PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Omasa

Publications and source records attributed to T Omasa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Flow cytometry: an improved method for the selection of highly productive gene-amplified CHO cells using flow cytometry.

In previous work, we clarified the relationship between the productivity and stability of gene-amplified cells and the location of the amplified gene. The location of the amplified gene enabled us to classify resistant cells into two types. One type of resistant cell group, in which the amplified genes were observed near the telomeric region, was named the "telomere type." The other type of cell group, in which the amplified genes were observed in other chromosomal regions, was named the "other type." The phenotypes of these two types of cells are very different. In this experiment, using a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled methotrexate (F-MTX) reagent with flow cytometry, we were easily able to distinguish between highly productive cells and the other types of cells. The level of fluorescence differed according to the difference in resistance to MTX. Based on this new finding, highly productive gene-amplified cells could be isolated from heterogeneous gene-amplified cell pools more easily than by the method of limiting-dilution assay. The limiting-dilution method requires several months to obtain highly productive gene-amplified cells, while our flow-cytometry-based method of selection requires only a few weeks.

Animals↗

A cDNA from human bone marrow encoding a protein exhibiting homology to the ATP1gamma1/PLM/MAT8 family of transmembrane proteins.

A cDNA clone, IWU-1, was cloned from human bone marrow. Its putative open reading frame encoded a protein of 115 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 12.9 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibited high homology (>68%) to members of the ATP1gamma1/PLM/MAT8 family of single transmembrane proteins, primarily in the region containing the putative transmembrane domain. The sequence at the amino-terminal side exhibited high homology (>61%) to the cytoplasmic region of the angiotensin II type 1 receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Constrained optimization of L-lysine production based on metabolic flux using a mathematical programming method.

Constrained optimization for microbial fermentation was studied. For optimization, we used not the maximum principle but a nonlinear programming method because of the need to consider many metabolic reactions. In the case of L-lysine fermentation, the optimization problem in L-lysine production was formulated as a nonlinear programming problem. In general, the state equations based on material balances are represented as differential equations, but such equations which are dependent on time can not be applied to a nonlinear programming problem. Therefore, the state equations were made discrete in a time base, and a new single vector which is not dependent on time was substituted. From these formulae, the objective function and the constraints using nonlinear programming problem were defined as the amount of L-lysine produced, and as a metabolic reaction model and empirical equations, respectively. Computer program was developed to solve this constrained nonlinear programming problem. The applied algorithm of the computer programming was a sequential quadratic programming method (SQP method). When the constrained nonlinear programming problem is solved using the SQP method, the maximum amount of L-lysine produced and the optimal feeding rate of L-threonine could be calculated. From the calculated results, it was clear that introduction of the equality and inequality constraints was easy. L-Lysine at a concentration up to 75.3 g/l could be produced when the fermentation was carried out under optimal conditions.

Journal Article↗

A kinetic model for a biopanning process considering antigen desorption and effective antigen concentration on a solid phase.

A phage display library is a powerful tool for screening ligands such as antibodies and peptides that specifically recognize a target. In this study, we established a kinetic model describing the affinity selection process of phage display libraries and verified the model experimentally. Desorption of target molecules from a solid phase and orientation of the epitopes of adsorbed target molecules are taken into account in this model. The ratio of the effective antigen density to the total antigen density was estimated to be 0.0127(+/-)0.0018 when bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) adsorbed on polystyrene beads was recognized by an anti-RNase A single-chain Fv phage antibody. The model can faithfully describe the recovery of the phage antibody in a round of biopanning based on the effective concentration of RNase A on the beads, the desorption rate constant of RNase A from the beads, the dissociation constant and dissociation rate constant of the phage antibody from RNase A, and the time for blocking, equilibrium and washing in the biopanning process. A recommended biopanning protocol based on the model is also described.

Journal Article↗

Measurement of association rate constant of antibody-antigen interaction in solution based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

A simple and rapid method based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for measuring the association rate constant of antibody-antigen interactions. An antibody and its antigen are mixed in a solution to initiate the equilibrium reaction. At different time intervals, the amount of the free antibody in the reaction mixture is estimated by an indirect ELISA. The association rate constant was estimated by nonlinear regression against an equation introduced from the derivation of the mass balance of antigen-antibody interaction. This method can determine the association rate constant of antibodies with a dissociation rate constant up to 5 x 10(-3) s(-1). The association rate constant of a single-chain Fv (scFv) to its antigen, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A), determined by the present method agreed well with those determined by the fluorescence polarization method and surface plasmon resonance method. No significant difference in the association rate constant was found between the soluble anti-RNase A scFv and the same scFv displayed on a phage (5.65 +/- 0.54 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 5.96 +/- 0.56 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1), respectively).

Journal Article↗

In vivo estimation of bioartificial liver with recombinant HepG2 cells using pigs with ischemic liver failure.

Biological efficacy of a recombinant human hepatic cell line, glutamine synthetase transfected HepG2 (GS-HepG2), was examined with large-scale culture in a circulatory flow bioreactor and in pigs with ischemic liver failure. GS-HepG2 cells were cultured in a circulatory flow bioreactor from 5 x 10(7) to 4 x 10(9) cells for 109 days. The cells showed ammonia removal activity even under substrate (glutamic acid)-free medium, suggesting that the GS catalyzed the activity using intracellular glutamic acid that had been pooled during conventional culture. When GS-HepG2 bioartificial liver (BAL) was applied to pigs with ischemic liver failure, survival time was prolonged to 18.8 +/- 6.1 h (mean +/- SD, n = 4) from 13.8 +/- 5.4 h (n = 6) and 10.7 +/- 4.1 h (n = 6) (groups treated with cell-free BAL and treated with plasma exchange and continuous hemodiafiltration, respectively). Laboratory data indicated the tendency for improvement in increase of blood ammonia level and decline of blood coagulation indices in the GS-HepG2 BAL-treated group. The advantages and potential for the cell line as a bioreactor in BAL is also discussed, comparing to those of isolated porcine hepatocytes.

Ammonia↗

Efficient production of desulfurizing cells with the aid of expert system.

An expert system was used to achieve the high production of desulfurizing cells of Rhodococcus erythropolis KA 2-5-1. By adding a proper amount of sulfur containing component with the aid of the expert system, we could avoid excess feeding which resulted in the lowering of desulfurizing activity and starvation which caused serious damage to cell growth. In order to determine the addition amount by the expert system, the data of the amount of chemical elements contained in the cells were used as a reference for comparison with the medium components present. Culture experiments were carried out using a 5l jar fermentor with several kinds of media whose components were determined based on the inferred results with the aid of the expert system. We could restrict the amount of the sulfur component addition so that sulfur was a growth-limiting factor; in contrast, the amounts of other elements were sufficient for growth.As a result, the maximum specific production rate of 2-hydroxy biphenyl (2HBP) and the maximum cell concentration were 20mmolkg-drycells(-1)h(-1) and of 45g-drycellsl(-1), respectively. At 100h of cultivation, 1g/l of dibenzothiophene (DBT) was converted to 2HBP within 20h, i.e., 10mmolkg-drycells(-1)h(-1) of specific desulfurization activity, and the specific activity remained stable for a long period in the culture experiment.

Journal Article↗

Increase in desulfurization activity of Rhodococcus erythropolis KA2-5-1 using ethanol feeding.

Rhodococcus erythropolis KA2-5-1 is one of the best strains for the desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) via a sulfur-specific pathway in which DBT is converted to the end product, 2-hydroxybiphenyl, by releasing sulfite via DBT-sulfone and 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl) benzene sulphinate. The objective of this research is to develop a culture method in order to attain a high cell density with a high level of specific desulfurization activity. Compared with glucose or glycerol, ethanol was found to be a preferable carbon source for obtaining a high specific activity (SA) of desulfurization. When the amount of DBT fed was restricted by feeding 2.9 mg-DBT/g-ethanol solution, the maximum SA and final cell concentration were 135.5 (mmol-2HBP/kg-dry cell weight-h) and 37 (g-dry cell weight/l), respectively. On the other hand, when glucose or glycerol was used as a carbon source, the SA was lower than 50 (mM-2HBP/kg-dry cell weight-h) and the final cell concentration was also lower than 27 (g-dry cell weight/l). The activities of the desulfurization enzymes in R. erythropolis KA2-5-1 grown on ethanol were remarkably higher than when the strain was grown on glucose or glycerol. It was also suggested that NADH, which is produced by the biochemical reaction of NAD with ethanol catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase, might contribute to the conversion of FMN to FMNH2, which is a coenzyme for the activities of desulfurization enzymes.

Journal Article↗

Control of antibody-antigen interaction using anion-induced conformational change in antigen peptide.

The binding of a monoclonal antibody to an epitope peptide was controlled by the conformational change of the epitope peptide induced by anions. We synthesized peptides in which the epitope sequence DTYRYI for the monoclonal antibody AU1 is located between amphiphilic peptides (KKLL)n and (LLKK)n. In the absence of an appropriate anion, the peptide was in a random coil state and the epitope was linear. In contrast, in the presence of an appropriate anion, the peptide exhibited an anti-parallel alpha-helical structure and the epitope was subsequently 'bent'. In the presence of 41 microM triphosphate, the association constant between the antibody and the peptide was decreased by one order of magnitude in the case of n = 3 and at least three orders of magnitude in the case of n = 4 or 5. Oligo-DNAs, as anions, dissociated the antibody-peptide complex, whereas triphosphate did not. The DNA concentrations required for 50% dissociation of the antibody-peptide complex at pH 7.5 were 4x10(-8), 1x10(-7) and 6x10(-6) M for decamer, octamer and hexamer DNA, respectively.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

L-Lysine production by exponential feeding of L-threonine.

The effect of L-threonine feeding in the production phase on L-lysine production by Brevibacterium flavum, which requires L-homoserine or L-threonine for cell growth, was investigated considering the concerted inhibition by L-threonine plus L-lysine, and the metabolism related to lysine production. Exponential feeding of L-threonine increased L-lysine production to 70 g/l about three times that without feeding. From the analysis of the metabolic flux, carbon flux of L-lysine synthesis pathway in the production phase after L-threonine feeding was higher than that in the growth phase. The results show that feeding of an inhibitory substance may increase the production, especially when the substance is necessary for the continuation of cell growth and/or production.

Journal Article↗

Fluorescence polarization study of a salt bridge between a single-chain Fv and its antigen ribonuclease A.

The interaction between a single-chain Fv (sFv) of the monoclonal antibody 3A21 and its antigen, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A), was studied by site-directed mutagenesis of the hypervariable regions and fluorescence polarization analysis. The affinity constants of wild-type sFv and a mutant sFv D31A (Asp31 of heavy chain was replaced by Ala) for RNase A were found to be 2.7 x 10(7) and 4.7 x 10(6) M-1 in PBS at pH 7.2 and 37 degrees C, respectively. While the affinity constant of D31A is not affected by NaCl concentration, that of wild-type sFv is almost the same as that of D31A in the presence of more than 1 M NaCl. These results demonstrate that Asp31 of the heavy chain interacts electrostatically with a positively charged amino acid residue of RNase A.

Alanine↗

Structure and function of the recombinant fifth domain of human beta 2-glycoprotein I: effects of specific cleavage between Lys77 and Thr78.

In order to elucidate the mechanism of binding of beta 2-glycoprotein I (beta 2-GPI) to cardiolipin (CL), we constructed a high-level expression system for the C-terminal domain (Domain V) of beta 2-GPI using Pichia pastoris and studied its conformation and liposome-binding activity. Purified Domain V was found to have the native disulfide bonds. It had a compactly folded conformation, judging from the circular dichroism spectrum, and exhibited a cooperative unfolding transition induced by pH or urea. Also, it bound liposomes containing CL. Commercially available human beta 2-GPI is known to be selectively cleaved between Lys 317 and Thr 318. We found that bovine factor Xa weakly but specifically cleaves the corresponding site of recombinant Domain V, i.e., the peptide bond between Lys 77 and Thr 78. The conformation of the "nicked" Domain V, which was cleaved at this site, was examined by circular dichroism and fluorescence measurements, and concluded to be similar to that of the intact protein. The stability of the nicked Domain V to urea was slightly lower than that of the intact protein. Although both Domains V bound to liposomes containing CL, the affinity of the nicked Domain V was greatly reduced in comparison with the intact protein, indicating that the cleavage of the peptide bond between Lys 77 and Thr 78 controls the binding to CL. In addition, analysis of the fluorescence spectra in the presence and absence of CL liposomes indicated that Trp 76 is involved in the binding site. These results suggest that the region including Trp 76, Lys 77, and Thr 78 has a critical role in binding to CL.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Modeling of penicillin G hydrolysis to 6-APA in an immobilized enzyme-ion exchange system.

A composite system of an immobilized enzyme reactor combined with an ion exchange column was employed for hydrolysis of penicillin G to 6-APA with continuous removal of PAA. In this study, a mathematical model of penicillin G hydrolysis to 6-APA in the composite system was developed based on the compartment model, the profile of concentration in the ion exchange column, and the enzyme kinetics in the immobilized enzyme reactor. After checking the simulation values and experimental data, the effects of the resin volume, the flow rate, and the switching time on the time required to reach the desired conversion rate was also examined by computer simulation.

Bacillus megaterium↗

Enhancement effects of BSA and linoleic acid on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production.

The effects of linoleic acid and bovine serum albumin on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production were investigated. In dish cultivation, linoleic acid on its own promoted cell growth when used at concentrations below 50 mg L-1, but strongly inhibited growth at a concentration of 100 mg L-1 on more. However, linoleic acid bound to bovine serum albumin did not inhibit cell growth, even at a concentration as high as 100 mg L-1. Also, linoleic acid did not affect the specific antibody production rate, with or without bovine serum albumin. In order to elucidate the enhancement of antibody production by bovine serum albumin, fractions were prepared by ultrafiltration (98% molecular weight cut-offs, 50,000 and 17,000) and the effects of the fractionation on antibody production were studied in batch cultivation. The high-molecular-weight fraction (> or = 50,000) promoted antibody production whereas the low-molecular-weight fraction (< or = 17,000) inhibited it. In continuous cultivation, the high-molecular-weight fraction was also found to enhance antibody production.

Animals↗

The enhancement of specific antibody production rate in glucose- and glutamine-controlled fed-batch culture.

The concentration effects of certain amino acids (Asp, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Val, Phe and Gln which were highly consumed during cultivation), and glucose on cell growth and antibody productivity were investigated using dish culture. From these experiments, it was found that only glutamine enrichment enhanced the specific antibody production rate. The other amino acids described above did not affect either the specific growth rate or specific antibody production rate. Thus we investigated the quantitative effects of glutamine concentration in the range of 0.4-33.3 mmol.l-1 on kinetic parameters in fed-batch culture which kept both glucose and glutamine concentration constant. As a result the specific growth rate decreased with increase in glutamine concentration in the range larger than 20 mmol.l-1. The specific antibody production rate had a maximum value at about 25 mmol.l-1 glutamine concentration.

Animals↗