Production Of Therapeutic Glycoproteins Research Articles

Utility of the P19 suppressor of gene‐silencing protein for production of therapeutic antibodies in Nicotiana expression hosts

To study how the P19 suppressor of gene-silencing protein can be used effectively for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins, the following factors were examined: the genetic elements used for expressing recombinant proteins; the effect of different P19 concentrations; compatibility of P19 with various Nicotiana tabacum cultivars for transgenic expression; the glycan profile of a recombinant therapeutic glycoprotein co-expressed with P19 in an RNAi-based glycomodified Nicotiana benthamiana expression host. The coding sequences for the heavy and light chains of trastuzumab were cloned into five plant expression vectors (102-106) containing different 5' and 3' UTRs, designated as vector sets 102-106 mAb. The P19 protein of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) was also cloned into vector 103, which contained the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter and 5'UTR together with the terminator region of the nopaline synthase gene of Agrobacterium. Transient expression of the antibody vectors resulted in different levels of trastuzumab accumulation, the highest being 105 and 106 mAb at about 1% of TSP. P19 increased the concentration of trastuzumab approximately 15-fold (to about 2.3% of TSP) when co-expressed with 103 mAb but did not affect antibody levels with vectors 102 and 106 mAb. When 103 mAb was expressed together with P19 in different N. tabacum cultivars, all except Little Crittenden showed a marked discolouring of the infiltrated areas of the leaf and decreased antibody expression. Co-expression of P19 also abolished antibody accumulation in crosses between N. tabacum cv. I-64 and Little Crittenden, indicating a dominant mode of inheritance for the observed P19-induced responses.

SweetBac: A New Approach for the Production of Mammalianised Glycoproteins in Insect Cells

Recombinant production of therapeutically active proteins has become a central focus of contemporary life science research. These proteins are often produced in mammalian cells, in order to obtain products with post-translational modifications similar to their natural counterparts. However, in cases where a fast and flexible system for recombinant production of proteins is needed, the use of mammalian cells is limited. The baculoviral insect cell system has proven to be a powerful alternative for the expression of a wide range of recombinant proteins in short time frames. The major drawback of baculoviral systems lies in the inability to perform mammalian-like glycosylation required for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins. In this study we integrated sequences encoding Caenorhabditis elegans N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II and bovine β1,4-galactosyltransferase I into the backbone of a baculovirus genome. The thereby generated SweetBac virus was subsequently used for the production of the human HIV anti-gp41 antibody 3D6 by integrating heavy and light chain open reading frames into the SweetBac genome. The parallel expression of target genes and glycosyltransferases reduced the yield of secreted antibody. However, the overall expression rate, especially in the recently established Tnao38 cell line, was comparable to that of transient expression in mammalian cells. In order to evaluate the ability of SweetBac to generate mammalian-like N-glycan structures on 3D6 antibody, we performed SDS-PAGE and tested for the presence of terminal galactose using Riccinus communis agglutinin I. The mammalianised variants of 3D6 showed highly specific binding to the lectin, indicating proper functionality. To confirm these results, PNGase A released N-glycans were analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS and shown to contain structures with mainly one or two terminal galactose residues. Since the presence of specific N-glycans has an impact on antibodies ability to exert different effector functions, we tested the binding to human Fc gamma receptor I present on U937 cells.

Elimination of -mannose glycan structures in Pichia pastoris

The methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris, is an important organism used for the production of therapeutic proteins. However, the presence of fungal-like glycans, such as those containing β-mannose (Man) linkages, can elicit an immune response or bind to Man receptors, thus reducing their efficacy. Recent studies have confirmed that P. pastoris has four genes from the β-mannosyl transferase (BMT) family and that Bmt2p is responsible for the majority of β-Man linkages on glycans. While expressing recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) in a developmental glycoengineered strain devoid of BMT2 gene expression, cross-reactivity was observed with an antibody raised against host cell antigens. Treatment of the rhEPO with protein N-glycosidase F eliminated cross-reactivity, indicating that the antigen was associated with the glycan. Thorough analysis of the glycan profile of rhEPO demonstrated the presence of low amounts of α-1,2-mannosidase resistant high-Man glycoforms. In an attempt to eliminate the α-mannosidase resistant glycoforms, we used a systemic approach to genetically knock-out the remaining members of the BMT family culminating in a quadruple bmt2,4,1,3 knock-out strain. Data presented here conclude that the additive elimination of Bmt2p, Bmt3p and Bmt1p activities are required for total abolition of β-Man-associated glycans and their related antigenicity. Taken together, the elimination of β-Man containing glycoforms represents an important step forward for the Pichia production platform as a suitable system for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins.

Expression, purification and characterization of low-glycosylation influenza neuraminidase in α-1,6-mannosyltransferase defective Pichia pastoris

Influenza A viruses expose two major surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Although N-glycosylation is essential for many glycoproteins, the glycoproteins expressed in yeast are sometimes hyper-glycosylated, which maybe a primary hindrance to the exploitation of therapeutic glycoprotein production because glycoproteins decorated with yeast-specific glycans are immunogenic and show poor pharmacokinetic properties in humans. To elucidate the NA with different glycosylation in interaction with immunogenicity, here we reported the heterologous expression of influenza NA glycoprotein derived from influenza virus A/newCaledonia/20/99(H1N1) in wide-type Pichia pastoris, α-1,6-mannosyltransferase (och1)-defective P. pastoris and Escherichia coli. We also assessed the immunogenicity of hyper-glycosylated NA expressed in the wide-type, low-glycosylated NA expressed in och1-defective P. pastoris strain and non-glycosylated NA produced in E. coli. Recombinant NA was expressed in wide-type P. pastoris as a 59-97 above kDa glycoprotein, 52-57 kDa in the och1 defective strain, and as a 45 kDa non-glycoprotein in E. coli. The antibody titers of Balb/c mice were tested after the mice were immunized three times with 0.2, 1, or 3 μg purified recombinant NA. Our results demonstrated that after the second immunization, the antibody titer elicited with 1 μg low-glycosylated NA was 1:5,500, while it was 1:10 and 1:13 when elicited by 1 μg hyper-glycosylated and non-glycosylated NA. In the 0.2 μg dose groups, a high antibody titer (1:4,900) was only found after third immunization by low-glycosylated NA, respectively. These results suggest that low-glycosylation in och1-defective P. pastoris enhances the immunogenicity of recombinant NA and elicits similar antibody titers with less antigen when compared with hyper- and non-glycosylated NA. Thus, och1-defective P. pastoris may be a better yeast expression system for production of glycoproteins to research immunogenic characterization.

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High value-added therapeutic proteins have been leading the biologics industry and occupied major portion of the market. More than 60% of the currently available protein therapeutics are glycoproteins attached with glycans which play crucial roles for the protein folding, therapeutic efficacy, in vivo half-life and immunogenecity. This review introduces the process of glycosylation and the impacts of glycans in the aspects of therapeutics. The important glycan structures in therapeutic performances were also summarized focusing on three representative categories of glycoproteins, cytokines, therapeutic antibody and enzyme. Currently, mammalian expression systems such as Chinese hamster ovary cells are preferred for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins due to their ability to synthesize glycans having similar structures with human type glycans. However, recent advances of plant glycoengineering to overcome the limitation originating from different glycan structures will soon allow to develop more efficient and economic plant-based production systems for therapeutic glycoproteins.

A high-throughput method for quantification of glycoprotein sialylation

Sialic acid can improve qualities of therapeutic glycoproteins such as circulatory half-life, biological activity, and solubility. In production of therapeutic glycoproteins, a high-throughput method is required for process monitoring and optimization to ensure consistent and optimal sialic acid content. Current methods for quantifying sialic acid, however, require chromatographic separation that is time-consuming and cannot rapidly analyze many samples in parallel. Here we present a novel high-throughput method for quantifying glycoprotein sialylation. Using chemical reduction, enzymatic release of sialic acid, and chemical derivatization of the sialic acid, the method can accurately, rapidly (15 min), and specifically analyze many samples in parallel. It requires only 45 μl of sample and has a quantitation limit of 2 μM sialic acid. It has also been validated for monitoring sialylation of recombinant interferon gamma (IFN-γ) produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture. This method is useful for various applications in upstream and downstream bioprocesses.

Plant‐specific glycosylation patterns in the context of therapeutic protein production

While N-glycan synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is relatively well conserved in eukaryotes, N-glycan processing and O-glycan biosynthesis in the Golgi apparatus are kingdom specific and result in different oligosaccharide structures attached to glycoproteins in plants and mammals. With the prospect of using plants as alternative hosts to mammalian cell lines for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins, significant progress has been made towards the humanization of protein N-glycosylation in plant cells. To date, successful efforts in this direction have mainly focused on the targeted expression of therapeutic proteins, the knockout of plant-specific N-glycan-processing genes, and/or the introduction of the enzymatic machinery catalyzing the synthesis, transport and addition of human sugars. By contrast, very little attention has been paid until now to the O-glycosylation status of plant-made therapeutic proteins, which is surprising considering that hundreds of human proteins represent good candidates for Hyp-O glycosylation when produced in a plant expression system. This review describes protein N- and O-linked glycosylation in plants and highlights the limitations and advantages of plant-specific glycosylation on plant-made biopharmaceuticals.

Increasing the sialylation of therapeutic glycoproteins: The potential of the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway

The number of therapeutic proteins has increased dramatically over the past years and most of the therapeutic proteins in the market today are glycoproteins. Usually, recombinant glycoproteins are produced in mammalian cell lines, such as Chinese-hamster-ovary-cells to obtain mammalian-type of glycosylation. The terminal monosaccharide of N-linked complex glycans is typically occupied by sialic acid. Presence of this sialic acid affects absorption, serum half-life, and clearance from the serum, as well as the physical, chemical and immunogenic properties of the respective glycoprotein. From a manufacturing perspective, the degree of sialylation is crucial since sialylation varies the function of the product. In addition, insufficient or inconsistent sialylation is also a major problem for the process consistency. Sialylation of over-expressed glycoproteins in all mammalian cell lines commonly used in biotechnology for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins is incomplete and there is a need for strategies leading to homogenous, naturally sialylated glycoproteins. This review will shortly summarize the biosynthesis of sialic acids and describe some recent strategies to increase or modify sialylation of specific therapeutic glycoproteins. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:3499–3508, 2009

Growth phase-dependent expression of proteins with decreased plant-specific N-glycans and immunogenicity in tobacco BY2 cells

Plants possess some desirable characteristics to synthesize recombinant glycoproteins for pharmaceutical application. However, the mammalian glycoproteins produced in plants are somewhat different from their natural counterparts in terms of N-glycoforms. The immunogenicity of plant-specific glyco-epitopes is the major concern in human therapy. Here, the distribution of N-glycans in different growth phases of tobacco BY2 cells and their immunogenicity in mice were determined. It was observed that the percentage of beta1,2-xylose and alpha1,3-fucose in proteins of growing cells increased and the corresponding protein extracts caused accelerated immune response in mice. Based on this observation, the recombinant erythropoietin in BY2 cells was expressed and characterized, and Western blot analysis showed that the recombinant erythropoietin contained a relatively small amount of plant-specific glyco-epitopes in the early phase of culture growth. This study may provide a simple but effective strategy for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins with human-like N-glycan structures in plant hosts to avoid a great allergenic risk.

Optimal and consistent protein glycosylation in mammalian cell culture

In the biopharmaceutical industry, mammalian cell culture systems, especially Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, are predominantly used for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins. Glycosylation is a critical protein quality attribute that can modulate the efficacy of a commercial therapeutic glycoprotein. Obtaining a consistent glycoform profile in production is desired due to regulatory concerns because a molecule can be defined by its carbohydrate structures. An optimal profile may involve a spectrum of product glycans that confers a desired therapeutic efficacy, or a homogeneous glycoform profile that can be systemically screened for. Studies have shown some degree of protein glycosylation control in mammalian cell culture, through cellular, media, and process effects. Studies upon our own bioprocesses to produce fusion proteins and monoclonal antibodies have shown an intricate relationship between these variables and the resulting protein quality. Glycosylation optimization will improve therapeutic efficacy and is an ongoing goal for researchers in academia and industry alike. This review will focus on the advancements made in glycosylation control in a manufacturing process, as well as the next steps in understanding and controlling protein glycosylation.

Development of valuable yeast strains using a novel mutagenesis technique for the effective production of therapeutic glycoproteins

Yeast cells producing mammalian-type N-linked oligosaccharide show severe growth defects and the decreased protein productivity because of the disruption of yeast-specific glycosyltransferases. This decreased protein productivity in engineered yeast strains is an obstacle to the development of efficient glycoprotein production in yeast. For economic and effective synthesis of such therapeutic glycoproteins in yeast, the development of appropriate strains is highly desirable. We applied a novel mutagenesis technique that utilized the proofreading-deficient DNA polymerase delta variant encoded by the pol3-01 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the cdc6-1 gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe to the engineered S. cerevisiae TIY20 strain and S. pombe KT97 strain, respectively. TIY20, which is deficient in the outer chain of mannan due to the disruption of three genes (och1Delta, mnn1 Delta, mnn4 Delta), and KT97, which is an och1 disruptant, are impractical as hosts for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins since they show a temperature-sensitive (ts) phenotype, a growth defect phenotype, and decreased protein productivity. We successfully isolated YAB mutants that alleviated the growth defect of the TIY20 strain. Surprisingly, these mutants generally secreted foreign proteins better than the wild-type strain. Furthermore, we successfully isolated YPAB mutants that alleviated the growth defect of the KT97 strain, too. The development of these new mutants by the combination of genetic engineering of yeast and this mutagenesis technique are major breakthroughs for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins in engineered yeast cells.

Recombinant human lactoferrin expressed in glycoengineered Pichia pastoris: effect of terminal N-acetylneuraminic acid on in vitro secondary humoral immune response

Traditional production of therapeutic glycoproteins relies on mammalian cell culture technology. Glycoproteins produced by mammalian cells invariably display N-glycan heterogeneity resulting in a mixture of glycoforms the composition of which varies from production batch to production batch. However, extent and type of N-glycosylation has a profound impact on the therapeutic properties of many commercially relevant therapeutic proteins making control of N-glycosylation an emerging field of high importance. We have employed a combinatorial library approach to generate glycoengineered Pichia pastoris strains capable of displaying defined human-like N-linked glycans at high uniformity. The availability of these strains allows us to elucidate the relationship between specific N-linked glycans and the function of glycoproteins. The aim of this study was to utilize this novel technology platform and produce two human-like N-linked glycoforms of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF), sialylated and non-sialylated, and to evaluate the effects of terminal N-glycan structures on in vitro secondary humoral immune responses. Lactoferrin is considered an important first line defense protein involved in protection against various microbial infections. Here, it is established that glycoengineered P. pastoris strains are bioprocess compatible. Analytical protein and glycan data are presented to demonstrate the capability of glycoengineered P. pastoris to produce fully humanized, active and immunologically compatible rhLF. In addition, the biological activity of the rhLF glycoforms produced was tested in vitro revealing the importance of N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid as a terminal sugar in propagation of proper immune responses.

HPLC-based analysis of serum N-glycans on a 96-well plate platform with dedicated database software

We present a robust, fully automatable technology platform that includes computer software for the detailed analysis of low femtomoles of N-linked sugars released from glycoproteins. Features include (i) sample immobilization in 96-well plates, glycan release, and fluorescent labeling; (ii) quantitative HPLC analysis, including monosaccharide sequence, linkage, and arm-specific information for charged and neutral glycans; (iii) automatic structural assignment of peaks from HPLC profiles via web-based software that accesses our database (GlycoBase) of more than 350 N-glycan structures, including 117 present in the human serum glycome; and (iv) software (autoGU) that progressively analyzes data from exoglycosidase digestions to produce a refined list of final structures. The N-glycans from a plate of 96 samples can be released and purified in 2 or 3 days and profiled in 2 days. This strategy can be used for (i) identification and screening of disease biomarkers and (ii) monitoring the production of therapeutic glycoproteins, allowing optimization of production conditions. This technology is also suitable for preparing released glycans for other analytical techniques. Here we demonstrate its application to rheumatoid arthritis using 5 μl of patient serum.

Engineering of the Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica for the Production of Glycoproteins Lacking the Outer-Chain Mannose Residues of N-Glycans

In an attempt to engineer a Yarrowia lipolytica strain to produce glycoproteins lacking the outer-chain mannose residues of N-linked oligosaccharides, we investigated the functions of the OCH1 gene encoding a putative alpha-1,6-mannosyltransferase in Y. lipolytica. The complementation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae och1 mutation by the expression of YlOCH1 and the lack of in vitro alpha-1,6-mannosyltransferase activity in the Yloch1 null mutant indicated that YlOCH1 is a functional ortholog of S. cerevisiae OCH1. The oligosaccharides assembled on two secretory glycoproteins, the Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I and the endogenous Y. lipolytica lipase, from the Yloch1 null mutant contained a single predominant species, the core oligosaccharide Man8GlcNAc2, whereas those from the wild-type strain consisted of oligosaccharides with heterogeneous sizes, Man8GlcNAc2 to Man12GlcNAc2. Digestion with alpha-1,2- and alpha-1,6-mannosidase of the oligosaccharides from the wild-type and Yloch1 mutant strains strongly supported the possibility that the Yloch1 mutant strain has a defect in adding the first alpha-1,6-linked mannose to the core oligosaccharide. Taken together, these results indicate that YlOCH1 plays a key role in the outer-chain mannosylation of N-linked oligosaccharides in Y. lipolytica. Therefore, the Yloch1 mutant strain can be used as a host to produce glycoproteins lacking the outer-chain mannoses and further developed for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins containing human-compatible oligosaccharides.

Challenges in therapeutic glycoprotein production

Protein-based drugs constitute about a quarter of new approvals with a majority being glycoproteins. Increasing use of glycoproteins, such as monoclonal antibodies, at high therapeutic doses is challenging current production capacity. Mammalian cell culture, which is currently the production system of choice for glycoproteins, has several disadvantages including high cost of goods, long cycle times and, importantly, limited control over glycosylation. In view of this, several expression systems are currently being explored as alternatives to mammalian cell culture, these include yeast, plant and insect expression systems. Each of these has different merits for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins and can lead to enhanced therapeutic efficiency.

The humanization of N-glycosylation pathways in yeast

Yeast and other fungal protein-expression hosts have been extensively used to produce industrial enzymes, and are often the expression system of choice when manufacturing costs are of primary concern. However, for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins intended for use in humans, yeast have been less useful owing to their inability to modify proteins with human glycosylation structures. Yeast N-glycosylation is of the high-mannose type, which confers a short half-life in vivo and thereby compromises the efficacy of most therapeutic glycoproteins. Several approaches to humanizing yeast N-glycosylation pathways have been attempted over the past decade with limited success. Recently however, advances in the glycoengineering of yeast and the expression of therapeutic glycoproteins with humanized N-glycosylation structures have shown significant promise - this review summarizes the most important developments in the field.

Advances in the production of human therapeutic proteins in yeasts and filamentous fungi

Yeast and fungal protein expression systems are used for the production of many industrially relevant enzymes, and are widely used by the research community to produce proteins that cannot be actively expressed in Escherichia coli or require glycosylation for proper folding and biological activity. However, for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins intended for use in humans, yeasts have been less useful because of their inability to modify proteins with human glycosylation structures. Yeast glycosylation is of the high-mannose type, which confers a short in vivo half-life to the protein and may render it less efficacious or even immunogenic. Several ways of humanizing yeast-derived glycoproteins have been tried, including enzymatically modifying proteins in vitro and modulating host glycosylation pathways in vivo. Recent advances in the glycoengineering of yeasts and the expression of therapeutic glycoproteins in humanized yeasts have shown significant promise, and are challenging the current dominance of therapeutic protein production based on mammalian cell culture.

Use of HDEL-tagged Trichoderma reesei mannosyl oligosaccharide 1,2-α- D-mannosidase for N-glycan engineering in Pichia pastoris

Therapeutic glycoprotein production in the widely used expression host Pichia pastoris is hampered by the differences in the protein-linked carbohydrate biosynthesis between this yeast and the target organisms such as man. A significant step towards the generation of human-compatible N-glycans in this organism is the conversion of the yeast-type high-mannose glycans to mammalian-type high-mannose and/or complex glycans. In this perspective, we have co-expressed an endoplasmic reticulum-targeted Trichoderma reesei 1,2-α- D-mannosidase with two glycoproteins: influenza virus haemagglutinin and Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase. Analysis of the N-glycans of the two purified proteins showed a >85% decrease in the number of α-1,2-linked mannose residues. Moreover, the human-type high-mannose oligosaccharide Man 5GlcNAc 2 was the major N-glycan of the glyco-engineered trans-sialidase, indicating that N-glycan engineering can be effectively accomplished in P. pastoris.

Production of therapeutic glycoproteins through the engineering of glycosylation pathway in yeast

The application of recombinant DNA technology to restructure metabolic networks can change metabolite and protein products by altering the biosynthetic pathways in an organism. Although some success has been achieved, a more detailed and thorough investigation of this approach is certainly warranted since it is clear that such methods hold great potential based on the encouraging results obtained so far. In last decade, there have been tremendous advances in the field of glycobiology and the stage has been set for the biotechnological production of glycoproteins for therapeutic use. Today glycoproteins are one of the most important groups of pharmaceutical products. In this study the attempt was made to focus on identifying technologies that may have general application for modifying glycosylation pathway of the yeast cells in order to produce glycoproteins of therapeutic use. The carbohydrates of therapeutic recombinant glycoproteins play very important roles in determining their pharmacokinetic properties. A number of biological interactions and biological functions mediated by glycans are also being targeted for therapeutic manipulationin vivo. For a commercially viable production of therapeutic glycoproteins a metabolic engineering of a host cell is yet to be established.

Enhancing therapeutic glycoprotein production in Chinese hamster ovary cells by metabolic engineering endogenous gene control with antisense DNA and gene targeting.

Recombinant glycoprotein therapeutics have proven to be invaluable pharmaceuticals for the treatment of chronic and life-threatening diseases. Although these molecules are extraordinarily efficacious, many diseases have high dosage requirements of several hundred milligrams of protein for each administration. Multiple doses at this level are often required for treatment. One of the major challenges currently facing the biotechnology industry is the development of large-scale, cost-effective production and manufacturing processes of these biologically synthesized molecules. Metabolic engineering of animal cell expression hosts promises to address this challenge by substantially enhancing recombinant protein quality, productivity, and biological activity. In this report, we describe a novel approach to metabolic engineering in Chinese hamster ovary cells by control of endogenous gene expression. Analysis of the advantages and limitations of using antisense DNA and gene targeting as a means of control are discussed and several gene candidates for regulation with these techniques are identified. Practical considerations for using these technologies to reduce the levels of the CHO cell sialidase (Warner et al., Glycobiology, 3, 455-463, 1993) as a model gene system for regulation are also presented.