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Park J, Obeng J, Spezia P, Huang J, Morrone DJ. Student design and characterization of visible DHFR fusions for biochemistry tools to improve learning during lab exercises. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION : A BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 49:560-569. [PMID: 33830617 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Student feedback from an undergraduate biochemistry lab course suggested the use of visibly traceable proteins may assist learning. Based on this feedback, we used guided inquiry lab exercises where students developed and characterized a suite of fluorescent protein-dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) fusions as tools for a biochemistry teaching lab. In contrast to the unfused versions, members of this suite are well-expressed, soluble, visible, highly stable, and easily characterized. The color of mCherry and EGFP fluorescent fusions with microbial DHFR allows students to visibly track their target protein from expression through purification under ambient light, while fusions with BFP are visible under UV-light. Fusions were made to both wild-type and kinetically enhanced DHFR variants. Importantly, we found that fluorescent protein fusions with DHFR did not kinetically interfere as the KM and kcat values were not remarkably altered from the unfused variant. With these fusions, students can easily measure kinetic parameters under steady-state conditions with readily available substrate and common laboratory spectrophotometers. Additionally, students also determined IC50 values of trimethoprim for DHFR. These exercises can be completed in a series of up to six lab periods and we have included the protocols for instructors who wish undertake a similar series of experiments in their biochemistry teaching labs. Using these visible fusion enzymes with subsequent students, we observed potential learning gains on a course assessment and received positive student feedback. We suggest that the often over-looked element of visual cues in a biochemistry lab may be an exploitable component of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyun Park
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jeremiah Obeng
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Peter Spezia
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jonathan Huang
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Dana J Morrone
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Guijarro-Pardo E, Gómez-Sebastián S, Escribano JM. In vivo production of recombinant proteins using occluded recombinant AcMNPV-derived baculovirus vectors. J Virol Methods 2017; 250:17-24. [PMID: 28943301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Trichoplusia ni insect larvae infected with vectors derived from the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), are an excellent alternative to insect cells cultured in conventional bioreactors to produce recombinant proteins because productivity and cost-efficiency reasons. However, there is still a lot of work to do to reduce the manual procedures commonly required in this production platform that limit its scalability. To increase the scalability of this platform technology, a current bottleneck to be circumvented in the future is the need of injection for the inoculation of larvae with polyhedrin negative baculovirus vectors (Polh-) because of the lack of oral infectivity of these viruses, which are commonly used for production in insect cell cultures. In this work we have developed a straightforward alternative to obtain orally infective vectors derived from AcMNPV and expressing recombinant proteins that can be administered to the insect larvae (Trichoplusia ni) by feeding, formulated in the insect diet. The approach developed was based on the use of a recombinant polyhedrin protein expressed by a recombinant vector (Polh+), able to co-occlude any recombinant Polh- baculovirus vector expressing a recombinant protein. A second alternative was developed by the generation of a dual vector co-expressing the recombinant polyhedrin protein and the foreign gene of interest to obtain the occluded viruses. Additionally, by the incorporation of a reporter gene into the helper Polh+ vector, it was possible the follow-up visualization of the co-occluded viruses infection in insect larvae and will help to homogenize infection conditions. By using these methodologies, the production of recombinant proteins in per os infected larvae, without manual infection procedures, was very similar in yield to that obtained by manual injection of recombinant Polh- AcMNPV-based vectors expressing the same proteins. However, further analyses will be required for a detailed comparison of production yields reached by injection vs oral infections for different recombinant proteins. In conclusion, these results open the possibility of future industrial scaling-up production of recombinant proteins in insect larvae by reducing manual operations.
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Molecular Characteristics and Serodiagnostic Potential of Dihydrofolate Reductase from Echinococcus granulosus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:514. [PMID: 28364125 PMCID: PMC5428777 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00643-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus causes cystic echinococcosis (CE), a neglected tropical disease that leads to morbidity and mortality in humans and livestock worldwide. Here, we identified and characterized dihydrofolate reductase (Eg-DHFR) from E. granulosus, and evaluated its potential as a diagnostic antigen for sheep CE. Comparison between mammalian (host) DHFR and Eg-DHFR indicates that 45.7% of the 35 active site residues are different. Immunolocalisation analysis showed that native Eg-DHFR was widely distributed in all life-cycle stages of E. granulosus. Recombinant Eg-DHFR (rEg-DHFR) showed typical DHFR enzymatic parameters towards substrate, and was very sensitive to inhibition by methotrexate (IC50 = 27.75 ± 1.03 nM) and aminopterin (IC50 = 63.67 ± 6.76 nM). However, inhibition of DHFR exhibited little protoscolicidal effect in vitro. As there is no reliable method to monitor sheep CE, the immunogenicity of rEg-DHFR was detected, and we developed an indirect ELISA (iELISA) for CE serodiagnosis. The iELISA exhibited diagnostic specificity of 89.58%, diagnostic sensitivity of 95.83%, and the diagnostic accuracy was 91.67% compared with necropsy. Cross-reactivity assay showed analytical specificity of 85.7%. These suggest that rEg-DHFR is an effective antigen for the diagnosis of sheep CE.
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Dudognon B, Romero-Santacreu L, Gómez-Sebastián S, Hidalgo AB, López-Vidal J, Bellido ML, Muñoz E, Escribano JM. Production of functional active human growth factors in insects used as living biofactories. J Biotechnol 2014; 184:229-39. [PMID: 24915129 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Growth factors (GFs) are naturally signalling proteins, which bind to specific receptors on the cell surface. Numerous families of GFs have already been identified and remarkable progresses have been made in understanding the pathways that these proteins use to activate/regulate the complex signalling network involved in cell proliferation or wound healing processes. The bottleneck for a wider clinical and commercial application of these factors relay on their scalable cost-efficient production as bioactive molecules. The present work describes the capacity of Trichoplusia ni insect larvae used as living bioreactors in combination with the baculovirus vector expression system to produce three fully functional human GFs, the human epidermal growth factor (huEGF), the human fibroblast growth factor 2 (huFGF2) and the human keratinocyte growth factor 1 (huKGF1). The expression levels obtained per g of insect biomass were of 9.1, 2.6 and 3mg for huEGF, huFGF2 and huKGF1, respectively. Attempts to increase the productivity of the insect/baculovirus system we have used different modifications to optimize their production. Additionally, recombinant proteins were expressed fused to different tags to facilitate their purification. Interestingly, the expression of huKGF1 was significantly improved when expressed fused to the fragment crystallizable region (Fc) of the human antibody IgG. The insect-derived recombinant GFs were finally characterized in terms of biological activity in keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The present work opens the possibility of a cost-efficient and scalable production of these highly valuable molecules in a system that favours its wide use in therapeutic or cosmetic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Dudognon
- Alternative Gene Expression S.L. (ALGENEX), Centro empresarial, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorena Romero-Santacreu
- Alternative Gene Expression S.L. (ALGENEX), Centro empresarial, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Gómez-Sebastián
- Alternative Gene Expression S.L. (ALGENEX), Centro empresarial, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana B Hidalgo
- Vivacell Biotechnology España S.L. Parque Científico Tecnológico Rabanales, 21, c/Cecilia Payne, Parcela ID 8.1, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Javier López-Vidal
- Alternative Gene Expression S.L. (ALGENEX), Centro empresarial, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - María L Bellido
- Vivacell Biotechnology España S.L. Parque Científico Tecnológico Rabanales, 21, c/Cecilia Payne, Parcela ID 8.1, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Eduardo Muñoz
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC)/Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía/Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - José M Escribano
- Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Autovía A6, Km 7.5, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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Sáez-Ayala M, Fernández-Pérez MP, Chazarra S, Mchedlishvili N, Tárraga-Tomás A, Rodríguez-López JN. Factors influencing the antifolate activity of synthetic tea-derived catechins. Molecules 2013; 18:8319-41. [PMID: 23863773 PMCID: PMC6270263 DOI: 10.3390/molecules18078319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel tea catechin derivatives have been synthesized, and a structure-activity study, related to the capacity of these and other polyphenols to bind dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), has been performed. The data showed an effective binding between all molecules and the free enzyme, and the dissociation constants of the synthetic compounds and of the natural analogues were on the same order. Polyphenols with a catechin configuration were better DHFR inhibitors than those with an epicatechin configuration. Antiproliferative activity was also studied in cultured tumour cells, and the data showed that the activity of the novel derivatives was higher in catechin isomers. Derivatives with a hydroxyl group para on the ester-bonded gallate moiety presented a high in vitro binding to DHFR, but exhibited transport problems in cell culture due to ionization at physiologic pHs. The impact of the binding of catechins to serum albumin on their biological activity was also evaluated. The information provided in this study could be important for the design of novel medicinal active compounds derived from tea catechins. The data suggest that changes in their structure to avoid serum albumin interactions and to facilitate plasmatic membrane transport are essential for the intracellular functions of catechins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalí Sáez-Ayala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A, School of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mails: (M.S.-A.); (M.P.F.-P.); (S.C.)
| | - María Piedad Fernández-Pérez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A, School of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mails: (M.S.-A.); (M.P.F.-P.); (S.C.)
| | - Soledad Chazarra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A, School of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mails: (M.S.-A.); (M.P.F.-P.); (S.C.)
| | - Nani Mchedlishvili
- Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Agrarian University of Georgia, 0131, Tbilisi, Georgia; E-Mail:
| | - Alberto Tárraga-Tomás
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - José Neptuno Rodríguez-López
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A, School of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mails: (M.S.-A.); (M.P.F.-P.); (S.C.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +34-868-888-284; Fax: +34-868-884-782
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Wang W, Gao J, Wang J, Liu C, Meng Y. Cloning, expression and enzymatic properties analysis of dihydrofolate reductase gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Mol Biol Rep 2012; 39:10285-91. [PMID: 23065260 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-012-1905-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/30/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor for aromatic acid hydroxylases, which control the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters. BH4 deficiency has been associated with many neuropsychological disorders. Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) can catalyze 7,8-dihydrobiopterin to 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) in the salvage pathway of BH4 synthesis from sepiapterin (SP), a major pigment component contained in the integument of silkworm Bombyx mori mutant lemon (lem) in high concentration. In this study, we report the cloning of DHFR gene from the silkworm B. mori (BmDhfr) and identification of enzymatic properties of BmDHFR. BmDhfr is located on scaffold Bm_199 with a predicted gene model BGIBMGA013340, which encodes a 185-aa polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of about 21 kDa. Biochemical analyses showed that the recombinant BmDHFR protein exhibited high enzymatic activity and suitable parameters to substrate. Together with our previous studies on SP reductase of B. mori (BmSPR) and the lem mutant, it may be an effective way to industrially extract SP from the lem silkworms in large scale to produce BH4 in vitro by co-expressing BmSPR and BmDHFR and using the extracted SP as a substrate in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 West Changjiang Road, Hefei 230036, China.
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Gómez-Sebastián S, Nuñez MC, Garaicoechea L, Alvarado C, Mozgovoj M, Lasa R, Kahl A, Wigdorovitz A, Parreño V, Escribano JM. Rotavirus A-specific single-domain antibodies produced in baculovirus-infected insect larvae are protective in vivo. BMC Biotechnol 2012; 12:59. [PMID: 22953695 PMCID: PMC3444942 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-12-59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 09/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), also known as nanobodies or VHHs, are characterized by high stability and solubility, thus maintaining the affinity and therapeutic value provided by conventional antibodies. Given these properties, VHHs offer a novel alternative to classical antibody approaches. To date, VHHs have been produced mainly in E. coli, yeast, plants and mammalian cells. To apply the single-domain antibodies as a preventive or therapeutic strategy to control rotavirus infections in developing countries (444,000 deaths in children under 5 years of age) has to be minimized their production costs. Results Here we describe the highly efficient expression of functional VHHs by the Improved Baculovirus Expression System (IBES® technology), which uses a baculovirus expression vector in combination with Trichoplusia ni larvae as living biofactories. Two VHHs, named 3B2 and 2KD1, specific for the inner capsid protein VP6 of Group A rotavirus, were expressed in insect larvae. The IBES® technology achieved very high expression of 3B2 and 2KD1, reaching 2.62% and 3.63% of the total soluble protein obtained from larvae, respectively. These expression levels represent up to 257 mg/L of protein extract after insect processing (1 L extract represents about 125 g of insect biomass or about 375 insect larvae). Larva-derived antibodies were fully functional when tested in vitro and in vivo, neutralizing Group A rotaviruses and protecting offspring mice against rotavirus-induced diarrhea. Conclusions Our results open up the possibility of using insects as living biofactories (IBES® technology) for the cost-efficient production of these and other fully functional VHHs to be used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, thereby eliminating concerns regarding the use of bacterial or mammalian cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that insects have been used as living biofactories to produce a VHH molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Gómez-Sebastián
- Alternative Gene Expression S.L. (ALGENEX), Centro empresarial, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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Sáez-Ayala M, Sánchez-del-Campo L, Montenegro MF, Chazarra S, Tárraga A, Cabezas-Herrera J, Rodríguez-López JN. Comparison of a pair of synthetic tea-catechin-derived epimers: synthesis, antifolate activity, and tyrosinase-mediated activation in melanoma. ChemMedChem 2011; 6:440-9. [PMID: 21302360 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201000482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2010] [Revised: 12/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Despite bioavailability issues, tea catechins have emerged as promising chemopreventive agents because of their efficacy in various animal models. We synthesized two catechin-derived compounds, 3-O-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)-(-)-catechin (TMCG) and 3-O-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)-(-)-epicatechin (TMECG), in an attempt to improve the stability and cellular absorption of tea polyphenols. The antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of both compounds were analyzed with various cancer cell systems, and TMCG, which was easily synthesized in excellent yield, was more active than TMECG in both melanoma and non-melanoma cell lines. TMCG was also a better inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase and was more efficiently oxidized by tyrosinase, potentially explaining the difference in activity between these epimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalí Sáez-Ayala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A, School of Biology, University of Murcia, and REsearch Unit of Clinical Analysis Service, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Avda. Teniente Flomesta, no. 5, 30003 Murcia, Spain
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