title: Scalable production of biliverdin IXα by Escherichia coli.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biliverdin IXα is produced when heme undergoes reductive ring cleavage at the α-methene bridge catalyzed by heme oxygenase. It is subsequently reduced by biliverdin reductase to bilirubin IXα which is a potent endogenous antioxidant. Biliverdin IXα, through interaction with biliverdin reductase, also initiates signaling pathways leading to anti-inflammatory responses and suppression of cellular pro-inflammatory events. The use of biliverdin IXα as a cytoprotective therapeutic has been suggested, but its clinical development and use is currently limited by insufficient quantity, uncertain purity, and derivation from mammalian materials. To address these limitations, methods to produce, recover and purify biliverdin IXα from bacterial cultures of Escherichia coli were investigated and developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recombinant E. coli strains BL21(HO1) and BL21(mHO1) expressing cyanobacterial heme oxygenase gene ho1 and a sequence modified version (mho1) optimized for E. coli expression, respectively, were constructed and shown to produce biliverdin IXα in batch and fed-batch bioreactor cultures. Strain BL21(mHO1) produced roughly twice the amount of biliverdin IXα than did strain BL21(HO1). Lactose either alone or in combination with glycerol supported consistent biliverdin IXα production by strain BL21(mHO1) (up to an average of 23. 5mg L(-1) culture) in fed-batch mode and production by strain BL21 (HO1) in batch-mode was scalable to 100L bioreactor culture volumes. Synthesis of the modified ho1 gene protein product was determined, and identity of the enzyme reaction product as biliverdin IXα was confirmed by spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses and its ability to serve as a substrate for human biliverdin reductase A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methods for the scalable production, recovery, and purification of biliverdin IXα by E. coli were developed based on expression of a cyanobacterial ho1 gene. The purity of the produced biliverdin IXα and its ability to serve as substrate for human biliverdin reductase A suggest its potential as a clinically useful therapeutic.
authors.affiliation: Synthetic Bioproducts Center, 620 North 600 East, Utah State University, North Logan, Utah 84341, USA. jon.takemoto@usu.edu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bommer
authors.forename: Jon Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Takemoto
mesh_terms: D061249:Batch Cell Culture Techniques; D001664:Biliverdine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D019149:Bioreactors; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000235:genetics; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; C019789:biliverdin reductase; D001664:Biliverdine