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Aramwit P, Jiang Q, Muppuri S, Reddy N. Transgenic modifications of silkworms as a means to obtain therapeutic biomolecules and protein fibers with exceptional properties. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2827-2839. [PMID: 37243890 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic modification of Bombyx mori silkworms is a benign approach for the production of silk fibers with extraordinary properties and also to generate therapeutic proteins and other biomolecules for various applications. Silk fibers with fluorescence lasting more than a year, natural protein fibers with strength and toughness exceeding that of spider silk, proteins and therapeutic biomolecules with exceptional properties have been developed using transgenic technology. The transgenic modifications have been done primarily by modifying the silk sericin and fibroin genes and also the silk producing glands. Although the genetic modifications were typically performed using the sericin 1 and other genes, newer techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 have enabled successful modifications of both the fibroin H-chain and L-chain. Such modifications have led to the production of therapeutic proteins and other biomolecules in reasonable quantities at affordable costs for tissue engineering and other medical applications. Transgenically modified silkworms also have distinct and long-lasting fluorescence useful for bioimaging applications. This review presents an overview of the transgenic techniques for modifications of B. mori silkworms and the properties obtained due to such modifications with particular focus on production of growth factors, fluorescent proteins, and high performance protein fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornanong Aramwit
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Center of Excellence in Bioactive Resources for Innovative Clinical Applications, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- The Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Thailand, Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Qiuran Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Textile Science &Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
- College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
| | - Supritha Muppuri
- Center for Incubation, Innovation, Research and Consultancy, Jyothy Institute of Technology, Thataguni Post, Bengaluru, India
| | - Narendra Reddy
- Center for Incubation, Innovation, Research and Consultancy, Jyothy Institute of Technology, Thataguni Post, Bengaluru, India
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Tan H, Ji Y, Lei H, Wang F, Dong H, Yang S, Zhou H, Deng H, Chen S, Kaplan DL, Xia Q, Wang F. Large-scale and cost-effective production of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) in transgenic Bombyx mori cocoons. Int J Biol Macromol 2023:125527. [PMID: 37379947 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125527] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
HSA is considered a versatile natural cargo carrier with multiple bio-functions and applications. However, insufficient supply of HSA has limited widespread use. Although various recombinant expression systems had been applied to produce the rHSA to overcome the limited resource, cost-effective and large scale production of rHSA remains a challenge. Herein, we provide a strategy for the large-scale and cost-effective production of rHSA in cocoons of transgenic silkworms, achieving a final 13.54 ± 1.34 g/kg of rHSA yield in cocoons. rHSA was efficiently synthesized and stable over the long-term in the cocoons at room temperature. Artificial control of silk crystal structure during silk spinning significantly facilitated rHSA extraction and purification, with 99.69 ± 0.33 % purity and a productivity of 8.06 ± 0.17 g rHSA from 1 kg cocoons. The rHSA had the same secondary structure to natural HSA, along with effective drug binding capacity, biocompatibility, and bio-safe. The rHSA was successfully evaluated as a potential substitute in serum-free cell culture. These findings suggest the silkworm bioreactor is promising for large-scale and cost-effective production of high quality rHSA to meet the increased worldwide demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Tan
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Yanting Ji
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Hexu Lei
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Fangyu Wang
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Huan Dong
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Shifeng Yang
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Hongji Zhou
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Hanxin Deng
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Siyu Chen
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - David L Kaplan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Qingyou Xia
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China.
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Sun Y, Xu J, Xie X, Song H. An effective pre-treatment method for eliminating interference by serum albumin for analysis of anti-rHSA antibodies. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2023; 15:1116-1122. [PMID: 36756782 DOI: 10.1039/d2ay01528e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) is important for risk assessment in clinical trials. ADA detection can be very difficult in the presence of high circulating levels of drugs or target proteins. We present an effective pretreatment method for eliminating interference by endogenous albumin for analyses of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) ADAs. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation was used to extract albumin-ADA immune complexes from serum samples. Following acid dissociation, albumin-reactive antibodies could be detected through an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method. Normal human serum was used to establish detectable cut points. Goat anti-human albumin was used as the positive control to evaluate the assay performance. With regard to detection of anti-HSA antibodies, pretreatment with PEG could reduce the interference from albumin in serum. We discovered that the optimized PEG precipitation and acid dissociation (PandA) method had good performance in terms of sensitivity, drug tolerance, and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunjuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Jingzhi Xu
- United-Power Pharma Tech Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyao Xie
- United-Power Pharma Tech Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Haifeng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China.
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Alam K, Raviraj VS, Chowdhury T, Bhuimali A, Ghosh P, Saha S. Application of biotechnology in sericulture: Progress, scope and prospect. THE NUCLEUS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13237-021-00355-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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P25 Gene Knockout Contributes to Human Epidermal Growth Factor Production in Transgenic Silkworms. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052709. [PMID: 33800168 PMCID: PMC7962452 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenic silkworm expression systems have been applied for producing various recombinant proteins. Knocking out or downregulating an endogenous silk protein is considered a viable strategy for improving the ability of transgenic expression systems to produce exogenous proteins. Here, we report the expression of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in a P25 gene knockout silkworm. The hEGF gene regulated by the P25 gene promoter was integrated into a silkworm's genome. Five transgenic positive silkworm lineages were generated with different insertion sites on silkworm chromosomes and the ability to synthesize and secrete proteins into cocoons. Then, a cross-strategy was used to produce transgenic silkworms with a P25 gene knockout background. The results of the protein analysis showed that the loss of an endogenous P25 protein can increase the hEGF production to about 2.2-fold more than normal silkworms. Compared to those of transgenic silkworms with wild type (non-knockout) background, the morphology and secondary structure of cocoon silks were barely changed in transgenic silkworms with a P25 gene knockout background, indicating their similar physical properties of cocoon silks. In conclusion, P25 gene knockout silkworms may become an efficient bioreactor for the production of exogenous proteins and a promising tool for producing various protein-containing silk biomaterials.
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Leem JW, Fraser MJ, Kim YL. Transgenic and Diet-Enhanced Silk Production for Reinforced Biomaterials: A Metamaterial Perspective. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2020; 22:79-102. [PMID: 32160010 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-082719-032747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Silk fibers, which are protein-based biopolymers produced by spiders and silkworms, are fascinating biomaterials that have been extensively studied for numerous biomedical applications. Silk fibers often have remarkable physical and biological properties that typical synthetic materials do not exhibit. These attributes have prompted a wide variety of silk research, including genetic engineering, biotechnological synthesis, and bioinspired fiber spinning, to produce silk proteins on a large scale and to further enhance their properties. In this review, we describe the basic properties of spider silk and silkworm silk and the important production methods for silk proteins. We discuss recent advances in reinforced silk using silkworm transgenesis and functional additive diets with a focus on biomedical applications. We also explain that reinforced silk has an analogy with metamaterials such that user-designed atypical responses can be engineered beyond what naturally occurring materials offer. These insights into reinforced silk can guide better engineering of superior synthetic biomaterials and lead to discoveries of unexplored biological and medical applications of silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Woo Leem
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Malcolm J Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Young L Kim
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, and Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA;
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A silkworm based silk gland bioreactor for high-efficiency production of recombinant human lactoferrin with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. J Biol Eng 2019; 13:61. [PMID: 31312254 PMCID: PMC6612213 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-019-0186-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Silk glands are used by silkworms to spin silk fibers for making their cocoons. These have recently been regarded as bioreactor hosts for the cost-effective production of other valuable exogenous proteins and have drawn wide attention. Results In this study, we established a transgenic silkworm strain which synthesizes the recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) in the silk gland and spins them into the cocoon by our previously constructed silk gland based bioreactor system. The yield of the rhLF with the highest expression level was estimated to be 12.07 mg/g cocoon shell weight produced by the transgenic silkworm strain 34. Utilizing a simple purification protocol, 9.24 mg of the rhLF with recovery of 76.55% and purity of 95.45% on average could be purified from 1 g of the cocoons. The purified rhLF was detected with a secondary structure similar with the commercially purchased human lactoferrin. Eight types of N-glycans which dominated by the GlcNAc (4) Man (3) (61.15%) and the GlcNAc (3) Man (3) (17.98%) were identified at the three typical N-glycosylation sites of the rhLF. Biological activities assays showed the significant evidence that the purified rhLF could relief the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell inflammation in RAW264.7 cells and exhibit potent antibacterial bioactivities against the Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis. Conclusions These results show that the middle silk gland of silkworm can be an efficient bioreactor for the mass production of rhLF and the potential application in anti-inflammation and antibacterial. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13036-019-0186-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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