Role of the ompT mutation in stimulated decrease in colony-forming ability due to intracellular protein aggregate formation in Escherichia coli strain BL21

Recently we found that the cells of Escherichia coli strain BL21 producing a fusion protein, GST-Sup35NM, show a much more rapid decrease in colony-forming ability in the stationary phase than control cells. In this study, it was found that an extract of the cells producing GST-Sup35NM forms fibrous protein polymers containing GST-Sup35NM. In the course of the study, we realized that strain BL21 carried the ompT mutation. We suspected that the deficiency in OmpT protease was responsible for the observed phenotype. To test this, we introduced the wild-type ompT gene into strain BL21, and found that the transformed cells recovered the wild-type phenotype. We concluded that OmpT protease, though known to localize on the cell surface, is involved in protein quality control within the cell.     

Production of FMDV virus-like particles by a SUMO fusion protein approach in Escherichia coli

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are formed by the self-assembly of envelope and/or capsid proteins from many viruses. Some VLPs have been proven successful as vaccines, and others have recently found applications as carriers for foreign antigens or as scaffolds in nanoparticle biotechnology. However, production of VLP was usually impeded due to low water-solubility of recombinant virus capsid proteins. Previous studies revealed that virus capsid and envelope proteins were often posttranslationally modified by SUMO in vivo, leading into a hypothesis that SUMO modification might be a common mechanism for virus proteins to retain water-solubility or prevent improper self-aggregation before virus assembly. We then propose a simple approach to produce VLPs of viruses, e.g., foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). An improved SUMO fusion protein system we developed recently was applied to the simultaneous expression of three capsid proteins of FMDV in E. coli. The three SUMO fusion proteins formed a stable heterotrimeric complex. Proteolytic removal of SUMO moieties from the ternary complexes resulted in VLPs with size and shape resembling the authentic FMDV. The method described here can also apply to produce capsid/envelope protein complexes or VLPs of other disease-causing viruses.     

Production of recombinant human glucagon in Escherichia coli by a novel fusion protein approach

Summary A novel approach to the production of a human glucagon in E. coli is described. The 29 amino acids of human glucagon and pentapeptide linker containing enzyme processing site were fused at the amino terminus to a 57 residue N-terminal portion of the human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (hTNF-). The fusion protein was expressed in the E. coli cytoplasm at levels up to 30% of the total cell protein. Precipitation of the fusion protein near its isoelectric point, specific enterokinase cleavage at the linker site and subsequent HPLC purification makes this approach suitable for the production of glucagon as well as other relatively small peptides with therapeutic interests.     

Production in Escherichia coli of porcine type-I collagenase as a fusion protein with beta-galactosidase.

Porcine type-I collagenase (Colg-1) was produced as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli using the pAX5 expression vector. The fusion protein consists of beta-galactosidase at the N terminus joined to a collagen hinge region and a blood-coagulation factor Xa cleavage site linked to Colg-1. Recombinant collagenase (reColg-1) was biologically active in the form of a fusion protein and could be released by treatment with factor Xa to yield Colg-1 with the authentic N terminus (phenylalanine) found in vivo. The results show that reColg-1 produced in E. coli is folded correctly, cleaves type-I collagen into 1/4 and 3/4 fragments at the characteristic Colg-sensitive site, and is produced at high enough levels to generate a source of recombinant enzyme for x-ray crystallography studies.     

重组降血压肽发酵培养基国产化的研究

利用国产培养基原料在摇瓶发酵中对重组大肠杆菌E.coliBL21生产降血压肽的发酵培养基进行了研究,根据试验结果得出优化的国产培养基配方质量分数为:酵母粉3%,蛋白胨2.5%,葡萄糖1%,NaCl0.5%。选择使用优化国产培养基虽然比进口培养基的表达量下降了15%,但是生产成本大大降低,为下一步的工业化生产打下了基础。     

Effects of mutations in yeast prion [PSI+] on amyloid toxicity manifested in Escherichia coli strain BL21

We previously showed that over production of a fusion protein in which the prion domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae [PSI⁺] is connected to glutathione S-transferase (GST-Sup35NM) causes a marked decrease in the colony forming ability of Escherichia coli strain BL21 after reaching stationary phase. Evidence indicated that the observed toxicity was attributable to intracellular formation of fibrous aggregates of GST-Sup35NM. In this report, we describe the isolation of plasmids that encode mutant forms of GST-Sup35NM which do not confer the toxicity to E. coli strain BL21. Each of the four spontaneous mutant-forms of GST-Sup35NM obtained revealed amino acid substitutions. One substitution was located in the N domain, and the others in the M domain. Congo red binding assay indicated that none of these mutant proteins underwent conformational alteration in vitro. From these results, we conclude that the M domain, in collaboration with the N domain, plays an essential role in aggregation of Sup35NM. In addition, our data demonstrate the usefulness of the E. coli expression system in studying aggregate-forming proteins.Key words: [PSI⁺], yeast prion, protein aggregation, mutant selection, predication of protein secondary structure     

Effects of mutations in yeast prion [PSI+] on amyloid toxicity manifested in Escherichia coli strain BL21

We previously showed that over production of a fusion protein in which the prion domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae [PSI+] is connected to glutathione S-transferase (GST-Sup35NM) causes a marked decrease in the colony forming ability of Escherichia coli strain BL21 after reaching stationary phase. Evidence indicated that the observed toxicity was attributable to intracellular formation of fibrous aggregates of GST-Sup35NM. In this report, we describe the isolation of plasmids that encode mutant forms of GST-Sup35NM which do not confer the toxicity to E. coli strain BL21. Each of the four spontaneous mutant-forms of GST-Sup35NM obtained revealed amino acid substitutions. One substitution was located in the N domain, and the others in the M domain. Congo red binding assay indicated that none of these mutant protein underwent conformational alteration in vitro. From these results, we conclude that the M domain, in collaboration with the N domain, plays an essential role in aggregation of Sup35NM. In addition, our data demonstrate the usefulness of the E. coli expression system in studying aggregate-forming proteins.     

Production of glutaconic acid in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain

The assembly of six genes that encode enzymes from glutamate-fermenting bacteria converted Escherichia coli into a glutaconate producer when grown anaerobically on a complex medium. The new anaerobic pathway starts with 2-oxoglutarate from general metabolism and proceeds via (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate, (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-coenzyme A (CoA), and (E)-glutaconyl-CoA to yield 2.7 ± 0.2 mM (E)-glutaconate in the medium.     

Production of d-lactate using a pyruvate-producing Escherichia coli strain

To generate an organism capable of producing d-lactate, NAD⁺-dependent d-lactate dehydrogenase was expressed in our pyruvate-producing strain, Escherichia coli strain LAFCPCPt-accBC-aceE. After determining the optimal culture conditions for d-lactate production, 18.4 mM d-lactate was produced from biomass-based medium without supplemental mineral or nitrogen sources. Our results show that d-lactate can be produced in simple batch fermentation processes.     

Production and secretion of a bifunctional staphylococcal protein A::antiphytochrome single-chain Fv fusion protein in Escherichia coli.

A bifunctional molecule was genetically engineered which contained the secretory signal and four Fc-binding domains of Staphylococcus aureus protein A (FcA), fused to a single-chain Fv (scFv) derived from an immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 mouse monoclonal antibody (AS32) directed against the plant regulatory photoreceptor protein, phytochrome. The FcA::AS32scFv sequence was encoded in a single synthetic gene and expressed as a 60-kDa periplasmic protein in Escherichia coli. The bifunctionality of the fusion protein was established by its ability to bind to both IgG-agarose and phytochrome-sepharose. Growth of cultures, producing the FcA::AS32scFv, at 37 degrees C, resulted in a decrease in the periplasmic accumulation of the fusion protein, and an increased accumulation of an assumed degradation product which retained Fc-binding activity. Growth of cultures at lower temperatures favoured the accumulation of undegraded fusion protein. The recombinant fusion protein could be purified to homogeneity by a simple, rapid chromatography procedure.     

Plant codon optimized cry genes of Bacillus thuringiensis can be expressed as soluble proteins in Escherichia coli BL21 Codon Plus strain as NusA-Cry protein fusions

For optimal expression of delta-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis in plants, preferential changes in the codon sequences, and reduction in overall AT content in the nucleotide sequence of the genes is important. Reports suggest that sequences with such modifications cannot be overexpressed in bacteria. We report here that the modified genes can be overexpressed in a strain of Escherichia coli carrying extra tRNA genes for some of the codons occurring at high frequency in plant genes and less preferred in E. coli. We also demonstrate that proteins when expressed as fusion products with NusA protein, are obtained as soluble fraction rather than in inclusion bodies. This allows easy and accurate LC50 analysis on insect pests.     

乳糖代替IPTG诱导己糖激酶在大肠杆菌中的表达

构建了己糖激酶GLK高效表达的工程菌株BL21(DE3)/pET-glk,考察了乳糖代替IPTC诱导己糖激酶GLK在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中表达的可行性.实验结果表明,工程菌对数生长中期(OD<,600>约为1.0)添加终浓度为10 g/L的乳糖于25℃的条件下诱导6 h能获得最大量的目的蛋白和菌体量,目的蛋白表达...     

YrhB is a highly stable small protein with unique chaperone-like activity in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)

Escherichia coli YrhB (10.6 kDa) from strain BL21(DE3) that is commonly used for protein overexpression is a stable chaperone-like protein and indispensable for supporting the growth of BL21(DE3) at 48 °C but not defined as conventional heat shock protein (HSP). YrhB effectively prevented heat-induced aggregation of ribonucleotide synthetase (PurK). Without ATP, YrhB alone promoted in vitro refolding of uridine phosphorylase (UDP) and protected thermal denaturation of the refolded UDP. As a cis-acting fusion partner, YrhB also significantly reduced inclusion body formation of nine aggregation-prone heterologous proteins in BL21(DE3). Unlike conventional small HSPs, YrhB remained monomer under heat shock condition.     

天花粉蛋白突变基因TCSA-S在大肠杆菌BL21中的表达

天花粉蛋白是具有N-糖苷酶活性的一种植物Ⅰ型核糖体失活蛋白,本研究用PCR方法获得了天花粉蛋白的突变基因TCSA-S,构建了表达载体pET-30a( )-TCSA-S,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),并在30℃条件下诱导表达。经SDS-PAGE电泳检测,重组的突变体基因TCSA-S表达产物主要存在于包含体中。     

Production and purification of recombinant human glucagon overexpressed as intein fusion protein in Escherichia coli

Chemico-enzymatic synthesis and cloning in Esherichia coli of an artificial gene coding human glucagon was performed. Recombinant plasmid containing hybrid glucagons gene and intein Ssp dnaB from Synechocestis sp. was designed. Expression of the obtained hybrid gene in E. coli, properties of the formed hybrid protein, and conditions of its autocatalytic cleavage leading to glucagon formation were studied.     

乙酸对重组大肠杆菌BL21产酶的影响及作用机理研究

旨在研究发酵过程中产生的乙酸对重组大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)/p ET15b-Tre S的生长以及重组海藻糖合酶基因表达的影响,并对其作用机理进行探讨。通过外源添加乙酸(钠)的方法,研究了乙酸钠对重组菌BL21(DE3)/p ET15b-Tre S生长曲线的影响;利用环境扫描电子显微镜,观察了重组菌形态的变化情况;通过测定菌液的电导率值变化、菌液上清中OD260的变化,研究了乙酸(钠)对菌体细胞膜渗透性、完整性的影响;通过测定菌液上清中β-半乳糖苷酶的活性检测了乙酸钠对菌体细胞内膜的影响;利用荧光分析法检测了乙酸对菌体膜蛋白构象的影响;采用SDS-PAGE电泳研究了乙酸钠对菌体重组海藻糖合酶表达量的影响。结果表明,乙酸(钠)会对重组菌的生长产生一定的抑制作用,可以导致菌体细胞的表面出现凹陷、皱缩;并会影响细胞膜的渗透性、完整性,使得一些细胞内容物发生泄漏;影响细胞膜上的膜蛋白构象,对膜的结构造成一定程度的破坏;对重组海藻糖合酶的表达产生影响。乙酸(钠)对重组菌菌体的生长及重组海藻糖合酶基因的表达有影响,并且菌体细胞膜是其作用的一个靶点。     

AspC基因导入前后E.coli BL21蛋白质组的解析

为了考察表达天冬氨酸转氨酶工程菌在转基因前后蛋白质水平的差异变化,采用固相pH梯度-SDS聚丙烯酰胺双向凝胶电泳对转基因前后的大肠杆菌（E．coli BL21）的总蛋白进行分离,银染、显色后,使用2D蛋白质图象分析系统Image Master 2D Platinum 5．0和SWISS-2D PAGE蛋白质组数据库对双向电泳图谱进行分析,识别了近600个蛋白点,比较分析了与苯丙氨酸合成途径相关的关键蛋白的差异,初步探讨了AspC基因的导入后大肠杆菌蛋白质水平的精细调控。