Protein aggregation is a common issue encountered during manufacture of biotherapeutics. It is possible to infl uence the amount of aggregate produced during the cell culture and purifi cation process by carefully controlling the environment (eg, media components) and implementing appropriate strategies to minimize the extent of aggregation. Steps to remove aggregates have been successfully used at a manufacturing scale. Care should be taken when developing a process to monitor the compatibility of the equipment and process with the protein to ensure that potential aggregation is minimized.

No abstract

Occludin is an integral membrane protein that has been suggested to play a role in the organization and dynamic function of the epithelial tight junction (TJ). A number of other proteins have also been described to localize to the TJ. We have used a novel bait peptide method to investigate potential protein-protein interactions of the putative coiled-coil domain of occludin with some of these other TJ proteins. A 27-amino acid peptide of the human occludin sequence was synthesized, biotinylated at the N terminus, and modified to contain a photoactive moiety at either its hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface. These bait peptides were ␣-helical in solution, characteristic of coiled-coil structures. Photoactivation studies in the presence and absence of control peptides were used to assess the potential interactions in polarized sheets of a human intestinal cell line T84. Although a large number of proteins associated with the TJ or that are known to be involved in regulatory events of epithelial cells failed to be specifically labeled, occludin itself, ZO-1, protein kinase C-, c-Yes, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and the gap junction component connexin 26 were specifically labeled. Our data demonstrate the potential of one specific domain of occludin, contained within 27 amino acids, to coordinate the binding of proteins that have been previously suggested to modulate TJ structure and function.Over the last decade a number of proteins have been identified that localize to the tight junction (TJ) 1 structures of epithelial cells. Possible functional interactions between these proteins have been described (reviewed in Ref. 1). Critical extracellular interactions in TJs have been attributed to two transmembrane proteins, claudin(s) and occludin (2). Although it has been suggested that claudins recruit occludin to TJ sites (3), several recent studies have suggested instead that occludin dynamically regulates claudin-based TJ strands. Transfection of occludin mutants lacking either the intracellular (4) or extracellular (5) domains induces disruption of epithelial barrier properties. In addition, TJ barrier function is also influenced by incubation with peptides containing the two extracellular loop amino acid sequences (6 -8). As yet, analogous studies have not been described for claudin(s). Finally, disruption of TJ function mediated by the constitutive activation of Raf-1 is associated with down-regulation of occludin and claudin-1 expression, an effect that can be reversed by the reintroduction of occludin expression that in turn restores claudin-1 protein levels (9).Human occludin is approximately 65 kDa with what appears to be a 65-amino acid cytosolic N terminus, two extracellular loops of 46 and 48 amino acids separated by a 10-amino acid cytosolic loop, and a C-terminal tail of approximately 255 amino acids (10). Both the N-and C-terminal domains have a large number of serine and threonine residues, and the functionally active form of the protein localizing to the TJ appears to be hype...

No abstract

The recombinant humanized antibody (rhuMAb) VEGF has a high affinity for vascular endothelial growth factor and is currently being evaluated in clinical trials as a cancer therapeutic. Under acidic pH and low ionic strength conditions, the antibody was predominantly present as monomer. Under physiological conditions, the appearance of significant amounts of a noncovalent, reversible dimer were observed by size-exclusion chromatography. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the reversible self-association for rhuMAb VEGF monomer were investigated as a function of pH, temperature, and ionic strength by size-exclusion chromatography using the concentration jump method. The rate constant for dimer formation ranged 23-112 M(-)(1) min(-)(1) under the conditions studied, values that are significantly lower than those reported in the literature for other proteins that self-associate. The rate constant for dissociation ranged 0.0039-0.021 min(-)(1). Gibbs' free energies, enthalpies, entropies, and activation energies were determined and revealed that dimer formation is optimal at pH 7.5-8.0, which may be reflective of charge shielding occurring near the pI of the protein. There was a negative change in entropy for dissociation (values from -18.1 to -12.8 cal/mol K). In the presence of D(2)O or 1 M NaCl, dimerization was enhanced. The results of the kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of this study indicate that rhuMAb VEGF dimerization occurs primarily through hydrophobic interactions.