Polymer-protein interactions in aqueous two phase systems: fluorescent studies of the partition behaviour of human serum albumin

Characterization of bovine serum albumin partitioning behaviors in polymer-salt aqueous two-phase systems

In this paper, a linear relationship is proposed relating the natural logarithm of partition coefficient, ln K for protein partitioning in poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-phosphate aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) to the square of tie-line length (TLL(2)). This relationship provides good fits (r(2) > 0.98) to the partition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PEG (1450 g/mol, 2000 g/mol, 3350 g/mol, and 4000 g/mol)-phosphate ATPS with TLL of 25.0-50.0% (w/w) at pH 7.0. Results also showed that the plot of ln K against pH for BSA partitioning in the ATPS containing 33.0% (w/w) PEG1450 and 8.0% (w/w) phosphate with varied working pH between 6.0 and 9.0 exhibited a linear relationship which is in good agreement (r(2) = 0.94) with the proposed relationship, ln K = α' pH + β'. These results suggested that both the relationships proposed could be applied to correlate and elucidate the partition behavior of biomolecules in the polymer-salt ATPS. The influence of other system parameters on the partition behavior of BSA was also investigated. An optimum BSA yield of 90.80% in the top phase and K of 2.40 was achieved in an ATPS constituted with 33.0% (w/w) PEG 1450 and 8.0% (w/w) phosphate in the presence of 8.5% (w/w) sodium chloride (NaCl) at pH 9.0 for 0.3% (w/w) BSA load.

Purification of IgG and albumin from human plasma by aqueous two phase system fractionation

The current shortages in human plasma products at global levels justify the development of new, cost effective plasma fractionation methods. We have developed a fractionation process to obtain immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin-enriched fractions based on polymer-salt aqueous two phase system (ATPS). A small-scale (0.02 L) ATPS composed of polyethyleneglycol 3350 (PEG), potassium phosphate and sodium chloride, at pH 6.1, was evaluated and subjected to 50-fold scale-up (1 L). Further purification of the fractions was performed using caprylic acid precipitation and ion exchange chromatography. Similar yield and purity were obtained at both small and large scales. IgG precipitated in the PEG rich upper phase at 83% recovery and 2.75-fold purification factor. An 81% pure albumin fraction was obtained in the salt rich bottom phase with a 91% yield. After polishing, IgG was obtained at a recovery of 70% and a purity of 92%. Corresponding values for albumin were 91% and 90%. This IgG and albumin fractionation technology deserves further evaluation as it may represent a potential alternative to conventional plasma fractionation methods.

Redefinition of working aqueous two-phase systems: a generic description for prediction of the effective phase chemical composition for process control and biorecovery

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) have been widely adopted for the combined purpose of solid liquid separation, and recovery and purification of bioproducts such as proteins, viruses and organelles from biological feedstocks and fermentation broth. However, in spite of potential advantages over other techniques applied to concentrated biological feedstocks, ATPS have been applied at process scale only by a few industries and research establishments. ATPS are sensitive to loading with modest to extreme quantities of biological feedstock due to the contribution of that material to phase formation in combination with the conventional phase-forming chemicals. This causes problem associated with the definition and manipulation of loaded working systems, which may be addresses as in the present study with the aid of distribution analysis of radiolabel led analytes (DARA) in representative process samples. The present study focussed on establishing a generic description for characterising ATPS loaded with biological feedstocks and the redefinition of the biological feedstock loaded system composition in terms of phase forming chemical equivalents. This evaluation will be useful to achieve ATPS process implementation where phase recycle/reuse is adopted without compromise to process operations and consistent protein recovery performance.

Phase Behavior of Aqueous Solutions of Bovine Serum Albumin in the Presence of Dextran, at Rest, and under Shear

The demixing conditions for aqueous solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA, fraction V) and for joint solutions of BSA plus dextran (DEX, M(w) = 2000 kg/mol) were determined by turbidimetric measurements as a function of composition, temperature, and shear rate. Aqueous solutions of BSA phase separate upon heating. Within the region of BSA concentrations between 0.05 and 32 wt %, the demixing temperature, T1, falls from ca. 65 degrees C to an almost constant value of 45 degrees C. Adding DEX to the BSA solutions reduces the homogeneous region of the mixture drastically where the amount of DEX required to lower T1 to 25 degrees C decreases rapidly as the concentration of BSA is raised. Experiments concerning the influences of shear have been performed for the ternary system up to 500 s(-1). They demonstrate that the content of dextran determines the sign of the effect. At low DEX concentrations, the mechanical field favors the homogeneous state (shear-induced mixing), whereas the opposite effect (shear-induced demixing) is observed at high DEX concentrations. Possible reasons for this observation are discussed.

Application of aqueous two-phase partition to the production of homogeneous preparations of fluorescently labelled human serum albumin

The development of a traceable molecular probe was investigated for the monitoring of partition behaviour of biomolecules in aqueous two-phase systems. This work was based upon the selective labelling of the free thiol group of human serum albumin (i.e. Cys34) with the fluorophore N-(iodoacetylaminoethyl)-5-naphthylamine-1-sulphonic acid. The preparation of homogeneously labelled protein required purification operations. A succession of five processes was successfully applied, comprising two size-exclusion chromatographic operations by gel filtration and a series of three appropriately manipulated aqueous two-phase systems comprising PEG 1450 and phosphate salt. Aqueous two-phase partitioning is herein presented as an alternative to difficult separation and could be applied for 'fine' purifications.

Partitioning and concentrating biomaterials in aqueous phase systems

Aqueous phase separation is a general phenomenon which occurs when structurally distinct water-soluble macromolecules are dissolved, above certain concentrations, in water. The number of aqueous phases obtained depends on the number of such distinct macromolecular species used. Aqueous two-phase systems, primarily those containing poly(ethylene glycol) and dextran, have been widely used for the separation of biomaterials (macromolecules, membranes, organelles, cells) by partitioning. The polymer and salt compositions and concentrations chosen greatly affect the physical properties of the phases. These, in turn, interact with the physical properties of biomaterials included in the phases and affect their partitioning. Specific extractions of biomaterials can be effected by including affinity ligands in the systems. The phase systems can also be used to obtain information on the surface properties of materials partitioned in them; to study interactions between biomaterials; and to concentrate such materials.