No abstract

Metabolic flux quantification of cell culture is becoming a crucial means to improve cell growth as well as protein and vector productions. The technique allows rapid determination of cell culture status, thus providing a tool for further feeding improvements. Herein, we report on key results of a metabolic investigation using 293 cells adapted to suspension and serum-free medium (293SF) during growth and infection with an adenoviral vector encoding the green fluorescence protein (GFP). The model developed contains 35 fluxes, which include the main fluxes of glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and amino acids pathways. It requires specific consumption and production rate measurements of amino acids, glucose, lactate, NH(3), and O(2), as well as DNA and total proteins biosynthesis rate measurements. Also, it was found that extracellular protein concentration measurement is important for flux calculation accuracy. With this model, we are able to describe the 293SF cell metabolism, grown under different culture conditions in a 3-L controlled bioreactor for batch and fed-batch with low glucose. The metabolism is also investigated during infection under two different feeding strategies: a fed-batch starting at the end of the growth phase and extending during infection without medium change and a fed-batch after infection following medium renewal. Differences in metabolism are observed between growth and infection, as well as between the different feeding strategies, thus providing a better understanding of the general metabolism.

Human 293S cells, a cell line adapted to suspension culture, were grown to 5 x 10(6) cells/mL in batch with calcium-free DMEM. These cells, infected with new constructions of adenovirus vectors, yielded as much as 10 to 20% recombinant protein with respect to the total cellular protein content. Until recently, high specific productivity of recombinant protein was limited to low cell density infected cultures of no more than 5 x 10(5) cells/mL. In this paper, we show with a model protein, Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1C, how product yield can be maintained at high cell densities of 2 x 10(6) cells/mL by a medium replacement strategy. This allows the production of as much as 90 mg/L of active recombinant protein per culture volume. Analysis of key limiting/inhibiting medium components showed that glucose addition along with pH control can yield the same productivity as a medium replacement strategy at high cell density in calcium-free DMEM. Finally, the above results were reproduced in 3L bioreactor suspension culture thereby establishing the scalability of this expression system. The process we developed is used routinely with the same success for the production of various recombinant proteins and viruses.

Human 293S cells, a cellline adapted to suspension culture, were grown to 5 x 10 6 cells/mL in batch with calcium-free DMEM. These cells, infected with new constructions of adenovirus vectors, yielded as much as 10 to 20% recombinant protein with respect to the total cellular protein content. Until recently, high specific productivity of recombinant protein was Iimited to low cell density infected cultures of no more than 5 xl 0 5 cells/mL. In this paper, we show with a model protein, Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1 C, how high product yield can be maintained at high cell densities of 2 xl 0 6 cells/mL by a medium replacement strategy. This allows the production of as much as 90 mglL of active recombinant protein per culture volume. Analysis of key Iimiting/inhibiting medium components showed that glucose addition along with pH control can yield the same productivity as a medium replacement strategy at high cell density in calcium-free DMEM. Finally, the above results were reproduced in 3L bioreactor suspension culture thereby establishing the scalability of this expression system. The process we developed is used routinely with the same success for the production of various recombinant proteins and viruses.Abbreviations: CFDMEM -calcium-free DMEM; CS -bovine calf serum; hpi -hours post-infection; J+ -enriched Joklik medium; MLP -major late promoter; MOl -multiplicity of infection (# of infectious viral particIe/cell); q -specific consumption rate (mole/cell.h); pfu -plaque forming unit (# of infectious viral particIe); Y -yield (/LgIE6 cells or mole/cell)