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Zeh N, Schmidt M, Schulz P, Fischer S. The new frontier in CHO cell line development: From random to targeted transgene integration technologies. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 75:108402. [PMID: 38950872 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Cell line development represents a crucial step in the development process of a therapeutic glycoprotein. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most frequently employed mammalian host cell system for the industrial manufacturing of biologics. The predominant application of CHO cells for heterologous recombinant protein expression lies in the relative simplicity of stably introducing ectopic DNA into the CHO host cell genome. Since CHO cells were first used as expression host for the industrial production of biologics in the late 1980s, stable genomic transgene integration has been achieved almost exclusively by random integration. Since then, random transgene integration had become the gold standard for generating stable CHO production cell lines due to a lack of viable alternatives. However, it was eventually demonstrated that this approach poses significant challenges on the cell line development process such as an increased risk of inducing cell line instability. In recent years, significant discoveries of new and highly potent (semi)-targeted transgene integration systems have paved the way for a technological revolution in the cell line development sector. These advanced methodologies comprise the application of transposase-, recombinase- or Cas9 nuclease-mediated site-specific genomic integration techniques, which enable a scarless transfer of the transgene expression cassette into transcriptionally active loci within the host cell genome. This review summarizes recent advancements in the field of transgene integration technologies for CHO cell line development and compare them to the established random integration approach. Moreover, advantages and limitations of (semi)-targeted integration techniques are discussed, and benefits and opportunities for the biopharmaceutical industry are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas Zeh
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Moritz Schmidt
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Patrick Schulz
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Simon Fischer
- Cell Line Development, Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co.KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
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Zhang M, Zhao X, Li Y, Ye Q, Wu Y, Niu Q, Zhang Y, Fan G, Chen T, Xia J, Wu Q. Advances in serum-free media for CHO cells: From traditional serum substitutes to microbial-derived substances. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2400251. [PMID: 39031790 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202400251] [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: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell is an epithelial-like cell that produces proteins with post-translational modifications similar to human glycosylation. It is widely used in the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies. Culturing CHO cells typically requires the addition of a certain proportion of fetal bovine serum (FBS) to maintain cell proliferation and passaging. However, serum is characterized by its complex composition, batch-to-batch variability, high cost, and potential risk of exogenous contaminants such as mycoplasma and viruses, which impact the purity and safety of the synthesized proteins. Therefore, search for serum alternatives and development of serum-free media for CHO-based protein biomanufacturing are of great significance. This review systematically summarizes the application advantages of CHO cells and strategies for high-density expression. It highlights the developmental trends of serum substitutes from human platelet lysates to animal-free extracts and microbial-derived substances and elucidates the mechanisms by which these substitutes enhance CHO cell culture performance and recombinant protein production, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for exploring novel serum alternatives and developing serum-free media for CHO cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingcan Zhang
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyu Zhao
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Li
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qinghua Ye
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuwei Wu
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qinya Niu
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanghan Fan
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianxiang Chen
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiarui Xia
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Tatarūnas V, Čiapienė I, Giedraitienė A. Precise Therapy Using the Selective Endogenous Encapsidation for Cellular Delivery Vector System. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:292. [PMID: 38399346 PMCID: PMC10893373 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16020292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Interindividual variability in drug response is a major problem in the prescription of pharmacological treatments. The therapeutic effect of drugs can be influenced by human genes. Pharmacogenomic guidelines for individualization of treatment have been validated and used for conventional dosage forms. However, drugs can often target non-specific areas and produce both desired and undesired pharmacological effects. The use of nanoparticles, liposomes, or other available forms for drug formulation could help to overcome the latter problem. Virus-like particles based on retroviruses could be a potential envelope for safe and efficient drug formulations. Human endogenous retroviruses would make it possible to overcome the host immune response and deliver drugs to the desired target. PEG10 is a promising candidate that can bind to mRNA because it is secreted like an enveloped virus-like extracellular vesicle. PEG10 is a retrotransposon-derived gene that has been domesticated. Therefore, formulations with PEG10 may have a lower immunogenicity. The use of existing knowledge can lead to the development of suitable drug formulations for the precise treatment of individual diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vacis Tatarūnas
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu 15, LT 50103 Kaunas, Lithuania; (V.T.); (I.Č.)
| | - Ieva Čiapienė
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu 15, LT 50103 Kaunas, Lithuania; (V.T.); (I.Č.)
| | - Agnė Giedraitienė
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Eiveniu 4, LT 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania
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Ying B, Kawabe Y, Zheng F, Amamoto Y, Kamihira M. High-Level Production of scFv-Fc Antibody Using an Artificial Promoter System with Transcriptional Positive Feedback Loop of Transactivator in CHO Cells. Cells 2023; 12:2638. [PMID: 37998372 PMCID: PMC10670205 DOI: 10.3390/cells12222638] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
With the increasing demand for therapeutic antibodies, CHO cells have become the de facto standard as producer host cells for biopharmaceutical production. High production yields are required for antibody production, and developing a high-titer production system is increasingly crucial. This study was established to develop a high-production system using a synthetic biology approach by designing a gene expression system based on an artificial transcription factor that can strongly induce the high expression of target genes in CHO cells. To demonstrate the functionality of this artificial gene expression system and its ability to induce the high expression of target genes in CHO cells, a model antibody (scFv-Fc) was produced using this system. Excellent results were obtained with the plate scale, and when attempting continuous production in semi-continuous cultures using bioreactor tubes with high-cell-density suspension culture using a serum-free medium, high-titer antibody production at the gram-per-liter level was achieved. Shifting the culture temperature to a low temperature of 33 °C achieved scFv-Fc concentrations of up to 5.5 g/L with a specific production rate of 262 pg/(cell∙day). This artificial gene expression system should be a powerful tool for CHO cell engineering aimed at constructing high-yield production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Masamichi Kamihira
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; (B.Y.); (Y.K.); (F.Z.); (Y.A.)
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Chen Y, Betenbaugh MJ. Reconstruction of reverse transsulfuration pathway enables cysteine biosynthesis and enhances resilience to oxidative stress in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Metab Eng 2023; 76:204-214. [PMID: 36822463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine is a critically important amino acid necessary for mammalian cell culture, playing key roles in nutrient supply, disulfide bond formation, and as a precursor to antioxidant molecules controlling cellular redox. Unfortunately, its low stability and solubility in solution make it especially problematic as an essential medium component that must be added to Chinese hamster ovary and other mammalian cell cultures. Therefore, CHO cells have been engineered to include the capacity of endogenously synthesizing cysteine by overexpressing multiple enzymes, including cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH) and glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) to reconstruct the reverse transsulfuration pathway and overcome a key metabolic bottleneck. Some limited cysteine biosynthesis was obtained by overexpressing CBS and CTH for converting homocysteine to cysteine but robust metabolic synthesis from methionine was only possibly after incorporating GNMT which likely represents a key bottleneck step in the cysteine biosynthesis pathway. CHO cells with the reconstructed pathway exhibit the strong capability to proliferate in cysteine-limited and cysteine-free batch and fed-batch cultures at levels comparable to wildtype cells with ample cysteine supplementation, providing a selectable marker for CHO cell engineering. GNMT overexpression led to the accumulation of sarcosine byproduct, but its accumulation did not affect cell growth. Furthermore, pathway reconstruction enhanced CHO cells' reduced and glutathione levels in cysteine-limited conditions compared to unmodified cells, and greatly enhanced survivability and maintenance of redox homeostasis under oxidative stress induced by addition of menadione in cysteine-deficient conditions. Such engineered CHO cell lines can potentially reduce or even eliminate the need to include cysteine in culture medium, which not only reduces the cost of mammalian media but also promises to transform media design by solving the challenges posed by low stability and solubility of cysteine and cystine in future mammalian biomanufacturing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Michael J Betenbaugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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Mark JKK, Lim CSY, Nordin F, Tye GJ. Expression of mammalian proteins for diagnostics and therapeutics: a review. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:10593-10608. [PMID: 35674877 PMCID: PMC9175168 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07651-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibodies have proven to be remarkably successful for biomedical applications. They play important roles in epidemiology and medicine from diagnostics of diseases to therapeutics, treating diseases from incessant chronic diseases such as rheumatology to pandemic outbreaks. With no end in sight for the demand for antibody products, optimizations and new techniques must be expanded to accommodate this. METHODS AND RESULTS This review discusses optimizations and techniques for antibody production through choice of discovery platforms, expression systems, cell culture mediums, and other strategies to increase expression yield. Each system has its own merits and demerits, and the strategy chosen is critical in addressing various biological aspects. CONCLUSIONS There is still insufficient evidence to validate the efficacy of some of these techniques, and further research is needed to consolidate these industrial production systems. There is no doubt that more strategies, systems, and pipelines will contribute to enhance biopharmaceutical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Kar Kei Mark
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Minden, Malaysia
| | - Crystale Siew Ying Lim
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, No 1 Jalan Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, Taman Connaught, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras, Malaysia
| | - Fazlina Nordin
- Tissue Engineering Centre (TEC), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras, Malaysia
| | - Gee Jun Tye
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Minden, Malaysia.
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Effects and mechanisms of animal-free hydrolysates on recombination protein yields in CHO cells. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:7387-7396. [PMID: 36229612 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12229-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the commonly used cell lines for producing recombinant therapeutic proteins (RTPs) because they possess post-translational modifications similar to human cells. Culture media are necessary for cell growth, and their quality affects the yields and quality of RTPs. Due to safety concerns for the complex purification of RTPs, the development of serum-free media (SFM) is necessary for CHO cells. To meet the need for CHO cells with higher cell density and RTP productivity with consistent product quality in large-scale suspension cultures, the optimization of SFM through adding some enzymatic animal-free hydrolysates (AFHs) is preferred. The AFHs can improve cell culture performance and product yield of RTPs without affecting their quality. Here, the effect and mechanism of various AFHs in improving CHO cell culture performance and protein expression are reviewed. KEY POINTS: • AFHs that improve the recombinant protein yield of CHO cells are reviewed. • AFHs improve recombinant protein yield via influencing cell performance. • The AFHs do not affect the quality of recombinant protein in CHO cells. • AFHs can provide nutrients, block cell cycle, and reduce oxidative stress.
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Considerations of the Impacts of Cell-Specific Growth and Production Rate on Clone Selection—A Simulation Study. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9060964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
For the manufacturing of complex biopharmaceuticals using bioreactors with cultivated mammalian cells, high product concentration is an important objective. The phenotype of the cells in a reactor plays an important role. Are clonal cell populations showing high cell-specific growth rates more favorable than cell lines with higher cell-specific productivities or vice versa? Five clonal Chinese hamster ovary cell populations were analyzed based on the data of a 3-month-stability study. We adapted a mechanistic cell culture model to the experimental data of one such clonally derived cell population. Uncertainties and prior knowledge concerning model parameters were considered using Bayesian parameter estimations. This model was used then to define an inoculum train protocol. Based on this, we subsequently simulated the impacts of differences in growth rates (±10%) and production rates (±10% and ±50%) on the overall cultivation time, including making the inoculum train cultures; the final production phase, the volumetric titer in that bioreactor and the ratio of both, defined as overall process productivity. We showed thus unequivocally that growth rates have a higher impact (up to three times) on overall process productivity and for product output per year, whereas cells with higher productivity can potentially generate higher product concentrations in the production vessel.
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Li W, Fan Z, Lin Y, Wang TY. Serum-Free Medium for Recombinant Protein Expression in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:646363. [PMID: 33791287 PMCID: PMC8006267 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.646363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
At present, nearly 70% of recombinant therapeutic proteins (RTPs) are produced by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and serum-free medium (SFM) is necessary for their culture to produce RTPs. In this review, the history and key components of SFM are first summarized, and its preparation and experimental design are described. Some small molecule compound additives can improve the yield and quality of RTP. The function and possible mechanisms of these additives are also reviewed here. Finally, the future perspectives of SFM use with CHO cells for RTP production are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weifeng Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhenlin Fan
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yan Lin
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Tian-Yun Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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