Expression and preparation of recombinant hepcidin in Escherichia coli

Hepcidin is a low-molecular-weight, highly disulfide bonded peptide relevant to small intestine iron absorption and body iron homeostasis. In this work, hepcidin was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 10.5 kDa fusion protein (His-hepcidin) with a N-terminal hexahistidine tag. The expressed His-hepcidin existed in the form of inclusion bodies and was purified by IMAC under denaturation condition. Since the fusion partner for hepcidin did not contain other cysteine residues, the formation of disulfide bonds was performed before the His-tag was removed. Then, the oxidized His-hepcidin monomer was separated from protein multimers through gel filtration. Following monomer refolding, hepcidin was cleaved from fusion protein by enterokinase and purified with reverse-phase chromatography. The recombinant hepcidin exhibited obvious antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis.     

High-level expression of the angiotensin-converting-enzyme-inhibiting peptide, YG-1, as tandem multimers in Escherichia coli

To produce a large quantity of the angiotensin-converting-enzyme(ACE)-inhibiting peptide YG-1, which consists of ten amino acids derived from yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a high-level expression was explored with tandem multimers of the YG-1 gene in Escherichia coli. The genes encoding YG-1 were tandemly multimerized to 9-mers, 18-mers and 27-mers, in which each of the repeating units in the tandem multimers was connected to the neighboring genes by a DNA linker encoding Pro-Gly-Arg for the cleavage of multimers by clostripain. The multimers were cloned into the expression vector pET-21b, and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) with isopropyl β-d-thiogalactopyranoside induction. The expressed multimeric peptides encoded by the 9-mer, 18-mer and 27-mer accumulated intracellularly as inclusion bodies and comprised about 67%, 25% and 15% of the total proteins in E. coli respectively. The multimeric peptides expressed as inclusion bodies were cleaved with clostripain, and active monomers were purified to homogeneity by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. In total, 105 mg pure recombinant YG-1 was obtained from 1 l E. coli culture harboring pETYG9, which contained the 9-mer of the YG-1 gene. The recombinant YG-1 was identical to the natural YG-1 in molecular mass, amino acid sequence and ACE-inhibiting activity. Received: 6 January 1998 / Received revision: 23 February 1998 / Accepted: 24 February 1998     

金黄色葡萄球菌蛋白A (SpA) Z结构域串联体的克隆、表达和筛选

筛选一种高效重组金黄色葡萄球菌蛋白A(SpA)用于制备抗体纯化亲和介质。首先通过基因操作获得金黄色葡萄球菌蛋白A(SpA)的Z结构域单体、二串体、三串体、四串体和五串体基因,将目的基因分别克隆至pET-22b表达载体并转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞,获得不同串联个数的Z结构域基因工程菌,经诱导表达和Ni2+亲和层析纯化得到Z结构域单体和二-五串体蛋白。纯化后的目的蛋白偶联至琼脂糖凝胶作为亲和层析介质,对人免疫球蛋白G(IgG)进行分离纯化。分析比较Z结构域串联体蛋白产量及其偶联的亲和介质对抗体吸附载量的差异。结果表明,构建的Z结构域单体、二串体、三串体、四串体和五串体基因工程菌能有效表达目的蛋白,制备的凝胶亲和介质可特异性吸附人IgG。增加Z结构域串联数,重组蛋白产量和单位摩尔数多聚体蛋白吸附载量获得提高,其中,重组四串体蛋白产量大(160 mg/10 g湿菌体),对抗体的吸附载量高(34.4 mg人IgG/mL胶),更适合作为配基用于亲和层析介质的制备。     

Expression of antihypertensive peptide, His-His-Leu, as tandem repeats in Escherichia coli

His-His-Leu (HHL), a tripeptide derived from a Korean soybean paste, is an angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. We report here a method of producing this tripeptide efficiently by expressing tandem multimers of the codons encoding the peptide in E. coli and purifying the HHL after hydrolysis of the peptide multiners. The HHL gene, tandemly multimerized to a 40-mer, was ligated with ubiquitin as a fusion gene (UH40). UH40 was inserted into vector pET29b; the UH40 fusion protein was then produced in E. coli BL21. The recombinant UH40 protein was purified by cation-exchange chromatography with a yield of 17.3 mg/l and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry and protein N-terminal sequencing. Leucine aminopeptidase was used to cleave a 405-Da HHL monomer from the UH40 fusion protein and the peptide was purified using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C18 HPLC column, with a final yield of 6.2 mg/l. The resulting peptide was confirmed to be HHL with the aid of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, glutamine-TOF mass spectrometry, N-terminal sequencing, and measurement of ACE inhibiting activity. These results suggest that our production method is useful for obtaining a large quantity of recombinant HHL for functional antihypertensive peptide studies.     

Tandem multimer expression of angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide in Escherichia coli

It is common for small tandem peptide multimer genes to be indirectly inserted into expression vectors and fused with a protein tag. In this study, a multimer of the tandem angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide (ACE-IP) gene was directly transferred to a commercially available vector and the designed gene was expressed as a repeated peptide in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)pLysS. The process further developed in our study was the construction of six-repeated ACE-IP synthetic genes and their direct insertion. Protein expression in inclusion bodies was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Acid hydrolysis of inclusion bodies produced single-unit peptides through cleavage of the aspartyl-prolyl bonds. This cleaved recombinant peptide (rACE-IP) was purified using immuno-affinity chromatography followed by reversed phase-HPLC. 105–115 mg of the lyophilized recombinant peptide was obtained from 1 L E. coli culture. In vitro biological activity of rACE-IP was indistinguishable from that of the natural peptide produced by hydrolysis in artificial gastric juice or by acidic hydrolysis. The rACE-IP prepared by recombinant DNA technology and solid-phase synthesis methods showed a similar IC₅₀. This strategy could be used for the expression of important peptides, which have N-terminal proline (P) and C-terminal aspartic acid residues (D) for commercial applications, e.g. functional foods and drinks.     

Cloning and Expression of Human Stem Cell Factor Fused with Thrombopoietin Mimetic Peptide in Escherichia coli

Thrombopoietin (TPO) acts synergistically with stem cell factor (SCF) in hematopoiesis and megakaryopoiesis. In this work, we designed the expression of SCF fused with the monomer or the dimer of TPO mimetic peptide through a flexible peptide linker. The recombinant fusion proteins were produced in E. coli DH5α at up to 25% of total cell proteins. The resultant inclusion bodies were refolded by dilution and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Subsequent biological activity assays showed that the fusion proteins exhibited higher potency than recombinant human SCF, indicating that they have a potential role for pharmaceutical applications.     

Expression, purification and structural characterization of recombinant hepcidin, an antimicrobial peptide identified in Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

The cysteine-rich peptide hepcidin is an antimicrobial peptide and iron transport regulator that has been found in vertebrates including birds, fish and mammals. To elucidate the structure and biological function of fish hepcidin, which is difficult to produce synthetically, we have cloned several plasmid constructs encoding hepcidin from Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, and tested expression of recombinant peptides, each with an N-terminal hexahistidine (6xHis) tag, in inclusion bodies or the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli. Hepcidin expressed in inclusion bodies was reduced, and subsequently refolded using a dilution technique with a cysteine redox system. The oxidized His-hepcidin monomer was separated from protein multimers and mass spectrometry analysis showed that the peptide was of the predicted size and contained four disulfide bonds. Removal of the 6xHis tag was attempted using enzymatic cleavage by Factor Xa and tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease or chemical cleavage by hydroxylamine. The Factor Xa cleavage was unsuccessful and hydroxylamine cleavage resulted in aggregation of cleaved peptide. TEV protease cleavage was successful but immediately resulted in hexamer formation despite varying reaction conditions (redox, non-redox, pH, temperature, target protein concentration, type of buffer). However, the recombinant His-hepcidin fusion peptide monomer showed considerable antimicrobial activity. NMR-based studies showed that hepcidin contained a rare vicinal disulfide linkage at the top of a loop structure and a short beta-sheet structure encompassing residues 7-13 and 19-25 that is stabilized by three disulfide bonds.     

人血管生成素-PE40融合蛋白基因的构建、表达及活性研究

利用 PCR扩增出人血管生成素 (h ANG)成熟肽的基因片段 .与绿脓杆菌外毒素缺失突变体PE40的基因连接后 ,克隆入 p UC1 9载体中 .测序后克隆入表达载体 p RSETB,构建成 h ANG-PE40融合基因的表达载体 .IPTG诱导 ,表达出分子量约为 58k D的 His6- ANG- PE40融合蛋白 ,占菌体总蛋白的 8% .Ni2 +- NTA树脂纯化表达蛋白 ,SDS- PAGE结果显示纯化重组蛋白为单一条带 .鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜鉴定表明重组蛋白体外能够有效地抑制血管的形成 .     

口蹄疫病毒免疫活性串联片段FB的表达及免疫原性测定(英)

将口蹄疫病毒(FMDV)免疫串联片段FB克隆至原核表达载体pBAD/TOPO中,经鉴定后得到重组质粒pBAD-FB,将此重组质粒转化到受体菌TOP10中,用诱导剂阿拉伯醛糖分别以不同的浓度进行诱导,并在不同诱导时间进行采样,经处理后做SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)、蛋白质印迹分析.结果发现以终浓度为0.002%的阿拉伯醛糖进行诱导,4 h后表达可达到高峰,其大小约为26 ku,软件扫描结果显示,FB融合蛋白的表达量占细菌总蛋白的28.9%,能与抗FMDV抗体发生特异性反应,融合蛋白以包涵体和可溶形式存在.将融合蛋白的可溶性组分用50% Ni-NTA树脂过柱纯化并抽提融合蛋白的包涵体,经过洗涤后分别制成油乳剂疫苗,经皮下注射免疫豚鼠,用乳鼠中和试验测定豚鼠血清中和指数,并用口蹄疫病毒对豚鼠进行攻毒.结果表明,用此融合蛋白的纯化产物和包涵体免疫豚鼠能诱导产生高滴度的中和抗体,对病毒的攻击提供100%的免疫保护.     

鹅IL-2基因在大肠杆菌中的表达及其可溶性单体的分离

将去除信号肽编码序列的鹅IL-2基因克隆到原核表达载体pET-28a (+), 构建了重组表达质粒pET-28a (+)-goIL-2, 转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞, 经IPTG诱导, 实现了重组鹅IL-2(rgoIL-2)蛋白在大肠杆菌中的表达。SDS-PAGE和Western-blotting分析显示, 表达蛋白的分子量约为15.0 kD, 能被抗鹅IL-2单克隆抗体特异识别。可溶性分析表明表达蛋白大部分以包涵体形式存在, 部分以可溶形式存在, 非变性电泳可见可溶性蛋白存在单体和多聚体组分。镍柱亲和层析法纯化的rgoIL-2蛋白过滤后, 利用?KTA FPLC(快速蛋白分离纯化系统)进行逐级分离, 非变性电泳可见单一的鹅IL-2可溶性蛋白单体。体外生物学活性分析显示鹅IL-2可溶性蛋白单体能刺激鹅淋巴细胞增殖。这为进一步研究鹅IL-2的生物学功能及其临床应用奠定基础。     

鹅IL-2基因在大肠杆菌中的表达及其可溶性单体的分离

将去除信号肽编码序列的鹅IL-2基因克隆到原核表达载体pET-28a (+), 构建了重组表达质粒pET-28a (+)-goIL-2, 转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞, 经IPTG诱导, 实现了重组鹅IL-2(rgoIL-2)蛋白在大肠杆菌中的表达。SDS-PAGE和Western-blotting分析显示, 表达蛋白的分子量约为15.0 kD, 能被抗鹅IL-2单克隆抗体特异识别。可溶性分析表明表达蛋白大部分以包涵体形式存在, 部分以可溶形式存在, 非变性电泳可见可溶性蛋白存在单体和多聚体组分。镍柱亲和层析法纯化的rgoIL-2蛋白过滤后, 利用?KTA FPLC(快速蛋白分离纯化系统)进行逐级分离, 非变性电泳可见单一的鹅IL-2可溶性蛋白单体。体外生物学活性分析显示鹅IL-2可溶性蛋白单体能刺激鹅淋巴细胞增殖。这为进一步研究鹅IL-2的生物学功能及其临床应用奠定基础。     

bla_(TEM-116)型超广谱β-内酰胺酶的表达、纯化及其应用

为大量获取低成本的TEM-116超广谱β-内酰胺酶,并分析其降解环境中β-内酰胺类抗生素残留物的可行性,本研究在Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)菌株中表达了重组TEM-116超广谱β-内酰胺酶,经亲和层析纯化、柱复性与分子筛层析纯化,得到了高纯度的目的蛋白,对其理化性质进行了分析。结果表明,重组TEM-116超广谱β-内酰胺酶的分子量、比活性分别为30kDa和476IU/mg,与天然酶性质相近。重组酶在体内外对多种青霉素、头孢菌素类药物均具有较高降解效率:10IU酶可清除1L发酵液中7000mg的青霉素G;320IU酶可清除1L尿液中各200mg的青霉素G、氨苄青霉素和头孢唑林混合抗生素;1.0～2.5IU的酶可在4℃～37℃温度范围内清除1L牛奶中80U的青霉素G;2.0×104～2.3×104IU/(kg·bw)的酶能够清除小鼠体内8.0×104～9.1×104μg/(kg·bw)的青霉素G。     

Expression of anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEP) of scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch in Escherichia coli

According to the cDNA sequence of anti-neuroexcitation peptide of scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch, the putative mature anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEP) encoding DNA fragment was obtained by a PCR method, then was cloned into expression plasmid pET28a, fused with His tag at its 3' end. When expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3), the expression of recombinant ANEP was 15% of total cellular proteins, while most recombinant ANEP products existed in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies. Coexpression of molecular chaperones or protein disulfide isomerase could not improve its solubility. The recombinant ANEP in the cell lysate was purified to homogeneity by metal chelating affinity chromatography and Superdex 30 chromatography. In bioassay with convulsive mice model induced by thiosemicarbazide, recombinant ANEP could apparently delay the convulsion seizure of model animals by 18% and showed anti-neuroexcitatory activity.     

抑菌蛋白Reg3A的表达纯化与功能

利用原核表达系统表达人源抑菌蛋白Reg3A,经包涵体的复性和纯化获得有体外抑菌功能的活性抑菌蛋白,并对其体外抑菌功能进行初步研究。构建Reg3A原核表达载体PET-32a-Reg3A转化补充稀缺tRNA基因的表达菌株大肠杆菌BL21-Codonplus,阳性重组子采用诱导培养基诱导5h后,采用超声破碎的方法提取包涵体蛋白,经包涵体蛋白的纯化和透析复性后通过Ni-NTA亲和层析交换柱,获得纯度达95%的蛋白质。Western blot鉴定显示在15 kD处有特异性条带。使用纯化后的蛋白进一步进行抑菌圈实验和抑菌活性实验,对获得蛋白的体外抑菌活性进行评估,从而为进一步进行Reg3A蛋白功能的评估及应用奠定基础。     

Expression, refolding, and characterization of a novel recombinant dual human stem cell factor

A novel recombinant dual human stem cell factor (rdhSCF) gene which consisted of a full-length hSCF(1-165aa) cDNA and a truncated hSCF (1-145aa) cDNA, linked by a peptide (GGGGSGGGGSGG) coding region, was constructed and cloned into Escherichia coli expression vector pET-22b. The rdhSCF was expressed at high level in E. coli BL21(DE3) and existed mainly as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were solubilized in urea and refolded by ion-exchange chromatography. After renaturation, the purity of the yielded rdhSCF was up to 90%. Cell proliferation assay showed that the specific activity of the rdhSCF was 2.86x10(5) U/mg, about 1.66 times as high as that of monomer rhSCF expressed in E. coli.     

重组人心房利钠肽 (ANP) 的原核表达、纯化及鉴定

为提高重组人心房利钠肽(Atrial natriuretic peptide,ANP)的表达量,将3个ANP通过赖氨酸(Lysine,K)串联,并构建相对应的重组表达载体p ET28a(+)/ANP3。转染大肠杆菌进行诱导表达,目的蛋白约占菌体总蛋白的60%。经过包涵体变复性,赖氨酸酶(Lys-C)和羧肽酶(CPB)水解,以及一系列层析纯化,每升培养液可获得约16 mg的ANP蛋白。最终,纯化后的ANP经UPLC及Tricine SDS-PAGE鉴定,纯度大于90%,LC-MS鉴定显示其分子量为3 080 Da,且为二硫键正确形成的ANP单体,通过ELISA试剂盒检测,其具有和参比品一致活性。本研究为ANP的大规模制备打下了基础。同时,所采用的串联表达技术也为其他多肽类药物的重组表达提供了新的思路。     

Production of a polyclonal antibody against recombinant goldfish prolactin and demonstration of its usefulness in a non-competitive antigen-capture ELISA

The cDNA encoding the goldfish (Carassius auratus) prolactin was expressed in Escherichia coli using the pRSETA expression vector. The recombinant goldfish prolactin (gfPRL) produced was a fusion protein containing a hexahistidyl sequence, which facilitated its purification on a Ni²⁺ column. The fusion protein was overexpressed in the bacteria as inclusion bodies and was successfully purified under denaturing conditions by one-step affinity chromatography. Repeated immunization of rabbits against the purified recombinant gfPRL allowed the production of a high-titer polyclonal antiserum. The IgG fraction of the antiserum was isolated on an immobilized Protein A–agarose column. The antibody recognized recombinant gfPRL, but not recombinant goldfish growth hormone (gfGH) or goldfish somatolactin (gfSL) on Western analyses. The purified antibody was able to recognize gfPRL, but not gfGH or gfSL, in a non-competitive antigen-capture ELISA. The assay was applied in monitoring the purification of native PRL from goldfish pituitaries.     

Development of an improved preparation and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEP)

Anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEP) is a novel recombinant peptide obtained from the venom of the Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch. However, the expression of recombinant ANEP in Escherichia coli results in the formation of insoluble aggregates known as inclusion bodies. Here, we describe a novel method for the preparation of ANEP which maximizes the yields of recombinant peptide in a soluble and active form. A non-fusion expression plasmid pNJUTRX-1-ANEP-His(6) encoding recombinant ANEP with a His(6)-tag at its C-terminus was constructed and transformed into E. coli strain BL21 (DE3). The expressed ANEP was almost in soluble form and accounted for about 12% of the total cellular proteins. The recombinant ANEP in the cell lysate was purified to homogeneity by His Bind affinity chromatography. This effective method solved the problem of a lack of sufficient active peptide which, until now, has hampered the further research and development. In order to develop an immunoassay method for ANEP, polyclonal rabbit antiserum was raised against the prepared ANEP and purified by protein A affinity chromatography. It was confirmed that the antibody reacted with recombinant ANEP by both Western blotting and ELISA results. Using purified antibody, the immunoassay method was developed.     

Production and purification of refolded recombinant human IL-7 from inclusion bodies

A recombinant form of human rhIL-7 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli HMS174 (DE3) pLysS under the control of a T7 promoter. The resulting insoluble inclusion bodies were separated from cellular debris by cross-flow filtration and solubilized by homogenization with 6 M guanidine HCl. Attempts at refolding rhIL-7 from solubilized inclusion bodies without prior purification of monomeric, denatured rhIL-7 were not successful. Denatured, monomeric rhIL-7 was therefore initially purified by size-exclusion chromatography using Prep-Grade Pharmacia Superdex 200. Correctly folded rhIL-7 monomer was generated by statically refolding the denatured protein at a final protein concentration of 80-100 microg/ml in 100 mM Tris, 2mM EDTA, 500 mM L-arginine, pH 9.0, buffer with 0.55 g/l oxidized glutathione at 2-8 degrees C for at least 48 h. The refolded rhIL-7 was subsequently purified by low-pressure liquid chromatography, using a combination of hydrophobic interaction, cation-exchange, and size-exclusion chromatography. The purified final product was >95% pure by SDS-PAGE stained with Coomassie brilliant blue, high-pressure size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-HPLC), and reverse-phase HPLC. The endotoxin level was <0.05 EU/mg. The final purified product was biologically active in a validated IL-7 dependent pre-B-cell bioassay. In anticipation of human clinical trials, this material is currently being evaluated for safety and efficacy in non-human primate toxicology studies.