Efficient Expression and Purification of Recombinant Therapeutic Protein Candidates, Human Midkine and Pleiotrophin

Title:Efficient Expression and Purification of Recombinant Therapeutic Protein Candidates, Human Midkine and Pleiotrophin

Volume: 14 Issue: 8

Author(s): Akira Murasugi

Affiliation:

Keywords: Circular dichroism (CD), Expanded bed adsorption, High cell density culture, Human midkine, Human pleiotrophin, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF-MS), Pichia pastoris, Therapeutic protein.

Abstract: Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor that promotes cell growth, survival, and migration. Externally added midkine prevents ventricular remodeling and improves long-term survival after myocardial infarction in the mouse. Preclinical testing of this protein is in progress. Externally added pleiotrophin, a member of the midkine protein family, promotes functional recovery after neural transplantation in rats. Thus, pleiotrophin is also a candidate therapeutic protein. Large amounts of these proteins were obtained by using the heterologous protein expression system of Pichia pastoris, and the recombinant P. pastoris clones were cultured in a controlled fermentor. Intracellular expression yielded about 300 mg/L recombinant human (rh)-midkine, which was extracted, renatured, and purified. From 1 L of the culture, 64 mg of rh-midkine was purified. Secretory expression induced by the midkine secretion signal resulted in about 100 mg of rhmidkine in 1 L of the culture supernatant, but over 70% of the rh-midkine had yeast-specific glycosylation. Three threonyl residues that are targets for glycosylation were substituted with alanyl residues, and nonglycosylated, active rh-midkine was obtained. In secretory expression using α-mating factor prepro-sequence, about 640 mg/L rh-midkine was obtained, but it was partially truncated. Therefore, a protease-deficient host was used, and about 360 mg/L intact rh-midkine was then obtained. The rh-midkine was recovered and purified, with 70% final yield. All purified rh-midkine, regardless of expression method, was able to promote mammalian cell proliferation. In secretory expression of rh-pleiotrophin using α- mating factor prepro-sequence, 260 mg/L rh-pleiotrophin could be secreted. The rh-pleiotrophin was recovered and efficiently purified with 72% final yield.

Cite this article as:

Murasugi Akira, Efficient Expression and Purification of Recombinant Therapeutic Protein Candidates, Human Midkine and Pleiotrophin, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2013; 14 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389201014666131226114919