Bifunctional reporter genes: construction and expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Bifunctional reporter proteins were constructed to combine Clostridium thermocellum lichenase (LicBM2) with Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (GFP) or with Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase (GUS). The major properties of the initial proteins were preserved in the hybrid ones: LicBM2 was active at 65 degrees C, GFP fluoresced, and GUS hydrolyzed its substrates. LicBM2 remained active after extension of its C of N end. Bifunctional reporter systems were shown to provide a convenient tool for studying the gene expression regulation in prokaryotic (E. coli) and eukaryotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mammalian) cells, advantages of one reporter compensating for drawbacks of the other.     

Bifunctional Reporter Genes: Construction and Expression in Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

Bifunctional reporter proteins were constructed to combine Clostridium thermocellum lichenase (LicBM2) with Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (GFP) or with Escherichia coli -glucuronidase (GUS). The major properties of the initial proteins were preserved in the hybrid ones: LicBM2 was active at 65°C, GFP fluoresced, and GUS hydrolyzed its substrates. LicBM2 remained active after extension of its C or N end. Bifunctional reporter systems were shown to provide a convenient tool for studying the gene expression regulation in prokaryotic (E. coli) and eukaryotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mammalian) cells, advantages of one reporter compensating for drawbacks of the other.     

Preparation and Properties of Clostridium thermocellum Lichenase Deletion Variants and Their Use for Construction of Bifunctional Hybrid Proteins

Major properties (pH and temperature optimum, stability) of lichenase (b-1,3-1,4-glucanase) deletion variants from Clostridium thermocellum were comparatively studied. The deletion variant LicBM2 was used to create hybrid bifunctional proteins by fusion with sequences of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria. The data show that in hybrid proteins both GFP and lichenase retain their major properties, namely, GFP remains a fluorescent protein and the lichenase retains activity and high thermostability. Based on the results of this investigation and results that have been obtained earlier, the use of the deletion variants of lichenase and the bifunctional hybrid proteins as reporter proteins is suggested.     

鸡源抗菌肽Fowlicidin-2在大肠杆菌中的 重组表达及其生物学活性鉴定

【目的】对抗菌肽Fowlicidin-2基因进行克隆与表达,并鉴定其生物学活性。【方法】根据抗菌肽Fowlicidin-2氨基酸序列,依照大肠杆菌(E.coli)密码子的偏爱性,人工设计合成其编码基因。与质粒pET-32a连接,构建重组表达载体,转化表达宿主菌E.coliBL21(DE3),IPTG诱导表达,融合蛋白经溴化氰裂解后进行纯化,测定重组抗菌肽的抑菌活性。【结果】Fowlicidin-2融合蛋白以包涵体形式表达,经溴化氰裂解后,成功释放出Fowlicidin-2,获得的重组Fowlicidin-2对革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌均有明显的抑菌效果。【结论】实现了抗菌肽Fowlicidin-2的重组表达,为抗菌肽的重组量化制备提供了理论基础与技术手段。     

Immobilization and purification of enzymes with staphylococcal protein A gene fusion vectors.

Two improved plasmid vectors, containing the gene coding for staphylococcal protein A and adapted for gene fusions, have been constructed. These vectors allow fusion of any gene to the protein A moiety, giving fusion proteins which can be purified, in a one-step procedure by IgG affinity chromatography. One vector, pRIT2, is designed for temperature-inducible expression of intracellular fusion proteins in Escherichia coli and the other pRIT5, is a shuttle vector designed for secretion. The latter gives a periplasmatic fusion protein in E. coli and an extracellular protein in Gram-positive hosts such as Staphylococcus aureus. The usefulness of these vectors is exemplified by fusion of the protein A gene and the E. coli genes encoding the enzymes beta-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase. High amounts of intact fusion protein are produced which can be immobilized on IgG-Sepharose in high yield (95-100%) without loss of enzymatic activity. Efficient secretion in both E. coli and S. aureus, was obtained for the alkaline phosphatase hybrid, in contrast to beta-galactosidase which was only expressed efficiently using the intracellular system. More than 80% of the protein A alkaline-phosphatase hybrid protein can be eluted from IgG affinity columns without loss of enzymatic activity.     

A bifunctional fusion between beta-glucuronidase and neomycin phosphotransferase: a broad-spectrum marker enzyme for plants.

We have used an in vivo selection approach to isolate a gene encoding a bifunctional fusion peptide between Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPT-II) from transposon Tn5 in the NH2-GUS::NPT-II-COOH configuration. The fused gene is predicted to encode a fusion peptide 885 amino acids long, and was shown in E. coli to synthesize a 97-kDa GUS+ NPT-II+ gene product. Gel-filtration chromatography suggested that, while the native GUS may be active as a dimer and NPT-II as a monomer, the elution profile of the fusion protein is consistent with that of a trimer. The fusion marker has been produced and defined in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants, where both the chimeric gene and the gene product were stable. The bifunctional gene enabled direct KmR selection at the callus stage and enzymatic or histochemical assessment of the steady-state production of GUS activity in regenerated plants. In addition to allowing structure-function determination for the GUS and NPT-II domains of the fusion peptide, the gus::npt-II gene simplifies vector constructs where both marker domains are desired.     

The oxidized pyrimidine ribonucleotide, 5-hydroxy-CTP,is hydrolyzed efficiently by the Escherichia coli recombinant Orf135 protein

The Escherichia coli orf135 gene encodes a 15.4kDa protein with homology to the MutT family of nucleotide hydrolases. The orf135 gene was cloned within a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein expression vector, which was used to overproduce the GST-Orf135 fusion protein in E. coli. The fusion protein thus obtained was purified by affinity column chromatography and gel filtration chromatography from the crude extract. The recombinant Orf135 protein was obtained by removing the GST tag from the purified fusion protein. Various oxidized nucleotides were tested as substrates for the recombinant Orf135 protein. As a result, we found a novel 5-hydroxy-CTPase activity of Orf135, but the hydrolyzing activities for the other nucleotides, including 5-hydroxy-dCTP, were very low. The activation constant (K(a)) of Mg(2+) for the 5-hydroxy-CTPase activity was 1.2 mM, and the pH optimum was 8.5. The catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) for this activity was 630 s(-1) mM(-1) at 30 degrees C, which was 30-fold higher than that for the CTPase activity. This result indicates that 5-hydroxy-CTP is the best substrate of Orf135 among the nucleotides tested.     

High-level expression of human beta-defensin-2 gene with rare codons in E. coli cell-free system

Human beta-defensin-2 (hBD2) is A small cationic peptide with A broad range of antimicrobial activity. An E. coli cell-free system was employed to express the hBD2 fusion protein by using the hBD2 gene with 14 rare codons. The results showed that the expression level of trxA-hBD2 fusion protein was 0.35 mg/ml, which is the same as that obtained with A synthetic codon-optimized gene. By using another fusion partner (GFP), similar high-level expression was also achieved in this cell-free system. This meant that human beta-defensin-2 gene could be directly used to express hBD2 fusion protein efficiently in an E. coli cell-free system without the optimization of codons. The expression level of hBD2 fused with thioredoxin could be further improved up to 2.0 mg/ml by adopting A continuous exchange cell-free system. A simple one-stage affinity purification procedure was also developed to recover this fusion protein efficiently.     

Differential expression of protein S genes during Myxococcus xanthus development

Protein S, the most abundant protein synthesized during development of the fruiting bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, is coded by two highly homologous genes called protein S gene 1 (ops) and protein S gene 2 (tps). The expression of these genes was studied with fusions of the protein S genes to the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli. The gene fusions were constructed so that expression of beta-galactosidase activity was dependent on protein S gene regulatory sequences. Both the gene 1-lacZ fusion and the gene 2-lacZ fusion were expressed exclusively during fruiting body formation (development) in M. xanthus. However, distinct patterns of induction of fusion protein activity were observed for the two genes. Gene 2 fusion activity was detected early during development on an agar surface and could also be observed during nutritional downshift in dispersed liquid culture. Gene 1 fusion activity was not detected until much later in development and was not observed after downshift in liquid culture. The time of induction of gene 1 fusion activity was correlated with the onset of sporulation, and most of the activity was spore associated. This gene fusion was expressed during glycerol-induced sporulation when gene 2 fusion activity could not be detected. The protein S genes appear to be members of distinct regulatory classes of developmental genes in M. xanthus.     

转铁蛋白受体单链抗体与链亲和素融合基因的克隆及其在大肠杆菌中的可溶性表达

目的:转铁蛋白受体特异性富含于血脑屏障和肿瘤细胞的表面,是当前中枢神经系统疾病和肿瘤治疗中定向转运的重要靶标。拟获得在大肠杆菌中能高效可溶表达的转铁蛋白受体单链抗体与链亲和素(SA)的重组融合蛋白。方法:根据GenBank数据库报道的SA的核苷酸序列分段合成基因,连接后经PCR获得完整的基因片段,插入pGEM-T载体中测序。将序列正确的SA基因与大鼠转铁蛋白受体单链抗体基因ox26-scFv分别插入原核表达载体pTIG-Trx中,构建重组表达克隆pTIG-Trx/scFv-SA,并在大肠杆菌中诱导表达。ELISA检测融合蛋白的生物学活性。结果:对pGEM-T/SA克隆的测序结果显示,合成的SA基因与文献报道相符。重组融合蛋白在大肠杆菌中获得了可溶性表达,约占菌体上清总蛋白量的30%;ELISA结果表明该融合蛋白具备与转铁蛋白受体和生物素的结合的双重活性。结论:有活性的重组融合蛋白的获得为构建一个通用性的以转铁蛋白受体介导的血脑屏障和肿瘤转运靶向载体打下了基础。     

The macrophage-induced gene (mig) of Mycobacterium avium encodes a medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A synthetase.

The macrophage-induced gene (mig) of Mycobacterium avium has been associated with virulence, but the functions of the gene product were still unknown. Here we have characterized the Mig protein by biochemical methods. A plasmid with a histidine-tagged fusion protein was constructed for expression in Escherichia coli. Mig was detected as a 60 kDa protein after expression and purification of the recombinant gene product. The sequence of the fusion gene and of the parent gene in M. avium were reexamined. This confirmed that the mig gene encodes a 550 amino acid protein (58 kDa) instead of a 295 amino acid protein (30 kDa) as predicted before. The 550 amino acid Mig exhibits a high degree of homology to bacterial acyl-CoA synthetases. Two artificial 30 kDa derivatives of Mig were expressed and purified as histidine-tagged fusion proteins in E. coli. These proteins and the 58.6 kDa histidine-tagged Mig protein were analysed for activity with an acyl-CoA synthetase assay. Among the three investigated proteins, only the 58.6 kDa Mig exhibited detectable activity as an acyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.3) with saturated medium-chain fatty acids, unsaturated long-chain fatty acid and some aromatic carbon acids as substrates. Enzymatic activity could be inhibited by 2-hydroxydodecanoic acid, a typical inhibitor of medium-chain acyl-CoA synthetases. We postulate a novel medium-chain acyl-CoA synthetase motif. We have investigated the biochemical properties of Mig and suggest that this enzyme is involved in the metabolism of fatty acid during mycobacterial survival in macrophages.     

SDH-SV2C-L4融合蛋白的表达及山梨糖脱氢酶活性检测

目的:构建SDH-SV2C-L4融合蛋白表达载体,在大肠杆菌中表达具有山梨糖脱氢酶(SDH)活性的融合蛋白。方法:将C亚型突触囊泡蛋白2大突环L4(SV2C-L4)基因与SDH基因以GGGS柔性接头连接,在大肠杆菌DH5α中表达;用NBT染色和DCIP脱色的方法检测融合蛋白的SDH活性。结果:DNA测序及SDS-PAGE结果显示构建了融合蛋白表达载体,并表达了SDH-SV2C-L4融合蛋白,相对分子质量约80×103;DCIP脱色及NBT染色均检测到融合蛋白的SDH活性。结论:与SV2C-L4融合的SDH仍具有活性,为下一步SV2C-L4活性检测方法的建立及SDH与SV2C-L4的其他相关研究奠定了基础。     

鲎血细胞中脂多糖结合蛋白TALF在大肠杆菌中的表达研究

TALF(Tachyleus antilipoposaccharide factor)对细菌内毒素（LPS）的核心部分有抑制作用。研究TALF cDNA基因在大肠杆菌中的表达,首先将TALF cDNA基因分别插入大肠杆菌表达载体pGEX-4T-2、pET22b、pET28a中,构建重组表达质粒,转化于大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)。结果表明克隆于pET22b、pET28a中的TALF cDNA基因没有表达,而融合了GST的TALF基因（GST-TALF）能够在大肠杆菌中表达,并形成包涵体。从1L培养基中可获得4mg纯度为91%的GST-TALF融合蛋白。经复性和纯化后的融合蛋白GST-TALF几乎检测不到抑菌活性及LPS中和活性,但该融合蛋白经凝血酶消化后表现出明显的体外抑菌活性及LPS中和活性。     

The use of gene fusions to examine the membrane topology of the L-subunit of the photosynthetic reaction center and of the cytochrome b subunit of the bc1 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

The topology of the cytochrome b subunit of the bc1 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been examined by generating gene fusions with alkaline phosphatase. Gene fusions were generated at random locations within the fbcB gene encoding the cytochrome b subunit. These fusion products were expressed in Escherichia coli and were screened for alkaline phosphatase activity on chromogenic plates. 33 in-frame fusions which showed activity were further characterized. The fusion junctions of all those fusions which had a high specific activity were clustered in three regions of the cytochrome b polypeptide, and thus these regions were tentatively assigned as being near the periplasmic surface. The data are consistent with a model containing eight transmembrane helices. In order to explore the validity of the gene fusion approach for a protein not normally expressed in E. coli, the topology of the L-subunit of the photosynthetic reaction center from R. sphaeroides was also explored using phoA gene fusions. A similar protocol was used as with the cytochrome b subunit. The gene fusions with high specific activity were shown to be in regions of the L-subunit polypeptide known to be at or near the periplasmic surface, as defined by the high resolution structure determined by X-ray crystallography. These data demonstrate the utility of this approach for determining membrane protein topology and extend potential applications to include at least some proteins not normally expressed in E. coli.     

黑芝麻多酚氧化酶的重组表达及其酶学特性

为明确黑芝麻多酚氧化酶的酶学性质,利用大肠杆菌Escherichia coli原核表达了黑芝麻多酚氧化酶 (Black sesame polyphenol oxidase,BsPPO)。将合成的基因构建至pMAL-c5x载体,并在大肠杆菌中进行表达,对重组蛋白进行分离纯化及融合标签切除,获得的BsPPO蛋白用于酶学性质探究。结果表明,合成的Bsppo基因1 752 bp,编码585个氨基酸,理论蛋白分子量为65.3 kDa;构建的pMAL-c5x-Bsppo重组质粒在大肠杆菌Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) 中可溶表达了MBP-BsPPO蛋白;酶切去除MBP融合标签后对BsPPO进行了酶学性质研究,结果表明BsPPO的最适温度和pH分别为25 ℃和4.0,在低温和弱酸性环境中有较好的稳定性。短时间低强度的光照和Cu2+可激活BsPPO的活性,Zn2+和Ca2+能抑制其活性。BsPPO可催化单酚、二酚以及三酚类化合物,对l-酪氨酸以及香草酸表现出较高的催化活性,此外BsPPO还对黑芝麻中含有的2-甲氧基肉桂酸、吲哚3-羧酸和根皮素表现出良好的催化活性。研究结果为黑芝麻多酚氧化酶酶学特性的明确奠定了理论基础。     

Characterization of the ATPase activity of the N-terminal nucleotide binding domain of an ABC transporter involved in oleandomycin secretion by Streptomyces antibioticus

Abstract The ole B gene of Streptomyces antibioticus , oleandomycin producer, encodes an ABC transporter containing two putative ATP-binding domains and is involved in oleandomycin resistance and secretion in this organism. We have overexpressed in Escherichia coli the N-terminal nucleotide-binding domain of OleB (OleB') as a fusion protein to a maltose-binding protein and purified the fusion protein by affinity chromatography. The fusion protein showed ATPase activity dependent on the presence of Mg²⁺ ions. ATPase activity was resistant to specific inhibitors of P-, F-, and V-type ATPase whereas sodium azide and 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-l,3-diazole (NBD-C1) were strong inhibitors. The change of Lys71, located within the Walker A motif of the OleB' protein, to Gin or Glu caused a loss of ATPase activity, whereas changing to Gly did not impair the activity. The results suggest that the intrinsic ATPase activity of purified fusion protein can be clearly distinguished from other ATP-hydrolysing enzymes, including ion-translocating ATPases or ABC-traffic ATPases, both on the basis of inhibition by different agents and since it hydrolyzes ATP without interacting with a hydrophobic membrane component.     

A C-terminal glycine suppresses production of pleurocidin as a fusion peptide in Escherichia coli

The winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) antimicrobial peptide pleurocidin was produced in Escherichia coli using a synthetic gene constructed by PCR. The gene expresses pleurocidin from pET21a fused to the C-terminus of an insoluble carrier peptide. Once expressed, the fusion peptide formed inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm that were collected, solubilized in guanidine-HCl, and chemically cleaved using hydroxylamine at a unique asparaginyl-glycyl dipeptide. This released recombinant pleurocidin (r-pleurocidin), which was purified using ultrafiltration followed by reverse phase chromatography. The r-pleurocidin peptide resolved as a single band (2.7 kDa) when analyzed by Tris-Tricine buffered SDS-PAGE, and its amino acid sequence was confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. Extending the pleurocidin sequence with a C-terminal glycine (r-pleurocidin-G) suppressed production of the fusion peptide 15-fold. When pleurocidin was extended further to include aspartate (r-pleurocidin-GD), the same effect was observed, and when pleurocidin was extended with aspartate alone, no effect was observed. Expression of fusion peptide containing either r-pleurocidin-G or r-pleurocidin-GD with low concentrations of inductant caused E. coli to enter stationary phase prematurely, but did not affect overall growth rates. A partial production recovery of r-pleurocidin-G was achieved by inducing expression in stationary phase cells. We observed r-pleurocidin-G to have enhanced antimicrobial activity compared with r-pleurocidin, and we propose that this activity interferes with E. coli metabolism during expression. This antimicrobial effect is probably facilitated by residual solubility of the fusion peptide and by a C-terminal cap structure, which stabilizes the r-pleurocidin-G alpha-helix that is thought to be important for activity.