Volume 52 (4): 469-477, 2004 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Production of Cell Lines Secreting TAT Fusion Proteins
Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology and Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York (TB); Department of Cell Biology and Anatomical Sciences, City University of New York Medical School, New York, New York (ESG); and Brookdale Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York (SCH) Correspondence to: Tibor Barka, MD, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Box 1007, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029. E-mail: Tibor.Barka{at}mssm.edu
Transduction of proteins and other macromolecules constitutes a potent technology to analyze cell functions and to achieve therapeutic interventions. In general, fusion proteins with protein transduction domains, such as TAT, are produced in a bacterial expression system. Here we describe the generation of a mammalian expression vector coding for TAT-EGFP fusion protein. Transfection of CHO-K1 cells by this vector and subsequent selection by Zeocin resulted in cell lines that express and secrete EGFP, a variant of the green fluorescent protein GFP. The ultimate cell line was produced by first cloning the stable integrants and subsequent selection of EGFP-expressing cells by flow cytometric sorting. In the resulting cell line approximately 98% of cells express EGFP. Using the same methodology, we generated cell lines that express DsRed fluorescent protein. The advantages of using such a mammalian expression system include the ease of generating TAT fusion proteins and the potential for sustained production of such proteins in vitro and, potentially, in vivo. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:469477, 2004)
Key Words: TAT fusion proteins green fluorescent protein red fluorescent protein mammalian expression vector
TRANSDUCTION of proteins into cells in vitro and in vivo is a powerful experimental approach to study cell functions and to achieve therapeutic effects. The field opened up with the discovery that the full-length (86-amino-acid) HIV-1 transactivating (Tat) protein could cross cell membranes and transactivate a viral genome (Green and Loewenstein 1988
Studies of the mechanism of transduction of proteins led to the identification of protein transduction domains (PTDs). The most widely studied of these sequences, in addition to TAT, are the Drosophila antennapedia peptide (Derossi et al. 1994
The technology of generating TAT fusion proteins (BeckerHapak et al. 2001 We conceived an alternative technology that offers certain advantages in applying transduction techniques mediated by TAT and other PTDs. To this end, we constructed mammalian expression vectors expressing and secreting TAT fusion proteins, transfected cultured cells with such vectors, and established stable transformed cell lines. The TAT fusion protein is secreted by such cells into the culture medium, which can be added directly to other cells in culture. Cells can also be co-cultured with secreting transformed cells, thus exposing them continuously to the TAT fusion protein. If required, the TAT fusion protein can also be purified from the spent culture medium by conventional techniques. Furthermore, we foresee that such transformed cells could be a sustained source of PTD fusion peptides and other macromolecules in vivo. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, we describe, as a prototype, the construction of a mammalian expression vector designed for stable expression and secretion of TATgreen fluorescent protein (TATEGFP) in mammalian hosts and the use of this vector in transduction experiments.
Construction of TATEGFP Vector First, two oligonucleotides were synthesized and annealed to generate a double-stranded oligonucleotide with restriction sites for AscI and HindIII restriction enzymes and encoding 11 amino acids (YGRKKRRQRRR, given in single-letter amino acid code) from the basic domain of HIV Tat. The sequences were: 5'-CGCGCCTACGGCCGCAAGAAACGCCGCCAGCGCCGCCGCA-3' (TAT sequence is underlined) and 5'-AGCTTGCGGCGGCGCTGGCGGCGTTTCTTGCGGCCGTAGG-3'. We ligated the double-stranded nucleotide directly into AscIHindIII-digested pSecTag2 A (Invitrogen; Carlsbad, CA) to provide the vector designated pTAGTAT. Next, we digested pEGFP-Nl (BD Biosciences; Palo Alto, CA) with the restriction enzymes BamHI and NotI, gel-purified the fragment, which encodes a red-shifted variant of wild-type GFP, and subcloned it into BamHI/NotI-digested pTAGTAT. We designated this plasmid pTATGFP. Proper orientations and sequences of pTAGTAT and pTATGFP were confirmed by automated sequencing.
Transfection
Tissue Cultures and Cell Lines
Viability Assay
Exposure of Cultured Cells to Spent Media of TATGFP-secreting Cells To test the transduction of TATGFP fusion protein, we plated CHOREDClone 15 cells onto coverglasses in 35-mm dishes, 22.5 x 105 cells per dish in 2 ml medium. Next day, we replaced the medium with 2 ml spent medium prepared as described above. In general, we have examined the cells under a fluorescence or confocal microscope without fixation. However, we also fixed some cultures after 30 min, 1, 2, 4, or 24 hr of exposure and examined them under a fluorescence microscope.
Western Blots
Fluorescent Microscopy
Flow Cytometry
Transfection and Establishment of Cell Lines Expressing the Green or Red Fluorescent Protein and Those That Express and Secrete TATEGFP For our experiments we used three vectors: (a) pEGFP-N1, which encodes a red-shifted variant of wild-type GFP and is optimized for enhanced fluorescence and high expression in mammalian cells. Expression is under the control of the early promoter of CMV; (b) pCMV-DsRed-Express, which encodes a variant of Discosoma sp. red fluorescent protein (DsRed) and is codon-optimized for high expression in mammalian cells; and (c) pTATTAG. The parent vector, pSecTag2 A, used for the construction of pTATTAG, is designed for high-level stable and transient expression in mammalian hosts and for secretion of proteins fused at the N-terminus to the murine Ig -chain leader sequence. CHO-K1 cells were transfected with pEGFP-N1 or pCMV-DsRed-Express at high efficiency (Figures 1A and 1D). The transfection efficiency with pTATGFP was less. We established stable transformed cell lines expressing EGFP, DsRed, or TATEGFP, respectively. In the case of cells transfected with pEGFP-N1 or pCMV-DsRed-Express, the selective medium included 1 mg/ml of Geneticin. In the case of cells transfected with pTATTAG, the selection was based on resistence to 400 µg/ml of Zeocin. However, in further experiments we used only two cell lines expressing TATEGFP, designated CHOGFP, or DsRed, designated CHO-RED, respectively. We cloned both CHOGFP and CHORED cells and selected clones on the basis of the percentage of cells expressing the fluorescent protein and the level of expression. However, we applied these criteria without accurate quantitation. In cultures of the two clones selected, CHOGFPC16 and CHOREDCl15, not all cells express the corresponding fluorescent protein and the level of expression varies greatly among the cells (Figures 1G and 1I). The reason for this variation is not known. These clones were maintained in the selective medium for several months without apparent change in the expression of EGFP or DsRed.
Sorting of Cells Expressing GFP or DsRed Using a Flow Cytometer We estimated that only approximately 20% of cloned CHOGFPCl6 cells express the EGFP (Figures 2A2C). To increase the percentage of cells expressing TATEGFP, we sorted GFP+ (positive) and GFP- (negative) cells using a flow cytometer. The result of cell sorting confirmed that 20.2% of CHOGFPCl6 cells express EGFP and that 98% of the cells in the GFP+ fraction express GFP. Both GFP+ and GFP- cell populations were expanded and examined, without fixation, under a fluorescent or confocal microscope. Whereas in the culture derived from the sorted GFP- cells very few cells expressed GFP (data not shown), in the culture derived from the GFP+ fraction, hence designated CHOGFPPOS, most cells showed green fluorescence (Figures 2D2F). In GFP+ cells, GFP was localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm, although the concentration appeared to be higher in the nucleus. The nucleoli did not contain GFP. The expression of GFP was similar in sparse (Figures 3A3C) and confluent cultures (Figures 3D3F) (Figures 3C and 3F are merged images).
Similarly, we sorted cells that express DsRed protein in the cell line CHOREDClone15. According to the flow cytometeric data, 40% of cells in this cell line express the red fluorescent protein. Sorting resulted in a cell population expressing DsRED by 99.5% of the cells. We expanded this cell population, hence designated CHOREDPOS, for future experiments. There was a great variation in the intensity of red fluorescence among the cells. DsRed was localized mostly in the cytoplasm. However, confocal images revealed the presence of the fluorescent protein also in the nuclei. The nucleoli were devoid of DsRed (Figures 3G3I) (Figure 3I is a merged image).
Viability Assays of CHOGFPPOS Cells
Secretion of TATEGFP by CHOGFPCl6 and CHOGFPPOS Cells CHOGFP cells secrete TATGFP into the culture medium. This was established by Western blots of spent culture media and by exposing cells to media harvested from CHOGFPCl6 cultures. For the latter experiments, we used stable transformed cells expressing DsRed as recipient, thus avoiding any ambiguity that might be caused by green autofluorescence in some cells. Western blots of concentrated serum-free spent media of CHOGFP cells, prepared by using a monoclonal antibody to EGFP, revealed a single band of protein with the same migration in SDS-PAGE as rEGFP (Figure 5). The apparent molecular weights of rEGFP and the reacting protein of the concentrate were approximately 60 kD, suggesting that they may represent dimers of EGFP. However, the nature of these bands was not investigated.
We exposed CHOREDC115 cells, grown on coverglass, to spent media of TATGFP-secreting CHOGFP cells for 30 min, 1, 2, 4, and 24 hr. Microscopic examination of randomly selected fields of these live cultures revealed that most CHORED cells expressed the DsRed, albeit with different intensity, and that the GFP was co-localized in most cells (Figure 6). However, cells showing very intense red fluorescence revealed no green fluorescence (Figure 6C, merged image). There were no obvious differences in the percentage of cells showing green fluorescence or in the intensity of green fluorescence of CHORED cells exposed to TAT-GFP for 30 min to 24 hr (data not shown). This indicates that CHOGFP cells secrete TATEGFP and that the uptake of TATGFP is rapid and essentially complete after 30 min of incubation. This is in accord with previous findings reported in the literature using different TAT fusion proteins. In addition to CHO-K1 cells, we have successfully transduced several other cell types with the secreted TATGFP (data not shown).
Transduction of proteins and other macromolecules, such as DNA and cancer chemotherapeutic agents, into cells both in vitro and in vivo is now widely applied to investigate cell functions and for therapeutic purposes. Peptide-mediated cell delivery systems are greatly expanded by the recognition of protein transduction domains (PTDs) and synthetic peptides with translocating properties (reviewed by Watson and Edwards 1999
The technique of producing TAT fusion proteins, and PTD fusion proteins in general, requires the synthesis and purification of such proteins using bacterial expression systems (VoceroAkbani et al. 2000
CHO-K1 cells transfected with pEGFP-N1 or pTATGFP express EGFP. Similarly, cells transfected with pCMVDsRedExpress express the red fluorescent protein DsRed. We have obtained cell lines of stable integrants by exposing the transfected cells to Zeocin (CHOGFP) or Geneticin (CHORED). Cloning of Zeocin-resistant CHOGFP cells resulted in clones in which only a fraction of the cells expressed EGFP. Of 10 clones examined, clone 6 showed the highest percentage of cells, approximately 20%, expressing GFP. The level of expression varied from cell to cell. The reason for this variation in expression of the stable transgene is not known but is probably, at least in part, caused by the inherently stochastic nature of gene expression. Stochastic mechanisms in gene expression operate in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and may explain the phenotypic variations in isogenic populations of cells (McAdams and Arkin 1997 Analysis by flow cytometry confirmed that only approximately 20% of CHO-GFP-Cl6 cells expressed GFP. Sorting of GFP+ cells and their expansion led to a cell line in which approximately 98% of the cells expressed EGFP. Whether the strategy of first cloning stable transformed cells by conventional cloning technique and subsequent "cloning" by sorting of cells expressing the transgene is more efficient than cloning by flow cytometry alone remains to be investigated. A similar cell-to-cell variation was evident in CHORED cells. This conspicuous cell variation in the level of DsRed fluorescence existed even in the CHOREDPOS cell line that was generated by sorting DsRed-expressing cells. CHOGFP cells not only express but also secrete GFP. This was established by Western analysis of media in which the cells were cultured and by exposing cells to spent media. For the latter experiment, we used a cell line (CHORED) expressing Ds-Red fluorescent protein. This strategy provided unequivocal proof of secretion and transduction of TATEGFP by excluding the presence of autofluorescent material in the recipient cells. Viability studies indicated that approximately 99% of CHOGFPPOS cells that provided the spent media were viable, obviating the possibility that TATGFP was released from dead cells and not secreted by living cells. In summary, the use of a mammalian secretory system to generate PTD fusion proteins offers certain advantages: relative ease of preparing the PTD fusion proteins in soluble form, which can be added directly to cultured cells, and potential post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation and formation of disulfide bonds. However, such proteins can also be purified by conventional techniques for in vitro or in vivo applications, providing a stable source of such proteins in vitro and possibly in vivo. We foresee therapeutic applications of this technique in which the parent cells transfected with constructs coding for the PTD fusion proteins could conceivably be the patient's own cells. This system is also adaptable to the study of autocrine regulatory mechanisms by transfecting cells with constructs coding for PTD-fused putative autocrine peptides.
Supported by NIH grant RO1 DE10858 to Dr E. Gresik. Microscopy was performed at the MSSM-Microscopy Shared Research Facility, supported in part by funding from NIHNCI shared resources grant (1 R24 CA095823-01). We are grateful to Ms H. van der Noen for excellent assistance, Dr I. Karpichev for advice in cloning, Dr C. Iomini for stimulating discussions, and Mr P.T. Carman for assistance with microscopy.
Received for publication August 13, 2003; accepted December 23, 2003
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