Ammonia affects the glycosylation patterns of recombinant mouse placental lactogen‐I by chinese hamster ovary cells in a pH‐dependent manner

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Abstract
The N-linked glycosylation of the recombinant protein mouse placental lactogen-I (mPL-I) expressed by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells under nongrowth conditions was inhibited by increasing levels of ammonium chloride (3 and 9 mM) in a serum-free, protein expression medium. The effect of ammonia on glycosylation was dependent on the extracellular pH (pHe). In media containing 0 and 9 mM ammonium chloride, the percentage of the most heavily glycosylated forms of secreted mPL-I decreased from ca. 90% to ca. 25% at pHe 8.0, and from ca. 90% to ca. 65% at pHe 7.6, respectively. However, at pHe 7.2, the most heavily glycosylated forms of secreted mPL-I decreased from ca. 90% to ca. 80% in media containing 0 and 9 mM ammonium chloride, respectively. Inhibition of mPL-I glycosylation was found to correlate with the calculated concentrations of the ammonia species (NH3). Control experiments showed that the ammonia effect on mPL-I glycosylation could not be attributed to increased chloride concentration or osmolarity, or to extracellular events after secretion of the recombinant protein into the supernatant. Ammonium chloride, 9 mM, inhibited the expression rate of MPL-I by CHO cells at low pHe. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.