Single-step purification of proteins of interest from proteolytically cleaved recombinant maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion proteins by selective immunoprecipitation of MBP

The maltose binding protein (MBP) fusion protein system is a versatile tool to express and isolate recombinant proteins inE. coli. In this system, MBP fusion proteins are efficiently isolated from whole cell lysate using amylose conjugated agarose beads and then eluted by competition with free maltose. Since MBP is a rather large molecule (∼42 kDa), for further experiments, the MBP part is usually proteolytically cleaved from the fusion protein and subsequently removed by ion-exchange chromatography or rebinding to amylose columns after washing out excess and MBP-bound maltose. In the present study, we have developed an improved method for the removal of cleaved MBP, which is advantageous over conventional methods. In this method, factor Xa cleaved MBP fusion proteins were incubated with Sepharose beads conjugated with MBP specific monoclonal antibodies and then precipitated by centrifugation, resulting in highly purified proteins in the supernatant.     

基于谷胱甘肽-磁性微粒的GST融合蛋白纯化体系的建立

本研究将还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)共价结合在异硫氰酸根末端磁性微粒表面,制备了具有超顺磁性的谷胱甘肽-磁性微粒亲和介质,以表面修饰有谷胱甘肽的磁性微粒为载体,建立了谷胱甘肽巯基转移酶(GST)融合蛋白的纯化体系。对100μL细胞裂解液纯化体系所需磁性微粒用量、谷胱甘肽-磁性微粒与细胞裂解液的孵育时间、清洗条件等进行了优化。以聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳对融合蛋白的纯度进行了检测,Bradford方法对融合蛋白进行了定量测定,对纯化得到的目的蛋白进行了Western blotting分析。结果表明,每毫克异硫氰酸根末端磁性微粒对GSH的固定化容量为150μg,10 mg谷胱甘肽-磁性微粒可满足100μL细胞裂解体系中目的蛋白的纯化,最佳孵育时间为40 min,对GST融合蛋白的平均纯化量为516μg。本方法快速、简便,基于磁性微粒的分离还可实现自动化,对GST融合蛋白的纯化具有很好的应用前景。     

Purification of recombinant proteins by fusion with thermally-responsive polypeptides.

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) undergo a reversible, inverse phase transition. Below their transition temperature (Tt), ELPs are soluble in water, but when the temperature is raised above Tt, phase transition occurs, leading to aggregation of the polypeptide. We demonstrate a method for purification of soluble fusion proteins incorporating an ELP tag. Advantages of this method, termed "inverse transition cycling," include technical simplicity, low cost, ease of scale-up, and capacity for multiplexing. More broadly, the ability to environmentally modulate the physicochemical properties of recombinant proteins by fusion with ELPs will allow diverse applications in bioseparation, immunoassays, biocatalysis, and drug delivery.     

Liquid–liquid phase separation of Tau by self and complex coacervation

The liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of Tau has been postulated to play a role in modulating the aggregation property of Tau, a process known to be critically associated with the pathology of a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer''s Disease. Tau can undergo LLPS by homotypic interaction through self‐coacervation (SC) or by heterotypic association through complex‐coacervation (CC) between Tau and binding partners such as RNA. What is unclear is in what way the formation mechanisms for self and complex coacervation of Tau are similar or different, and the addition of a binding partner to Tau alters the properties of LLPS and Tau. A combination of in vitro experimental and computational study reveals that the primary driving force for both Tau CC and SC is electrostatic interactions between Tau‐RNA or Tau‐Tau macromolecules. The liquid condensates formed by the complex coacervation of Tau and RNA have distinctly higher micro‐viscosity and greater thermal stability than that formed by the SC of Tau. Our study shows that subtle changes in solution conditions, including molecular crowding and the presence of binding partners, can lead to the formation of different types of Tau condensates with distinct micro‐viscosity that can coexist as persistent and immiscible entities in solution. We speculate that the formation, rheological properties and stability of Tau droplets can be readily tuned by cellular factors, and that liquid condensation of Tau can alter the conformational equilibrium of Tau.     

Purification and characterization of a transgenic corn grain‐derived recombinant collagen type I alpha 1

Corn offers advantages as a transgenic host for producing recombinant proteins required at large volumes (1,000's of tons per year) and low cost (less than US$50/kg) by generating them as co‐products of biorefining. We describe the purification and characterization of a corn grain‐derived mammalian structural protein having such market characteristics: a full length recombinant collagen type I alpha 1 (rCIα1) chain. Material properties of interest are gelation behavior, which would depend on as yet unverified ability of corn to carry out post‐translational prolyl hydroxylation and formation of triple helical conformation. The starting material was grain where the expression of rCIα1 had been directed by an embryo‐specific promoter. Purification consisted of extraction at low pH followed by membrane and chromatographic steps to isolate rCIα1 for characterization. The amino acid composition and immunoreactivity of CIα1 was similar to that of an analogous native human CIα1 and to rCIα1 produced by the yeast Pichia pastoris. Tandem mass spectrometry confirmed the primary sequence of the corn‐derived rCIα1 with 46% coverage. Fragments of the rCIα1chains were also observed, possibly caused by endogenous plant proteases. The corn‐derived rCIα1 had a low level of prolyl hydroxylation (～1% versus 11%) relative to animal‐derived CIα1 and folded into its characteristic triple‐helical structure as indicated by its resistance to pepsin digestion below its melting temperature of 26^oC. The 29 amino acid foldon fused to the C‐terminus to initiate triple helix formation was not cleaved from the rCIα1chains, but could be removed by pepsin treatment. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. 2009     

Production of recombinant HIV‐1 nef protein using different expression host systems: A techno‐economical comparison

Three popular expression host systems Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris and Drosophila S2 were analyzed techno‐economically using HIV‐1 Nef protein as the model product. On scale of 100 mg protein, the labor costs corresponded to 52–83% of the manufacturing costs. When analyzing the cost impact of the different phases (strain/cell line construction, bioreactor production, and primary purification), we found that with the microbial host systems the strain construction phase was most significant generating 56% (E. coli) and 72% (P. pastoris) of the manufacturing costs, whereas with the Drosophila S2 system the cell line construction and bioreactor production phases were equally significant (46 and 47% of the total costs, respectively). With different titers and production goal of 100 mg of Nef protein, the costs of P. pastoris and Drosophila S2 systems were about two and four times higher than the respective costs of the E. coli system. When equal titers and bioreactor working volumes (10 L) were assumed for all three systems, the manufacturing costs of the bioreactor production of the P. pastoris and Drosophila S2 systems were about two and 2.5 times higher than the respective costs of the E. coli system. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009     

链球菌蛋白G的构建、重组表达及鉴定

化学合成链球茵蛋白G的C3D基因片段,通过分子生物学的方法对蛋白G（proteinG）的C3片段进行PCR扩增,拼接形成含有两个和三个重复C3片段的重组链球茵蛋白G,C3片段间以链接区D连接,即形成C3DC3和C3DC3DC3的形式,进而克隆到质粒pET21中,在大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）中表达。重组表达的蛋白经过DEAE—Sepharose和IgG—Sepharose纯化,得到纯化的重组蛋白。采用非竞争性酶免疫法对重组蛋白与不同来源IgG的结合常数进行测定,实验结果显示两种重组链球茵蛋白G均可有效地与小鼠、兔及山羊等多种不同来源抗体特异性结合。这些实验结果为下一步研究奠定了基础。     

Expression and purification of recombinant proteins from Escherichia coli: Comparison of an elastin-like polypeptide fusion with an oligohistidine fusion

Thermally responsive elastin like polypeptides (ELPs) can be used to purify proteins from Escherichia coli culture when proteins are expressed as a fusion with an ELP. Nonchromatographic purification of ELP fusion proteins, termed inverse transition cycling (ITC), exploits the reversible soluble-insoluble phase transition behavior imparted by the ELP tag. Here, we quantitatively compare the expression and purification of ELP and oligohistidine fusions of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), blue fluorescent protein (BFP), thioredoxin (Trx), and calmodulin (CalM) from both a 4-h culture with chemical induction of the plasmid-borne fusion protein gene and a 24-h culture without chemical induction. The total protein content and functional activity were quantified at each ITC purification step. For CAT, BFP, and Trx, the 24-h noninduction culture of ELP fusion proteins results in a sevenfold increase in the yield of each fusion protein compared to that obtained by the 4-h-induced culture, and the calculated target protein yield is similar to that of their equivalent oligohistidine fusion. For these proteins, ITC purification of fusion proteins also results in approximately 75% recovery of active fusion protein, similar to affinity chromatography. Compared to chromatographic purification, however, ITC is inexpensive, requires no specialized equipment or reagents, and because ITC is a batch purification process, it is easily scaled up to accommodate larger culture volumes or scaled down and multiplexed for high-throughput, microscale purification; thus, potentially impacting both high-throughput protein expression and purification for proteomics and large scale, cost-effective industrial bioprocessing of pharmaceutically relevant proteins.     

Purification of an elastin-like fusion protein by microfiltration

This article describes a simple and potentially scalable microfiltration method for purification of recombinant proteins. This method is based on the fact that when an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) is fused to a target protein, the inverse phase transition behavior of the ELP tag is imparted to the fusion protein. Triggering the phase transition of a solution of the ELP fusion protein by an increase in temperature, or isothermally by an increase in salt concentration, results in the formation of micron-sized aggregates of the ELP fusion protein. In this article, it is shown that these aggregates are efficiently retained by a microfiltration membrane, while contaminating E. coli proteins passed through the membrane upon washing. Upon reversing the phase transition by flow of Milli-Q water, soluble, pure, and functionally active protein is eluted from the membrane. Proof-of principle of this approach was demonstrated by purifying a fusion of thioredoxin with ELP (Trx-ELP) with greater than 95% recovery of protein and with greater than 95% purity (as estimated from SDS-PAGE gels). The simplicity of this method is demonstrated for laboratory scale purification by purifying Trx-ELP from cell lysate using a syringe and a disposable microfiltration cartridge. The potential scalability of this purification as an automated, continuous industrial-scale process is also demonstrated using a continuous stirred cell equipped with a microfiltration membrane.     

Inhibition of Orientia tsutsugamushi infection by a truncated recombinant 56‐kDa outer membrane protein

Aims: The objective of this study was to evaluate recombinant 56‐kDa outer membrane protein as a potential inhibitor to infection from Orientia tsutsugamushi. Methods and Results: The 56‐kDa protein was cloned and expressed in an Escherichia coli system, and the degree of target cell attachment to immobilized 56‐kDa protein was measured in a cell adhesion assay. The results showed that the 56‐kDa protein has an ability to attach HeLa cells. Furthermore, treatment of target cells with a truncated 56‐kDa 1–418 (amino acid residues) protein inhibited target cell infection by O. tsutsugamushi, demonstrated with an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay. Conclusions: The truncated 56‐kDa protein (a.a. 1–418) plays an important role in O. tsutsugamushi infection, and the 56‐kDa protein could be useful and effective in the inhibition of O. tsutsugamushi attachment and infection. Significance and Impact of the Study: The attachment of the 56‐kDa protein to target cells was directly determined by in vitro adherence test, and the invasion of target cells by O. tsutsugamushi was inhibited by treating the target cells with a truncated 56‐kDa protein.     

重组葡激酶的分离纯化

在构建出高表达,高活性的葡激酶工程菌株的基础上,对表达产物进行了分离纯化研究。经离子交换纯化后,纯度达８５％－９０％,回收率为５０％－６０％,经凝胶过滤后,纯度达９９％以上,回收率为６０％,经ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ测定,相对分子质量为１５．５＊１０＾３,比活为１．０＊１０＾５,Ｎ端氨基酸序列与献报道的相符。     

反相色谱在重组多肽精细纯化中的应用

反相色谱因其高分辨率在蛋白质、多肽及其他有机分子的高效液相色谱分析中被广泛使用,特别在基因工程多肽类药物的精细化中起着难以替代的作用。采用反相色谱进行两种重组多肽的精细纯化,获得了好的分离效果。     

Purification of an acidic recombinant protein from transgenic tobacco

Tobacco has proven to be a promising alternative for the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins and offers numerous advantages over other plants as a host system. However, the recovery and purification steps needed to obtain a protein at high recovery and purity have not been well investigated. In this study, a process was developed to purify a model acidic protein, recombinant beta-glucuronidase (rGUS) from transgenic tobacco leaf tissue, in three main steps after extraction: polyelectrolyte precipitation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), and hydroxyapatite chromatography (HAC). Using this three-step process, up to 40% of the initial rGUS activity could be recovered to near homogeneity as judged by SDS-PAGE. This work demonstrates that acidic recombinant proteins expressed in tobacco may be purified to high yield with high purity in a minimal amount of steps that are suitable for scale-up. Furthermore, the general steps used in this process may suggest that a wide variety of acidic recombinant proteins may be purified in a similar manner from transgenic tobacco or other leafy crops.     

重组大肠杆菌右旋糖酐蔗糖酶的纯化及其性质

[目的]研究工程菌E.coli BL21(DE3)/pET28-dexYG产右旋糖酐蔗糖酶的纯化和酶学性质.[方法]工程菌经过IPTG诱导后生产含His-tag融合蛋白的右旋糖酐蔗糖酶,通过硫酸铵沉淀、Ni-NTA亲和层析纯化,得到纯度较高的酶蛋白,并对纯酶进行了酶学性质及动力学研究.[结果]经过SDS-PAGE测得该酶的分子量约为170 kDa,与理论推测值基本相同.以蔗糖为底物,酶促反应的最适温度为25～30℃,最适pH值为5.4,动力学常数Km值为10.43 mmol/L;酶活在pH 5.0～8.0较为稳定,在室温(25 ℃)保藏4天仍有59%的酶活力,4℃保存7周酶活力仅下降一半,但在35℃以上失活很快;Ca2 对催化作用有较大的促进,Mg2 有微弱的促进作用,K 对催化反应无影响,Cu2 的抑制作用最强.其他试剂对重组酶的活性有不同程度的影响,其中SDS抑制作用很强.[结论]研究为重组右旋糖酐蔗糖酶纯酶的获取、得到稳定性好、活性高的酶反应体系及利用该酶进行催化反应和工业化应用提供了重要参数.     

Purification and characterization of the fusion protein trypsin-streptavidin expressed in Escherichia coli

Expression of fusion protein trypsin-streptavidin (TRYPSA)⁴ in Escherichia coli was evaluated and the protein purified. Protein expression was induced by 1 mM isopropylthio--D-galactoside (IPTG), and the enzyme activity was measured by the hydrolysis rate of p-toluenesulfonyl-l-arginine methyl ester (TAME). Expression of the fusion protein in the cell-free extract decreased with increased induction time; correspondingly, that in the inclusion bodies increased. The total expression in Luria–Bertani broth (LB) and Terrific Broth (TB) media reached the highest levels in 2 hr at 30°C. The optimum expression level was 35 and 48 U/L in LB and TB, respectively. Expression of the fusion protein was verified by Western Blot analysis using streptavidin antiserum, and the fusion protein was purified using a benzamidine Sepharose 6B affinity column at room temperature. The molecular size of the soluble purified fusion protein was determined by size-exclusion chromatography using Superose 12 FPLC. A molecular weight of 39–40 kDa was obtained, indicating that the soluble protein exists as a monomer; thus, the presence of the trypsin domain must prevent the streptavidin domain from tetramer formation.     

Engineering a recyclable elastin‐like polypeptide capturing scaffold for non‐chromatographic protein purification

Previously, we reported a non‐chromatographic protein purification method exploiting the highly specific interaction between the dockerin and cohesin domains from Clostridium thermocellum and the reversible aggregation property of elastin‐like polypeptide (ELP) to provide fast and cost‐effective protein purification. However, the bound dockerin‐intein tag cannot be completely dissociated from the ELP‐cohesin capturing scaffold due to the high binding affinity, resulting in a single‐use approach. In order to further reduce the purification cost by recycling the ELP capturing scaffold, a truncated dockerin domain with the calcium‐coordinating function partially impaired was employed. We demonstrated that the truncated dockerin domain was sufficient to function as an effective affinity tag, and the target protein was purified directly from cell extracts in a single binding step followed by intein cleavage. The efficient EDTA‐mediated dissociation of the bound dockerin‐intein tag from the ELP‐cohesin capturing scaffold was realized, and the regenerated ELP capturing scaffold was reused in another purification cycle without any decrease in the purification efficiency. This recyclable non‐chromatographic based affinity method provides an attractive approach for efficient and cost‐effective protein purification. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:968–971, 2013     

视黄醇结合蛋白的分离纯化

在变性条件下,应用Sephacryl-100凝胶过滤和Source-30Q阴离子交换两步分离,实现了分离纯化性质不稳定、易于降解的视黄醇结合蛋白(RBP)之目的。最后经过分步缓慢复性,获得具有生物活性的RBP,为其单克隆抗体制备及最终应用于临床营养评价和相关疾病的诊断创造了条件。     

N‐terminal processing of affinity‐tagged recombinant proteins purified by IMAC procedures

The ability of a new class of metal binding tags to facilitate the purification of recombinant proteins, exemplified by the tagged glutathione S‐transferase and human growth hormone, from Escherichia coli fermentation broths and lysates has been further investigated. These histidine‐containing tags exhibit high affinity for borderline metal ions chelated to the immobilised ligand, 1,4,7‐triazacyclononane (tacn). The use of this tag‐tacn immobilised metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) system engenders high selectivity with regard to host cell protein removal and permits facile tag removal from the E. coli‐expressed recombinant protein. In particular, these tags were specifically designed to enable their efficient removal by the dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 1 (DAP‐1), thus capturing the advantages of high substrate specificity and rates of cleavage. MALDI‐TOF MS analysis of the cleaved products from the DAP‐1 digestion of the recombinant N‐terminally tagged proteins confirmed the complete removal of the tag within 4‐12 h under mild experimental conditions. Overall, this study demonstrates that the use of tags specifically designed to target tacn‐based IMAC resins offers a comprehensive and flexible approach for the purification of E. coli‐expressed recombinant proteins, where complete removal of the tag is an essential prerequisite for subsequent application of the purified native proteins in studies aimed at delineating the molecular and cellular basis of specific biological processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Expression of a recombinant elastin‐like protein in pichia pastoris

The translation of highly repetitive gene sequences is often associated with reduced levels of protein expression and may be prone to mutational events. In this report, we describe a modified concatemerization strategy to construct a gene with enhanced sequence diversity that encodes a highly repetitive elastin‐like protein polymer for expression in Pichia pastoris. Specifically, degenerate oligonucleotides were used to create a monomer library, which after concatemerization yielded a genetically nonrepetitive DNA sequence that encoded identical pentapeptide repeat sequences. By limiting genetic repetition, the risk of genetic deletions, rearrangements, or premature termination errors during protein synthesis is minimized. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009