High level expression and purification of bioactive bovine interleukin-18 using a baculovirus system

Bioactive recombinant bovine interleukin-18 (rboIL-18) was expressed using a baculovirus system. Normally, IL-18 is translated as a precursor form of a 24kDa polypeptide and processed by IL-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) to a mature bioactive form of 18kDa protein. Hence, to express active form IL-18, we constructed two recombinant baculoviruses containing boIL-18 and human ICE (hICE) genes, respectively, and superinfected these viruses into insect cells. Superinfection of both recombinant viruses into the cells resulted in the expression of a 24kDa precursor form and an 18kDa mature form detectable in the supernatant by immunoblotting using anti-porcine IL-18 antibody. Culture supernatant from the superinfected cells showed a synergistic effect with recombinant boIL-12 for production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in bovine peripheral mononuclear cells. By addition of histidine hexamer at the C-terminal of boIL-18, the mature IL-18 was purified. Bioactivity remained after purification.     

猪IL-18基因的原核表达及重组蛋白的纯化

以pcDNA3．1-pIL-18为模板，采用PCR技术扩增到了猪白细胞介素18（IL-18）的成熟蛋白基因，通过KpnⅠ＋SacⅠ双酶切及连接反应，构建了pET32c—pIL—18原核表达质粒。经过限制性内切酶分析、PCR鉴定及DNA序列测定证实，重组质粒中的基因片段连接正确。之后，重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3），于37℃、1．0mmol／L IPTG条件下诱导表达。菌体裂解产物经SDS—PAGE分析，在分子质量约为33ku处出现了预期的目的蛋白。用8mol／L脲对表达产物变性，经Ni^2＋NTA柱纯化，透析复性，得到了纯化的IL-18蛋白。Western—blot分析证实，纯化的重组IL-18蛋白具有反应活性。上述研究结果为重组IL-18的应用奠定了基础。     

羊白细胞介素-18成熟蛋白的酵母表达和生物学活性研究

为了研究重组羊白细胞介素(gIL)-18在酵母系统中的高效表达,进一步阐明该重组蛋白的生物学活性,以含有gIL-18基因的重组质粒为模板进行PCR扩增,构建重组表达质粒pPICZ-gIL-18,转化于毕赤酵母GSll5,以甲醇诱导表达,经sDS-PAGE和western blot分析证实了重组蛋白的表达,分泌的重组gIL-18表达量为100 mg/L.经纯化后用MTT法和MDBK-VSV法检测表达的重组IL-18体外生物活性,利用免疫试验检测了重组蛋白对羊痘疫苗的免疫增强作用.实验结果表明,该蛋白具有诱导MDBK细胞分泌IFN-γ和刺激PBMC增殖的生物学活性,比活性为1.5×105 u/mg.体外具有增强羊痘疫苗的活性.毕赤酵母分泌表达的重组gIL-18具有良好的生物学活性,为gIL-18作为免疫佐剂和免疫治疗剂的大规模应用奠定了基础.     

Bioactivity and secretion of interleukin-18 (IL-18) generated by equine and feline IL-18 expression constructs

Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is a cytokine capable of induction of IFNgamma, granulocyte monocyte-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), TNFalpha and IL-1 in immunocompetent cells. Equine and feline plasmid vectors expressing pro-IL-18, mature IL-18 and IL-18 fused to a synthetic signal sequence from human IL-1beta receptor antagonist protein (ILRAP), ILRAP-IL-18, have been generated. In vitro protein expression of these constructs was compared by Western blot analysis. These data demonstrated that ILRAP-IL-18 protein was secreted readily from transfected chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. A simple bioassay for human IL-18 was recently described using human myelomonocytic KG-1 cells, which produce human IFNgamma in response to human IL-18 in a dose dependent manner (Konishi et al., 1997). We demonstrated bioactivity of equine and feline IL-18 protein in transfection products of CHO cells using this assay. Bioactivity of ILRAP-IL-18 protein was demonstrated in the culture medium of transfected CHO cells. These data imply that the ILRAP-IL-18 construct shows potential for use in vivo, where cell secretion of protein is crucial.     

猪IL-2基因的克隆、序列分析及其杆状病毒表达载体的构建

参照GenBank发表的猪IL-2 cDNA基因序列设计1对引物,将猪脾淋巴细胞在伴刀豆球蛋白A(Con A)的刺激下体外培养27 h后,提取激活淋巴细胞总RNA,进行反转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)扩增,克隆到pGEM-TEasy载体上并测序.测序结果显示,克隆的猪IL-2 cDNA全长为516 bp,开放阅读框(ORF)包含465 bp,编码154个氨基酸,相对分子质量为17 400,等电点为5.27,此cDNA与已报道的猪IL-2同源性为100%.与猫、牛、鸡、犬、鸭、山羊、马、人、家鼠等的IL-2基因进行比较分析,核苷酸同源性分别为83.7%、82.6%、28.2%、80.6%、29.6%、83.4%、81.3%、82.0%和61.5%.将此IL-2基因亚克隆到杆状病毒转移载体pFastBacDual后获得了重组质粒pFBD-IL2,进而转化进含穿梭载体Bacmid的感受态细胞DH10Bac中,发生转座作用;经抗性及蓝白斑筛选得到了含猪IL-2基因的重组DNA,将其命名为Bacmid-IL2.本试验为进一步在昆虫细胞中表达猪IL-2基因、开发研制新型免疫佐剂奠定了基础.     

Production of biologically active, heterodimeric porcine interleukin-12 using a monocistronic baculoviral expression system

A baculoviral expression system for the production of biologically active, heterodimeric interleukin (IL)-12 was developed by utilizing foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) self-cleaving peptide, 2A. Recombinant porcine IL-12 (rpoIL-12) was produced by insect cells after infection with recombinant baculoviruses expressing the gene encoding a fusion protein of p35 and p40 subunits of IL-12 connected with 2A. By reducing and non-reducing SDS-PAGE analyses, it was demonstrated that rpoIL-12 had a heterodimeric structure which was resulted from 2A-dependent cleavage of the precursor fusion protein. In contrast, uncleaved, monomeric rpoIL-12 was produced by infection with baculoviruses expressing the gene lacking the 2A sequence. To assess the biological activities of these recombinants, we performed the proliferation assays of PHA-activated human PBMCs. The heterodimeric rpoIL-12 induced proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the uncleaved rpoIL-12 did not. Moreover, such biological activity was specifically inhibited by addition of anti-IL-12 antibodies or rpoIL-12 p40. These observations suggest that FMDV 2A can exert its self-cleaving activity even in a heterologous system, and that biologically active, heterodimeric rpoIL-12 can be generated by monocistronic expression of the p35/p40 fusion gene in combination with the 2A sequence.     

Cloning and expression of bovine and porcine interleukin-2 in baculovirus and analysis of species cross-reactivity

The cDNAs encoding bovine and porcine interleukin-2 (IL-2) have been expressed using the baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus as a vector in insect cells. Insect cells infected with recombinant viruses secreted bovine and porcine IL-2 into the culture medium, with biological activities for maintaining the proliferation of homologous cells. When the activities of these two IL-2 proteins and commercially available human IL-2 were tested on heterologous cells differences were found. Recombinant bovine (rb)IL-2 only supported the growth of bovine lymphocytes and was not active on human, mouse or porcine lymphocytes. Recombinant porcine (rp)IL-2 and recombinant human (rh)IL-2 supported the proliferation of human, bovine, porcine and murine cells. However, the proliferative response of human lymphocytes to rpIL-2 was only 50% of that seen with rhIL-2. Sequence differences at the predicted p55 and p75 contact binding sites may explain this.     

Expression of a bioactive bovine interleukin-12 using baculovirus

Recombinant baculoviruses that express recombinant bovine interleukin-12 (rboIL-12) subunits, p35 and p40 subunits were constructed. A recombinant virus containing the p40 subunit gene expressed the p40 subunit as a 40kDa monomer and an 80kDa disulfide-linked homodimer in the infected insect cells and in the culture supernatant. The p35 subunit was expressed in a 30kDa monomer in the infected cells but not in the supernatant. Superinfection of both recombinant viruses into the cells in a spinner flask resulted in the formation of a 70kDa disulfide-bonded heterodimer detected in the supernatant by immunoblotting using anti-p40 and anti-p35 subunits antibodies. The superinfected culture supernatant showed induction of IFNgamma mRNA synthesis and IFNgamma production in bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Thus, the bioactive rboIL-12 was produced in large scale using a baculovirus expression system.     

鸡白介素18成熟蛋白的发酵工艺及其对新城疫疫苗的免疫增强作用

为探讨重组鸡白介素18（mChIL-18）毕赤酵母工程菌在5L发酵罐中大规模发酵的工艺及其对新城疫疫苗的免疫增强作用,复苏工程菌GS115/pPIC9K-mChIL-18于YPD培养基,在其D600值达到5.2左右时转入发酵罐中,采用分批补料方式对毕赤酵母工程菌进行高密度发酵。控制和优化各种发酵条件,经历84h结束发酵。将发酵液离心,用6×His镍柱对上清中的表达产物进行纯化,并将纯化后的mChIL-18用脂质体包被后和新城疫疫苗一起对鸡群免疫。结果显示,毕赤酵母工程菌在5L发酵罐采用甲醇诱导补料批式发酵,在pH5.5,溶氧值20%～30%,温度28℃,诱导72h,mChIL-18的表达产量为560mg/L,发酵上清经纯化后纯度可达70%以上;用0.2mL的mChIL-18脂质体能够显著增强机体的免疫力,其中HI抗体效价和淋巴细胞亚群CD4＋、CD8＋含量均显著高于对照组。这表明mChIL-18毕赤酵母工程菌在5L发酵罐高密度发酵成功,并能显著增强新城疫疫苗的免疫效果,为IL-18在生产实践得到更好的应用奠定了基础。     

Synergistic effects of IL-2, IL-12 and IL-18 on cytolytic activity, perforin expression and IFN-gamma production of porcine natural killer cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the main cellular components of the innate immune system. They play an important role in the immune response against infections as well as tumour cells and therefore have two major properties: production of immune regulatory cytokines and chemokines as well as cytolytic destruction of particular target cells. The existence of NK cells in swine is well known as well as the phenotype of resting NK cells, but their response following activation by cytokines is still poorly understood. Therefore, we tested the influence of the immune regulatory cytokines IL-2, IL-12 and IL-18 on cytolytic activity, phenotype, IFN-gamma production and the accumulation of perforin in cytoplasm of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as well as purified NK cells. NK cells were enriched from PBMC using a magnetic cell separation (MACS) strategy with monoclonal antibodies against CD3, CD21 and SWC3, thereby removing T-, B- and myeloid cells. Respective fractions were used in flow cytometry (FCM) based cytolytic assays with the human tumour cell line K562 as target. After stimulation with the cytokines described above, the NK cell enriched CD3(-)CD21(-)SWC3(-) fraction showed an evident increase in the cytolytic activity compared to PBMC. This enhanced cytolytic activity was accompanied by a strong enrichment of IFN-gamma producing cells when a combination of all three cytokines (IL-2/IL-12/IL-18) was used; as determined in ELISPOT assays and intracellular staining of IFN-gamma in FCM. Also, the combination of these three cytokines led to an accumulation of perforin in the cytoplasm and an up-regulation of CD25 compared to control cultures incubated in medium without cytokines. The experiments performed clearly indicate a stimulatory role and strong synergistic effects of the investigated cytokines in the activation of porcine NK cells in vitro, inducing IFN-gamma, perforin production and cytotoxicity against target cells.     

猪IL-21的真核表达及其与CD40L共刺激抗体分泌的活性研究

为研究猪白介素21(IL-21)的生物学功能,本研究在猪IL-21基因(456 bp)的3’端加上猪Ig G Fc标签序列后,将其克隆至真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(-)中,构建重组质粒pcDNA-IL-21-Fc。将该重组质粒转染293T细胞瞬时表达后,利用protein A亲和纯化介质纯化转染上清中的目的蛋白,并检测其纯度与生物学活性。结果显示,构建的重组质粒pcDNA-IL-21-Fc能够在293T细胞中表达相对分子量约为44 ku的猪IL-21融合蛋白;亲和纯化后的猪IL-21融合蛋白能够与CD40L协同呈剂量依懒性地刺激猪外周血淋巴细胞(PBMCs)分泌Ig G。本研究为进一步探究猪IL-21在适应性免疫应答中的作用提供依据。     

PRRSV GP5蛋白在杆状病毒表达系统中的表达

参照包含猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus,PRRSV) VR2332株完整ORF5基因的载体pMD18T-ORF5的核酸序列设计引物,扩增全长的PRRSV ORF5基因片段,同时以SOE-PCR技术扩增缺失信号肽和跨膜区的ORF5核酸片段ORF5NC,分别克隆至Bac-to-Bac杆状病毒表达系统的供体质粒pFastBac-HTA,获得重组转移载体pFastBacHTA-ORF5及截短表达的重组转移载体pFastBacHTA-ORF5NC。将供体质粒分别转化DH10Bac细胞,获得重组穿梭质粒,转染Sf9昆虫细胞,获得重组杆状病毒。SDS-PAGE和Western blot检测结果表明,在Sf9细胞中分别成功表达了全长的GP5重组蛋白和缺失信号肽、跨膜区的截短GP5重组蛋白。2种重组蛋白经纯化后,免疫小鼠制备抗血清,ELISA方法检测免疫GP5全长和截短重组蛋白的小鼠血清中抗体滴度分别为1∶800和1∶1 600,表明重组蛋白具有良好的免疫原性。本试验为进一步分析重组蛋白诱导中和抗体产生的能力以及为PRRSV基因工程亚单位疫苗的研究奠定基础。     

Porcine interleukin-12 fusion protein and interleukin-18 in combination induce interferon-gamma production in porcine natural killer and T cells

A pcDNA3 vector containing a gene encoding a porcine interleukin-12 (poIL-12) fusion protein was constructed, with the p40 chain and its signal peptide positioned first, followed by a linker and the p35 domain. When expressed in COS cells, secreted poIL-12 fusion protein showed high activity in terms of ability to induce interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro. The IFN-gamma production induced by poIL-12 fusion protein, as well as heterodimeric poIL-12 and human IL-12, was markedly dependent on the presence of human IL-18 (huIL-18). Furthermore, huIL-18 showed a dose-dependent induction of IFN-gamma production in PBMC in the presence of a constant concentration of huIL-12. A marked synergism between poIL-12 and IL-18 was consequently observed in poPBMC. The actual IFN-gamma producing cells were identified as probable NK cells (about 30%) and T lymphocytes (about 70%), using flow cytometry. Furthermore, a histidine-tagged poIL-12 fusion protein was expressed in Drosophila melanogaster Schneider 2 cells, using a modified pMT/V5-His vector lacking the V5 epitope. Such poIL-12 fusion protein was easily purified using Ni-NTA agarose and retained high biological activity.     

猪IL-18在酵母中表达及活性检测

以pGEMT/pIL-18为模板,应用PCR法扩增出猪IL-18基因,用EcoR Ⅰ和Xba Ⅰ双酶切后,插入酵母表达载体pPICZαA中,经酶切、PCR扩增及序列测定,成功构建了酵母重组表达载体pPICZ/pIL-18,电击转化毕赤酵母X-33,应用Zeocin筛选获得高拷贝重组转化菌株,甲醇诱导表达,经SDS-PAGE电泳分析重组pIL-18蛋白的表达,并用SephadexG200纯化表达的重组pIL-18蛋白.运用MTT法检测其生物学活性.试验结果表明,重组X-33酵母菌株能够表达分泌性pIL-18,诱导72 h表达量最高,其表达量占总蛋白表达量的38％.而且纯化的重组pIL-18蛋白具有明显促进淋巴细胞增殖的活性.     

Defined system for in vitro production of porcine embryos using a single basic medium

We have previously indicated that porcine blastocysts can be produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and culture (IVC) in chemically defined porcine gamete medium (PGM) and porcine zygote medium (PZM)-5, respectively, In the present study, the effects of basic media and macromolecular components on in vitro maturation (IVM) were investigated to develop a defined system for in vitro embryo production using a single basic medium through IVM, IVF and IVC. Porcine immature oocytes were matured in porcine oocyte medium (POM) or modified North Carolina State University (mNCSU) 37, which were supplemented with either 10% (v/v) porcine follicular fluid (pFF) or 3 mg/ml polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a macromolecular component (designated POM+pFF, POM+PVA, mNCSU37+pFF and mNCSU37+PVA). In the maturation with mNCSU37+PVA, the percentages of oocytes that reached the metaphase II stages were significantly lower than those in the other treatments. Following IVM with the above media, oocytes were treated with an electrical stimulus and cycloheximide for parthenogenetic activation and were cultured in PZM-5 for 5 days. The rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation of parthenogenetic oocytes were significantly lowered for maturation with mNCSU37+PVA compared with the other treatments, while there were no significant differences in the total numbers of cells in blastocysts among the treatments. Following IVF and IVC, the rates of penetration, male pronucleus formation, cleavage and blastocyst formation were significantly lower when oocytes were matured in mNCSU37+PVA than in other maturation media. The normal fertilization rate was significantly higher in POM+PVA compared with the other treatments, although the total number of cells in blastocysts was reduced with the addition of PVA to both POM and mNCSU37 compared with pFF supplementation. These results demonstrate that porcine blastocysts can be produced by the defined system using a single basic medium.     

利用杆状病毒表达系统表达PRV/gE蛋白及间接免疫荧光抗体(IDF)检测方法的建立

为了建立高效灵敏的伪狂犬病病毒(PRV) gE蛋白的间接免疫荧光抗体诊断方法,本研究将PRV/HN/SMX/2012毒株gE蛋白的自身信号肽及胞外域片段克隆到pFastBacHT B载体上,构建重组质粒pFastBacHTB-gE,并转化至大肠杆菌DH10Bac感受态细胞中,经过3次蓝白斑筛选获得含有gE基因的重组杆粒rBacmid-gE。随后,将该杆粒转染至sf9昆虫细胞中,获得重组杆状病毒rAcMNPV-gE。经Western blot和间接免疫荧光实验(IFA)进行鉴定分析,发现重组gE蛋白在sf9细胞中表达。利用该sf9细胞建立检测血清中gE抗体的间接免疫荧光抗体(IDF)方法,通过反应条件的优化发现,将血清和羊抗猪FITC-IgG分别进行1∶40和1∶2 000稀释时所建立的方法能针对血清中gE抗体产生较强的特异性荧光;通过与商业化的ELISA检测gI/gE试剂盒(IDEXX)比较,所建立的检测方法与商业化试剂盒的总符合率为93.18%(164/176),阳性结果符合率93.75%(120/128),阴性结果符合率91.67%(44/48),2种方法存在很强的一致性(Kappa=0.832,CI=95%);-20℃条件下保存2个月的稳定性和重复性良好。     

Molecular cloning of feline interferon-gamma-inducing factor (interleukin-18) and its expression in various tissues

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a cytokine with potent interferon-gamma-inducing activity, and plays an important biologic role in the enhancement of the activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. In this study, feline IL-18 cDNA was cloned and characterized to establish a basis for the prospective cytokine therapy in small animal practice. The nucleotide sequence of feline IL-18 cDNA obtained in this study was 712bp long and contained its entire open reading frame encoding 192 amino acid residues. The predicted amino acid sequence of feline IL-18 cDNA showed 77.2, 84.8, 60.2 and 62.6% similarity with those of human, dog, rat and mouse counterparts, respectively. The feline IL-18 cDNA included a putative cleavage site of IL-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE) and IL-1 signature-like sequences identified in human and mouse IL-18 cDNAs. Expression of IL-18 mRNA was detected in various tissues including spleen, liver and cerebrum in the cat.     

Development of a baculovirus expression system for soluble porcine tumor necrosis factor receptor type I and soluble porcine tumor necrosis factor receptor type I-IgG fusion protein

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a key mediator of inflammatory responses and gram-negative bacterial sepsis, but the role that it plays during Salmonella enterica species bacterial infections in swine has not yet been elucidated. To facilitate studies on the role of TNF-alpha on the pathology associated with Salmonella infections in pigs, recombinant soluble porcine TNF receptor type I (rspTNF-RI) and soluble TNF receptor type I fused to the Fc region of porcine IgG1 (rspTNF-RI-IgG) were expressed in insect cells using a baculovirus expression system. The proteins were secreted into the cell culture media and purified by anti-soluble porcine TNF-RI antibody and protein G affinity chromatography, respectively. The yield of protein using this method was approximately 1.5mg rspTNF-RI and 4mg rspTNF-RI-IgG/L of cell culture medium. In in vitro assays, rspTNF-RI-IgG was approximately 10-fold (0.97 vs. 10.00pmol/ml) more effective than rspTNF-RI at completely inhibiting the cytotoxic activity of 500U of recombinant porcine TNF-alpha on 3 x 10(4) WEHI 164 murine fibrosarcoma, clone 13, cells. Compared to previously described methods, this method yields significantly more biologically active rspTNF-RI.