Off-line quantitative monitoring of plasmid copy number in bacterial fermentation by capillary electrophoresis

Preventing T7 RNA polymerase read-through transcription-A synthetic termination signal capable of improving bioprocess stability

The phage-derived T7 RNA polymerase is the most prominent orthogonal transcriptions system used in the field of synthetic biology. However, gene expression driven by T7 RNA polymerase is prone to read-through transcription due to contextuality of the T7 terminator. The native T7 terminator has a termination efficiency of approximately 80% and therefore provides insufficient insulation of the expression unit. By using a combination of a synthetic T7 termination signal with two well-known transcriptional terminators (rrnBT1 and T7), we have been able to increase the termination efficiency to 99%. To characterize putative effects of an enhanced termination signal on product yield and process stability, industrial-relevant fed batch cultivations have been performed. Fermentation of a E. coli HMS174(DE3) strain carrying a pET30a derivative containing the improved termination signal showed a significant decrease of plasmid copy number (PCN) and an increase in total protein yield under standard conditions.

Capillary electrophoresis for monitoring bioprocesses

Chemical characterization and monitoring of fermentation broths and cell culture media provide significant information on the changes occurring within these complex and dynamic systems. Analytical methods based on CE in capillaries and microchips are attractive for integration in instrumental tools to obtain this critical data, improving the understanding and control of bioprocesses. In this review, the use of CE for chemical characterization and monitoring fermentations is discussed, organized by analyte class, including organic acids, pharmaceuticals, proteins, sugars, amino acids, and metabolites published between 1992 and October 2012. A section is dedicated to the roles CE plays throughout the wine making process, where applications range from characterization and increase in fundamental understanding of the fermentation to forensic applications, verifying the authenticity of the wine.

An advanced monitoring platform for rational design of recombinant processes

Bioprocess engineering is an application-oriented science in an interdisciplinary environment, and a meaningful combination of different scientific disciplines is the only way to meet the challenges of bioprocess complexity. Setting up a reasoned process monitoring platform is the first step in an iterative procedure aiming at process and systems understanding, being the key to rational and innovative bioprocess design. This chapter describes a comprehensive process monitoring platform and how the resulting knowledge is translated into new strategies in process and/or host cell design.

Time-course determination of plasmid content in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells using real-time PCR

A Real-Time PCR method was developed to monitor the plasmid copy number (PCN) in Escherichia coli and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. E. coli was transformed with plasmids containing a ColE1 or p15A origin of replication and CHO cells were transfected with a ColE1 derived plasmid used in DNA vaccination and carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene. The procedure requires neither specific cell lysis nor DNA purification and can be performed in <30 min with dynamic ranges covering 0.9 pg-55 ng, and 5.0 pg-2.5 ng of plasmid DNA (pDNA) for E. coli and CHO cells, respectively. Analysis of PCN in E. coli batch cultures revealed that the maximum copy number per cell is attained in mid-exponential phase and that this number decreases on average 80% towards the end of cultivation for both types of plasmids. The plasmid content of CHO cells determined 24 h post-transfection was around 3 x 104 copies per cell although only 37% of the cells expressed GFP one day after transfection. The half-life of pDNA was 20 h and around 100 copies/cell were still detected 6 days after transfection.

Electrophoretic behavior of plasmid DNA in the presence of various intercalating dyes

In the present study, the electrophoretic behavior of linear, supercoiled and nicked circular plasmid DNA in the presence of various intercalating dyes was characterized using pGL3 plasmid DNA as a model. The enzymatic digestion of pGL3 plasmid DNA with HindIIIwas monitored by capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF). Nicked circular plasmid DNA was found to be relatively sensitive to enzymes, and was almost digested into the linear conformer after 10-min incubation, indicating that nicked circular plasmid DNA has little chance of targeting and entering the cell nucleus. Partly digested plasmid DNA containing only linear and supercoiled conformers can be used as a standard to confirm the migration order of plasmid DNA. In methylcellulose (MC) solution with YO-PRO-1 or YOYO-1, linear plasmid DNA eluted first, followed by supercoiled and nicked plasmid DNA, and nicked plasmid DNA eluted as a broad peak. With SYBR Green 1, nicked plasmid DNA eluted first as three sharp peaks, followed by linear and supercoiled plasmid DNA. The nuclear plasmid DNA from two transfected cell lines was successfully analyzed using the present procedure. Similar results were obtained with an analysis time of seconds using microchip electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (mu-CE-LIF). To our knowledge, these results represent the first reported analysis of nuclear plasmid DNA from transfection cells by CE-LIF or mu-CE-LIF without pre-preparation, suggesting that the present procedure is a promising alternative method for evaluating transfection efficiency of DNA delivery systems.

Stabilizing plasmid copy number to improve recombinant protein production

The key objective for recombinant protein production in bacteria is the maximum exploitation of the cell factory's potential, whereby often strong expression vectors are used to increase product yield. If the metabolic load caused by recombinant expression exceeds the host's capacity, the system exhausts itself, resulting in a loss of protein yield. Excessive plasmid replication is observed after inducing recombinant gene expression, which greatly contributes to metabolic overload of the host cell. The transcriptional and translational machineries are extremely overstrained. By abolishing sequence homology between ColE1 RNA I/RNA II and tRNAs, we were able to restore the plasmid's replication control mechanisms and to keep the plasmid copy number constant throughout the culture process, thereby prolonging metabolic activity and productivity of the bacterial expression system. Because the bacterial host cell is not being exploited beyond its tolerable potential with this method, the constancy of the plasmid copy number level throughout the whole period of the bioprocess provides novel strategies for bioprocess optimization.

Integrated flow-injection processing for on-line quantification of plasmid DNA during cultivation of E. coli

An integrated flow-injection processing (FIP) system for the quantification of plasmids during cultivation is described. The system performs on-line sampling, cell lysis, and quantification of plasmids in an integrated manner during cultivation of E. coli. The system was operated by using a miniaturized expanded-bed column which can be used for handling samples containing cells and cell debris without interfering with the binding analysis. Two types of detectors (one measuring UV absorbance at 254 nm and a fluorometer) are used for on-line plasmid detection. The system was developed using standard solutions and it was successfully applied in monitoring plasmid contents during a cultivation of E. coli.

Rapid quantitation and monitoring of plasmid DNA using an ultrasensitive DNA-binding dye

A sensitive fluorescence-based method for monitoring plasmid DNA during production was investigated. This simple method of assaying for plasmid DNA allows rapid monitoring of plasmid yields from a recombinant Escherichia coli fed-batch fermentation. The assay has several advantages over traditional methods of plasmid DNA measurement. The fluorescent dye is highly specific and can measure total plasmid DNA concentration in about 5 min. The assay is sensitive over a wide range of plasmid concentrations of between 15 and 280 ng/mL, even in the presence of impurities that occur within alkaline lysate preparations. The technique can also be applied to monitoring fermentation and downstream purification steps.