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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 2024:108402. [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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2
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Balasubramanian S. Recombinant CHO Cell Pool Generation Using PiggyBac Transposon System. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2810:137-146. [PMID: 38926277 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3878-1_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
CHO cell pools with desirable characteristics of high titer and consistent product quality are useful for rapid production of recombinant proteins. Here, we describe the generation of CHO cell pools using the piggyBac transposon system for mediating gene integration. The method describes the co-transfection of cells with the donor plasmid (coding for the gene of interest) and the helper plasmid (coding for the transposase) using polyethyleneimine (PEI). This is followed by a genetic selection for the generation of a cell pool. The resulting cell pool can be used to start a batch or fed-batch culture. Alternatively, it can be used for generation of clonal cell lines or generation of cell banks for future use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sowmya Balasubramanian
- Laboratory of Cellular Biotechnology (LBTC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA.
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3
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Sun H, Wang S, Lu M, Tinberg CE, Alba BM. Protein production from HEK293 cell line-derived stable pools with high protein quality and quantity to support discovery research. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285971. [PMID: 37267316 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-based therapeutics and recombinant protein reagents are often produced in mammalian expression systems, which provide human-like post-translational modifications. Among the available mammalian cell lines used for recombinant protein expression, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-derived suspension cells are generally utilized because they are easy to culture and tend to produce proteins in high yield. However, some proteins purified from CHO cell overexpression suffer from clipping and display undesired non-human post translational modifications (PTMs). In addition, CHO cell lines are often not suitable for producing proteins with many glycosylation motifs for structural biology studies, as N-linked glycosylation of proteins poses challenges for structure determination by X-ray crystallography. Hence, alternative and complementary cell lines are required to address these issues. Here, we present a robust method for expressing proteins in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293)-derived stable pools, leading to recombinant protein products with much less clipped species compared to those expressed in CHO cells and with higher yield compared to those expressed in transiently-transfected HEK293 cells. Importantly, the stable pool generation protocol is also applicable to HEK293S GnTI- (N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I-negative) and Expi293F GnTI- suspension cells, facilitating production of high yields of proteins with less complex glycans for use in structural biology projects. Compared to HEK293S GnTI- stable pools, Expi293F GnTI- stable pools consistently produce proteins with similar or higher expression levels. HEK293-derived stable pools can lead to a significant cost reduction and greatly promote the production of high-quality proteins for diverse research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Sun
- Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Songyu Wang
- Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Mei Lu
- Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Christine E Tinberg
- Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Benjamin M Alba
- Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen Research, South San Francisco, California, United States of America
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4
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Ender P, Gagliardi PA, Dobrzyński M, Frismantiene A, Dessauges C, Höhener T, Jacques MA, Cohen AR, Pertz O. Spatiotemporal control of ERK pulse frequency coordinates fate decisions during mammary acinar morphogenesis. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2153-2167.e6. [PMID: 36113484 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The signaling events controlling proliferation, survival, and apoptosis during mammary epithelial acinar morphogenesis remain poorly characterized. By imaging single-cell ERK activity dynamics in MCF10A acini, we find that these fates depend on the average frequency of non-periodic ERK pulses. High pulse frequency is observed during initial acinus growth, correlating with rapid cell motility and proliferation. Subsequent decrease in motility correlates with lower ERK pulse frequency and quiescence. Later, during lumen formation, coordinated multicellular ERK waves emerge, correlating with high and low ERK pulse frequencies in outer surviving and inner dying cells, respectively. Optogenetic entrainment of ERK pulses causally connects high ERK pulse frequency with inner cell survival. Acini harboring the PIK3CA H1047R mutation display increased ERK pulse frequency and inner cell survival. Thus, fate decisions during acinar morphogenesis are coordinated by different spatiotemporal modalities of ERK pulse frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Ender
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Maciej Dobrzyński
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Agne Frismantiene
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Coralie Dessauges
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Höhener
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc-Antoine Jacques
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew R Cohen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, 3120-40 Market Street, Suite 313, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Olivier Pertz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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5
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Dessauges C, Mikelson J, Dobrzyński M, Jacques MA, Frismantiene A, Gagliardi PA, Khammash M, Pertz O. Optogenetic actuator - ERK biosensor circuits identify MAPK network nodes that shape ERK dynamics. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e10670. [PMID: 35694820 PMCID: PMC9189677 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Combining single-cell measurements of ERK activity dynamics with perturbations provides insights into the MAPK network topology. We built circuits consisting of an optogenetic actuator to activate MAPK signaling and an ERK biosensor to measure single-cell ERK dynamics. This allowed us to conduct RNAi screens to investigate the role of 50 MAPK proteins in ERK dynamics. We found that the MAPK network is robust against most node perturbations. We observed that the ERK-RAF and the ERK-RSK2-SOS negative feedback operate simultaneously to regulate ERK dynamics. Bypassing the RSK2-mediated feedback, either by direct optogenetic activation of RAS, or by RSK2 perturbation, sensitized ERK dynamics to further perturbations. Similarly, targeting this feedback in a human ErbB2-dependent oncogenic signaling model increased the efficiency of a MEK inhibitor. The RSK2-mediated feedback is thus important for the ability of the MAPK network to produce consistent ERK outputs, and its perturbation can enhance the efficiency of MAPK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jan Mikelson
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Mustafa Khammash
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Pertz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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6
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Kuk MU, Park JY, Song ES, Lee H, Lee YH, Joo J, Kwon HW, Park JT. Bacterial Artificial Chromosome-based Protein Expression Platform Using the Tol2 Transposon System. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-021-0222-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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7
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Zhang Q, Jiang B, Nelson L, Huhn S, Du Z, Chasin LA. A multi‐auxotrophic CHO cell line for the rapid isolation of producers of diverse or high levels of recombinant proteins. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:1392-1404. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.28074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qinghao Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences Columbia University New York NY USA
| | - Bo Jiang
- Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth NJ USA
- Gilead Sciences, Inc
| | | | | | - Zhimei Du
- Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth NJ USA
- Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc
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8
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Hwang SY, Lee YH, Kuk MU, Kim JW, Oh S, Park JT. Improvement of Tol2 Transposon System Enabling Efficient Protein Production in CHO Cells. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-020-0310-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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9
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Moya-Torres A, Gupta M, Heide F, Krahn N, Legare S, Nikodemus D, Imhof T, Meier M, Koch M, Stetefeld J. Homogenous overexpression of the extracellular matrix protein Netrin-1 in a hollow fiber bioreactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:6047-6057. [PMID: 34342709 PMCID: PMC8390410 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11438-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The production of recombinant proteins for functional and biophysical studies, especially in the field of structural determination, still represents a challenge as high quality and quantities are needed to adequately perform experiments. This is in part solved by optimizing protein constructs and expression conditions to maximize the yields in regular flask expression systems. Still, work flow and effort can be substantial with no guarantee to obtain improvements. This study presents a combination of workflows that can be used to dramatically increase protein production and improve processing results, specifically for the extracellular matrix protein Netrin-1. This proteoglycan is an axon guidance cue which interacts with various receptors to initiate downstream signaling cascades affecting cell differentiation, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. We were able to produce large glycoprotein quantities in mammalian cells, which were engineered for protein overexpression and secretion into the media using the controlled environment provided by a hollow fiber bioreactor. Close monitoring of the internal bioreactor conditions allowed for stable production over an extended period of time. In addition to this, Netrin-1 concentrations were monitored in expression media through biolayer interferometry which allowed us to increase Netrin-1 media concentrations tenfold over our current flask systems while preserving excellent protein quality and in solution behavior. Our particular combination of genetic engineering, cell culture system, protein purification, and biophysical characterization permitted us to establish an efficient and continuous production of high-quality protein suitable for structural biology studies that can be translated to various biological systems. KEY POINTS: • Hollow fiber bioreactor produces substantial yields of homogenous Netrin-1 • Biolayer interferometry allows target protein quantitation in expression media • High production yields in the bioreactor do not impair Netrin-1 proteoglycan quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniel Moya-Torres
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Monika Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Fabian Heide
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
| | - Natalie Krahn
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Scott Legare
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Denise Nikodemus
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Imhof
- Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Biology, Center for Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Meier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Manuel Koch
- Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Biology, Center for Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jörg Stetefeld
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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10
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Napoleone A, Laurén I, Linkgreim T, Dahllund L, Persson H, Andersson O, Olsson A, Hultqvist G, Frank P, Hall M, Morrison A, Andersson A, Lord M, Mangsbo S. Fed-batch production assessment of a tetravalent bispecific antibody: A case study on piggyBac stably transfected HEK293 cells. N Biotechnol 2021; 65:9-19. [PMID: 34273575 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The transition from preclinical biological drug development into clinical trials requires an efficient upscaling process. In this context, bispecific antibody drugs are particularly challenging due to their propensity to form aggregates and generally produce low titers. Here, the upscaling process for a tetravalent bispecific antibody expressed by a piggyBac transposon-mediated stable HEK293 cell pool has been evaluated. The project was performed as a case study at Testa Center, a non-GMP facility for scale-up testing of biologics in Sweden, and encompassed media adaptation strategies, fed-batch optimization and a novel antibody purification technology. The cell pool was adapted to different culture media for evaluation in terms of cell viability and titers compared to its original Expi293 Expression Medium. These parameters were assessed in both sequential stepwise adaption and direct media exchanges. By this, a more affordable medium was identified that did not require stepwise adaptation and with similar titers and viability as in the Expi293 Expression Medium. Fed-batch optimizations resulted in culture densities reaching up to 20 × 106 viable cells/mL with over 90 % viability 12 days post-inoculum, and antibody titers three times higher than corresponding batch cultures. By implementing a novel high-speed protein A fiber technology (Fibro PrismA) with a capture residence time of only 7.5 s, 8 L of supernatant could be purified in 4.5 h without compromising the purity, structural integrity and function of the bispecific antibody. Results from this study related to medium adaptation and design of fed-batch protocols will be highly beneficial during the forthcoming scale-up of this therapeutic antibody.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Napoleone
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ida Laurén
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Triinu Linkgreim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Leif Dahllund
- Science for Life Laboratory, Drug Discovery and Development & School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Helena Persson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Drug Discovery and Development & School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oskar Andersson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Drug Discovery and Development & School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Olsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Drug Discovery and Development & School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Greta Hultqvist
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter Frank
- Wicket AB, Väderkvarnsgatan 30, 75329 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martin Hall
- Cytiva AB, Björkgatan 30, 751 84 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Annika Morrison
- Cytiva Testa Center AB, Björkgatan 30, 751 84 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Martin Lord
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sara Mangsbo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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11
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Gagliardi PA, Dobrzyński M, Jacques MA, Dessauges C, Ender P, Blum Y, Hughes RM, Cohen AR, Pertz O. Collective ERK/Akt activity waves orchestrate epithelial homeostasis by driving apoptosis-induced survival. Dev Cell 2021; 56:1712-1726.e6. [PMID: 34081908 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cell death events continuously challenge epithelial barrier function yet are crucial to eliminate old or critically damaged cells. How such apoptotic events are spatio-temporally organized to maintain epithelial homeostasis remains unclear. We observe waves of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and AKT serine/threonine kinase (Akt) activity pulses that originate from apoptotic cells and propagate radially to healthy surrounding cells. This requires epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) signaling. At the single-cell level, ERK/Akt waves act as spatial survival signals that locally protect cells in the vicinity of the epithelial injury from apoptosis for a period of 3-4 h. At the cell population level, ERK/Akt waves maintain epithelial homeostasis (EH) in response to mild or intense environmental insults. Disruption of this spatial signaling system results in the inability of a model epithelial tissue to ensure barrier function in response to environmental insults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maciej Dobrzyński
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc-Antoine Jacques
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Coralie Dessauges
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Ender
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Yannick Blum
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Robert M Hughes
- Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University, 300 Science and Technology Building, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, USA
| | - Andrew R Cohen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, 3120-40 Market Street, Suite 313, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Olivier Pertz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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12
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Dias MM, Vidigal J, Sequeira DP, Alves PM, Teixeira AP, Roldão A. Insect High FiveTM cell line development using site-specific flipase recombination technology. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6274903. [PMID: 33982066 PMCID: PMC8763235 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Insect Trichoplusia ni High FiveTM (Hi5) cells have been widely explored for production of heterologous proteins, traditionally mostly using the lytic baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), and more recently using virus-free transient gene expression systems. Stable expression in such host cells would circumvent the drawbacks associated with both systems when it comes to scale-up and implementation of more efficient high-cell density process modes for the manufacturing of biologics. In this work, we combined Flipase (Flp) recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for generating a stable master clonal Hi5 cell line with the flexibility to express single or multiple proteins of interest from a tagged genomic locus. The 3-step protocol herein implemented consisted of (i) introducing the RMCE docking cassette into the cell genome by random integration followed by selection in Hygromycin B and FACS (Hi5-tagging population), (ii) eliminating cells tagged in loci with low recombination efficiency by transfecting the tagging population with an eGFP-containing target cassette followed by selection in G418 and FACS (Hi5-RMCE population), and (iii) isolation of pure eGFP-expressing cells by FACS and expansion to suspension cultures (Hi5-RMCE master clone). Exchangeability of the locus in the master clone was demonstrated in small-scale suspension cultures by replacing the target cassette by one containing a single protein (i.e. iCherry, as an intracellular protein model) or two proteins (i.e. influenza HA and M1 for virus-like particles production, as an extracellular protein model). Overall, the stable insect Hi5 cell platform herein assembled has the potential to assist and accelerate biologics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda M Dias
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - João Vidigal
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Daniela P Sequeira
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paula M Alves
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana P Teixeira
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,ETH Zurich, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 - Basel, Switzerland
| | - António Roldão
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
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13
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Tschorn N, Berg K, Stitz J. Transposon vector-mediated stable gene transfer for the accelerated establishment of recombinant mammalian cell pools allowing for high-yield production of biologics. Biotechnol Lett 2020; 42:1103-1112. [PMID: 32323079 PMCID: PMC7275939 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-020-02889-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stable recombinant mammalian cells are of growing importance in pharmaceutical biotechnology production scenarios for biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, growth and blood factors, cytokines and subunit vaccines. However, the establishment of recombinant producer cells using classical stable transfection of plasmid DNA is hampered by low stable gene transfer efficiencies. Consequently, subsequent selection of transgenic cells and the screening of clonal cell populations are time- and thus cost-intensive. To overcome these limitations, expression cassettes were embedded into transposon-derived donor vectors. Upon the co-transfection with transposase-encoding constructs, elevated vector copy numbers stably integrated into the genomes of the host cells are readily achieved facilitating under stringent selection pressure the establishment of cell pools characterized by sustained and high-yield recombinant protein production. Here, we discuss some aspects of transposon vector technologies, which render these vectors promising candidates for their further utilization in the production of biologics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Tschorn
- Research Group Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences, Chempark Leverkusen E28, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee, 51368, Leverkusen, Germany.,Institute of Technical Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Karen Berg
- Research Group Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences, Chempark Leverkusen E28, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee, 51368, Leverkusen, Germany.,Research Group Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology, Cluster of Excellence REBIRTH, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jörn Stitz
- Research Group Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences, Chempark Leverkusen E28, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee, 51368, Leverkusen, Germany.
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14
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Abstract
CHO cell pools with desirable characteristics of high titer and consistent product quality are useful for rapid production of recombinant proteins. Here we describe the generation of CHO cell pools using the piggyBac transposon system for mediating gene integration. The method describes the co-transfection of cells with the donor plasmid (coding for the gene of interest) and the helper plasmid (coding for the transposase) using polyethyleneimine (PEI). This is followed by a genetic selection for the generation of a cell pool. The resulting cell pool can be used to start a batch or fed-batch culture. Alternatively it can be used for generation of clonal cell lines or generation of cell banks for future use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sowmya Balasubramanian
- Laboratory of Cellular Biotechnology (LBTC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,ATUM, Newark, CA, USA.
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