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.     

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.     

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.     

Investigation of salt properties with electro-acoustic measurements and their effect on dynamic binding capacity in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

The pH dependence in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is usually discussed exclusively in terms of protein dependence and there are no clear defined trends. Many of the deviations from an ideal solution are caused solely by the high salt concentration, as protein concentration is usually negligible. So pH dependency in hydrophobic interaction chromatography could also be the result of pH dependent changes of ion properties from the salt solution. The possibility that pH dependent ion hydration or ion association in highly concentrated salt solutions may influence the dynamic protein binding capacity onto HIC resins was investigated. In buffer solutions commonly used in HIC e.g. sodium chloride, ammonium sulphate and sodium citrate pH dependent maxima in the electro-acoustic signals were found. These maxima are related to an increase of the ion sizes by hydration or ion association. At low ionic strength the maxima are in the range between 4.5 and 6 and they increased in concentrated electrolyte solutions to values between 6 and 8. The range of these maxima is in the same region as dynamic protein binding capacity maxima often observed in HIC. For a qualitative interpretation of this phenomenon of increased protein stabilization by volume exclusion effect extended scaling theory can be used. This theory predicts a maximum of protein stabilization if the ratio of salt ion diameter to water is 1.8. According to the hypothesis raised here, if the pH dependent ratio of salt ion diameter to water approaches this value the transport of the protein in the pore system is less restricted and an increase in binding capacity can be produced.     

Assessment of COMT isolation by HIC using a dual salt system and low temperature

Sodium citrate (SC) and low temperatures between 7 and 5°C are effective in suppressing aggregation of proteins and may be beneficial to be included during a purification process. In this work, we analyzed the application of dual salt system, ammonium sulfate (AS) and SC on binding and elution conditions of recombinant hSCOMT on typical HIC sorbents. Specifically in butyl and octyl supports, the use of, respectively, 300 mm AS/200 mm SC and 25 mm AS/25 mm SC in the loading buffer resulted in complete binding of COMT. Elution was obtained by decreasing the ionic strength to 0 M of salt. For the delineate goal, it also favorably increased the support chain length while a consequent decrease in the dual ionic strength was observed for hSCOMT retention. In the presence of dual salt systems octyl media exhibited classic HIC behavior, good protein selectivity, an excellent purification factor and reduced denaturation effects of hSCOMT observed with higher salt concentrations. Also the inclusion of temperature control during the elution step appears to be advantageous for greater activity recovery without enzyme aggregation. In fact, these results could allow the prediction of most stabilizing conditions for this termolabile enzyme on the chromatographic stage, regarding salt types and therefore effectiveness to improve HIC selectivity and desirable purity on the target fractions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. I. The effects of protein and adsorbent properties on retention and recovery

The contributions of protein and adsorbent properties to retention and recovery were examined for hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) using eight commercially available phenyl media and five model proteins (ribonuclease A, lysozyme, alpha-lactalbumin, ovalbumin and BSA). The physical properties of the adsorbents were determined by inverse size exclusion chromatography (ISEC). The adsorbents examined differ from each other in terms of base matrix, ligand density, porosity, mean pore radius, pore size distribution (PSD) and phase ratio, allowing systematic studies to understand how these properties affect protein retention and recovery in HIC media. The proteins differ in such properties as adiabatic compressibility and molecular mass. The retention factors of the proteins in the media were determined by isocratic elution. The results show a very clear trend in that proteins with high adiabatic compressibility (higher flexibility) were more strongly retained. For proteins with similar adiabatic compressibilities, those with higher molecular mass showed stronger retention in Sepharose media, but this trend was not observed in adsorbents with polymethacrylate and polystyrene divinylbenzene base matrices. This observation could be related to protein recovery, which was sensitive to protein flexibility, molecular size, and conformation as well as the ligand densities and base matrices of the adsorbents. Low protein recovery during isocratic elution could affect the interpretation of protein selectivity results in HIC media. The retention data were fitted to a previously published retention model based on the preferential interaction theory, in terms of which retention is driven by release of water molecules and ions upon protein-adsorbent interaction. The calculated number of water molecules released was found to be statistically independent of protein retention strength and adsorbent and protein properties.     

Investigation of degradation mechanisms by portable Raman spectroscopy and thermodynamic speciation: the wall painting of Santa María de Lemoniz (Basque Country, North of Spain)

To characterise the polymeric properties of processed lignins, a new method has been developed using hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). This method separates the lignin polymers into fractions based on differences in hydrophobicity using low pressure liquid chromatography (LPLC). The hydrophobic column material consists of monodisperse polystyrene/divinylbenzene beads. An elution gradient was prepared monitoring the electrolyte concentration and pH. Citric acid buffer, containing ammonium sulphate that promotes adsorption to the column material, was used as mobile phase in a step-wise gradient together with ethanol (20/80% (v/v) ethanol/water, pH 12) and isopropanol (40/60% (v/v) isopropanol/water, pH 12). Depending on eluent composition, the degree of elution was 94% or higher. With the HIC method developed, lignosulphonates and kraft lignins were separated into seven distinctive peaks according to hydrophobicity.     

Integrated process for the purification of antibodies combining aqueous two-phase extraction, hydrophobic interaction chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography

We have evaluated a process incorporating aqueous two-phase extraction, hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) for the purification of human immunoglobulin G (IgG) from a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell supernatant. These unit operations were chosen not only for allowing the removal of target impurities but also for facilitating the integration of different process units without the need for any conditioning step. Extraction in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium citrate, allowed the concentration of the antibodies in the citrate-rich phase and the removal of the most hydrophobic compounds in the PEG-rich phase. An ATPS composed of 10% (w/w) PEG 3350 and 12% (w/w) citrate, at pH 6, allowed the recovery of IgG with a 97% yield, 41% HPLC purity and 72% protein purity. This bottom phase was then directly loaded on a phenyl-Sepharose HIC column. This intermediate purification step allowed the capture of the antibodies using a citrate mobile phase with 99% of the antibody recovered in the elution fractions, with 86% HPLC purity and 91% protein purity. Finally, SEC allowed the final polishing by removing IgG aggregates. HIC-eluted fractions were directly injected in a Superose 6 size-exclusion column affording a 100% pure IgG solution with 90% yield.     

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.     

一种疏水色谱填料的特性及应用的研究

 以交联壳聚糖为基质 ,正戊醛为配基 ,利用改进的方法制备了疏水作用色谱 (HIC)填料 ,并对该色谱填料的吸附行为和应用作了研究。结果表明 ,此类填料对蛋白质的吸附行为符合疏水相互作用理论 ,对α 淀粉酶的纯化活性回收率大于 80 %。     

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.     

Direct recovery of recombinant nucleocapsid protein of Nipah virus from unclarified Escherichia coli homogenate using hydrophobic interaction expanded bed adsorption chromatography

A direct recovery of recombinant nucleocapsid protein of Nipah virus (NCp-NiV) from crude Escherichia coli (E. coli) homogenate was developed successfully using a hydrophobic interaction expanded bed adsorption chromatography (HI-EBAC). The nucleic acids co-released with the recombinant protein have increased the viscosity of the E. coli homogenate, thus affected the axial mixing in the EBAC column. Hence, DNase was added to reduce the viscosity of feedstock prior to its loading into the EBAC column packed with the hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) adsorbent. The addition of glycerol to the washing buffer has reduced the volume of washing buffer applied, and thus reduced the loss of the NCp-NiV during the washing stage. The influences of flow velocity, degree of bed expansion and viscosity of mobile phase on the adsorption efficiency of HI-EBAC were studied. The dynamic binding capacity at 10% breakthrough of 3.2 mg/g adsorbent was achieved at a linear flow velocity of 178 cm/h, bed expansion of two and feedstock viscosity of 3.4 mPa s. The adsorbed NCp-NiV was eluted with the buffer containing a step gradient of salt concentration. The purification of hydrophobic NCp-NiV using the HI-EBAC column has recovered 80% of NCp-NiV from unclarified E. coli homogenate with a purification factor of 12.5.     

Isolation of mammalian brain tubulin by amino-activated gel chromatography

In the present study, we report the isolation of the acidic structural protein tubulin using a number of amino-activated gels. Crude 100,000 g supernatant derived from sheep brain was applied to gels activated with either aminohexyl, aminoethyl, argininyl, diethylaminoethyl, lysinyl and polylysinyl residues and eluted with three distinct sequential buffer changes (pH 6.5): (i) 0.025-0.4 M morpholinoethanesulphonic acid; (ii) 0.076 and 0.379 M ammonium sulphate in 0.025 M morpholinoethanesulphonic acid; and (iii) 0.8 M sodium chloride in 0.025 M morpholinoethanesulphonic acid. Tubulin was recovered from all columns in an enriched form. However, the elution profile and purity, as judged by [3H]colchicine binding and electrophoresis, varied with the ligand. Hydrophobic gels, such as diethylaminoethyl and aminohexyl, required elution with high-ionic-strength buffers (0.8 M sodium chloride) and significant inhibition of [3H]colchicine activity resulted. This problem was avoided with the hydrophilic ligands such as arginine, polylysine and aminoethyl. Manipulation of elution conditions enabled complete elution of tubulin from arginine-activated gels in 2.5% ammonium sulphate without detectable losses of [3H]colchicine binding activity and with purity comparable to that achieved using diethylaminoethyl Sephacel.     

Isolation of ellagic acid from pomegranate peel extract by hydrophobic interaction chromatography using graphene oxide grafted cotton fiber adsorbent

Ellagic acid, a natural polyphenol, was isolated from pomegranate peel extract by hydrophobic interaction using graphene oxide grafted cotton fiber as a stationary adsorbent. The grafted graphene oxide moieties served as hydrophobic interaction‐binding sites for ellagic acid adsorption. The graphene oxide grafted cotton fiber was made into a membrane‐like sheet in order to complete ellagic acid purification by using a binding–elution mode. The effects of operational parameters, such as the composition of the binding buffer/elution buffer, buffer pH, and buffer concentration, on the isolation process were investigated. It was found that 5 mmol/L sodium carbonate aqueous solution is a proper‐binding buffer, and sodium hydroxide aqueous solution ranging from 0.04 to 0.06 mol/L is a suitable elution solution for ellagic acid purification. Under the optimized condition, the purity of ellagic acid increased significantly from 7.5% in the crude extract to 75.0–80.0%. The pH value was found to be a key parameter that determines the adsorption and desorption of ellagic acid. No organic solvent is involved in the entire purification process. Thus, a simple and environmentally friendly method is established for ellagic acid purification using a graphene oxide‐modified biodegradable and bio‐sourced fibrous adsorbent.     

Two-step recovery process for tryptophan tagged cutinase: interfacing aqueous two-phase extraction and hydrophobic interaction chromatography

In this work, the interfacing of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-phosphate aqueous two-phase system with hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) for primary recovery of an intracellular protein was evaluated. As a model protein, a recombinant cutinase furnished with a tryptophan-proline (WP) peptide tag was used and produced intracellularly in Escherichia coli (E. coli). E. coli cell homogenate was partitioned in a two-phase system and the top phase yield, concentration and purity of the tagged ZZ-cutinase-(WP)4 was evaluated as function of polymer sizes, system pH and phase volume ratio. The partition behaviour of cell debris, total protein and endotoxin was also monitored. In the HIC part, the chromatographic yield and purity was investigated with respect to ligand hydrophobicity, dilution of loaded top phase and elution conditions. Based on the results, a recovery process was demonstrated where a PEG 1500-K-Na phosphate salt aqueous two-phase system was interfaced with a HIC column. The interfacing was facilitated by the Trp-tagged peptide. The tagged ZZ-cutinase-(WP)4 was obtained in a PEG-free phase and purified to >95% purity according to silver stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels with a total yield of 83% during the two-step recovery process.     

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.     

Alpha-lactalbumin tertiary structure changes on hydrophobic interaction chromatography surfaces

Hydrogen exchange (HX) detected by mass spectrometry (MS) was used to analyze the structure of calcium-free alpha-lactalbumin, a model protein with marginal stability. Two chromatographic peaks were observed from samples of pure protein eluted from SOURCE phenyl hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) media. Whole-protein HX measurements showed that the less-retained peak had solvent exposure similar to native protein in the absence of the HIC surface while the retained protein was nearly, although not fully, solvent exposed. The formation of these two peaks was kinetically limited. The protein also refolded successfully following elution. In addition, proteolytic fragmentation was used to analyze HX at the peptide level. This approach revealed that helix C was the most stable region of alpha-lactalbumin under native conditions and in the flow-through peak. Helix C also formed the core of residual native structure in the partially unfolded protein in the retained peak. The results suggest that residues that are most solvent accessible under native conditions may be those most likely to unfold upon adsorption.     

转Bt基因植物表达产物Cry1Ab蛋白的制备纯化方法研究

以转Bt基因水稻为试材,研究其表达产物Cry1Ab蛋白的提取、分离及纯化的方法。实验结果表明,DEAE-纤维素填料对Bt蛋白有较好捕获效果。根据生物信息学方法预测了目标蛋白和主要共存蛋白的等电点和疏水性差异。合理地选择了阴离子交换色谱与疏水作用色谱组合方法。提取液经DEAE-Sephadex A-50柱层析及Phenyl-Sepharose Fast Flow疏水层析分离后,目标蛋白得到了显著的纯化。考察了疏水层析中用不同洗脱液洗脱Cry1Ab蛋白对活性回收率和纯度的影响,结果表明：以0．25mol／L KSCN作洗脱液对活性影响最小,HIC一步纯化倍数可达8倍,总纯化倍数达100倍。     

Applying flexible molecular docking to simulate protein retention behavior in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Interaction between proteins and stationary phase in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is differentiated into two thermodynamic processes involving direct nonbonding/conformation interac- tion and surface hydrophobic effect of proteins, hence quantitatively giving rise to a binary linear rela- tion between HIC retention time (RT) at concentrated salting liquid and ligand-protein binding free en- ergy. Then, possible binding manners for 27 proteins of known crystal structures with hydrophobic ligands are simulated and analyzed via ICM flexible molecular docking and genetic algorithm, with re- sults greatly consistent with experimental values. By investigation, it is confirmed local hydrophobic effects of proteins and nonbinding/conformation interaction between ligand and protein both notably influence HIC chromatogram retention behaviors, mainly focusing on exposed portions on the protein surface.