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Substitution of glutamine by glutamate enhances production and galactosylation of recombinant IgG in Chinese hamster ovary cells

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Abstract

The effect of ammonia on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell growth and galactosylation of recombinant immunoglobulin (rIgG) was investigated using shaking flasks with serum free media containing 0–15 mM NH4Cl. The elevated ammonia inhibited cell growth and negatively affected the galactosylation of rIgG. At 15 mM NH4Cl, the proportions of monogalactosylated glycan with fucosex (monogalactosylated glycan with fucose) and digalactosylated glycan with fucose (G2F) were 23.9% and 6.3% lower than those at 0 mM NH4Cl, respectively. To reduce ammonia formation by cells, glutamate was examined as a substitute for glutamine. The use of glutamate reduced the accumulation of ammonia and enhanced the production of rIgG while depressing cell growth. At 6 mM glutamate, ammonia level did not exceed 2 mM, which is only one third of that at 6 mM glutamine. Also, a 1.7-fold increase in the titer of rIgG and specific rIgG productivity, q rIgG, was achieved at 6 mM glutamate. The galactosylation of rIgG was favorable at 6 mM glutamate. The proportion of galactosylated glycans, G1F and G2F, at 6 mM glutamate was 59.8%, but it was 50.4% at 6 mM glutamine. The use of glutamate also increased complement-dependent cytotoxicity activity, one of the effector functions of rIgG. Taken together, substitution of glutamine by glutamate can be considered relevant for the production of rIgG in CHO cells since glutamate not only enhances q rIgG but also generates a higher galactosylation essential for the effector function of rIgG.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jin Sook Lee for her assistance with the CDC assay of rIgG.

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Correspondence to Sung Kwan Yoon.

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Hong, J.K., Cho, S.M. & Yoon, S.K. Substitution of glutamine by glutamate enhances production and galactosylation of recombinant IgG in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 88, 869–876 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2790-1

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