1
|
Rempfer C, Hoernstein SN, van Gessel N, Graf AW, Spiegelhalder RP, Bertolini A, Bohlender LL, Parsons J, Decker EL, Reski R. Differential prolyl hydroxylation by six Physcomitrella prolyl-4 hydroxylases. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:2580-2594. [PMID: 39021582 PMCID: PMC11252719 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Hydroxylation of prolines to 4-trans-hydroxyproline (Hyp) is mediated by prolyl-4 hydroxylases (P4Hs). In plants, Hyps occur in Hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs), and are frequently O-glycosylated. While both modifications are important, e.g. for cell wall stability, they are undesired in plant-made pharmaceuticals. Sequence motifs for prolyl-hydroxylation were proposed but did not include data from mosses, such as Physcomitrella. We identified six moss P4Hs by phylogenetic reconstruction. Our analysis of 73 Hyps in 24 secretory proteins from multiple mass spectrometry datasets revealed that prolines near other prolines, alanine, serine, threonine and valine were preferentially hydroxylated. About 95 % of Hyps were predictable with combined established methods. In our data, AOV was the most frequent pattern. A combination of 443 AlphaFold models and MS data with 3000 prolines found Hyps mainly on protein surfaces in disordered regions. Moss-produced human erythropoietin (EPO) exhibited O-glycosylation with arabinose chains on two Hyps. This modification was significantly reduced in a p4h1 knock-out (KO) Physcomitrella mutant. Quantitative proteomics with different p4h mutants revealed specific changes in protein amounts, and a modified prolyl-hydroxylation pattern, suggesting a differential function of the Physcomitrella P4Hs. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed a differential effect of single p4h KOs on the expression of the other five p4h genes, suggesting a partial compensation of the mutation. AlphaFold-Multimer models for Physcomitrella P4H1 and its target EPO peptide superposed with the crystal structure of Chlamydomonas P4H1 suggested significant amino acids in the active centre of the enzyme and revealed differences between P4H1 and the other Physcomitrella P4Hs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Rempfer
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine SGBM, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 19A, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian N.W. Hoernstein
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nico van Gessel
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas W. Graf
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Roxane P. Spiegelhalder
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anne Bertolini
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lennard L. Bohlender
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juliana Parsons
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eva L. Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine SGBM, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 19A, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 18, 79104, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Uetz P, Göritzer K, Vergara E, Melnik S, Grünwald-Gruber C, Figl R, Deghmane AE, Groppelli E, Reljic R, Ma JKC, Stöger E, Strasser R. Implications of O-glycan modifications in the hinge region of a plant-produced SARS-CoV-2-IgA antibody on functionality. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1329018. [PMID: 38511130 PMCID: PMC10953500 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1329018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Prolyl-4-hydroxylases (P4H) catalyse the irreversible conversion of proline to hydroxyproline, constituting a common posttranslational modification of proteins found in humans, plants, and microbes. Hydroxyproline residues can be further modified in plants to yield glycoproteins containing characteristic O-glycans. It is currently unknown how these plant endogenous modifications impact protein functionality and they cause considerable concerns for the recombinant production of therapeutic proteins in plants. In this study, we carried out host engineering to generate a therapeutic glycoprotein largely devoid of plant-endogenous O-glycans for functional characterization. Methods: Genome editing was used to inactivate two genes coding for enzymes of the P4H10 subfamily in the widely used expression host Nicotiana benthamiana. Using glycoengineering in plants and expression in human HEK293 cells we generated four variants of a potent, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, COVA2-15 IgA1. The variants that differed in the number of modified proline residues and O-glycan compositions of their hinge region were assessed regarding their physicochemical properties and functionality. Results: We found that plant endogenous O-glycan formation was strongly reduced on IgA1 when transiently expressed in the P4H10 double mutant N. benthamiana plant line. The IgA1 glycoforms displayed differences in proteolytic stability and minor differences in receptor binding thus highlighting the importance of O-glycosylation in the hinge region of human IgA1. Discussion: This work reports the successful protein O-glycan engineering of an important plant host for recombinant protein expression. While the complete removal of endogenous hydroxyproline residues from the hinge region of plant-produced IgA1 is yet to be achieved, our engineered line is suitable for structure-function studies of O-glycosylated recombinant glycoproteins produced in plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pia Uetz
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kathrin Göritzer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Emil Vergara
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stanislav Melnik
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Figl
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ala-Eddine Deghmane
- Invasive Bacterial Infections Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Elisabetta Groppelli
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajko Reljic
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Julian K.-C. Ma
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Strasser R. Plant glycoengineering for designing next-generation vaccines and therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 67:108197. [PMID: 37315875 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein glycosylation has a huge impact on biological processes in all domains of life. The type of glycan present on a recombinant glycoprotein depends on protein intrinsic features and the glycosylation repertoire of the cell type used for expression. Glycoengineering approaches are used to eliminate unwanted glycan modifications and to facilitate the coordinated expression of glycosylation enzymes or whole metabolic pathways to furnish glycans with distinct modifications. The formation of tailored glycans enables structure-function studies and optimization of therapeutic proteins used in different applications. While recombinant proteins or proteins from natural sources can be in vitro glycoengineered using glycosyltransferases or chemoenzymatic synthesis, many approaches use genetic engineering involving the elimination of endogenous genes and introduction of heterologous genes to cell-based production systems. Plant glycoengineering enables the in planta production of recombinant glycoproteins with human or animal-type glycans that resemble natural glycosylation or contain novel glycan structures. This review summarizes key achievements in glycoengineering of plants and highlights current developments aiming to make plants more suitable for the production of a diverse range of recombinant glycoproteins for innovative therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Strasser
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kittur FS, Hung CY, Li PA, Sane DC, Xie J. Asialo-rhuEPO as a Potential Neuroprotectant for Ischemic Stroke Treatment. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:610. [PMID: 37111367 PMCID: PMC10143832 DOI: 10.3390/ph16040610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroprotective drugs to protect the brain against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury are urgently needed. Mammalian cell-produced recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPOM) has been demonstrated to have excellent neuroprotective functions in preclinical studies, but its neuroprotective properties could not be consistently translated in clinical trials. The clinical failure of rhuEPOM was thought to be mainly due to its erythropoietic activity-associated side effects. To exploit its tissue-protective property, various EPO derivatives with tissue-protective function only have been developed. Among them, asialo-rhuEPO, lacking terminal sialic acid residues, was shown to be neuroprotective but non-erythropoietic. Asialo-rhuEPO can be prepared by enzymatic removal of sialic acid residues from rhuEPOM (asialo-rhuEPOE) or by expressing human EPO gene in glycoengineered transgenic plants (asialo-rhuEPOP). Both types of asialo-rhuEPO, like rhuEPOM, displayed excellent neuroprotective effects by regulating multiple cellular pathways in cerebral I/R animal models. In this review, we describe the structure and properties of EPO and asialo-rhuEPO, summarize the progress on neuroprotective studies of asialo-rhuEPO and rhuEPOM, discuss potential reasons for the clinical failure of rhuEPOM with acute ischemic stroke patients, and advocate future studies needed to develop asialo-rhuEPO as a multimodal neuroprotectant for ischemic stroke treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farooqahmed S. Kittur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; (C.-Y.H.); (P.A.L.)
| | - Chiu-Yueh Hung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; (C.-Y.H.); (P.A.L.)
| | - P. Andy Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; (C.-Y.H.); (P.A.L.)
| | - David C. Sane
- Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24014, USA;
| | - Jiahua Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; (C.-Y.H.); (P.A.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Karki U, Wright T, Xu J. High yield secretion of human erythropoietin from tobacco cells for ex vivo differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells towards red blood cells. J Biotechnol 2022; 355:10-20. [PMID: 35777457 PMCID: PMC9492895 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Human erythropoietin (EPO) is a key cytokine in erythropoiesis by regulating differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells into red blood cells (RBCs). Plant cell cultures are considered as promising alternative bioproduction platforms for EPO. To overcome the bottlenecks of low protein productivity and secretion, EPO was expressed in tobacco BY-2 cells with a designer peptide tag, termed (SP)20 that consists of 20 tandem repeats of a "Ser-Pro" motif. This de novo designed tag directed extensive O-glycosylation on each Pro residue in plant cells and acted as a molecular carrier to promote the extracellular secretion of EPO. To facilitate the establishment of stable and high-expression BY-2 cell lines, EPO molecules were co-expressed with a reporter protein GFP, which could be used as a visual marker to monitor the protein expression during the subculture. The engineered (SP)20 glycomodule substantially increased the secreted yields of EPO up to 4.31 μg/mL. The (SP)20-tagged EPOs exhibited the expected activity in promoting the proliferation of TF-1 cells, though their EC50 was 12-fold higher than that of EPO standard. The (SP)20-tagged EPOs could also stimulate the ex vivo expansion and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell (CD34+ cells) towards RBCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uddhab Karki
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, USA
| | | | - Jianfeng Xu
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, USA; College of Agriculture, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
van der Kaaij A, van Noort K, Nibbering P, Wilbers RHP, Schots A. Glyco-Engineering Plants to Produce Helminth Glycoproteins as Prospective Biopharmaceuticals: Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Prospects. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:882835. [PMID: 35574113 PMCID: PMC9100689 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.882835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Glycoproteins are the dominant category among approved biopharmaceuticals, indicating their importance as therapeutic proteins. Glycoproteins are decorated with carbohydrate structures (or glycans) in a process called glycosylation. Glycosylation is a post-translational modification that is present in all kingdoms of life, albeit with differences in core modifications, terminal glycan structures, and incorporation of different sugar residues. Glycans play pivotal roles in many biological processes and can impact the efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins. The majority of biopharmaceuticals are based on human glycoproteins, but non-human glycoproteins, originating from for instance parasitic worms (helminths), form an untapped pool of potential therapeutics for immune-related diseases and vaccine candidates. The production of sufficient quantities of correctly glycosylated putative therapeutic helminth proteins is often challenging and requires extensive engineering of the glycosylation pathway. Therefore, a flexible glycoprotein production system is required that allows straightforward introduction of heterologous glycosylation machinery composed of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases to obtain desired glycan structures. The glycome of plants creates an ideal starting point for N- and O-glyco-engineering of helminth glycans. Plants are also tolerant toward the introduction of heterologous glycosylation enzymes as well as the obtained glycans. Thus, a potent production platform emerges that enables the production of recombinant helminth proteins with unusual glycans. In this review, we discuss recent advances in plant glyco-engineering of potentially therapeutic helminth glycoproteins, challenges and their future prospects.
Collapse
|
7
|
Bohlender LL, Parsons J, Hoernstein SNW, Bangert N, Rodríguez-Jahnke F, Reski R, Decker EL. Unexpected Arabinosylation after Humanization of Plant Protein N-Glycosylation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:838365. [PMID: 35252146 PMCID: PMC8894861 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.838365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As biopharmaceuticals, recombinant proteins have become indispensable tools in medicine. An increasing demand, not only in quantity but also in diversity, drives the constant development and improvement of production platforms. The N-glycosylation pattern on biopharmaceuticals plays an important role in activity, serum half-life and immunogenicity. Therefore, production platforms with tailored protein N-glycosylation are of great interest. Plant-based systems have already demonstrated their potential to produce pharmaceutically relevant recombinant proteins, although their N-glycan patterns differ from those in humans. Plants have shown great plasticity towards the manipulation of their glycosylation machinery, and some have already been glyco-engineered in order to avoid the attachment of plant-typical, putatively immunogenic sugar residues. This resulted in complex-type N-glycans with a core structure identical to the human one. Compared to humans, plants lack the ability to elongate these N-glycans with β1,4-linked galactoses and terminal sialic acids. However, these modifications, which require the activity of several mammalian enzymes, have already been achieved for Nicotiana benthamiana and the moss Physcomitrella. Here, we present the first step towards sialylation of recombinant glycoproteins in Physcomitrella, human β1,4-linked terminal N-glycan galactosylation, which was achieved by the introduction of a chimeric β1,4-galactosyltransferase (FTGT). This chimeric enzyme consists of the moss α1,4-fucosyltransferase transmembrane domain, fused to the catalytic domain of the human β1,4-galactosyltransferase. Stable FTGT expression led to the desired β1,4-galactosylation. However, additional pentoses of unknown identity were also observed. The nature of these pentoses was subsequently determined by Western blot and enzymatic digestion followed by mass spectrometric analysis and resulted in their identification as α-linked arabinoses. Since a pentosylation of β1,4-galactosylated N-glycans was reported earlier, e.g., on recombinant human erythropoietin produced in glyco-engineered Nicotiana tabacum, this phenomenon is of a more general importance for plant-based production platforms. Arabinoses, which are absent in humans, may prevent the full humanization of plant-derived products. Therefore, the identification of these pentoses as arabinoses is important as it creates the basis for their abolishment to ensure the production of safe biopharmaceuticals in plant-based systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lennard L. Bohlender
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juliana Parsons
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Nina Bangert
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fernando Rodríguez-Jahnke
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eva L. Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Eva L. Decker,
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
A Novel Plant-Produced Asialo-rhuEPO Protects Brain from Ischemic Damage Without Erythropoietic Action. Transl Stroke Res 2021; 13:338-354. [PMID: 34553324 PMCID: PMC10068895 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-021-00943-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian cell-produced recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPOM) has been shown to be a multimodal neuroprotectant targeting an array of key pathological mechanisms in experimental stroke models. However, the rhuEPOM clinical trials were terminated due to increased risk of thrombosis, largely ascribed to its erythropoietic function. We recently took advantage of a plant-based expression system lacking sialylation capacity to produce asialo-rhuEPOP, a rhuEPO derivative without sialic acid residues. In the present study, we proved that asialo-rhuEPOP is non-erythropoietic by repeated intravenous injection (44 μg/kg bw) in mice showing no increase in hemoglobin levels and red blood cell counts, and confirmed that it is non-immunogenic by measuring humoral response after immunizing the mice. We demonstrate that it is neuroprotective in a cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) mouse model, exhibiting ~ 50% reduction in cerebral infarct volume and edema, and significant improvement in neurological deficits and histopathological outcome. Our studies further revealed that asialo-rhuEPOP, like rhuEPOM, displays pleiotropic neuroprotective effects, including restoring I/R-interrupted mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins, preventing I/R injury-induced increase in mitophagy and autophagy markers, and inhibiting apoptosis to benefit nerve cell survival. Most importantly, asialo-rhuEPOP lacking erythropoietic activity and immunogenicity holds great translational potential as a multimodal neuroprotectant for stroke treatment.
Collapse
|
9
|
Buyel JF, Stöger E, Bortesi L. Targeted genome editing of plants and plant cells for biomanufacturing. Transgenic Res 2021; 30:401-426. [PMID: 33646510 PMCID: PMC8316201 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-021-00236-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Plants have provided humans with useful products since antiquity, but in the last 30 years they have also been developed as production platforms for small molecules and recombinant proteins. This initially niche area has blossomed with the growth of the global bioeconomy, and now includes chemical building blocks, polymers and renewable energy. All these applications can be described as “plant molecular farming” (PMF). Despite its potential to increase the sustainability of biologics manufacturing, PMF has yet to be embraced broadly by industry. This reflects a combination of regulatory uncertainty, limited information on process cost structures, and the absence of trained staff and suitable manufacturing capacity. However, the limited adaptation of plants and plant cells to the requirements of industry-scale manufacturing is an equally important hurdle. For example, the targeted genetic manipulation of yeast has been common practice since the 1980s, whereas reliable site-directed mutagenesis in most plants has only become available with the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 and similar genome editing technologies since around 2010. Here we summarize the applications of new genetic engineering technologies to improve plants as biomanufacturing platforms. We start by identifying current bottlenecks in manufacturing, then illustrate the progress that has already been made and discuss the potential for improvement at the molecular, cellular and organism levels. We discuss the effects of metabolic optimization, adaptation of the endomembrane system, modified glycosylation profiles, programmable growth and senescence, protease inactivation, and the expression of enzymes that promote biodegradation. We outline strategies to achieve these modifications by targeted gene modification, considering case-by-case examples of individual improvements and the combined modifications needed to generate a new general-purpose “chassis” for PMF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J F Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, 52074, Aachen, Germany. .,Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - E Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - L Bortesi
- Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Maastricht University, Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Göritzer K, Strasser R. Glycosylation of Plant-Produced Immunoglobulins. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2021; 112:519-543. [PMID: 34687021 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76912-3_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many economically important protein-based therapeutics like monoclonal antibodies are glycosylated. Due to the recognized importance of this type of posttranslational modification, glycoengineering of expression systems to obtain highly active and homogenous therapeutics is an emerging field. Although most of the monoclonal antibodies on the market are still produced in mammalian expression platforms, plants are emerging as an alternative cost-effective and scalable production platform that allows precise engineering of glycosylation to produce targeted human glycoforms at large homogeneity. Apart from producing more effective antibodies, pure glycoforms are required in efforts to link biological functions to specific glycan structures. Much is already known about the role of IgG1 glycosylation and this antibody class is the dominant recombinant format that has been expressed in plants. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the glycoengineering of recombinant IgG subtypes and the other four classes of human immunoglobulins (IgA, IgD, IgE, and IgM). Except for IgD, all these antibody classes have been expressed in plants and the glycosylation has been analyzed in a site-specific manner. Here, we summarize the current data on glycosylation of plant-produced monoclonal antibodies and discuss the findings in the light of known functions for these glycans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Strasser
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ghag SB, Adki VS, Ganapathi TR, Bapat VA. Plant Platforms for Efficient Heterologous Protein Production. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2021; 26:546-567. [PMID: 34393545 PMCID: PMC8346785 DOI: 10.1007/s12257-020-0374-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Production of recombinant proteins is primarily established in cultures of mammalian, insect and bacterial cells. Concurrently, concept of using plants to produce high-value pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, antibodies, and dietary proteins have received worldwide attention. Newer technologies for plant transformation such as plastid engineering, agroinfiltration, magnifection, and deconstructed viral vectors have been used to enhance the protein production in plants along with the inherent advantage of speed, scale, and cost of production in plant systems. Production of therapeutic proteins in plants has now a more pragmatic approach when several plant-produced vaccines and antibodies successfully completed Phase I clinical trials in humans and were further scheduled for regulatory approvals to manufacture clinical grade products on a large scale which are safe, efficacious, and meet the quality standards. The main thrust of this review is to summarize the data accumulated over the last two decades and recent development and achievements of the plant derived therapeutics. It also attempts to discuss different strategies employed to increase the production so as to make plants more competitive with the established production systems in this industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siddhesh B. Ghag
- School of Biological Sciences, UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai campus, Kalina, Santacruz, Mumbai, 400098 India
| | - Vinayak S. Adki
- V. G. Shivdare College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Solapur, Maharashtra 413004 India
| | - Thumballi R. Ganapathi
- Plant Cell Culture Technology Section, Nuclear Agriculture & Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085 India
| | - Vishwas A. Bapat
- Department of Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra 416004 India
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Kittur FS, Hung CY, Zhu C, Shajahan A, Azadi P, Thomas MD, Pearce JL, Gruber C, Kallolimath S, Xie J. Glycoengineering tobacco plants to stably express recombinant human erythropoietin with different N-glycan profiles. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 157:158-169. [PMID: 32348856 PMCID: PMC8349175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Plant-based expression system has many potential advantages to produce biopharmaceuticals, but plants cannot be directly used to express human glycoproteins because of their differences in glycosylation abilities from mammals. To exploit plant-based expression system for producing recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPO), we glycoengineered tobacco plants by stably introducing seven to eight mammalian genes including a target human EPO into tobacco in order to generate capacities for β1,4-galactosylation, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and sialylation. Wild type human β1,4-galactosyltransferase gene (GalT) or a chimeric GalT gene (ST/GalT) was co-expressed to produce rhuEPO bearing β1,4-galactose-extended N-glycan chains as well as compare their β1,4-galactosylation efficiencies. Five mammalian genes encoding enzymes/transporter for sialic acid biosynthesis, transport and transfer were co-expressed to build sialylation capacity in plants. The human MGAT3 was co-expressed to produce N-glycan chains with bisecting GlcNAc. Our results demonstrated that the above transgenes were incorporated into tobacco genome and transcribed. ST/GalT was found to be more efficient than GalT for β1,4-galactosylation. Furthermore, co-expressing MGAT3 generated N-glycans likely bearing bisected GlcNAc. However, our current efforts did not result in generating sialylation capacity. Created transgenic plants expressing EPO and ST/GalT could be used to produce rhuEPO with high proportion of β1,4-galactose-extended N-glycan chains for tissue protective purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farooqahmed S Kittur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Chiu-Yueh Hung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Chuanshu Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Asif Shajahan
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michelle D Thomas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Jackson L Pearce
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Clemens Gruber
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jiahua Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Campos ML, Prado GS, Dos Santos VO, Nascimento LC, Dohms SM, da Cunha NB, Ramada MHS, Grossi-de-Sa MF, Dias SC. Mosses: Versatile plants for biotechnological applications. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 41:107533. [PMID: 32151692 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosses have long been recognized as powerful experimental tools for the elucidation of complex processes in plant biology. Recent increases in the availability of sequenced genomes and mutant collections, the establishment of novel technologies for targeted mutagenesis, and the development of viable protocols for large-scale production in bioreactors are now transforming mosses into one of the most versatile tools for biotechnological applications. In the present review, we highlight the astonishing biotechnological potential of mosses and how these plants are being exploited for industrial, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications. We focus on the biological features that support their use as model organisms for basic and applied research, and how these are being leveraged to explore the biotechnological potential in an increasing number of species. Finally, we also provide an overview of the available moss cultivation protocols from an industrial perspective, offering insights into batch operations that are not yet well established or do not even exist in the literature. Our goal is to bolster the use of mosses as factories for the biosynthesis of molecules of interest and to show how these species can be harnessed for the generation of novel and commercially useful bioproducts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Lattarulo Campos
- Integrative Plant Research Laboratory, Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil.
| | - Guilherme Souza Prado
- Laboratório de Interação Molecular Planta-Praga, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Olinto Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Interação Molecular Planta-Praga, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Lara Camelo Nascimento
- Centro de Análises Bioquímicas e Proteômicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, DF, Brazil
| | - Stephan Machado Dohms
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| | - Nicolau Brito da Cunha
- Centro de Análises Bioquímicas e Proteômicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Henrique Soller Ramada
- Centro de Análises Bioquímicas e Proteômicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| | - Maria Fatima Grossi-de-Sa
- Laboratório de Interação Molecular Planta-Praga, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| | - Simoni Campos Dias
- Centro de Análises Bioquímicas e Proteômicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Phan TLCHB, Delorge I, Avonce N, Van Dijck P. Functional Characterization of Class I Trehalose Biosynthesis Genes in Physcomitrella patens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 10:1694. [PMID: 32038675 PMCID: PMC6984353 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The function of trehalose metabolism in plants during growth and development has been extensively studied, mostly in the eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana. So far, however, not much is known about trehalose metabolism in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Here, we show that in P. patens, two active trehalose-6-phosphate synthase enzymes exist, PpTPS1 and PpTPS2. Expression of both enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can complement the glucose-growth defect of the yeast tps1∆ mutant. Truncation of N-terminal extension in PpTPS1 and PpTPS2 resulted in higher TPS activity and high trehalose levels, upon expression in yeast. Physcomitrella knockout plants were generated and analyzed in various conditions to functionally characterize these proteins. tps1∆ and tps2∆ knockouts displayed a lower amount of caulonema filaments and were significantly reduced in size of gametophores as compared to the wild type. These phenotypes were more pronounced in the tps1∆ tps2∆ mutant. Caulonema formation is induced by factors such as high energy and auxins. Only high amounts of supplied energy were able to induce caulonema filaments in the tps1∆ tps2∆ mutant. Furthermore, this mutant was less sensitive to auxins as NAA-induced caulonema development was arrested in the tps1∆ tps2∆ mutant. In contrast, formation of caulonema filaments is repressed by cytokinins. This effect was more severe in the tps1∆ and tps1∆ tps2∆ mutants. Our results demonstrate that PpTPS1 and PpTPS2 are essential for sensing and signaling sugars and plant hormones to monitor the balance between caulonema and chloronema development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tran Le Cong Huyen Bao Phan
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Cantho University, Cantho, Vietnam
| | - Ines Delorge
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nelson Avonce
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Centro de Investigación en Dinámica Celular, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Patrick Van Dijck
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Top O, Parsons J, Bohlender LL, Michelfelder S, Kopp P, Busch-Steenberg C, Hoernstein SNW, Zipfel PF, Häffner K, Reski R, Decker EL. Recombinant Production of MFHR1, A Novel Synthetic Multitarget Complement Inhibitor, in Moss Bioreactors. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:260. [PMID: 30949184 PMCID: PMC6436476 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The human complement system is an important part of the immune system responsible for lysis and elimination of invading microorganisms and apoptotic body cells. Improper activation of the system due to deficiency, mutations, or autoantibodies of complement regulators, mainly factor H (FH) and FH-related proteins (FHRs), causes severe kidney and eye diseases. However, there is no recombinant FH therapeutic available on the market. The first successful recombinant production of FH was accomplished with the moss bioreactor, Physcomitrella patens. Recently, a synthetic regulator, MFHR1, was designed to generate a multitarget complement inhibitor that combines the activities of FH and the FH-related protein 1 (FHR1). The potential of MFHR1 was demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study with transiently transfected insect cells. Here, we present the stable production of recombinant glyco-engineered MFHR1 in the moss bioreactor. The key features of this system are precise genome engineering via homologous recombination, Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production in photobioreactors, high batch-to-batch reproducibility, and product stability. Several potential biopharmaceuticals are being produced in this system. In some cases, these are even biobetters, i.e., the recombinant proteins produced in moss have a superior quality compared to their counterparts from mammalian systems as for example moss-made aGal, which successfully passed phase I clinical trials. Via mass spectrometry-based analysis of moss-produced MFHR1, we now prove the correct synthesis and modification of this glycoprotein with predominantly complex-type N-glycan attachment. Moss-produced MFHR1 exhibits cofactor and decay acceleration activities comparable to FH, and its mechanism of action on multiple levels within the alternative pathway of complement activation led to a strong inhibitory activity on the whole alternative pathway, which was higher than with the physiological regulator FH.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oguz Top
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juliana Parsons
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lennard L. Bohlender
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Michelfelder
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology, Medical Center - University Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Phillipp Kopp
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Peter F. Zipfel
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Karsten Häffner
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Neonatology, Medical Center - University Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eva L. Decker
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hoernstein SNW, Fode B, Wiedemann G, Lang D, Niederkrüger H, Berg B, Schaaf A, Frischmuth T, Schlosser A, Decker EL, Reski R. Host Cell Proteome of Physcomitrella patens Harbors Proteases and Protease Inhibitors under Bioproduction Conditions. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:3749-3760. [PMID: 30226384 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Host cell proteins are inevitable contaminants of biopharmaceuticals. Here, we performed detailed analyses of the host cell proteome of moss ( Physcomitrella patens) bioreactor supernatants using mass spectrometry and subsequent bioinformatics analysis. Distinguishing between the apparent secretome and intracellular contaminants, a complex extracellular proteolytic network including subtilisin-like proteases, metallo-proteases, and aspartic proteases was identified. Knockout of a subtilisin-like protease affected the overall extracellular proteolytic activity. Besides proteases, also secreted protease-inhibiting proteins such as serpins were identified. Further, we confirmed predicted cleavage sites of 40 endogenous signal peptides employing an N-terminomics approach. The present data provide novel aspects to optimize both product stability of recombinant biopharmaceuticals as well as their maturation along the secretory pathway. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD009517.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian N W Hoernstein
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology , University of Freiburg , Schaenzlestrasse 1 , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Benjamin Fode
- Greenovation Biotech GmbH , Hans-Bunte-Strasse 19 , D-79108 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Gertrud Wiedemann
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology , University of Freiburg , Schaenzlestrasse 1 , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Daniel Lang
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology , University of Freiburg , Schaenzlestrasse 1 , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany.,Plant Genome and System Biology , Helmholtz Center Munich , D-85764 Neuherberg , Germany
| | - Holger Niederkrüger
- Greenovation Biotech GmbH , Hans-Bunte-Strasse 19 , D-79108 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Birgit Berg
- Greenovation Biotech GmbH , Hans-Bunte-Strasse 19 , D-79108 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Andreas Schaaf
- Greenovation Biotech GmbH , Hans-Bunte-Strasse 19 , D-79108 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Thomas Frischmuth
- Greenovation Biotech GmbH , Hans-Bunte-Strasse 19 , D-79108 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Andreas Schlosser
- Rudolf-Virchow-Center for Experimental Biomedicine , University of Wuerzburg , D-97080 Wuerzburg , Germany
| | - Eva L Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology , University of Freiburg , Schaenzlestrasse 1 , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology , University of Freiburg , Schaenzlestrasse 1 , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany.,BIOSS - Centre for Biological Signalling Studies , University of Freiburg , D-79104 Freiburg , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Nagashima Y, von Schaewen A, Koiwa H. Function of N-glycosylation in plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 274:70-79. [PMID: 30080642 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Protein N-glycosylation is one of the major post-translational modifications in eukaryotic cells. In lower unicellular eukaryotes, the known functions of N-glycans are predominantly in protein folding and quality control within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In multicellular organisms, complex N-glycans are important for developmental programs and immune responses. However, little is known about the functions of complex N-glycans in plants. Formed in the Golgi apparatus, plant complex N-glycans have structures distinct from their animal counterparts due to a set of glycosyltransferases unique to plants. Severe basal underglycosylation in the ER lumen induces misfolding of newly synthesized proteins, which elicits the unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER protein quality control (ERQC) pathways. The former promotes higher capacity of proper protein folding and the latter degradation of misfolded proteins to clear the ER. Although our knowledge on plant complex N-glycan functions is limited, genetic studies revealed the importance of complex N-glycans in cellulose biosynthesis and growth under stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yukihiro Nagashima
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Antje von Schaewen
- Molekulare Physiologie der Pflanzen, Institut für Biologie & Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 7, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Hisashi Koiwa
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Montero-Morales L, Steinkellner H. Advanced Plant-Based Glycan Engineering. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2018; 6:81. [PMID: 29963553 PMCID: PMC6010556 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
With respect to biomanufacturing, glycosylation is one of the most addressed post-translational modifications, since it is well-known that the attachment of sugar residues efficiently affects protein homogeneity and functionality. Much effort has been taken into engineering various expression systems to control glycosylation and to generate molecules with targeted sugar profiles. Nevertheless, engineering of N- and O-linked glycans on well-established expression systems remains challenging. On the one side the glycosylation machinery in mammalian cells is hard to control due to its complexity. Most bacteria, on the other side, completely lack such glycan formations, and in general exhibit fundamental differences in their glycosylation abilities. Beyond that, plants generate complex N-glycans typical of higher eukaryotes, but simpler than those produced by mammals. Paradoxically, it seems that the limited glycosylation capacity of plant cells is an advantage for specific glycan manipulations. This review focuses on recent achievements in plant glycan engineering and provides a short outlook on how new developments (in synthetic biology) might have a positive impact.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Montero-Morales
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Rozov SM, Permyakova NV, Deineko EV. Main Strategies of Plant Expression System Glycoengineering for Producing Humanized Recombinant Pharmaceutical Proteins. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2018; 83:215-232. [PMID: 29625542 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297918030033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Most the pharmaceutical proteins are derived not from their natural sources, rather their recombinant analogs are synthesized in various expression systems. Plant expression systems, unlike mammalian cell cultures, combine simplicity and low cost of procaryotic systems and the ability for posttranslational modifications inherent in eucaryotes. More than 50% of all human proteins and more than 40% of the currently used pharmaceutical proteins are glycosylated, that is, they are glycoproteins, and their biological activity, pharmacodynamics, and immunogenicity depend on the correct glycosylation pattern. This review examines in detail the similarities and differences between N- and O-glycosylation in plant and mammalian cells, as well as the effect of plant glycans on the activity, pharmacokinetics, immunity, and intensity of biosynthesis of pharmaceutical proteins. The main current strategies of glycoengineering of plant expression systems aimed at obtaining fully humanized proteins for pharmaceutical application are summarized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S M Rozov
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Toplak M, Wiedemann G, Ulićević J, Daniel B, Hoernstein SNW, Kothe J, Niederhauser J, Reski R, Winkler A, Macheroux P. The single berberine bridge enzyme homolog of Physcomitrella patens is a cellobiose oxidase. FEBS J 2018; 285:1923-1943. [PMID: 29633551 PMCID: PMC6001459 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The berberine bridge enzyme from the California poppy Eschscholzia californica (EcBBE) catalyzes the oxidative cyclization of (S)‐reticuline to (S)‐scoulerine, that is, the formation of the berberine bridge in the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Interestingly, a large number of BBE‐like genes have been identified in plants that lack alkaloid biosynthesis. This finding raised the question of the primordial role of BBE in the plant kingdom, which prompted us to investigate the closest relative of EcBBE in Physcomitrella patens (PpBBE1), the most basal plant harboring a BBE‐like gene. Here, we report the biochemical, structural, and in vivo characterization of PpBBE1. Our studies revealed that PpBBE1 is structurally and biochemically very similar to EcBBE. In contrast to EcBBE, we found that PpBBE1 catalyzes the oxidation of the disaccharide cellobiose to the corresponding lactone, that is, PpBBE1 is a cellobiose oxidase. The enzymatic reaction mechanism was characterized by a structure‐guided mutagenesis approach that enabled us to assign a catalytic role to amino acid residues in the active site of PpBBE1. In vivo experiments revealed the highest level of PpBBE1 expression in chloronema, the earliest stage of the plant's life cycle, where carbon metabolism is strongly upregulated. It was also shown that the enzyme is secreted to the extracellular space, where it may be involved in later steps of cellulose degradation, thereby allowing the moss to make use of cellulose for energy production. Overall, our results suggest that the primordial role of BBE‐like enzymes in plants revolved around primary metabolic reactions in carbohydrate utilization. Database Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession numbers 6EO4 and 6EO5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Toplak
- Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria
| | - Gertrud Wiedemann
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jelena Ulićević
- Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria
| | - Bastian Daniel
- Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria
| | | | - Jennifer Kothe
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Winkler
- Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria
| | - Peter Macheroux
- Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Abstract
Plant molecular farming depends on a diversity of plant systems for production of useful recombinant proteins. These proteins include protein biopolymers, industrial proteins and enzymes, and therapeutic proteins. Plant production systems include microalgae, cells, hairy roots, moss, and whole plants with both stable and transient expression. Production processes involve a narrowing diversity of bioreactors for cell, hairy root, microalgae, and moss cultivation. For whole plants, both field and automated greenhouse cultivation methods are used with products expressed and produced either in leaves or seeds. Many successful expression systems now exist for a variety of different products with a list of increasingly successful commercialized products. This chapter provides an overview and examples of the current state of plant-based production systems for different types of recombinant proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Bley
- Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of Food Technology and Bioprocess Engineering, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Gurusamy PD, Schäfer H, Ramamoorthy S, Wink M. Biologically active recombinant human erythropoietin expressed in hairy root cultures and regenerated plantlets of Nicotiana tabacum L. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182367. [PMID: 28800637 PMCID: PMC5553650 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hairy root culture is a potential alternative to conventional mammalian cell culture to produce recombinant proteins due to its ease in protein recovery, low costs and absence of potentially human pathogenic contaminants. The current study focussed to develop a new platform of a hairy root culture system from Nicotiana tabacum for the production of recombinant human EPO (rhEPO), which is regularly produced in mammalian cells. The human EPO construct was amplified with C-terminal hexahistidine tag from a cDNA of Caco-2 cells. Two versions of rhEPO clones, with or without the N-terminal calreticulin (cal) fusion sequence, were produced by cloning the amplified construct into gateway binary vector pK7WG2D. Following Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated transformation of tobacco explants; integration and expression of constructs in hairy roots were confirmed by several tests at DNA, RNA and protein levels. The amount of intracellular rhEPO from hairy root cultures with cal signal peptide was measured up to 66.75 ng g-1 of total soluble protein. The presence of the ER signal peptide (cal) was essential for the secretion of rhEPO into the spent medium; no protein was detected from hairy root cultures without ER signal peptide. The addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone enhanced the stabilization of secreted rhEPO leading to a 5.6 fold increase to a maximum concentration of 185.48 pg rhEPOHR g-1 FW hairy root cultures. The rhizo-secreted rhEPO was separated by HPLC and its biological activity was confirmed by testing distinct parameters for proliferation and survival in retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE). In addition, the rhEPO was detected to an amount 14.8 ng g-1 of total soluble leaf protein in transgenic T0 generation plantlets regenerated from hairy root cultures with cal signal peptide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Poornima Devi Gurusamy
- Department of Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Holger Schäfer
- Department of Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Siva Ramamoorthy
- School of Bio Sciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, India
| | - Michael Wink
- Department of Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Schoberer J, Strasser R. Plant glyco-biotechnology. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 80:133-141. [PMID: 28688929 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Glycosylation is an important protein modification in all eukaryotes. Whereas the early asparagine-linked glycosylation (N-glycosylation) and N-glycan processing steps in the endoplasmic reticulum are conserved between mammals and plants, the maturation of complex N-glycans in the Golgi apparatus differs considerably. Due to a restricted number of Golgi-resident N-glycan processing enzymes and the absence of nucleotide sugars such as CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid, plants produce only a limited repertoire of different N-glycan structures. Moreover, mammalian mucin-type O-glycosylation of serine or threonine residues has not been described in plants and the required machinery is not encoded in their genome which enables de novo build-up of the pathway. As a consequence, plants are very well-suited for the production of homogenous N- and O-glycans and are increasingly used for the production of recombinant glycoproteins with custom-made glycans that may result in the generation of biopharmaceuticals with improved therapeutic potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Schoberer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Saveleva NV, Burlakovskiy MS, Yemelyanov VV, Lutova LA. Transgenic plants as bioreactors to produce substances for medical and veterinary uses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s2079059716060071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
25
|
Burlakovskiy MS, Yemelyanov VV, Lutova LA. Plant Based Bioreactors of Recombinant Cytokines (Review). APPL BIOCHEM MICRO+ 2016; 52:121-137. [PMID: 32214409 PMCID: PMC7087682 DOI: 10.1134/s0003683816020034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines are a family of signaling polypeptides involved in intercellular interactions in the process of the immune response, as well as in the regulation of a number of normal physiological functions. Cytokines are used in medicine for the treatment of cancer, immune disorders, viral infections, and other socially significant diseases, but the extent of their use is limited by the high production cost of the active agent. The development of this area of pharmacology is associated with the success of genetic engineering, which allows the production of significant amounts of protein by transgenic organisms. The review discusses the latest advances in the production of various cytokines with the use of genetically modified plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Burlakovskiy
- Biology Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
| | - V. V. Yemelyanov
- Biology Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
| | - L. A. Lutova
- Biology Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Reski R, Parsons J, Decker EL. Moss-made pharmaceuticals: from bench to bedside. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2015; 13:1191-8. [PMID: 26011014 PMCID: PMC4736463 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the moss Physcomitrella patens has been developed from scratch to a model species in basic research and in biotechnology. A fully sequenced genome, outstanding possibilities for precise genome-engineering via homologous recombination (knockout moss), a certified GMP production in moss bioreactors, successful upscaling to 500 L wave reactors, excellent homogeneity of protein glycosylation, remarkable batch-to-batch stability and a safe cryopreservation for master cell banking are some of the key features of the moss system. Several human proteins are being produced in this system as potential biopharmaceuticals. Among the products are tumour-directed monoclonal antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), complement factor H (FH), keratinocyte growth factor (FGF7/KGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), asialo-erythropoietin (asialo-EPO, AEPO), alpha-galactosidase (aGal) and beta-glucocerebrosidase (GBA). Further, an Env-derived multi-epitope HIV protein as a candidate vaccine was produced, and first steps for a metabolic engineering of P. patens have been made. Some of the recombinant biopharmaceuticals from moss bioreactors are not only similar to those produced in mammalian systems such as CHO cells, but are of superior quality (biobetters). The first moss-made pharmaceutical, aGal to treat Morbus Fabry, is in clinical trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Reski
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- FRIAS - Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS - Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juliana Parsons
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eva L Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Heining M, Buchholz R. Photobioreactors with internal illumination - A survey and comparison. Biotechnol J 2015; 10:1131-7. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2014] [Revised: 01/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
28
|
Orellana-Escobedo L, Rosales-Mendoza S, Romero-Maldonado A, Parsons J, Decker EL, Monreal-Escalante E, Moreno-Fierros L, Reski R. An Env-derived multi-epitope HIV chimeric protein produced in the moss Physcomitrella patens is immunogenic in mice. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2015; 34:425-433. [PMID: 25477207 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-014-1720-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The first report on the recombinant production of a candidate vaccine in the moss system. The need for economical and efficient platforms for vaccine production demands the exploration of emerging host organisms. In this study, the production of an antigenic protein is reported employing the moss Physcomitrella patens as an expression host. A multi-epitope protein from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) based on epitopes from gp120 and gp41 was designed as a candidate subunit vaccine and named poly-HIV. Transgenic moss plants were generated carrying the corresponding poly-HIV transgene under a novel moss promoter and subsequently seven positive lines were confirmed by PCR. The poly-HIV protein accumulated up to 3.7 µg g(-1) fresh weight in protonema cultures. Antigenic and immunogenic properties of the moss-produced recombinant poly-HIV are evidenced by Western blots and by mice immunization assays. The elicitation of specific antibodies in mice was observed, reflecting the immunogenic potential of this moss-derived HIV antigen. This is the first report on the production of a potential vaccine in the moss system and opens the avenue for glycoengineering approaches for the production of HIV human-like glycosylated antigens as well as other vaccine prototypes under GMP conditions in moss bioreactors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Orellana-Escobedo
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, 78210, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Decker EL, Wiedemann G, Reski R. Gene Targeting for Precision Glyco-Engineering: Production of Biopharmaceuticals Devoid of Plant-Typical Glycosylation in Moss Bioreactors. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1321:213-24. [PMID: 26082225 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2760-9_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
One of the main challenges for the production of biopharmaceuticals in plant-based systems is the modulation of plant-specific glycosylation patterns towards a humanized form. Posttranslational modifications in plants are similar to those in humans, but several differences affect product quality and efficacy and can also cause immune responses in patients. In the moss Physcomitrella patens highly efficient gene targeting via homologous recombination enables glyco-engineering to obtain suitable platform lines for the production of recombinant proteins and biopharmaceuticals. Here we describe the methods which are effective for creating gene targeting constructs and transgenic moss lines as well as confirming successful homologous integration of the constructs and modification of target gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva L Decker
- Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
Plants are being developed as a cost-effective production system for biopharmaceuticals in large quantities. Although plants properly fold and assemble complex proteins from human origin, one issue that needs to be addressed is their glycan structure. In the past years we have been witnessing outstanding results in targeted manipulation of the plant N-glycosylation pathway allowing recombinant proteins to be produced with human-type oligosaccharides at large homogeneity. This opens new possibility in manufacturing next-generation biopharmaceuticals.This review presents a variety of technologies and strategies that are being employed to engineer the plant N-glycosylation, thus pointing to the enormous potential of plants being used as a novel production system with unique features and possibilities.
Collapse
|
31
|
Kittur FS, Arthur E, Nguyen M, Hung CY, Sane DC, Xie J. Two-step purification procedure for recombinant human asialoerythropoietin expressed in transgenic plants. Int J Biol Macromol 2015; 72:1111-6. [PMID: 25450830 PMCID: PMC4260996 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Asialoerythropoietin (asialo-EPO) is a desialylated form of human glycoprotein hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which has been reported to be neuro-, cardio-, and renoprotective in animal models of organ injuries. Since the current method of production of asialo-EPO from mammalian cell-made recombinant human EPO (rhuEPO(M)) by enzymatic desialylation is not commercially viable, we and others used plant-based expression systems to produce recombinant human asialo-EPO (asialo-rhuEPO(P)). Despite achieving high expression levels in plants, its purification from plant extracts has remained a greater challenge, which has prevented studying its tissue-protective effects and translating it into clinical practice. In this study, a procedure was developed to purify asialo-rhuEPO(P) from transgenic tobacco leaf tissues in two steps: ion-exchange chromatography based on its high pI (8.75) to separate it from acidic plant proteins, and immunoaffinity chromatography to obtain pure asialo-rhuEPO(P). Using this process, up to 31% of the asialo-rhuEPO(P) could be recovered to near homogeneity from plant extracts. This work demonstrates that asialo-rhuEPO(P) expressed in tobacco plants could be purified in high yield and purity using minimal steps, which might be suitable for scale-up. Furthermore, the ion-exchange chromatography step together with the use of protein-specific antibody column could be used to purify a wide variety of basic recombinant proteins from transgenic leaf tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farooqahmed S Kittur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Elena Arthur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Maikhanh Nguyen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Chiu-Yueh Hung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - David C Sane
- Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24014, USA
| | - Jiahua Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
On the way to commercializing plant cell culture platform for biopharmaceuticals: present status and prospect. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 2:499-518. [PMID: 25621170 DOI: 10.4155/pbp.14.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant cell culture is emerging as an alternative bioproduction system for recombinant pharmaceuticals. Growing plant cells in vitro under controlled environmental conditions allows for precise control over cell growth and protein production, batch-to-batch product consistency and a production process aligned with current good manufacturing practices. With the recent US FDA approval and commercialization of the world's first plant cell-based recombinant pharmaceutical for human use, β-glucocerebrosidase for treatment of Gaucher's disease, a new era has come in which plant cell culture shows high potential to displace some established platform technologies in niche markets. This review updates the progress in plant cell culture processing technology, highlights recent commercial successes and discusses the challenges that must be overcome to make this platform commercially viable.
Collapse
|
33
|
Müller K, Siegel D, Rodriguez Jahnke F, Gerrer K, Wend S, Decker EL, Reski R, Weber W, Zurbriggen MD. A red light-controlled synthetic gene expression switch for plant systems. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2014; 10:1679-88. [PMID: 24469598 DOI: 10.1039/c3mb70579j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
On command control of gene expression in time and space is required for the comprehensive analysis of key plant cellular processes. Even though some chemical inducible systems showing satisfactory induction features have been developed, they are inherently limited in terms of spatiotemporal resolution and may be associated with toxic effects. We describe here the first synthetic light-inducible system for the targeted control of gene expression in plants. For this purpose, we applied an interdisciplinary synthetic biology approach comprising mammalian and plant cell systems to customize and optimize a split transcription factor based on the plant photoreceptor phytochrome B and one of its interacting factors (PIF6). Implementation of the system in transient assays in tobacco protoplasts resulted in strong (95-fold) induction in red light (660 nm) and could be instantaneously returned to the OFF state by subsequent illumination with far-red light (740 nm). Capitalizing on this toggle switch-like characteristic, we demonstrate that the system can be kept in the OFF state in the presence of 740 nm-supplemented white light, opening up perspectives for future application of the system in whole plants. Finally we demonstrate the system's applicability in basic research, by the light-controlled tuning of auxin signalling networks in N. tabacum protoplasts, as well as its biotechnological potential for the chemical-inducer free production of therapeutic proteins in the moss P. patens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Konrad Müller
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Rosales-Mendoza S, Orellana-Escobedo L, Romero-Maldonado A, Decker EL, Reski R. The potential of Physcomitrella patens as a platform for the production of plant-based vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 13:203-12. [PMID: 24405402 DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2014.872987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The moss Physcomitrella patens has a number of advantages for the production of biopharmaceuticals, including: i) availability of standardized conditions for cultivation in bioreactors; ii) not being part of the food chain; iii) high biosafety; iv) availability of highly efficient transformation methods; v) a haploid, fully sequenced genome providing genetic stability and uniform expression; vi) efficient gene targeting at the nuclear level allows for the generation of mutants with specific post-translational modifications (e.g., glycosylation patterns); and vii) oral formulations are a viable approach as no toxic effects are attributed to ingestion of this moss. In the light of this panorama, this opinion paper analyzes the possibilities of using P. patens for the production of oral vaccines and presents some specific cases where its use may represent significant progress in the field of plant-based vaccine development. The advantages represented by putative adjuvant effects of endogenous secondary metabolites and producing specific glycosylation patterns are highlighted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, SLP, 78210, México
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Decker EL, Parsons J, Reski R. Glyco-engineering for biopharmaceutical production in moss bioreactors. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:346. [PMID: 25071817 PMCID: PMC4089626 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals (pharmaceutical proteins) is a strongly growing area in the pharmaceutical industry. While most products to date are produced in mammalian cell cultures, namely Chinese hamster ovary cells, plant-based production systems gained increasing acceptance over the last years. Different plant systems have been established which are suitable for standardization and precise control of cultivation conditions, thus meeting the criteria for pharmaceutical production. The majority of biopharmaceuticals comprise glycoproteins. Therefore, differences in protein glycosylation between humans and plants have to be taken into account and plant-specific glycosylation has to be eliminated to avoid adverse effects on quality, safety, and efficacy of the products. The basal land plant Physcomitrella patens (moss) has been employed for the recombinant production of high-value therapeutic target proteins (e.g., Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Complement Factor H, monoclonal antibodies, Erythropoietin). Being genetically excellently characterized and exceptionally amenable for precise gene targeting via homologous recombination, essential steps for the optimization of moss as a bioreactor for the production of recombinant proteins have been undertaken. Here, we discuss the glyco-engineering approaches to avoid non-human N- and O-glycosylation on target proteins produced in moss bioreactors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva L. Decker
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of FreiburgFreiburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Eva L. Decker, Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany e-mail:
| | - Juliana Parsons
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of FreiburgFreiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Reski
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of FreiburgFreiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling StudiesFreiburg, Germany
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced StudiesFreiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
da Cunha NB, Vianna GR, da Almeida Lima T, Rech E. Molecular farming of human cytokines and blood products from plants: Challenges in biosynthesis and detection of plant-produced recombinant proteins. Biotechnol J 2013; 9:39-50. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201300062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
|
37
|
A gene responsible for prolyl-hydroxylation of moss-produced recombinant human erythropoietin. Sci Rep 2013; 3:3019. [PMID: 24145658 PMCID: PMC3804855 DOI: 10.1038/srep03019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant production of pharmaceutical proteins is crucial, not only for personalized medicine. While most biopharmaceuticals are currently produced in mammalian cell culture, plant-made pharmaceuticals gain momentum. Post-translational modifications in plants are similar to those in humans, however, existing differences may affect quality, safety and efficacy of the products. A frequent modification in higher eukaryotes is prolyl-4-hydroxylase (P4H)-catalysed prolyl-hydroxylation. P4H sequence recognition sites on target proteins differ between humans and plants leading to non-human posttranslational modifications of recombinant human proteins produced in plants. The resulting hydroxyprolines display the anchor for plant-specific O-glycosylation, which bears immunogenic potential for patients. Here we describe the identification of a plant gene responsible for non-human prolyl-hydroxylation of human erythropoietin (hEPO) recombinantly produced in plant (moss) bioreactors. Targeted ablation of this gene abolished undesired prolyl-hydroxylation of hEPO and thus paves the way for plant-made pharmaceuticals humanized via glyco-engineering in moss bioreactors.
Collapse
|
38
|
Kittur FS, Bah M, Archer-Hartmann S, Hung CY, Azadi P, Ishihara M, Sane DC, Xie J. Cytoprotective effect of recombinant human erythropoietin produced in transgenic tobacco plants. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76468. [PMID: 24124563 PMCID: PMC3790672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Asialo-erythropoietin, a desialylated form of human erythropoietin (EPO) lacking hematopoietic activity, is receiving increased attention because of its broader protective effects in preclinical models of tissue injury. However, attempts to translate its protective effects into clinical practice is hampered by unavailability of suitable expression system and its costly and limit production from expensive mammalian cell-made EPO (rhuEPO(M)) by enzymatic desialylation. In the current study, we took advantage of a plant-based expression system lacking sialylating capacity but possessing an ability to synthesize complex N-glycans to produce cytoprotective recombinant human asialo-rhuEPO. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing asialo-rhuEPO were generated by stably co-expressing human EPO and β1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalT) genes under the control of double CaMV 35S and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate gene (GapC) promoters, respectively. Plant-produced asialo-rhuEPO (asialo-rhuEPO(P)) was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography. Detailed N-glycan analysis using NSI-FTMS and MS/MS revealed that asialo-rhuEPO(P) bears paucimannosidic, high mannose-type and complex N-glycans. In vitro cytoprotection assays showed that the asialo-rhuEPO(P) (20 U/ml) provides 2-fold better cytoprotection (44%) to neuronal-like mouse neuroblastoma cells from staurosporine-induced cell death than rhuEPO(M) (21%). The cytoprotective effect of the asialo-rhuEPO(P) was found to be mediated by receptor-initiated phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and suppression of caspase 3 activation. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that plants are a suitable host for producing cytoprotective rhuEPO derivative. In addition, the general advantages of plant-based expression system can be exploited to address the cost and scalability issues related to its production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farooqahmed S. Kittur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Mamudou Bah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Archer-Hartmann
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Chiu-Yueh Hung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Mayumi Ishihara
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - David C. Sane
- Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jiahua Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Jez J, Castilho A, Grass J, Vorauer-Uhl K, Sterovsky T, Altmann F, Steinkellner H. Expression of functionally active sialylated human erythropoietin in plants. Biotechnol J 2013; 8:371-82. [PMID: 23325672 PMCID: PMC3601435 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201200363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO), a glycohormone, is one of the leading biopharmaceutical products. The production of rhEPO is currently restricted to mammalian cell expression systems because of rhEPO's highly complex glycosylation pattern, which is a major determinant for drug-efficacy. Here we evaluate the ability of plants to produce different glycoforms of rhEPO. cDNA constructs were delivered to Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) and transiently expressed by a viral based expression system. Expression levels up to 85 mg rhEPO/kg fresh leaf material were achieved. Moreover, co-expression of rhEPO with six mammalian genes required for in planta protein sialylation resulted in the synthesis of rhEPO decorated mainly with bisialylated N-glycans (NaNa), the most abundant glycoform of circulating hEPO in patients with anemia. A newly established peptide tag (ELDKWA) fused to hEPO was particularly well-suited for purification of the recombinant hormone based on immunoaffinity. Subsequent lectin chromatography allowed enrichment of exclusively sialylated rhEPO. All plant-derived glycoforms exhibited high biological activity as determined by a cell-based receptor-binding assay. The generation of rhEPO carrying largely homogeneous glycosylation profiles (GnGnXF, GnGn, and NaNa) will facilitate further investigation of functionalities with potential implications for medical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Jez
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Musiychuk K, Sivalenka R, Jaje J, Bi H, Flores R, Shaw B, Jones RM, Golovina T, Schnipper J, Khandker L, Sun R, Li C, Kang L, Voskinarian-Berse V, Zhang X, Streatfield S, Hambor J, Abbot S, Yusibov V. Plant-produced human recombinant erythropoietic growth factors support erythroid differentiation in vitro. Stem Cells Dev 2013; 22:2326-40. [PMID: 23517237 PMCID: PMC3730378 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2012.0489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinically available red blood cells (RBCs) for transfusions are at high demand, but in vitro generation of RBCs from hematopoietic stem cells requires significant quantities of growth factors. Here, we describe the production of four human growth factors: erythropoietin (EPO), stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin 3 (IL-3), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), either as non-fused proteins or as fusions with a carrier molecule (lichenase), in plants, using a Tobacco mosaic virus vector-based transient expression system. All growth factors were purified and their identity was confirmed by western blotting and peptide mapping. The potency of these plant-produced cytokines was assessed using TF1 cell (responsive to EPO, IL-3 and SCF) or MCF-7 cell (responsive to IGF-1) proliferation assays. The biological activity estimated here for the cytokines produced in plants was slightly lower or within the range cited in commercial sources and published literature. By comparing EC50 values of plant-produced cytokines with standards, we have demonstrated that all four plant-produced growth factors stimulated the expansion of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells and their differentiation toward erythropoietic precursors with the same potency as commercially available growth factors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the generation of all key bioactive cytokines required for the erythroid development in a cost-effective manner using a plant-based expression system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jennifer Jaje
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | - Hong Bi
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | - Rosemary Flores
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | - Brenden Shaw
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | - R. Mark Jones
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | - Tatiana Golovina
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| | | | | | - Ruiqiang Sun
- Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Warren, New Jersey
| | - Chang Li
- Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Warren, New Jersey
| | - Lin Kang
- Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Warren, New Jersey
| | | | | | | | - John Hambor
- Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Warren, New Jersey
| | | | - Vidadi Yusibov
- Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Efficient recombinant protein production and secretion from nuclear transgenes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Biotechnol 2013; 167:101-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Revised: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
42
|
Castilho A, Neumann L, Gattinger P, Strasser R, Vorauer-Uhl K, Sterovsky T, Altmann F, Steinkellner H. Generation of biologically active multi-sialylated recombinant human EPOFc in plants. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54836. [PMID: 23372778 PMCID: PMC3555983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperglycosylated proteins are more stable, show increased serum half-life and less sensitivity to proteolysis compared to non-sialylated forms. This applies particularly to recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO). Recent progress in N-glycoengineering of non-mammalian expression hosts resulted in in vivo protein sialylation at great homogeneity. However the synthesis of multi-sialylated N-glycans is so far restricted to mammalian cells. Here we used a plant based expression system to accomplish multi-antennary protein sialylation. A human erythropoietin fusion protein (EPOFc) was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana ΔXTFT, a glycosylation mutant that lacks plant specific N-glycan residues. cDNA of the hormone was co-delivered into plants with the necessary genes for (i) branching (ii) β1,4-galactosylation as well as for the (iii) synthesis, transport and transfer of sialic acid. This resulted in the production of recombinant EPOFc carrying bi- tri- and tetra-sialylated complex N-glycans. The formation of this highly complex oligosaccharide structure required the coordinated expression of 11 human proteins acting in different subcellular compartments at different stages of the glycosylation pathway. In vitro receptor binding assays demonstrate the generation of biologically active molecules. We demonstrate the in planta synthesis of one of the most complex mammalian glycoforms pointing to an outstanding high degree of tolerance to changes in the glycosylation pathway in plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Neumann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karola Vorauer-Uhl
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Parachin NS, Mulder KC, Viana AAB, Dias SC, Franco OL. Expression systems for heterologous production of antimicrobial peptides. Peptides 2012; 38:446-56. [PMID: 23022589 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2012.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2012] [Revised: 09/16/2012] [Accepted: 09/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) consist of molecules that act on the defense systems of numerous organisms toward multiple pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. These compounds have become extremely significant due to the increasing resistance of microorganisms to common antibiotics. However, the low quantity of peptides obtained from direct purification is, to date, still a remarkable bottleneck for scientific and industrial research development. Therefore, this review describes the main heterologous systems currently used for AMP production, including bacteria, fungi and plants, and also the related strategies for reaching greater functional peptide production. The main difficulties of each system are also described in order to provide some directions for AMP production. In summary, data revised here indicate that large-scale production of AMPs can be obtained using biotechnological tools, and the products may be applied in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in agribusiness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nádia Skorupa Parachin
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Castilho A, Neumann L, Daskalova S, Mason HS, Steinkellner H, Altmann F, Strasser R. Engineering of sialylated mucin-type O-glycosylation in plants. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:36518-26. [PMID: 22948156 PMCID: PMC3476317 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.402685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2012] [Revised: 08/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper N- and O-glycosylation of recombinant proteins is important for their biological function. Although the N-glycan processing pathway of different expression hosts has been successfully modified in the past, comparatively little attention has been paid to the generation of customized O-linked glycans. Plants are attractive hosts for engineering of O-glycosylation steps, as they contain no endogenous glycosyltransferases that perform mammalian-type Ser/Thr glycosylation and could interfere with the production of defined O-glycans. Here, we produced mucin-type O-GalNAc and core 1 O-linked glycan structures on recombinant human erythropoietin fused to an IgG heavy chain fragment (EPO-Fc) by transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Furthermore, for the generation of sialylated core 1 structures constructs encoding human polypeptide:N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 2, Drosophila melanogaster core 1 β1,3-galactosyltransferase, human α2,3-sialyltransferase, and Mus musculus α2,6-sialyltransferase were transiently co-expressed in N. benthamiana together with EPO-Fc and the machinery for sialylation of N-glycans. The formation of significant amounts of mono- and disialylated O-linked glycans was confirmed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Analysis of the three EPO glycopeptides carrying N-glycans revealed the presence of biantennary structures with terminal sialic acid residues. Our data demonstrate that N. benthamiana plants are amenable to engineering of the O-glycosylation pathway and can produce well defined human-type O- and N-linked glycans on recombinant therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Castilho
- From the Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna Austria
| | - Laura Neumann
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria, and
| | - Sasha Daskalova
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
| | - Hugh S. Mason
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- From the Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria, and
| | - Richard Strasser
- From the Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna Austria
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Parsons J, Altmann F, Arrenberg CK, Koprivova A, Beike AK, Stemmer C, Gorr G, Reski R, Decker EL. Moss-based production of asialo-erythropoietin devoid of Lewis A and other plant-typical carbohydrate determinants. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2012; 10:851-61. [PMID: 22621344 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7652.2012.00704.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Protein therapeutics represent one of the most increasing areas in the pharmaceutical industry. Plants gain acceptance as attractive alternatives for high-quality and economical protein production. However, as the majority of biopharmaceuticals are glycoproteins, plant-specific N-glycosylation has to be taken into consideration. In Physcomitrella patens (moss), glyco-engineering is an applicable tool, and the removal of immunogenic core xylose and fucose residues was realized before. Here, we present the identification of the enzymes that are responsible for terminal glycosylation (α1,4 fucosylation and β1,3 galactosylation) on complex-type N-glycans in moss. The terminal trisaccharide consisting of α1,4 fucose and β1,3 galactose linked to N-acetylglucosamine forms the so-called Lewis A epitope. This epitope is rare on moss wild-type proteins, but was shown to be enriched on complex-type N-glycans of moss-produced recombinant human erythropoietin, while unknown from the native human protein. Via gene targeting of moss galactosyltransferase and fucosyltransferase genes, we identified the gene responsible for terminal glycosylation and were able to completely abolish the formation of Lewis A residues on the recombinant biopharmaceutical.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Parsons
- Plant Biotechnology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Yang Z, Bennett EP, Jørgensen B, Drew DP, Arigi E, Mandel U, Ulvskov P, Levery SB, Clausen H, Petersen BL. Toward stable genetic engineering of human O-glycosylation in plants. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 160:450-63. [PMID: 22791304 PMCID: PMC3440218 DOI: 10.1104/pp.112.198200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Glycosylation is the most abundant and complex posttranslational modification to be considered for recombinant production of therapeutic proteins. Mucin-type (N-acetylgalactosamine [GalNAc]-type) O-glycosylation is found in eumetazoan cells but absent in plants and yeast, making these cell types an obvious choice for de novo engineering of this O-glycosylation pathway. We previously showed that transient implementation of O-glycosylation capacity in plants requires introduction of the synthesis of the donor substrate UDP-GalNAc and one or more polypeptide GalNAc-transferases for incorporating GalNAc residues into proteins. Here, we have stably engineered O-glycosylation capacity in two plant cell systems, soil-grown Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright Yellow-2 suspension culture cells. Efficient GalNAc O-glycosylation of two stably coexpressed substrate O-glycoproteins was obtained, but a high degree of proline hydroxylation and hydroxyproline-linked arabinosides, on a mucin (MUC1)-derived substrate, was also observed. Addition of the prolyl 4-hydroxylase inhibitor 2,2-dipyridyl, however, effectively suppressed proline hydroxylation and arabinosylation of MUC1 in Bright Yellow-2 cells. In summary, stably engineered mammalian type O-glycosylation was established in transgenic plants, demonstrating that plants may serve as host cells for the production of recombinant O-glycoproteins. However, the present stable implementation further strengthens the notion that elimination of endogenous posttranslational modifications may be needed for the production of protein therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhang Yang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Eric P. Bennett
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Bodil Jørgensen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | | | - Emma Arigi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Ulla Mandel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Peter Ulvskov
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Steven B. Levery
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Henrik Clausen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| | - Bent L. Petersen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark (Z.Y.); Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (D.P.D., P.U., B.L.P.); Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (B.J.); and Center for Glycomics, Departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark (Z.Y., E.P.B., E.A., U.M., S.B.L., H.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Haferkamp I, Linka N. Functional expression and characterisation of membrane transport proteins. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2012; 14:675-90. [PMID: 22639981 DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00591.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Membrane transporters set the framework organising the complexity of plant metabolism in cells, tissues and organisms. Their substrate specificity and controlled activity in different cells is a crucial part for plant metabolism to run pathways in concert. Transport proteins catalyse the uptake and exchange of ions, substrates, intermediates, products and cofactors across membranes. Given the large number of metabolites, a wide spectrum of transporters is required. The vast majority of in silico annotated membrane transporters in plant genomes, however, has not yet been functionally characterised. Hence, to understand the metabolic network as a whole, it is important to understand how transporters connect and control the metabolic pathways of plant cells. Heterologous expression and in vitro activity studies of recombinant transport proteins have highly improved their functional analysis in the last two decades. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in membrane protein expression and functional characterisation using various host systems and transport assays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Haferkamp
- Plant Physiology, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - N Linka
- Plant Physiology, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Castilho A, Steinkellner H. Glyco-engineering in plants to produce human-like N-glycan structures. Biotechnol J 2012; 7:1088-98. [PMID: 22890723 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201200032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Revised: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
It is now possible to produce complex human proteins, largely correctly folded and N-glycosylated, in plants. Much effort has been invested in engineering expression technologies to develop products with superior characteristics. The results have begun to show success in controlling important posttranslational modifications such as N-glycosylation. With the emerging data increasingly indicating the significance of proper N-glycosylation for the efficacy of a drug, glyco-engineering has become an important issue not only for academia but also for the biopharmaceutical industry. Plants have demonstrated a high degree of tolerance to changes in the N-glycosylation pathway, allowing recombinant proteins to be modified into human-like structures in a specific and controlled manner. Frequently the results are a largely homogeneously glycosylated product, currently unrivalled by that of any other expression platforms. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in plant N-glyco-engineering in the context of the expression of therapeutically relevant proteins, highlighting both the challenges and successes in the application of such powerful technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Barbosa Viana AA, Pelegrini PB, Grossi-de-Sá MF. Plant biofarming: Novel insights for peptide expression in heterologous systems. Biopolymers 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
50
|
Kittur FS, Hung CY, Darlington DE, Sane DC, Xie J. N-Glycosylation engineering of tobacco plants to produce asialoerythropoietin. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2012; 31:1233-43. [PMID: 22371257 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-012-1244-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2012] [Revised: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/17/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone that displays both hematopoietic and tissue-protective functions by binding to two distinct receptors. Recombinant human EPO (rhuEPO) is widely used for the treatment of anemia, but its use for tissue protection is limited because of potentially harmful increases in red blood cell mass when higher doses of rhuEPO are used. Recent studies have shown that asialoerythropoietin (asialo-rhuEPO), a desialylated form of rhuEPO, lacks hematopoietic activity, but retains cytoprotective activity. Currently, a small amount of asialo-rhuEPO is produced by enzymatic desialylation of rhuEPO. The prohibitive cost of rhuEPO, however, is a major limitation of this method. Plants have the ability to synthesize complex N-glycans, but lack enzymatic activities to add sialic acid and β1,4-galactose to N-glycan chains. Plants could be genetically engineered to produce asialo-rhuEPO by introducing human β1,4-galactosyltransferase. The penultimate β1,4-linked galactose residues are important for in vivo biological activity. In this proof of concept study, we show that tobacco plants co-expressing human β1,4-galactosyltransferase and EPO genes accumulated asialo-rhuEPO. Purified asialo-rhuEPO binds to an Erythrina cristagalli lectin column, indicating that its N-glycan chains bear terminal β1,4-galactose residues and that the co-expressed GalT is functionally active. Asialo-rhuEPO interacted with the EPO receptor (EPOR) with similar affinity as rhuEPO, implying that it was properly folded. The strategy described here provides a straightforward way to produce asialo-rhuEPO for research and therapeutic purposes. KEY MESSAGE N-glycosylation pathway in tobacco plants could be genetically engineered to produce a tissue-protective cytokine, asialoerythropoietin (a desialylated form of human hormone erythropoietin).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Farooqahmed S Kittur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|