Producer vs. parental cell – metabolic changes and burden upon α1-antitrypsin production in AGE1.HN®

Background The human designer cell line AGE1.HN represents a promising production system for biopharmaceuticals, particularly for those needing human-type post-translational modifications [1,2]. For further rational improvement of the cell line and the cultivation process a detailed understanding of the metabolism and metabolic changes during glycoprotein production is desirable. Metabolism and metabolic burden upon production of a1-antitrypsin (A1AT) were analyzed by comparing parental cells and a derived clone, AGE1.HN.AAT. The questions addressed were (i), which changes occur in cell growth and metabolism upon A1AT production and (ii), what are specific cellular properties distinguishing the producer clone AGE1.HN.AAT from the parental cell population.