Human fibroblast interferon. An improved purification

Fractionation of the human plasma proteome for monoclonal antibody proteomics-based biomarker discovery

mAb proteomics, a reversed biomarker discovery approach, is a novel methodology to recognize the proteins of biomarker potential, but requires subsequent antigen identification steps. While in case of high-abundant proteins, it generally does not represent a problem, for medium or lower abundant proteins, the identification step requires a large amount of sample to assure the proper amount of antigen for the ID process. In this article, we report on the use of combined chromatographic and precipitation techniques to generate a large set of fractions representing the human plasma proteome, referred to as the Analyte Library, with the goal to use the relevant library fractions for antigen identification in conjunction with mAb proteomics. Starting from 500 mL normal pooled human plasma, this process resulted in 783 fractions with the average protein concentration of 1 mg/mL. First, the serum albumin and immunoglobulins were depleted followed by prefractionation by ammonium sulfate precipitation steps. Each precipitate was then separated by size exclusion chromatography, followed by cation and anion exchange chromatography. The 20 most concentrated ion exchange chromatography fractions were further separated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. All chromatography and precipitation steps were carefully designed aiming to maintain the native forms of the intact proteins throughout the fractionation process. The separation route of vitamin D-binding protein (an antibody proteomics lead) was followed in all major fractionation levels by dot blot assay in order to identify the library fraction it accumulated in and the identity of the antigen was verified by Western blot.

Interferons: The pathways of discovery

This article analyzes the conceptual and technological context in which, over a period of 50 years, exploration of the biological and clinical significance of type I interferon has evolved. The elaboration of techniques for production and purification of mouse and human interferons and the establishment of laboratory-size production units have been of crucial importance in this process. Animal experiments have been invaluable for elucidation of mechanisms underlying the in vivo antiviral, anti-tumour and immunomodulatory potential of interferon, but have been of limited help to define the areas of clinical applicability. Proof of principle for applications as they are established today has come from clinical trials performed quite independently of evidence from animal experiments.

Tools for glycomics: relative quantitation of glycans by isotopic permethylation using 13CH3I

Analysis of oligosaccharides by mass spectrometry (MS) has enabled the investigation of the glycan repertoire of organisms with high resolution and sensitivity. It is difficult, however, to correlate the expression of glycosyltransferases with the glycan structures present in a particular cell type or tissue because the use of MS for quantitative purposes has significant limitations. For this reason, in order to develop a technique that would allow relative glycan quantification by MS analysis between two samples, a procedure was developed for the isotopic labeling of oligosaccharides with (13)C-labeled methyl iodide using standard permethylation conditions. Separate aliquots of oligosaccharides from human milk were labeled with (12)C or (13)C methyl iodide; the labeled and non-labeled glycans were mixed in known proportions, and the mixtures analyzed by MS. Results indicated that the isotopic labeling described here was capable of providing relative quantitative data with a dynamic range of at least two orders of magnitude, adequate linearity, and reproducibility with a coefficient of variation that was 13% on average. This procedure was used to analyze N-linked glycans released from various mixtures of glycoproteins, such as alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, human transferrin, and bovine fetuin, using MS techniques that included matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS and electrospray ionization with ion cyclotron resonance-Fourier transformation MS. The measured (12)C:(13)C ratios from mixtures of glycans permethylated with either (12)CH(3)I or (13)CH(3)I were consistent with the theoretical proportions. This technique is an effective procedure for relative quantitative glycan analysis by MS.

Design and selection of ligands for affinity chromatography

Affinity chromatography is potentially the most selective method for protein purification. The technique has the purification power to eliminate steps, increase yields and thereby improve process economics. However, it suffers from problems regarding ligand stability and cost. Some of the most recent advances in this area have explored the power of rational and combinatorial approaches for designing highly selective and stable synthetic affinity ligands. Rational molecular design techniques, which are based on the ability to combine knowledge of protein structures with defined chemical synthesis and advanced computational tools, have made rational ligand design feasible and faster. Combinatorial approaches based on peptide and nucleic acid libraries have permitted the rapid synthesis of new synthetic affinity ligands of potential use in affinity chromatography. The versatility of these approaches suggests that, in the near future, they will become the dominant methods for designing and selection of novel affinity ligands with scale-up potential.

Removal of poliovirus type 1 from a protein mixture using an immunoaffinity chromatography column

An immunoaffinity matrix was prepared using human polyclonal antibody (Intragam) attached to Sepharose 4B activated with CNBr. The immunoaffinity matrix was then assessed with regard to its capacity to remove viruses. The challenge virus, poliovirus type 1 was loaded in high titre in either PBS or a preparation derived from human plasma known as supernatant II + III. This fraction is depleted of IgG and is used to prepare human albumin. It was shown that an average greater than 5 logs of spiked virus were removed in one passage through the column. This type of approach may prove useful as a viral removal method in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Structural analysis of modified forms of recombinant IFN-beta produced under stress-simulating conditions

The present study focused on the investigation of the chemical stability of recombinant human interferon-beta (rhIFN-beta) tested in vitro by chemical treatments that simulate stress-induced conditions that may occur during handling, storage or ageing of protein samples. Mild oxidation and/or alkylation of the recombinant protein showed that the four methionines occurring in the interferon displayed different chemical susceptibility in that Met36 and Met117 were fully modified, whereas Met1 showed only little modification and Met62 was completely resistant. Moreover, incubation of rhIFN-beta under alkaline conditions resulted in the formation of a covalent dimeric species stabilised by an intermolecular disulphide bridge involving the free SH group of Cys17 from each polypeptide chain. Analysis of biological activity of the different IFN-beta derivatives showed that rhIFN-beta fully retains its specific activity following mild oxidation treatments whereas reaction with a high concentration of alkylating agents or incubation under alkaline conditions strongly reduce its specific antiviral activity.

Chromatography in the downstream processing of biotechnological products

Chromatography techniques are essential for the isolation and purification of most of the high value products of modern biotechnology. The economically sensible and technically satisfactory downstream processing of a therapeutic protein, usually involves a number of chromatographic steps. Its development and optimization require considerable knowledge of the various physico-chemical and engineering aspects of biochemical chromatography. This review addresses the various modes of chromatography and the design of chromatographic separation processes from a biotechnologist's point of view. Strategies for optimizing the structure of the downstream process are outlined and scaling up consideration are discussed. The importance of the different chromatographic methods in research and development is estimated in an analysis of protein purification schemes recently published in the literature. Finally, examples of the application of chromatographic procedures for process scale product purification in the biotechnological industry are given.

Purification of recombinant human interferon-beta by immobilized antisense peptides

Synthetic antisense peptides encoded in the antisense strands of DNA corresponding to the 1-14, 42-54 and 103-115 fragments of the human interferon-beta sequence were applied in the purification of recombinant human interferon-beta from a mammalian cell culture. The protein fragments were selected on the basis of their computer-predicted exposure on the surface of the protein. The antisense peptides were synthetized by the solid-phase method directly on the resin used as the stationary phase in affinity chromatography. All the tested antisense peptides showed a selective affinity for human interferon-beta, permitting a ten-fold purification of the protein.

Stability of human interferon-beta 1: oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 is inactive but is reactivated by monomerization

Human interferon-beta 1 is extremely stable is a low ionic strength solution of pH 2 such as 10 mM HCl at 37 degrees C. However, the presence of 0.15 M NaCl led to a remarkable loss of antiviral activity. The molecular-sieve high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that, whereas completely active human interferon-beta 1 eluted as a 25 kDa species (monomeric form), the inactivated preparation eluted primarily as a 90 kDa species (oligomeric form). The specific activity (units per mg protein) of the oligomeric form was approx. 10% of that of the monomeric form. This observation shows that oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 is apparently in an inactive form. When the oligomeric eluate was resolved by polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), it appeared to be monomeric under non-reducing conditions. Monomerization of the oligomeric human interferon-beta 1 by treatment with 1% SDS, fully regenerated its antiviral activity. These results suggest that the inactivation of the human interferon-beta 1 preparation was caused by its oligomerization via hydrophobic interactions without the formation of intermolecular disulphide bonds. These oligomers can be dissociated by SDS to restore biological activity.

Placebo-controlled trial of topical interferon in labial and genital herpes

The efficacy of topical interferon-beta (IFN-beta) treatment was assessed in 25 patients with herpes of the lips or genitals who completed a 2-year follow-up in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. IFN-beta gel (10(5) U/g) 4 times daily (about 2 x 10(4) U) applied locally during eruptions (about 10 days) reduced the mean number of recurrences (p less than 0.007) and the duration of eruptions (p less than 0.007): in the placebo group these indices did not change significantly. Reduction of symptoms and severity was noted in 11 of 12 patients on IFN-beta and in only 1 on placebo. No important side-effects were recorded. Topical IFN-beta may therefore be advantageous as a time-limited local treatment of recurrent herpes simplex virus infections of the genitals and lips.

Regulation of c-myc RNA and its proteins in Daudi cells by interferon-beta

It has been shown previously that interferons (IFNs) -alpha and -beta cause a reduction in the steady-state level of poly(A) c-myc RNA in the Burkitt lymphoma, Daudi. In this report we show that the c-myc RNA reduction is not mediated by simple changes in the poly-adenylation of either nascent or existing c-myc transcripts, since similar reductions of c-myc sequences were observed in poly(A) and total cellular RNA preparations from IFN-beta-treated cells. Furthermore, the first exon of c-myc RNA in Daudi cells contains several mutations, suggesting that the germ line configuration of the first exon is not essential for the IFN-beta-mediated regulation. The c-myc RNA reduction was also detected in cells whose protein synthesis was inhibited by more than 95% with cycloheximide or emetine. We surmise that neither sustained nor IFN-induced protein synthesis is required for the c-myc RNA regulation. Antisera raised against either the carboxy- or amino-terminal c-myc peptides precipitate in Daudi cells proteins of 66,000 and 63,000 daltons. In cells treated with IFN-beta, the amounts of these proteins are reduced by 46-74% which is in agreement with the reduction detected at the level of c-myc RNA.

Synergistic effects of HuIFN-gamma on 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase induction by HuIFN-alpha

Human skin fibroblast cells were treated with three types of human interferon (HuIFN), alpha, beta, and gamma separately, and in series of combinations at different concentrations. The IFN-induced enzyme, 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase, which is thought to be mediating the major part of the antiviral activity, was measured subsequent to 24 h treatment. The HuIFN-gamma potentiated the induction of 2-5A synthetase elicited by either HuIFN-alpha or HuIFN-beta, but the effect was seen only at low levels, i.e., 1-10 units. At higher levels, an antagonistic effect was seen. The individual subspecies of the HuIFN-alpha from native HuIFN-alpha were purified, separated, and analyzed for their ability to induce antiviral activity in human and bovine cells together with their capacity to induce 2-5A synthetase. Of the 12 species with molecular weights between 16,950 and 22,900 daltons, one species (MW 21,800) exerted peculiar properties in that it protected human cells better than bovine--at the same IFN level--and, it induced more 2-5A synthetase in human cells than in bovine cells.

Interferon-beta enhances the synthesis of a 20,000-dalton membrane protein: a correlation with the cessation of cell growth

Interferons (IFNs)-alpha and -beta but not -gamma enhance the synthesis of a protein in the membranes of Daudi cells. This protein has an estimated molecular weight of 20,000 (20 kD). Furthermore, the 20-kD protein is enhanced only in the membranes of cells whose growth can be inhibited by IFN-beta (Daudi, WISH, HL-60, diploid fibroblasts) but not in the membranes of cells whose growth is not inhibited by IFN-beta (Namalva, Raji). These data suggest a correlation between the IFN-beta-enhanced 20-kD membrane protein and the inhibition of cell growth by IFN-beta.

A high-yield chromatographic method for the purification of rat fibroblast interferon to a high specific activity

Rat fibroblast interferon (RfIFN), produced in serum-free media, has been purified 2,000-fold to 88% purity by a simple method that involves only two chromatographic steps: controlled pore glass and phenyl agarose chromatography. Over 70% of the initial activity was recovered. Gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver staining of the purified RfIFN revealed two major bands of RfIFN activity corresponding to Mr of 26,000 and 22,500 daltons, respectively. A very small amount of RfIFN was also recovered from a region of the gel corresponding to a Mr of 18,500. The average specific activity of the purified material was 3.7 X 10(8) U/mg. From these results it can be calculated that the specific activity of homogenous RfIFN is 4.0 X 10(8) U/mg.

Efficient constitutive production of human fibroblast interferon by hamster cells transformed with the IFN-beta 1 gene fused to an SV40 early promoter

The coding sequence of the human interferon (IFN)-beta 1 gene, fused 60 bp downstream from the RNA start site of the SV40 early gene, was transfected into dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells together with a selectable DHFR gene. Most transformants continuously secreted IFN-beta 1 into the medium. Induction did not stimulate expression of the fused SV40-IFN-beta 1 gene. The role of the SV40 promoter was verified by transforming cells with the unmodified human IFN-beta 1 gene, or by the IFN-beta 1 coding region fused to another poly(rI):(rC)-inducible gene. In these cases, the transformants showed strictly inducible (not constitutive) IFN secretion. By selection for methotrexate resistance, CHO clones with a 10-20-fold amplification of the SV40-IFN-beta 1 DNA were obtained. Such clones constitutively produce up to 350,000 units IFN/ml per 10(6) cells/24 hr, i.e., over 10 times more than fully induced human fibroblasts. In continuous culture with daily changes of medium, accumulation of IFN-beta 1 is constant at a rate of 300,000 molecules per cell/hr. Batches of up to 16 mg of IFN-beta 1 produced by the transformed CHO cells were purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on monoclonal antibodies. This IFN appears identical in size, activity, and immunospecificity to the native human IFN-beta 1 glycoprotein.

Elution of interferon beta from blue sepharose by poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

Interferon beta produced by a cell line (MRC-5) of human embryonic lung fibroblasts adsorbs to Blue Sepharose CL-6B and may be dissociated at neutral pH using a buffer containing poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and sodium chloride. Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) of Mr 2500 or of Mr 25 000 is equally efficient on a w/w basis. The effect of substituting volatile ammonium salts for the sodium chloride has been investigated. The benefits of the use of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) compared with the use of the commonly-used dissociating agent, 1,2-ethanediol, are discussed. It is concluded that interferon preparations eluted by poly(vinylpyrrolidone) from Blue Sepharose may be suitable for clinical use with minimal additional processing or formulation.

Type I and Type II interferon receptors

Binding site competition studies of 125I-interferon (IFN)-gamma were performed with homogeneous preparations of IFNs alpha 2, beta, and gamma. It was found that only IFN-gamma could compete for the specific binding site of 125I-IFN-gamma in both WISH and FS11 cells. Thus, a clear distinction between the receptor of IFN- alpha and beta on one hand, and the receptor of IFN-gamma on the other hand, was obtained. This result is unambiguous because all IFN preparations which were used were purified to homogeneity by specific monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography. We propose to assign the names "Type I" for the receptor of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, and "Type II" for the specific receptor of IFN-gamma.

Specific immunoassay for protein dimers, trimers, and higher oligomers

An immunoassay is described that discriminates between monomers and oligomers of human leukocyte interferon. The assay in principle can be used to distinguish between monomers and oligomers of any substance.

Biological properties of human interferon beta 1 synthesized in recombinant bacteria

Human fibroblast interferon, designated IFN-beta 1, has been produced in E. coli by direct expression of the cloned cDNA coding for the mature polypeptide. Bacterial lysates from recombinant cultures contain a polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 17,500 that corresponds in size to the unglycosylated IFN-beta 1 molecule. The latter could be specifically immunoprecipitated by antibodies to purified natural IFN-beta and could inhibit the replication of Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in many different cell lines. Like the natural fibroblast IFN-beta, the bacterial IFN-beta 1 was active in many human cell lines, less active in a monkey cell line and inactive in rabbit and mouse fibroblasts. The antibody titre required to neutralise the anti-herpes activity of both IFN preparations was similar suggesting that they have the same specific activities. Similarly, the bacterial IFN-beta 1 was equally active in inhibiting the proliferation of Daudi cells grown in culture. Bacterial IFN-beta 1 was also capable of enhancing natural killer cell activity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in vitro. Thus, IFN-beta 1 produced in recombinant bacteria displays a large range of biological properties ascribed to the natural fibroblast IFN-beta molecule.

Isolation of HuIFN-beta by immunosorbent and high-pressure liquid chromatography

A procedure for isolating HuIFN-beta without the use of SDS or other denaturants has been developed. The procedure involves the chromatography of IFN on an antibody affinity column followed by reversed-phase HPLC. The specific activity of the resulting IFN-beta is 4 X 10(8) u/mg protein, and overall recovery is about 76%. The procedure provides a method for isolating pure HuIFN-beta in its native form with an efficiency much higher than any other method reported to date.

Preferential effect of gamma interferon on the synthesis of HLA antigens and their mRNAs in human cells

Interferons produce a variety of biological effects on cells. They induce resistance to virus proliferation, inhibit cell growth, modify cell structure and differentiation, stimulate some immune functions and inhibit others. However, the different interferon (IFN) species may vary in their mechanism of action and, hence, in their relative efficiency for inducing each of the effect. IFN-gamma (type II) appears to show stronger immunoregulatory and growth inhibitory effects than antiviral effects, but this conclusion has been challenged in other reports. The aim of the present work is to compare the action of IFN-gamma and other (type I) interferons on the induction of (2'-5') oligo(A) synthetase which is probably part of the antiviral response and the induction of the histocompatibility HLA-A,-B,-C antigens. We have shown previously that the induction of both proteins is regulated by interferons at the mRNA level, but show here that IFN-gamma from stimulated human lymphocytes and from monkey cells transfected by cloned human IFN-gamma cDNA induced the HLA-A,-B,-C and beta 2-microglobulin mRNAs or proteins at concentrations over 100 times lower than those needed to induce the (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase and the antiviral state. This difference was not found with IFN-alpha and -beta (type I).

Inhibition of interferon secretion in human fibroblast by vinblastine

Vinblastine treatment of superinduced human fibroblast (FS-4) cultures strongly inhibited interferon (IFN) secretion and resulted in intracellular accumulation of IFN activity. The cell-associated IFN migrated slower than secreted IFN in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating a larger size. The results suggest the presence of a possible precursor form of mature HuIFN-beta with biological activity.

Molecular weight of human gamma interferon is similar to that of other human interferons

The molecular weight (as determined by molecular sieve chromatography) of human gamma interferon, formerly referred to as immune or type II interferon, is between 40,000 and 70,000. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, gamma interferon activity was recovered mainly from two regions of the gels corresponding to molecular weights of 20,000 and 25,000. The results suggest that in native form human gamma interferon may be aggregated.