Expression of biologically active recombinant equine interferon-gamma by two different baculovirus gene expression systems using insect cells and silkworm larvae

Heterologous Expression and Purification of GPCRs

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in a variety of human physiological processes and are attractive targets for treating various diseases. Yet, despite the importance as therapeutic targets, only 97 unique GPCR structures have been determined to date. A key challenge in their structural biology study is to obtain adequate protein samples because GPCRs usually have the low expression in native tissues. The in vitro recombinant expression provides the possibility to obtain large quantities of high-quality proteins suitable for three-dimensional structure determination by crystallography or single particle cryo-EM methods. For GPCR protein production, eukaryotic expression systems, such as baculovirus system and mammalian system, are the most widely used. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the methodological approaches on GPCRs expression and purification optimization using insect cells and mammalian cells, which is the prerequisite conditions for structural biology studies.

Plant Platforms for Efficient Heterologous Protein Production

Production of recombinant proteins is primarily established in cultures of mammalian, insect and bacterial cells. Concurrently, concept of using plants to produce high-value pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, antibodies, and dietary proteins have received worldwide attention. Newer technologies for plant transformation such as plastid engineering, agroinfiltration, magnifection, and deconstructed viral vectors have been used to enhance the protein production in plants along with the inherent advantage of speed, scale, and cost of production in plant systems. Production of therapeutic proteins in plants has now a more pragmatic approach when several plant-produced vaccines and antibodies successfully completed Phase I clinical trials in humans and were further scheduled for regulatory approvals to manufacture clinical grade products on a large scale which are safe, efficacious, and meet the quality standards. The main thrust of this review is to summarize the data accumulated over the last two decades and recent development and achievements of the plant derived therapeutics. It also attempts to discuss different strategies employed to increase the production so as to make plants more competitive with the established production systems in this industry.

Baculovirus-Derived Vectors for Immunization and Therapeutic Applications

Baculoviruses are arthropod-specific, enveloped viruses with circular, supercoiled double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid genomes. While many viruses are studied to seek solutions for their adverse impact on human, veterinary, and plant health, the study of baculoviruses was stimulated initially by their potential utility to control insect pests. Later, the utility of baculovirus as gene expression vectors was evidenced leading to numerous applications. Several strategies are employed to obtain recombinant viruses that express large quantities of heterologous proteins. A major step forward was the development of bacmid technology (the construction of bacterial artificial chromosomes containing the genome of the baculovirus) which allows the manipulation of the baculovirus genome in bacteria. With this technology, foreign genes can be introduced into the bacmid by homologous and site-directed recombination or by transposition. Baculoviruses have been used to explore fundamental questions in molecular biology such as the nature of programmed cell-death. Moreover, the ability of baculoviruses to transduce mammalian cells led to the consideration of their use as gene-therapy and vaccine vectors. Strategies for genetic engineering of baculoviruses have been developed to meet the requirements of new application areas. Display of foreign proteins on the surface of virions or in nucleocapsid structures, the assembly of expressed proteins to form virus-like particles or protein complexes have been explored and validated as vaccines. The aim of this chapter is to update the areas of application of the baculoviruses in protein expression, alternative vaccine designs and gene therapy of infectious diseases and genetic disorders. Finally, we review the baculovirus-derived products on the market and in the pipeline for biomedical and veterinary use.

Expression of recombinant glutamic acid decarboxylase in insect larvae and its application in an immunoassay for the diagnosis of autoimmune diabetes mellitus

Autoimmune Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by the selective destruction of insulin producing beta cells in human pancreas. DM is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies that bind a variety of islet-cell antigens. The 65 kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65) is a major autoantigen recognized by these autoantibodies. Autoantibodies to GAD65 (GADA) are considered predictive markers of the disease when tested in combination with other specific autoantibodies. In order to produce reliable immunochemical tests for large scale screening of autoimmune DM, large amounts of properly folded GAD65 are needed. Herein, we report the production of human GAD65 using the baculovirus expression system in two species of larvae, Rachiplusia nu and Spodoptera frugiperda. GAD65 was identified at the expected molecular weight, properly expressed with high yield and purity in both larvae species and presenting appropriate enzymatic activity. The immunochemical ability of recombinant GAD65 obtained from both larvae to compete with [³⁵S]GAD65 was assessed qualitatively by incubating GADA-positive patients’ sera in the presence of 1 μM of the recombinant enzyme. All sera tested became virtually negative after incubation with antigen excess. Besides, radiometric quantitative competition assays with GADA-positive patients’ sera were performed by adding recombinant GAD65 (0.62 nM–1.4 µM). All dose response curves showed immunochemical identity between proteins. In addition, a bridge-ELISA for the detection of GADA was developed using S. frugiperda-GAD65. This assay proved to have 77.3% sensitivity and 98.2% of specificity. GAD65 could be expressed in insect larvae, being S. frugiperda the best choice due to its high yield and purity. The development of a cost effective immunoassay for the detection of GADA was also afforded.

Eri silkworm (Samia ricini), a non-mulberry host system for AcMNPV mediated expression of recombinant proteins

The baculovirus expression system (BVES) based on Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is widely used for the expression of eukaryotic proteins. Several insect cells/larvae that are permissive to AcMNPV have been routinely used as hosts to express heterologous proteins. Domesticated Eri silkworm (Samia ricini), reared in many parts of India, Japan and China, is a non-mulberry silkworm. The present study shows that the Eri silkworm larvae are susceptible to intra-haemocoelical inoculation of AcMNPV. The virus replicates in the larva, as indicated by an increased viral loads in the haemolymph upon injection of a recombinant AcMNPV carrying green fluorescent protein gene. The virus showed localized replication in different tissues including the fat body, haemocytes, tracheal matrix and in the Malphigian tubules. The larval system was successfully used to express heterologous protein, by infecting with a recombinant AcMNPV carrying the 3ABC coding sequence of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The study shows that the Eri silkworm larva can be a potential alternative bioreactor, for scaling up of the recombinant proteins employing the baculovirus system.

Expression of Equine Interleukin-18 by Baculovirus Expression System and Its Biologic Activity

The equine interleukin-18 (IL-18) cDNA that contains the coding sequence was cloned and a recombinant baculovirus, named AcEIL-18, was constructed. The recombinant protein of the equine IL-18 was expressed by AcEIL-18 and its expression was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Insect cells infected with AcEIL-18 secreted a precursor IL-18 with 24 kilo dalton (kDa) into the culture supernatant. Western blot analysis showed that mature equine IL-18 about 18 kDa was also confirmed without co-expression of caspase-1. Culture supernatant from AcEIL-18 infected cells showed a synergistic effect with recombinant human interleukin-12 for induction of interferon-gamma gene expression in equine peripheral mononuclear cells, indicating that the recombinant equine IL-18 expressed in this study also has biological activity without any treatment.

Biological activity of recombinant bovine interferon τ produced by a silkworm-baculovirus gene expression system

Bovine interferon (bIFN) τ plays a crucial role in maternal-fetal recognition and was expressed using a Bombyx mori (Bm) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (silkworm baculovirus) gene expression system. The biological effects of Bm-recombinant bIFNτ (rbIFNτ) on prostaglandin (PG) F_2α synthesis were investigated in cultured bovine endometrial epithelial cells with oxytocin (OT, 100 nM) and on the in vitro development of bovine embryos. Bm-rbIFNτ and OT were shown to suppress PGF_2α production in a dose-dependent manner. When in vitro produced morula stage embryos were cultured for 72 hr in modified CR1aa medium supplemented with or without rbIFNτ, Bm-rbIFNτ (10 ng/ml) significantly promoted development to the expanded blastocyst stage. In conclusion, Bm-rbIFNτ was suggested to have the same bioactivity as native IFNτ.

Improved isolation and purification of functional human Fas receptor extracellular domain using baculovirus-silkworm expression system

To achieve an efficient isolation of human Fas receptor extracellular domain (hFasRECD), a fusion protein of hFasRECD with human IgG1 heavy chain Fc domain containing thrombin cleavage sequence at the junction site was overexpressed using baculovirus-silkworm larvae expression system. The hFasRECD part was separated from the fusion protein by the effective cleavage of the recognition site with bovine thrombin. Protein G column treatment of the reaction mixture and the subsequent cation-exchange chromatography provided purified hFasRECD with a final yield of 13.5mg from 25.0 ml silkworm hemolymph. The functional activity of the product was examined by size-exclusion chromatography analysis. The isolated hFasRECD less strongly interacted with human Fas ligand extracellular domain (hFasLECD) than the Fc domain-bridged counterpart, showing the contribution of antibody-like avidity in the latter case. The purified glycosylated hFasRECD presented several discrete bands in the disulphide-bridge non-reducing SDS-PAGE analysis, and virtually all of the components were considered to participate in the binding to hFasLECD. The attached glycans were susceptible to PNGase F digestion, but mostly resistant to Endo Hf digestion under denaturing conditions. One of the components exhibited a higher susceptibility to PNGase F digestion under non-denaturing conditions.

Tributyltin-binding protein type 1, a lipocalin, prevents inhibition of osteoblastic activity by tributyltin in fish scales

Tributyltin-binding protein type 1 (TBT-bp1) is a member of the lipocalin family of proteins which bind to small hydrophobic molecules. In this study, we expressed a recombinant TBT-bp1 (rTBT-bp1, ca. 35kDa) in a baculovirus expression system and purified the protein from the hemolymph of silkworm larvae injected with recombinant baculovirus. After incubation of a mixture of rTBT-bp1 and TBT and its fractionation by means of gel filtration chromatography, TBT was detected in the elution peak of rTBT-bp1, confirming the binding potential of rTBT-bp1 for TBT. An assay of the ability of rTBT-bp1 or native TBT-bp1 (nTBT-bp1) to restore osteoblastic activity inhibited by TBT showed that co-treatment of the scales with rTBT-bp1 or nTBT-bp1 in combination with TBT restored osteoblastic activity in goldfish scales, whereas treatment with TBT alone significantly inhibited osteoblastic activity. These results suggest that TBT-bp1 as a lipocalin member might function to decrease the toxicity of TBT by binding to TBT.

Recombinant peroxidase production in species of lepidoptera frequently found in Argentina

Horseradish peroxidase isozyme C (HRPC) is an important commercial biocatalyst. In this study, a screening of different lepidopteran species frequently found in Argentina to produce this protein was carried out. Two recombinant viruses were constructed: AcMNPV HRPC polyhedrin-minus (occ-), an intrahemocelical infective virus; and AcMNPV HRPC polyhedrin-plus (occ+), to achieve an oral infective baculovirus. Each lepidopteran species was infected either with AcMNPV HRPC occ- or AcMNPV HRPC occ+ and the harvesting days post-infection (dpi) were optimized. All species were susceptible to AcMNPV HRPC occ- infection, giving Spodoptera frugiperda the best yield: 41 μg per larva. Rachiplusia nu was highly susceptible to oral infection, reaching 22 μg per larva at 4 dpi. HRPC was purified by IMAC from S. frugiperda extracts with a yield of 86% and a purification factor of 29.

Characterization of N-glycan structures and biofunction of anti-colorectal cancer monoclonal antibody CO17-1A produced in baculovirus-insect cell expression system

Advantages of the baculovirus insect cell expression system for production of recombinant proteins include high capacity, flexibility, and glycosylation capability. In this study, this expression system was exploited to produce anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) CO17-1A, which recognizes the antigen GA733. The heavy chain (HC) and light chain (LC) genes of mAb CO17-1A were cloned under the control of P(10) and Polyhedrin promoters in the pFastBac dual vector, respectively. Gene expression cassettes carrying the HC and LC genes were transposed into a bacmid in Escherichia coli (DH10Bac). The transposed bacmid was transfected to Sf9 insect cells to generate baculovirus expressing mAb CO17-1A. Confocal immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses confirmed expression of mAb CO17-1A in baculovirus-infected insect cells. The optimum conditions for mAb expression were evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 h after the virus infection at an optimum virus multiplicity of infection of 1. Expression of mAb CO17-1A in insect cells significantly increased at 72 h after infection. HPLC analysis of glycosylation status revealed that the insect-derived mAb (mAb(I)) CO17-1A had insect specific glycan structures. ELISA showed that the purified mAb(I) from cell culture supernatant specifically bound to SW948 human colorectal cancer cells. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis showed that, although mAb(I) had insect specific glycan structures that differed from their mammalian counterparts, mAb(I) similarly interacted with CD64 (FcgammaRI) and Fc of IgG, compared to the interactions of mammalian-derived mAb. These results suggest that the baculovirus insect cell expression system is able to express, assemble, and secrete biofunctional full size mAb.

Expression of two heterologous proteins depends on the mode of expression: comparison of in vivo and in vitro methods

The yield of two proteins, avidin and green fluorescent protein (GFP), expressed from a modified Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), was compared in Sf9 cell culture monolayer, Sf21 cell suspension culture and intact Spodoptera litura larvae. GFP expressed from the p10 promoter yielded up to 1.5% of total soluble protein in larvae, 20-fold higher than that in monolayer suspension culture. Avidin, expressed from the polh promoter, yielded up to 2.3% of total soluble protein in larvae, 10-fold higher than that in suspension culture and 40-fold higher than that in monolayers. Avidin expression did not affect amounts of GFP in dual-expressing baculovirus compared with those detected from a GFP-only expressing AcMNPV. A biotin-binding assay showed that all avidin expressed in larvae was fully active. Glycosylation patterns of chicken-avidin and Spodoptera-avidin were very similar, though the latter showed a proportion of partially glycosylated material.

Baculovirus as versatile vectors for protein expression in insect and mammalian cells

Today, many thousands of recombinant proteins, ranging from cytosolic enzymes to membrane-bound proteins, have been successfully produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Yet, in addition to its value in producing recombinant proteins in insect cells and larvae, this viral vector system continues to evolve in new and unexpected ways. This is exemplified by the development of engineered insect cell lines to mimic mammalian cell glycosylation of expressed proteins, baculovirus display strategies and the application of the virus as a mammalian-cell gene delivery vector. Novel vector design and cell engineering approaches will serve to further enhance the value of baculovirus technology.

Horse cytokine/IgG fusion proteins – mammalian expression of biologically active cytokines and a system to verify antibody specificity to equine cytokines

Recombinant cytokines are valuable tools for functional studies and candidates for vaccine additives or therapeutic use in various diseases. They can also be used to generate specific antibodies to analyze the roles of different cytokines during immune responses. We generated a mammalian expression system for recombinant cytokines using the equine IgG1 heavy chain constant region as a tag for detection and purification of the expressed cytokine, demonstrated here using equine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL4) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). The resulting IgG1 fusion proteins were composed of the C-terminal heavy chain constant region of the IgG1 (IgGa), and the N-terminal cytokine replacing the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain. The fusion proteins were expressed in CHO cells as dimers and their structures had similarity to that of IgG heavy chain antibodies. In contrast to other tags, the IgG1 heavy chain constant region allowed the selection for clones secreting high levels of the recombinant protein by a sensitive ELISA. In addition, the IgG1 heavy chain constant region facilitated identification of stable transfectants by flow cytometry and the secreted recombinant fusion protein by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. To recover the cytokine from the IgG1 fusion partner, an enterokinase cleavage site was cloned between the cytokine gene and the immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene. The purification of the fusion protein by protein G affinity columns, the enterokinase digestion of the cytokine from the IgG1 heavy chain region after or during purification, and the biological activity of the cytokine within the fusion protein or after its isolation was demonstrated in detail for equine IFN-gamma/IgG1 by up-regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II expression on horse lymphocytes. Biological activity could also be confirmed for the IL-2 and IL-4/IgG1 fusion proteins. To test the crossreactivity and specificity of anti-human TGF-beta1, and anti-bovine and anti-canine IFN-gamma antibodies to respective horse cytokines, the four cytokine/IgG1 fusion proteins were successfully used in ELISA, flow cytometry and/or Western blotting. In summary, equine IgG1 fusion proteins provide a source of recombinant proteins with high structural and functional homology to their native counterparts, including a convenient system for selection of stable, high expressing transfectants, and a means for monitoring specificity of antibodies to equine cytokines.

Characterisation and quantification of equine interferon gamma

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is a key cytokine in cell-mediated immunity. To measure IFN-gamma production of equine lymphocytes (eqIFN-gamma), we developed a quantitative ELISA. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were produced against bacterially derived eqIFN-gamma. The mAbs recognised recombinant and lymphocyte-derived eqIFN-gamma in ELISA, Western blotting, as well as flow cytometric and microscopic analysis. In contrast to bacterially derived material, mammalian and insect cell-derived eqIFN-gamma was biologically active but could be neutralised by one of the monoclonal antibodies. Unexpectedly, glycosylation seemed to be required for antiviral activity of eqIFN-gamma.