Abstract
A strain of embryonic human kidney cells (HEK293) was transiently co-transfected with the expression vectors coding for the α- and β-subunits of human thyroid-stimulating hormone (hTSH), and, for the first time, a human cell-derived recombinant hTSH was synthesized and extensively characterized. The purification strategy involving two steps provided an overall yield of 55% and a purity level > 90%. The purified material (hTSH-HEK) was analyzed and compared to a CHO-derived recombinant preparation (hTSH-CHO) and to a pituitary-derived (hTSH-Pit) preparation. The three preparations showed an equivalent purity (> 95%) with a hTSH-HEK molecular mass 2.1% lower than that of hTSH-CHO and 2.7% higher than that of hTSH-Pit. Remarkable differences were found in the carbohydrate moiety, the lowest sialic acid content and highest fucose content being observed in hTSH-HEK. In vivo biological activity was confirmed for the three preparations, the hTSH-HEK bioactivity being 39 and 16% lower than those of hTSH-CHO and hTSH-Pit, respectively. The hTSH-HEK circulatory half-life (t 1/2) was also shorter than those of hTSH-CHO (1.5-fold) and hTSH-Pit (1.2-fold). According to these findings, HEK-293-derived hTSH can be considered to be useful for clinical applications, in view as well of its human origin and particular carbohydrate composition.
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This work was supported by the FAPESP, São Paulo, Brazil (Project 15/26058-0), and by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq), Brasilia, Brazil (PQ 305756/2014-1).
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Sant’Ana, P.M., Oliveira, J.E., Lima, E.R. et al. Human thyroid-stimulating hormone synthesis in human embryonic kidney cells and related N-glycoprofiling analysis for carbohydrate composition determination. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 102, 1215–1228 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8684-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8684-8