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Müller M, Gibisch M, Brocard C, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Striedner G, Hahn R. Purification of recombinantly produced somatostatin-28 comparing hydrochloric acid and polyethyleneimine as E. coli extraction aids. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 222:106537. [PMID: 38944221 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2024.106537] [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: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Peptides are used for diagnostics, therapeutics, and as antimicrobial agents. Most peptides are produced by chemical synthesis, but recombinant production has recently become an attractive alternative due to the advantages of high titers, less toxic waste and correct folding of tertiary structure. Somatostatin-28 is a peptide hormone that regulates the endocrine system, cell proliferation and inhibits the release of numerous secondary hormones in human body. It is composed of 28 amino acids and has one disulfide bond, which makes it to an optimal model peptide for a whole downstream purification process. We produced the peptide in the periplasm of E. coli using the CASPON™ technology, an affinity fusion technology system that enables high soluble expression of recombinant proteins and cleaves the fusion tag with a circularly permuted human caspase-2. Furthermore, purification of the products is straight forward using an established platform process. Two different case studies for downstream purification are presented, starting with either hydrochloric acid or polyethyleneimine as an extraction aid. After release of affinity-tagged somatostatin-28 out of E. coli's periplasm, several purification steps were performed, delivering a pure peptide solution after the final polishing step. The process was monitored by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography as well as mass spectrometry to determine the yield and correct disulfide bond formation. Monitoring of impurities like host cell proteins, DNA and endotoxins after each downstream unit confirmed effective removal for both purification pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Müller
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Gibisch
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cécile Brocard
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Dr.-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, A-1120, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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2
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Liu J, Fischer A, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Lingg N, Oostenbrink C. Caspase-Based Fusion Protein Technology: Substrate Cleavability Described by Computational Modeling and Simulation. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:5691-5700. [PMID: 38946265 PMCID: PMC11267566 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
The Caspase-based fusion protein technology (CASPON) allows for universal cleavage of fusion tags from proteins of interest to reconstitute the native N-terminus. While the CASPON enzyme has been optimized to be promiscuous against a diversity of N-terminal peptides, the cleavage efficacy for larger proteins can be surprisingly low. We develop an efficient means to rationalize and predict the cleavage efficiency based on a structural representation of the intrinsically disordered N-terminal peptides and their putative interactions with the CASPON enzyme. The number of favorably interacting N-terminal conformations shows a very good agreement with the experimentally observed cleavage efficiency, in agreement with a conformational selection model. The method relies on computationally cheap molecular dynamics simulations to efficiently generate a diverse collection of N-terminal conformations, followed by a simple fitting procedure into the CASPON enzyme. It can be readily used to assess the CASPON cleavability a priori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Liu
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- Institute
of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- Department
of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences,
Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse
18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- Department
of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences,
Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse
18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- Department
of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences,
Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse
18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Chris Oostenbrink
- Institute
of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- Christian
Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Informatics in the Biosciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences,
Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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3
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Gibisch M, Müller M, Tauer C, Albrecht B, Hahn R, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Striedner G. A production platform for disulfide-bonded peptides in the periplasm of Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:166. [PMID: 38840157 PMCID: PMC11155123 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02446-6] [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: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recombinant peptide production in Escherichia coli provides a sustainable alternative to environmentally harmful and size-limited chemical synthesis. However, in-vivo production of disulfide-bonded peptides at high yields remains challenging, due to degradation by host proteases/peptidases and the necessity of translocation into the periplasmic space for disulfide bond formation. RESULTS In this study, we established an expression system for efficient and soluble production of disulfide-bonded peptides in the periplasm of E. coli. We chose model peptides with varying complexity (size, structure, number of disulfide bonds), namely parathyroid hormone 1-84, somatostatin 1-28, plectasin, and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (aprotinin). All peptides were expressed without and with the N-terminal, low molecular weight CASPON™ tag (4.1 kDa), with the expression cassette being integrated into the host genome. During BioLector™ cultivations at microliter scale, we found that most of our model peptides can only be sufficiently expressed in combination with the CASPON™ tag, otherwise expression was only weak or undetectable on SDS-PAGE. Undesired degradation by host proteases/peptidases was evident even with the CASPON™ tag. Therefore, we investigated whether degradation happened before or after translocation by expressing the peptides in combination with either a co- or post-translational signal sequence. Our results suggest that degradation predominantly happened after the translocation, as degradation fragments appeared to be identical independent of the signal sequence, and expression was not enhanced with the co-translational signal sequence. Lastly, we expressed all CASPON™-tagged peptides in two industry-relevant host strains during C-limited fed-batch cultivations in bioreactors. We found that the process performance was highly dependent on the peptide-host-combination. The titers that were reached varied between 0.6-2.6 g L-1, and exceeded previously published data in E. coli. Moreover, all peptides were shown by mass spectrometry to be expressed to completion, including full formation of disulfide bonds. CONCLUSION In this work, we demonstrated the potential of the CASPON™ technology as a highly efficient platform for the production of soluble peptides in the periplasm of E. coli. The titers we show here are unprecedented whenever parathyroid hormone, somatostatin, plectasin or bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor were produced in E. coli, thus making our proposed upstream platform favorable over previously published approaches and chemical synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Gibisch
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Müller
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Tauer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernd Albrecht
- Boehringer-Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Dr.-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
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4
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He X, Lin T, Xie Y, Li J, Ge Y, Zhang S, Fan J. Backbone cyclization of Salmonella typhimurium diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase to enhance the activity and stability. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 218:106447. [PMID: 38369031 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2024.106447] [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: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase transforms D and L isomers of 2,3-diaminopropionate to pyruvate and ammonia. It catalyzes D- and l-serine less effectively. L-2,3-diaminopropionate is a precursor in the biosynthesis of oxalyl diaminopropionate as a neurotoxin in certain legume species. In this work, we cyclized the diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase from Salmonella typhimurium in vitro using the redox-responsive split intein, and identified that backbone cyclization afforded the enzyme with the improved activity, thermal stability and resistance to the exopeptidase proteolysis, different from effects of the incorporated sequence recognized by tobacco vein mottling virus protease at C-terminus. Using analyses of three fluorescent dyes including 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine, and thioflavin T, the same amounts of the cyclic protein displayed less fluorescence than those of the linear protein upon the heat treatment. The cyclic enzyme displayed the enhanced activity in Escherichia coli cells using the designed novel reporter. In this system, d-serine was added to the culture and transported into the cytoplasm. It was transformed by pre-overexpression of the diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase, and untransformed d-serine was oxidized by the coproduced human d-amino acid oxidase to generate hydrogen peroxide. This oxidant is monitored by the HyPer indicator. The current results presented that the cyclized enzyme could be applied as a better candidate to block the neurotoxin biosynthesis in certain plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei He
- College of Biology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, West Anhui University, Lu'an, 237012, PR China
| | - Tingting Lin
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China
| | - Yuying Xie
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China
| | - Jinjing Li
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Ge
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China
| | - Shuncheng Zhang
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China
| | - Jun Fan
- School of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, PR China.
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5
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Prabhala SV, Wood DW. Scalable dual column cation exchange affinity chromatography based platform process for recombinant protein purification. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 217:106442. [PMID: 38336119 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2024.106442] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
A novel tandem affinity tag is presented that enables the use of cation exchange resins for initial affinity purification, followed by an additional column step for enhanced purity and affinity tag self-removal. In this method, the highly charged heparin-binding tag binds strongly and selectively to either a strong or weak cation exchange resin based on electrostatic interactions, effectively acting as an initial affinity tag. Combining the heparin-binding tag (HB-tag) with the self-removing iCapTag™ provides a means for removing both tags in a subsequent self-cleaving step. The result is a convenient platform for the purification of diverse tagless proteins with a range of isoelectric points and molecular weights. In this work, we demonstrate a dual column process in which the tagged protein of interest is first captured from an E. coli cell lysate using a cation exchange column via a fused heparin-binding affinity tag. The partially purified protein is then diluted and loaded onto an iCapTag™ split-intein column, washed, and then incubated overnight to release the tagless target protein from the bound tag. Case studies are provided for enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), beta galactosidase (βgal), maltose binding protein (MBP) and beta lactamase (βlac), where overall purity and host cell DNA clearance is provided. Overall, the proposed dual column process is shown to be a scalable platform technology capable of accessing both the high dynamic binding capacity of ion exchange resins and the high selectivity of affinity tags for the purification of recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Vivek Prabhala
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 460C CBEC Building, 151 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
| | - David W Wood
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 460C CBEC Building, 151 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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6
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Köppl C, Buchinger W, Striedner G, Cserjan-Puschmann M. Modifications of the 5' region of the CASPON TM tag's mRNA further enhance soluble recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:86. [PMID: 38509572 PMCID: PMC10953258 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02350-z] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Escherichia coli is one of the most commonly used host organisms for the production of biopharmaceuticals, as it allows for cost-efficient and fast recombinant protein expression. However, challenging proteins are often produced with low titres or as inclusion bodies, and the manufacturing process needs to be developed individually for each protein. Recently, we developed the CASPONTM technology, a generic fusion tag-based platform process for high-titer soluble expression including a standardized downstream processing and highly specific enzymatic cleavage of the fusion tag. To assess potential strategies for further improvement of the N-terminally fused CASPONTM tag, we modified the 5'UTR and 5' region of the tag-coding mRNA to optimize the ribosome-mRNA interactions. RESULTS In the present work, we found that by modifying the 5'UTR sequence of a pET30acer plasmid-based system, expression of the fusion protein CASPONTM-tumour necrosis factor α was altered in laboratory-scale carbon-limited fed-batch cultivations, but no significant increase in expression titre was achieved. Translation efficiency was highest for a construct carrying an expression enhancer element and additionally possessing a very favourable interaction energy between ribosome and mRNA (∆Gtotal). However, a construct with comparatively low transcriptional efficiency, which lacked the expression enhancer sequence and carried the most favourable ∆Gtotal tested, led to the highest recombinant protein formation alongside the reference pET30a construct. Furthermore, we found, that by introducing synonymous mutations within the nucleotide sequence of the T7AC element of the CASPONTM tag, utilizing a combination of rare and non-rare codons, the free folding energy of the nucleotides at the 5' end (-4 to + 37) of the transcript encoding the CASPONTM tag increased by 6 kcal/mol. Surprisingly, this new T7ACrare variant led to improved recombinant protein titres by 1.3-fold up to 5.3-fold, shown with three industry-relevant proteins in lab-scale carbon limited fed-batch fermentations under industrially relevant conditions. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals some of the complex interdependencies between the ribosome and mRNA that govern recombinant protein expression. By modifying the 5'UTR to obtain an optimized interaction energy between the mRNA and the ribosome (ΔGtotal), transcript levels were changed, highlighting the different translation efficiencies of individual transcripts. It was shown that the highest recombinant titre was not obtained by the construct with the most efficient translation but by a construct with a generally high transcript amount coupled with a favourable ΔGtotal. Furthermore, an unexpectedly high potential to enhance expression by introducing silent mutations including multiple rare codons into the 5'end of the CAPONTM tag's mRNA was identified. Although the titres of the fusion proteins were dramatically increased, no formation of inclusion bodies or negative impact on cell growth was observed. We hypothesize that the drastic increase in titre is most likely caused by better ribosomal binding site accessibility. Our study, which demonstrates the influence of changes in ribosome-mRNA interactions on protein expression under industrially relevant production conditions, opens the door to the applicability of the new T7ACrare tag in biopharmaceutical industry using the CASPONTM platform process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Köppl
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Buchinger
- Biopharma Austria, Development Operations, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, Dr.-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna, A-1121, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria.
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, Vienna, 1190, Austria.
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7
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Jurjevec A, Brocard C, Striedner G, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Toca-Herrera JL, Hahn R. Understanding the mechanism of polyethyleneimine-mediated cell disintegration and protein extraction in E. coli: The role of floc network formation and PEI molecular weight. J Biotechnol 2024; 384:29-37. [PMID: 38423471 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.02.016] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Cell disintegration and protein extraction are crucial steps in downstream process development for biopharmaceuticals produced in E. coli. In this study, we explored the extraction mechanism of polyethyleneimine (PEI) at the cellular level and characterized the floc network that is formed upon PEI addition by Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement and Dispersion Analyzer. PEI disintegrates the cells by detachment of the outer membrane allowing protein to diffuse into the interspace of the flocs. Protein release into the supernatant occurs by diffusion out of the floc network. We could show that the type and concentrations of PEIs with varying molecular weight determines the floc properties and thus the extraction efficiency. We could demonstrate why optimal conditions, using 70 kDa PEI at 0.25 g/g cell dry mass, lead to efficient extraction while at suboptimal conditions extraction is almost negligible. Our findings provide valuable insights into the relationship between floc properties and PEI-driven protein extraction, with potential applications in bioprocessing and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Jurjevec
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Cécile Brocard
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Dr.-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Wien A-1120, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - José L Toca-Herrera
- Department of Bionanosciences, Institute of Biophysics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1190, Austria.
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8
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Eskandari A, Nezhad NG, Leow TC, Rahman MBA, Oslan SN. Essential factors, advanced strategies, challenges, and approaches involved for efficient expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:152. [PMID: 38472371 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03871-2] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Producing recombinant proteins is a major accomplishment of biotechnology in the past century. Heterologous hosts, either eukaryotic or prokaryotic, are used for the production of these proteins. The utilization of microbial host systems continues to dominate as the most efficient and affordable method for biotherapeutics and food industry productions. Hence, it is crucial to analyze the limitations and advantages of microbial hosts to enhance the efficient production of recombinant proteins on a large scale. E. coli is widely used as a host for the production of recombinant proteins. Researchers have identified certain obstacles with this host, and given the growing demand for recombinant protein production, there is an immediate requirement to enhance this host. The following review discusses the elements contributing to the manifestation of recombinant protein. Subsequently, it sheds light on innovative approaches aimed at improving the expression of recombinant protein. Lastly, it delves into the obstacles and optimization methods associated with translation, mentioning both cis-optimization and trans-optimization, producing soluble recombinant protein, and engineering the metal ion transportation. In this context, a comprehensive description of the distinct features will be provided, and this knowledge could potentially enhance the expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azadeh Eskandari
- Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Biochemistry, FacultyofBiotechnologyand BiomolecularSciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nima Ghahremani Nezhad
- Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Thean Chor Leow
- Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Enzyme Technology and X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory, VacBio 5, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Siti Nurbaya Oslan
- Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Department of Biochemistry, FacultyofBiotechnologyand BiomolecularSciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Enzyme Technology and X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory, VacBio 5, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
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9
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Mozgovicz M, Fischer A, Brocard C, Jungbauer A, Lingg N. L-Arginine sulfate reduces irreversible protein binding in immobilized metal affinity chromatography. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1706:464246. [PMID: 37541058 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464246] [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: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is a powerful technique for capture and purification of relevant biopharmaceuticals in complex biological matrices. However, protein recovery can be drastically compromised due to surface induced spreading and unfolding of the analyte, leading to fouling of the stationary phase. Here, we report on the kinetics of irreversible adsorption of a protease on an IMAC resin in a time span ranging from minutes to several hours. This trend correlated with the thermal data measured by nano differential scanning calorimetry, and showed a time-dependent change in protein unfolding temperature. Our results highlight that 'soft' proteins show a strong time dependent increase in irreversible adsorption. Furthermore, commonly used co-solvents for preservation of the native protein conformation are tested for their ability to reduce fouling. Thermal data suggests that the amino acid l-arginine is beneficial in preventing unfolding, which was confirmed in batch adsorption experiments. The choice of counter-ions has to be considered when using this amino acid. These results show that l-arginine sulfate decelerates the irreversible adsorption kinetics of proteins on the IMAC stationary phase to a greater extent than l-arginine chloride.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Mozgovicz
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cécile Brocard
- Biopharma Process Science Austria, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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10
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Benedini LJ, Furlan FF, Figueiredo D, Cabrera-Crespo J, Ribeiro MPA, Campani G, Gonçalves VM, Zangirolami TC. A comprehensive method for modeling and simulating ion exchange chromatography of complex mixtures. Protein Expr Purif 2023; 205:106228. [PMID: 36587709 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2022.106228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, many biological-based products have been developed, representing a significant fraction of income in the pharmaceutical market. Ion exchange chromatography is an important downstream step for the purification of target recombinant proteins present in clarified cell extracts, together with many other unknown impurities. This work develops a robust approach to model and simulate the purification of untagged heterologous proteins, so that the improved conditions to carry out an ion exchange chromatography are identified in a rational basis prior to the real purification run itself. Purification of the pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA4Pro) was used as a case study. This protein is produced by recombinant Escherichia coli and is a candidate for the manufacture of improved pneumococcal vaccines. The developed method combined experimental and computational procedures. Different anion exchange operating conditions were mapped in order to gather a broad range of representative experimental data. The equilibrium dispersive and the steric mass action equations were used to model and simulate the process. A training strategy to fit the model and separately describe the elution profiles of PspA4Pro and other proteins of the cell extract was applied. Based on the simulation results, a reduced ionic strength was applied for PspA4Pro elution, leading to increases of 14.9% and 11.5% for PspA4Pro recovery and purity, respectively, compared to the original elution profile. These results showed the potential of this method, which could be further applied to improve the performance of ion exchange chromatography in the purification of other target proteins under real process conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro J Benedini
- Graduate Program in Chemical Engineering (PPGEQ), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil; Federal Institute of São Paulo (IFSP), Catanduva, Brazil.
| | - Felipe F Furlan
- Graduate Program in Chemical Engineering (PPGEQ), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil; Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Douglas Figueiredo
- Butantan Institute, Laboratory of Vaccine Development, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo P A Ribeiro
- Graduate Program in Chemical Engineering (PPGEQ), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil; Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Gilson Campani
- Department of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Brazil
| | | | - Teresa C Zangirolami
- Graduate Program in Chemical Engineering (PPGEQ), Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil; Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, Brazil
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11
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Pouresmaeil M, Azizi-Dargahlou S. Factors involved in heterologous expression of proteins in E. coli host. Arch Microbiol 2023; 205:212. [PMID: 37120438 PMCID: PMC10148705 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03541-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
The production of recombinant proteins is one of the most significant achievements of biotechnology in the last century. These proteins are produced in the eukaryotic or prokaryotic heterologous hosts. By increasing the omics data especially related to different heterologous hosts as well as the presence of new amenable genetic engineering tools, we can artificially engineer heterologous hosts to produce recombinant proteins in sufficient quantities. Numerous recombinant proteins have been produced and applied in various industries, and the global recombinant proteins market size is expected to be cast to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2027. Therefore, identifying the weakness and strengths of heterologous hosts is critical to optimize the large-scale biosynthesis of recombinant proteins. E. coli is one of the popular hosts to produce recombinant proteins. Scientists reported some bottlenecks in this host, and due to the increasing demand for the production of recombinant proteins, there is an urgent need to improve this host. In this review, we first provide general information about the E. coli host and compare it with other hosts. In the next step, we describe the factors involved in the expression of the recombinant proteins in E. coli. Successful expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli requires a complete elucidation of these factors. Here, the characteristics of each factor will be fully described, and this information can help to improve the heterologous expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahin Pouresmaeil
- Agricultural Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shahnam Azizi-Dargahlou
- Agricultural Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
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12
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Jakob LA, Mesurado T, Jungbauer A, Lingg N. Increase in cysteine-mediated multimerization under attractive protein-protein interactions. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2022; 53:891-905. [PMID: 36576211 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2022.2158471] [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] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The CASPON enzyme became an interesting enzyme for fusion protein processing because it generates an authentic N-terminus. However, the high cysteine content of the CASPON enzyme may induce aggregation via disulfide-bond formation, which can reduce enzymatic activity and be considered a critical quality attribute. Different multimerization states of the CASPON enzyme were isolated by preparative size exclusion chromatography and analyzed with respect to multimerization propensity and enzymatic activity. The impact of co-solutes on multimerization was studied in solution and in adsorbed state. Furthermore, protein-protein interactions in the presence of different co-solutes were measured by self-interaction chromatography and were then correlated to the multimerization propensity. The dimer was the most stable and active species with 50% higher enzymatic activity than the tetramer. Multimerization was mainly governed by a cysteine-mediated pathway, as indicated by DTT-induced reduction of most caspase multimers. In the presence of ammonium sulfate, attractive protein-protein interactions were consistent with those observed for higher multimerization when the cysteine-mediated pathway was followed. Multimerization was also observed under attractive conditions on a chromatographic stationary phase. These findings corroborate common rules to perform protein purification with low residence time to avoid disulfide bond formation and conformational change of the protein upon adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo A Jakob
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomás Mesurado
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
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13
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Cserjan-Puschmann M, Köppl C, Lingg N, Schneider R, Jungbauer A, Striedner G. CASPON technology – A platform process for non‐platform proteins using
Escherichia coli. CHEM-ING-TECH 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cite.202255220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Cserjan-Puschmann
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Department of Biotechnology Muthgasse 18 1190 Vienna Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
| | - C. Köppl
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
| | - N. Lingg
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
| | - R. Schneider
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
- University Innsbruck Innrain 52 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - A. Jungbauer
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Department of Biotechnology Muthgasse 18 1190 Vienna Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
| | - G. Striedner
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Department of Biotechnology Muthgasse 18 1190 Vienna Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Petersgasse 8 8020 Graz Austria
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14
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CASPON platform technology: Ultrafast circularly permuted caspase-2 cleaves tagged fusion proteins before all 20 natural amino acids at the N-terminus. N Biotechnol 2022; 71:37-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2022.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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15
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Köppl C, Lingg N, Fischer A, Kröß C, Loibl J, Buchinger W, Schneider R, Jungbauer A, Striedner G, Cserjan-Puschmann M. Fusion Tag Design Influences Soluble Recombinant Protein Production in Escherichia coli. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:7678. [PMID: 35887026 PMCID: PMC9321918 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusion protein technologies to facilitate soluble expression, detection, or subsequent affinity purification in Escherichia coli are widely used but may also be associated with negative consequences. Although commonly employed solubility tags have a positive influence on titers, their large molecular mass inherently results in stochiometric losses of product yield. Furthermore, the introduction of affinity tags, especially the polyhistidine tag, has been associated with undesirable changes in expression levels. Fusion tags are also known to influence the functionality of the protein of interest due to conformational changes. Therefore, particularly for biopharmaceutical applications, the removal of the fusion tag is a requirement to ensure the safety and efficacy of the therapeutic protein. The design of suitable fusion tags enabling the efficient manufacturing of the recombinant protein remains a challenge. Here, we evaluated several N-terminal fusion tag combinations and their influence on product titer and cell growth to find an ideal design for a generic fusion tag. For enhancing soluble expression, a negatively charged peptide tag derived from the T7 bacteriophage was combined with affinity tags and a caspase-2 cleavage site applicable for CASPase-based fusiON (CASPON) platform technology. The effects of each combinatorial tag element were investigated in an integrated manner using human fibroblast growth factor 2 as a model protein in fed-batch lab-scale bioreactor cultivations. To confirm the generic applicability for manufacturing, seven additional pharmaceutically relevant proteins were produced using the best performing tag of this study, named CASPON-tag, and tag removal was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Köppl
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
| | - Christina Kröß
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Julian Loibl
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
| | - Wolfgang Buchinger
- Biopharma Austria, Process Science, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, 1121 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Rainer Schneider
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; (C.K.); (N.L.); (A.F.); (C.K.); (J.L.); (R.S.); (A.J.); (G.S.)
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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16
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Bresinsky M, Strasser JM, Vallaster B, Liu P, McCue WM, Fuller J, Hubmann A, Singh G, Nelson KM, Cuellar ME, Wilmot CM, Finzel BC, Ashe KH, Walters MA, Pockes S. Structure-Based Design and Biological Evaluation of Novel Caspase-2 Inhibitors Based on the Peptide AcVDVAD-CHO and the Caspase-2-Mediated Tau Cleavage Sequence YKPVD314. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022; 5:20-40. [PMID: 35059567 PMCID: PMC8762753 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.1c00251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) was first described by Alois Alzheimer over 100 years ago, but there is still no overarching theory that can explain its cause in detail. There are also no effective therapies to treat either the cause or the associated symptoms of this devastating disease. A potential approach to better understand the pathogenesis of AD could be the development of selective caspase-2 (Casp2) probes, as we have shown that a Casp2-mediated cleavage product of tau (Δtau314) reversibly impairs cognitive and synaptic function in animal models of tauopathies. In this article, we map out the Casp2 binding site through the preparation and assay of a series of 35 pentapeptide inhibitors with the goal of gaining selectivity against caspase-3 (Casp3). We also employed computational docking methods to understand the key interactions in the binding pocket of Casp2 and the differences predicted for binding at Casp3. Moreover, we crystallographically characterized the binding of selected pentapeptides with Casp3. Furthermore, we engineered and expressed a series of recombinant tau mutants and investigated them in an in vitro cleavage assay. These studies resulted in simple peptidic inhibitors with nanomolar affinity, for example, AcVDV(Dab)D-CHO (24) with up to 27.7-fold selectivity against Casp3. Our findings provide a good basis for the future development of selective Casp2 probes and inhibitors that can serve as pharmacological tools in planned in vivo studies and as lead compounds for the design of bioavailable and more drug-like small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlin Bresinsky
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Jessica M. Strasser
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Bernadette Vallaster
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Peng Liu
- Department
of Neurology, University of Minnesota, 2101 6th Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States
| | - William M. McCue
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Jessica Fuller
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Alexander Hubmann
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Gurpreet Singh
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Kathryn M. Nelson
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Matthew E. Cuellar
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Carrie M. Wilmot
- Department
of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Barry C. Finzel
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States
| | - Karen H. Ashe
- Department
of Neurology, University of Minnesota, 2101 6th Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States
| | - Michael A. Walters
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States,
| | - Steffen Pockes
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany,Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, United States,Department
of Neurology, University of Minnesota, 2101 6th Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States,
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17
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De Vos J, Pereira Aguilar P, Köppl C, Fischer A, Grünwald-Gruber C, Dürkop M, Klausberger M, Mairhofer J, Striedner G, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Jungbauer A, Lingg N. Production of full-length SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein from Escherichia coli optimized by native hydrophobic interaction chromatography hyphenated to multi-angle light scattering detection. Talanta 2021; 235:122691. [PMID: 34517577 PMCID: PMC8284068 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The nucleocapsid protein (NP) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical for several steps of the viral life cycle, and is abundantly expressed during infection, making it an ideal diagnostic target protein. This protein has a strong tendency for dimerization and interaction with nucleic acids. For the first time, high titers of NP were expressed in E. coli with a CASPON tag, using a growth-decoupled protein expression system. Purification was accomplished by nuclease treatment of the cell homogenate and a sequence of downstream processing (DSP) steps. An analytical method consisting of native hydrophobic interaction chromatography hyphenated to multi-angle light scattering detection (HIC-MALS) was established for in-process control, in particular, to monitor product fragmentation and multimerization throughout the purification process. 730 mg purified NP per liter of fermentation could be produced by the optimized process, corresponding to a yield of 77% after cell lysis. The HIC-MALS method was used to demonstrate that the NP product can be produced with a purity of 95%. The molecular mass of the main NP fraction is consistent with dimerized protein as was verified by a complementary native size-exclusion separation (SEC)-MALS analysis. Peptide mapping mass spectrometry and host cell specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the high product purity, and the presence of a minor endogenous chaperone explained the residual impurities. The optimized HIC-MALS method enables monitoring of the product purity, and simultaneously access its molecular mass, providing orthogonal information complementary to established SEC-MALS methods. Enhanced resolving power can be achieved over SEC, attributed to the extended variables to tune selectivity in HIC mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelle De Vos
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Chemical Engineering, 1050, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Patricia Pereira Aguilar
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christoph Köppl
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Fischer
- acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Dürkop
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; Novasign GmbH, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Miriam Klausberger
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Gerald Striedner
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria; enGenes Biotech GmbH, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; acib - Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, 1190, Vienna, Austria
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18
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Kröß C, Engele P, Sprenger B, Fischer A, Lingg N, Baier M, Öhlknecht C, Lier B, Oostenbrink C, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Striedner G, Jungbauer A, Schneider R. PROFICS: A bacterial selection system for directed evolution of proteases. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101095. [PMID: 34418435 PMCID: PMC8446807 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteases serve as important tools in biotechnology and as valuable drugs or drug targets. Efficient protein engineering methods to study and modulate protease properties are thus of great interest for a plethora of applications. We established PROFICS (PRotease Optimization via Fusion-Inhibited Carbamoyltransferase-based Selection), a bacterial selection system, which enables the optimization of proteases for biotechnology, therapeutics or diagnosis in a simple overnight process. During the PROFICS process, proteases are selected for their ability to specifically cut a tag from a reporter enzyme and leave a native N-terminus. Precise and efficient cleavage after the recognition sequence reverses the phenotype of an Escherichia coli knockout strain deficient in an essential enzyme of pyrimidine synthesis. A toolbox was generated to select for proteases with different preferences for P1' residues (the residue immediately following the cleavage site). The functionality of PROFICS is demonstrated with viral proteases and human caspase-2. PROFICS improved caspase-2 activity up to 25-fold after only one round of mutation and selection. Additionally, we found a significantly improved tolerance for all P1' residues caused by a mutation in a substrate interaction site. We showed that this improved activity enables cells containing the new variant to outgrow cells containing all other mutants, facilitating its straightforward selection. Apart from optimizing enzymatic activity and P1' tolerance, PROFICS can be used to reprogram specificities, erase off-target activity, optimize expression via tags/codon usage, or even to screen for potential drug-resistance-conferring mutations in therapeutic targets such as viral proteases in an unbiased manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Kröß
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Petra Engele
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bernhard Sprenger
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Fischer
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Magdalena Baier
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christoph Öhlknecht
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bettina Lier
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chris Oostenbrink
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Schneider
- acib GmbH, Graz, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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19
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Correia SC, Moreira PI. Oxygen Sensing and Signaling in Alzheimer's Disease: A Breathtaking Story! Cell Mol Neurobiol 2021; 42:3-21. [PMID: 34510330 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-021-01148-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxygen sensing and homeostasis is indispensable for the maintenance of brain structural and functional integrity. Under low-oxygen tension, the non-diseased brain has the ability to cope with hypoxia by triggering a homeostatic response governed by the highly conserved hypoxia-inducible family (HIF) of transcription factors. With the advent of advanced neuroimaging tools, it is now recognized that cerebral hypoperfusion, and consequently hypoxia, is a consistent feature along the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. Of note, the reduction in cerebral blood flow and tissue oxygenation detected during the prodromal phases of AD, drastically aggravates as disease progresses. Within this scenario a fundamental question arises: How HIF-driven homeostatic brain response to hypoxia "behaves" during the AD continuum? In this sense, the present review is aimed to critically discuss and summarize the current knowledge regarding the involvement of hypoxia and HIF signaling in the onset and progression of AD pathology. Importantly, the promises and challenges of non-pharmacological and pharmacological strategies aimed to target hypoxia will be discussed as a new "hope" to prevent and/or postpone the neurodegenerative events that occur in the AD brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia C Correia
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, Polo I, 1st Floor, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal. .,CIBB - Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. .,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Paula I Moreira
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, Polo I, 1st Floor, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal.,CIBB - Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal
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20
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Klausberger M, Duerkop M, Haslacher H, Wozniak-Knopp G, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Perkmann T, Lingg N, Aguilar PP, Laurent E, De Vos J, Hofner M, Holzer B, Stadler M, Manhart G, Vierlinger K, Egger M, Milchram L, Gludovacz E, Marx N, Köppl C, Tauer C, Beck J, Maresch D, Grünwald-Gruber C, Strobl F, Satzer P, Stadlmayr G, Vavra U, Huber J, Wahrmann M, Eskandary F, Breyer MK, Sieghart D, Quehenberger P, Leitner G, Strassl R, Egger AE, Irsara C, Griesmacher A, Hoermann G, Weiss G, Bellmann-Weiler R, Loeffler-Ragg J, Borth N, Strasser R, Jungbauer A, Hahn R, Mairhofer J, Hartmann B, Binder NB, Striedner G, Mach L, Weinhäusel A, Dieplinger B, Grebien F, Gerner W, Binder CJ, Grabherr R. A comprehensive antigen production and characterisation study for easy-to-implement, specific and quantitative SARS-CoV-2 serotests. EBioMedicine 2021; 67:103348. [PMID: 33906067 PMCID: PMC8099623 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibody tests are essential tools to investigate humoral immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. While first-generation antibody tests have primarily provided qualitative results, accurate seroprevalence studies and tracking of antibody levels over time require highly specific, sensitive and quantitative test setups. METHODS We have developed two quantitative, easy-to-implement SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests, based on the spike receptor binding domain and the nucleocapsid protein. Comprehensive evaluation of antigens from several biotechnological platforms enabled the identification of superior antigen designs for reliable serodiagnostic. Cut-off modelling based on unprecedented large and heterogeneous multicentric validation cohorts allowed us to define optimal thresholds for the tests' broad applications in different aspects of clinical use, such as seroprevalence studies and convalescent plasma donor qualification. FINDINGS Both developed serotests individually performed similarly-well as fully-automated CE-marked test systems. Our described sensitivity-improved orthogonal test approach assures highest specificity (99.8%); thereby enabling robust serodiagnosis in low-prevalence settings with simple test formats. The inclusion of a calibrator permits accurate quantitative monitoring of antibody concentrations in samples collected at different time points during the acute and convalescent phase of COVID-19 and disclosed antibody level thresholds that correlate well with robust neutralization of authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. INTERPRETATION We demonstrate that antigen source and purity strongly impact serotest performance. Comprehensive biotechnology-assisted selection of antigens and in-depth characterisation of the assays allowed us to overcome limitations of simple ELISA-based antibody test formats based on chromometric reporters, to yield comparable assay performance as fully-automated platforms. FUNDING WWTF, Project No. COV20-016; BOKU, LBI/LBG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Klausberger
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Duerkop
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Novasign GmbH Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmuth Haslacher
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gordana Wozniak-Knopp
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; CD Laboratory for innovative Immunotherapeutics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Thomas Perkmann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nico Lingg
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Patricia Pereira Aguilar
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Laurent
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; BOKU Core Facility Biomolecular & Cellular Analysis, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU),Vienna, Austria
| | - Jelle De Vos
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manuela Hofner
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Holzer
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Department for Animal Health, Moedling, Austria
| | - Maria Stadler
- Institute of Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriele Manhart
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Klemens Vierlinger
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Margot Egger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz and Ordensklinikum Linz Barmherzige Schwestern, Linz, Austria
| | - Lisa Milchram
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Gludovacz
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicolas Marx
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Köppl
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Christopher Tauer
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jürgen Beck
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- BOKU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria; Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Peter Satzer
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Gerhard Stadlmayr
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; CD Laboratory for innovative Immunotherapeutics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Vavra
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Austria
| | - Jasmin Huber
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Wahrmann
- Department of Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Farsad Eskandary
- Department of Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Marie-Kathrin Breyer
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Otto Wagner Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Sieghart
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Quehenberger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerda Leitner
- Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Strassl
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander E Egger
- Central Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnosis, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christian Irsara
- Central Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnosis, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrea Griesmacher
- Central Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnosis, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gregor Hoermann
- Central Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnosis, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria; MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter Weiss
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rosa Bellmann-Weiler
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Judith Loeffler-Ragg
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Nicole Borth
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Austria
| | - Alois Jungbauer
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Boris Hartmann
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Department for Animal Health, Moedling, Austria
| | - Nikolaus B Binder
- Technoclone Herstellung von Diagnostika und Arzneimitteln GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Novasign GmbH Vienna, Austria; ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Graz, Austria; enGenes Biotech GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Weinhäusel
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Dieplinger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz and Ordensklinikum Linz Barmherzige Schwestern, Linz, Austria
| | - Florian Grebien
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wilhelm Gerner
- Institute of Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for an Optimized Prediction of Vaccination Success in Pigs, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; Present address: The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph J Binder
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Reingard Grabherr
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
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21
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Öhlknecht C, Katz S, Kröß C, Sprenger B, Engele P, Schneider R, Oostenbrink C. Efficient In Silico Saturation Mutagenesis of a Member of the Caspase Protease Family. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:1193-1203. [PMID: 33570387 PMCID: PMC8023567 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c01216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Rational-design methods have proven to be a valuable toolkit in the field of protein design. Numerical approaches such as free-energy calculations or QM/MM methods are fit to widen the understanding of a protein-sequence space but require large amounts of computational time and power. Here, we apply an efficient method for free-energy calculations that combines the one-step perturbation (OSP) with the third-power-fitting (TPF) approach. It is fit to calculate full free energies of binding from three different end states only. The nonpolar contribution to the free energies are calculated for a set of chosen amino acids from a single simulation of a judiciously chosen reference state. The electrostatic contributions, on the other hand, are predicted from simulations of the neutral and charged end states of the individual amino acids. We used this method to perform in silico saturation mutagenesis of two sites in human Caspase-2. We calculated relative binding free energies toward two different substrates that differ in their P1' site and in their affinity toward the unmutated protease. Although being approximate, our approach showed very good agreement upon validation against experimental data. 76% of the predicted relative free energies of amino acid mutations was found to be true positives or true negatives. We observed that this method is fit to discriminate amino acid mutations because the rate of false negatives is very low (<1.5%). The approach works better for a substrate with medium/low affinity with a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.63, whereas for a substrate with very low affinity, the MCC was 0.38. In all cases, the combined TPF + OSP approach outperformed the linear interaction energy method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Öhlknecht
- Institute
of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna A-1190, Austria
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, Graz 8041, Austria
| | - Sonja Katz
- Institute
of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna A-1190, Austria
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, Graz 8041, Austria
| | - Christina Kröß
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, Graz 8041, Austria
- Institute
of Biochemistry and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Bernhard Sprenger
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, Graz 8041, Austria
- Institute
of Biochemistry and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Petra Engele
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, Graz 8041, Austria
- Institute
of Biochemistry and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Rainer Schneider
- Institute
of Biochemistry and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Chris Oostenbrink
- Institute
of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna A-1190, Austria
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