EP1756573A1

EP1756573A1 - Adsorption agent for nucleic acids containing acid-activated phyllosilicate

Info

Publication number: EP1756573A1
Application number: EP05749226A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ulrich Sohling
Original assignee: Sued Chemie AG
Current assignee: Sued Chemie AG
Priority date: 2004-06-10
Filing date: 2005-06-10
Publication date: 2007-02-28
Also published as: WO2005121791A1; US20080269475A1; DE102004028267A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the removal or extraction of at least one nucleic acid molecule from an aqueous or alcoholic medium by means of an adsorption agent, whereby the adsorption agent comprises at least one acid-activated phyllosilicate, a composition comprising said adsorption agent and preferred applications thereof.

Description

PATENT APPLICATION

SORPTION AGENT FOR NUCLEIC ACIDS, CONTAINING ACID-ACTIVATED S CH I CHTS I L I CAT

description

The invention relates to a method for enriching, depleting, removing, obtaining or separating nucleic acid molecules with the aid of a sorbent, the sorbent comprising at least one acid-activated layered silicate. Preferred uses of such a sorbent are also disclosed.

The separation or purification of biomolecules has an ever increasing technical and scientific importance. Separation processes for the purification or depletion of DNA are on the one hand for basic research of Significance, whereby genetic material has to be isolated and purified, for example, in order to produce genetically modified organisms. However, this is currently also increasingly being carried out in industrial applications. Some active ingredients used in medicine are already genetically engineered.

Another field of application for such separation processes and the adsorbents used for this is the depletion of DNA in waste water, especially in production processes with genetically modified organisms, such as e.g. Bacteria or fungi.

A large number of adsorbents are already known in the prior art, in particular those based on silanized silicate particles (silica gel) or functionalized celluloses.

ÜS-A 4,029,583 describes a chromatographic carrier material made of silica gel which is suitable for the separation of proteins, peptides and nucleic acids and which has a cavity diameter of up to 50 nm and on which a stationary phase with an anion or cation exchanger is formed by means of a silanization reagent Groups are bound, which interact with the substances to be separated. The silanized silica gel is brought into contact with water, with the risk that the stationary phase polymerizes and closes the pores of the carrier material.

According to EP-B 0 104 210, nucleic acid mixtures can be separated into their constituents with high resolution and at high throughput speed if a chromatographic support material is used in which the diameter of the cavities is one to twenty times the largest dimension of the nucleic acid to be isolated in each case or the largest dimension of the largest of all nucleic acids contained in the mixture. To produce the chromatographic support material, this is first reacted with a silanizing reagent which has a flexible chain group, which in turn is converted to the finished support material by reaction with a reagent which forms an anion or cation exchanger.

EP 0 496 822 (WO 91/05606, DE 393 50 98) describes a chromatographic support material, the cavities of which are one to twenty times the size of the largest dimension of the nucleic acids to be separated, which can be obtained by using a starting support material with a cavity size of 10 up to 1000 nm, a specific surface area of 5 to 800 m ² / g and a grain size of 3 to 500 μm is reacted with a silanizing reagent, which is characterized in that the silanizing reagent has at least one reactive one already reacted with a primary or secondary hydroxyalkylamine Has group or contains a reactive group which can be reacted with a hydroxyalkylamine, such as an epoxy group or halogen atoms, which is reacted with a hydroxyalkylamine in a further reaction step.

The article by TG Lawson et al. , "Separation of synthetic oligonucleotides on columns of microparticulate", Analytical Biochemistry (1983), 133 (1), 85-93, describes the separation of synthetic oligonucleotides on columns based on microparticulate silicon dioxide or silica gel which has been coated with crosslinked polyethyleneimine. The coating was achieved by pumping the polyethyleneimine solution through the silica gel column. The procedure described in this article can only be used for small quantities. Furthermore, this article only refers to silica gel particles modified with polyethyleneimine. Further adsorbent systems are described in US 2003003272, EP 1 162 459 and EP 281 390. The article "Nucleic acid purification by cation complexation" by Prof. Dr. Michael Lorenz, Molzym GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen in Laborwelt No. 4/2003, page 40, describes a new process for the purification of nucleic acid with special mini spin columns. Lt. Information in the article is based on a matrix in which a clay mineral was mixed with sand. Nothing is said about the type of clay minerals.

A disadvantage of the prior art sorption systems is that they are either relatively expensive or do not meet the requirements in terms of the binding capacity, the binding kinetics and / or the recovery rate of the absorbed nucleic acid (s). Due to the increasing importance of separating or purifying nucleic acids from different media, there is a constant need for improved sorbents for nucleic acids.

The present invention was therefore based on the object of providing an improved sorbent for nucleic acids which can be used advantageously in a process for enrichment or depletion, for removal or extraction or for the separation of nucleic acids and which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

Surprisingly, it has now been found that sorbents which comprise at least one acid-activated phyllosilicate can be used particularly advantageously to achieve this object. Such acid-activated phyllosilicates show a surprisingly high binding capacity for nucleic acids, which exceeds that of commercial adsorption systems of the prior art. They also show a special the rapid binding kinetics. It is also advantageous that the bound nucleic acid can be removed again virtually quantitatively from the sorbent.

One aspect of the present invention thus relates to a method for sorption, enrichment or depletion, removal, recovery or separation of at least one nucleic acid molecule, preferably from a polar, in particular an aqueous or alcoholic medium with the aid of a sorbent, the sorbent at least one comprises acid-activated layered silicate.

The sorbents disclosed here are therefore suitable for separating nucleic acids as well as enriching or enriching them from appropriate solutions / media in order to obtain or remove them: The almost quantitative recovery rate when eluted with suitable, usually high-salt buffers shows that it also it is possible to recover the bound nucleic acid. The areas of application for such sorbents are diverse. Without restricting this invention to the following examples, some possible applications are to be mentioned: For example, it is conceivable to separate nucleic acids from a multicomponent mixture or to deplete DNA from waste water from biotechnological production residues with genetically modified organisms. In general, the sorbent according to the invention can also be used for all molecular biological, microbiological or biotechnological methods in connection with nucleic acids, in particular their enrichment or depletion, separation, transient or permanent immobilization or other use. Exemplary methods and processes can be found in relevant textbooks such as Sambrook et al., "Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual", Cold Spring Harbor Press 2001 and are known to the person skilled in the art common. The present sorbent can also be used in the chromatographic separation of nucleic acids. be used. Nucleic acids are primarily to be understood as meaning DNA and RNA species, including genomic DNA and cDNA and their fragments, mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and other nucleic acid derivatives of natural or synthetic origin of any length.

Another area is the separation of nucleic acid mixtures, for example via a matrix (carrier) containing the sorbent according to the invention. However, the adsorbents according to the invention are in principle also suitable for the separation or purification of proteins and other biomolecules. In the context of the present invention, biomolecule is understood to mean a molecule which has, as building blocks, nucleotides or nucleosides (nucleobases), amino acids, monosaccharides and / or fatty acids. According to one aspect of the present invention, the reference in the description to "nucleic acid (molecule)" also includes other biomolecules. However, use for the sorption of nucleic acids is particularly preferred.

All natural or synthetic layered silicates or mixtures thereof which can be activated by an acid, ie in which cations in the intermediate layers can be exchanged for protons, can be used as starting materials for the layered silicates used according to the invention. Two-layer and in particular three-layer silicates are preferred. Acid-activatable sheet silicates are known to the person skilled in the art and include in particular the smectic or montmorillonite-containing sheet silicates, such as bentonite. In general, both so-called nature-active and non-nature-active sheet silicates can be used, in particular di- and trioctahedral sheet silicates of the serpentine, Kaolin and talc pyrophylite groups, smectites, vermiculites, 11-lites and chlorites as well as those of the sepiolite-palygorskite group, such as montmorillonite, natronite, saponite and vermiculite or hectorite, beidellite, palygorskite and alternating bearing minerals (mixed layer mineral). Mixtures of two or more of the above materials can of course also be used. Furthermore, the layered silicate used in accordance with the invention may also contain further constituents (including, for example, non-acid-activated layered silicates) which do not impair the intended use of the acid-activated clay, in particular its sorption capacity, or even have useful properties.

Layered silicates from the montmorillonite / beidellite series, such as e.g. Montmorillonite, bentonite, natronite, saponite and hectorite. Bentonites are most preferred, since surprisingly particularly advantageous binding capacities and kinetics for nucleic acids are achieved here.

Weathering products of clays with a specific surface area of more than 200 m / g, a pore volume of more than 0.5 ml / g and an ion exchange capacity of more than 40 meq / lOOg in acid-activated form have also proven to be particularly useful. According to this special embodiment, particular preference is given to raw clays for acid activation, the ion exchange capacity of which is above 50 meq / 100 g, preferably in the range from 55 to 85 meq / 100 g. The specific BET surface area is particularly preferably in the range from 200 to 280 τn ² ./g, in particular between 200 and 260 m / g. The pore volume is preferably in the range from 0.7 to 1.0 ml / 100 g, in particular in the range from 0.80 to 1.0 ml / 100 g. Acid activation of such raw clays can be carried out as specified herein. Such clays are described, for example, in DE 103 56 894.8 by the same applicant, which in this regard is expressly incorporated by reference into the present description.

It has also been found within the scope of the present invention that in particular the two-layer and the three-layer layer silicates can be used advantageously for the sorption of nucleic acids and other biomolecules even without acid activation. The smectitic layered silicates (see above) such as bentonite are particularly preferred. According to a further aspect of the present invention, a non-activated layered silicate can be used instead of the acid-activated layered silicate, or a mixture of both as the sorbent according to the invention. Otherwise, the information given in relation to the method and the use of the sorbent in the present description apply accordingly.

Nac a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the sorbent used in the invention is based on at least one acid-activated layer silicate, ^• ie at least 50 wt .-%, preferably at least 75 wt .-%, more preferably at least 90 wt .-%, in particular at least 95 wt .-% or even at least 98% by weight of the sorbent according to the invention consists of one (or more) acid-activated layered silicate (s) as defined herein. In a preferred embodiment, no silica or silica gel is used. According to a further preferred embodiment, the sorbent according to the invention essentially or completely consists of at least one acid-activated layered silicate. However, the sorbent used according to the invention can also be used together with other sorbents or other components that appear suitable to the person skilled in the art, for example in the context of the method according to the invention. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the acid-activated layered silicate has an average pore diameter, determined by the BJH method (DIN 66131), between approximately 2 nm and 25 nm, in particular between approximately 4 and approximately 10 nm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pore volume, determined by the CCl ₄ method according to the method part, of pores up to 80 nm in diameter is between approximately 0.15 and 0.80 ml / g, in particular between approximately 0.2 and 0.7 ml / G. The corresponding values for pores up to 25 nm in diameter are in the range between approximately 0.15 and 0.45 ml / g, in particular 0.18 to 0.40 ml / g. The corresponding values for pores up to 14 nm are in the range between approximately 0.10 and 0.40 ml / g, in particular approximately 0.12 to 0.37 ml / g. The pore volumes for pores between 14 and 25 nm in diameter can be, for example, between 0.02 and 0.3 ml / g. The pore volume of pores with 25 to 80 nm can be in the same range, for example.

The porosimetry of the acid-activated layered silicates can also be influenced in a targeted manner via the conditions in the acid activation of the layered silicates, ie in particular the amount or concentration of the acid used, the temperature and the duration of the acid treatment. For example, greater acid activation with an increased amount of acid or at an elevated temperature over a longer period of time can cause a greater porosity of the layered silicates, especially in the region of the smaller pores with a diameter of less than 50 nm, in particular less than 10 nm. determined according to the CC1 ₄ method according to the method part. By increasing the amount of acid used to activate the acid, the micropore volume of the layered silicate can be increased. At the same time, the Cation exchange capacity. Thus, for the nucleic acid species of interest in each case, the sorption capacity of the acid-activated layered silicate or its absorption and desorption rate via the acid activation in individual cases can be optimized on the basis of routine examination of a number of differently acid-activated layered silicates. For example, via the acid activation, the pores / cavities in the sorbents according to the invention can be modified in the manner provided in accordance with EP 0 104 210 or US 4,029,583 (see above).

The acid-activated sheet silicates used according to the invention are generally produced by treating sheet silicates with at least one acid. For this purpose, the layered silicates are brought into contact with the acid (s). In principle, any method for the acid activation of layered silicates which is familiar to the person skilled in the art can be used here, including the methods described in WO 99/02256, US Pat. No. 5,008,226 and US Pat. No. 5,869,415, which are so far expressly incorporated by reference into the description. In general, any organic or inorganic acids or mixtures thereof can be used. For example, acid can be sprayed on using a so-called SMBE process (Surface Modified Bleaching Earth). Here, the activation takes place on the surface of the layered silicates without working in a solution or dispersion.

In a first embodiment, the activation of the layered silicate is thus carried out in the aqueous phase. For this purpose, the acid is brought into contact with the layered silicate as an aqueous solution. The procedure can be such that the layered silicate, which is preferably provided in the form of a powder, is first slurried in water. The acid (eg in a concentrated form) is then added. The Layered silicate can, however, also be suspended directly in an aqueous solution of the acid, or the aqueous solution of the acid can be applied to the layered silicate. According to an advantageous embodiment, the aqueous acid solution can, for example, be sprayed onto a preferably broken or powdered layered silicate, the amount of water preferably being chosen to be as small as possible and, for example, a concentrated acid or acid solution being used. The amount of acid can preferably be selected between 1 and 10% by weight, particularly preferably between 2 and 6% by weight, of an acid, in particular a strong acid, for example a mineral acid such as sulfuric acid, based on the anhydrous layered silicate (atro). If necessary, excess water can be evaporated and the activated layered silicate can then be ground to the desired fineness. As already explained above, no washing step is required in this embodiment of the method according to the invention, but is possible. After the aqueous solution of the acid has been added, drying is only carried out, if necessary, until the desired moisture content has been reached. The water content of the acid-activated layered silicate obtained is usually adjusted to a proportion of less than 20% by weight, preferably less than 15% by weight.

For the activation described above with an aqueous solution of an acid or a concentrated acid, the acid itself can be chosen as desired. Both mineral acids and organic acids or mixtures of the above acids can be used. Conventional mineral acids can be used, such as hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid, with sulfuric acid being preferred. Concentrated or diluted acids or acid solutions can be used. Solutions of, for example, citric acid or oxalic acid can be used as organic acids. A further preferred activation option is the boiling of the layered silicates in an acid, in particular hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. Different degrees of activation can be set here by the appropriate concentrations of acid and cooking times, and the pore volume distribution can be set in a targeted manner. Such activated layered silicates are often referred to as bleaching earths. After the materials have dried, they are ground using standard methods.

In "classic" activation, which is preferred in many cases according to the invention, activation is carried out at temperatures around 100 ° C. up to the boiling point (boiling point). In contrast, the SMBE process is usually carried out at room temperature, with elevated temperatures allowing better acid activations in individual cases. However, the influence of temperature is far less with the SMBE process than with the "classic" activation (so-called HBPE process). The dwell time (duration of acid activation) in the HBPE process is, for example, between about 8 hours, for example when using hydrochloric acid, and 12 to 15 hours, for example when using sulfuric acid. In contrast to the SMBE process, the HBPE process attacks the layer structure, which results in areas with silica, in addition to structurally largely unchanged areas. In the SMBE process, for example, 3% by weight of H ₂ S0 _{4 are added} (100 + 3). The analysis of the processed material then usually shows acid contents in the range of 0.4 to 1.0%, ie a large part of the acid is consumed (exchange of H ⁺ ions for other cations etc.). A small part may be consumed by the lime it contains. In the SMBE process, the contact times with the acid are often around 15 minutes in the laboratory. It has been found that, depending on the layered silicate used, activation with small amounts of acid may already be sufficient to obtain surprisingly good sorbents.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment according to the invention, the layered silicate is activated in such a way that the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the acid-activated layered silicate used is less than 50 meq / 100 g, in particular less than 40 meq / 100 g. Activation is particularly preferably carried out by means of an at least 1 molar, in particular at least 2 molar acid solution at elevated temperature, in particular at more than 30 ° C., more preferably more than 60 ° C. According to a further preferred embodiment, an acid with a pKa value of less than 4, in particular less than 3, more preferably less than 2.5 is used for the advantageous activation of the layered silicates. For example, strong mineral acids, in particular hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or nitric acid or mixtures thereof, in particular in a concentrated form. The preferred amount of acid is more than 1% by weight, in particular more than 2% by weight, particularly preferably at least 3% by weight of acid, more preferably at least 4% by weight of acid, based on the amount of layered silicate to be activated (determined from Drying at 130 ° C). According to a particularly preferred embodiment according to the invention, the exchangeable (metal) cations (interlayer cations) are essentially completely exchanged for protons by the acid activation of the layered silicate, i.e. more than 90%, in particular more than 95%, particularly preferably more than 98%. This can be determined on the basis of the CEC and its ion proportions before and <after the acid activation.

According to one embodiment, it is not necessary for the acid activation that the excess acid and that in the acti- resulting salts are washed out. Instead, after the acid has been fed in, as is customary for acid activation, no washing step is carried out, but the treated layered silicate is dried and then ground to the desired particle size. A typical bleaching earth fineness is usually set when grinding. The dry sieve residue on a sieve with a mesh size of 63 μm is in the range from 20 to 40% by weight. The dry sieve residue on a sieve with a mesh size of 25 μm is in the range from 50 to 65% by weight.

The sorbent used according to the invention can be used in the form of a powder, granules or any shaped body. In the case of powders, use in the form of suspensions of the sorbent in the media containing the at least one nucleic acid molecule is appropriate. On the other hand, coarser grinding can also be used to set particles which show the grain size distribution customary in chromatography, so that the materials can also be packed into gravity columns or chromatography columns. In general, the sorbents can be used in any form, including supported or immobilized forms. For example, use in the separation of different nucleic acid components on the basis of their molecular weight is also conceivable. The form of application of the adsorbents according to the invention is not limited to the examples given.

In general, the grain or shaped body size of the acid-activated layered silicate used according to the invention as a sorbent will therefore depend on the particular application. All grain sizes and agglomerate sizes are possible here. For example, the acid-activated layered silicate can be used in powder form, in particular with a D ₅₀ value of 1 to 1,000 μm, in particular 5 to 500 μm. Typical useful granules are in the range (D ₅₀ ) between 100 μm to 5,000 μm, in particular 200 to 2,000 μm particle size. In many applications, it is advantageous to use moldings made from or with the acid-activated layered silicates, for example in the case of chromatography columns, including gravity or centrifugation columns, solid-phase chromatography, filter cartridges, membranes, etc.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, as mentioned above, the sorbent used according to the invention can be in immobilized form. For example, the sorbent can be embedded in a filter cartridge, an HPLC cartridge or a comparable administration form. Also embedded in gels, e.g. Agarose gels or other gel-like or matrix-like structures are preferably possible. Such applications are often sold as part of so-called kits for purifying nucleic acid molecules, such as the products of the Quiagen company, such as' Quiagen genomic tip or the like. The medium containing the nucleic acid molecules of interest is generally sent through a column or filter cartridge or the like containing the sorbent. It can then be washed with suitable buffers to remove adhering impurities. Finally, an elution step follows to obtain the nucleic acid molecules of interest.

According to a further preferred embodiment according to the invention, the acid-activated layered silicate has a BET surface area (determined according to DIN 66131) of at least 50 to 800 m / g, in particular at least 100 to 600 m ² / g, particularly preferably of at least 130 to 500 m ² / g, on. The high surface clearly shows the interaction with the nucleic acid relieved, the possibility of desorption is surprisingly retained.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the nucleic acids are DNA or RNA molecules in double-stranded or single-stranded form with one or more nucleotide units.

With regard to nucleic acids, the method according to the invention is particularly advantageous in the case of media which contain oligonucleotides or. Contain nucleic acids with at least 10 bases (pairs), preferably with at least 100 bases (pairs), in particular at least 1000 bases (pairs). Of course, the method according to the invention can also be used or used for nucleic acids between 1 and 10 bases (pairs). in the case of quite large nucleic acid molecules, such as plasmids or vectors with, for example, 1 to 50 kB or longer genomic or c-DNA fragments. Restriction-digested DNA and RNA fragments, synthetic or natural oligo- and polymers from nucleic acids, cosmids, etc. Are also included.

Of interest is z. B. the chromatographic separation of biological macromolecules such as long chain oligonucleotides, high molecular nucleic acids, tRNA, 5S rRNA, other rRNA species, single stranded DNA, double stranded DNA (e.g. plasmids or fragments of genomic DNA) etc. , The method according to the invention can surprisingly achieve an improved resolution at a high throughput rate. The carrier materials used can be used in a wide temperature range and are highly loadable. The carrier material also shows high pressure resistance and a long service life. The need for high-purity nucleic acids, such as high-purity plasmid DNA for modern biotechnological, but also medical development, such as in the field of gene therapy, is also increasing. The protocols known in the prior art for the highly pure purification of nucleic acids are often costly and / or time-consuming, are not suitable for use on a large scale or are not safe enough for therapeutic purposes, since toxic solvents or enzymes of animal origin, such as RNAse, are used.

In general, the sorbent according to the invention can be used in any media. Polar media are preferred, in which the biomolecules or nucleic acid of interest are generally contained.

According to the invention, the particularly preferred aqueous or alcoholic media are understood to mean all media containing water or alcohol, including aqueous-alcoholic media. In general, all media are also included in which water is completely miscible or completely mixed with other solvents. In particular, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and C ₃ - to C ₁₀ -alcohols with one or more OH groups or acids are to be mentioned. Solvents that are completely miscible with water and their mixtures with water and alcohol are also conceivable. In practice, these are in particular aqueous, aqueous-alcoholic or alcoholic media in connection with a solution, suspension, dispersion, colloidal solution or emulsion.

Typical examples are aqueous or alcoholic buffer systems as used in science and industry, industrial or non-industrial waste water, process waste water, fermentation residues or media, measuring services from medical or biological research, liquid or fluid contaminated sites and the like.

The sorbent according to the invention can contain further components as long as these do not unacceptably impair the adsorption of the nucleic acids and, if provided, their desorption. Such additional components can include, but are not limited to, organic or inorganic binders (see below), other sorbents for biomolecules or other inorganic or organic substances of interest from the medium which are known to the person skilled in the art, or also carriers such as glass, plastic or ceramic materials or the like include.

Thus, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sorbent particles can be connected to larger agglomerates, granules or moldings by means of a suitable binder or applied to a carrier. The shape and size of such superordinate structures, which contain the primary sorbent or layered silicate particles, depends on the particular application desired. It is therefore possible to use all shapes and sizes familiar to the person skilled in the art and suitable in individual cases. For example, in many cases agglomerates with a diameter of more than 10 μm, in particular more than 50 μm, may be preferred. In the case of a bed for chromatography columns and the like, a spherical shape of the agglomerates can be advantageous. Possible carriers are, for example, calcium carbonate, plastics or ceramic materials.

Any binder familiar to the person skilled in the art can also be used, as long as the attachment or incorporation of the biomolecules in or onto the sorbent is not impaired too much or the status required for the respective application. bility of particle agglomerates or moldings is guaranteed. For example, without being limited thereto, may be used as a binder ^': agar-agar, alginates, sane chitosan, pectins, gelatins, Lupinenproteinisolate or gluten.

As already explained above, it was surprisingly found in one aspect of the invention that the acid-activated phyllosilicates themselves already provide particularly favorable surfaces for the sorption of nucleic acids. According to the invention, there is therefore preferably no (additional) use or treatment of the layered silicate with cationic polymers and / or polycations (multivalent cations). Furthermore, according to the invention, preferably no other polymers (e.g. polysaccharides), polyelectrolytes, polyanions and / or complexing agents (for modifying the layered silicate) are used. According to a particularly preferred embodiment according to the invention, in particular no cationic polymer such as e.g. an aminated polysaccharide polymer or polycation is used. In particular, according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the acid-activated phyllosilicate used in accordance with the invention is not modified or treated with a (cationic) polymer or a polycation.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a method which comprises the following steps:

a) bringing the preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium, which contains the at least one nucleic acid molecule, into contact with the sorbent,

b) enabling sorption of the at least one nucleic acid molecule onto or into the sorbent, c) separating the sorbed or bound to the sorbent nucleic acid molecule together with the sorbent from the preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium,

d) optionally separating or desorbing the at least one nucleic acid molecule from the sorbent.

The method according to the invention for the attachment or incorporation of nucleic acids onto or into the sorbent can be used both for enrichment. (i.e. increasing the concentration of the desired nucleic acid molecule (s)) as well as depletion (i.e. reducing the concentration of the desired nucleic acid molecule (s)) or separation of several different nucleic acid molecules.

If the method according to the invention aims at removal or disposal of nucleic acid molecules, the sorbent containing the nucleic acid molecules can be disposed of in a further step. The disposal can be carried out, for example, by thermal treatment to remove the layered silicate containing the biomolecules, it being possible to dispose of the layered silicate after the thermal disintegration of the nucleic acid molecules.

According to a first aspect of the invention, it is possible to specifically remove nucleic acids from media. This plays a major role in wastewater treatment, for example, since most states have strict legal regulations for removing nucleic acids and other biomolecules from wastewater.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the depletion or removal of nucleic acid molecules are carried out from culture media. For example, an undesirable increase in viscosity can occur in bioreactors due to the high concentration of nucleic acid molecules, in particular high-molecular nucleic acids, contained in the medium. Here, the method according to the invention can be used to remove the disruptive nucleic acid molecules from the culture medium in an efficient and biologically compatible manner. The viscosity can also be adjusted to a desired level by adding the sorbent according to the invention to the culture medium.

Likewise, in many cases it is desirable to increase the concentration of nucleic acid molecules in a medium or to obtain these nucleic acid molecules as pure as possible. For example, the extraction or purification of desired nucleic acids from solutions is one of the standard procedures in biological and medical research. In a further step, the nucleic acid molecule can be desorbed or recovered from the sorbent in a further step, whereby the sorbent can also be used again, if appropriate after renewed acid activation of the layered silicate.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a composition with a sorbent and at least one nucleic acid molecule as defined in the present description, preferably in a polar, in particular in an aqueous or alcoholic medium.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of the sorbents according to the invention as inorganic vectors for introducing biomolecules into cells or as a pharmaceutical composition, in particular as a reservoir for the storage and controlled release of Biomolecules, preferably nucleic acids. Surprisingly, it was found that the sorbents according to the invention are also suitable for efficiently introducing these biomolecules into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. Apparently, according to the method according to the invention, biomolecules, in particular nucleic acids, can be “packaged” in a particularly advantageous manner for introduction into cells. The basic mechanism of such an introduction using the example of DNA-LDH nanohybrids is described, for example, in the reference Choy et al. , Appl. Chem. 2000, 112 (22), pages 4207-4211, and. described in EP 987 328 A2 .0, reference is made in this respect to and hereby are incorporated by reference with regard ^'to the procedure in the description. The use as a pharmaceutical composition, in particular as a reservoir for the storage and controlled release of biomolecules, preferably of nucleic acids, is described as such in WO 01/49869, to which reference is made and which is hereby incorporated by reference into the description.

methods section

The BET surfaces specified here were determined in accordance with DIN 66131.

The stated (average) pore diameters, volumes and areas were determined using a fully automatic nitrogen adsorption measuring device (ASAP 2000, company Micretrics) according to the manufacturer's standard program (BET, BJH, t-plot and DFT). The percentages of the proportion of certain pore sizes relate to the total pore volume of pores between 1.7 and 300 nm in diameter (BJH Adsorption Pore Distribution Report). As far as indicated, the porosimetry was carried out according to the CCl ₄ method as follows:

reagents:

Carbon tetrachloride (CC1 ₄ )

Paraffin (liquid), Merck, (Order No. 7160.2500)

Execution:

1 to 2 g of the material to be tested are dried in a small weighing jar at 130 ° C in a drying cabinet. It is then cooled in the desiccator, weighed exactly and the jar is placed in a vacuum desiccator, which contains the following paraffin / carbon tetrachloride mixture ratios depending on the micropore volume to be measured:

Paraffin (ml) CCI ₄ (ml) Mi roporen (A) 26 184 800 47.9 162.1 390 66.5 143.5 250 82.5 127.5 180 96.4 113.6 140 108.7 101, 3 115

The desiccator connected to the graduated cold trap, manometer and vacuum pump is now evacuated until the contents boil. 10 ml of carbon tetrachloride are evaporated and collected in the cold trap.

The contents of the desiccator are then left to balance for 16 to 20 hours at room temperature, and then air is slowly let into the desiccator. After removing the desiccator lid the weighing bottle is closed immediately and weighed back on the analytical balance.

Evaluation:

The values are calculated in milligrams of carbon tetrachloride adsorption per gram of substance by weight gain. By dividing by the density of the carbon tetrachloride, you get the

Pore volume in ml / g substance.

Weight - ^• Weight = weight gain g substance x weight x density CC1 ₄ = ml / g substance.

(Carbon tetrachloride at 20 ° C, d = 1.595 g / cm ³ )

Measurement of the zeta potential

From the adsorbents to be examined, an aqueous suspension with dist. Water. The suspension to be measured was adjusted to pH 7 in each case. The zeta potential of the particles was determined using the Zetaphoremeter II from Particle Metrix according to the principle of microelectrophoresis. The speed of migration of the particles was measured in a known electric field. The particle movements that take place in a measuring cell are observed with the aid of a microscope. The direction of migration gives information about the type of charge (positive or negative) and the particle velocity is directly proportional to the electrical interfacial charge of the particles or to the zeta potential. The particle movements in the measuring cell are captured by means of image analysis and After the measurement, the particle trajectories are calculated and the resulting particle velocity is determined.

Taking into account the suspension temperature and the electrical conductivity, the zeta potential (given in mV) was calculated from this.

Surprisingly, it was found in the context of the present invention that good results can also be achieved with phyllosilicates with a negative zeta potential.

Determination of the particle size distribution

For this purpose, a Mastersizer from Malvern was used according to the manufacturer's instructions. To determine the air, approx. 2-3 g (1 teaspoon) of the _. Put the sample to be examined in the "dry powder feeder" and set it to the correct measuring range depending on the sample (the coarser the sample, the higher the weight).

To determine, in water a sample (approx. 1 knife tip) is placed in the water bath until the measuring range is reached (the coarser the higher the weight), and stirred for 5 minutes in an ultrasonic bath. The measurement is then carried out.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the following non-limiting examples.

Cation exchange capacity (CEC)

Principle: - The clay is treated with a large excess of aqueous NH ₄ C1 solution, washed out and the amount of NH ⁺ remaining on the clay is determined by elemental analysis. Me ⁺ (tone) ^~ + NH ₄ ⁺ NH ₄ ⁺ (tone) ^~ + Me +

(Me ⁺ = H ⁺ , K ⁺ , Na ⁺ , 1/2 Ca ²⁺ , 1/2 Mg ²⁺ ....)

Devices: strainer, 63 µm; Erlenmeyer ground flasks, 300 ml; Analytical balance; Membrane filter, 400 ml; Cellulose nitrate filter, 0.15 μm (from Sartorius); Drying oven; Reflux condenser; hot plate; Distillation unit, VAPODEST-5 (Gerhardt, No. 6550); Volumetric flask, 250 ml; Flame AAS

Chemicals: 2N NH ₄ C1 solution; Neßlers reagent (Merck, Art. R. 9028); Boric acid solution, 2%; Sodium hydroxide solution, 32%; 0.1 N hydrochloric acid; NaCl solution, 0.1%; KCl solution, 0.1%.

Procedure: 5 g of clay are sieved through a 63 μm sieve and dried at 110 ° C. Then exactly 2 g are weighed on the analytical balance in differential weighing into the Erlenmeyer ground flask and mixed with 100 ml of 2N NH ₄ C1 solution. The suspension is boiled under reflux for one hour. In the case of bentonites with a high CaC0 ₃ content, ammonia can develop. In these cases, NH ₄ C1 solution must be added until there is no longer a smell of ammonia. An additional check can be carried out with a damp indicator paper. After a standing time of approx. 16 h, the NH ₄ ⁺ bentonite is filtered off through a membrane filter and washed with deionized water (approx. 800 ml) until it is largely free of ions. Evidence of the freedom from ions in the wash water is carried out on NH ₄ ⁺ ions using the sensitive Neßlers reagent. The number of washes can vary between 30 minutes and 3 days depending on the key. The washed-out NH ₄ ⁺ clay is removed from the filter, dried at 110 ° C. for 2 hours, ground, sieved (63 μm sieve) and dried again at 110 ° C. for 2 hours. The NH ₄ ⁺ content of the clay is then determined by elemental analysis. Calculation of the CEC: The CEC of the clay was determined in a conventional manner via the NH ₄ ⁺ content of the NH ₄ ⁺ clay, which was determined by elemental analysis of the N content. For this purpose, the Vario EL 3 device from Elementar-Heraeus, Hanau, DE, was used according to the manufacturer's instructions. The information is given in meq / 100 g clay (meq / lOOg).

Example: nitrogen content = 0.93%; Molecular weight: N = 14.0067 g / mol

14.0067

CEC = 66.4 meq / 100 g NH ₄ ⁺ bentonite

Examples

1. Preparation of a sorbent

A raw clay with a montmorillonite content between 70 to 80% is slurried in water and purified by centrifugation. The slurry obtained is then subjected to acid activation. The concentrations are adjusted so that 56% bentonite is mixed with 44% 36% by weight hydrochloric acid and boiled for 8 hours at a temperature of 95 to 99 ° C. The mixture is then washed with water until the residual chloride content is less than or equal to 5%, based on the solid. To analyze the residual chloride content, 10 g of solid are boiled in 100 ml of distilled water and _. filtered through a pleated filter. The filtrate is titrated with silver nitrate solution to determine the residual chloride content. Finally, drying to a residual moisture of 8 to 10% by weight takes place. The final product has a weight of 430 to 520 g / 1. By sieving or additional grinding can be particularly preferred. Set particle sizes.

2. Characterization of the sorbent

The characteristic data of this sorbent (adsorbent 1) and the corresponding freeness are given in the following tables. The characterization of the surface shows that there is a negative zeta potential in solutions. However, the surface charge density is relatively small. Values above 200 μeq / g can be achieved with specially modified materials.

Table 1: Surface charge density and zeta potential

Table 2: Particle size distribution

Adsorbent 1 was characterized according to the BJH method and BET method (DIN 66131) with regard to the average pore diameter and the BET surface area. The following values resulted:

Table 3: BET surface area and pore diameter

The following values were obtained using the CCl ₄ method (see above) Table 4: Pore diameter and pore olumen

In order to test the suitability of the new adsorbent type for binding DNA, adsorption experiments of herring sperm DNA (Aldrich) were carried out.

The DNA concentration was determined photometrically to determine the concentration in the adsorption experiments. A wavelength of 260 nm was set for the measurement. To calibrate the method with the DNA salt used, a measurement was carried out with a series of concentrations. The calibration line obtained was used for the photometric determination of the DNA concentration in the adsorption experiments.

For the adsorption experiments, a herring sperm DNA solution with a concentration of 1 mg / ml, 2 mg / ml, 5.63 mg / ml and 9.9 mg / 1 was prepared and adjusted to pH 8 using 10MM Tris / HCl and ImM EDTA , Then 0.1 g of the adsorbents were each mixed with 5 ml of the DNA solution and shaken for 1 hour at room temperature. The mixture was then centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 15 minutes and the supernatant was sterile filtered. Finally the DNA concentration in the supernatant was measured and from this the binding capacity for DNA was calculated. The results are summarized in the following table and in the following graphic: Table 5: DNA binding capacities

BK = binding capacity -> converted into mg DNA based on 1 g of the adsorbents

In order to recover the bound DNA from the adsorbents, elution is carried out with 1.5 molar sodium chloride solution in 10 M Tris HCL pH 8.5 for 1 hour (elution volume: 100 ml), 15 min. Centrifuged at 2000 rpm, the supernatant sterile filtered and the absorption measured.

Table 4: Elution of the bound DNA

It was found that the bound DNA can be recovered almost quantitatively from the adsorbents. This shows the potential use of the new adsorbents both for separating and for purifying DNA.

In order to be able to classify the binding capacity of the adsorbents according to the invention for DNA compared to the prior art, analogous binding tests were carried out with a commercially available anion exchanger (Quiagen, genomic tip). The matrix was removed from the column and the grain size was comparable to that of the material according to the invention marry. The comparison results are listed in the following table.

Table 5: Comparative results on DNA binding capacity with commercially available adsorbent

As the comparison of Table 3 and Table 4 shows, the adsorbent type according to the invention has a significantly higher binding capacity than the comparison anion exchanger. Binding capacities of adsorbents which are commercially available according to the prior art are thus achieved or exceeded. In addition, the adsorbents according to the invention have a much faster DNA binding because the corresponding amounts of DNA are already bound after 1 hour compared to the adsorption time of 16 hours for the comparison material.

The data suggest that the binding sites of the adsorbents according to the invention are much more accessible, especially for large biomolecules, than for the comparative adsorbent.

4. Transfection of NIH-3T3 cells with acid-activated layered silicate as an inorganic vector a) Cell cultivation:

The NIH-3T3 cell line is used for the transfection experiments. These are adherently growing mouse embryo fibroblasts. The doubling time is approximately 20 hours. The cells are cultivated in the standard medium DMEM (with 4.5 g-1 ^"1 glucose) with 10% NCS. The cultivation takes place in an incubator at 37 ° C. under a humidified 5% CO ₂ atmosphere.

To prepare the stock culture, the thawed cell suspension is placed in a monolayer bottle (25 cm ² ) with 10 ml medium. A direct cell number determination is not possible with adherently growing cells; the growth rate is controlled via the degree of coverage of the culture vessel. At approx. 90% confluency - usually after 3-4 days - the culture is implemented in order to avoid cell overgrowth (focal formation). For this purpose, the medium is decanted off, trypsin solution is added and incubated in the incubator for 10 min. The detached cell suspension is mixed with approx. 15 ml serum-containing medium to block the trypsin. The centrifuged cells are resuspended in fresh medium and reseeded in a dilution of 1:10.

b) Transfection:

As an inorganic vector for the transfection of NIH-3T3 cells, the adsorbent-1 samples specified at the outset were "loaded" with the plasmid pQBI25-fCl (Quiagen, Heidelberg) before the transfection. For this, 10 mg of the respective adsorbent-1 sample were weighed out and washed with ethanol for sterilization. Then 2 ml of sterile, distilled. Water is added, vortexed briefly and centrifuged for 3 minutes at 5000 rpm. 1.5 ml of sterile plasmid DNA with a concentration of 1.45 ml-ml ^{-1 were} added to the residue and shaken at 250 rpm for 16 h at room temperature.

The DNA-Adsorbent-1 hybrid was suspended in 10 ml of distilled, sterile water. The transfection with adsorbent-1 as a vector was carried out with two different concentrations of DNA adsorbent-1 hybrid performed. The NIH-3T3 cells were sown 24 h before the transfection with a density of 1-2-10 ⁵ cell-cm ^"2 in 6-hole plates and in the incubator at 37 ° C under humidified 5% CO ₂ - The amounts given relate to one hole in the 6-hole plate and were analyzed 48 hours after the start of the transfection with the fluorescence microscope. Transfected cells can be recognized by the GFP production, when illuminated with 474 nm they light up Viewing in a fluorescent microscope green.

Version 1 :

The medium was removed immediately before the experiment and 1.5 ml of new medium were added. 25 and 100 μl of the DNA adsorbent 1 suspension were added and incubation was carried out for 3 hours. The medium was then changed and incubated for a further 45 h.

Variant 2 :

The medium was removed immediately before the experiment and 1.5 ml of new medium was added. 25 and 100 μl of the suspension were added and incubation was carried out for 24 hours. The medium was then changed and incubated for a further 24 h.

When using the hybrid according to the invention with the adsorbent-1, numerous successfully transfected cells could be detected on the basis of the fluorescence, so that the DNA-adsorbent-1 hybrids according to the invention are suitable as inorganic vectors.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Process for the sorption, enrichment or depletion, removal or recovery or separation of at least one nucleic acid molecule from a preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium using a sorbent, the sorbent comprising at least one acid-activated layered silicate.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the layered silicate is selected from the group of natural or synthetic layered silicates.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the layered silicate is not treated with a cationic polymer or polycation.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cation exchange capacity of the acid-activated layered silicate is less than 50 meq/100 g, in particular less than 40 meq/100 g.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid-activated layered silicate has a BET surface area of at least 50 m / g, in particular at least 100 m ² / g, particularly preferably at least 130 m ² / g.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid-activated layered silicate, preferably in powder form, has a grain size (D ₅₀ ) of 1 to 1,000 μm, in particular 5 to 500 μm.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid-activated layered silicate, pre- preferably in granular form, having a grain size (D ₅₀ ) of 100 to 500 μm, in particular 200 to 2,000 μm.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid-activated layered silicate has a porosimetry as follows: pores up to 80 nm in diameter between approximately 0.15 and 0.80 ml/g, in particular between approximately 0.2 and 0.7 ml/g; Pores up to 25 nm in diameter between about 0.15 and 0.45 ml/g, in particular 0.18 to 0.40 ml/g; Pores up to

14 nm between about 0.10 and 0.40 ml/g, in particular about 0.12 to 0.37 ml/g, each determined using the CCl ₄ method.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the average pore diameter according to the BJH method of the acid-activated layered silicate is between 2 and

25 nm, in particular between 4 and 20 nm.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one nucleic acid molecule is selected from mono-, oligo- and polynucleotides or mixtures thereof.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one nucleic acid molecule is selected from ribonucleic acids (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) or mixtures thereof.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one nucleic acid molecule has at least 10 nucleotide building blocks, preferably at least 100 nucleotide building blocks and particularly preferably at least 1000 nucleotide building blocks.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium with the at least one nucleic acid molecule is a colloidal solution, suspension, dispersion, solution or emulsion.

14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

b) enabling the sorption of the at least one nucleic acid molecule onto or into the sorbent,

c) separating the sorbed or bound to the sorbent nucleic acid molecule together with the sorbent from the preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium,

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorbent essentially consists of at least one acid-activated layered silicate.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid activation of the layered silicate takes place with an inorganic or organic acid.

17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the acid activation of the layered silicate is based on an amount of acid (anhydrous) of 1 to 35% by weight on the layered silicate, preferably at elevated temperature.

18. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aqueous or alcoholic medium is a DNA or RNA solution, a fermentation medium, a fermentation residue from cell culture, industrial water or wastewater.

19. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a further step the sorbent together with the. Nucleic acid molecule is disposed of.

20. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a further step the at least one nucleic acid molecule is desorbed or recovered again from the sorbent, whereby the sorbent can be used again if necessary.

21. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the desorption or recovery of the at least one nucleic acid molecule takes place in a high-salt buffer solution, preferably with more than 1 M NaCl.

22. Composition with a sorbent as defined in one of the preceding claims and at least one nucleic acid molecule as defined in one of the preceding claims in a preferably aqueous or alcoholic medium, containing at least one nucleic acid molecule.

23. Use of at least one acid-activated layered silicate as defined in one of the preceding claims as a sorbent for nucleic acids.

2. Use of a sorbent as defined in one or more of claims 1-9, 15-17, or the composition according to claim 22 as an inorganic vector for introducing nucleic acid molecules into cells, or as a pharmaceutical composition, in particular as a reservoir for storage and controlled release of nucleic acids .

25. Use of a sorbent as defined in one or more of claims 1-9, 15-17 as a sorbent for the enrichment or depletion of nucleic acid molecules, in particular for the removal or purification of nucleic acids from aqueous or alcoholic media.

26. Use according to claim 25 for reducing or adjusting the viscosity of the medium.

27. Use according to claim 25 or 26 in the production or purification of biotechnologically produced substances and active ingredients.

28. Use according to one of claims 23 to 27, characterized in that the sorbent is in particulate form and is optionally combined with a binder to form particle aggregates or shaped bodies or is applied to a support.

29. Use according to claim 28, characterized in that the binder is alginate, agar-agar, chitosans, pectins, gelatins, lupine protein isolates or gluten.

30. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorbent is in particulate form and optionally combined with a binder to form particle aggregates or shaped bodies or applied to a support is .

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that the binder is alginate, agar-agar, chitosans, pectins, gelatins, lupine protein isolates or gluten.

32. Composition according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorbent is in particulate form and is optionally combined with a binder to form particle aggregates or shaped bodies or is applied to a carrier.

33. Composition according to claim 32, characterized in that the binder is alginate, agar-agar, chitosans, pectins, gelatins, lupine protein isolates or gluten.