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Ji Y, Lu Y, Yan Y, Liu X, Su N, Zhang C, Bi S, Xing XH. Design of Fusion Proteins for Efficient and Soluble Production of Immunogenic Ebola Virus Glycoprotein in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol J 2018; 13:e1700627. [PMID: 29500882 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201700627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Ebola hemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola virus is an extremely dangerous disease, and effective therapeutic agents are still lacking. Platforms for the efficient production of vaccines are crucial to ensure quick response against an Ebola virus outbreak. Ebola virus glycoprotein (EbolaGP) on the virion surface is responsible for membrane binding and virus entry, thus becoming the key target for vaccine development. However, heterologous expression of this protein still faces engineering challenges such as low production levels and insoluble aggregation. Here, the authors design and compare various fusion strategies, attaching great importance to the solubility-enhancing effect, and tag removal process. It is found that a C-terminal intein-based tag greatly enhances the solubility of EbolaGP and allows one-step chromatographic purification of the untagged EbolaGP through thiol-catalyzed self-cleavage. The purified untagged EbolaGP alone or with Freund's adjuvant are highly immunogenic, as confirmed in a mouse model. Consequently, the present study puts forward a new strategy for the efficient and soluble expression of untagged immunogenic EbolaGP. The intein-based protein fusion approach may be of importance for the large-scale production of Ebola virus subunit vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ji
- MOE Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Yishu Yan
- MOE Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Xinxin Liu
- Bio-Cell Co. Ltd., Beijing, 100085, P. R. China
| | - Nan Su
- Bio-Cell Co. Ltd., Beijing, 100085, P. R. China
| | - Chong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.,Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Shengli Bi
- Institute of Virology Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xin-Hui Xing
- MOE Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.,Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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Zai J, Yi Y, Xia H, Zhang B, Yuan Z. A new strategy for full-length Ebola virus glycoprotein expression in E.coli. Virol Sin 2016; 31:500-508. [PMID: 28000060 DOI: 10.1007/s12250-016-3845-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates with high rates of fatality. Glycoprotein (GP) is the only envelope protein of EBOV, which may play a critical role in virus attachment and entry as well as stimulating host protective immune responses. However, the lack of expression of full-length GP in Escherichia coli hinders the further study of its function in viral pathogenesis. In this study, the vp40 gene was fused to the full-length gp gene and cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector. We showed that the VP40-GP and GP-VP40 fusion proteins could be expressed in E.coli at 16 °C. In addition, it was shown that the position of vp40 in the fusion proteins affected the yields of the fusion proteins, with a higher level of production of the fusion protein when vp40 was upstream of gp compared to when it was downstream. The results provide a strategy for the expression of a large quantity of EBOV full-length GP, which is of importance for further analyzing the relationship between the structure and function of GP and developing an antibody for the treatment of EBOV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zai
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yinhua Yi
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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Xi H, Yuan R, Chen X, Gu T, Cheng Y, Li Z, Jiang C, Kong W, Wu Y. Purification and on-column refolding of a single-chain antibody fragment against rabies virus glycoprotein expressed in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2016; 126:26-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Ganguly A, Malabadi RB, Bhatnagar PK, Tang X, Das D, Loebenberg R, Suresh MR, Sunwoo HH. Production and characterization of monospecific and bispecific antibodies against dengue virus NS1 protein. J Virol Methods 2015; 220:5-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2015.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sánchez-Rodríguez SP, Münch-Anguiano L, Echeverría O, Vázquez-Nin G, Mora-Pale M, Dordick JS, Bustos-Jaimes I. Human parvovirus B19 virus-like particles: In vitro assembly and stability. Biochimie 2012; 94:870-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2011.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2011] [Accepted: 12/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Bhoo SH, Lai H, Ma J, Arntzen CJ, Chen Q, Mason HS. Expression of an immunogenic Ebola immune complex in Nicotiana benthamiana. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2011; 9:807-16. [PMID: 21281425 PMCID: PMC4022790 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7652.2011.00593.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg viruses) cause severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates. The US Centers for Disease Control identifies Ebola and Marburg viruses as 'category A' pathogens (defined as posing a risk to national security as bioterrorism agents), which has lead to a search for vaccines that could prevent the disease. Because the use of such vaccines would be in the service of public health, the cost of production is an important component of their development. The use of plant biotechnology is one possible way to cost-effectively produce subunit vaccines. In this work, a geminiviral replicon system was used to produce an Ebola immune complex (EIC) in Nicotiana benthamiana. Ebola glycoprotein (GP1) was fused at the C-terminus of the heavy chain of humanized 6D8 IgG monoclonal antibody, which specifically binds to a linear epitope on GP1. Co-expression of the GP1-heavy chain fusion and the 6D8 light chain using a geminiviral vector in leaves of N. benthamiana produced assembled immunoglobulin, which was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and protein G affinity chromatography. Immune complex formation was confirmed by assays to show that the recombinant protein bound the complement factor C1q. Size measurements of purified recombinant protein by dynamic light scattering and size-exclusion chromatography also indicated complex formation. Subcutaneous immunization of BALB/C mice with purified EIC resulted in anti-Ebola virus antibody production at levels comparable to those obtained with a GP1 virus-like particle. These results show excellent potential for a plant-expressed EIC as a human vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong Hee Bhoo
- Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
- Graduate School of Biotechnology and Plant Metabolism Research Center Kyung Hee University, Yong-In 446-701, Korea
| | - Huafang Lai
- Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
| | - Julian Ma
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St. George’s, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE
| | - Charles J. Arntzen
- Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
- College of Technology and Innovation, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
| | - Hugh S. Mason
- Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
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Qiu X, Alimonti JB, Melito PL, Fernando L, Ströher U, Jones SM. Characterization of Zaire ebolavirus glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibodies. Clin Immunol 2011; 141:218-27. [PMID: 21925951 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2011.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) can be transmitted by human-to-human contact and causes acute haemorrhagic fever with case fatality rates up to 90%. There are no effective therapeutic or prophylactic treatments available. The sole transmembrane glycoprotein (GP) is the key target for developing neutralizing antibodies. In this study, recombinant VSVΔG/ZEBOVGP was used to generate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the ZEBOV GP. A total of 8 MAbs were produced using traditional hybridoma cell fusion technology, and then characterized by ELISA using ZEBOV VLPs, Western blotting, an immunofluorescence assay, and immunoprecipitation. All 8 MAbs worked in IFA and IP, suggesting that they are all conformational MAbs, however six of them recognized linearized epitopes by WB. ELISA results demonstrated that one MAb bound to a secreted GP (sGP 1-295aa); three bind to a part of the mucin domain (333-458aa); three MAbs recognized epitopes on the C-terminal domain of GP1 (296-501aa); and one bound to full length GP (VLPs/GP1,2 ΔTm). Using a mouse model these MAbs were evaluated for their therapeutic capacity during a lethal infection. All 8 MAb improved survival rates by 33%-100% against a high dose lethal challenge with mouse-adapted ZEBOV. This work has important implications for further development of vaccines and immunotherapies for ZEBOV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangguo Qiu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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Cavallaro AS, Mahony D, Commins M, Mahony TJ, Mitter N. Endotoxin-free purification for the isolation of bovine viral diarrhoea virus E2 protein from insoluble inclusion body aggregates. Microb Cell Fact 2011; 10:57. [PMID: 21787435 PMCID: PMC3160874 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2859-10-57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Protein expression in Escherichia coli may result in the recombinant protein being expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies. In addition, proteins purified from E. coli contain endotoxins which need to be removed for in vivo applications. The structural protein, E2, from Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) is a major immunogenic determinant, and is an ideal candidate as a subunit vaccine. The E2 protein contains 17 cysteine residues creating difficulties in E. coli expression. In this report we outline a procedure for successfully producing soluble and endotoxin-free BVDV E2 protein from inclusion bodies (IB). Results The expression of a truncated form of BVDV-E2 protein (E2-T1) in E. coli resulted in predominantly aggregated insoluble IB. Solubilisation of E2-T1 with high purity and stability from IB aggregates was achieved using a strong reducing buffer containing 100 mM Dithiothreitol. Refolding by dialysis into 50 mM Tris (pH 7.0) containing 0.2% Igepal CA630 resulted in a soluble but aggregated protein solution. The novel application of a two-phase extraction of inclusion body preparations with Triton X-114 reduced endotoxin in solubilised E2-T1 to levels suitable for in vivo use without affecting protein yields. Dynamic light scattering analyses showed 37.5% of the protein was monomeric, the remaining comprised of soluble aggregates. Mice immunised with E2-T1 developed a high titre antibody response by ELISA. Western hybridisation analysis showed E2-T1 was recognised by sera from immunised mice and also by several BVDV-E2 polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Conclusion We have developed a procedure using E. coli to produce soluble E2-T1 protein from IB, and due to their insoluble nature we utilised a novel approach using Triton X-114 to efficiently remove endotoxin. The resultant protein is immunogenic and detectable by BVDV-E2 specific antibodies indicating its usefulness for diagnostic applications and as a subunit vaccine. The optimised E. coli expression system for E2-T1 combined with methodologies for solubilisation, refolding and integrated endotoxin removal presented in this study should prove useful for other vaccine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino S Cavallaro
- Queensland Agricultural Biotechnology Facility, Agri-Science Queensland, Queensland, Australia
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Chaudhary KR, Batchu SN, Das D, Suresh MR, Falck JR, Graves JP, Zeldin DC, Seubert JM. Role of B-type natriuretic peptide in epoxyeicosatrienoic acid-mediated improved post-ischaemic recovery of heart contractile function. Cardiovasc Res 2009; 83:362-70. [PMID: 19401302 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvp134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS This study examined the functional role of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)-mediated cardioprotection in mice with targeted disruption of the sEH or Ephx2 gene (sEH null). METHODS AND RESULTS Isolated mouse hearts were perfused in the Langendorff mode and subjected to global no-flow ischaemia followed by reperfusion. Hearts were analysed for recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), mRNA levels, and protein expression. Naïve hearts from sEH null mice had similar expression of preproBNP (Nppb) mRNA compared with wild-type (WT) hearts. However, significant increases in Nppb mRNA and BNP protein expression occurred during post-ischaemic reperfusion and correlated with improved post-ischaemic recovery of LVDP. Perfusion with the putative EET receptor antagonist 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-enoic acid prior to ischaemia reduced the preproBNP mRNA in sEH null hearts. Inhibitor studies demonstrated that perfusion with the natriuretic peptide receptor type-A (NPR-A) antagonist, A71915, limited the improved recovery in recombinant full-length mouse BNP (rBNP)- and 11,12-EET-perfused hearts as well as in sEH null mice. Increased expression of phosphorylated protein kinase C epsilon and Akt were found in WT hearts perfused with either 11,12-EET or rBNP, while mitochondrial glycogen synthase kinase-3beta was significantly lower in the same samples. Furthermore, treatment with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor wortmannin abolished improved LVDP recovery in 11,12-EET-treated hearts but not did significantly inhibit recovery of rBNP-treated hearts. CONCLUSION Taken together, these data indicate that EET-mediated cardioprotection involves BNP and PI3K signalling events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ketul R Chaudhary
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2N8
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Wang WW, Das D, Suresh MR. A versatile bifunctional dendritic cell targeting vaccine vector. Mol Pharm 2009; 6:158-72. [PMID: 19053535 DOI: 10.1021/mp800111a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We have developed an efficient versatile in vivo dendritic cell (DC) targeting vector for delivering different classes of antigens such as proteins, peptide, glycolipids and naked DNA for vaccine applications. A single chain antibody (scFv) that recognizes DEC-205 receptor of DC was fused with a core-streptavidin domain and expressed in Escherichia coli using the T7 expression system. The bifunctional fusion protein (bfFp) was expressed as a periplasmic soluble protein and affinity-purified in its monomeric form. The bifunctional activity against DEC-205 and biotin was characterized by ELISA and Western blot. In vivo DC targeting of a diverse group of biotinylated antigens such as viral and bacterial proteins, a cancer peptide, gangliosides and DNA of certain infectious diseases was conducted in mice. Results show that in the presence of bfFp and costimulatory anti-CD40 mAb, both humoral and cell-mediated responses were augmented in either the single antigen or multiple antigen targeting strategy. Lastly, bfFp based DC targeting of antigens in low doses may be a useful strategy for the design of monovalent or polyvalent vaccines for the masses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Welson W Wang
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2N8
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Das D, Mongkolaungkoon S, Suresh MR. Super induction of dengue virus NS1 protein in E. coli. Protein Expr Purif 2009; 66:66-72. [PMID: 19232392 PMCID: PMC7129434 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2009.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2009] [Revised: 01/30/2009] [Accepted: 02/05/2009] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of dengue virus is a useful target for diagnostics of dengue infection since the protein is abundantly circulating in blood during the acute phase of the disease. Prior work has established that secreted NS1 levels in plasma correlates with viremia levels and hence can also be used to diagnose patients at the risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. Thus detection of non-structural dengue antigens may be of benefit for an early rapid diagnosis of dengue infection due to its long half life in the blood. Here we describe a simple and efficient method for the expression of NS1 in Escherichia coli, which could potentially be used to develop monoclonal and bispecific antibodies for point of care diagnostics. E. coli codon optimized synthetic full-length NS1 gene of dengue serotype 1 (DEN-1) was successfully cloned and expressed in very high-level as inclusion bodies. The NS1 protein was successfully affinity purified and refolded as a recombinant NS1 (rNS1) protein in E. coli and yield was 230–250 mg/L of bacterial culture. The rNS1 protein was used to immunize mice for hybridoma development. The polyclonal antiserum from animals immunized with this rNS1 protein was found to specifically recognize the rNS1, thus demonstrating the immunogenic nature of the protein. The rNS1 protein purified from E. coli could be useful for developing a sensitive serum diagnostic assay to monitor dengue outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipankar Das
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, 11304-89 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Liquid chromatography of recombinant proteins and protein drugs. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2008; 866:133-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2008.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2007] [Revised: 12/17/2007] [Accepted: 01/18/2008] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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