Periplasmic production of correctly processed human growth hormone in Escherichia coli: natural and bacterial signal sequences are interchangeable

We have studied the synthesis, secretion, and processing of human growth hormone (hGH) in Escherichia coli transformed with plasmids engineered for the expression of hGH as a secreted product. In one plasmid, pPreHGH207-2, the coding sequence of the natural hGH precursor (pre-hGH) is placed under the control of the E. coli trp promoter. In a second plasmid, pAPH-1, a DNA fragment containing the E. coli alkaline phosphatase promoter and signal sequence codons is fused to the mature hGH coding sequence (pho-hGH). Most of the hGH was present in the osmotic shock fluids of E. coli cells containing either plasmid, indicating transport to the periplasmic space. Amino acid sequencing of the N termini of the pre-hGH and pho-hGH gene products revealed that both were processed correctly. Electrophoretic analysis of these polypeptides on reducing and nonreducing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide (PA) gels indicates that periplasmic hGH is monomeric and contains the same two disulfide bonds as authentic hGH.     

The human growth hormone receptor. Secretion from Escherichia coli and disulfide bonding pattern of the extracellular binding domain

A gene fragment encoding the extracellular domain of the human growth hormone (hGH) receptor from liver was cloned into a plasmid under control of the Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase promoter and the heat-stable enterotoxin (StII) signal peptide sequence. Strains of E. coli expressing properly folded hGH binding protein were identified by blotting colonies with 125I-hGH. The E. coli strain capable of highest expression (KS330) secreted 10 to 20 mg/liter of culture of properly processed and folded hGH receptor fragment into the periplasmic space. The protein was purified to near homogeneity in 70 to 80% yield (in tens of milligram amounts) using ammonium sulfate precipitation, hGH affinity chromatography, and gel filtration. The unglycosylated extracellular domain of the hGH receptor has virtually identical binding properties compared to its natural glycosylated counterpart isolated from human serum, suggesting glycosylation is not important for binding of hGH. The extracellular binding domain codes for 7 cysteines, and we show that six of them form three disulfide bonds. Peptide mapping studies show these disulfides are paired sequentially to produce short loops (10-15 residues long) as follows: Cys38-Cys48, Cys83-Cys94, and Cys108-Cys122. Cys241 is unpaired, and mutagenic analysis shows that the extreme carboxyl end of the receptor fragment (including Cys241) is not essential for folding or binding of the protein to hGH. High level expression of this receptor binding domain and its homologs in E. coli will greatly facilitate their detailed biophysical and structural analysis.     

Periplasmic expression of human growth hormone via plasmid vectors containing the lambdaPL promoter: use of HPLC for product quantification

The influence of different factors acting on Escherichia coli periplasmic expression of recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) in shake flask cultures has been investigated. Bacterial vectors containing the phage lambdaP(L) promoter, which is temperature activated, were utilized. Four different signal peptides were compared: DsbA, npr, STII and one derived from the natural hGH signal peptide, this last used as a reference. Other factors such as medium composition, optimized induction and expression conditions, and different bacterial strains were also studied. The determination of hGH, carried out directly in osmotic shock fluids, was based on an isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method, which allows direct, rapid evaluation of the quality and quantity of hGH being secreted in the bacterial periplasmic space immediately after or even during fermentation. The level of hGH production increased 2.5-fold compared with the reference vector, reaching a level of 3.9 +/- 0.63 micro g/ml/A(600) (n = 6; coefficient of variation = 16.2%). The expression level was affected by the signal peptide and by the induction conditions, being more effective when activation started in the early logarithmic phase which, however, exhibited remarkably different optical density (OD) according to medium composition. Our results thus indicate that 6 h activation at 40-42 degrees C, starting with an OD (A(600)) of approximately 3 in a very rich medium, were conditions capable of providing the maximum secretion level for a vector utilizing the DsbA signal sequence and E.coli W3110 or RB791 as host cells.     

Secretion into the culture medium of a foreign gene product from Escherichia coli: use of the ompF gene for secretion of human beta-endorphin.

The ompF gene codes for a major outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli. A plasmid was constructed in which the structural gene for human beta-endorphin is preceded by the upstream region of the ompF gene consisting of the promoter region and the coding regions for the signal peptide and the N terminus of the OmpF protein. When the plasmid was introduced into E. coli N99, and OmpF-beta-endorphin fused peptide was synthesized and secreted into the culture medium through both the cytoplasmic and outer membranes. The OmpF signal peptide was cleaved correctly during the secretion, indicating that the export of the fused protein across the cytoplasmic membrane was dependent on the signal peptide. The secretion into the culture medium was apparently selective. Neither beta-lactamase nor alkaline phosphatase (both are periplasmic proteins) appeared in the culture medium in significant amounts. The mode of passage of the fused peptide across the outer membrane is discussed.     

Construction of an excretion vector and extracellular production of human growth hormone from Escherichia coli

A new excretion vector, pEAP8, was constructed to develop an excretion system for Escherichia coli. This plasmid, derived from pEAP37, carried the weakly activated kil gene of plasmid pMB9 [Kobayashi et al., J. Bacteriol. 166 (1986) 728-732] and the penicillinase promoter and signal region of an alkalophilic Bacillus sp. to excrete foreign gene products. A gene for human growth hormone (hGH) was joined to this signal sequence through the HindIII site. The recombinant plasmid p8hGH1 thus constructed, was introduced into E. coli. The hybrid protein which was produced in E. coli carrying p8hGH1 was processed during transport through the inner membrane, with the mature hGH being excreted into the medium through the outer membrane which was made permeable by the action of the kil gene. The N-terminal amino acid sequence and the biological activity of the extracellular hGH were consistent with those of the authentic hGH.     

Periplasmic production via the pET expression system of soluble,bioactive human growth hormone

A pET based expression system for the production of recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) directed to the Escherichia coli periplasmic space was developed. The pET22b plasmid was used as a template for creating vectors that encode hGH fused to either a pelB or ompA secretion signal under control of the strong bacteriophage T7 promoter. The pelB- and ompA-hGH constructs expressed in BL21 (λDE3)-RIPL E. coli are secreted into the periplasm which facilitates isolation of soluble hGH by selective disruption of the outer membrane. A carboxy-terminal poly-histidine tag enabled purification by Ni²⁺ affinity chromatography with an average yield of 1.4 mg/L culture of purified hGH, independent of secretion signal. Purified pelB- and ompA-hGH are monomeric based on size exclusion chromatography with an intact mass corresponding to mature hGH indicating proper cleavage of the signal peptide and folding in the periplasm. Both pelB- and ompA-hGH bind the hGH receptor with high affinity and potently stimulate Nb2 cell growth. These results demonstrate that the pET expression system is suitable for the rapid and simple isolation of bioactive, soluble hGH from E. coli.     

High-level secretion of the extracellular domain of the human growth hormone receptor using a baculovirus system

A chemically synthesized gene (hGHR-ED) coding for the extracellular domain (ED) of the human growth hormone (hGH) receptor (hGHR) was inserted into the genome of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus adjacent to the polyhedrin promoter. Spodoptera frugiperda cells infected with the recombinant virus secreted a protein with hGH-binding activity into the medium. The secreted 35-kDa protein was purified to near homogeneity. The purified protein exhibited a high binding affinity (Kd = 0.2-0.3 nM) to hGH. The highest cell production capability was estimated at more than 10-20 micrograms hGHR-ED/ml of culture. The inhibition of the hGHR-ED secretion by treatment with tunicamycin suggests that glycosylation is important for secretion.     

Secretion of Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli

The Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase structural gene (amyE) lacking its own signal peptide coding sequence was joined to the end of the Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (phoA) signal peptide coding sequence by using the technique of oligonucleotide-directed site-specific deletion. On induction of the phoA promoter, the B. subtilis alpha-amylase was expressed and almost all the activity was found in the periplasmic space of E. coli. The sequence of the five amino-terminal amino acids of the secreted polypeptide was Glu-Thr-Ala-Asn-Lys-, and thus the fused protein was correctly processed by the E. coli signal peptidase at the end of the phoA signal peptide.     

Heat-Induced Production of Human Growth Hormone by High Cell Density Cultivation of Recombinant Escherichia Coli

The temperature-induced, over-expression of the human growth hormone gene in a recombinant E. coli during high cell density cultivation is reported. Human growth hormone (hGH) production and stability were tested under different heat shock conditions. Cell densities were 25 and 60 g l(-1) in a pH-stat fed-batch mode in defined and complex medium, respectively, and the fermentation time was decreased from 41 to 32 h. hGH was produced at 2 g l(-1) in complex medium. By using glycerol as main carbon source in the complex medium with exponential feeding, cell density and hGH production were increased to 100 g l(-1) and 2.7 g l(-1), respectively.     

Genetic engineering of peptide hormones

The application of different approaches for preparing DNAs coding for peptide hormones was demonstrated. The libraries of human, bovine and porcine pituitaries cDNA were obtained starting from their total mRNAs. Screening of these libraries revealed clones containing human, bovine and porcine growth hormone sequences, cDNAs for bovine ACTH-beta-lipotropin precursor and for bovine and porcine prolactin. The gene of human calcitonin was created by combination of chemical and enzymatic synthesis. This synthetic gene was further cloned in pBR322. The expression of cloned human growth hormone cDNA under control of different Escherichia coli promoters was studied and physico-chemical and biological properties of the growth hormone produced by E. coli were tested.     

Molecular cloning of DNA complementary to bovine growth hormone mRNA

We have cloned DNA complementary to mRNA coding for bovine growth hormone (bGH). Double-stranded DNA complementary to bovine pituitary mRNA was inserted into the Pst I site of plasmid pBR322 by the dC x dG tailing technique and amplified in E. coli x 1776. A recombinant plasmid containing bGH cDNA ws identified by hybridization to cloned rat growth hormone cDNA. It contains the entire coding and 3'-untranslated regions and 31 bases in the 5'-untranslated region. Nucleotide sequence analysis determined the sequence of the 26-amino acid signal peptide and confirmed the published amino acid sequence of the secreted hormone at all but 2 residues. Codon usage is nonrandom, with 81.7% of the codons ending in G or C. The nucleotide sequence of bGH mRNA is 83.9% homologous with rat GH mRNA and 76.5% homologous with human GH mRNA, while the respective amino acid sequence homologies are 83.5% and 66.8%.     

The ompA signal peptide directed secretion of Staphylococcal nuclease A by Escherichia coli

The hybrid pre-enzyme formed by fusion of the signal peptide of the OmpA protein, a major outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli, to Staphylococcal nuclease A, a protein secreted by Staphylococcus aureus, is translocated across the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli with concomitant cleavage of the signal peptide. A DNA fragment containing the coding sequence for the ompA signal peptide was initially ligated to a DNA fragment containing the coding sequence for nuclease A, with a linker sequence of 33 nucleotides separating the coding sequences. When this fused gene was induced, an enzymatically active nuclease was secreted into the periplasmic space; sequential Edman degradation of this protein revealed that the ompA signal peptide was removed at its normal cleavage site resulting in a modified version of the nuclease having 11 extra amino acid residues attached to the amino terminus of nuclease A. The 33 nucleotides between the coding sequences for the ompA signal peptide and the structural gene for nuclease A were subsequently deleted by synthetic oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis. The nuclease produced by this hybrid gene was secreted into the periplasmic space and by sequential Edman degradation was identical to nuclease A. Thus, the ompA signal peptide is able to direct the secretion of fused staphylococcal nuclease A, and signal peptide processing occurs at the normal cleavage site. When the hybrid gene is expressed under the control of the lpp promoter, nuclease A is produced to the extent of 10% of the total cellular protein.     

Functional large-scale production of a novel Jonesia sp. xyloglucanase by heterologous secretion from Streptomyces lividans

The gene encoding a novel xyloglucanase (Xeg) belonging to family 74 glycoside hydrolases was isolated from a Jonesia sp. strain through functional screening in Escherichia coli. The encoded xyloglucanase is a protein of 972 aminoacyl residues with a 23 residue aminoterminal signal peptide. Over-expression of Xeg in B. subtilis or E. coli failed. In contrast, Xeg was successfully over-expressed and secreted in Streptomyces lividans TK24. To this end Xeg was fused C-terminally to the secretory signal peptide of the subtilisin inhibitor protein (vsi) from Streptomyces venezuelae. The native Xeg signal peptide derived from Jonesia sp. is only poorly functional in S. lividans. Under optimal growth conditions, significant amounts of mature Xeg (100-150 mg/l) are secreted in the spent growth media. A protocol to rapidly purify Xeg to homogeneity from culture supernatants was developed. Biophysical and biochemical analyses indicate that the enzyme is intact, stable and fully functional. Xeg is the longest heterologous polypeptide shown to be secreted from S. lividans. This study further validates use of S. lividans for production of active heterologous proteins and demonstrates that heterologous polypeptides of up to 100 kDa are also tractable by this system.     

Secretion of human growth hormone by the food-grade bacterium Staphylococcus carnosus requires a propeptide irrespective of the signal peptide used

Staphylococcal exoproteins can be divided into two groups. One group comprises proteins bearing only a signal peptide, the other group requires an additional propeptide for secretion. The secretion signals of the propeptide-requiring lipase from Staphylococcus hyicus (Lip) have been frequently used to produce recombinant secretory proteins in the food-grade species Staphylococcus carnosus. However, it has been unclear whether recombinant proteins can be secreted using signal peptides of staphylococcal proteins without propeptide. The human growth hormone protein (hGH) was fused to various staphylococcal secretion signals of proteins without propeptide (Seb, SceA, and SceB) and of proteins requiring a propeptide (lipase, lysostaphin, and glycerol ester hydrolase). Secretory hGH was efficiently produced by S. carnosus after fusion with any propeptide-containing secretion signal, whereas precursor proteins were retained in the cells when only a signal peptide was used. Addition of the first six amino acid residues of mature SceA to the signal peptide did also not lead to secretion of hGH. It was concluded that the properties of the mature protein domains determine whether a propeptide is required for secretion or not. The Lip propeptide could be efficiently removed from hGH after introduction of an enterokinase cleavage site between the two protein domains.     

Overproduction of biologically-active human nerve growth factor in Escherichia coli.

A gene coding for human nerve growth factor (hNGF) was constructed for expression under control of the trp promoter in E. coli. The plasmid pTRSNGF contained a synthetic hNGF gene fused, in frame, to the region encoding the beta-lactamase signal peptide. The plasmid pTRLNGF contained the same coding sequence as hNGF attached downstream from the N-terminal fragment of the trp L gene. E. coli cells harboring pTRSNGF produced an amount of hNGF constituting 4% of the total cellular protein, and removed the beta-lactamase signal peptide. The mature protein hNGF was biologically active in the PC12h bioassay for neurite outgrowth. This biological activity was comparable to that of authentic mouse NGF. E. coli cells harboring pTRLNGF produced an amount of fusion protein hNGF constituting 25% of the total cellular protein. Although the fusion protein hNGF formed inclusion bodies in cells, dissolved fusion protein hNGF was active in neurite outgrowth from PC12h cells.     

The prepro-peptide of Mucor rennin directs the secretion of human growth hormone by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An aspartic proteinase, Mucor pusillus rennin (MPR), of filamentous fungus Mucor pusillus, is efficiently secreted from a transformant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing the intact MPR gene. To test the usefulness of the MPR leader peptide in secretion of heterologous proteins from yeast cells, several plasmids encoding the fusion proteins composed of different parts of the NH2-terminal region of prepro-MPR and human growth hormone (hGH) were constructed. The parts of the leader peptide upstream of hGH were the whole prepro-peptide following the NH2-terminal region of mature MPR in JGH1, the intact pre-sequence and a part of the pro-sequence in JGH2, and the putative signal sequences of the NH2-terminal 18 and 22 amino acids in JGH3 and JGH7, respectively. When the hGH genes fused to these leader sequences were expressed in yeast cells under the control of the yeast GAL7 promoter, proteins of various sizes immunoreactive with the anti-hGH antibody were secreted into the medium. Among the plasmids mentioned above, JGH2 directed the greatest secretion of the protein of 23 kilodaltons in size, which contained the expected NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of an additional eight amino acids derived from the pro-peptide of MPR. The addition of the GAL10 terminator downstream of the hGH gene in JGH2 resulted in a greater than three- to fivefold increase in the secretion, whereas the insertion of the GAL4 gene, which is a positive regulator for the GAL system, had no significant effect. The improved yield of the total protein of hGH secreted into the medium reached approximately 10 mg/liter.     

The prepro-peptide of Mucor rennin directs the secretion of human growth hormone by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

An aspartic proteinase, Mucor pusillus rennin (MPR), of filamentous fungus Mucor pusillus, is efficiently secreted from a transformant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing the intact MPR gene. To test the usefulness of the MPR leader peptide in secretion of heterologous proteins from yeast cells, several plasmids encoding the fusion proteins composed of different parts of the NH2-terminal region of prepro-MPR and human growth hormone (hGH) were constructed. The parts of the leader peptide upstream of hGH were the whole prepro-peptide following the NH2-terminal region of mature MPR in JGH1, the intact pre-sequence and a part of the pro-sequence in JGH2, and the putative signal sequences of the NH2-terminal 18 and 22 amino acids in JGH3 and JGH7, respectively. When the hGH genes fused to these leader sequences were expressed in yeast cells under the control of the yeast GAL7 promoter, proteins of various sizes immunoreactive with the anti-hGH antibody were secreted into the medium. Among the plasmids mentioned above, JGH2 directed the greatest secretion of the protein of 23 kilodaltons in size, which contained the expected NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of an additional eight amino acids derived from the pro-peptide of MPR. The addition of the GAL10 terminator downstream of the hGH gene in JGH2 resulted in a greater than three- to fivefold increase in the secretion, whereas the insertion of the GAL4 gene, which is a positive regulator for the GAL system, had no significant effect. The improved yield of the total protein of hGH secreted into the medium reached approximately 10 mg/liter.     

Secretion of recombinant human epidermal growth factor into the periplasm in Escherichia coli cells]

Secretion vectors were constructed in which a synthetic gene of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) joined with a gene coding for the leader peptide to one of the E. coli outer membrane major proteins (OmpF) is controlled by tac promoter. The increase of the hEGF yield was achieved by the multiplication of the gene copies. The hEGF in bacterial cells was secreted into periplasm. The recombinant protein was isolated by means of reverse phase chromatography as almost homogenous preparation (greater than 98%), the yield being 7 mg/l bacterial culture. The sequence of twenty-five N-terminal amino acid residues of the isolated hEGF coincided with that of the natural protein. The preparation proved to be biologically active.