Detection of Residual Proteins UL5 and UL29 Using a Targeted Proteomics Approach in HSV529, a Replication-Deficient HSV-2 Vaccine Candidate

HSV529 is a replication defective human herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 viral vaccine candidate in clinical development. An engineered cell line is required to support production of HSV529 by transgenic expression of the HSV-1 transcription factors UL5 (HELI) and UL29 (DNBI). These 2 genes have been deleted from the vaccine candidate to ensure replication deficiency, and the transgene products are thus impurities that must be monitored in the final product. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) is a mass spectrometry (MS) workflow that can be used to quickly develop targeted protein detection and quantitation methods. An MRM method was developed for detection of the HSV-1 proteins UL5 and UL29 based on results from nano-liquid chromatography-MS/MS protein analysis of HSV529 material. Sensitivity, specificity, and linearity of response for the MRM workflow were established using high-flow ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem quadrupole mass analyzer. Results show that residual UL5 and UL29 proteins can be detected in the HSV529 candidate, and that MRM analysis provides the appropriate sensitivity and specificity required for quantitation. The transition from nano-flow to ultra-performance driven chromatography was found to improve method robustness without compromising the sensitivity of the assay.