Yeast-derived recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I: production, purification, and structural characterization

Plant-produced human recombinant erythropoietic growth factors support erythroid differentiation in vitro

Clinically available red blood cells (RBCs) for transfusions are at high demand, but in vitro generation of RBCs from hematopoietic stem cells requires significant quantities of growth factors. Here, we describe the production of four human growth factors: erythropoietin (EPO), stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin 3 (IL-3), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), either as non-fused proteins or as fusions with a carrier molecule (lichenase), in plants, using a Tobacco mosaic virus vector-based transient expression system. All growth factors were purified and their identity was confirmed by western blotting and peptide mapping. The potency of these plant-produced cytokines was assessed using TF1 cell (responsive to EPO, IL-3 and SCF) or MCF-7 cell (responsive to IGF-1) proliferation assays. The biological activity estimated here for the cytokines produced in plants was slightly lower or within the range cited in commercial sources and published literature. By comparing EC50 values of plant-produced cytokines with standards, we have demonstrated that all four plant-produced growth factors stimulated the expansion of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells and their differentiation toward erythropoietic precursors with the same potency as commercially available growth factors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the generation of all key bioactive cytokines required for the erythroid development in a cost-effective manner using a plant-based expression system.

Effects of L-arginine on refolding of lysine-tagged human insulin-like growth factor 1 expressed in Escherichia coli

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), a therapeutic protein, is highly homologous to proinsulin in 3-dimensional structure. To highly express IGF1 in recombinant Escherichia coli, IGF1 was engineered to be fused with the 6-lysine tag and ubiquitin at its N-terminus (K6Ub-IGF1). Fed-batch fermentation of E. coli TG1/pAPT-K6Ub-IGF1 resulted in 60.8 g/L of dry cell mass, 18% of which was inclusion bodies composed of K6Ub-IGF1. Subsequent refolding processes were conducted using accumulated inclusion bodies. An environment of 50 mM bicine buffer (pH 8.5), 125 mM L-arginine, and 4 °C was chosen to optimize the refolding of K6Ub-IGF1, and 240 mg/L of denatured K6Ub-IGF1 was refolded with a 32% yield. The positive effect of L-arginine on K6Ub-IGF1 refolding might be ascribed to preventing unfolded K6Ub-IGF1 from undergoing self-aggregation and thus increasing its solubility. The simple dilution refolding, followed by cleavage of the fusion protein by site-specific UBP1 and chromatographic purification of IGF1, led production of authentic IGF1 with 97% purity and an 8.5% purification yield, starting from 500 mg of inclusion bodies composed of K6Ub-IGF1, as verified by various analytical tools, such as RP-HPLC, CD spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and Western blotting. Thus, it was confirmed that L-arginine with an aggregation-protecting ability could be applied to the development of refolding processes for other inclusion body-derived proteins.

Expression of biologically active human insulin-like growth factor 1 in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds via oleosin fusion technology

Novel protein expression in plant-based systems has become an important tool in producing and studying therapeutic proteins. Among many plant-based systems developed so far, oleosin fusion technology is one of the most cost-effective and convenient methods. In this study, an important therapeutic protein, human insulin-like growth factor 1 (hIGF-1), was expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds via this technology. The plant bias codon usage-optimized hIGF-1 gene was fused to the C-terminal of A. thaliana 18.5 kDa oleosin gene, and the fusion gene driven by an oleosin promoter was transferred into A. thaliana ecotype Col-0. The accumulation of oleosin-hIGF-1 fusion protein in transgenic seeds was up to 0.75% of total seed protein (TSP) and the expression level of hIGF-1 was 0.17% of the TSP, which was eight times higher than previously reported using other plant-based hIGF-1 production systems. The biological activity of the hIGF-1 as an oleosin-hIGF-1 fusion protein in vitro was demonstrated by using human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

Expression of the hIGF-I gene driven by the Fhx/P25 promoter in the silk glands of germline silkworm and transformed BmN cells

The expression of the human insulin-like growth factor (hIGF-I) gene driven by the Fhx/P25 promoter in the silk glands of transgenic silkworms (Bombyx mori) and in transformed silkworm cells, was achieved using BmN cells transfected with a piggyBac vector, pigA3GFP-Fhx/P25-hIGF-ie-neo containing a neomycin-resistance gene (neo), a green fluorescent protein gene (gfp), an hIGF-I gene, and a helper plasmid containing the piggyBac transposase sequence under the control of the B. mori actin 3 (A3) promoter. We selected stably transformed BmN cells expressing hIGF-I using the antibiotic G418. The expression level of hIGF-I was about 450 pg in 3 × 10(6) cells, determined by ELISA. The piggyBac vector was transferred into the silkworm eggs using sperm-mediated gene transfer. The expression level of hIGF-I per gram fresh posterior silk glands of G4 transgenic silkworms was approx. 150 ng.

Zebrafish eggs used as bioreactors for the production of bioactive tilapia insulin-like growth factors

Multiple advantages-including the short generation time, large numbers of fertilized eggs, low cost of cultivation and easy maintenance favor the use of fish as bioreactors for the production of pharmaceutical proteins. In the present study, zebrafish eggs were used as bioreactors to produce mature tilapia insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) proteins using the oocyte-specific zona pellucida (zp3) promoter. The chimeric expression plasmids, pT2-ZP-tIGFs-IRES-hrGFP, in which hrGFP was used as reporter of tilapia IGFs expression, were designed to established Tg (ZP:tIGFs:hrGFP) transgenic lines for the expression of tilapia IGF-1 and IGF-2. Recombinant tilapia IGF-1 and IGF-2 were expressed as soluble forms in cytoplasm of fertilized eggs. The content level of tilapia IGF-1 and IGF-2 were 6.5 and 5.0% of the soluble protein, respectively. Using a simple Ni-NTA affinity chromatography purification process, 0.58 and 0.49 mg of purified tilapia IGF-1 and IGF-2 were obtained, respectively, from 650 fertilized eggs. The biological activity of the purified tilapia IGF-1 and IGF-2 was confirmed via a colorimetric bioassay to monitor the growth stimulation of zebrafish embryonic cells (ZF4), tilapia ovary cells (TO-2) and human osteosarcoma epithelial cells (U2OS). These results demonstrate that the use of zebrafish eggs as bioreactors is a promising approach for the production of biological recombinant proteins.

IGF-1:tetanus toxin fragment C fusion protein improves delivery of IGF-1 to spinal cord but fails to prolong survival of ALS mice

To improve delivery of human insulin-like growth factor-1 (hIGF-1) to brain and spinal cord, we generated a soluble IGF-1:tetanus toxin fragment C fusion protein (IGF-1:TTC) as a secreted product from insect cells. IGF-1:TTC exhibited IGF-1 and TTC activity in vitro; it increased levels of immunoreactive phosphoAkt in treated MCF-7 cells and bound to immobilized ganglioside GT1b. In mice, the fusion protein underwent retrograde transport by spinal cord motor neurons following intramuscular injection, and exhibited both TTC- and IGF-1 activity in the CNS following intrathecal infusion. Analogous to the case with TTC, intrathecal infusion of the fusion protein resulted in substantial levels of IGF-1:TTC in spinal cord tissue extracts. Tissue concentrations of hIGF-1 in lumbar spinal cords of mice infused with IGF-1:TTC were estimated to be approximately 500-fold higher than those in mice treated with unmodified recombinant hIGF-1 (rhIGF-1). Like rhIGF-1, infusion of IGF-1:TTC reduced levels of IGF-1 receptor immunoreactivity in the same extracts. Despite raising levels of exogenous hIGF-1 in spinal cord, intramuscular- or intrathecal administration of IGF-1:TTC had no significant effect on disease progression or survival of high-expressing SOD1(G93A) transgenic mice. IGF-1:TTC may prove to be neuroprotective in other animal models of CNS disease or injury known to be responsive to unmodified IGF-1.

Secretory protein trafficking: genetic and biochemical analysis

Acute insulin secretion from stimulated pancreatic beta-cells is derived from the intracellular pool of insulin secretory granules wherein insulin is packaged in a highly concentrated (and in some species, crystalline) state. Here we review experimental work, principally from our laboratory, on the question of biogenesis of mature secretory granules within the broader context of intracellular protein trafficking. Events occurring in the lumen of organelles at various stages of intracellular transport within the secretory pathway and events at the limiting membrane of newly forming secretory granules each contribute to formation of the insulin storage compartment comprising the readily releasable pool.

The sequence determinant causing different folding behaviors of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1

Although insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) belong to the insulin superfamily and share highly homologous sequences, similar tertiary structure, and a common ancestor molecule, amphioxus insulin-like peptide, they have different folding behaviors: IGF-1 folds into two thermodynamically stable tertiary structures (native and swap forms), while insulin folds into one unique stable structure. To further understand which part of the sequence determines their different folding behavior, based on previous reports from the laboratory, two peptide models, [B9A][1-4]porcine insulin precursor (PIP) and [B10E][1-4]PIP, were constructed. The plasmids encoding the peptides were transformed into yeast cells for expression of the peptides; the results showed that the former peptide was expressed as single component, while the latter was expressed as a mixture of two components (isomer 1 and isomer 2). The expression results together with studies of circular dichoism, disulfide rearrangement, and refolding lead us to deduce that isomer 1 corresponds to the swap form and the isomer 2 corresponds to the native form. We further demonstrate that the sequence 1-4 plus B9 of IGF-1 B-domain can make PIP fold into two structures, while sequence 1-5 of insulin B-chain can make IGF-1 fold into one unique structure. In other words, it is the IGF-1 B-domain sequence that 1-4 allows IGF-1 folding into two thermodynamically stable tertiary structures; this sequence plus its residue B9E can change PIP folding behavior from folding into one unique structure to two thermodynamically stable structures, like that of IGF-1.

Medical biotechnology in India

The potential of biotechnology has just began to emerge in the 20th century. After the full knowledge of human genomes is available, biotechnology is going to play a major role in shaping the concept of future drug discovery, drug delivery, diagnostic methodology, clinical trials, and to a great extent the major lifestyle of the human society. This article is a comprehensive review of the major impact of biotechnology in diagnostics, antibiotics, r-proteins, vaccines, and antibodies production. It also highlights the future aspects of gene therapy in the management of healthcare. A comprehensive list of biotech products in healthcare management has been given. Also, the growth of biotechnology throughout the world at large and in the Indian industries in particular has been highlighted. Constraints, concerns and difficulties in biotechnology in India have been addressed mainly related to human resources, training institutions in India, funding in biotechnology, patent-related issues and regulatory hurdles. Like in information technology, India has great potential in bioinformatics as well. Some of the recent information on bioinformatics centers in India has been summarized. Indian biotechnology industries have the potential to use the modern discoveries in life sciences to reach an enviable position in the world of biotechnology.

Behavior in the eukaryotic secretory pathway of insulin-containing fusion proteins and single-chain insulins bearing various B-chain mutations

In the secretory pathway, endoproteolytic cleavage of the insulin precursor protein promotes a change in the biophysical properties of the processed insulin product, and this may be relevant for its intracellular trafficking. We have now studied several independent point mutants contained within the insulin B-chain, S9D, H10D, V12E (called B9D, B10D, and B12E), as well as the double point mutant P28K,K29P (B28K,B29P), that have been reported to inhibit insulin oligomerization. In yeast cells, the unprocessed precursor of each of these mutants is secreted, whereas >90% of the endoproteolytically released single-chain insulin moiety is retained intracellularly; a large portion of the B9D, B10D, and B12E single-chain insulins exhibit abnormally slow mobility upon nonreducing SDS-PAGE, despite normal mobility upon reducing SDS-PAGE. Although no free thiols can be detected, each of these mutants exhibits increased disulfide accessibility to dithiothreitol. After dithiothreitol treatment, a portion of the molecules can reoxidize to a form more compact than the original single-chain insulin mutants formed in vivo (indicating initial disulfide mispairing). Disulfide mispairing of a fraction of B9D, B10D, and B12E mutants also occurs in the context of single-chain insulin and even in authentic proinsulin expressed within the secretory pathway of mammalian cells. We conclude that analyses of the intracellular trafficking of certain oligomerization-defective insulin mutants is complicated by the formation of disulfide isomers in the secretory pathway.

Structure-function studies of an IGF-I analogue that can be chemically cleaved to a two-chain mini-IGF-I

The structure and biological activities of two disulphide isomers of a C-region deletion mutant of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) which has an Asn--Gly link engineered at the junction of the A- and B-regions were studied before and after chemical cleavage. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra and binding affinity to IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) indicated that the treatment with hydroxylamine did not disrupt the overall tertiary fold of the hormones. Cleavage restored some binding affinity for the IGF-I receptor in both isomers and weakly restored the ability to stimulate incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts transfected with the human IGF-I receptor. Cleavage also restored metabolic capacity, as measured by the ability of the isomers to promote lipogenesis in isolated rat adipocytes through the insulin receptor. These results are consistent with the theory that binding of IGF-I to the IGF-I receptor requires a conformational change similar to that involved in insulin binding the insulin receptor. The weak affinity for the IGF-I receptor after cleavage is consistent with the belief that residues in the C-region interact with the IGF-I receptor. This structural difference between insulin and IGF-I gives each a higher binding affinity for its own receptor.

Improved secretion of native human insulin-like growth factor 1 from gas1 mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

We studied the secretion of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1 (rhIGF-1) from transformed yeast cells. The hIGF-1 gene was fused to the mating factor alpha prepro- leader sequence under the control of the constitutive ACT1 promoter. We found that the inactivation of the GAS1 gene in the host strain led to a supersecretory phenotype yielding a considerable increase, from 8 to 55 mg/liter, in rhIGF-1 production.

Modelling of the disulphide-swapped isomer of human insulin-like growth factor-1: implications for receptor binding

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a serum protein which unexpectedly folds to yield two stable tertiary structures with different disulphide connectivities; native IGF-1 [18-61,6-48,47-52] and IGF-1 swap [18-61,6-47, 48-52]. Here we demonstrate in detail the biological properties of recombinant human native IGF-1 and IGF-1 swap secreted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. IGF-1 swap had a approximately 30 fold loss in affinity for the IGF-1 receptor overexpressed on BHK cells compared with native IGF-1. The parallel increase in dose required to induce negative cooperativity together with the parallel loss in mitogenicity in NIH 3T3 cells implies that disruption of the IGF-1 receptor binding interaction rather than restriction of a post-binding conformational change is responsible for the reduction in biological activity of IGF-1 swap. Interestingly, the affinity of IGF-1 swap for the insulin receptor was approximately 200 fold lower than that of native IGF-1 indicating that the binding surface complementary to the insulin receptor (or the ability to attain it) is disturbed to a greater extent than that to the IGF-1 receptor. A 1.0 ns high-temperature molecular dynamics study of the local energy landscape of IGF-1 swap resulted in uncoiling of the first A-region alpha-helix and a rearrangement in the relative orientation of the A- and B-regions. The model of IGF-1 swap is structurally homologous to the NMR structure of insulin swap and CD spectra consistent with the model are presented. However, in the model of IGF-1 swap the C-region has filled the space where the first A-region alpha-helix has uncoiled and this may be hindering interaction of Val44 with the second insulin receptor binding pocket.

Increased production of low molecular weight recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli

A general method for obtaining high-level production of low molecular weight proteins in Escherichia coli is described. This method is based on the use of a novel Met-Xaa-protein construction which is formed by insertion of a single amino acid residue (preferably Arginine or Lysine) between the N-terminal methionine and the protein of interest. The utility of this method is illustrated by examples for achieving high-level production of human insulin-like growth factor-1, human proinsulin, and their analogs. Furthermore, highly produced insulin-like growth factor-1 derivatives and human proinsulin analogs are converted to their natural sequences by removal of dipeptides with cathepsin C.

Putative folding pathway of insulin-like growth factor-I

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has three disulfide bonds and refolding of the fully reduced molecule generates varying ratios of correctly (PII) and incorrectly (PI) folded forms via several intermediates. All of the intermediates have the disulfide bond between Cys18 and 61 formed, indicating that formation of this disulfide is the first step in refolding. In order to further understand the refolding pathway, two intermediate froms, PIII with the additional disulfide Cys(6/47) formed and PIIIa with Cys(6/48) formed, were isolated. The oxidation of the remaining Cys48 and 52 in PIII and Cys47 and 52 in PIIIa would lead to PI and PII, respectively; however, air oxidation of these resulted in a rapid reshuffling into other intermediates as well as folding into the fully oxidized forms, and this occurred whether refolding was started with PIII or PIIIa. When oxidation occurred in the presence of an excess of oxidized glutathione, the predominant species generated were various glutathione adducts regardless of the initial intermediate form, indicating that formation of the last disulfide bond is not a favorable process relative to disulfide exchange when excess disulfides from oxidized glutathione are present. Interestingly, if 80 microM copper sulfate, an oxidant, is added to the refolding buffer, PIII resulted in formation of the PI form alone, whereas PIIIa resulted in the PII form alone. It was concluded from these results that the intermediate forms of IGF-1 can rapidly reshuffle between different disulfide structures, and that formation of the last disulfide bond is not as favorable a process as the conversion to other intermediates. The oxidation to form the last disulfide bond in PIII or PIIIa is accelerated and hence the interconversion to other intermediates is kinetically minimized only in the presence of copper sulfate. It appears, therefore, that the two intermediate forms, PIII and PIIIa, are the precursors of the corresponding fully oxidized forms, but their conversions are not energetically a favorable process.

High-level expression and simple purification of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I

Human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was expressed in Escherichia coli as a truncated beta-galactosidase-IGF-I fusion protein. The Lac Z" gene was truncated by removal of a 490 bp fragment which encoded 163 N-terminal residues of beta-galactosidase and was connected to the IGF-I cDNA by a linker encoding hydroxylamine cleavage recognition sequence. By truncating Lac Z" gene, the overall yield and purification procedures of IGF-I from fusion protein have been improved. The fusion protein was produced in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies with isopropyl-1-thio-beta-D-galactoside (IPTG) induction. After cleavage of the fusion protein with hydroxylamine, the released IGF-I was purified to homogeneity by a cation exchange chromatography, refolding and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC). The purified IGF-I was found to be indistinguishable from the native IGF-I by N-terminal amino acid sequence, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and rp-HPLC and by biological activities such as thymidine uptake, protein synthesis and receptor binding. These results suggest that the expression and simple purification of recombinant human IGF-I described in this paper may be useful for large scale production of IGF-I.

Biosensor measurement of the binding of insulin-like growth factors I and II and their analogues to the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3

Most insulin-like growth factor (IGF) molecules in the circulation are found in a 150-kDa complex containing IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and an acid-labile subunit, which does not itself bind IGF. Affinities (Kd values) between 0.03 and 0.5 nM have been reported for IGF-I/IGFBP-3 binding, but no kinetic data are available. In this study we measured the high affinity binding of unlabeled IGFs and IGF analogues to recombinant unglycosylated IGFBP-3, using a BIAcoretrade mark instrument (Pharmacia Biosensor AB). IGF-I binding showed fast association and slow non-first-order dissociation kinetics, and an equilibrium Kd of 0.23 nM. IGF-II had similar kinetics with slightly higher affinity. Analogues with mutations in the first 3 amino acids of the B-region (des(1-3) IGF-I and long IGF-I) showed 25 and 50 times lower affinity than IGF-I. Replacement of residues 28-37 by Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly or deletion of residues 29-41 in the C-region had little effect on the kinetic parameters, contrasting with the markedly impaired binding of these analogues to the IGF-I receptor. Swapping of the disulfide bridges in IGF-I and the C-region mutants decreased the affinity dramatically for IGFBP-3, primarily by decreasing the association rate. Insulin had approximately 1000 times lower affinity than IGF-I.

Affinity-assisted in vivo folding of a secreted human peptide hormone in Escherichia coli

We show that coexpression of a specific binding protein in Escherichia coli can significantly improve the relative yields of correctly folded human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). A glutathione redox buffer was used during growth to allow formation and breakage of disulfide bonds in the periplasm of the bacterial host. Both the binding protein and the peptide hormone were produced as affinity fusions, which allowed purification of the in vivo formed heterodimer by alternative affinity purification methods. The use of affinity-assisted in vivo folding has general implications for expression, folding, and purification of recombinant proteins.

Chaperone-like effect during in vitro refolding of insulin-like growth factor I using a solubilizing fusion partner

A fusion partner, ZZ, derived from staphylococcal protein A, has earlier been shown facilitate the in vitro folding of human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Although no solubilizing agents were used, there was no problem with precipitation, even at relatively high protein concentrations. We have here investigated this phenomenon further by characterizing the in vitro refolding of IGF-I fused to one or two solubilizing Z domains. The comparison also included IGF-I without a solubilizing fusion partner. Solubility studies of the reduced proteins were performed, in addition to an evaluation of the aggregation occurring during the refolding process. Fusion to one or two Z domains increased the solubility of reduced IGF-I more than 100-fold. In addition, the Z or ZZ fusion partners decreased aggregation of the IGF-I moieties during the renaturation. The fusion partner has an effect resembling that of a cis-acting chaperone during in vitro refolding and may be an alternative to overcome the problems of insolubility and aggregation.

Increased heparin binding by site directed mutagenesis of a recombinant chimera of bombyxin and insulin-like growth factor II

BOMIGF, a chimera between bombyxin and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF II) has been modified and extended to a total of 85 amino acids including 7 additional basic amino acids. The new peptide bound heparin as efficiently as GM-CSF and much better than IGF II or BOMIGF. It could be retained on albumin-coated tissue culture wells without loosing its capacity to stimulate thymidine incorporation into erythroid cells of fetal bovine liver and on fibronectin-heparin coated wells keeping its mitogenic activity towards L6 muscle cells.

Enhanced in vitro refolding of insulin-like growth factor I using a solubilizing fusion partner

We have previously shown that human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), fused to ZZ (two domains derived from staphylococcal protein A), can be refolded at relatively high concentrations, without the use of solubilizing agents [Samuelsson, E., Wadensten, H., Hartmanis, M., Moks, T., & Uhlén, M. (1991) Bio/Technology 9, 363-366]. Here we have studied this phenomenon in detail by characterizing the in vitro refolding of IGF-I, fused to one or two solubilizing Z domains and without a solubilizing fusion partner. The characterization included solubility studies of the reduced proteins and an evaluation of the aggregation occurring during the refolding process. The results suggest that the applied fusion protein strategy can be used to obtain a cis-acting chaperone-like effect during refolding in vitro. Fusion to one or two Z domains resulted in more than a 100-fold increase in the solubility of reduced IGF-I. In addition, the Z or ZZ fusion partners decrease multimerization of the IGF-I moieties during the renaturation. The fusion protein strategy may be an option to overcome the obstacles of insolubility and aggregation, frequently encountered when designing in vitro refolding processes.

Mutation of Arg55/56 to Leu55/Ala56 in insulin-like growth factor-I results in two forms different in disulfide structure and native conformation but similar under reverse-phase conditions

Folding of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) results in two distinct species as resolved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The earlier eluting peak (PI) has a nonnative disulfide structure, while the later eluting peak (PII) assumes the native disulfide structure. This folding problem causes a lower yield and requires expensive RP-HPLC separation. In contrast, IGF-II folds mainly into a single form with all three disulfide bonds correctly formed. Sequence comparison of the two molecules revealed that IGF-I has arginine at residues 55 and 56, while IGF-II has alanine and leucine, respectively, at these positions. Two analogs of IGF-I, IGF-I (Ala55/Leu56) and IGF-I (Leu56), behave similarly to IGF-II upon refolding and RP-HPLC; that is, a single peak eluted from the RP-HPLC column. However, when the peaks isolated by RP-HPLC were subjected to hydrophobic interaction chromatography, circular dichroism, and peptide mapping, they were found to be a mixture of PI and PII. It was then concluded that factors other than just these two residues contribute to correct folding of IGF-II and that the PI and PII of the above two IGF-I mutants assume different conformation at neutral pH but similar conformation under the RP-HPLC condition.

Oxidative refolding of insulin-like growth factor 1 yields two products of similar thermodynamic stability: a bifurcating protein-folding pathway

Can one protein sequence encode two structures? Oxidative folding of human insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a globular protein of 70 residues, is shown to yield two products of similar thermodynamic stability. This observation is of particular interest in light of the recent demonstration that two of the three disulfide bonds in native IGF-1 rearrange in the presence of dithiothreitol [Hober, S., et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 1749-1756]. Kinetics of the IGF-1 folding pathway were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC). Disulfide-pairing schemes of intermediates and products were established by peptide mapping. Two disulfide isomers were obtained as products: one with native insulin-like pairing [6-48; 18-61; 47-52] (designated native IGF-1; 60% yield) and the other with alternative pairing [6-47; 18-61; 48-52] (designated IGF-swap; 40% yield). The predominant early intermediate contains the single disulfide 18-61, which is shared in common by the two products. Relative yields of native IGF-1 and IGF-swap are independent of protein concentration under dilute conditions. In the absence of an added thiol reagent, each isomer is stable indefinitely at neutral pH; in the presence of an added thiol reagent, the two isomers interconvert with an Arrhenius activation barrier of 12 kcal/mol. Interconversion does not require complete reduction and yields the same ratio of products as initial folding, demonstrating thermodynamic control. Spectroscopic studies using circular dichroism (CD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), two-dimensional 1H-NMR (2D-NMR), and photochemical dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) suggest that IGF-1 and IGF-swap adopt similar secondary structures but distinct tertiary folds. Implications of these observations for understanding the topology of protein-folding pathways are discussed.

Characterization of two fluorescent tryptophans in recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor: comparison of native sequence protein and tryptophan-deficient mutants

In order to probe the role of the individual tryptophans of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in pH and guanidine HCl-induced fluorescence changes, site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate mutants replacing Trp118,Trp58, or both with phenylalanine. Neither Trp to Phe mutation affected the folding or activity of the recombinant G-CSF, and the material expressed in yeast behaved identically to that expressed in Escherichia coli. All of the G-CSF species responded to pH and guanidine HCl in qualitatively the same manner. Trp58 has a fluorescence maximum at 350 nm and is quenched to a greater extent by the addition of guanidine HCl, indicating that it is fully solvent-exposed. Trp118 has a fluorescence maximum at 344 nm, and is less solvent-accessible than Trp58. The analog in which both tryptophans have been replaced with phenylalanine shows only tyrosine fluorescence, with a peak at 304 nm which decreases with increasing pH. The intensity of the tyrosine fluorescence in this analog is much greater than that of the native sequence protein or single tryptophan mutants, indicating that energy transfer is taking place from tyrosine to tryptophan in these molecules. Below neutral pH the tyrosine fluorescence is much greater in the [Phe58]G-CSF than in the [Phe118]G-CSF, indicating that Trp58 might be a more efficient recipient of energy transfer from the tyrosine(s).

A mutant Kex2 enzyme with a C-terminal HDEL sequence releases correctly folded human insulin-like growth factor-1 from a precursor accumulated in the yeast endoplasmic reticulum

Mutations in the pro region of the yeast DNA hybrid of prepro-alpha-factor and human insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) cause the accumulation, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, of an unglycosylated precursor protein where the pre sequence is missing. The prepro sequence of the prepro-alpha-factor consists of a pre or signal sequence and a proregion which possesses three sites for N-glycosylation. Isolation of a precursor, where the pro region is still linked to IGF-1 through a pair of dibasic amino acid residues, implies that the polypeptide may have translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but has not been processed by the Golgi membrane-bound Kex2 endoprotease. However, the lack of any N-glycosylation in the translocated polypeptide is surprising. The mutated pro region, can be processed, in vitro, by treatment with a soluble form of the Kex2 enzyme. It is also possible to release the pro region, in vivo, by coexpressing a mutant Kex2 protease which is partially retained in the ER with the help of the C-terminal tetrapeptide sequence, HDEL. The mature IGF-1, which is secreted from the intracellular pool of precursor proteins, is predominantly an active, monomeric molecule, corroborating observations that early removal of the pro region before folding in the ER helps to prevent aberrant intermolecular disulfide-bond formation in IGF-1. These results have revealed the utility of the ER-retained Kex2 enzyme as a novel in vivo biochemical tool.

The pro-region of the yeast prepro-alpha-factor is essential for membrane translocation of human insulin-like growth factor 1 in vivo

Four yeast secretion signals, the 19-amino-acid invertase signal sequence, the 17-amino-acid acid-phosphatase signal sequence, and the pre-sequence and prepro-sequence of prepro-alpha-factor have been used to look for the secretion of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Only the prepro-sequence, often referred to as the alpha-factor leader and consisting of an N-terminal 19-amino-acid pre-sequence or signal sequence attached to a 66-amino-acid pro-region, permits secretion of IGF1. The signal sequences alone do not allow the translocation of IGF1 into the endoplasmic reticulum. This is evident from the fact that IGF1-like molecules, to which the signal sequences are still attached, accumulate intracellularly in the cytosol. Fusion of the pro-region of the alpha-factor leader to the C-terminus of the acid-phosphatase and invertase signal sequences allows IGF1 to be secreted once again. These results reveal the essential role of the pro-region of the alpha-factor leader in the secretion of IGF1 and indicate that it may have a function in guiding a nascent IGF1 polypeptide to a state in which translocation can occur.

A modified Kex2 enzyme retained in the endoplasmic reticulum prevents disulfide-linked dimerisation of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-1 secreted from yeast

The majority of the recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) molecules, secreted from yeast using the prepro sequence of the prepro-alpha-factor, are not active monomers but inactive, disulfide-linked dimers. The prepro sequence of the prepro-alpha-factor, usually referred to as the alpha-factor leader (alpha FL), consists of a pre or signal sequence and a proregion. After signal sequence removal during translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) the proregion is still attached to IGF1 when it folds to acquire a tertiary structure. Mature IGF1 is released only in a late Golgi compartment by the membrane-bound endoprotease Kex2p. We find that co-expression of a novel ER-retained Kex2p variant, soluble Kex2pHDEL, can prevent intermolecular disulfide bond formation between two IGF1 molecules, implying that the presence of the proregion during the folding of IGF1 in the ER could be a reason for disulfide-linked dimerisation. This result indicates that the proregion of the alpha FL may have a role in the folding of some heterologous proteins in yeast, and that the ER-retained Kex2p mutant could be used as a convenient tool to study the cellular function of the proregions present naturally in various eucaryotic precursor proteins.

Mutants of human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF II). Expression and characterization of truncated IGF II and of two naturally occurring variants

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF II) and four structural analogs, constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, were expressed as protein A fusion proteins in Escherichia coli BL21pLysS cells, cleaved with cyanogen bromide and purified by affinity chromatography and HPLC. Two mutants (Ser29 substituted by Arg-Leu-Pro-Gly, and Ser33 substituted by Cys-Gly-Asp) represent two naturally occurring variants of IGF II. The other two mutants, (7-67)IGF II and (9-67)IGF II, are truncated at the amino-terminus in analogy to the naturally occurring des(1-3)IGF I ('truncated IGF I'). These mutants were tested for their binding affinities to type-1 and type-2 IGF receptors, to IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and for their stimulation of thymidine incorporation into DNA. The affinities of the Ser29 and Ser33 mutants to the type-1 IGF receptor were 85% and 39%, respectively, compared to wild-type IGF II, those of (7-67)IGF II and (9-67)IGF II 96% and 15%, respectively. The potencies of the Ser33 and the (9-67) mutant to stimulate thymidine incorporation into DNA correlated closely with the affinities to the type-1 IGF receptor, whereas the bioavailability of the Ser29 mutant was lower and that of the (7-67) mutant higher than the type-1 receptor binding, possibly due to interferences with endogenously secreted IGFBPs. The affinities of the Ser29 and Ser33 mutants to the type-2 IGF receptor were 110% and 71%, respectively, those of the two truncated mutants 25% and 23%, respectively. The affinity of the Ser29 mutant to IGFBP-3 was increased to 171%, whereas those of the Ser33 mutant and the two truncated mutants were reduced (34%, 10% and 19%, respectively).

Disulfide exchange folding of insulin-like growth factor I

The disulfide exchange folding properties of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) have been analyzed in a redox buffer containing reduced (10 mM) and oxidized (1 mM) glutathione. Under these conditions, the 3 disulfide bridges of the 70 amino acid peptide were not quantitatively formed. Instead, five major forms of IGF-I were detected, and these components were concluded to be in equilibrium as their relative amounts were similar starting from either reduced, native, or a mismatched variant of IGF-I containing two non-native disulfides. The different components in the mixtures were trapped by thiol alkylation using vinylpyridine and subsequently isolated by reverse-phase HPLC. The purified variants were further characterized using plasma desorption mass spectrometry and peptide mapping. Two of the five different forms were identified as native and mismatched IGF-I. One form was a variant with only one disulfide bond, and the other two major components had two disulfides formed. In a separate experiment, early refolding intermediates were trapped by pyridylethylation after only 90 s of refolding in the glutathione buffer, starting from reduced IGF-I. The intermediates were identical to the components observed at equilibrium, but at different relative concentrations. On the basis of the disulfide bond patterns of the different components in the equilibrium mixtures, we conclude that the disulfide between cysteines-47 and -52 in IGF-I is an unfavorable high-energy bond that may exist in the native molecule in a strained configuration.

The Oligosaccharides of Glycoproteins: Bioprocess Factors Affecting Oligosaccharide Structure and their Effect on Glycoprotein Properties

In this review, we organize the recent data concerning the effects of bioprocess factors on the oligosaccharide structure of human therapeutic glycoproteins, with particular emphasis on the influence of the host cell. We also discuss the effect of oligosaccharide structure on glycoprotein properties, including antigenicity, immunogenicity and plasma clearance rate.

Alpha-factor-leader-directed secretion of recombinant human-insulin-like growth factor I from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Precursor formation and processing in the yeast secretory pathway

A synthetic gene coding for human-insulin-like growth factor I (IGFI) was fused to the leader sequence of yeast prepro-alpha-factor and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter fragment. Recombinant IGFI was found inside yeast cells and secreted into the medium. The secreted IGFI migrated on SDS gels with the same electrophoretic mobility as authentic IGFI, i.e. at about 7.5 kDa. HPLC analysis of secreted IGFI revealed the presence of the correctly folded, genuine molecule as well as an isomeric byproduct of equal molecular mass but with two of the three disulfide bonds interchanged. Inside exponentially growing cells the 7.5-kDa IGFI was also found, along with up to four additional IGFI-related polypeptides of higher molecular mass. By endoglycosidase F treatment the three polypeptides between 19-26 kDa were converted to a single peptide of 17 kDa. Since this peptide also reacted with an anti-alpha-factor antibody, it represents most likely the unglycosylated alpha-factor--IGFI fusion precursor. Pulse-chase experiments established the precursor nature of the intracellular higher-molecular-mass IGFI species. Conversion of the primary translation product to the differently glycosylated IGFI precursor proteins and into the mature form occurred very rapidly, within 2 min. Rapid maturation was, however, not followed by an equally rapid secretion of the mature form into the medium: only after 30-40 min did IGFI appear outside the cells. We therefore postulate the presence of an as yet undefined Golgi or post-Golgi bottleneck representing a major obstacle in secretion of recombinant IGFI from S. cerevisiae cells.