Virus-based expression systems facilitate rapid target in vivo functionality validation and high-throughput screening

Target validation is one of rate-limiting steps in the modern drug discovery. The authors developed a strategy of combining adenovirus-mediated gene transfer for efficient target functionality validation, both in vivo and in vitro, with baculovirus expression to produce sufficient quantities of protein for high-throughput screening (HTS). The incorporation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the adenovirus vectors accelerates recombinant adenovirus plaque purification, whereas the use of epitope and affinity tags facilitates the identification and purification of recombinant protein. In this generalized scheme, the flexible modular design of viral vectors facilitates the transition between target validation and HTS. In the example presented, functional target validation in vivo was achieved by overexpressing the target gene in cell-based models and in the mouse cortex following adenovirus-mediated gene delivery. In this context, target overexpression resulted in the accumulation of a disease-related biomarker both in vitro and in vivo. A baculovirus-based expressional system was then generated to produce enough target protein for HTS. Thus, the use of these viral expression systems represents a generalized method for rapid target functionality validation and HTS assay development, which could be applied to numerous target candidates being elucidated in gene discovery programs.     

High-efficiency recovery of target cells using improved yeast display system for detection of protein–protein interactions

We constructed a high-throughput screening (HTS) system for target cells based on the detection of protein–protein interactions by flow cytometric sorting due to the improvement in the yeast cell surface display system. Interaction model proteins, which are the ZZ domain derived from Staphylococcus aureus and the Fc part of human immunoglobulin G (IgG), were displayed on the yeast cell surface. We achieved a rapid and enhanced expression of these proteins as a result of adopting an appropriate yeast strain and a suitable promoter. The displayed ZZ domain had an ability to bind to rabbit IgG and the displayed Fc part to protein A. These were confirmed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the cells displaying the ZZ domain or Fc part were isolated from the model libraries constructed by mixing the control yeast cells with the target yeast cells. The ratio of the target cells was increased from 0.0001% to more than 70% by two cycles of cell sorting. These results indicate that we can achieve a rapid and highly efficient isolation method for the target cells with FACSCalibur and that this method will further extend the application of flow cytometric sorting to library selections.     

抗冻蛋白结构基因片段的克隆

为了研究和开发利用抗冻蛋白或多肽,木文通过聚合酶链式反应（ＰＣＲ）合成了抗冻蛋白１１０ｂｐ的结构基因片段,然后将该基因片段克隆到大肠杆菌质粒载体Ｐ（Ｂｌｕｅｓｃｒｉｐｔ）Ⅱｋｓ＋／－上,获得了重组质粒,经酶切证明,获得的重组质粒中含有抗冻蛋白结构基因片段,以供该基因在大肠杆菌或酵母中表达抗冻蛋白。     

Oxidative stress-resistance assay for screening yeast strains overproducing heterologous proteins

Many natural proteins have been developed into drugs and produced for direct application. Identifying improved hosts to achieve high-level heterologous protein production is a challenge in the study of heterologous protein expression in recombinant yeast. In this study, a novel high-throughput assay to screen such overproducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains was systematically developed. The protocol designed was based on screening host strain derivatives with increased superoxide dismutase dependent resistance to oxidative stress. Yeast cells transformed with recombinant plasmid carrying SOD1 gene as a reporter responded exquisitely to oxidative stress induced by elevated concentrations of paraquat. Improved yeast strains resulting from screening clones subjected to genome shuffling through selective pressure argue for a more effective screening system compared with traditonal selection. Moreover, this approach can be employed in general biochemical analysis without utilization of flow cytometry or well plate reader. Therefore, it is expected that the high-throughput assay would make superior strains producing heterologous proteins.     

Directed evolution of acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase: Development and characterization of Brassica napus DGAT1 mutagenized libraries

Metabolic flux to triacylglycerol (TAG) may be limited by the level of acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20) activity. In some species, this enzyme also appears to play a role in the channeling of specific fatty acyl moieties into TAG. The objective of this work is to implement a directed evolution approach to enhance the catalytic efficiency of type-1 DGAT from Brassica napus (BnDGAT1). We generated randomly mutagenized libraries of BnDGAT1 in a yeast expression vector using error-prone PCR. The mutagenized libraries were used to transform a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain devoid of neutral lipid biosynthesis and analyzed using a high-throughput screening (HTS) system. The HTS, recently developed for this purpose, consisted of a positive selection of clones expressing active DGAT mutants followed by quantification of DGAT activity by fluorescence detection of TAG in yeast cells. The initial results indicated that the positive selection system efficiently eliminated DGAT mutants lacking enzyme activity. Screening of 1528 selected mutants revealed that some DGAT clones had enhanced ability to synthesize TAG in yeast. This was confirmed by analysis of individual clones that could carry mutations resulting in an increased catalytic efficiency. The directed evolution approach could lead to the development of an improved plant DGAT1 for increasing seed oil content in oleaginous crops.     

Tuning different expression parameters to achieve soluble recombinant proteins in E. coli: advantages of high-throughput screening

Proteins are the main reagents for structural, biomedical, and biotechnological studies; however, some important challenges remain concerning protein solubility and stability. Numerous strategies have been developed, with some success, to mitigate these challenges, but a universal strategy is still elusive. Currently, researchers face a plethora of alternatives for the expression of the target protein, which generates a great diversity of conditions to be evaluated. Among these, different promoter strength, diverse expression host and constructs, or special culture conditions have an important role in protein solubility. With the arrival of automated high-throughput screening (HTS) systems, the evaluation of hundreds of different conditions within reasonable cost and time limits is possible. This technology increases the chances to obtain the target protein in a pure, soluble, and stable state. This review focuses on some of the most commonly used strategies for the expression of recombinant proteins in the enterobacterium Escherichia coli, including the use of HTS for the production of soluble proteins.     

人基质金属蛋白酶-9在酵母Pichia pastoris中的表达

基质金属蛋白酶 - 9( MMP- 9)可促进恶性肿瘤的侵袭、转移 ,并在组织重建、胚胎发育以及伤口愈合等生理过程中发挥重要作用 .为研究这一蛋白的性质 ,并以之为靶标筛选抗肿瘤转移药物 ,在酵母 Pichia pastoris中实现了重组人 MMP- 9蛋白的高效、高活性、分泌表达 .首先用 PCR扩增了 MMP- 9基因编码区 (不含信号肽序列 ) ,经测序证实后 ,将其插入 p PIC9质粒中 ,构建表达载体 .用 Li C1 - PEG法转化酵母后 ,采用明胶 -酶谱法筛选获得 5株高效分泌表达 MMP- 9的克隆 ,经PCR证实 MMP- 9基因整合在阳性克隆的染色体中 .重组蛋白分子量为 93k D,表达量为 1 0 mg/L.重组蛋白可水解明胶及 型胶原 ,并可经有机汞 APMA诱导发生自剪切 ,转换成 85k D的激活形式 ,表明重组蛋白具有与天然人 MMP- 9蛋白相似的底物水解活性和自剪切激活特性 .     

High-throughput construction of expression system using yeast Pichia pastoris, and its application to membrane proteins

The well-established method for high-throughput construction of an expression system of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses homologous recombination between an expression plasmid and a target gene (with homologous regions of the plasmid on both ends added by PCR). This method has been widely used for membrane proteins using plasmids containing GFP, and has been successfully used to investigate the cellular localization and solubilization conditions of the proteins. Although the methanol-utilizing yeast Pichia pastoris is known as an excellent expression host, a method for high-throughput construction of an expression system like that in S. cerevisiae has not been reported. In this study, we have attempted to construct expression systems via homologous recombination in P. pastoris. The insertion of genes into a plasmid could be easily checked by colony-PCR. Expression systems for seven membrane proteins of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) and yeast (S. cerevisiae) were constructed, and the expression of proteins was analyzed by fluorescence spectra, fluorescence microscopy, and SDS-PAGE (in-gel fluorescence detection).     

Autodisplay: efficient bacterial surface display of recombinant proteins

To display a protein or peptide with a distinct function at the surface of a living bacterial cell is a challenging exercise with constantly increasing impact in many areas of biochemistry and biotechnology. Among other systems in Gram-negative bacteria, the Autodisplay system provides striking advantages when used to express a recombinant protein at the surface of Escherichia coli or related bacteria. The Autodisplay system has been developed on the basis of and by exploiting the natural secretion mechanism of the AIDA-I autotransporter protein. It offers the expression of more than 10⁵ recombinant molecules per single cell, permits the multimerization of subunits expressed from monomeric genes at the cell surface, and allows, after transport of an apoprotein to the cell surface, the incorporation of an inorganic prosthetic group without disturbing cell integrity or cell viability. Moreover, whole cells displaying recombinant proteins by Autodisplay can be subjected to high-throughput screening (HTS) methods such as ELISA or FACS, thus enabling the screening of surface display libraries and providing access to directed evolution of the recombinant protein displayed at the cell surface. In this review, the application of the Autodisplay system for the surface display of enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, epitopes, antigens, protein and peptide libraries is summarised and the perspectives of the system are discussed.     

A Comparison of Ypet and Firefly Luciferase as Reporter Proteins for High-Throughput Screening

When Ypet was used as a reporter protein for high-throughput screening (HTS), it showed peak fold induction and a dynamic range similar to those for firefly luciferase. We also determined that conducting a reading immediately after media aspiration was the best method for HTS. We conclude that Ypet can serve as a substitute for luciferase as a reporter protein in HTS assays.     

人白介素12亚基p40和p35基因串联在毕赤酵母中的表达及表达产物活性分析

摘 要 利用毕赤酵母系统表达有活性的人单链白细胞介素12（hscIL-12）,PCR法从质粒pBI121-IL-12中扩增hscIL-12基因,经酶切、连接构建重组表达载体pPIC9K-hscIL-12,SacI线性化后,PEG1000法转化毕赤酵母GS115,经G418筛选和菌落PCR鉴定,经甲醇诱导,hscIL-12在酵母中获得分泌表达,表达产物经Western Blot检测,显示该蛋白相对分子质量为70KDa,可与鼠抗人IL-12单克隆抗体特异性结合;定量分析结果表明,重组酵母培养上清中hscIL-12约占总蛋白的26％,表达量约为60mg／L;生物学活性实验表明,重组蛋白能促进人外周血淋巴细胞增殖。为利用rhscIL-12进行基因治疗奠定了基础。     

Challenges facing the biologist doing chemical genetics

The goal of high-throughput screening (HTS) from the perspective of the biologist is to identify a highly specific small molecule that can be used to inhibit a protein in its normal biological context. Although several useful small molecules have been identified with HTS, there are many challenges to be considered when contemplating a screen, especially by those unfamiliar with chemical biology.     

From genes to proteins: high-throughput expression and purification of the human proteome

The development of high-throughput methods for gene discovery has paved the way for the design of new strategies for genome-scale protein analysis. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., have produced an automatable system for the expression and purification of large numbers of proteins encoded by cDNA clones from the IMAGE (Integrated Molecular Analysis of Genomes and Their Expression) collection. This high-throughput protein expression system has been developed for the analysis of the human proteome, the protein equivalent of the human genome, comprising the translated products of all expressed genes. Functional and structural analysis of novel genes identified by EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) sequencing and the Human Genome Project will be greatly advanced by the application of this high-throughput expression system for protein production. A prototype was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. Using a PCR-based strategy, 72 unique IMAGE cDNA clones have been used to create an array of recombinant baculoviruses in a 96-well microtiter plate format. Forty-two percent of these cDNAs successfully produced soluble, recombinant protein. All of the steps in this process, from PCR to protein production, were performed in 96-well microtiter plates, and are thus amenable to automation. Each recombinant protein was engineered to incorporate an epitope tag at the amino terminal end to allow for immunoaffinity purification. Proteins expressed from this system are currently being analyzed for functional and biochemical properties.     

Expression and purification of recombinant Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus DNA polymerase using a Baculovirus vector system

The DNA polymerase (POL) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is essential for viral DNA replication and, thus, may be considered as a viable target for anti-KSHV therapeutics. To produce large quantities of homogeneous and pure POL required for high-throughput screening (HTS) for inhibitors, we generated a recombinant baculovirus vector encoding a hexahistidine (His6)-tagged POL and infected Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 insect cells. High expression of recombinant POL (rPOL) was achieved for up to 72h post-infection. The rPOL was solubilized in lysis buffer containing 0.3% Cymal-5 detergent, purified by metal-chelating and dsDNA-cellulose affinity chromatography, and analyzed by anti-His antibody Western blot and mass spectrometry. The functionality of rPOL was confirmed by its DNA synthesis activity in vitro, which was effectively blocked by the anti-herpetic DNA polymerase inhibitors, foscarnet and cidofovir diphosphate, in a dose-dependent manner. The POL expressed and purified from the recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells may be useful toward the development of HTS of large chemical libraries to identify novel KSHV DNA polymerase inhibitors.     

香菇菌C91-3凋亡相关蛋白24414在毕赤酵母GS115中的表达与鉴定

目的通过构建毕赤酵母表达载体将香菇菌C91-3凋亡相关蛋白24414在毕赤酵母GS115中进行表达,同时对表达产物进行鉴定。方法从香菇菌C91-3菌丝体中提取总RNA,根据转录组测序结果,用3＇-Full RACE、5＇-Full RACE方法获得24414基因,并将其克隆到毕赤酵母的表达载体pPIC9K中,构建真核重组表达质粒pPIC9K-24414。用电转化的方法将此质粒转化到毕赤酵母GS115中并进行诱导表达,对表达产物用Westen-blot方法进行鉴定。结果通过菌落PCR和基因序列分析确定插入pPIC9K中的片段为24414基因片段,通过Westen-blot方法确定所表达蛋白为目的蛋白。结论重组质粒pPIC9K-24414成功构建,目的凋亡相关蛋白24414在毕赤酵母GS115中成功表达,为进一步研究香菇菌C91-3凋亡相关蛋白24414的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

PTD-NPY融合基因的克隆及其在毕赤酵母中的分泌表达

应用重叠延伸PCR方法扩增HIV-1 TAT蛋白转导结构域(PTD)与鼠源神经肽Y(NPY)的融合基因,克隆目的片段并插入酵母表达载体pPICZαA,构建成重组表达质粒pPICZα-PTD-NPY.PCR和酶切鉴定及测序正确后,经限制性内切酶Sac Ⅰ线性化重组表达质粒并通过电转化整合到巴斯德毕赤酵母菌GS115的染色体基因组中.阳性重组酵母菌用含1%甲醇的培养基诱导其分泌表达.经过120 h的诱导,取上清浓缩除盐后进行SDS-PAGE电泳,表明该系统成功表达了PTD-NPY融合蛋白,Western blotting实验证实表达产物具有特异性.获得真核表达的PTD-NPY融合蛋白,为下一步的应用研究提供了物质基础.     

乙醇酸氧化酶基因在巴斯德毕赤氏酵母中的表达

将菠菜乙醇酸氧化酶基因片段克隆至表达载体pPIC3．5k。提取重组质粒,进行限制性酶切鉴定。重组质粒用Sal I酶切线性化,电导入法转化毕赤酵母(Pichia pastoris),在缺乏组氨酸的RDB平板筛选重组子,提取酵母的染色体基因组进行PCR扩增鉴定整合情况,用甲醇诱导表达。结果表明,SDS-PAGE电泳显示表达蛋白的分子量约为39．8kD,与文献报道的乙醇酸氧化酶分子量接近。酶的活力达到了40．8IU／g湿菌体,比不含有目的片断的对照菌酶活提高了17倍,确认了导入的乙醇酸氧化酶基因片段在酵母中高效表达。     

SARS冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白在酵母中的表达与活性检测

用PCR扩增SARS冠状病毒N蛋白全长cDNA,克隆到酵母表达载体pPIC3.5K,构建pPIC3.5K-SCoVN酵母表达质粒。表达质粒线性化后电转化到毕赤酵母GS115中,经G418-RDB, MM/MD平板与PCR扩增筛选获得His⁺ Mut⁺ 重组菌株。比较研究了不同的培养基、溶解氧以及甲醇浓度对菌株生长与重组蛋白表达的影响。结果表明：FBS培养基最适宜重组菌的生长与表达,溶氧对菌体的生长与表达有显著的影响,甲醇诱导最佳终浓度为1％（V/V）,SDS-PAGE分析重组蛋白的表达量,发现重组N 蛋白表达量占细胞总蛋白的6％,每升培养基可以生产410mg重组N蛋白,生物量达45OD600。Western　blotting结果表明,重组N 蛋白对鼠源单克隆抗体以及SARS病人恢复期血清具有较强的特异性反应。对摇瓶培养条件进行了发酵罐放大实验,结果生物量达到348OD600,表达量达到 2.5g/L,分别为摇瓶表达的7.7倍和6.1倍,为SARS早期血清学诊断研究以及为N蛋白在病毒复制以及致病机理的研究奠定了一定的基础。     

Automated expression and solubility screening of His-tagged proteins in 96-well format

A growing need for sensitive and high-throughput methods for screening the expression and solubility of recombinant proteins exists in structural genomics. Originally, the emergency solution was to use immediately available techniques such as manual lysis of expression cells followed by analysis of protein expression by gel electrophoresis. However, these handmade methods quickly proved to be unfit for the high-throughput demand of postgenomics, and it is now generally accepted that the long-term solution to this problem will be based on automation, on industrial standard-formatted experiments, and on downsizing samples and consumables. In agreement with this consensus, we have set up a fully automated method based on a dot-blot technology and using 96-well format consumables for assessing by immunodetection the amount of total and soluble recombinant histidine (His)-tagged proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. The method starts with the harvest of expression cells and ends with the display of solubility/expression results in milligrams of recombinant protein per liter of culture using a three-color code to assist analysis. The program autonomously processes 160 independent cultures at a time.