Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins III. Transport and kinetic parameters in isocratic elution

The effective pore diffusivities, D(e), of five model proteins (ribonuclease A, lysozyme, alpha-lactalbumin, ovalbumin, and BSA) in eight commercial phenyl hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) media were determined by analyzing the plate height data from isocratic elution using the first two moments of the general linear rate model. The adsorbents represent a diverse set of HIC media that are widely used for protein purification. The estimated pore diffusivities were used to calculate the elution profiles of proteins in these adsorbents and were compared with the elution profiles obtained experimentally. High protein loading and sample protein concentration led to the underestimation of the pore diffusivity by the linear rate model. Comparisons between the calculated and the experimental profiles suggest that the pore diffusivities obtained from the linear rate model are generally accurate for proteins with low structural flexibility but not for more flexible ones, presumably because conformational change effects contribute significantly to the overall HETP. The general linear rate model was modified to account for the protein folding/unfolding kinetics, and parameter values could be estimated by fitting the experimental elution profiles to the modified model. In addition to conformational change, adsorbent type also had a significant effect on the accuracies of the pore diffusivities estimated by the linear rate model. The results also show that pore diffusion was the rate-limiting step in all absorbents for rigid proteins such as ribonuclease A and lysozyme. For structurally flexible proteins, conformational change contributed significantly to the overall reduced plate heights of the isocratic elution peaks. The physical properties of adsorbents, such as protein accessible porosity, pore size distribution, pore radius and pore connectivity, play important roles in determining the effective protein pore diffusivities.     

Determinants of protein retention characteristics on cation-exchange adsorbents.

There are currently a large number of commercially available strong and weak cation-exchange adsorbents for preparative protein purification, typically prepared by coupling charged ligands to a mechanically rigid porous bead. Because of the diverse chemical nature of the base matrix (carbohydrate, synthetic polymer, inorganic) and the coupling and ligand chemistry, cation-exchange adsorbents from different suppliers can differ substantially in chemical surface properties and physical structure. The differences in chemical properties can be in ionic capacity, hydrophobicity, the presence of hydrogen bond donors/acceptors, and the nature of the charged functional groups. In order to probe the effects of these factors on protein affinity, the isocratic retention of a set of model proteins was examined on a set of cation-exchange adsorbents to obtain a quantitative assessment of retention differences between adsorbents. Two adsorbent factors were found to be the dominant determinants of overall protein retention: the anion type and the adsorbent pore size distribution. Protein retention on strong cation-exchangers was found to be greater than that on corresponding weak cation-exchangers. Protein retention was increased on adsorbents with pore size distributions that include significant amounts of pore space with dimensions similar to those of the protein solute.     

Novel in situ polymerized coatings for hydrophobic interaction chromatography media

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and other capture media are typically produced by grafting different ligands to base matrices at defined surface densities. This often complicates media production. An alternative approach to media involving in situ radical initiated polymerization was used to graft polymer coatings directly at Sepharose(R) polymeric base matrices. This method appears suitable for producing many different chromatography media on a variety of base matrices. In the present study, it also favorably increased the solution pressure-flow properties of a Sepharose base matrix used to produce HIC media. A wide range of HIC media could be produced by simply varying the reaction ratio of butyl vinyl ether, and hydroxybutyl vinyl ether. The new HIC media was evaluated using five test proteins (bovine serum albumin, ribonuclease A, alpha-chymotrypsinogen A, myoglobin and alpha-lactalbumin). The media exhibited classic HIC behavior, predictably controlled hydrophobicity, plus good protein selectivity, capacity (70mgprotein/ml gel) and often total protein recovery. By modifying the degree of matrix hydrophobicity, we could also reduce effects of protein denaturation often seen with conventional HIC and observed as multiple peaks in the chromatograms. Separation of crude protein extracts from Eschericha coli, expressing a green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) and, a more hydrophobic, recombinantly-modified, tyrosine-tagged green fluorescent protein (YPYPY-GFPuv), was also performed. These proteins were very stable, exhibited significantly different retention times, and could be used to study the ability of the media to work with complex protein mixtures. Such GFP mutants appear ideal for characterizing the performance of chromatographic media.     

Dynamic control of protein conformation transition in chromatographic separation based on hydrophobic interactions: Molecular dynamics simulation

Conformational transitions of a protein in hydrophobic interaction based chromatography, including hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), and their impact on the separation process and performance were probed by molecular dynamics simulation of a 46-bead β-barrel coarse-grained model protein in a confined pore, which represents the porous adsorbent. The transition of the adsorbed protein from the native conformation to an unfolded one occurred as a result of strong hydrophobic interactions with the pore surface, which reduced the formation of protein aggregates. The conformational transition was also displayed in the simulation once an elution buffer characterized by weaker hydrophobicity was introduced to strip protein from pore surface. The discharged proteins that underwent conformational transition were prone to aggregation; thus, an unsatisfactory yield of the native protein was obtained. An orthogonal experiment revealed that in addition to the strengths of the protein–protein and protein–adsorbent hydrophobic interactions, the elution time required to reduce the above-mentioned interactions also determined the yield of native protein by HIC and RPLC. Stepwise elution, characterized by sequential reduction of the hydrophobic interactions between the protein and adsorbent, was presented as a dynamic strategy for tuning conformational transitions to favor the native conformation and reduce the formation of protein aggregates during the elution process. The yield of the native protein obtained by this dynamic operation strategy was higher than that obtained by steady-state elution. The simulation study qualitatively reproduced the experimental observations and provided molecular insight that would be helpful for designing and optimizing HIC and RPLC separation of proteins.     

Retention model of protein for mixedmode interaction mechanism in ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography

A unified retention equation of proteins was proved to be valid for a mixed-mode interaction mechanism in ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and hydrophobia interaction chro-matography (HIC). The reason to form a "U" shape retention curve of proteins hi both HIC and IEC was explained and the concentration range of the strongest elution ability for the mobile phase was determined with this equation. The parameters in this equation could be used to characterize the difference for either HIC or IEC adsorbents and the changes in the molecular conformation of proteins. With the parameters in this equation, the contributions of salt and water in the mobile phase to the protein retention in HIC and IEC were discussed, respectively. In addition, the comparison between the unified equation and Melander' s three-parameter equation for mixed-mode interaction chromatography was also investigated and better results were obtained in former equation.     

Role of Physical Forces in Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is a new non-biospecific liquid chromatography method for the separation of proteins, and other biological macromolecules; the mobile phases are aqueous and the adsorbents are agarose beads coated with ionogenic, or non-ionogenic, hydrocarbonaceous ligands. A non-traditional interpretation is given here for the mechanisms of retention and elution in HIC in terms of the several physical forces between the protein and the adsorbent, chiefly the van der Waals attraction (comprising dispersion, orientation and induction) and the electrostatic double layer interaction. From a qualitative analysis of the hydrogen-bond and the structural features of water, it is shown here that the role of the alkyl ligands on the adsorbent, the lyotropic salt effects and the effect of additives to the mobile phase such as ethylene glycol can all be unifyingly represented in the Hamaker coefficient of the van der Waals attraction between protein and adsorbent in water. An increase in the number and length of alkyl ligands, and the addition of structure-making (“salting-out”) salts at high ionic strengths increase the latter attraction while the addition of structure-breaking “salting-in” salts or organic solvents such as ethylene glycol decreases the attraction. The potentials corresponding to the different physical forces add up to the total interaction potential. The shapes of the total interaction potential relevant to HIC are identified. Coefficients of adsorption and desorption are shown to be related to this potential and the high sensitivity of the latter to its parameters such as the Hamaker coefficient, is illustrated. Retention, elution and the natures of the different fractions into which a protein mixture may be separated by HIC are visualized in terms of the interaction potential.

Numerous experimental reports in HIC are classified, tabulated, and in certain cases, discussed in detail. Experimental evidence is presented for the application of ionic strength manipulations, in the low ionic strength range (electrostatic effects), in the high ionic strength range (lyotropic salt effects) as well as for the combined use of low and high ionic strength effects, retention onto adsorbents with no ligands as well as onto adsorbents with alkyl ligands of various chain lengths and number densities, temperature effects, and the effects of heterogeneities of proteins and adsorbents. Applications and variants of HIC are cited. In total, the paper summarizes various types of HIC experimental facts and explains most of them in a simple, unifying fashion.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. IV. Protein adsorption capacity and transport in preparative mode

The adsorption isotherms of four model proteins (lysozyme, α-lactalbumin, ovalbumin, and BSA) on eight commercial phenyl hydrophobic interaction chromatography media were measured. The isotherms were softer than those usually seen in ion-exchange chromatography of proteins, and the static capacities of the media were lower, ranging from 30 to 110 mg/mL, depending on the ammonium sulfate concentration and the protein and adsorbent types. The protein-accessible surface area appears to be the main factor determining the binding capacity, and little correlation was seen with the protein affinities of the adsorbents. Breakthrough experiments showed that the dynamic capacities of the adsorbents at 10% breakthrough were 20-80% of the static capacities, depending on adsorbent type. Protein diffusivities in the adsorbents were estimated from batch uptake experiments using the pore diffusion and homogeneous diffusion models. Protein transport was affected by the adsorbent pore structures. Apparent diffusivities were higher at lower salt concentrations and column loadings, suggesting that adsorbed proteins may retard intraparticle protein transport. The diffusivities estimated from the batch uptake experiments were used to predict column breakthrough behavior. Analytical solutions developed for ion-exchange systems were able to provide accurate predictions for lysozyme breakthrough but not for ovalbumin. Impurities in the ovalbumin solutions used for the breakthrough experiments may have affected the ovalbumin uptake and led to the discrepancies between the predictions and the experimental results.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. III. Unfolding of proteins upon adsorption

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) exploits the hydrophobic properties of protein surfaces for separation and purification by performing interactions with chromatographic sorbents of hydrophobic nature. In contrast to reversed-phase chromatography, this methodology is less detrimental to the protein and is therefore more commonly used in industrial scale as well as in bench scale when the conformational integrity of the protein is important. Hydrophobic interactions are promoted by salt and thus proteins are retained in presence of a cosmotropic salt. When proteins are injected on HIC columns with increasing salt concentrations under isocratic conditions only, a fraction of the applied amount is eluted. The higher the salt concentration, the lower is the amount of eluted protein. The rest can be desorbed with a buffer of low salt concentration or water. It has been proposed that the stronger retained protein fraction has partially changed the conformation upon adsorption. This has been also corroborated by physicochemical measurements. The retention data of 5 different model proteins and 10 different stationary phases were evaluated. Partial unfolding of proteins upon adsorption on surfaces of HIC media were assumed and a model describing the adsorption of native and partial unfolded fraction was developed. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the surface acts as catalyst for partial unfolding, since the fraction of partial unfolded protein is increasing with length of the alkyl chain.     

Separation of proteins by hydrophobic interaction chromatography at low salt concentration

We investigated protein separation by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) at low salt concentration on the supports of various hydrophobicities. Hydrophobic proteins could be successfully separated with more than 90% recovery by gradient elution of ammonium sulfate from 0.3-0.5 M to 0 in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) by using supports whose hydrophobicities were properly adjusted individually for each protein. Satisfactory results were also obtained by isocratic elution without ammonium sulfate and gradient elution of ethanol from 0 to 10%. HIC at low salt concentration was compatible with other modes of liquid chromatography like ion-exchange chromatography. On the other hand, it was not successful to separate hydrophilic proteins at low salt concentration. Recoveries of hydrophilic proteins decreased before they were retained enough as support hydrophobicity increased. Therefore, it is inevitable to use a higher concentration of salt, e.g., 1-2 M ammonium sulfate, on hydrophilic or moderately hydrophobic support in order to retain hydrophilic proteins without decrease in recovery.     

Protein adsorption and transport in polymer-functionalized ion-exchangers

A wide variety of stationary phases is available for use in preparative chromatography of proteins, covering different base matrices, pore structures and modes of chromatography. There has recently been significant growth in the number of such materials in which the base matrix is derivatized to add a covalently attached or grafted polymer layer or, in some cases, a hydrogel that fills the pore space. This review summarizes the main structural and functional features of ion exchangers of this kind, which represent the largest class of such materials. Although the adsorption and transport properties may generally be used operationally and modeled phenomenologically using the same methods as are used for proteins in conventional media, there are noteworthy mechanistic differences in protein behavior in these adsorbents. A fundamental difference in protein retention is that it may be portrayed as partitioning into a three-dimensional polymer phase rather than adsorption at an extended two-dimensional surface, as applies in more conventional media. Beyond this partitioning behavior, however, the polymer-functionalized media often display rapid intraparticle transport that, while qualitatively comparable to that in conventional media, is sufficiently rapid quantitatively under certain conditions that it can lead to clear benefits in key measures of performance such as the dynamic binding capacity. Although possible mechanistic bases for the retention and transport properties are discussed, appreciable areas of uncertainty make detailed mechanistic modeling very challenging, and more detailed experimental characterization is likely to be more productive.     

Retention Behavior of Polyethylene Glycol and Its Influence on Protein Elution on Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography Media

The retention behavior of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on different types of hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) resins containing butyl, octyl, and phenyl ligands was analyzed. An incomplete elution or splitting of the polymer peak into two parts was observed, where the first one was eluted at the dead time of the column, whereas the second one was strongly retained. The phenomenon was attributed to conformation changes of the polymer upon its adsorption on hydrophobic surface. The effect enhanced with increasing molecular weight of the polymer and hydrophobicity of the HIC media. Addition of PEG to the mobile phase reduced binding of proteins to HIC resins, which was demonstrated with two model systems: lysozyme (LYZ) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), and their mixtures. In case of LYZ, the presence of PEG caused reduction in the protein retention, whereas for IgG—a decrease in efficiency of the protein capture. The effect depended on the adsorption pattern of PEG; it was pronounced in the systems in which conformational changes of the polymer were suggested to occur.     

Relative retention of the fibroblast growth factors FGF-1 and FGF-2 on strong cation-exchange sorbents

The isocratic retention of two heparin-binding fibroblast growth factors, FGF-1 (acidic FGF) and FGF-2 (basic FGF), was compared on a set of six preparative strong cation-exchange adsorbents. The FGFs comprise a solute pair that are structurally equivalent, yet differ in protein parameters of potential importance in cation-exchange chromatography, such as isoelectric point, net charge, and the number and distribution of basic amino acids. The cation-exchange adsorbents comprise a diverse set of materials in common use for protein purification, with physical and chemical properties that have been characterized and described previously. Isocratic k' values for the two proteins obtained on each adsorbent at several different [NaCl] are compared with one another and with corresponding data for hen egg lysozyme, which is also strongly retained on cation-exchangers. Of the six adsorbents examined, three showed strong retention of both FGFs, with equivalent k' values for FGF-1 and FGF-2. Three others, which showed weaker overall retention for the FGF pair, showed much larger retention differences between FGF-1 and FGF-2. The trends in retention order among the stationary phases are very similar to those seen previously with other unrelated proteins. However, retention differences between the two FGFs, and between the FGFs and lysozyme, do not correlate well with simple charge properties such as net charge, indicating, as in some previous studies, the importance of local regions on the protein surface in determining retention. These observations are interpreted in terms of the structural features of the proteins and the physicochemical properties of the adsorbents.     

Effect of surface hydrophobicity distribution on retention of ribonucleases in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

The effect of surface hydrophobicity distribution of proteins on retention in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) was investigated. Average surface hydrophobicity as well as hydrophobic contact area between protein and matrix were estimated using a classical thermodynamic model. The applicability of the model to predict protein retention in HIC was investigated on ribonucleases with similar average surface hydrophobicity but different surface hydrophobicity distribution. It was shown experimentally that surface hydrophobicity distribution could have an important effect on protein retention in HIC. The parameter "hydrophobic contact area," which comes from the thermodynamic model, was able to represent well the protein retention in HIC with salt gradient elution. Location and size of the hydrophobic patches can therefore have an important effect on protein retention in HIC, and the hydrophobic contact area adequately describes this.     

A new thermodynamic model describes the effects of ligand density and type,salt concentration and protein species in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

A new thermodynamic model is derived that describes both loading and pulse-response behavior of proteins in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). The model describes adsorption in terms of protein and solvent activities, and water displacement from hydrophobic interfaces, and distinguishes contributions from ligand density, ligand type and protein species. Experimental isocratic response and loading data for a set of globular proteins on Sepharose™ resins of various ligand types and densities are described by the model with a limited number of parameters. The model is explicit in ligand density and may provide insight into the sensitivity of protein retention to ligand density in HIC as well as the limited reproducibility of HIC data.     

Mixed retention mechanism of proteins in weak anion-exchange chromatography

Using four commercial weak anion-exchange chromatography (WAX) columns and 11 kinds of different proteins, we experimentally examined the involvement of hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) mechanism in protein retention on the WAX columns. The HIC mechanism was found to operate in all four WAX columns, and each of these columns had a better resolution in the HIC mode than in the corresponding WAX mode. Detailed analysis of the molecular interactions in a chromatographic system indicated that it is impossible to completely eliminate hydrophobic interactions from a WAX column. Based on these results, it may be possible to employ a single WAX column for protein separation by exploiting mixed modes (WAX and HIC) of retention. The stoichiometric displacement theory and two linear plots were used to show that mechanism of the mixed modes of retention in the system was a combination of two kinds of interactions, i.e., nonselective interactions in the HIC mode and selective interactions in the IEC mode. The obtained U-shaped elution curve of proteins could be distinguished into four different ranges of salt concentration, which also represent four retention regions.     

Relationship between isocratic and gradient retention times in the high-performance ion-exchange chromatography of proteins. Theory and experiment

Using isocratic retention parameters, the gradient elution retention time for several proteins has been calculated. The gradient retention time calculation is based on fitting the isocratic retention data to an equation of the form: log k' = m log (1/[Ca2+]) + log K and on applying well-established principles of gradient elution. A good correlation between the observed and calculated retention times for several test proteins was obtained at various total gradient times and column flow-rates. Conversely, isocratic retention parameters characterizing protein retention can be calculated from gradient elution retention data. However, even with retention data of high quality, small errors are amplified by the log-log nature of the ion-exchange isocratic retention model employed. Based on the close correlation between predicted and observed gradient retention times, no evidence for protein denaturation resulting from immobilization of the protein at high initial k' values at or near the column inlet was observed.     

Prediction of protein retention times in gradient hydrophobic interaction chromatographic systems

A two-step methodology has been developed for the prediction of protein retention time in linear-gradient HIC systems. Isocratic retention parameters were determined from ln(k')-salt concentration plots for a number of commercially available proteins with a range of properties. Quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) models based on a support vector machine (SVM) approach were generated for predicting isocratic retention parameters for proteins not included in the model generation. The predicted parameters were then used to calculate protein gradient retention times and the results indicate that this approach is well suited for predicting experimental gradient retention data. The approach presented in this paper may have implications for HIC methods development at both the bench and process scales.     

疏水作用色谱介质的合成及色谱特性研究

利用国产大孔硅胶作基质合成了疏水填料。按照高效疏水作用色谱法,采用梯度洗脱方式分离了6种标准蛋白及唾液中α-淀粉酶和基因工程生产的γ-干扰素。柱子不可逆吸附小、被试验的α-淀粉酶和溶菌酶活性几乎定量被回收。应用合成的色谱填料研究了洗脱剂中盐浓度和温度对蛋白质保留行为的影响,论证了合成填料的色谱属性。     

Extraction and Separation Properties of Hydrophilic Compounds Using Novel Water-Holding Adsorbents Bonded with a Zwitter-Ionic Polymer

A novel water-holding adsorbent was synthesized by introducing a zwitter-ionic polymer to a hydrophilic methacrylate base resin. The retention abilities of the hydrophilic compounds on the adsorbents with and without cross-link in the zwitter-ionic functional groups were examined. The amount of held water on the non-cross-linked adsorbent was higher than that of the cross-linked one. The extraction efficiencies of the hydrophilic solutes on the adsorbents were evaluated by the solid phase extraction method. These adsorbents showed high affinity for nucleosides and glycosides, and good recoveries for such hydrophilic compounds in the solid-phase extraction were obtained. Furthermore, the retention properties of the hydrophilic solutes on the adsorbents were also evaluated by LC. The hydrophilic solutes were retained on these adsorbents by a partition mode based on a hydrophilic interaction. The retention factors of the hydrophilic solutes showed good correlation to their log P _o/w (logarithm of octanol?Cwater partition coefficient) and good separation based on hydrophilic interaction was obtained for nucleobases and nucleosides.