reported here provide a useful tool for gene expression analyses in CHO cells, a critical expression platform used in biotherapeutics.

Generation of Site-Specific Retargeting Platform Cell Lines for Drug Discovery Using phiC31 and R4 Integrases

One of the challenges in developing cell lines for high-throughput screening in drug discovery is the labor- and time-intensive process required to create stable clonal cell lines that express specific reporters or drug targets. The authors report here the generation of a site-specific retargeting platform in 3 different cell lines: adherent HEK293, suspension CHO-S, and a human embryonic cell line (BGO1V). These platform cell lines were generated by using a combination of 2 site-specific integrases to develop a system that allows one to efficiently target a gene of interest to a specific locus and generates rapid production of homogeneous cell pools that stably express the gene of interest. The phiC31 integrase was used to create a platform line by placing a target site for the R4 integrase into a pseudo attP site, and then the R4 integrase was used to place a gene of interest into specific R4 target site. The authors demonstrate the successful and rapid retargeting of a G-protein-coupled receptor (cholecystokinin receptor A, CCKAR), an ion channel (the transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 8, TRPM8), and a GFP-c-Jun(1-79) fusion protein into the specific loci in these cell lines and show that these retargeted cell lines exhibit functional and pharmacological responses consistent with those reported in the literature.

Post-translational modifications of recombinant proteins: significance for biopharmaceuticals

The production of recombinant therapeutic proteins is one of the fastest growing sectors of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly monoclonal antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins. Currently, mammalian cells are the dominant production system for these proteins because they can perform complex post-translational modifications that are often required for efficient secretion, drug efficacy, and stability. These protein modifications include misfolding and aggregation, oxidation of methionine, deamidation of asparagine and glutamine, variable glycosylation, and proteolysis. Such modifications not only pose challenges for accurate and consistent bioprocessing, but also may have consequences for the patient in that incorrect modifications and aggregation can lead to an immune response to the therapeutic protein. This mini-review describes examples analytical and preventative advances in the fields of protein oxidation, deamidation, misfolding and aggregation (glycosylation is covered in other articles in this issue). The feasibility of partially replacing traditional analytical methods such as peptide mapping with high-throughput screens and their use in clone and media selection are evaluated. This review also discusses how further technical advances could improve the manufacturability, potency, and safety of biotherapeutics.

In pursuit of a super producer-alternative paths to high producing recombinant mammalian cells

Recombinant mammalian cells are used to produce numerous, high-value protein therapeutics. Generating hyper-producing cell lines is crucial for delivery of products to ailing patients. Better understanding of the complex trait of hyperproductivity can facilitate the creation of hyper-producing cell lines. Ruminating over the reported transcriptomic and proteomic studies, we attempt to assess whether high productivity response is a result of minute changes occurring globally or large alterations observed locally at the molecular level. We present here our philosophical perspective on the alternative routes to high productivity. We contend that given the advances in genome-scale technologies and data analysis approaches, insights gained from elucidating the gene-trait relationship underlying hyperproductivity will accelerate the development of hyperproductive processes.

Engineering cell metabolism for high-density cell culture via manipulation of sugar transport

Transporters mediate the influx of nutrients and excretion of metabolites in mammalian cells, playing a key role in the regulation of metabolism. They are natural targets for cell engineering to alter metabolic characteristics. The GLUT5 fructose transporter was stably expressed in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line, allowing clones to utilize fructose in place of glucose in culture medium. Compared to the ubiquitously expressed GLUT1 glucose transporter, the GLUT5 fructose transporter has a high K(m) value for its substrate. Fructose uptake by the GLUT5 transporter should supply sugar to cells at a more moderate rate, even in high fructose concentrations, avoiding the overflow of excess carbon to lactate. When cultured in fructose, selected GLUT5 expressing clones exhibited drastically reduced sugar consumption and lactate production rates. When those same clones were cultured in glucose, high sugar consumption and lactate production rates were observed. GLUT5 transcript expression levels and specific lactate production rates varied among the clones. Clones having a low expression level of the GLUT5 transporter were able to import fructose at more moderate rates in higher sugar concentrations. The reduced lactate production for these clones allowed a significant increase in the final cell concentration in fructose fed-batch processes.

Genomics and proteomics in process development: opportunities and challenges

Global gene expression profiling by genomic and proteomic analyses has changed the face of drug discovery and biological research in the past few years. The benefit of these technologies in the area of process development for recombinant protein production has been increasingly realized. This review discusses the application of genome-wide expression profiling tools in the design and optimization of bioprocesses, with the emphasis on the effect on process development of mammalian cell culture. Despite the lack of genome sequence information for most of the relevant mammalian cell lines used, these technologies can be applied during various process development steps. Although there are only a few examples in the literature that present a major improvement in productivity based on genomics and proteomics, further advances in analytical tools and genome sequencing technologies will greatly increase our knowledge at the molecular level and will drive the design of future bioprocesses.