A cell sorting protocol for selecting high-producing sub-populations of Sf9 and High Five™ cells

Sheath fluid impacts the depletion of cellular metabolites in cells afflicted by sorting induced cellular stress (SICS)

Flow cytometrists have long observed a spectrum of cell‐type‐specific changes ranging from minor functional defects to outright cell destruction after purification of cells using conventional droplet cell sorters. We have described this spectrum of cell perturbations as sorter induced cellular stress, or SICS (Lopez and Hulspas, Cytometry, 2020, 97, 105–106). Despite the potential impact of this issue and ubiquitous anecdotes, little has been reported about this phenomenon in the literature, and the underlying mechanism has been elusive. Inspired by others' observations (Llufrio et al., Redox Biology, 2018, 16, 381–387 and Binek et al., Journal of Proteome Research, 2019, 18, 169–181), we set out to examine SICS at the metabolic level and use this information to propose a working model. Using representative suspension (Jurkat) and adherent (NIH/3T3) cell lines we observed broad and consistent metabolic perturbations after sorting using a high‐speed droplet cell sorter. Our results suggest that the SICS metabolic phenotype is a common cell‐type‐independent manifestation and may be the harbinger of a wide‐range of functional defects either directly related to metabolism, or cell stress response pathways. We further demonstrate a proof of concept that a modification to the fluidic environment (complete media used as sheath fluid) in a droplet cell sorter can largely rescue the intracellular markers of SICS, and that this rescue is not due to a contribution of metabolites found in media. Future studies will focus on characterizing the potential electro‐physical mechanisms inherent to the droplet cell sorting process to determine the major contributors to the SICS mechanism.

Insect High FiveTM cell line development using site-specific flipase recombination technology

Insect Trichoplusia ni High FiveTM (Hi5) cells have been widely explored for production of heterologous proteins, traditionally mostly using the lytic baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), and more recently using virus-free transient gene expression systems. Stable expression in such host cells would circumvent the drawbacks associated with both systems when it comes to scale-up and implementation of more efficient high-cell density process modes for the manufacturing of biologics. In this work, we combined Flipase (Flp) recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for generating a stable master clonal Hi5 cell line with the flexibility to express single or multiple proteins of interest from a tagged genomic locus. The 3-step protocol herein implemented consisted of (i) introducing the RMCE docking cassette into the cell genome by random integration followed by selection in Hygromycin B and FACS (Hi5-tagging population), (ii) eliminating cells tagged in loci with low recombination efficiency by transfecting the tagging population with an eGFP-containing target cassette followed by selection in G418 and FACS (Hi5-RMCE population), and (iii) isolation of pure eGFP-expressing cells by FACS and expansion to suspension cultures (Hi5-RMCE master clone). Exchangeability of the locus in the master clone was demonstrated in small-scale suspension cultures by replacing the target cassette by one containing a single protein (i.e. iCherry, as an intracellular protein model) or two proteins (i.e. influenza HA and M1 for virus-like particles production, as an extracellular protein model). Overall, the stable insect Hi5 cell platform herein assembled has the potential to assist and accelerate biologics development.

Accelerating HIV-1 VLP production using stable High Five insect cell pools

Stable cell pools are receiving a renewed interest as a potential alternative system to clonal cell lines. The shorter development timelines and the capacity to achieve high product yields make them an interesting approach for recombinant protein production. In this study, stable High Five cell pools are assessed for the production of a simple protein, mCherry, and the more complex HIV-1 Gag-eGFP virus-like particles (VLPs). Random integration coupled to fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) in suspension conditions is applied to accelerate the stable cell pool generation process and enrich it with high producer cells. This methodology is successfully transferred to a bioreactor for VLP production, resulting in a 2-fold increase in VLP yields with respect to shake flask cultures. In these conditions, maximum viable cell concentration improves by 1.5-fold, and by-product formation is significantly reduced. Remarkably, a global increase in the uptake of amino acids in the Gag-eGFP stable cell pool is observed when compared with parental High Five cells, reflecting the additional metabolic burden associated with VLP production. These results suggest that stable High Five cell pools are a robust and powerful approach to produce VLPs and other recombinant proteins, and put the basis for future studies aiming to scale up this system.

Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells in the Diagnostic Leukapheresis Product of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients Comparing CellSearch® and ISET

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detected by CellSearch are prognostic in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but rarely found. CTCs can be extracted from the blood together with mononuclear cell populations by diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA), therefore concentrating them. However, CellSearch can only process limited DLA volumes (≈2 mL). Therefore, we established a protocol to enumerate CTCs in DLA products with Isolation by SizE of Tumor cells (ISET), and compared CTC counts between CellSearch® and ISET. DLA was performed in NSCLC patients who started a new therapy. With an adapted protocol, ISET could process 10 mL of DLA. CellSearch detected CTCs in a volume equaling 2 × 108 leukocytes (mean 2 mL). CTC counts per mL were compared. Furthermore, the live cell protocol of ISET was tested in eight patients. ISET successfully processed all DLA products-16 with the fixed cell protocol and 8 with the live cell protocol. In total, 10-20 mL of DLA was processed. ISET detected CTCs in 88% (14/16), compared to 69% (11/16, p < 0.05) with CellSearch. ISET also detected higher number of CTCs (ISET median CTC/mL = 4, interquartile range [IQR] = 2-6, CellSearch median CTC/mL = 0.9, IQR = 0-1.8, p < 0.01). Cells positive for the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM+) per mL were detected in similar counts by both methods. Eight patients were processed with the live cell protocol. All had EpCAM+, CD45-, CD235- cells isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Overall, ISET processed larger volumes and detected higher CTC counts compared to CellSearch. EpCAM+ CTCs were detected in comparable rates.

Development of Versatile and Flexible Sf9 Packaging Cell Line-Dependent OneBac System for Large-Scale Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Production

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) are excellent vectors for gene delivery. However, current Sf9/Cap-Rep packaging cell line-dependent OneBac systems still lack versatility and flexibility for large-scale production of rAAVs. In this study, we developed an improved OneBac system that includes a novel dual-function baculovirus expression vector (BEV) termed BEV/Cap-(ITR-GOI) that carries both the AAV Cap gene and rAAV genome inverted terminal repeat (ITR) sequences flanking the gene of interest (GOI), a versatile Sf9-GFP/Rep packaging cell line that harbors silent copies of the AAV2 Rep gene that can be expressed after BEV infection, and constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes to facilitate cell line screening. The BEV/Cap-(ITR-GOI) construct allows flexibility to switch among different Cap gene serotypes using simple BEV reconstruction, and is stable for at least five serial passages. Furthermore, the Sf9-GFP/Rep stable cell line is versatile for production of different rAAV serotypes. The yield levels for rAAV2, rAAV8, and rAAV9 exceeded 10⁵ vector genomes (VG) per cell, which is similar to other currently available large-scale rAAV production systems. The new Bac system-derived rAAVs have biophysical properties similar to HEK293 cell-derived rAAVs, as well as high quality and activity. In summary, the novel Sf9-GFP/Rep packaging cell line-dependent OneBac system can facilitate large-scale rAAV production and rAAV-based gene therapy.

Single-cell cloning enables the selection of more productive Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells for recombinant protein expression

The generation of monoclonal cell lines is an important early process development step for recombinant protein production. Although single-cell cloning is an established method in mammalian cell lines, straightforward protocols are not yet available for insect cells. We describe a new method for the generation of monoclonal insect cells without using fetal bovine serum and/or feeder cells pretreated by irradiation or exposure to mitomycin. Highly productive clones of Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells were prepared in a two-step procedure, comprising the establishment of a polyclonal population and subsequent single cell isolation by limiting dilution. Necessary growth factors were provided by co-cultivation of single transformants with untransfected feeder cells, which were later removed by antibiotic selection. Enhanced expression of EGFP and two target peptides was confirmed by flow cytometry and dot/western blotting. Highly productive clones were stable, showed a uniform expression profile and typically a sixfold to tenfold increase in cell-specific productivity.

Site-specific chromosomal gene insertion: Flp recombinase versus Cas9 nuclease

Site-specific recombination systems like those based on the Flp recombinase proved themselves as efficient tools for cell line engineering. The recent emergence of designer nucleases, especially RNA guided endonucleases like Cas9, has considerably broadened the available toolbox for applications like targeted transgene insertions. Here we established a recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) protocol for the fast and effective, drug-free isolation of recombinant cells. Distinct fluorescent protein patterns identified the recombination status of individual cells. In derivatives of a CHO master cell line the expression of the introduced transgene of interest could be dramatically increased almost 20-fold by subsequent deletion of the fluorescent protein gene that provided the initial isolation principle. The same master cell line was employed in a comparative analysis using CRISPR/Cas9 for transgene integration in identical loci. Even though the overall targeting efficacy was comparable, multi-loci targeting was considerably more effective for Cas9-mediated transgene insertion when compared to RMCE. While Cas9 is inherently more flexible, our results also alert to the risk of aberrant recombination events around the cut site. Together, this study points at the individual strengths in performance of both systems and provides guidance for their appropriate use.