A novel method for purification of biologically active C-terminal fragment of human recombinant anti-mullerian hormone

Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is one of the least studied members of transforming growth factor beta superfamily showing pro-apoptotic activity against cells positive for hormone type II receptor overexpressed by malignant cells in many cancer cases. Here, we propose an improved method for isolation of recombinant C-terminal AMH fragment (C-rAMH) to obtain homogeneous preparations of this protein with high biological activity. In contrast to our previously developed C-rAMH purification technology based on reversed-phase HPLC, the key stage of the new approach is hydrophobic interaction chromatography using Toyopearl Butyl-650S resin performed under more benign conditions. This modification of the previously developed method allowed highly purified C-rAMH to be obtained that is characterized by twice the specificity estimated as the ability to bind to the recombinant analog of AMH type II receptor and by significantly higher biological activity, that is, the ability to induce the death of target cells. Thus, we made the purification technology even more cost-effective and suitable for the production of drug forms based on C-rAMH.     

Glycosaminoglycans and proteins: different behaviours in high-performance size-exclusion chromatography

The influence of the conformation of globular proteins and glycosaminoglycans in high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) was studied. Glycosaminoglycans (heparin, chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate) with different primary structures, sulphate-to-carboxyl ratios and physico-chemical properties were extracted and purified. Their physico-chemical properties and purity were evaluated by several analytical techniques. Glycosaminoglycans with different relative molecular masses (M_r) were prepared by a chemical depolymerization process. These heteropolysaccharides were evaluated by HPSEC and compared with globular proteins of known relative molecular mass. The two third-degree polynomial regression curves for proteins and glycosaminoglycans have different coefficients and the columns present different exclusion limits. In particular, under the experimental conditions, the M_r exclusion limits for high M_r are 44 000 for glycosaminoglycans and 240 000 for globular proteins. In contrast, the behaviours of these two classes of macromolecules are similar for lower M_r. In fact, the two third-degree polynomial curves show the same regression below about M_r = 1000. The behaviour in HPSEC is discussed in relation to the different steric conformations for proteins and glycosaminoglycans with different relative molecular masses.     

Practical reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for laboratory-scale purification of recombinant human thyrotropin

A small, semi-preparative C(4) RP-HPLC column was used to set up the conclusive laboratory-scale purification of Chinese hamster ovary-derived human thyrotropin (hTSH), after a preliminary concentration-purification of an extremely dilute and poorly ( approximately 0.6 microg hTSH/mL; mass fraction=0.35%) conditioned medium on a cation exchanger. Several fractions of this eluate were repeatedly injected on the semi-preparative column, obtaining, in a single run (<1h chromatographic time), a concentrated pool ( approximately 1.2 mg/mL) of highly purified hTSH that could be further concentrated to >3 mg/mL and then efficiently lyophilized. The overall recovery in the rapid RP-HPLC purification step, including concentration and lyophilization, was of the order of 80%. The final product, when tested via a precise, single-dose in vivo bioassay, confirmed that it did not suffer any loss of bioactivity. This same methodology can be easily adapted to the small-scale purification of other recombinant products, even when obtained from genetically modified organisms at extremely low concentrations and mass fractions.     

Refolding and simultaneous purification of recombinant human proinsulin from inclusion bodies on protein‐folding liquid‐chromatography columns

Protein‐folding liquid chromatography (PFLC) is an effective and scalable method for protein renaturation with simultaneous purification. However, it has been a challenge to fully refold inclusion bodies in a PFLC column. In this work, refolding with simultaneous purification of recombinant human proinsulin (rhPI) from inclusion bodies from Escherichia coli were investigated using the surface of stationary phases in immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) and high‐performance size‐exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The results indicated that both the ligand structure on the surface of the stationary phase and the composition of the mobile phase (elution buffer) influenced refolding of rhPI. Under optimized chromatographic conditions, the mass recoveries of IMAC column and HPSEC column were 77.8 and 56.8% with purifies of 97.6 and 93.7%, respectively. These results also indicated that the IMAC column fails to refold rhPI, and the HPSEC column enables efficient refolding of rhPI with a low‐urea gradient‐elution method. The refolded rhPI was characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The molecular weight of the converted human insulin was further confirmed with SDS–18% PAGE, Matrix‐Assisted Laser Desorption/ Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) and the biological activity assay by HP‐RPLC. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

重组人干扰素-γ的制备与鉴定

用聚乙二醇200疏水相互作用色谱固定相(PEG200-STHIC)分别在色谱柱和色谱饼上完成了一步复性并同时纯化来源于大肠杆菌(E.coli)表达的重组人干扰素-γ(rhIFN-γ)。为了能使色谱分离方法用于不同来源的rhIFN-γ的纯化,对rhIFN-γ在反相色谱、离子交换色谱、固定化镍离子亲和色谱上的保留行为也进行了研究。色谱柱纯化的rhIFN-γ收集液经排阻色谱除盐和冷冻干燥得到rhIFN-γ干粉。用基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱对rhIFN-γ干粉进行了测定,rhIFN-γ单体的相对分子质量为17184.0,二聚体的相对分子质量为34204.4。用细胞病变抑制法(CPEI)测定rhIFN-γ干粉的比活性为9.5×108 IU/mg。用十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（SDS-PAGE）测定rhIFN-γ干粉的纯度高于95%。用色谱柱复性并同时纯化rhIFN-γ的质量回收率达到93.7%,纯度高于95%,比活性为4.3×107 IU/mg。结果表明,采用PEG200-STHIC色谱柱复性并同时纯化rhIFN-γ是一种十分高效的方法。     

Rapid and selective characterization of influenza virus constituents in monovalent and multivalent preparations using non-porous reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography columns

The characterization of influenza vaccine composition has been approached through a novel methodology suitable for routine analysis. It is based on a two-stage process involving an initial sample processing step followed by analysis by reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection. The sample processing involves an initial concentration step carried out in the presence of a combination of detergents and organic solvents to enhance solubilization and ultimately to provide adequate detection. Conditions that provided fast, reproducible and selective separations of vaccine constituents were investigated by reversed-phase HPLC. The use of non-porous silica stationary phases was found to minimize carry-over and non-specific adsorption observed with conventional columns. An evaluation of separation parameters, including mobile phase composition and column temperature, allowed optimization of the selectivity of the method. The optimized method was suitable for the characterization of processed monovalent preparations (containing influenza virus constituents from a single strain). In addition, it allowed the simultaneous detection of the three influenza subtypes in trivalent vaccines in a single analysis. Several influenza constituents were detected including nucleoprotein, the highly hydrophobic matrix protein and the primary surface antigen, haemagglutinin (HA).     

Enhancement of Human Thyrotropin Synthesis by Sodium Butyrate Addition to Serum-Free CHO Cell Culture

The influence of sodium butyrate (NaBu) on the synthesis of recombinant human thyrotropin (r-hTSH) by CHO cells was investigated for the first time. A volumetric productivity of ~10 μg hTSH/mL was repeatedly obtained, with a 3.3-fold increase over a control culture carried out in the absence of NaBu. Since NaBu can induce CHO cell apoptosis and cell growth arrest, the increase in specific productivity was even higher, i.e., ca. 5-fold. Analysis of the N-glycan composition of r-hTSH obtained with the addition of NaBu to the culture medium showed an approximately 12 % increase in the amount of sialic acid, as well as in total carbohydrate, partly due to the increase in the site occupancy from 2.77 to 2.93 glycans per mole of hTSH. The two hormone preparations were characterized by N-glycan structural analysis, which showed that NaBu increased the bi-antennary structures by ca. 13 % while decreasing the tri-antennary structures by approximately the same amount. The in vivo biological activity and pharmacokinetic behavior (clearance) were found to be similar for the two hormone preparations.     

The Analysis of Putrescine in Plant Samples by Automated Hplc

Abstract

The quantitative analysis of putrescine from plant tissue can be achieved using isocratic reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After preliminary extraction and clean up involving an ion exchange purification step, the isolated diamines are derivatised with benzoyl chloride for determination by HPLC. Automation of the HPLC step has led to a considerable saving in time for the total analysis. Potential problems associated with the analytical procedure are described.     

Effects of traditional processing methods of linseed oil on the composition of its triacylglycerols

Different oil processing methods were performed, which included washing with water and treatment with lead-based driers, with and without heating to different temperatures, giving a set of 7 oils to be investigated. The effects of the traditional processing methods of linseed oil on its triacylglycerol (TAG) composition were studied, using the following analytical methods: high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS), direct temperature resolved mass spectrometry (DTMS), matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and electrospray ionisation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS). A decrease of the initial cis-double bonds and the formation of trans-double bonds upon heating of the oils was observed. Heating a lead and oil mixture to 150 degrees C, or heating the oil alone to 300 degrees C led to the highest degree of oxidation. A difference was observed for the oxidation patterns for oils with and without the addition of lead. Furthermore, levels of oxygen incorporation were higher when lead was added to the oil. High temperature treatment of the oils resulted in an increased average molecular weight. The changes in the initial conformation of the double bond systems observed with FTIR were supported by HPLC-APCI-MS measurements that showed the formation of a number of new isomeric TAGs in the heated oil compared to freshly pressed, untreated oil. Oligomerisation up to hexamers was observed with HPSEC, and MALDI-TOF-MS. The formation of oligomers up to trimers only, however, was observed with ESI-FTICR-MS. Incorporation of oxygen was mainly observed with MALDI-TOF-MS and ESI-FTICR-MS whereas with DTMS and FTIR hardly any evidence was found for this.     

采用不同疏水相互作用色谱柱从包涵体中快速制备重组人干细胞因子

为了提高重组人干细胞因子(rhSCF)的复性效率,改进了高效疏水相互作用色谱(HPHIC)纯化和复性rhSCF的方法。首先将目标蛋白溶解于8.0 mol/L脲中,然后将rhSCF包涵体的提取液直接进样到不同规格的HPHIC柱进行纯化和复性。优化了固定相配基结构和流动相组成等实验条件,结果表明,本方法可以快速地获得高质量回收率和高生物活性的rhSCF,rhSCF在40 min内即可完成复性与纯化,目标蛋白的纯度在95.5%以上,质量回收率高于49.6%。通过体积排阻色谱和基质辅助激光解吸离子化飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF-MS)的分析,确认rhSCF以单体存在。结果进一步证明HPHIC法是同时复性和纯化重组蛋白的有效工具。     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of terrestrial humic substances and their size fractions

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to evaluate the average molecular mass of terrestrial humic substances, such as humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids from a soil, and humic acid from a lignite (NDL). Their ESI mass spectra, by direct infusion, gave average molecular masses comparable to those previously obtained for aquatic humic materials. The soil HA and FA were further separated in size-fractions by preparative high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and analyzed with ESI-MS by both direct infusion and a further on-line analytical HPSEC. Unexpectedly, their average molecular mass was only slightly less than for the bulk sample and, despite different nominal molecular size, did not substantially vary among size-fractions. The values increased significantly (up to around 1200 Da) after on-line analytical HPSEC for the HA bulk sample, at both pH 8 and 4, and for the HA size-fractions when pH was reduced from 8 to 4. It was noticed that HA size-fractions at pH 8 were separated by on-line HPSEC in further peaks showing average masses which progressively increased with elution volume. Furthermore, when the HA and NDL bulk samples were sequentially ultracentrifuged at increasing rotational speed, their supernatants showed mass values which were larger than bulk samples and increased with rotational speed. These variations in mass values indicate that the electrospray ionization is dependent on the composition of the humic molecular mixtures and increases when their heterogeneity is progressively reduced. It is suggested that the dominance of hydrophobic compounds in humic supramolecular associations may inhibit the electrospray ionization of hydrophilic components. Our results show that ESI-MS is reasonably applicable to humic substances only after an extensive reduction of their chemical complexity.     

Identification of aprotinin degradation products by the use of high-performance capillary electrophoresis, high-pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

A preparation of bovine aprotinin, bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, was subjected to high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) analysis and the purity was calculated to be approximately 80%. The two dominating contaminants were integrated to approximately 7% each as compared to the intact molecule. Characterization by high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and mass spectrometric analysis was carried out on digests of the reduced and alkylated molecules. The contaminants were identified as truncated aprotinin, missing one and two amino acids, respectively, at the C-terminus. No such structures were identified in similar amounts in preparations of recombinant aprotinin by HPLC or HPCE.     

Utility of isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography for monitoring of interleukin-6 dimer formation.

The utility of isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis (ITP-CZE) and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) was investigated for determination of dimeric and monomeric recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6). Using ITP-CZE heterogeneity of dimeric rhIL-6 could be revealed resolving two peaks in the electropherograms, while with HPSEC dimeric rhIL-6 eluted as one homogeneous fraction. Both protein forms were monitored during incubation of monomeric rhIL-6 at different pH and temperature. The selectivity of counterflow ITP-CZE in conjunction with the low concentration determination limits enabled reanalysis of HPSEC fractions for identification of the dimer in the electropherograms. Both ITP-CZE and HPSEC were shown to be suitable to monitor the dimerization of rhIL-6, similar monomer-to-dimer peak area ratios were obtained throughout the incubation. Dimer formation kinetics increased with decreasing pH and with increasing temperature, it was entirely suppressed at neutral pH and room temperature. In contrast to HPSEC, ITP-CZE enabled separation of further still unidentified artifacts apparently formed during incubation of rhIL-6. CZE analysis in conjunction with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed the non-covalent binding character of the dimeric rhIL-6 complex and facilitated interpretation of the electropherograms.     

Determination of carbohydrates in juices by capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry

The objective of this work was to develop a sample preparation procedure for determination of the carbohydrate profiles in commercial juice samples by three principally different analytical methods: capillary electrophoresis (CE) with indirect detection, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The preparation and purification of juice samples prior to analysis is described. The method using Carrez reagents was found to be an efficient preparation tool for all three methods. The addition of Carrez reagents to the samples for mass analysis improved the quality of the mass spectra of oligosaccharides. The amounts of glucose, fructose, and sucrose as major carbohydrates in fruit juices measured by CE using a simple instrument are in good agreement with the HPLC values and the data declared by the producers of the juices. The results from both methods are critically evaluated and their impact for studies of authenticity is discussed. The decrease of sucrose amount during the storage of samples was explained by acid hydrolysis of this disaccharide.     

Laboratory Production of Human Prolactin from CHO Cells Adapted to Serum-Free Suspension Culture

Human prolactin (hPRL) is a polypeptide with 199 amino acids and a molecular mass of 23?kDa. Previously, a eukaryotic hPRL expression vector was used to transfect Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells: this work describes a fast and practical laboratory adaptation of these transfected cells, in ~40?days, to grow in suspension in serum-free medium. High cell densities of up to 4.0?×?10⁶ cell/ml were obtained from spinner flask cultures and a stable and continuous production process was developed for at least 30?days. Two harvesting strategies were set up, 50 or 100?% of the total conditioned medium being collected daily and replaced by fresh culture medium. The volumetric productivity was 5?C7???g hPRL/ml, as determined directly in the collected medium via reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC). A two-step process based on a cationic exchanger followed by size exclusion chromatography was applied to obtain purified hPRL from conditioned medium. Two hPRL isoforms, non-glycosylated and glycosylated, could also be separated by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and, when analyzed by RP-HPLC, HPSEC, Western blotting, and bioassay, were found to be comparable to the World Health Organization International Reference Reagent of hPRL. These results are useful for the practical scale-up to the pilot and industrial scale of a bioprocess based on CHO cell culture.     

Liquid chromatography and electrospray mass spectrometric mapping of peptides from human plasma filtrate

We present a multidimensional approach to map the composition of complex peptide mixtures obtained as crude extract from biological liquids by (1) cation exchange chromatography and (2) subsequent microbore reversed-phase liquid chromatography and electrospray mass spectrometry coupling (LC-MS). Human hemofiltrate is an equivalent to blood and is used to obtain peptide material in large quantities from patients with chronic renal failure. The upper exclusion limit of the filtration membranes used results in a protein-free filtrate containing peptides in a range up to 20 ku. Using this unique peptide source, several thousand peptides were detected and an LC-MS data base of circulating human peptides was created. The search for known peptides by their molecular mass is a reliable method to guide peptide purification.     

Protein identification platform utilizing micro dispensing technology interfaced to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

An integrated protein microcharacterization/identification platform has been developed. The system has been designed to allow a high flexibility in order to tackle challenging analytical problems. The platform comprises a cooled microautosampler, an integrated system for microcolumn HPLC, and a capillary reversed-phase column that is interfaced to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) system via a low internal volume flow-through microdispenser. The chromatographic separation is continuously transferred onto a MALDI target plate as discrete spots as the dispenser ejects bursts of droplets of the column effluent in a precise array pattern. A refrigerated microfraction collector was coupled to the outlet of the flow-through microdispenser enabling enrichment and re-analysis of interesting fractions. The use of target plates pre-coated with matrix simplified and increased the robustness of the system. By including a separation step prior to the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis and hereby minimizing suppression effects allowed us to obtain higher sequence coverage of proteins compared to conventional MALDI sample preparation methodology. Additionally, synthetic peptides corresponding to autophosphorylated forms of the tryptic fragment 485-496 (ALGADDSYYTAR) of tyrosine kinase ZAP-70 were identified at sensitivities reaching 150 amol.     

Characterization of N-glycans of recombinant human thyrotropin using mass spectrometry

Thyroid-stimulating hormone is a vital component of the regulatory mechanism that maintains the structure and function of the thyroid gland and governs thyroid hormone release. In this paper we report the first detailed structural characterization of the N-linked oligosaccharides of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH). Using a strategy combining mass spectrometric analysis and sequential exoglycosidase digestion, we have defined the structures of the N-glycans released from recombinant human thyrotropin by peptide N-glycosidase F. All glycans are complex-type glycans and are mainly of the bi- and triantennary type with variable degrees of fucosylation and sialylation. The major non-reducing epitope in the complex-type glycans is: NeuAcalpha2-3Galbeta1-4GlcNAc (sialylated LacNAc). The carbohydrate microheterogeneity at the three glycosylation sites was studied using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), concanavalin A affinity chromatography and mass spectrometric techniques, including both matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray. rhTSH was reduced, carboxymethylated and then digested with trypsin. The mixture of peptides and glycopeptides was subjected to RP-HPLC and the structures of the glycopeptides were determined by MALDI in conjunction with on-target exoglycosidase digestions. After PNGase F digestion, the peptide moiety of the glycopeptide was determined by the presence of the b- and y-series ions derived from its amino acid sequence in the quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass (QTOF-MS/MS) spectrum. Glycosylation sites Asn-alpha52 and Asn-alpha78 contain mainly bi- and triantennary complex-type glycans. Only glycosylation site Asn-alpha52 bears fucosylated N-glycans. Minor tetraantennary complex structures were also observed on both glycosylation sites. Profiling of the carbohydrate moieties of Asn-beta23 indicates a large heterogeneity. Bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary N-glycans were present at this site. These data demonstrate site-specificity of glycosylation in the alpha subunit but not in the beta subunit of rhTSH with Asn-alpha52 bearing essentially di- and triantennary glycans with or without core fucosylation and bi- and triantennary glycans with no core fucosylation being attached to Asn-alpha78.     

Chromatographic analysis of tocol-derived lipid antioxidants

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of existing chromatographic methods for the analysis of tocol-derived lipid antioxidants in various sample matrices. After a brief introductory discussion on biological and nutritional aspects of the vitamin E active compounds, the review focuses on various techniques for the isolation, purification, chromatographic separation, and detection of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Compiled published normal-phase (NP) and reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods demonstrate general trends and analytical variability and versatility of HPLC methodology. The relative merits of the two HPLC methods are assessed. NP and RP elution characteristics are delineated to aid in the identification of antioxidant components. Technical novelty of certain analytical procedures for non-food samples warrants their inclusion in this review in light of the potential applicability in food assays.     

3-氨基-9-乙基咔唑衍生化寡糖混合物的高效液相色谱分离及激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱分析

建立了以3-氨基-9-乙基咔唑(AEC)为衍生化试剂对寡糖的标记方法。寡糖的还原端与AEC的伯氨基反应生成烯胺,再被NaBH3CN还原为二级胺,使得寡糖被AEC标记。衍生物通过反相高效液相色谱分离纯化,采用的色谱柱为Waters Symmetry C18柱(3.9 mm×150 mm,5 μm),乙腈和乙酸铵水溶液(pH 4.5)为流动相,梯度洗脱,在254 nm波长处检测,并以基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱进行分析。在此衍生化条件和色谱条件下,葡寡糖衍生物分离良好,并且AEC衍生可显著提高葡寡糖的质谱检测灵敏度。该方法适用于寡糖的分离纯化和结构分析,并与生物质谱具有良好的兼容性,表明该方法在微量寡糖链分析方面有广阔的应用前景。