Abstract
A host-cell protein impurity found in preparations of recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) was identified. Samples of aFGF examined by western blot analysis employing antiserum raised against an Escherichia coli cell lysate contained an immunoreactive protein with a molecular weight of approximately 26,000. The impurity was chromatographically isolated and the N-terminal sequence was determined. Comparing the sequence to a protein database provisionally identified the isolated impurity as the S3 ribosomal protein of E. coli. Monoclonal antibodies recognizing three separate epitopes of S3 confirmed the identity of the impurity in western blots of aFGF samples. The monoclonal antibodies were also used to estimate S3 levels in various preparations of aFGF.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
T. A. Phillips, V. Vaughn, P. L. Bloch, and F. C. Neidhardt. Gene-protein index of Escherichia coli K-12, Edition 2. In F. C. Neidhardt, J. L. Ingraham, K. B. Low, B. Magasanik, M. Schaechter, and H. E. Umbarger (eds.), Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium—Cellular and Molecular Biology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1987, pp. 919–966.
F. M. Bogdansky. Considerations for the quality control of biotechnology products. Pharm. Technol. 11:72–74 (1987).
D. O. O'Keefe and M. L. Will. Chromatographic analysis of host-cell protein impurities in pharmaceuticals derived from recombinant DNA. In S. Ahuja (ed.), Chromatography of Pharmaceuticals, ACS Symposium Series 512, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1992, pp. 121–134.
V. Anicetti. Improvement and experimental validation of protein impurity immunoassays for recombinant DNA products. In C. Horváth and J. G. Nikelly (eds.), Analytical Biotechnology: Capillary Electrophoresis and Chromatography, ACS Symposium Series 434, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1990, pp. 127–140.
K. A. Thomas. Fibroblast growth factors. FASEB J. 1:434–440 (1987).
T. D. Bjornsson, M. Dryjski, J. Tluczek, R. Mennie, J. Ronan, T. N. Mellin, and K. A. Thomas. Acidic fibroblast growth factor promotes vascular repair. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:8651–8655 (1991).
U. K. Laemmli. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227:680–685 (1970).
H. Towbin, T. Staehelin, and J. Gordon. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: Procedure and some applications. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 76:4350–4354 (1979).
R. K. Tweten and R. J. Collier. Molecular cloning and expression of gene fragments from corynebacteriophage β encoding enzymatically active peptides of diphtheria toxin. J. Bacteriol. 156:680–685 (1983).
W. J. Syu, B. Kahan, and L. Kahan. Epitope mapping of monoclonal antibodies to Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S3. J. Protein Chem. 9:159–167 (1990).
M. S. Blake, K. H. Johnston, G. J. Russell-Jones, and E. C. Gotschlich. A rapid, sensitive method for detection of alkaline phosphatase-conjugated anti-antibody on western blots. Anal. Biochem. 136:175–179 (1984).
K.-J. Pluzek and J. Ramlau. Alkaline phosphatase labeled reagents. In O. J. Bjerrum and N. H. H. Heegaard (eds.), CRC Handbook of Immunoblotting of Proteins, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1988, Vol. 1, pp. 177–188.
P. K. Smith, R. I. Krohn, G. T. Hermanson, A. K. Mallia, F. H. Gartner, M. D. Provenzano, E. K. Fujimoto, N. M. Goeke, B. J. Olson, and D. C. Klenk. Measurement of protein using bicinchoninic acid. Anal. Biochem. 150:76–85 (1985).
B. R. Oakley, D. R. Kirsch, and N. R. Morris. A simplified ultrasensitive silver stain for detecting proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Anal. Biochem. 105:361–363 (1980).
R. L. Garnick, N. J. Solli, and P. A. Papa. The role of quality control in biotechnology: An analytical perspective. Anal. Chem. 60:2546–2557 (1988).
P. Matsudaira. Sequence from picomole quantities of proteins electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. J. Biol. Chem. 262:10035–10038 (1987).
D. Brauer and R. Röming. The primary structure of protein S3 from the small ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli. FEBS Lett. 106:352–357 (1979).
Points to Consider in the Production and Testing of New Drugs and Biologicals Produced by Recombinant DNA Technology. Office of Biologics Research and Review, Center for Drugs and Biologics, Food and Drug Administration, 1985.
R. G. Nielsen and E. C. Rickard. Applications of capillary zone electrophoresis to quality control. In C. Horváth and J. G. Nikelly (eds.), Analytical Biotechnology: Capillary Electrophoresis and Chromatography, ACS Symposium Series 434, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1990, pp. 36–49.
V. Mandiyan, S. J. Tumminia, J. S. Wall, J. F. Hainfeld, and M. Boublik. Assembly of the Escherichia coli 30S ribosomal subunit reveals protein-dependent folding of the 16S rRNA domains. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 88:8174–8178 (1991).
H. F. Noller and M. Nomura. Ribosomes. In F. C. Neidhardt, J. L. Ingraham, K. B. Low, B. Magasanik, M. Schaechter, and H. E. Umbarger (eds.), Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium—Cellular and Molecular Biology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1987, pp. 104–125.
R. C. Bruckner and M. M. Cox. The histone-like H protein of Escherichia coli is ribosomal protein S3. Nucleic Acids Res. 17:3145–3161 (1989).
R. P. Gooding and A. F. Bristow. Detection of host-derived contaminants in products of recombinant DNA technology in E. coli: A comparison of silver-staining and immunoblotting. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 37:781–786 (1985).
H. Bremer and P. P. Dennis. Modulation of chemical composition and other parameters of the cell by growth rate. In F. C. Neidhardt, J. L. Ingraham, K. B. Low, B. Magasanik, M. Schaechter, and H. E. Umbarger (eds.), Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium—Cellular and Molecular Biology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1987, pp. 1527–1542.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
O'Keefe, D.O., DePhillips, P. & Will, M.L. Identification of an Escherichia coli Protein Impurity in Preparations of a Recombinant Pharmaceutical. Pharm Res 10, 975–979 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018950319965
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018950319965