Osmoprotective Effect of Glycine Betaine on Foreign Protein Production in Hyperosmotic Recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Cultures Differs among Cell Lines

When 3 recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cell lines, CHO/dhfr-B-22-4, $CS13-1.00^{\ast}$ and $CSl3-0.02^{\ast}$, were cultivated in hyperosmolar media resulting from NaCl addition, their specific foreign protein productivity increased with medium osmolality. Glycine betaine was found to have a strong osmoprotective effect on all 3 rCHO cell lines. Inclusion of 15 mM glycine betaine in hyperosmolar medim enabled rCHO cell lines to grow at 557-573 mOsm/kg where they could not grow in the absence of glycine betaine. However, effect of glycine betaine inclusion in hyperomolar medium on foreign protein production differed among rCHO cell lines. CHO/dhfr-B22-4 cells retained enhanced specific human thrombopoietin (hTPO) productivity in the presence of glycine betaine, and thereby, the maximum hTPO titer obtained at 573 mOsm/kg was increased by 72% over that obtained in the control culture with physiological osmolality (292 mOsm/kg). On the other hand, enhanced specific antibody productivity of $CSl3-1.00^{\ast}$ and $CSl3-0.02^{\ast}$ at elevated osmolality decreased significantly in the presence of glycine betaine at a cost of the recovery of cell growth. As a result, the maximum antibody titer at 557 mOsm/kg was similar to that obtained in the control culture with physiological osmolality. Taken together, efficacy of the simultanous use of hyperosmotic pressure and glycine betaine as a means to improve foreign protein production was variable among different rCHO cell lines.