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Conserved microRNA function as a basis for Chinese hamster ovary cell engineering

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Abstract

The use of microRNAs (miRNAs) for improving the efficiency of recombinant protein production by CHO cells is gaining considerable interest for their ability to regulate entire molecular networks. Differential miRNA expression profiling and large-scale transient screening have been the prerequisite for the selection of miRNA candidates for stable manipulation, reported in CHO cells expressing a range of recombinant products. We selected a potent and well characterised tumour suppressor miRNA, miR-34a, as a high priority candidate for CHO cell engineering based on the conservation of both its sequence and function across species and cell type. Ectopic expression of miR-34a retained its functional conservation in CHO-SEAP cells by inhibiting growth by 90 % in addition to decreasing the viable cell population by 30 % when compared to controls. When the miR-34 family was stably depleted using a miRNA sponge decoy vector, the overall product yield was enhanced by ~2-fold in both fed-batch and small scale clonal batch cultures, despite having a negative impact on cell growth. These findings further strengthen the utility of miRNAs as engineering tools to modify and improve CHO cell performance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by finding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Grant number 07/IN.1/B1323.

Supporting information

Supplementary Fig. 1—GFP expression was determined for a panel of 24 clones derived from stable CHO-K1-SEAP cells expressing either a negative control sponge (miR-NC spg) or a miR-34 sponge (miR-34 spg) using the Guava ExpressPlus programme. Each bar denotes the GFP intensity of every individual clones while the broken red line represents the average GFP intensity across the entire clonal panel.

Supplementary Table 1—Primer sequences for semi-quantitative and qRT-PCR

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland

    Paul S. Kelly, Clair Gallagher, Martin Clynes & Niall Barron

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  1. Paul S. Kelly
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  2. Clair Gallagher
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  3. Martin Clynes
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  4. Niall Barron
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Correspondence to Paul S. Kelly.

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Kelly, P.S., Gallagher, C., Clynes, M. et al. Conserved microRNA function as a basis for Chinese hamster ovary cell engineering. Biotechnol Lett 37, 787–798 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-014-1751-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-014-1751-7

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