Decreased secretion and unfolded protein response up-regulation are correlated with intracellular retention for single-chain antibody variants produced in yeast.
Heterologous protein expression can easily overwhelm a cell's capacity to properly fold protein, initiating the unfolded protein response (UPR), and resulting in a loss of protein expression. In the current model of the UPR, the chaperone BiP modulates the activation of the UPR due to its interactions with the signaling protein Ire1p and newly synthesized proteins. In this research, 4-4-20 scFv variants were generated by rational design to alter BiP binding to newly synthesized scFv proteins or via directed evolution aimed at improved secretion. Interestingly, the predicted BiP binding ability did not correlate significantly with the UPR. However, pulse-chase analysis of scFv fate revealed that mutants with a decreased ER residence time were more highly secreted, indicating that improved protein folding was more likely the cause for improved secretion. In fact, decreased secretion correlated with increased binding by BiP, as determined by co-immune precipitation studies. This suggests that the algorithm is not useful for in vivo prediction of variants, and that in vivo screens are more effective for finding variants with improved properties.
Xu
Ping
P
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
Robinson
Anne Skaja
AS
D000906:Antibodies / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D047468:Immunoprecipitation / Q000379:methods; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011485:Protein Binding; D017510:Protein Folding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012440:Saccharomyces / Q000378:metabolism*
D000906:Antibodies; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C060153:KAR2 protein, yeast; D011994:Recombinant Proteins