Large scale, rapid purification of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator

Expression of the truncated tissue plasminogen activator (K2S) gene in tobacco chloroplast

As because the plant plastid genome is highly polyploid, the transformation of chloroplasts permits the introduction of thousands of copies of foreign genes per plant cell and generates extraordinarily high levels of recombinant protein. Human tissue-type plasminogen activator is one of the most important pharmaceutical proteins involved in the breakdown of blood clots in brain and heart blood vessels. We report the introduction and expression of the truncated human tissue plasminogen activator (K2S) gene in tobacco chloroplasts. The K2S-containing vector pKCZK2S was successfully transferred to tobacco plastomes using the biolistic delivery procedure. Transplastomic plants were selected on RMOP medium containing spectinomycin (500 mg/l). In order to achieve homoplasmy, several rounds of selection and regeneration were performed. The presence, site-specific integration, homoplasmy, expression and activity assay of the transgene were confirmed in the transplastomic plants by PCR, Southern-blot, RT-PCR, SDS-PAGE, ELISA, Dot-blot, Western-blot and zymography analysis. Our results show that the tissue plasminogen activator (K2S form) protein to be expressed in tobacco chloroplasts in active form.

Salt-independent adsorption chromatography: new broad-spectrum affinity methods for protein capture

The role of chromatography in capture is reviewed in terms of the special requirements imposed by the processing of very crude feedstocks. Adsorption methods which are not significantly affected by variations of feedstock ionic strength are highlighted. Methods are compared in terms of simplicity, robustness, selectivity and ease of elution. The application of such methods to enzyme and antibody purifications is summarised. Particular emphasis is placed on high ligand density methods, which have potential for broad-spectrum application.

Perspectives of immobilized-metal affinity chromatography

Immobilized Metal-Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) represents a relatively new separation technique that is primarily appropriate for the purification of proteins with natural surface-exposed histidine residues and for recombinant proteins with engineered histidine tags or histidine clusters. Because the method has gained broad popularity in recent years, the main recent developments in the field of new sorbents, techniques and possible applications are discussed in this article. Advantages of the method and new prospects are described as well as the problems and concerns that appear when the method is to be used for production of pharmaceutical-grade proteins.

Process economics of animal cell and bacterial fermentations: a case study analysis of tissue plasminogen activator

One link in the complex chain of medical economics is the cost of bringing new drugs and biologicals to the market. Advances in recombinant-DNA technology permit production of therapeutically active proteins in effectively unlimited quantities. Nevertheless, each expression system has a characteristic influence on the nature of the product produced and the process required to obtain it. In this case study we compare experiences with recombinant-tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and in Escherichia coli, with the aim of understanding the roles of some of the parameters that affect process economics. tPA belongs to the group of highly specific serine proteases that convert plasminogen to plasmin, which in turn degrades several protein substrates including fibrin, thus making it an effective thrombolytic agent. The treatment of acute myocardial infarction with such thrombolytic agents can result in early discharge of patients and decreased medical costs. However, there are major differences in the prices of the various available agents. The price of the FDA-licensed tPA product is $2,200 per dose or $22,000 per gram. It is believed that a significant portion of this price relates to manufacturing costs. We examine by way of case study illustration the cost breakdown for the two processes, and highlight important process, design and economic considerations that ultimately define a particular protein product.

Transformation of Bowes melanoma cells with SV40 T antigen

A serum-dependent and two serum-independent variants of the Bowes melanoma cell line, RPMI7272, were transfected with plasmids containing a geneticin-resistance (neo) gene transcribed by the HSV thymidine kinase promoter and an SV40 T antigen gene under control of the mouse metallothionein I promoter. T-antigen increased the cloning efficiency of the serum-dependent cell line in soft-agar more than 50-fold, but cloning efficiency of serum-independent lines was not increased. Trypsinization of serum-independent lines required 100 times lower concentrations of trypsin than serum-dependent cells. Human metal-inducible T-antigen-producing (HMT) melanoma cells supported replication of transfected plasmids containing an SV40 origin of replication. Transient expression of interferon or plasminogen activator from such plasmids was 40-fold higher than in untransformed melanoma cells and could be enhanced 30-fold more by stimulation of transcription of the T antigen gene with cadmium chloride. HMT cells can be grown in suspension and thus may represent an attractive alternative to monkey kidney COS cells.

A recombinant, chimeric enzyme with a novel mechanism of action leading to greater potency and selectivity than tissue-type plasminogen activator

BACKGROUND

Early intervention with thrombolytic agents has been shown unequivocally to reduce mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Presently used agents have disadvantages such as short half-life, immunogenicity, hypotension, and bleeding complications. Therefore, there is a need to develop improved thrombolytic drugs with novel mechanisms of action leading to improved properties.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Hybrid plasminogen/tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) complementary DNA was constructed and expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The chimeric protein, comprising the fibrin-binding domains of plasminogen covalently linked to the catalytic domain of t-PA, was purified and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The hybrid was inhibited rapidly in human and animal plasmas. The mediator of this rapid inhibition was shown to be alpha 2-antiplasmin. The active center of the hybrid could be protected by reversible active center acylation with a novel inverse acylating agent, 4'-amidinophenyl-4-chloroanthranilic acid (AP-CLAN). An acylated (CLAN-) hybrid was cleared from the bloodstream of guinea pigs at 0.35 +/- 0.02 ml/min.kg-1 compared with a clearance rate of 36 +/- 4 ml/min.kg-1 for t-PA. The CLAN-plasminogen/t-PA hybrid was evaluated in a quantitative, "humanized" guinea pig pulmonary embolism model and shown to be approximately threefold more potent when given by bolus than an infusion of t-PA. Furthermore, the acylated hybrid was more fibrin selective than t-PA as determined by the relation between clot lysis and fibrinogen degradation.

CONCLUSIONS

An acylated, recombinant plasminogen/t-PA hybrid has sufficiently slow clearance to be administered by bolus and is more potent and fibrin selective than t-PA in vivo.

Kinetic studies on novel plasminogen activators. Demonstration of fibrin enhancement for hybrid enzymes comprising the A-chain of plasmin (Lys-78) and B-chain of tissue-type plasminogen activator (Ile-276) or urokinase (Ile-159)

The activation of plasminogen by two novel hybrid enzymes, constructed from the A-chain of plasmin and the B-chains of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) or urokinase, was compared with the activation by the parent enzymes. Basal kinetic constants for 'Lys-plasminogen' (human plasminogen with N-terminal lysine) and 'Glu-plasminogen' (human plasminogen with N-terminal glutamic acid) activation were similar to those of the parent activators. The Km for plasminogen turnover for both hybrid enzymes was considerably decreased in the presence of both soluble fibrin and a mimic, a CNBr digest of fibrinogen. These enhancements and the related apparent negative co-operativity are similar to the behaviour of t-PA itself. The results are discussed with regard to the molecular features involved in the mechanism of fibrin stimulation.

Carbohydrate structure of recombinant human uterine tissue plasminogen activator expressed in mouse epithelial cells

Recombinant human uterine tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), in part metabolically labeled with [6-3H]glucosamine or [35S]sulfate, was isolated from mouse epithelial cells (C127). Oligosaccharides present were liberated by treatment of tryptic glycopeptides with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H or peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl)asparagine amidase F and fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The glycans were characterized by digestion with exoglycosidases, methylation analysis and, in part, by acetolysis and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Glycopeptides comprising individual glycosylation sites were identified by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. The results demonstrate that recombinant tPA from C127 cells carries at Asn117 oligomannosidic glycans with 5-8 mannose residues as well as small amounts of hybrid-type species. Asn184 is only partially glycosylated and substituted by fucosylated triantennary and small amounts of diantennary N-acetyllactosaminic glycans. Likewise, Asn448 carries predominantly fucosylated triantennary species, in addition to, small amounts of diantennary and tetraantennary oligosaccharides. As a characteristic feature, part of the triantennary glycans at Asn184 and Asn448 contain additional Gal(alpha 1-3) substituents and/or sulfate groups linked to position six of beta-galactosyl residues forming NeuAc(alpha 2-3)[HO3S-6]Gal(beta 1-4) units. Oligosaccharides attached to Asn448 are almost completely substituted by (alpha 2-3)- or (alpha 2-6)-linked sialic acid residues and carry the majority of sulfate groups present. Glycans at Asn184 were found to be less sialylated and sulfated.

Comparison of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) expressed in mouse C127 cells and human vascular plasminogen activator (HV-PA)

Tissue-type plasminogen activator produced by recombinant DNA technology (rt-PA) has now been recognized as a promising clot-selective thrombolytic agent. We have compared the properties of rt-PA expressed in mouse C127 cells with those of naturally occurring human vascular plasminogen activator (HV-PA). The molecular weight of HV-PA and rt-PA was estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to be approx. 66,000. HV-PA and rt-PA were labile and rapidly lost their activities at pH values below 5.5. The optimum pH of HV-PA and rt-PA for plasminogen activation was around 8.5. HV-PA and rt-PA appeared to be very similar in amidolytic properties, amino-acid composition and carbohydrate composition. Moreover, the N-terminal amino-acid sequence of HV-PA was in good agreement with that of rt-PA. The purified preparations of HV-PA and rt-PA had specific activities of about 250,000 and 600,000 IU/mg, respectively. Both activators bound to fibrin clots to similar degree. In immunodiffusion as well as in the quenching experiments of the fibrinolytic activities, rt-PA appeared to be immunodiffusion as well as in the quenching experiments of the fibrinolytic activities, rt-PA appeared to be immunologically indistinguishable from HV-PA. All these findings indicate that rt-PA expressed in mouse C127 cells is identical with naturally occurring HV-PA in physical and chemical properties.

Effect of harvest medium composition on yield and chain nature of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator species

The effect of harvest medium composition on yield and quality of two recombinant tissue type plasminogen activators (t-PA) has been examined. Protein hydrolysates increased the yield of native t-PA up to 3-fold compared to control cultures. In marked contrast, the yield of a growth-factor deleted t-PA mutant was adversely affected by the use of these additives. Partially purified t-PA that had been harvested in the presence of protein hydrolysates had higher fibrin plate activity: amidolytic activity ratios. In addition Western blotting showed these preparations contained less degraded material. These observations suggest that protein hydrolysates have opposite effects on two closely related recombinant cell lines and that they can affect quality as well as yield of secreted proteins.