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Lee E, de Paula MN, Baek S, Ta HKK, Nguyen MT, Jeong TH, Kim CJ, Jang YJ, Choe H. Novel Bacterial Production of Two Different Bioactive Forms of Human Stem-Cell Factor. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126361. [PMID: 34198626 PMCID: PMC8232154 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human stem-cell factor (hSCF) stimulates the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic cells by binding to the c-Kit receptor. Various applications of hSCF require the efficient and reliable production of hSCF. hSCF exists in three forms: as two membrane-spanning proteins hSCF248 and hSCF229 and truncated soluble N-terminal protein hSCF164. hSCF164 is known to be insoluble when expressed in Escherichia coli cytoplasm, requiring a complex refolding procedure. The activity of hSCF248 has never been studied. Here, we investigated novel production methods for recombinant hSCF164 and hSCF248 without the refolding process. To increase the solubility of hSCF164, maltose-binding protein (MBP) and protein disulfide isomerase b’a’ domain (PDIb’a’) tags were attached to the N-terminus of hSCF164. These fusion proteins were overexpressed in soluble form in the Origami 2(DE3) E. coli strain. These solubilization effects were enhanced at a low temperature. His-hSCF248, the poly-His tagged form of hSCF248, was expressed in a highly soluble form without a solubilization tag protein, which was unexpected because His-hSCF248 contains a transmembrane domain. hSCF164 was purified using affinity and ion-exchange chromatography, and His-hSCF248 was purified by ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The purified proteins stimulated the proliferation of TF-1 cells. Interestingly, the EC50 value of His-hSCF248 was 1 pg/mL, 100-fold lower than 9 ng/mL hSCF164. Additionally, His-hSCF248 decreased the doubling time, increased the proportion of S and G2/M stages in the cell cycle, and increased the c-Myc expression at a 1000-fold lower concentration than hSCF164. In conclusion, His-hSCF248 was expressed in a soluble form in E. coli and had stronger activity than hSCF164. The molecular chaperone, MBP, enabled the soluble overexpression of hSCF164.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunyoung Lee
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Michelle Novais de Paula
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Sangki Baek
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Huynh Kim Khanh Ta
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Minh Tan Nguyen
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Taeck-Hyun Jeong
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Chong Jai Kim
- Department of Pathology, Asan-Minnesota Institute for Innovating Transplantation, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea;
| | - Yeon Jin Jang
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
| | - Han Choe
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea; (E.L.); (M.N.d.P.); (S.B.); (H.K.K.T.); (M.T.N.); (T.-H.J.); (Y.J.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-3010-4292; Fax: +82-2-3010-8148
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Mickiene G, Dalgėdienė I, Zvirblis G, Dapkunas Z, Plikusiene I, Buzavaite-Verteliene E, Balevičius Z, Rukšėnaitė A, Pleckaityte M. Human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)/stem cell factor (SCF) fusion proteins: design, characterization and activity. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9788. [PMID: 32884863 PMCID: PMC7444511 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) are well-characterized vital hematopoietic growth factors that regulate hematopoiesis. G-CSF and SCF synergistically exhibit a stimulatory effect on hematopoietic progenitors. The combination of G-CSF and SCF has been used for mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells in cancer and non-cancerous conditions. To overcome challenges connected with the administration of two cytokines, we developed two fusion proteins composed of human SCF and human G-CSF interspaced by an alpha-helix-forming peptide linker. METHODS The recombinant proteins SCF-Lα-GCSF and GCSF-Lα-SCF were purified in three steps using an ion-exchange and mixed-mode chromatography. The purity and quantity of the proteins after each stage of purification was assessed using RP-HPLC, SDS-PAGE, and the Bradford assays. Purified proteins were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) and the Western blot analyses. The molecular weight was determined by size exclusion HPLC (SE-HPLC). The activity of heterodimers was assessed using cell proliferation assays in vitro. The capacity of recombinant fusion proteins to stimulate the increase of the absolute neutrophil count in rats was determined in vivo. The binding kinetics of the proteins to immobilized G-CSF and SCF receptors was measured using total internal reflection ellipsometry and evaluated by a standard Langmuir kinetics model. RESULTS The novel SCF-Lα-GCSF and GCSF-Lα-SCF proteins were synthesized in Escherichia coli. The purity of the heterodimers reached >90% as determined by RP-HPLC. The identity of the proteins was confirmed using the Western blot and HPLC/ESI-MS assays. An array of multimeric forms, non-covalently associated dimers or trimers were detected in the protein preparations by SE-HPLC. Each protein induced a dose-dependent proliferative response on the cell lines. At equimolar concentration, the heterodimers retain 70-140% of the SCF monomer activity (p ≤ 0.01) in promoting the M-07e cells proliferation. The G-CSF moiety in GCSF-Lα-SCF retained 15% (p ≤ 0.0001) and in SCF-Lα-GCSF retained 34% (p ≤ 0.01) of the monomeric G-CSF activity in stimulating the growth of G-NFS-60 cells. The obtained results were in good agreement with the binding data of each moiety in the fusion proteins to their respective receptors. The increase in the absolute neutrophil count in rats caused by the SCF-Lα-GCSF protein corresponded to the increase induced by a mixture of SCF and G-CSF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitana Mickiene
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Profarma UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Indrė Dalgėdienė
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | - Zilvinas Dapkunas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Profarma UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ieva Plikusiene
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ernesta Buzavaite-Verteliene
- Plasmonics and Nanophotonics Laboratory, Department of Laser Technology, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Zigmas Balevičius
- Plasmonics and Nanophotonics Laboratory, Department of Laser Technology, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Zang Y, Zhang X, Yuan D, Zhang Y, Zhu J, Lu H, Chang C, Qin J. Expression, purification, and characterization of a novel recombinant fusion protein, rhTPO/SCF, in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2005; 47:427-33. [PMID: 16343941 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2005.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2005] [Revised: 10/21/2005] [Accepted: 10/24/2005] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Thrombopoietin (TPO) is the principal regulatory cytokine of megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis and promotes all aspects of megakaryocyte development. Stem cell factor (SCF) is mainly a pleiotropic cytokine acting on hematopoiesis by promoting the survival and proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and has a potent synergistic effect on megakaryopoiesis in the presence of TPO. Here, we report the construction, expression, and purification of a novel recombinant human thrombopoietin/stem cell factor (rhTPO/SCF) fusion protein, which consists of a truncated human thrombopoietin (1-157 a.a.) plus a truncated human stem cell factor (1-145 a.a.), linked by a peptide (GGGGSPGGSGGGGSGG). The TPO/SCF gene was cloned into the Escherichia coli expression vector pET28a and expressed in BL21(DE3) strain. The rhTPO/SCF constituted up to 6% of the total bacterial protein. Co-expression with E. coli chaperones, Trigger Factor (TF) and GroES/GroEL, and lowering cultivation temperature cooperatively improved the solubility of expressed rhTPO/SCF, resulting in about fourfold increase in the yield soluble rhTPO/SCF. The rhTPO/SCF was purified to homogeneity using anion exchange followed by metal affinity chromatography. Western blot analysis confirmed the identity of the purified protein. rhTPO/SCF stimulated a dose-dependent cell proliferation in both TF1 and Mo7e cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, PR China
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