PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G A Monteiro

Publications and source records attributed to G A Monteiro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Optimization of the primary recovery of human interferon alpha2b from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies.

The human interferon alpha2b (hu-IFNalpha2b) gene was cloned in Escherichia coli JM109(DE3) and the recombinant protein was expressed as cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IB). The present work discusses the recovery of hu-IFNalpha2b IB from the E. coli cells. An optimized protocol is proposed based on the sequential evaluation of recovery steps and parameters: (i) cell disruption, (ii) IB recovery and separation from cell debris, (iii) IB washing, and (iv) IB solubilization. Parameters such as hu-IFNalpha2b purity and recovery yield were measured after each step. The optimized recovery protocol yielded 60% of hu-IFNalpha2b with a purity of up to 80%. The protein was renatured at high concentration after recovery and it was found to display biological activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Recombinant protein secretion in Escherichia coli.

The secretory production of recombinant proteins by the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli has several advantages over intracellular production as inclusion bodies. In most cases, targeting protein to the periplasmic space or to the culture medium facilitates downstream processing, folding, and in vivo stability, enabling the production of soluble and biologically active proteins at a reduced process cost. This review presents several strategies that can be used for recombinant protein secretion in E. coli and discusses their advantages and limitations depending on the characteristics of the target protein to be produced.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of bottlenecks in proinsulin secretion by Escherichia coli.

This work evaluates three potential bottlenecks in recombinant human proinsulin secretion by Escherichia coli: protein stability, secretion capacity and the effect of molecular size on secretion efficiency. A maximum secretion level of 7.2 mg g(-1) dry cell weight was obtained in the periplasm of E. coli JM109(DE3) host cells. This value probably represents an upper limit in the transport capacity of E. coli cells secreting ZZ-proinsulin and similar proteins with the protein A signal peptide. A selective deletion study was performed in the fusion partner and no effect of the molecular size (17-24 kDa) was detected on secretion efficiency. The protective effect against proteolysis provided by the ZZ domain was thoroughly demonstrated in the periplasm of E. coli and it was also shown that a single Z domain is able to provide the same protection level without compromising the downstream processing. The use of this shorter fusion partner enables a 1.6-fold increase in the recovery of the target protein after cleavage of the affinity handle.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Translational features of human alpha 2b interferon production in Escherichia coli.

The yield of human alpha 2b interferon in Escherichia coli was optimized by replacement of low-usage arginine codons located in the mRNA 5' end. The differences observed among the various gene variants suggest that codon usage, Shine-Dalgarno-like sequences, and mRNA secondary structure contribute to the performance of E. coli translation machinery.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Medium and copy number effects on the secretion of human proinsulin in Escherichia coli using the universal stress promoters uspA and uspB.

The use of the uspA and uspB promoters (universal stress promoters) for heterologous protein production in Escherichia coli is described. Best results were obtained with a moderate copy number vector (15-60 copies) bearing the uspA promoter, reaching 4.6 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW) of ZZ-proinsulin secreted to the periplasm and 1.9 mg/g DCW secreted to the culture medium. These values are about 1.7-fold higher than those previously reported with the same ZZ fusion tag and the SpA leader peptide showing that these stress promoters are potentially valuable for recombinant protein secretion in E. coli. It is further demonstrated that the use of M9 minimal medium is advantageous for protein secretion as compared to LB rich medium.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2002

Isolation of plasmid DNA from cell lysates by aqueous two-phase systems.

This work presents a study of the partitioning of a plasmid vector containing the cystic fibrosis gene in polyethylene glycol (PEG)/salt (K2HPO4) aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS). The plasmid was extracted from neutralized alkaline lysates using PEG with molecular weights varying from 200 to 8000. The effects of the lysate mass loaded to the ATPS (20, 40, and 60% w/w) and of the plasmid concentration in the lysate were evaluated. The performance of the process was determined by qualitative and quantitative assays, carefully established to overcome the strong interference of impurities (protein, genomic DNA, RNA), salt, and PEG. Plasmid DNA partitioned to the top phase when PEG molecular weight was lower than 400. The bottom phase was preferred when higher PEG molecular weights were used. Aqueous two-phase systems with PEG 300, 600, and 1000 were chosen for further studies on the basis of plasmid and RNA agarose gel analysis and protein quantitation. The recovery yields were found to be proportional to the plasmid concentration in the lysate. The best yields (>67%) were obtained with PEG 1000. These systems (with 40 and 60% w/w of lysate load) were able to separate the plasmid from proteins and genomic DNA, but copartitioning of RNA with the plasmid was observed. Aqueous two-phase systems with PEG 300 concentrated both plasmid and proteins in the top phase. The best system for plasmid purification used PEG 600 with a 40% (w/w) lysate load. In this system, RNA was found mostly in the interphase, proteins were not detected in the plasmid bottom phase and genomic DNA was reduced 7.5-fold.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed2001

Purification of plasmids for gene therapy and DNA vaccination.

This chapter covers the different aspects of the production and purification of plasmids for gene therapy and DNA vaccination. Process issues are extensively covered and complemented with information related to plasmid DNA structure, vector construction, product specifications and quality assurance and control.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A quantitative ELISA for monitoring the secretion of ZZ-fusion proteins using SpA domain as immunodetection reporter system.

A sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established for monitoring the secretion of ZZ-fusion proteins. Two antibodies, a monoclonal mouse anti-human proinsulin and a rabbit anti-bovine IgG (strongly binding to the ZZ-domain), were used to quantify the secretion of recombinant human ZZ-proinsulin to the growth medium of Escherichia coli cultures. The method here reported conjugates the advantages of sandwich-type ELISA assays, namely, high sensitivity, specificity, and throughput, with the possibility of quantifying small protein molecules (e.g., peptides). A further advantage of gene fusion techniques integrating both downstream processing and product detection and quantitation is highlighted. The method is capable of detecting levels of 0.05 ng of ZZ-proinsulin.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Purification of a cystic fibrosis plasmid vector for gene therapy using hydrophobic interaction chromatography.

The success and validity of gene therapy and DNA vaccination in in vivo experiments and human clinical trials depend on the ability to produce large amounts of plasmid DNA according to defined specifications. A new method is described for the purification of a cystic fibrosis plasmid vector (pCF1-CFTR) of clinical grade, which includes an ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) using a Sepharose gel derivatized with 1,4-butanediol-diglycidylether. The use of HIC took advantage of the more hydrophobic character of single-stranded nucleic acid impurities as compared with double-stranded plasmid DNA. RNA, denatured genomic and plasmid DNAs, with large stretches of single strands, and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that are more hydrophobic than supercoiled plasmid, were retained and separated from nonbinding plasmid DNA in a 14-cm HIC column. Anion-exchange HPLC analysis proved that >70% of the loaded plasmid was recovered after HIC. RNA and denatured plasmid in the final plasmid preparation were undetectable by agarose electrophoresis. Other impurities, such as host genomic DNA and LPS, were reduced to residual values with the HIC column (<6 ng/microg pDNA and 0.048 EU/microg pDNA, respectively). The total reduction in LPS load in the combined ammonium acetate precipitation and HIC was 400,000-fold. Host proteins were not detected in the final preparation by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay and sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with silver staining. Plasmid identity was confirmed by restriction analysis and biological activity by transformation experiments. The process presented constitutes an advance over existing methodologies, is scaleable, and meets quality standards because it does not require the use of additives that usually pose a challenge to validation and raise regulatory concerns.

Chromatography↗
PubMed2000

Downstream processing of plasmid DNA for gene therapy and DNA vaccine applications.

Interest in producing large quantities of supercoiled plasmid DNA has recently increased as a result of the rapid evolution of gene therapy and DNA vaccines. Owing to the commercial interest in these approaches, the development of production and purification strategies for gene-therapy vectors has been performed in pharmaceutical companies within a confidential environment. Consequently, the information on large-scale plasmid purification is scarce and usually not available to the scientific community. This article reviews downstream operations for the large-scale purification of plasmid DNA, describing their principles and the strategy used to attain a final product that meets specifications.

3' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed1999

Large-scale production of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid DNA for gene therapy: problems and bottlenecks.

Gene therapy is a promising process for the prevention, treatment and cure of diseases such as cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cystic fibrosis. One of the methods used to administer therapeutic genes is the direct injection of naked or lipid-coated plasmid DNA, but this requires considerable amounts of plasmid DNA. There are several problems and bottlenecks associated with the design and operation of large-scale processes for the production of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid DNA for gene therapy.

Biopharmaceutics↗
PubMed1999

Troubleshooting in gene splicing by overlap extension: a step-wise method.

A step-wise method for cloning intron-containing genes from genomic DNA is described. The two exons of the human proinsulin gene were separately amplified in two steps using, in the first step, completely homologous primers. This reduces unwanted interactions between mismatched primers and a complex DNA template such as genomic DNA. The fragments were amplified in a second step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using mismatched primers that incorporated additional bases complementary to the other exon, and these products were spliced together in a third step PCR.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1999

Analysis and use of endogenous nuclease activities in Escherichia coli lysates during the primary isolation of plasmids for gene therapy.

Two important issues in the downstream processing of plasmids for gene therapy are the stability of plasmids in the process streams, and the presence of contaminating host RNA. Results with a 4.8-kb plasmid harbored in a non-nuclease-deficient strain of Escherichia coli show that, in spite of the harsh conditions during alkaline lysis, a fraction of endogenous nucleases remains active, degrading both RNA and genomic and plasmid DNA. Although it is possible to minimize plasmid degradation by decreasing temperature and reducing processing times, the presence of endogenous nucleases can be used advantageously to purify the plasmid streams. The kinetics of nucleic acid degradation showed that, by controlling the incubation at 37 degrees C, it was possible to degrade RNA selectively, while maintaining plasmid integrity. A reduction of 40% in RNA content was obtained, corresponding to a 1.5-fold increase in plasmid purity using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This strategy is simple and straightforward, and the increase in processing time and the associated plasmid loss (9%) are fully justified by the purity increase. Furthermore, the use of endogenous RNase activity is clearly advantageous over alternative procedures, such as the addition of external RNase, in terms of cost, validation, and compliance with guidelines from regulatory agencies.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed1998

In vivo activation of yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase by ethanol: effect on the kinetic parameters and involvement of the carboxyl-terminus regulatory domain.

The in vivo activation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae plasma membrane H+-ATPase by ethanol was observed during ethanol-stressed cultivation or following the rapid incubation of cells with ethanol (6% (v/v)). Ethanol activated both the basal and the glucose-activated forms of the enzyme being the H+-ATPase fully activated by glucose (5% (w/v)) still additionally activable by ethanol. The kinetic parameters of ethanol-activated and non-activated H+-ATPase were calculated based directly on Michaëlis-Menten equation (with MgATP concentrations in the range 0. 16-8.18 mM and 7.5 mM of free Mg2+); the rectangular hyperbolic function was solved using iterative procedures. Ethanol-induced stimulation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity was associated to the increase of Vmax whereas the Km for MgATP increased. Results obtained with mutants constructed and used in previous studies envisaging the analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying plasma membrane ATPase activation by glucose, external acidification and nitrogen starvation, suggested that the carboxyl-terminus (C-terminus) regulatory domain may also be involved in the in vivo activation by ethanol.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1994

The in vivo activation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase by ethanol depends on the expression of the PMA1 gene, but not of the PMA2 gene.

The expression of the PMA1 and PMA2 genes during Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth in medium with glucose plus increasing concentrations of ethanol was monitored by using PMA1-lacZ and PMA2-lacZ fusions and Northern blot hybridizations of total RNA probed with PMA1 gene. The presence of sub-lethal concentrations of ethanol enhanced the expression of PMA2 whereas it reduced the expression of PMA1. The inhibition of PMA1 expression by ethanol corresponded to a decrease in the content of plasma membrane ATPase as quantified by immunoassays. Although an apparent correspondence could exist between the increase of plasma membrane ATPase activity and the level of PMA2 expression, the maximal level of PMA2 expression remained about 200 times lower than PMA1. On the other hand, ethanol activated the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity from a strain expressing only the PMA1 ATPase but did not activate that from a strain expressing only the PMA2 ATPase. These results provide evidence that in the presence of ethanol it is the PMA1 ATPase which is activated, probably by a post-translational mechanism and that the PMA2 ATPase is not involved.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1991

Conjugal transfer of recombinant plasmids into gellan gum-producing and non-producing variants of Pseudomonas elodea ATCC 31461.

The conjugal transfer of recombinant plasmids into a gellan gum-producing, rifampicin-resistant strain of Pseudomonas elodea and into one of its non-producing variants, was studied in order to facilitate the cloning of gellan genes. The mobilization frequency of recombinant plasmids derived from pKT240, and of cosmid pJRD215 from Escherichia coli HB101 (hsdM), into the mucoid strain was below the values for the non-mucoid variant and decreased exponentially with plasmid size. Reducing the mating time on solid surfaces led to higher mobilization frequencies. Under optimal conditions, a gene bank (40-50 kb) constructed in the cosmid pJRD215 was efficiently mobilized into Gel- mutants during complementation experiments.

Cloning, Molecular↗