Biological Systems for Production of Highest Quality Proteins

Abstract

Vaccines and therapeutic proteins, including polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, must be maximally pure and stable in their most active native form. This is a requirement for their maximal efficacy, specificity and stability as well as for precluding immune responses against erroneous or damaged moieties. Similar considerations hold for proteins used in diagnostics, industry and research. The most frequent source of damage to proteins produced in living cells is the diverse product of oxidative damage. Two main sources of protein oxidation are the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and even more importantly the intrinsic susceptibility of proteins to oxidative damage. Methods for avoiding oxidative protein damage are disclosed, including providing for (i) a decrease in intracellular ROS levels and (ii) an increase in the intrinsic resilience of proteins to oxidative damage. Metabolites synthesized by the most robust species provide exceptionally high levels of protection against oxidative damage from ROS. High fidelity ribosomal mutations and over-expression of diverse chaperones increase the accuracy of protein biosynthesis and of protein post-synthetic folding, both greatly contributing to increased intrinsic resistance of proteins to oxidative damage.

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