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Goumenou A, Chendo C, Combès A, Fournier T, Pichon V, Delaunay N. Characterization of Concanavalin A-based lectin sorbents for the extraction of the human chorionic gonadotropin glycoforms prior to analysis by nano liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 242:116022. [PMID: 38354538 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116022] [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] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is constituted of the hCGα and hCGβ subunits and is a highly glycosylated protein. Affinity supports based on immobilized Concanavalin A (Con A) lectin were used in solid phase extraction (SPE) to fractionate the hCG glycoforms according to their glycosylation state. For the first time, the lectin SPE fractions were off-line analysed by a nano liquid chromatography - high-resolution mass spectrometry (nanoLC-HRMS) method keeping the glycoforms intact. For this, home-made Con A sorbents were prepared by immobilizing lectin on Sepharose with a mean grafting yield of 98.2% (relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.5%, n = 15). A capacity of about 100 μg of purified urinary hCG (uhCG) per ml of sorbent, grafted with a density of 10 mg of Con A per ml, was estimated. Average extraction yields of around 60% for both hCGα and hCGβ glycoforms were obtained after optimization of the extraction protocol. Intra- and inter-assay evaluation led to average RSD values of around 10%, indicating a repeatable extraction procedure. Similar results were obtained with commercial Con A-based sorbents but only after their 3rd use or after an extensive pre-conditioning step. Finally, the Con A SPE led to the fractionation of some glycoforms of uhCG, allowing the detection of an hCGα glycoform with two tetra-antennary N-glycans that couldn't be detected by direct analysis in nanoLC-HRMS without Con A SPE. Regarding a recombinant hCG, a fractionation was also observed leading to the detection of unretained hCGα glycoforms with tri-antennary N-glycans. Therefore, the combination of lectin SPE with intact protein analysis by nanoLC-HRMS can contribute to a more detailed glycosylation characterization of the hCG protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Goumenou
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Chendo
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Combès
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Fournier
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, "Pathophysiology & Pharmacotoxicology of the Human Placenta, pre & postnatal Microbiota", 3PHM, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Valérie Pichon
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Delaunay
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
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Di Marco F, Blümel G, Blöchl C, Wuhrer M, Huber CG. A semi-automated hybrid HPLC-MS approach for in-depth characterization of intact non-covalent heterodimer glycoforms of gonadotropin biopharmaceuticals. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1274:341574. [PMID: 37455084 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341574] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gonadotropins are a class of heavily glycosylated protein hormones, thus extremely challenging to characterize by mass spectrometry. As biopharmaceuticals, gonadotropins are prescribed for the treatment of infertility and are derived from different sources: either from pooled urine of pregnant women or upon production in genetically modified Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is sold as a biopharmaceutical under the name Pregnyl® (urinary hCG, u-hCG) and Ovitrelle® (recombinant hCG, r-hCG), and recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (r-hFSH) is marketed as Gonal-f®. Recently, we reported the exhaustive characterization of r-hCG at different structural levels. RESULTS We implement size exclusion (SE) HPLC-MS to automatize the acquisition of native mass spectra of r-hCG dimer, but also u-hCG and r-hFSH, comparing the drug products up to intact heterodimer level. A hybrid HPLC-MS approach was employed for the characterization of r-hCG, u-hCG and r-hFSH drug products at different structural levels. Released glycans were analyzed by porous graphitized carbon (PGC)-HPLC-MS/MS, glycopeptides by reversed-phase (RP)-HPLC-MS/MS, subunits by RP-HPLC-MS and finally the intact native heterodimers by semi-automated online buffer exchange SE-HPLC-MS. The data were integrated using bioinformatic tools, to finally unravel the composition of 1481 co-existing dimeric glycoforms for r-hCG, 1167 glycoforms for u-hCG, and 1440 glycoforms for r-hFSH, and to compare critical quality attributes of the different drug products such as their degree of sialylation and O-glycosylation. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY The strong alliance of bioanalytics and bioinformatics data integration at the different structural levels allowed the identification of more than thousand different glycoforms of r-hCG, u-hCG, and r-hFSH. The results showed that these biopharmaceuticals differ considerably in their glycosylation patterns and highlight the importance of in-depth characterization of biopharmaceuticals for quality control. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiammetta Di Marco
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Gabriele Blümel
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Constantin Blöchl
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria; Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Manfred Wuhrer
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Christian G Huber
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
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Lebede M, Di Marco F, Esser-Skala W, Hennig R, Wohlschlager T, Huber CG. Exploring the Chemical Space of Protein Glycosylation in Noncovalent Protein Complexes: An Expedition along Different Structural Levels of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin by Employing Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2021; 93:10424-10434. [PMID: 34288669 PMCID: PMC8340079 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
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Modern analytical
approaches employing high-resolution mass spectrometry
(MS) facilitate the generation of a vast amount of structural data
of highly complex glycoproteins. Nevertheless, systematic interpretation
of this data at different structural levels remains an analytical
challenge. The glycoprotein utilized as a model system in this study,
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), exists as a heterodimer composed
of two heavily glycosylated subunits. In order to unravel the multitude
of glycoforms of recombinant hCG (drug product Ovitrelle), we combine
established techniques, such as released glycan and glycopeptide analysis,
with novel approaches employing high-performance liquid chromatography-mass
spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to characterize protein subunits and native
MS to analyze the noncovalent hCG complex. Starting from the deconvoluted
mass spectrum of dimeric hCG comprising about 50 signals, it was possible
to explore the chemical space of hCG glycoforms and elucidate the
complexity that hides behind just 50 signals. Systematic, stepwise
integration of data obtained at the levels of released glycans, glycopeptides,
and subunits using a computational annotation tool allowed us to reveal
1031 underlying glycoforms. Additionally, critical quality attributes
such as sialylation and core fucosylation were compared for two batches
of Ovitrelle to assess the potential product variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Lebede
- Department of Biosciences, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Fiammetta Di Marco
- Department of Biosciences, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Esser-Skala
- Department of Biosciences, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Biosciences, Computational Systems Biology Group, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - René Hennig
- glyXera GmbH, Brenneckestraße 20 - ZENIT, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstraße 1, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Therese Wohlschlager
- Department of Biosciences, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Christian G Huber
- Department of Biosciences, Bioanalytical Research Labs, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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Hua R, Liu J, Li Y, Fan Y, Zeng B, Geng G, Li Q. Novel Functional Recombinant Human Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Acquired from Goat Milk. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:2793-2804. [PMID: 33645971 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An animal mammary bioreactor is regarded as an excellent biological system which is applied to produce large-scale recombinant proteins in milk. However, there are no effective methods to produce a large amount of some pharmaceutical proteins, such as human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), by large animal mammary gland bioreactors due to the fact that accumulation of excessive bioactive FSH might cause serious diseases in animals. Here, we report a novel strategy of preparing recombinant human FSH (rhFSH) from goat mammary glands, which could avoid the accumulation of bioactive FSH in goats. First, the single inactive FSHα and FSHβ subunits expressed in goat mammary epithelial cells and goat mammary glands were performed to reassemble in vitro and were found to self-assemble into a complete heterodimer rhFSH at 4 °C and pH 7.4. Further, a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) induction assay showed that the cAMP levels in cell lysate of HEK 293/FSHR cells were increased by about 8-fold in reassembled rhFSH groups than that in the control group (P < 0.01). Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that the reassembled rhFSH from goat mammary glands was comparable to that of the commercially available Gonal-F (P > 0.05). In addition, the increasing dose of reassembled rhFSH significantly promoted ovulation of mouse and ovary weight gain of Sprague Dawley rat compared with the control groups and maximum values were up to 3-fold (P < 0.01) and 2.8-fold (P < 0.01), respectively. The reassembled rhFSH showed a similar effect to Gonal-F in inducing expression of FSH target genes in vivo and activating the PI3K pathway in granulosa cells. Our study developed a novel method to produce rhFSH and provided the basis for preparing FSH by the goat mammary gland bioreactor with less health problems on the producing animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongmao Hua
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Jianxi Liu
- Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Yan Fan
- College of Life Science, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, P. R. China
| | - Bin Zeng
- College of Life Science, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, P. R. China
| | - Guoxia Geng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
| | - Qingwang Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
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Al Matari A, Goumenou A, Combès A, Fournier T, Pichon V, Delaunay N. Identification and semi-relative quantification of intact glycoforms of human chorionic gonadotropin alpha and beta subunits by nano liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2021; 1640:461945. [PMID: 33556683 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.461945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) protein belongs to a family of glycoprotein hormones called gonadotropins. It is a heterodimer made of two non-covalently linked subunits. The α-subunit structure, hCGα, has 2 N-glycosylation sites, while the beta subunit, hCGβ, has 2 N- and 4 O-glycosylation sites. This leads to numerous glycoforms. A method based on the analysis of hCG glycoforms at the intact level by nano-reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (nanoLC-HRMS) with an Orbitrap analyzer was previously developed using a recombinant hCG-based drug, Ovitrelle®, as standard. It allowed the detection of about 30 hCGα glycoforms, but didn't allow the detection of hCGβ glycoforms. This method was thus here significantly modified (addition of a pre-concentration step of the sample to increase the sample volume from 70 nl to 1 µl, optimization of the gradient slope and the nature and content of the acidic additive in the mobile phase). It led to an improvement of the separation of hCGα and hCGβ glycoforms, which allowed for the first time the detection of 33 hCGβ glycoforms at intact level. In addition, a higher number of hCGα glycoforms (42 in total, i.e. a 40% increase) was detected. The figures of merit of this new method were next assessed. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the retention time ranged between 0.02 and 0.95% (n = 3), with an average value of 0.36% for the alpha glycoforms and between 0.01 and 1.08% (n = 3) with an average value of 0.23% for the beta glycoforms. The RSDs of the relative peak area measured on the extracted ion chromatogram of each glycoform were below 20% (n = 3), with an average value of 9.8%, thus allowing semi-relative quantification. Therefore, this method has a high potential for rapid quality control aiming for the detection and comparison of glycoforms present in glycoprotein-based pharmaceutical preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira Al Matari
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Anastasia Goumenou
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Combès
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Fournier
- Université de Paris, INSERM, UMR-S1139, «Pathophysiology & Pharmacotoxicology of the Human Placenta, pre & postnatal Microbiota», 3PHM, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Valérie Pichon
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, France
| | - Nathalie Delaunay
- Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR 8231, ESPCI Paris PSL, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
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