Influence of salts on the coexistence curve and protein partitioning in nonionic aqueous two-phase micellar systems

Aqueous two-phase micellar systems (ATPMS) can be exploited in separation science for the extraction/purification of desired biomolecules. Prior to phase separation the surfactant solution reaches a cloud point temperature, which is influenced by the presence of electrolytes. In this work, we provide an investigation on the cloud point behavior of the nonionic surfactant C10E4 in the presence of NaCl, Li2SO4 and KI. We also investigated the salts' influence on a model protein partitioning. NaCl and Li2SO4 promoted a depression of the cloud point. The order of salts and the concentration that decreased the cloud point was: Li2SO4 0.5 M > NaCl 0.5 M ≈ Li2SO4 0.2 M. On the other hand, 0.5 M KI dislocated the curve to higher cloud point values. For our model protein, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), partitioning experiments with 0.5 M NaCl or 0.2 M Li2SO4 at 13.85 °C showed similar results, with KG6PD ~ 0.46. The lowest partition coefficient was obtained in the presence of 0.5 M KI (KG6PD = 0.12), with major recovery of the enzyme in the micelle-dilute phase (%Recovery = 90%). Our results show that choosing the correct salt to add to ATPMS may be useful to attain the desired partitioning conditions at more extreme temperatures. Furthermore, this system can be effective to separate a target biomolecule from fermented broth contaminants.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

LPS Removal from an E. Coli Fermentation Broth Using Aqueous Two-Phase Micellar System

In biotechnology, endotoxin (LPS) removal from recombinant proteins is a critical and challenging step in the preparation of injectable therapeutics, as endotoxin is a natural component of bacterial expression systems widely used to manufacture therapeutic proteins. The viability of large-scale industrial production of recombinant biomolecules of pharmaceutical interest significantly depends on the separation and purification techniques used. The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of aqueous two-phase micellar system (ATPMS) for endotoxin removal from preparations containing recombinant proteins of pharmaceutical interest, such as green fluorescent protein (GFPuv). Partition assays were carried out initially using pure LPS, and afterwards in the presence of E. coli cell lysate. The ATPMS technology proved to be effective in GFPuv recovery, preferentially into the micelle-poor phase (K(GFPuv) < 1.00), and LPS removal into the micelle-rich phase (%REM(LPS) > 98.00%). Therefore, this system can be exploited as the first step for purification in biotechnology processes for removal of higher LPS concentrations. (C) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 26: 1644-1653, 2010Capes - BrazilNational Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq - Brazil)State of Sao Paulo Research Support Foundation (Fapesp - Brazil