Isolation, renaturation, and formation of disulfide bonds of eukaryotic proteins expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies

Expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli often results in the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies, In case of expression of eukaryotic proteins containing cysteine, which may form disulfide bonds in the native active protein, often nonnative inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds exist in the inclusion bodies. Hence, several methods have been developed to isolate recombinant eukaryotic polypeptides from inclusion bodies, and to generate native disulfide bonds, to get active proteins. This article summarizes the different steps and methods of isolation and renaturation of eukaryotic proteins containing disulfide bonds, which have been expressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies, and shows which methods originally developed for studying the folding mechanism of naturally occurring proteins have been successfully adapted for reactivation of recombinant eukaryotic proteins. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

包涵体蛋白体外复性的研究进展

外源基因在大肠杆菌中高水平表达时 ,通常会形成无活性的蛋白聚集体即包涵体。包涵体富含表达的重组蛋白 ,经分离、变性溶解后须再经过一个合适的复性过程实现变性蛋白的重折叠 ,才能够得到生物活性蛋白。近年来 ,发展了许多特异的策略和方法来从包涵体中复性重组蛋白。最近的进展包括固定化复性以及用一些低分子量的添加剂等来减少复性过程中蛋白质的聚集 ,提高活性蛋白的产率。     

Escherichia coli small heat shock proteins IbpA/B enhance activity of enzymes sequestered in inclusion bodies

Escherichia coli small heat shock proteins, IbpA/B, function as molecular chaperones and protect misfolded proteins against irreversible aggregation. IbpA/B are induced during overproduction of recombinant proteins and bind to inclusion bodies in E. coli cells. We investigated the effect of DeltaibpA/B mutation on formation of inclusion bodies and biological activity of enzymes sequestered in the aggregates in E. coli cells. Using three different recombinant proteins: Cro-beta-galactosidase, beta-lactamase and rat rHtrA1 we demonstrated that deletion of the ibpA/B operon did not affect the level of produced inclusion bodies. However, in aggregates containing IbpA/B a higher enzymatic activity was detected than in the IbpA/B-deficient inclusion bodies. These results confirm that IbpA/B protect misfolded proteins from inactivation in vivo.     

大肠杆菌异源重组蛋白质的变性与复性

描述了大肠杆菌异源重组蛋白质的形成、制备、变性和复性,综述了国内外变性、复性的有效方法。     

Renaturation of recombinant proteins produced as inclusion bodies

Expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli often results in the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies. Within the last few years specific methods and strategies have been developed to prepare active proteins from these inclusion bodies. These methods include (i) isolation of inclusion bodies after disintegration of cells by mechanical forces and purification by washing with detergent solutions or low concentrations of denaturant, (ii) solubilization of inclusion bodies with high concentrations of urea or guanidine-hydrochloride in combination with reducing reagents, and (iii) renaturation of the proteins including formation of native disulphide bonds. Renatured and native disulphide bond formation are accomplished by (a) either air oxidation, (b) glutathione reoxidation starting from reduced material, or (c) disulphide interchange starting from mixed disulphides containing peptides. The final yield of renatured proteins can be increased by adding low concentrations of denaturant during renaturation.     

蛋白质的排阻色谱复性的新进展

外源蛋白在大肠杆菌中高效表达时 ,常常形成不溶的、无活性的包涵体 ,包涵体蛋白的复性是重组蛋白生产过程中的一个技术难题。排阻色谱 (sizeexclusionchromatography ,SEC)用于蛋白复性是一种较新的、适用于任何一种蛋白的方法 ,与常用的稀释复性法相比 ,它能在高的起始蛋白浓度下对蛋白进行复性 ,活性回收率较高 ,同时又能使目标蛋白得到一定程度的纯化。对使用SEC复性的进展进行了评述 ,其内容包括SEC复性的原理及其复性过程中的影响因素 ,并对其未来发展进行了展望。     

A simple and effective strategy for solving the problem of inclusion bodies in recombinant protein technology: His-tag deletions enhance soluble expression

The formation of inclusion bodies (IBs) in recombinant protein biotechnology has become one of the most frequent undesirable occurrences in both research and industrial applications. So far, the pET System is the most powerful system developed for the production of recombinant proteins when Escherichia coli is used as the microbial cell factory. Also, using fusion tags to facilitate detection and purification of the target protein is a commonly used tactic. However, there is still a large fraction of proteins that cannot be produced in E. coli in a soluble (and hence functional) form. Intensive research efforts have tried to address this issue, and numerous parameters have been modulated to avoid the formation of inclusion bodies. However, hardly anyone has noticed that adding fusion tags to the recombinant protein to facilitate purification is a key factor that affects the formation of inclusion bodies. To test this idea, the industrial biocatalysts uridine phosphorylase from Aeropyrum pernix K1 and (+)-γ-lactamase and (?)-γ-lactamase from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 6 were expressed in E. coli by using the pET System and then examined. We found that using a histidine tag as a fusion partner for protein expression did affect the formation of inclusion bodies in these examples, suggesting that removing the fusion tag can promote the solubility of heterologous proteins. The production of soluble and highly active uridine phosphorylase, (+)-γ-lactamase, and (?)-γ-lactamase in our results shows that the traditional process needs to be reconsidered. Accordingly, a simple and efficient structure-based strategy for the production of valuable soluble recombinant proteins in E. coli is proposed.     

A method for increasing the yield of properly folded recombinant fusion proteins: single-chain immunotoxins from renaturation of bacterial inclusion bodies.

Many proteins produced in Escherichia coli accumulate in inclusion bodies. We have systematically evaluated the parameters that affect the refolding and renaturation of enzymatically active molecules from bacterial inclusion bodies containing a recombinant single-chain immunotoxin, B3(Fv)-PE38KDEL. This recombinant molecule is composed of the variable domains of monoclonal antibody B3 (B3(Fv)) fused to a truncated mutant form of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE38KDEL). This immunotoxin kills carcinoma cells in vitro, causes tumor regression in animal tumor models, and is being developed as an anti-cancer therapeutic agent (Brinkmann et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 8616-8620). Like many other recombinant proteins, B3(Fv)-PE38KDEL is produced in E. coli in inclusion bodies and must be denatured and refolded to become active. This requires correct folding, formation of native disulfide bonds, and the association of different domains. All these steps are strongly dependent on the renaturation conditions used. Optimum conditions of refolding were obtained by the addition of reduced and oxidized thiol reagents to promote disulfide bond formation and the addition of a labilizing agent such as L-arginine. Furthermore, the necessity to reactivate proteins at low protein concentrations due to its tendency to aggregate at high concentrations was overcome by a step-by-step addition of denatured and reduced protein into the refolding solution. This approach should be useful for the production of active forms of other recombinant proteins.     

Plasmid amplification in Escherichia coli after temperature upshift is impaired by induction of recombinant protein synthesis

Production of recombinant proteins often interferes with the physiology of the host organism by causing stress responses. In recombinant Escherichia coli, the cellular content of ColE1-derived plasmids and, consequently, the synthesis of the constitutively synthesized plasmid-encoded proteins generally increases after a temperature upshift. Simultaneous induction of inducible recombinant proteins that are synthesized at high levels and tend to form inclusion bodies, however, attenuates the plasmid amplification. This phenomenon was observed using temperature- as well as IPTG-inducible expression systems. Thus, high-level recombinant gene expression in connection with inclusion body formation does not only interfere with host cell but also with plasmid-related functions.     

重组蛋白包涵体的复性研究

重组蛋白在大肠杆菌中的高表达往往形成不可溶、无生物活性的包涵体,需经过变性溶解后,在适当条件下复性形成天然的构象,才可恢复其生物活性．变复性实验是建立在对蛋白质体外折叠机制的了解的基础上．根据近年来对蛋白质折叠机制的认识和重组蛋白包涵体在复性方面的主要进展,论述以下3个方面的内容：1)蛋白质在细胞内的折叠机制;2)蛋白质体外折叠机制;3)蛋白质复性的策略和方法．     

Evaluation of Escherichia coli cell disruption and inclusion body release using nucleic acid binding fluorochromes and flow cytometry

Many types of commercially valuable recombinant proteins produced by fermentation are expressed at high levels in Escherichia coli. Often, high-level expression in the host results in the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies. The release of these intracellular inclusion bodies from E. coli following cell disruption is a requirement for further downstream recovery. The ability to discern between intact unruptured cells and granules released from broken cells can provide valuable information for improving recovery yields in downstream purification. This paper describes a rapid and sensitive cytometry-based method that allows the simultaneous measurement of intact heat-killed E. coli and inclusion bodies using staining with nucleic acid binding fluorochromes.     

Soluble expression of archaeal proteins in Escherichia coli by using fusion-partners

Expression of archaeal proteins in soluble form is of importance because archaeal proteins are usually produced as insoluble inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. In this study, we investigated the use of soluble fusion tags to enhance the solubility of two archaeal proteins, d-gluconate dehydratase (GNAD) and 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate kinase (KDGK), key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway of the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. These two proteins were produced as inclusion bodies in E. coli when polyhistidine was used as a fusion tag. To reduce inclusion body formation in E. coli, GNAD and KDGK were fused with three partners, thioredoxin (Trx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and N-utilization substance A (NusA). With the use of fusion-partners, the solubility of the archaeal proteins was remarkably enhanced, and the soluble fraction of the recombinant proteins was increased in this order: Trx>GST>NusA. Furthermore, In the case of recombinant KDGKs, the enzyme activity of the Trx-fused proteins was 200-fold higher than that of the polyhistidine-fusion protein. The strategy presented in this work may contribute to the production of other valuable proteins from hyperthermophilic archaea in E. coli.     

Kinetics of inclusion body formation and its correlation with the characteristics of protein aggregates in Escherichia coli

The objective of the research was to understand the structural determinants governing protein aggregation into inclusion bodies during expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) and asparaginase were expressed as inclusion bodies in E.coli and the kinetics of aggregate formation was analyzed in details. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were of smaller size (200 nm) and the size of the aggregates did not increase with induction time. In contrast, the seeding and growth behavior of hGH inclusion bodies were found to be sequential, kinetically stable and the aggregate size increased from 200 to 800 nm with induction time. Human growth hormone inclusion bodies showed higher resistance to denaturants and proteinase K degradation in comparison to those of asparaginase inclusion bodies. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were completely solubilized at 2-3 M urea concentration and could be refolded into active protein, whereas 7 M urea was required for complete solubilization of hGH inclusion bodies. Both hGH and asparaginase inclusion bodies showed binding with amyloid specific dyes. In spite of its low β-sheet content, binding with dyes was more prominent in case of hGH inclusion bodies than that of asparaginase. Arrangements of protein molecules present in the surface as well as in the core of inclusion bodies were similar. Hydrophobic interactions between partially folded amphiphillic and hydrophobic alpha-helices were found to be one of the main determinants of hGH inclusion body formation. Aggregation behavior of the protein molecules decides the nature and properties of inclusion bodies.     

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 .     

Inclusion body anatomy and functioning of chaperone-mediated in vivo inclusion body disassembly during high-level recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli

During production in recombinant Escherichia coli, the human basic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-2) partly aggregates into stable cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. These inclusion bodies additionally contain significant amounts of the heat-shock chaperone DnaK, and putative DnaK substrates such as the elongation factor Tu (ET-Tu) and the metabolic enzymes dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (LpdA), tryptophanase (TnaA), and d-tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (GatY). Guanidinium hydrochloride induced disaggregation studies carried out in vitro on artificial aggregates generated through thermal aggregation of purified hFGF-2 revealed identical disaggregation profiles as hFGF-2 inclusion bodies indicating that the heterogenic composition of inclusion bodies did not influence the strength of interactions of hFGF-2 in aggregates formed in vivo as inclusion bodies compared to those generated in vitro from native and pure hFGF-2 through thermal aggregation. Compared to unfolding of native hFGF-2, higher concentrations of denaturant were required to dissolve hFGF-2 aggregates showing that more energy is required for disruption of interactions in both types of protein aggregates compared to the unfolding of the native protein. In vivo dissolution of hFGF-2 inclusion bodies was studied through coexpression of chaperones of the DnaK and GroEL family and ClpB and combinations thereof. None of the chaperone combinations was able to completely prevent the initial formation of inclusion bodies, but upon prolonged incubation mediated disaggregation of otherwise stable inclusion bodies. The GroEL system was particularly efficient in inclusion body dissolution but did not lead to a corresponding increase in soluble hFGF-2 rather was promoting the proteolysis of the recombinant growth factor. Coproduction of the disaggregating DnaK system and ClpB in conjunction with small amounts of the chaperonins GroELS was most efficient in disaggregation with concomitant formation of soluble hFGF-2. Thus, fine-balanced coproduction of chaperone combinations can play an important role in the production of soluble recombinant proteins with a high aggregation propensity not through prevention of aggregation but predominantly through their disaggregating properties.     

包涵体复性研究进展(英文)

用基因工程技术在大肠杆菌高水平表达重组蛋白时,通常形成无生物活性的包涵体。包涵体在体外经分离、溶解与重折叠后可实现复性,表现为具有生物活性的蛋白。总结了包涵体的相关复性技术,重点介绍重折叠的最新进展情况 。     

Refolding of therapeutic proteins produced in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies

Overexpression of cloned or synthetic genes in Escherichia coli often results in the formation of insoluble protein inclusion bodies. Within the last decade, specific methods and strategies have been developed for preparing active recombinant proteins from these inclusion bodies. Usually, the inclusion bodies can be separated easily from other cell components by centrifugation, solubilized by denaturants such as guanidine hydrochloride (Gdn-HCl) or urea, and then renatured through a refolding process such as dilution or dialysis. Recent improvements in renaturation procedures have included the inhibition of aggregation during refolding by application of low molecular weight additives and matrix-bound renaturation. These methods have made it possible to obtain high yields of biologically active proteins by taking into account process parameters such as protein concentration, redox conditions, temperature, pH, and ionic strength.     

Highly efficient production of soluble proteins from insoluble inclusion bodies by a two-step-denaturing and refolding method

The production of recombinant proteins in a large scale is important for protein functional and structural studies, particularly by using Escherichia coli over-expression systems; however, approximate 70% of recombinant proteins are over-expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies. Here we presented an efficient method for generating soluble proteins from inclusion bodies by using two steps of denaturation and one step of refolding. We first demonstrated the advantages of this method over a conventional procedure with one denaturation step and one refolding step using three proteins with different folding properties. The refolded proteins were found to be active using in vitro tests and a bioassay. We then tested the general applicability of this method by analyzing 88 proteins from human and other organisms, all of which were expressed as inclusion bodies. We found that about 76% of these proteins were refolded with an average of >75% yield of soluble proteins. This "two-step-denaturing and refolding" (2DR) method is simple, highly efficient and generally applicable; it can be utilized to obtain active recombinant proteins for both basic research and industrial purposes.     

Structural characteristics and refolding of in vivo aggregated hyperthermophilic archaeon proteins

Several recombinant proteins in inclusion bodies expressed in Escherichia coli have been measured by Fourier transform infrared and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra to provide the secondary structural characteristics of the proteins from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 (hyperthermophilic proteins) in inclusion bodies. The beta-strand-rich single chain Fv fragment (scFv) and alpha-helix-rich interleukin (IL)-4 lost part of the native-like secondary structure in inclusion bodies, while the inclusion bodies composed of the hyperthermophilic proteins of which the native form is alpha-helix rich, are predominated by alpha-helix structure. Further, the secondary structure of the recombinant proteins solubilized from inclusion bodies by detergent or denaturant was observed by circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The solubilization induced the denaturation of the secondary structure for scFv and IL-4, whereas the solubilized hyperthermophilic proteins have retained the alpha-helix structure with the CD properties resembling those of their native forms. This indicates that the hyperthermophilic proteins form native-like secondary structure in inclusion bodies. Refolding of several hyperthermophilic proteins from in vivo aggregated form without complete denaturation could be accomplished by solubilization with lower concentration (e.g. 2 M) of guanidine hydrochloride and removal of the denaturant via stepwise dialysis. This supports the existence of proteins with native-like structure in inclusion bodies and suggests that non-native association between the secondary structure elements leads to in vivo aggregation. We propose a refolding procedure on the basis of the structural properties of the aggregated archaeon proteins.     

Effective expression of fragments of a botulinum neurotoxin type A gene, coding for the L-chain and H-chain in E. coli, with formation of products causing protective immunity to administration of the toxin

Native Clostridium botulinum gene coding for type A neurotoxin has been used to construct recombinant derivatives coding separately for L and H polypeptide chains of the toxin. The gene derivatives have been cloned into an expression vector pET28b in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The recombinant L and H proteins seem to be the major individual proteins after IPTG induction of the recombinant cells. Each of the proteins has been accumulated only in inclusion bodies. The recombinant L chain (but not H chain) has been successfully resolubilized. Each of the proteins contains six His residues on the N terminus which allows purification on Ni-agarose columns with high yield. No toxic effect has been observed for both L and H chains after injection of 10 micrograms of recombinant preparations purified from inclusion bodies. Moreover, the injection resulted in an increase in the titer of specific antibodies which protected mice from 1 DLM of type A native botulinum neurotoxin. Hence, the recombinant neurotoxin protein derivatives which are present in E. coli inclusion bodies can be a source of material for producing diagnostic and therapeutic sera against type A botulinum neurotoxin.