利用重组噬菌体诱导表达的大肠杆菌表达系统

将编码噬菌体T7RNA聚合酶的基因克隆至噬菌体M13mpl8RFDNA中,置于lac启动子的控制之下,得到了可表达T7 RNA聚合酶的重组噬菌体M13HEP。利用该噬菌体感染含T7启动子表达质粒的宿主菌以提供T7RNA聚合酶,可以诱导T7启动子控制下的外源基因的表达。该噬茵体诱导表达系统已成功地表达了多种外源基因,特别是一些表达产物对宿主菌有毒性的基因。同时,通过细菌接合将F',因子从大脑杆菌XL1-blue转至大肠杆菌HMS174,构建了新的大脑杆菌菌株HMSl74F,,使得T7表达质粒构建、表达及单链制备可以在同一菌株中完成,得到了一个完整的T7表达系统。     

Development of anaerobically inducible nar promoter expression vectors for the expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli

Dissolved oxygen (DO)-controlled nar promoter expression vectors were constructed, and their expression efficiency was compared with that of the T7 promoter pET22 expression vector by expressing human growth hormone (hGH), enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP), and β-tyrosinase in Escherichia coli cells. The nar promoter expression vector pRBS, which was engineered with a 5′-untranslated region and ribosomal binding site for the T7 promoter, expressed hGH at a rate of up to 32% of the total cellular proteins (TCP) in E. coli W3110narL⁻. The expression level of hGH was further enhanced, up to ∼42% of the TCP, by adding the N-terminal peptide tag of β-galactosidase to hGH, which was comparable to the expression of ∼43% of the TCP in pET-lac:hGH/BL21(DE3). A further engineered expression vector, pRBS(fnr), which coexpressed fumarate/nitrate reductase (fnr), expressed more EGFP than pET22 in BL21(DE3). In addition, recombinant β-tyrosinase was successfully expressed at a rate of up to ∼45% of the TCP in pRBS(fnr) in W3110narL⁻. From these results, the DO-controlled nar promoter system developed in this study can be considered a reliable and cost-effective expression system for protein production, especially in large-scale fermentation, as an alternative to the pET/BL(DE3) system.     

Recombinant protein production in high cell density cultures of Escherichia coli with galactose as a gratuitous inducer

A new expression system was developed by introducing two major modifications into the genome of Escherichia coli: a deletion in the gal operon (DeltagalEKT) to allow the use of the inexpensive compound galactose as a gratuitous inducer and the introduction of the gal P2 promoter driving the expression of the T7 RNA polymerase. The novel JRR10 strain containing these two features gives high-level expression of a reporter gene cloned under the T7 phi10 promoter in high cell density cultures. The cost of the induction of this novel system is more than 30 times lower than that of the IPTG-induced system of the widely used BL21 strain.     

CMV与T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组拯救效率的比较

构建一种以分泌型荧光素酶基因(Gluc)作为报告基因的仙台病毒BB1株微小基因组质粒,比较了CMV启动子与T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救效率。首先设计并合成锤头状核酶序列,仙台病毒trailer、L基因非编码区、N基因非编码区和leader序列以及丁型肝炎病毒核酶序列,插入含有CMV和T7双启动子的质粒pVAX1中,获得仙台微小基因组的通用型载体pVAX-miniSeV。将Gluc基因插入pVAX-miniSeV中,分别获得正向插入的仙台病毒微小基因组载体pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(+)和反向插入的pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(-)。用pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(+)转染BHK21细胞能在上清中检测到高水平的Gluc活性,表明其中的CMV启动子具有正常转录功能。将pVAX-miniSeVGluc(-)和仙台病毒N、P、L蛋白表达质粒共转染BSR T7/5细胞(稳定表达T7RNA聚合酶的BHK-21细胞)检测到Gluc的高效表达,表明pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(-)能够被有效拯救;但在BHK-21细胞中却未检测到Gluc的有效表达,提示该载体中的CMV启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救效率可能没有明显作用。为了进一步了解CMV与T7启动子各自对于仙台病毒微小基因组拯救的作用,本研究又构建了单独含有CMV或T7启动子的仙台病毒微小基因组载体pCMV-miniSeV-Gluc(-)和pT7-miniSeV-Gluc(-)。将这两种载体和仙台病毒N、P、L蛋白表达质粒分别共转染BSR T7/5细胞,结果pT7-miniSeV-Gluc(-)共转染组检测到了Gluc的高效表达,而pCMV-miniSeV-Gluc(-)共转染组未检测到,证实了通用型载体pVAX-miniSeV中仅T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救起了关键作用,而CMV启动子作用不明显。本研究成功构建了一种通用型双启动子仙台病毒微小基因组载体pVAX-miniSeV,并证明了T7启动子系统对仙台病毒微小基因组拯救的关键作用。本研究为下一步构建仙台病毒全基因感染性克隆打下了基础。     

The regulatory elements of araBAD operon,contrary to lac‐based expression systems,afford hypersynthesis of murine,and human interferons in Escherichia coli

The overexpression of four different interferons, i.e., murine interferon α1 and human interferons α1, α8, and α21 was challenged in Escherichia coli. Synthetic genes coding for these interferons were designed, assembled, and cloned into the vector pET9a (using the NdeI and BamHI sites), placing interferon expression under the control of phage T7 promoter. Despite an intensive screening for optimal culture conditions, no interferon synthesis was observed using overexpression systems based on the regulatory elements of lac operon (e.g., in E. coli BL21DE3). On the contrary, high levels of interferon expression were detected in E. coli BL21AI, which chromosome contains the gene coding for phage T7 RNA polymerase under the control of the araBAD promoter. To analyze the reasons of this striking difference, the molecular events associated with the lack of interferon expression in E. coli BL21DE3 were studied, and murine interferon α1 was chosen as a model system. Surprisingly, it was observed that this interferon represses the synthesis of T7 RNA polymerase in E. coli BL21DE3 and, in particular, the expression of lac operon. In fact, by determining β‐galactosidase activity in E. coli BL21AI, a significantly lower LacZ activity was observed in cells induced to interferon synthesis. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009     

Optimizing Membrane Protein Overexpression in the Escherichia coli strain Lemo21(DE3)

Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) is widely used to overexpress proteins. In this overexpression host, the gene encoding the target protein is located on a plasmid and is under control of the T7 promoter, which is recognized exclusively by the T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP). The T7 RNAP gene is localized on the chromosome, and its expression is governed by the non-titratable, IPTG-inducible lacUV5 promoter. Recently, we constructed the Lemo21(DE3) strain, which allows improved control over the expression of genes from the T7 promoter. Lemo21(DE3) is a BL21(DE3) strain equipped with a plasmid harboring the gene encoding T7 lysozyme, an inhibitor of the T7 RNAP, under control of the exceptionally well-titratable rhamnose promoter. The overexpression yields of a large collection of membrane proteins in Lemo21(DE3) at different concentrations of rhamnose indicated that this strain may be very suitable for optimizing the production of membrane proteins. However, insight in the mechanism by which optimized expression yields are achieved in Lemo21(DE3) is lacking. Furthermore, whether the overexpressed proteins are suitable for functional and structural studies remains to be tested. Here, we show that in Lemo21(DE3), (i) the modulation of the activity of the T7 RNAP by the T7 lysozyme is key to optimizing the ratio of membrane proteins properly inserted in the cytoplasmic membrane to non-inserted proteins; (ii) maximizing the yields of membrane proteins is accompanied by reduction of the adverse effects of membrane protein overexpression, resulting in stable overexpression; and (iii) produced membrane proteins can be used for functional and structural studies.     

Stringent regulation and high-level expression of heterologous genes in Escherichia coli using T7 system controllable by the araBAD promoter

The recombinant Eschreichia coli strain BL21 (BAD) was constructed to carry a chromosomal copy of T7 gene 1 fused to the araBAD promoter. To further characterize this expression system, strain BL21 (BAD) was transformed with the plasmid containing the carbamoylase gene from Agrobacterium radiobacter driven by the T7 promoter. Upon induction with L-arabinose, recombinant cells produced 100-fold increase in carbamoylase activity in comparison with uninduced cells on M9 semidefined medium plus glycerol. This protein yield accounts for 30% of total cell protein content. In addition, it was found that after 100 generations the plasmid harboring the carbamoylase gene remained firmly stable in strain BL21 (BAD), but its stability dropped to only 20-30% in strain BL21 (DE3), a commercial strain bearing T7 gene 1 regulated by the lacUV5 promoter in its chromosome. In an attempt to enhance the total protein yield, fed-batch fermentation process was carried out using a two-stage feeding strategy to compartmentalize cell growth and protein synthesis. In the batch fermentation stage, the culture was grown on glucose to reach the stationary growth phase. Subsequently, glycerol was fed to the culture broth and L-arabinose was augmented to induce protein production when cells entered the late log growth phase. As a result, a carbamoylase yield corresponding to 5525 units was obtained, which amounts to a 337-fold increase over that achieved on a shake-flask scale. Taken together, these results illustrate the practical usefulness of T7 system under control of the araBAD promoter for heterologous protein production.     

The tunable pReX expression vector enables optimizing the T7-based production of membrane and secretory proteins in <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis>

Background

To optimize the production of membrane and secretory proteins in Escherichia coli, it is critical to harmonize the expression rates of the genes encoding these proteins with the capacity of their biogenesis machineries. Therefore, we engineered the Lemo21(DE3) strain, which is derived from the T7 RNA polymerase-based BL21(DE3) protein production strain. In Lemo21(DE3), the T7 RNA polymerase activity can be modulated by the controlled co-production of its natural inhibitor T7 lysozyme. This setup enables to precisely tune target gene expression rates in Lemo21(DE3). The t7lys gene is expressed from the pLemo plasmid using the titratable rhamnose promoter. A disadvantage of the Lemo21(DE3) setup is that the system is based on two plasmids, a T7 expression vector and pLemo. The aim of this study was to simplify the Lemo21(DE3) setup by incorporating the key elements of pLemo in a standard T7-based expression vector.

Results

By incorporating the gene encoding the T7 lysozyme under control of the rhamnose promoter in a standard T7-based expression vector, pReX was created (ReX stands for Regulated gene eXpression). For two model membrane proteins and a model secretory protein we show that the optimized production yields obtained with the pReX expression vector in BL21(DE3) are similar to the ones obtained with Lemo21(DE3) using a standard T7 expression vector. For another secretory protein, a c-type cytochrome, we show that pReX, in contrast to Lemo21(DE3), enables the use of a helper plasmid that is required for the maturation and hence the production of this heme c protein.

Conclusions

Here, we created pReX, a T7-based expression vector that contains the gene encoding the T7 lysozyme under control of the rhamnose promoter. pReX enables regulated T7-based target gene expression using only one plasmid. We show that with pReX the production of membrane and secretory proteins can be readily optimized. Importantly, pReX facilitates the use of helper plasmids. Furthermore, the use of pReX is not restricted to BL21(DE3), but it can in principle be used in any T7 RNAP-based strain. Thus, pReX is a versatile alternative to Lemo21(DE3).

     

A propionate-inducible expression system for enteric bacteria

A series of new expression vectors (pPro) have been constructed for the regulated expression of genes in Escherichia coli. The pPro vectors contain the prpBCDE promoter (P(prpB)) responsible for expression of the propionate catabolic genes (prpBCDE) and prpR encoding the positive regulator of this promoter. The efficiency and regulatory properties of the prpR-P(prpB) system were measured by placing the gene encoding the green fluorescent protein (gfp) under the control of the inducible P(prpB) of E. coli. This system provides homogenous expression in individual cells, highly regulatable expression over a wide range of propionate concentrations, and strong expression (maximal 1,500-fold induction) at high propionate concentrations. Since the prpBCDE promoter has CAP-dependent activation, the prpR-P(prpB) system exhibited negligible basal expression by addition of glucose to the medium.     

原核表达系统T7RNA聚合酶/启动子在真核细胞中表达目的基因的实验研究

将目前高表达水平强大的原核表达系统之一T7 RNA聚合酶/启动子表达系统通过一系列改进引入真核细胞.通过转染真核细胞实验表明,采用真核启动子CMV调控T7 RNA聚合酶的表达和在T7启动子下游插入EMCV IRES序列两种解决方案能使该原核表达系统在真核细胞高效表达目的基因,且能适应不同的真核细胞环境,是一良好的细胞类型非依赖的表达体系.     

Adaptive Evolution in Producing Microtiter Cultivations Generates Genetically Stable Escherichia coli Production Hosts for Continuous Bioprocessing

The production of recombinant proteins usually reduces cell fitness and the growth rate of producing cells. The growth disadvantage favors faster-growing non-producer mutants. Therefore, continuous bioprocessing is hardly feasible in Escherichia coli due to the high escape rate. The stability of E. coli expression systems under long-term production conditions and how metabolic load triggered by recombinant gene expression influences the characteristics of mutations are investigated. Iterated fed-batch-like microbioreactor cultivations are conducted under production conditions. The easy-to-produce green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a challenging antigen-binding fragment (Fab) are used as model proteins, and BL21(DE3) and BL21^Q strains as expression hosts. In comparative whole-genome sequencing analyses, mutations that allowed cells to grow unhindered despite recombinant protein production are identified. A T7 RNA polymerase expression system is only conditionally suitable for long-term cultivation under production conditions. Mutations leading to non-producers occur in either the T7 RNA polymerase gene or the T7 promoter. The host RNA polymerase-based BL21^Q expression system remains stable in the production of GFP in long-term cultivations. For the production of Fab, mutations in lacI of the BL21^Q derivatives have positive effects on long-term stability. The results indicate that adaptive evolution carried out with genome-integrated E. coli expression systems in microtiter cultivations under industrial-relevant production conditions is an efficient strain development tool for production hosts.     

Expression of synthetic human tumor necrosis factor is toxic to Escherichia coli

The overlap forward-primer-walk polymerase chain reaction method was used to synthesize the human tumor necrosis factor α (hTNF) gene in Escherichia coli cells. Growth curves for hTNF and pET23d vector cultures exhibited slower doubling rates than cultures containing the pET23d vector alone. Cell cultures transformed with hTNF reached peak densities (0.4-0.6 OD₆₀₀) 3 to 4 h post-induction, then decreased prior to growth recovery. This inhibition occurred in the BL21DE3 strain of E. coli, whereas no inhibition of growth and no expression of hTNF were observed in the JM109 strain of E. coli containing hTNF. Induced hTNF cultures hyperexpressed the hTNF-histidine fusion protein for the first 3 to 4 h of induction; subsequently, growth retardation was observed. Hyperexpression and continuous growth were observed in the extracellular expression system. Electron microscopy revealed that accumulation of hTNF inclusion bodies was apparent only in the intracellular expression system — no accumulation was observed with regard to the secretory system. The hTNF-pET23d vector was purified from cells expressing the fusion protein and from cells with recovered growth curves. Sequencing of the vector demonstrated the complete hTNF gene and T7 promoter in cells expressing the fusion protein and mutations of the T7 promoter site from recovered cells.     

Comparative analysis of inducible expression systems in transient transfection studies

Ectopic protein expression in mammalian cells is a valuable tool to analyze protein functions. Increasingly, inducible promoters are being used for regulated gene expression. Here, we compare expression maxima, induction rates, and "leakiness" of the following promoter systems: (I) two tetracycline-responsive Tet systems (Tet-On, Tet-Off), (II) the glucocorticoid-responsive mouse mammary tumor virus promoter (MMTVprom), (III) the ecdysone-inducible promoter (EcP), and (IV) the T7 promoter/T7 RNA polymerase system (T7P). The systems were analyzed by expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) luciferase fusion reporter protein in transiently transfected cells. Expression was assessed qualitatively by fluorescence microscopy of the EGFP component and quantitatively by measuring the enzymatic activity of the luciferase component of the fusion protein. Basal expression levels ("leakiness") were ranked Tet-On>Tet-Off>MMTVprom>EcP>T7P. Induction rates were EcP>MMTVprom>T7P>Tet-Off>Tet-On. Expression maxima were ranked. Tet-On>Tet-Off>MMTVprom>EcP>T7P. To increase T7-promoter-mediated expression we inserted an internal ribosomal entry site element into the T7 expression cassette. In presence of T7 RNA polymerase this modified T7 promoter achieved expression levels of 42% of a Rous Sarcoma virus promoter, while keeping basal expression extremely low.