Enhancing Human Glycoprotein Hormones Production in CHO Cells Using Heterologous Beta-Chain Signal Peptides

We studied the influence of heterologous signal peptides in the β-chains of glycoprotein hormones on the biosynthesis of these hormones in a transiently transfected culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells CHO S. When the natural signal peptides of the β-chains were replaced with the heterologous signal peptide of human serum albumin, cell productivity was increased 2-2.5 times for human luteinizing hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, and human thyroid-stimulating hormone, but not for human follicle-stimulating hormone. No significant increase in cell productivity was observed for human azurocidin signal peptide and human glycoprotein hormone α-chain signal peptide. The used approach allows quick assessing the effect of heterologous signal peptides on the biosynthesis of heterodimeric proteins of various classes.