Hydroxyapatite-based immobilized metal affinity adsorbents for protein purification

The employment of metal ion-charged hydroxyapatite for the one-step purification of poly(His)-tagged recombinant proteins was investigated. Fe(III) showed the highest selectivity toward the poly(His)-tagged D-hydantoinase and the best operation stability. The optimal selectivity was observed in 20 mM pH 8.0 buffer containing 150 mM NaCl and 50 mM NaF. The adsorbed poly(His)-tagged enzyme could be quantitatively recovered from hydroxyapatite with 150 mM pH 8.0 phosphate buffer. The capacity of Fe(III)-loaded hydroxyapatite for poly(His)-tagged D-hydantoinase was 4.9 mg/g hydroxyapatite, comparable to commercial agarose-based Ni-NTA adsorbents. Under optimal conditions, a D-hydantoinase preparation with a purity above 95% from crude cellular lysate could be obtained with the one-step purification process employing Fe(III)-loaded hydroxyapatite. The application of Fe(III)-loaded hydroxyapatite for the purification of poly(His)-tagged N-acetyl-D-glucosamine 2-epimerase under denaturing conditions was also demonstrated. These results demonstrate that hydroxyapatite is a promising adsorbent for immobilized metal affinity chromatography.     

Use of phage display methods to identify heptapeptide sequences for use as affinity purification 'tags' with novel chelating ligands in immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography

This study describes the screening of a peptide phage display library for amino acid sequences that bind with different affinities to a novel class of chelating ligands complexed with Ni2+ ions. These chelating ligands are based on the 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (TACN) structure and have been chosen to allow enhanced efficiency in protein capture and decreased propensity for metal ion leakage in the immobilized metal ion affinity chromatographic (IMAC) purification of recombinant proteins. Utilising high stringency screening conditions, various peptide sequences containing multiple histidine, tryptophan, and/or tyrosine residues were identified amongst the different phage peptide sequences isolated. The structures, and particularly the conserved locations of these key amino acid residues within the selected heptapeptides, form a basis to design specific peptide tags for use with these novel TACN ligands as a new mode of IMAC purification of recombinant proteins.     

Characterization of metal chelate methacrylate monolithic disk for purification of polyclonal and monoclonal immunoglobulin G

Dynamic binding capacity (DBC) of commercial metal-chelate methacrylate monolith-convective interaction media (CIM) was performed with commercial human immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Cohn fraction II, III). Monoliths are an attractive stationary phase for purification of large biomolecules because they exhibit very low back pressure even at high flow rates and flow-unaffected binding properties. Adsorption of IgG onto CIM-IDA disk immobilized with Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were studied with Tris-acetate (TA), phosphate-acetate (PA) and MMA (MES, MOPS and acetate) buffer systems at different flow rates. Adsorption and elution of IgG varied with different buffers and adsorption of IgG was maximum with MMA buffer. Adsorption of human IgG from Cohn fractions (II, III) was high when Cu²⁺ was used as ligand. CIM-IDA disk showed dynamic binding capacity in the range of 14–16 mg/ml with Cu²⁺ and 7–9 mg/ml with Ni²⁺ for human IgG with MMA buffer. In the case of CIM-IDA-Zn²⁺ column, the binding capacity was only about 0.5 mg/ml of support. Different desorption strategies like lowering of pH and increasing of competitive agent were also studied to achieve maximum recovery. Chromatographic runs with human serum and mouse ascites fluid were also carried out with metal chelate methacrylate monolithic disk and the results indicate the potential of this technique for polyclonal human IgG and monoclonal IgG purification from complex biological samples.     

Dual affinity method for plasmid DNA purification in aqueous two-phase systems

The DNA binding fusion protein, LacI–His₆–GFP, together with the conjugate PEG–IDA–Cu(II) (10 kDa) was evaluated as a dual affinity system for the pUC19 plasmid extraction from an alkaline bacterial cell lysate in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/dextran (DEX) aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS). In a PEG 600–DEX 40 ATPS containing 0.273 nmol of LacI fusion protein and 0.14% (w/w) of the functionalised PEG–IDA–Cu(II), more than 72% of the plasmid DNA partitioned to the PEG phase, without RNA or genomic DNA contamination as evaluated by agarose gel electrophoresis. In a second extraction stage, the elution of pDNA from the LacI binding complex proved difficult using either dextran or phosphate buffer as second phase, though more than 75% of the overall protein was removed in both systems. A maximum recovery of approximately 27% of the pCU19 plasmid was achieved using the PEG–dextran system as a second extraction system, with 80–90% of pDNA partitioning to the bottom phase. This represents about 7.4 μg of pDNA extracted per 1 mL of pUC19 desalted lysate.     

固定金属离子亲和色谱--蛋白质分离的方法、原理、特性和应用

介绍了固定金属离子亲和色谱法(IMAC)的方法原理、金属螯合柱的制备、固定金属离子与蛋白质的相互作用以及影响这些作用的因素、不同色谱条件下各种作用力对蛋白质保留值的贡献、蛋白质的洗脱原理和IMAC在蛋白质分离纯化中的应用,论述了IMAC的特点、不足、克服的方法和今后应解决的问题。     

Refolding and purification of histidine-tagged protein by artificial chaperone-assisted metal affinity chromatography

This article has proposed an artificial chaperone-assisted immobilized metal affinity chromatography (AC-IMAC) for on-column refolding and purification of histidine-tagged proteins. Hexahistidine-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and refolded and purified from urea-solubilized inclusion bodies by the strategy. The artificial chaperone system was composed of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). In the refolding process, denatured protein was mixed with CTAB to form a protein–CTAB complex. The mixture was then loaded to IMAC column and the complex was bound via metal chelating to the histidine tag. This was followed by washing with a refolding buffer containing β-CD that removed CTAB from the bound protein and initiated on-column refolding. The effect of the washing time (i.e., on-column refolding time) on mass and fluorescence recoveries was examined. Extensive studies by comparison with other related refolding techniques have proved the advantages of AC-IMAC. In the on-column refolding, the artificial chaperone system suppressed protein interactions and facilitated protein folding to its native structure. So, the on-column refolding by AC-IMAC led to 99% pure EGFP with a fluorescence recovery of 80%. By comparison at a similar final EGFP concentration (0.6–0.8 mg/mL), this fluorescence recovery value was not only much higher than direct dilution (14%) and AC-assisted refolding (26%) in bulk solutions, but also superior to its partner, IMAC (60%). The operating conditions would be further optimized to improve the refolding efficiency.     

Application of monoliths for plasmid DNA purification development and transfer to production

The demand of high-purity plasmid DNA (pDNA) for gene-therapy and genetic vaccination is still increasing. For the large scale production of pharmaceutical grade plasmids generic and economic purification processes are needed. Most of the current processes for pDNA production use at least one chromatography step, which always constitutes as the key-step in the purification sequence. Monolithic chromatographic supports are an alternative to conventional supports due to their excellent mass transfer properties and their high binding capacity for pDNA. Anion-exchange chromatography is the most popular chromatography method for plasmid separation, since polynucleotides are negatively charged independent of the buffer conditions. For the implementation of a monolith-based anion exchange step into a pDNA purification process detailed screening experiments were performed. These studies included supports, ligand-types and ligand-densities and optimization of resolution and productivity. For this purpose model plasmids with a size of 4.3 and 6.9 kilo base pairs (kbp) were used. It could be shown, that up-scaling to the production scale using 800 ml CIM Convective Interaction Media radial flow monoliths is possible under low pressure conditions. CIM DEAE was successfully implemented as intermediate step of the cGMP pDNA manufacturing process. Starting from 2001 fermentation aliquots pilot scale purification runs were performed in order to prove scale-up and to predict further up-scaling to 8 1 tube monolithic columns. The analytical results obtained from these runs confirmed suitability for pharmaceutical applications.     

On-line concentration of peptides and proteins with the hyphenation of polymer monolithic immobilized metal affinity chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

An iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-type adsorbent is prepared at the one end of a capillary by covalently bonding IDA to the monolithic rods of macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate). Cu(II) is later introduced to the support via the interaction with IDA. By this means, polymer monolithic immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) materials are prepared. With such a column, IMAC for on-line concentration and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the subsequent analysis are hyphenated for the analysis of peptides and proteins. The reproducibility of such a column has been proved good with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of dead time of less than 5% for injection-to-injection and 12% for column-to-column (n = 3). Through application on the analysis of standard peptides and real protein samples, such a technique has shown promising in proteome study.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic fractionation and characterization of fulvic acid

High-performance immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (HP-IMAC) was used to fractionate humic substances (HS) based on their affinity for the immobilized copper(II) ion using acidic and glycine eluents. The work was carried out with two naturally occurring aqueous fulvic acids and commercially available Suwannee River fulvic acid. The IMAC-fractionated HS were then characterized by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and size exclusion chromatography. The results showed that the affinity HS fraction eluted first using an acidic pH=2 eluent exhibited a relatively high hydrophilic character, whereas the fraction eluted later using a glycine eluent exhibited both a higher hydrophobic character and larger molecular size. On the other hand, the HS fraction with no affinity for the immobilized copper had low molecular size. The affinity of the HS fraction for copper(II) increased with increasing molecular weight. Based on the composite results of three different HS, it is evident that strong relationships exist between affinity, molecular weight, and hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties during the HP-IMAC fractionation. The results presented here have significance for understanding the nature of chemical interactions at the molecular level between dissolved organic matter and trace metals. IMAC, coupled with other liquid chromatographic strategies, is a promising tool for chemical fractionation and characterization of HS.     

Performance of a non-grafted monolithic support for purification of supercoiled plasmid DNA

The use of therapeutics based on plasmid DNA (pDNA) relies on procedures that efficiently produce and purify the supercoiled (sc) plasmid isoform. Several chromatographic methods have been applied for the sc plasmid purification, but with most of them it is not possible to obtain the required purity degree and the majority of the supports used present low capacity to bind the plasmid molecules. However, the chromatographic monolithic supports are an interesting alternative to conventional supports due to their excellent mass transfer properties and their high binding capacity for pDNA. The separation of pDNA isoforms, using short non-grafted monolithic column with CarbonylDiImidazole (CDI) functional groups, is described in the current work. The effect of different flow rates on plasmid isoforms separation was also verified. Several breakthrough experiments were designed to study the effect of different parameters such as pDNA topology and concentration as well as flow rate on the monolithic support binding capacity. One of the most striking results is related to the specific recognition of the sc isoform by this CDI monolith, without flow rate dependence. Additionally, the binding capacity has been found to be significantly higher for sc plasmid, probably because of its compact structure, being also improved when using feedstock with increased plasmid concentrations and decreased linear velocity. In fact, this new monolithic support arises as a powerful instrument on the sc pDNA purification for further clinical applications.     

Preparation of an iminodiacetic acid-modified capillary and its performance in capillary liquid chromatography and immobilized metal chelate affinity capillary electrophoresis

We prepared iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-modified and Cu(II)-IDA-modified capillaries through polymerization of N-(vinylbenzylimino) diacetic acid. The fundamental performance of these capillaries was examined in capillary liquid chromatography (LC) and immobilized metal chelate affinity capillary electrophoresis (IMACE). Copper(II), cobalt(II), and hematin were detected at different retention times by means of capillary LC with a chemiluminescence detector, during which the IDA-modified capillary was used. The difference in the retention times was attributed to the difference in the interaction between metal ions or complex and IDA moieties on the inner wall of the capillary. In addition, human serum albumin (HSA) and human serum gamma-globulin (HgammaG) were separated and detected using IMACE with an absorption detector, during which the Cu(II)-IDA-modified capillary was used. The separation of HSA and HgammaG was achieved through the interaction between proteins and Cu(II) chelate moieties on the inner wall of this capillary.     

Exploration of overloaded cation exchange chromatography for monoclonal antibody purification

Cation exchange chromatography using conventional resins, having either diffusive or perfusive flow paths, operated in bind-elute mode has been commonly employed in monoclonal antibody (MAb) purification processes. In this study, the performance of diffusive and perfusive cation exchange resins (SP-Sepharose FF (SPSFF) and Poros 50HS) and a convective cation exchange membrane (Mustang S) and monolith (SO(3) Monolith) were compared. All matrices were utilized in an isocratic state under typical binding conditions with an antibody load of up to 1000 g/L of chromatographic matrix. The dynamic binding capacity of the cation exchange resins is typically below 100 g/L resin, so they were loaded beyond the point of anticipated MAb break through. All of the matrices performed similarly in that they effectively retained host cell protein and DNA during the loading and wash steps, while antibody flowed through each matrix after its dynamic binding capacity was reached. The matrices differed, though, in that conventional diffusive and perfusive chromatographic resins (SPSFF and Poros 50HS) demonstrated a higher binding capacity for high molecular weight species (HMW) than convective flow matrices (membrane and monolith); Poros 50HS displayed the highest HMW binding capacity. Further exploration of the conventional chromatographic resins in an isocratic overloaded mode demonstrated that the impurity binding capacity was well maintained on Poros 50HS, but not on SPSFF, when the operating flow rate was as high as 36 column volumes per hour. Host cell protein and HMW removal by Poros 50HS was affected by altering the loading conductivity. A higher percentage of host cell protein removal was achieved at a low conductivity of 3 mS/cm. HMW binding capacity was optimized at 5 mS/cm. Our data from runs on Poros 50HS resin also showed that leached protein A and cell culture additive such as gentamicin were able to be removed under the isocratic overloaded condition. Lastly, a MAb purification process employing protein A affinity chromatography, isocratic overloaded cation exchange chromatography using Poros 50HS and anion exchange chromatography using QSFF in flow through mode was compared with the MAb's commercial manufacturing process, which consisted of protein A affinity chromatography, cation exchange chromatography using SPSFF in bind-elute mode and anion exchange chromatography using QSFF in flow through mode. Comparable step yield and impurity clearance were obtained by the two processes.     

蛋白折叠液相色谱法复性和纯化大肠杆菌表达的重组人粒细胞集落刺激因子

用蛋白折叠液相色谱法(PFLC)对大肠杆菌表达的包涵体形式的重组人粒细胞集落刺激因子(rhG-CSF)进行了复性并同时纯化。用Cu2+-亚氨基二乙酸（IDA） Sepharose作为固定化金属离子亲和色谱的固定相。在低浓度脲存在下,以咪唑为洗脱剂,采用线性梯度洗脱rhG-CSF。该法仅通过一步PFLC分离,减少了复性过程中rhG-CSF的聚集,复性后的rhG-CSF的比活性为1.8×108 IU/mg,纯度为97%,质量回收率为32%。     

Review of recent advances in the preparation of organic polymer monoliths for liquid chromatography of large molecules

In recent years the use of monolithic polymers in separation science has greatly increased due to the advantages these materials present over particle-based stationary phases, such as their relative ease of preparation and good permeability. For these reasons, these materials present high potential as stationary phases for the separation and purification of large molecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and cells. An example of this is the wide range of commercial available polymer-based monolithic columns now present in the market.     

Chemical modification of polymeric microchip devices

Analytical polymeric microchips in both fluidic and array formats offer short analysis times, coupling of many sample processing and chemical reaction steps on one platform with minimal sample and reagent consumption, as well as low cost, minimal fabrication times and disposability. However, the invariable bulk properties of most commercial polymers have driven researchers to develop new modification strategies. This article critically reviews the scope and development of chemical modifications of such polymeric chips since 2003. Surface modifications were based on chemical derivatization or activation of surface layers with reagent solutions, reactive gases and irradiation. Bulk modification of polymer chips used newly incorporation of monomers with selective chemical functionalities throughout the bulk polymer material and integrated the chip modification and fabrication into a single step. Such modifications hold a great promise for establishing a true ‘lab-on-chip’ as can be seen from many novel applications for modulating electroosmosis, suppressing protein adsorption in microchip capillary electrophoretic separations, extraction of analytes and for zone-specific binding of enzymes and other biomolecules.