Recombinant FIX/X-Bp from the Japanese Habu Snake Is a Universal Ligand for Purification of Highly Carboxylated Factor IX Variants and Factor X

Background: The purification of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors typically involves multiple chromatographic steps, including an ion exchange-based pseudo-affinity step to enrich for species with sufficiently high gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) content to achieve maximal specific activity. Variants of these factors have been engineered to improve their pharmacokinetic properties by appending or inserting a variety of elements, including the Fc domain of IgG, unstructured hydrophilic peptides of defined amino acid composition (XTEN), albumin, and polyethylene glycol (PEG). In most cases, however, such modification alters both the hydrodynamic and electrostatic properties of the resulting molecule relative to those of the predicate molecule, thereby complicating their purification, particularly with regard to Gla enrichment by pseudo-affinity chromatography. Factor IX (FIX)- and factor X (FX)-binding protein (FIX/X-bp) isolated from the venom of the Japanese Habu snake (T. flavoviridis) has been shown to bind with high affinity and specificity to both FIX and FX, and structural studies have demonstrated that FIX/X-bp binds to the highly carboxylated calcium-bound forms of the Gla domains of these proteins. We therefore reasoned that FIX/X-bp could serve as a novel affinity ligand for rapid and simple purification of variants of FIX and FX with high specific activity.

Aims: To generate and purify recombinant FIX/X-bp (rFIX/X-bp) and assess its utility for the purification of FIX, FIX-XTEN, FIX-albumin, and FX with high Gla content.

Methods: A two-chained rFIX/X-bp molecule in which a polyhistidine tag was appended to one chain was generated by stable co-transfection of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Culture medium was concentrated by tangential-flow filtration (TFF), and rFIX/X-bp was purified by one of two methods: 1) immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), followed by anion-exchange chromatography, or 2) affinity chromatography on immobilized FIX in calcium-containing buffer and subsequent elution in EDTA-containing buffer. The potent anticoagulant activity of rFIX/X-bp was verified by prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assays, and its ability to bind to human FIX, FX, factor VII (FVII), protein S, and prothrombin was evaluated by biolayer interferometry. The affinity of rFIX/X-bp for FIX and FX was determined by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). An affinity column was then generated by chemical conjugation of rFIX/X-bp to NHS-activated Sepharose. Recombinant FIX, FIX-albumin, and FIX-XTEN were first affinity purified on IXSelect resin from the culture medium of transiently transfected HEK293 cells, and the resulting protein preparations, which were heterogeneous with regard to Gla content, were then applied to the rFIX/X-bp affinity column in calcium- or magnesium-containing buffer and eluted with EDTA-containing buffer. Activity was assessed by APTT assay, and Gla content was determined by mass spectrometric peptide mapping. Recombinant FX was purified from the culture medium of transiently transfected HEK293 cells by sequential barium citrate adsorption, anion exchange chromatography, and affinity chromatography on a rFIX/X-bp column.

Results: In the presence of calcium or magnesium ions, rFIX/X-bp binds to FIX and FX with high affinity (K_D≈ 10 pM), to a lesser extent to protein S and prothrombin, but not to FVII. FIX and FIX-albumin that had been affinity purified on a rFIX/X-bp column had specific activities that were consistent with published data and greater than 11 Gla residues per molecule. The Gla content of FX that had been affinity purified on a rFIX/X-bp column was 10 Gla residues per molecule (out of 11 possible).

Conclusions: rFIX/X-bp is a universal ligand for the purification of highly carboxylated FX and FIX variants, including FIX-albumin and FIX-XTEN.