Mistic and TarCF as fusion protein partners for functional expression of the cannabinoid receptor 2 in Escherichia coli

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key players in signal recognition and cellular communication making them important therapeutic targets. Large-scale production of these membrane proteins in their native form is crucial for understanding their mechanism of action and target-based drug design. Here we report the overexpression system for a GPCR, the cannabinoid receptor subtype 2 (CB2), in Escherichia coli C43(DE3) facilitated by two fusion partners: Mistic, an integral membrane protein expression enhancer at the N-terminal, and TarCF, a C-terminal fragment of the bacterial chemosensory transducer Tar at the C-terminal of the CB2 open reading frame region. Multiple histidine tags were added on both ends of the fusion protein to facilitate purification. Using individual and combined fusion partners, we found that CB2 fusion protein expression was maximized only when both partners were used. Variable growth and induction conditions were conducted to determine and optimize protein expression. More importantly, this fusion protein Mistic-CB2-TarCF can localize into the E. coli membrane and exhibit functional binding activities with known CB2 ligands including CP55,940, WIN55,212-2 and SR144,528. These results indicate that this novel expression and purification system provides us with a promising strategy for the preparation of biologically active GPCRs, as well as general application for the preparation of membrane-bound proteins using the two new fusion partners described.     

Bacterial expression of a natively folded extracellular domain fusion protein of the hFSH receptor in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli

We have expressed the extracellular domain of the hFSH receptor as a fusion protein with thioredoxin in the cytoplasm of an Escherichia coli strain that contains mutations in both the thioredoxin reductase and the glutathione reductase genes. The chimeric protein isolated following induction of expression was purified in a soluble form and binds hFSH with an affinity approximating that of native receptor. This truncated form of the receptor displays the same specificity as intact receptor and does not bind hCG. The protein is expressed at levels that exceed 5 mg/L in the bacterial cytoplasm. Expression of the properly folded extracellular domain of the hFSH receptor in the cytoplasm of E. coli allows the facile and economical purification of large quantities of material. This will facilitate the determination of the structure of the hormone-binding domain of this glycoprotein receptor as well as the production of epitope-specific antibodies.     

Cloning and high level expression of a synthetic gene for human basic fibroblast growth factor.

A gene encoding human basic fibroblast growth factor has been chemically synthesized, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a biologically active protein. The 465 bp gene was assembled by enzymatic ligation of 6 pairs of oligonucleotides and cloned in the expression vector pLCII downstream from the strong PL promoter. This promoter directed the synthesis of a fusion protein between a 31 amino acids fragment of the lambda phage cII protein and bFGF. A four amino acid recognition sequence for the site-specific protease fXa was introduced in the plasmid construct and this allowed cleavage of the fusion protein at the boundary between cII and bFGF. bFGF was purified close to homogeneity using a Heparin-Sepharose column and Mono S cation exchange chromatography. The use of the pLCII expression system resulted in the accumulation of 20 to 25 mg of purified bFGF per l of bacterial culture. The recombinant bFGF was mitogenic for mouse 3T3 fibroblasts and the dose-response curve was similar to the one for native bFGF.     

Expression of active hormone and DNA-binding domains of the chicken progesterone receptor in E. coli.

Bacterially-expressed fusion proteins containing the DNA-(region C) or hormone-binding (region E) domains of the chicken progesterone receptor (cPR) fused to the C terminus of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase were analysed for the specificity of interaction with natural and synthetic hormone-responsive elements (HREs) and progestins, respectively. The purified fusion protein containing the progestin-binding domain bound progesterone with an apparent Kd of 1.0-1.5 nM and was specifically photocross-linked with the synthetic progestin R5020 in crude bacterial lysates. Labelling of intact bacterial cells with [3H]R5020 revealed that the majority, if not all, of the bacterially produced hormone-binding domain was active. No differences in the binding to a synthetic palindromic glucocorticoid/progestin-responsive element (GRE/PRE) were found when the bacterially produced cPR DNA-binding domain was compared in methylation interference assays with the full-length chicken progesterone receptor form A expressed in eukaryotic cells. The study of dissociation kinetics, however, revealed differences in the half-life of the complexes formed between the palindromic GRE/PRE and either the receptor form A or the fusion protein containing the cPR DNA-binding domain. DNase I protection experiments demonstrated that the bacterially produced region C of the cPR generated specific 'footprints' on the mouse mammary tumour virus long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR) which were nearly identical to those previously reported for the rat glucocorticoid receptor.     

SUMO蛋白酶活性片段的表达、纯化及活性测定

利用PCR技术人工合成编码酿酒酵母泛素样特异性蛋白酶1 (Ubiquitin-like specific protease 1,Ulp1)第403到621个氨基酸残基之间的DNA片段Ulp1p,并连接到大肠杆菌表达载体pET-3c中,构建出重组表达质粒pET-Ulp1p。将重组质粒转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中,氨苄青霉素抗性筛选转化子。经IPTG诱导4h后, SDS-PAGE结果显示,Ulp1p为可溶性表达,表达量占菌体总蛋白的50.8%。通过Ni-NTA凝胶亲和层析和G-25凝胶层析联用可以获得纯度大于95%的Ulp1p。Western-blotting分析表明,Ulp1p能与6xHis抗体产生免疫反应。以重组蛋白SUMO-hEGF(人表皮生长因子)和GST-SUMO-MT(金属硫蛋白)为底物进行酶切分析,结果显示,Ulp1p能特异性水解这两种SUMO融合蛋白,其比活为1.386 x104U/mg。     

Expression of synthetic genes encoding bovine and human basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGFs) in Escherichia coli

Synthetic genes encoding bovine and human basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGFs) were assembled and cloned using established Escherichia coli expression plasmids. Transformed E. coli cells were able to synthesize either a fusion protein, comprising the first seven amino acids of beta-galactosidase, a linker fragment and bovine FGF, or genomic human bFGF. The two growth factors were purified from E. coli lysates by cation exchange and heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. The purified recombinant proteins were biologically active as monitored by their mitogenic activity for bovine aortic endothelial cells and their angiogenic capacity in the rabbit cornea.     

High-level expression and purification of biologically active recombinant pokeweed antiviral protein.

Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) from the leaves of the pokeweed plant, Phytolacca americana, is a naturally occurring single-chain ribosome-inactivating protein, which catalytically inactivates both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomes. The therapeutic potential of PAP has gained considerable interest in recent years due to the clinical use of native PAP as the active moiety of immunoconjugates against cancer and AIDS. The clinical use of native PAP is limited due to inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient quantities of a homogenously pure and active PAP preparation with minimal batch to batch variability from its natural source. Previous methods for expression of recombinant PAP in yeast, transgenic plants and Escherichia coli have resulted in either unacceptably low yields or were too toxic to the host system. Here, we report a successful strategy which allows high level expression of PAP as inclusion bodies in E. coli. Purification of refolded recombinant protein from solubilized inclusion bodies by size-exclusion chromatography yielded biologically active recombinant PAP (final yield: 10 to 12 mg/L). The ribosome depurinating in vitro N-glycosidase activity and cellular anti-HIV activity of recombinant PAP were comparable to those of the native PAP. This expression and purification system makes it possible to obtain sufficient quantities of biologically active and homogenous recombinant PAP sufficient to carry out advanced clinical trials. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale expression and purification of biologically active recombinant PAP from E. coli.     

Systematic high-yield production of human secreted proteins in Escherichia coli

Human secreted proteins play a very important role in signal transduction. In order to study all potential secreted proteins identified from the human genome sequence, systematic production of large amounts of biologically active secreted proteins is a prerequisite. We selected 25 novel genes as a trial case for establishing a reliable expression system to produce active human secreted proteins in Escherichia coli. Expression of proteins with or without signal peptides was examined and compared in E. coli strains. The results indicated that deletion of signal peptides, to a certain extent, can improve the expression of these proteins and their solubilities. More importantly, under expression conditions such as induction temperature, N-terminus fusion peptides need to be optimized in order to express adequate amounts of soluble proteins. These recombinant proteins were characterized as well-folded proteins. This system enables us to rapidly obtain soluble and highly purified human secreted proteins for further functional studies.     

Codon preference optimization increases heterologous PEDF expression

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is widely known for its neurotrophic and antiangiogenic functions. Efficacy studies of PEDF in animal models are limited because of poor heterologous protein yields. Here, we redesigned the human PEDF gene to preferentially match codon frequencies of E coli without altering the amino acid sequence. Following de novo synthesis, codon optimized PEDF (coPEDF) and the wtPEDF genes were cloned into pET32a containing a 5' thioredoxin sequence (Trx) and the recombinant Trx-coPEDF or Trx-wtPEDF fusion constructs expressed in native and two tRNA augmented E coli hosts - BL21-CodonPlus(DE3)-RIL and BL21-CodonPlus(DE3)-RP, carrying extra copies of tRNAarg,ile,leu and tRNAarg,pro genes, respectively. Trx-PEDF fusion proteins were isolated using Ni-NTA metal affinity chromatography and PEDF purified after cleavage with factor Xα. Protein purity and identity were confirmed by western blot, MALDI-TOF, and UV/CD spectral analyses. Expression of the synthetic gene was ～3.4 fold greater (212.7 mg/g; 62.1 mg/g wet cells) and purified yields ～4 fold greater (41.1 mg/g; 11.3 mg/g wet cell) than wtPEDF in the native host. A small increase in expression of both genes was observed in hosts supplemented with rare tRNA genes compared to the native host but expression of coPEDF was ～3 fold greater than wtPEDF in both native and codon-bias-adjusted E coli strains. ΔGs at -3 to +50 of the Trx site of both fusion genes were -3.9 kcal/mol. Functionally, coPEDF was equally as effective as wtPEDF in reducing oxidative stress, promoting neurite outgrowth, and blocking endothelial tube formation. These findings suggest that while rare tRNA augmentation and mRNA folding energies can significantly contribute to increased protein expression, preferred codon usage, in this case, is advantageous to translational efficiency of biologically active PEDF in E coli. This strategy will undoubtedly fast forward studies to validate therapeutic utility of PEDF in vivo.     

Preparation of biologically active platelet-derived growth factor type BB from a fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli

Preparations of the mitogen platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) from human platelets contain two related polypeptides termed A chain and B chain. PDGF-B is highly homologous to a portion of p28v-sis, the transforming protein of simian sarcoma virus. We have studied the mitogenic potential of a PDGF-BB-like homodimer by expressing the sequence coding for the mature part of PDGF-B in Escherichia coli. Expression was achieved as cro-beta-gal-PDGF-B fusion protein which was exclusively found in the "inclusion bodies". A monomeric PDGF-B fragment shortened by 12 amino acid residues from the NH2 terminus was excised from the fusion protein by CNBr cleavage. After protection of thiols by S-sulfonation, this fragment was purified by gel permeation chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. This monomeric protein was dimerized in the presence of a mixture of reduced and oxidized glutathione to yield biologically active rPDGF-BB with an overall yield of approximately 0.7 mg of rPDGF-BB/L of culture. Escherichia coli rPDGF-BB stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into AKR2B fibroblast at concentrations of about 1 ng/mL.     

High-level expression and purification of a recombinant hBD-1 fused to LMM protein in Escherichia coli

In this work, we present the production of an active 43 aa recombinant human beta-defensin-1 (rhBD-1(43)) in Escherichia coli AD202 cells using specific pLMM1-rhBD-1 expression system. Unique solubility properties of the C-terminal fragment of light meromyosin (LMM) allowed us to overcome foreseeable problems with isolation procedures and toxicity caused by rhBD-1 to the host organism. As a result, the majority of fusion protein (LMM-rhBD-1(43)) was obtained in the soluble state, isolated by a low salt-high salt treatment of total cell protein. The rhBD-1(43) was cleaved from the fusion with Protease 4 and purified on CM Sepharose Fast Flow column with the yield of approximately 1 mg rhBD-1(43) from 6 g of wet weight cells. Purified rhBD-1(43) showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli ML-35p at a concentration of 129 microM. The procedure of rhBD-1 expression and purification we present can provide a reliable and simple method for production of different cationic peptides for biological studies.     

Protein engineering to optimize recombinant protein purification

Genetic approaches have been used to facilitate purification of recombinant proteins, on both a large and a small scale. Based on developments in three different areas: (i) affinity chromatography; (ii) specific cleavage of fusion proteins and (iii) secretion of fusion proteins, a coupled expression/secretion system was designed. It was further improved by protein engineering. Using a synthetic DNA fragment, encoding two IgG-binding domains derived from staphylococcal protein A, gene products were secreted to the culture medium of Escherichia coli and purified with a one-step affinity procedure. The system has been used for large-scale production of biologically active human peptide hormones, to generate peptides for antibody production and to immobilize proteins on solid supports.     

Overexpression of a partial human androgen receptor in E. coli: characterization of steroid binding, DNA binding, and immunological properties

The recent cloning of human androgen receptor (AR) cDNAs in this and other laboratories has provided valuable probes for investigating the structure and function of the AR at the molecular level. We now report the overexpression of a region of the human AR containing both the DNA- and hormone-binding domains in E. coli, which provides a means to produce large amounts of AR for analysis and use in functional studies. Under isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside induction, a tripartite protein, consisting of beta-galactosidase, a collagenase recognition site, and AR polypeptide, was produced in E. coli JM109 using pSS20 a as a vector. About 1 mg of the fused AR could be recovered per liter bacterial culture. The induced protein could readily be detected in a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel by Coomassie blue staining. Its identity was confirmed by Western blot analysis using antibodies to both beta-galactosidase and the AR. Scatchard analysis of the androgen-binding activity of the hybrid AR revealed high affinity binding to the synthetic androgen, Mibolerone (Kd, approximately 1.2 nM). Competition studies demonstrated the fusion protein's specificity for androgens. The hybrid receptor formed immune complexes with human anti-AR serum that sedimented at about 19S in 10-50% linear sucrose gradients containing 0.4 M KCl. Gel band shift assays revealed that the hybrid receptor protein forms specific complexes with a synthetic steroid response element derived from the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat region. These results demonstrate that the recombinant AR expressed in E. coli possesses many of the functional properties characteristic of DNA- and steroid-binding domains of the native AR.     

Expression, purification, and isotope labeling of cannabinoid CB2 receptor fragment, CB2(180-233)

To develop an approach to obtain milligram quantities of purified isotope-labeled seven transmembrane G-protein coupled cannabinoid (CB) receptor for NMR structural analysis, we chose a truncated CB receptor fragment, CB2(180-233), spanning from the fifth transmembrane domain (TM5) to the associated loop regions of cannabinoid CB2 receptor. This highly hydrophobic membrane protein fragment was pursued for developmental studies of membrane proteins through expression and purification in Escherichia coli. The target peptide was cloned and over-expressed in a preparative scale as a fusion protein with a modified TrpDeltaLE1413 (TrpLE) leader sequence and a nine-histidine tag at its N-terminal. An experimental protocol for enzyme cleavage was developed by using Factor Xa to remove the TrpLE tag from the fusion protein. A purification process was also established using a nickel affinity column and reverse-phase HPLC, and then monitored by SDS-PAGE and MS. This expression level is one of the highest reported for a G-protein coupled receptor and fragments in E. Coli, and provided a sufficient amount of purified protein for further biophysical studies.     

Optimization of expression and purification of two biologically active chimeric fusion proteins that consist of human interleukin-13 and Pseudomonas exotoxin in Escherichia coli

We have previously reported that a variety of solid human tumor cell lines express a large number of receptors for interleukin-13 (IL-13). These receptors could be targeted with a chimeric fusion protein consisting of human IL-13 and a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE). We describe here optimization of critical steps involved in high yield expression of two recombinant chimeric fusion proteins for obtaining highly purified and biologically active cytotoxins in Escherichia coli. The chimeric constructs of human IL-13 and two 38 kDa truncated PEs: (i) PE38 and (ii) PE38QQR, (three lysine residues in PE38 at 590, 606, and 613 substituted with two glutamine and one arginine) were used for protein expression in pET prokaryotic expression vector system with kanamycin as a selection antibiotic. Our results suggest that fresh transformation of E. coli and induction by isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) for 6 h resulted in maximum protein expression. To further improve the yield, we used a genetically modified E. coli strain, BL21(DE3)pLysS, which carries a plasmid for lysozyme with a weak promoter that inhibits T7 RNA polymerase and minimizes protein production in the absence of IPTG. Use of this strain eliminated the need for lysozyme digestion of the induced bacteria to release inclusion bodies, which resulted in expression of purer protein as compared to the conventional BL21(DE3) strain. Additional protocol optimizations included 16 h solubilization of inclusion bodies, constitution of refolding buffer, and timing of dialysis. These proteins were finally purified by Q-Sepharose, mono-Q, and gel filtration chromatography. Between 14-22 and 21-28 mg highly purified and biologically active protein was obtained from 1L of BL21 (DE3) and BL21 (DE3) pLysS bacteria culture, respectively. As IL-13R targeting for brain tumor therapy offers an exciting treatment option, optimization of production of IL-13PE will enhance production of clinical grade material for Phase III clinical trials.     

Expression and purification of a soluble tissue factor fusion protein with an epitope for an unusual calcium-dependent antibody.

The use of bacterial signal peptides to target recombinant mammalian proteins to the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli (to promote proper disulfide bond formation) has met with variable success. We report the design and use of a bacterial expression vector to direct recombinant fusion proteins to the periplasmic space of E. coli: it contains the signal peptide from the pelB gene of Erwinia carotovora linked to a small peptide epitope for an unusual calcium-dependent antibody (HPC4). HPC4 binds to the epitope in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, but the epitope itself does not bind Ca2+. We have used this system to express a biologically active, soluble form of tissue factor, the protein responsible for triggering the blood clotting cascade. Soluble tissue factor was secreted into the culture medium at 1-2 mg/liter, from which it could be readily purified using immobilized HPC4 antibody. The HPC4 epitope could be removed by digestion with thrombin or factor Xa, although a free amino terminus was not required for function since soluble tissue factor was equally active with the epitope still in place. This vector/epitope system permits large-scale expression and purification of recombinant soluble tissue factor and should be generally applicable to the isolation of other recombinant proteins. Furthermore, the epitope confers Ca(2+)-dependent binding of the fusion protein to HPC4 antibody while avoiding the creation of a new metal binding site on the fusion protein itself. Tb3+ can bind in this Ca2+ site near Trp, allowing this site to serve as a means of attaching a fluorescent probe to tissue factor.     

High level expression of biologically active estrogen receptor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Biochemical over-expression of the human estrogen receptor was achieved using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression system. The receptor was produced as a novel ubiquitin fusion protein. This fusion protein is short lived in the cell and is processed to produce unfused receptor shortly after folding. Conventional high copy expression plasmids produced receptor to about 0.04% of the total soluble protein. By incorporating a defective leu2 allele into these vectors, an additional 5-fold increase in receptor production was obtained. The recombinant receptor was undergraded, soluble and biologically active. Conventional methods of disrupting cells using glass beads had a detrimental effect on the ability of the receptor to bind hormone. Enzymatic digestion of the cell wall followed by hypotonic shock liberates the receptor that quantitatively binds estrogen.     

Purification and characterization of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) expressed as a secreted fusion protein in Escherichia coli

Human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) was produced in an Escherichia coli ompT strain as a 22.5-kDa fusion protein. IGF-II was fused to the carboxy-terminal of a synthetic 15-kDa IgG-binding protein, originating from staphylococcal protein A, via a unique methionine linker. During fermentation, the fusion protein was exported to the growth medium at levels exceeding 900 mg/liter and subsequently affinity purified on IgG Sepharose followed by ion exchange on S Sepharose. After chemical cleavage with CNBr, yielding an authentic IGF-II molecule, the recombinant IGF-II was purified to homogeneity by a two step procedure involving ion-exchange and reverse-phase HPLC. A substantial fraction of the secreted protein was found to be biologically active, eliminating the need for complex refolding procedures. The yield of highly purified and biologically active IGF-II was 5-7 mg/liter of fermenter broth. The IGF-II produced by this method displayed biochemical, immunological, receptor binding, and biological activity properties equal to those of native IGF-II isolated from human serum.