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Hefzi H, Martínez-Monge I, Marin de Mas I, Cowie NL, Toledo AG, Noh SM, Karottki KJLC, Decker M, Arnsdorf J, Camacho-Zaragoza JM, Kol S, Schoffelen S, Pristovšek N, Hansen AH, Miguez AA, Bjorn SP, Brøndum KK, Javidi EM, Jensen KL, Stangl L, Kreidl E, Kallehauge TB, Ley D, Ménard P, Petersen HM, Sukhova Z, Bauer A, Casanova E, Barron N, Malmström J, Nielsen LK, Lee GM, Kildegaard HF, Voldborg BG, Lewis NE. Multiplex genome editing eliminates the Warburg Effect without impacting growth rate in mammalian cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.02.606284. [PMID: 39211256 PMCID: PMC11361052 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.02.606284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
The Warburg effect is ubiquitous in proliferative mammalian cells, including cancer cells, but poses challenges for biopharmaceutical production, as lactate accumulation inhibits cell growth and protein production. Previous efforts to eliminate lactate production via knockout have failed in mammalian bioprocessing since lactate dehydrogenase has proven essential. However, here we eliminated the Warburg effect in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and HEK293 cells by simultaneously knocking out lactate dehydrogenase and regulators involved in a negative feedback loop that typically inhibits pyruvate conversion to acetyl-CoA. In contrast to long-standing assumptions about the role of aerobic glycolysis, Warburg-null cells maintain wildtype growth rate while producing negligible lactate. Further characterization of Warburg-null CHO cells showed a compensatory increase in oxygen consumption, a near total reliance on oxidative metabolism, and higher cell densities in fed-batch cell culture. These cells remained amenable for production of diverse biotherapeutic proteins, reaching industrially relevant titers and maintaining product glycosylation. Thus, the ability to eliminate the Warburg effect is an important development for biotherapeutic production and provides a tool for investigating a near-universal metabolic phenomenon.
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Majumdar S, Desai R, Hans A, Dandekar P, Jain R. From Efficiency to Yield: Exploring Recent Advances in CHO Cell Line Development for Monoclonal Antibodies. Mol Biotechnol 2024:10.1007/s12033-024-01060-6. [PMID: 38363529 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-024-01060-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The increasing demand for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has prompted the development of stable high-producing cell lines while simultaneously decreasing the time required for screening. Existing platforms have proven inefficient, resulting in inconsistencies in yields, growth characteristics, and quality features in the final mAb products. Selecting a suitable expression host, designing an effective gene expression system, developing a streamlined cell line generation approach, optimizing culture conditions, and defining scaling-up and purification strategies are all critical steps in the production of recombinant proteins, particularly monoclonal antibodies, in mammalian cells. As a result, an active area of study is dedicated to expression and optimizing recombinant protein production. This review explores recent breakthroughs and approaches targeted at accelerating cell line development to attain efficiency and consistency in the synthesis of therapeutic proteins, specifically monoclonal antibodies. The primary goal is to bridge the gap between rising demand and consistent, high-quality mAb production, thereby benefiting the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarmishta Majumdar
- Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, 400019, India
| | - Ranjeet Desai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, 400019, India
| | - Aakarsh Hans
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, 400019, India
| | - Prajakta Dandekar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, 400019, India.
| | - Ratnesh Jain
- Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, 400019, India.
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Martínez VS, Rodriguez K, McCubbin T, Tong J, Mahler S, Shave E, Baker K, Munro TP, Marcellin E. Amino acid degradation pathway inhibitory by-products trigger apoptosis in CHO cells. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300338. [PMID: 38375561 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used to produce complex biopharmaceuticals. Improving their productivity is necessary to fulfill the growing demand for such products. One way to enhance productivity is by cultivating cells at high densities, but inhibitory by-products, such as metabolite derivatives from amino acid degradation, can hinder achieving high cell densities. This research examines the impact of these inhibitory by-products on high-density cultures. We cultured X1 and X2 CHO cell lines in a small-scale semi-perfusion system and introduced a mix of inhibitory by-products on day 10. The X1 and X2 cell lines were chosen for their varied responses to the by-products; X2 was susceptible, while X1 survived. Proteomics revealed that the X2 cell line presented changes in the proteins linked to apoptosis regulation, cell building block synthesis, cell growth, DNA repair, and energy metabolism. We later used the AB cell line, an apoptosis-resistant cell line, to validate the results. AB behaved similar to X1 under stress. We confirmed the activation of apoptosis in X2 using a caspase assay. This research provides insights into the mechanisms of cell death triggered by inhibitory by-products and can guide the optimization of CHO cell culture for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica S Martínez
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karen Rodriguez
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Timothy McCubbin
- Queensland Metabolomics and Proteomics (Q-MAP), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Junjie Tong
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stephen Mahler
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Evan Shave
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Patheon, by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kym Baker
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Patheon, by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Trent P Munro
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- National Biologics Facility, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Esteban Marcellin
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Metabolomics and Proteomics (Q-MAP), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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Chitwood DG, Uy L, Fu W, Klaubert SR, Harcum SW, Saski CA. Dynamics of Amino Acid Metabolism, Gene Expression, and Circulomics in a Recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Line Adapted to Moderate and High Levels of Extracellular Lactate. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1576. [PMID: 37628627 PMCID: PMC10454118 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of metabolic wastes in cell cultures can diminish product quality, reduce productivity, and trigger apoptosis. The limitation or removal of unintended waste products from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures has been attempted through multiple process and genetic engineering avenues with varied levels of success. One study demonstrated a simple method to reduce lactate and ammonia production in CHO cells with adaptation to extracellular lactate; however, the mechanism behind adaptation was not certain. To address this profound gap, this study characterizes the phenotype of a recombinant CHO K-1 cell line that was gradually adapted to moderate and high levels of extracellular lactate and examines the genomic content and role of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) and gene expression on the adaptation process. More than 500 genes were observed on eccDNAs. Notably, more than 1000 genes were observed to be differentially expressed at different levels of lactate adaptation, while only 137 genes were found to be differentially expressed between unadapted cells and cells adapted to grow in high levels of lactate; this suggests stochastic switching as a potential stress adaptation mechanism in CHO cells. Further, these data suggest alanine biosynthesis as a potential stress-mitigation mechanism for excess lactate in CHO cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G. Chitwood
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (D.G.C.); (L.U.); (S.W.H.)
| | - Lisa Uy
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (D.G.C.); (L.U.); (S.W.H.)
| | - Wanfang Fu
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
| | - Stephanie R. Klaubert
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
| | - Sarah W. Harcum
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (D.G.C.); (L.U.); (S.W.H.)
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
| | - Christopher A. Saski
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
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Zhang HY, Fan ZL, Wang TY. Advances of Glycometabolism Engineering in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:774175. [PMID: 34926421 PMCID: PMC8675083 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.774175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
As the most widely used mammalian cell line, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells can express various recombinant proteins with a post translational modification pattern similar to that of the proteins from human cells. During industrial production, cells need large amounts of ATP to support growth and protein expression, and since glycometabolism is the main source of ATP for cells, protein production partly depends on the efficiency of glycometabolism. And efficient glycometabolism allows less glucose uptake by cells, reducing production costs, and providing a better mammalian production platform for recombinant protein expression. In the present study, a series of progresses on the comprehensive optimization in CHO cells by glycometabolism strategy were reviewed, including carbohydrate intake, pyruvate metabolism and mitochondrial metabolism. We analyzed the effects of gene regulation in the upstream and downstream of the glucose metabolism pathway on cell’s growth and protein expression. And we also pointed out the latest metabolic studies that are potentially applicable on CHO cells. In the end, we elaborated the application of metabolic models in the study of CHO cell metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan-Yu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhen-Lin Fan
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang, China.,Institutes of Health Central Plain, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Tian-Yun Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang, China
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