Sabine Kluge

Virus-host cell interactions in vaccine production cell lines infected with different human influenza A virus variants: A proteomic approach

A proteomic approach was used to investigate the dynamic cellular host cell response induced by influenza virus infection in two different vaccine production cell lines, MDCK and Vero. For identification of proteins possibly involved in global host cell response mechanisms and virus-host cell interactions in these producer cell lines, quantitative 2-D DIGE and nanoHPLC-nanoESI-MS/MS analysis were performed. In particular, host cell proteome alterations caused by infection with influenza virus variants showing differences in replication characteristics in MDCK cells were compared. Moreover, the host cell response to virus infection in Vero cells with respect to their deficiency in interferon (IFN) production and the need for virus adaptation to optimize productivity of this cell line were analyzed. Several proteins with differential abundance profiles were identified and Western blot analysis was performed for further confirmation of selected proteins. IFN-induced signal transduction, cytoskeleton remodeling, vesicle transport and proteolysis were the principal pathways that changed in infected MDCK cells. In Vero cells alterations of cell interactions, heat shock and oxidative stress response were detected. The findings will improve understanding of host cell response mechanisms during influenza vaccine production and viral strategies to evade these responses and to replicate efficiently in different cell lines.

Proteomic tracking and analysis of a bacterial mixed culture

To improve the understanding of microbial behaviors in communities, proteomic tracking, an approach for relative quantification of species‐specific population dynamics of mixed cultures, was developed. Therefore, a bacterial mixed culture was analyzed during batch cultivations with and without addition of the antibiotic Ceftazidime. The community was composed of Burkholderia cepacia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, pathogens causing infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Gel‐based proteomics and mass spectrometry were used to obtain qualitative and quantitative proteomic data. During cultivation, P. aeruginosa became dominant within the mixed culture while S. aureus was inhibited in growth. Analysis of samples – taken along cultivation – revealed about 270 differentially expressed proteins. Some of those proteins are related to bacterial interactions, response to antibiotic treatment or metabolic shifts. For instance, the enzymes PhzS(flavin‐containing monooxygenase), PhzD (phenazine biosynthesis protein), and PhzG2 (pyridoxamine 5′‐phosphate oxidase) indicated the production of the antibiotic pigment pyocyanine by P. aeruginosa that is related to oxidative stress and therefore, might inhibit growth of S. aureus. Overall, the strategy applied not only allows species‐specific tracking of the community composition but also provides valuable insights into the behavior of mixed cultures.

Monitoring changes in proteome during stepwise adaptation of a MDCK cell line from adherence to growth in suspension

Adaptation of continuous cell lines to growth in suspension in a chemically defined medium has significant advantages for design and optimization in manufacturing of biologicals. In this work, changes in the protein expression level during a step-wise adaptation of an adherent Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line to suspension growth were analyzed. Therefore, three cell line adaptations were performed independently. Two adaptations were monitored closely to characterize short term changes in protein expression levels after serum deprivation. In addition, initial stages of suspension growth were analyzed for both adaptations. The third adaptation involved MDCK suspension cells (MDCKSUS2) grown over an extended time period to achieve robust growth characteristics. Here, cells of the final stage of adaptation were compared with their parental cell line (MDCKADH). A combination of two dimensional differential gel electrophoresis for relative protein quantification and tandem mass spectrometry for protein identification enabled insights into cellular physiology. The two closely monitored cell line adaptations followed different routes regarding specific changes in protein expression but resulted in similar proteome profiles at the initial stages of suspension growth analyzed. Compared to the MDCKADH cells more than 90% of all changes in the protein expression level were identified after serum deprivation and were related to cytoskeletal structure, genetic information processing and cellular metabolism. Myosin proteins, involved in cellular detachment by actin-myosin contractile mechanisms were also differentially expressed. Interestingly, for both of the two adaptations, proteins linked for tumorigenicity, like lactoylglutathione lyase and sulfotransferase 1A1 were differentially expressed. In contrast, none of these proteins were differentially expressed for the MDCKSUS2 cell line. Overall, proteomic monitoring allowed identification of key proteins involved in adaptation from adherent to suspension growth. In addition, identified proteins related to tumorigenicity may represent markers to support cell clone selection at early stages of industrial cell line development.

Metaproteomics Applied to Activated Sludge for Industrial Wastewater Treatment Revealed a Dominant Methylotrophic Metabolism of Hyphomicrobium zavarzinii.

In biological wastewater treatments, microbial populations of the so-called activated sludge work together in the abatement of pollutants. In this work, the metabolic behavior of the biomass of a lab-scale plant treating industrial pharmaceutical wastewater was investigated through a metaproteomic approach. The complete treatment process included a membrane biological reactor (MBR) coupled with an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for partial breakdown of non-biodegradable molecules. Proteins from biomass samples collected pre- and post-AOP application were investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), mass spectrometry (MS), and finally identified by database search. Results showed that most proteins remained constant between pre- and post-AOP. Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) belonging to Hyphomicrobium zavarzinii appeared as the most constantly expressed protein in the studied consortium. Other identified proteins belonging to Hyphomicrobium spp. revealed a predominant methylotrophic metabolism, and H. zavarzinii appeared as a key actor in the studied microbial community.

Ezrin and HNRNP expression correlate with increased virus release rate and early onset of virus-induced apoptosis of MDCK suspension cells.

With the aim to adapt high-yield adherent cell lines to suspension growth, Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) suspension cells were developed recently that achieved comparable influenza virus yields despite an early induction of apoptosis compared to the parental adherent cell line. For both cell lines, a comprehensive study under comparable infection conditions is performed comprising information on: time course of viral infection, antiviral state of cells, virus-induced apoptosis, and virus-induced cellular protein expression for early and late infection with influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 H1N1. The proteomic analysis is performed with 2D differential gel electrophoreses followed by mass spectrometry. Based on flow cytometric data and on the differential expression of various stress and apoptosis-related proteins, the earlier onset of virus-induced apoptosis is confirmed for suspension cells. Surprisingly, the data indicated an increased virus release rate for suspension cells. These observations correlate with an increased expression of the apical marker protein ezrin, known to play a role in influenza-induced cytoskeletal rearrangement, and the differential expression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, known to bind actively influenza viral proteins and play a central role in regulating gene expression. Based on these findings, additional studies towards the design of MDCK suspension cells with further increase in influenza virus yields will be performed.