Search

Pq3-O-UGT2, derived from Panax quinquefolius, functions as a ginsenoside glucosyltransferase, utilizing UDP-glucose (UDPG) as the sugar donor to catalyze the glycosylation of Rh2 and F2. An essential step in comprehending its catalytic mechanism involves structural analysis. In preparation for structural analysis, we expressed Pq3-O-UGT2 in the Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain Rosetta (DE3). The recombinant Pq3-O-UGT2 was purified through Ni-NTA affinity purification, a two-step ion exchange chromatography, and subsequently size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Notably, the purified Pq3-O-UGT2 showed substantial activity toward Rh2 and F2, catalyzing the formation of Rg3 and Rd, respectively. This activity was discernible within a pH range of 4.0–9.0 and temperature range of 30–55 °C, with optimal conditions observed at pH 7.0–8.0 and 37 °C. The catalytic efficiency of Pq3-O-UGT2 toward Rh2 and F2 was 31.43 s−1 mΜ−1 and 169.31 s−1 mΜ−1, respectively. We further crystalized Pq3-O-UGT2 in both its apo form and co-crystalized forms with UDPG, Rh2 and F2, respectively. High-quality crystals were obtained and X-ray diffraction data was collected for all co-crystalized samples. Analysis of the diffraction data revealed that the crystal of Pq3-O-UGT2 co-crystalized with UDP-Glc belonged to space group P1, while the other two crystals belonged to space group P2 1 2 1 2 1. Together, this study has laid a robust foundation for subsequent structural analysis of Pq3-O-UGT2. • Pq3-O-UGT2 was purified using Ni-affinity purification, two-step anion exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. • Crystals of Pq3-O-UGT2 in complex with UDPG, Rh2 and F2 were achieved and diffracted to 3 Å resolution. • The glycosyltransferase activity of purified Pq3-O-UGT2 was characterized using Rh2 and F2 as substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vesicular secretion of soluble cargo proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is accompanied by the export of ER-resident membrane proteins that are co-packaged in secretory vesicles. The cytosolic coatomer protein complex I (COPI) utilizes the N-terminal WD40 domains of α-COPI and β′-COPI subunits to bind these membrane protein "clients" for ER retrieval. These "αWD40" and "β'WD40" domains are structural homologs that demonstrate distinct selectivity for client proteins. However, elucidation of the atomic-level principles of coatomer-client interactions has been challenging due to the tendency of αWD40 domain to undergo aggregation during expression and purification. Here we describe a rapid recombinant production strategy from E. coli , which substantially enhances the quality of the purified αWD40 domain. The αWD40 purification and crystallization are completed within one day, which minimizes aggregation losses and yields a 1.9 Å resolution crystal structure. We demonstrate the versatility of this strategy by applying it to purify the β′WD40 domain, which yields crystal structures in the 1.2–1.3 Å resolution range. As an alternate recombinant production system, we develop a cost-effective strategy for αWD40 production in human Expi293 cells. Finally, we suggest a roadmap to simplify these protocols further, which is of significance for the production of WD40 mutants prone to rapid aggregation. The WD40 production strategies presented here are likely to have broad applications because the WD40 domain represents one of the largest families of biomolecular interaction modules in the eukaryotic proteome and is critical for trafficking of host as well as viral proteins such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. • N-terminal WD40 domains of α- and β′COPI bind dibasic motifs in client protein tail. • α- and β′WD40 domain binding counters client protein leakage during secretion. • αWD40 and β′WD40 production is described in E. coli and mammalian systems. • Rational production schemes suggested for challenging αWD40 and β′WD40 mutants. • Applications in atomic-level investigations of secretory metabolism and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasing speed of biotherapeutic drug discovery has driven the development of automated and high throughput purification capabilities. Typically, purification systems require complex flow paths or third-party components that are not found on a standard fast protein liquid chromatography instrument (FPLC) (e.g., Cytiva's ÄKTA) to enable higher throughput. In early mAb discovery there is often a trade-off between throughput and scale where a high-throughput process requires miniaturized workflows necessitating a sacrifice in the amount of material generated. At the interface of discovery and development, flexible automated systems are required that can perform purifications in a high-throughput manner, while also generating sufficient quantities of preclinical material for biophysical, developability, and preclinical animal studies. In this study we highlight the engineering efforts to generate a highly versatile purification system capable of balancing the purification requirements between throughput, chromatographic versatility, and overall product yields. We incorporated a 150 mL Superloop into an ÄKTA FPLC system to expand our existing purification capabilities. This allowed us to perform a range of automated two-step tandem purifications including primary affinity captures (protein A (ProA)/immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC)/antibody fragment (Fab)) followed by secondary polishing with either size exclusion (SEC) or cation exchange (CEX) chromatography. We also integrated a 96 deep-well plate fraction collector into the ÄKTA FPLC system with purified protein fractions being analyzed by a plate based high performance liquid chromatography instrument (HPLC). This streamlined automated purification workflow allowed us to process up to 14 samples within 24 h, enabling purification of ∼1100 proteins, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and mAb related protein scaffolds during a 12-month period. We purified a broad range of cell culture supernatant volumes, between 0.1 and 2 L, with final purification yields up to 2 g. The implementation of this new automated, streamlined protein purification process greatly expanded our sample throughput and purification versatility while also enabling the accelerated production of greater quantities of biotherapeutic candidates for preclinical in vivo animal studies and developability assessment. • Comprehensive characterization of manual vs automated two-step protein purification. • Superloop enabled automated purification of ∼1100 molecules in 12 months. • Automation of tandem two-step purifications through incorporation of a Superloop. • Enabling preclinical studies through automated two-step purifications. • Versatility of automated two-step purification imparted by use of a Superloop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many biological-based products have been developed, representing a significant fraction of income in the pharmaceutical market. Ion exchange chromatography is an important downstream step for the purification of target recombinant proteins present in clarified cell extracts, together with many other unknown impurities. This work develops a robust approach to model and simulate the purification of untagged heterologous proteins, so that the improved conditions to carry out an ion exchange chromatography are identified in a rational basis prior to the real purification run itself. Purification of the pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA4Pro) was used as a case study. This protein is produced by recombinant Escherichia coli and is a candidate for the manufacture of improved pneumococcal vaccines. The developed method combined experimental and computational procedures. Different anion exchange operating conditions were mapped in order to gather a broad range of representative experimental data. The equilibrium dispersive and the steric mass action equations were used to model and simulate the process. A training strategy to fit the model and separately describe the elution profiles of PspA4Pro and other proteins of the cell extract was applied. Based on the simulation results, a reduced ionic strength was applied for PspA4Pro elution, leading to increases of 14.9% and 11.5% for PspA4Pro recovery and purity, respectively, compared to the original elution profile. These results showed the potential of this method, which could be further applied to improve the performance of ion exchange chromatography in the purification of other target proteins under real process conditions. • General approach applied to model untagged protein purification from cell extracts • Experimental strategy to collect wide range of suitable data for modeling developed • Robust parameter estimation strategy comprised in a new approach • Elution profiles of unknown and target proteins in complex mixtures well described • Model simulations enabled increases in target protein recovery and purity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present work was expression of human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (hGAPDH) without additional tag constructions in E. coli cells and elaboration of the procedure for purification of untagged hGAPDH from the extract of the producer cells. We present a simple method for purification of untagged hGAPDH including ammonium sulfate fractionation and gel filtration on a G-100 Sephadex column. The method allows isolation of 2 mg of pure hGAPDH from 600 ml of cell culture (7 g of the cell biomass). The specific activity of the freshly purified hGAPDH constitutes 117 ± 5 μmol NADH/min per mg protein (pH 9.0, 22 °C), which is close to the specific activity of rabbit muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase determined under the same conditions and several times exceeds the specific activity of his-tagged GAPDH preparations. The high enzymatic activity suggests that the recombinant enzyme retains its native structure. The described procedure may be useful for researchers who need a preparation of native hGAPDH without admixture of misfolded forms for their investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is a glycolytic enzyme present in many parasites. It has been reported as a candidate molecule for drug and vaccine developments. In the present study, a full-length cDNA encoding the Brugia malayi 3-phosphoglycerate kinase ( Bm PGK) with an open reading frame of 1.3 kb was isolated and PCR amplified and cloned. The exact size of the Bm PGK's ORF is 1377 bps. The Bm PGK gene was subcloned into pET-28a (+) expression vector, the expressed enzyme was purified by affinity column and characterized. The SDS–PAGE analysis revealed native molecular weight of recombinant Brugia malayi 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (r Bm PGK) to be ∼45 kDa. The enzyme was found sensitive to temperature and pH, it showed maximum activity at 25 °C and pH 8.5. The K m values for PGA and ATP were 1.77 and 0.967 mM, respectively. The PGK inhibitor, clorsulon and antifilarial drugs albendazole and ivermectin inhibited the enzyme. The specific inhibitor of PGK, clorsulon, competitively inhibited enzyme with K i value 1.88 μM. Albendazole also inhibited PGK competitively with K i value 35.39 μM. Further these inhibitory studies were confirmed by docking and molecular simulation of drugs with enzyme. Clorsulon interacted with substrate binding site with glutamine 37 as well as in hinge regions with aspartic acid 385 and valine 387 at ADP binding site. On the other hand albendazole interacted with asparagine 335 residues. These effects were in good association with binding interactions. Thus current study might help in designing and synthesis of effective inhibitors for this novel drug target and understanding their mode of interaction with the potent anthelmintic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine a method to purify recombinant hagfish intermediate filament proteins, alpha and gamma, in a scalable manner. The study succeeded by having an increase in protein recovery of up to 35% when comparing centrifuge purification and the developed tangential flow purification. The proteins were approximately the same purity of 70% pure but further purification increased the purity of the proteins by 16%, based on ImageJ analysis. The developed tangential flow filtration purification and final purification methods could be easily scaled up to meet industry scale purification needs. The scaled-up processes described in this study did not interfere with fiber production or formation, indicating the methods can produce usable proteins for material development. • Recombinant hagfish slime intermediate filaments expressed as inclusion body proteins in E. coli with high expression. • Process developed to scale up from laboratory to pilot or industrial levels by replacing centrifugation with TFF. • Additional purification to unfold proteins to release contaminants improved purity by up to 16% to a final purity of 86%. • Initial and additionally purified proteins were able to be solubilized and form fibers with decent mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the purification of a class III endochitinase from Euphorbia characias latex. Described purification method includes an effective novel separation step using magnetic chitin particles. Application of magnetic affinity adsorbent noticeably simplifies and shortens the purification procedure. This step and the subsequently DEAE-cellulose chromatography enable to obtain the chitinase in homogeneous form. One protein band is present on PAGE in non-denaturing conditions and SDS–PAGE profile reveals a unique protein band of 36.5 ± 2 kDa. The optimal chitinase activity is observed at 50 °C, pH 5.0. E. characias latex chitinase is able to hydrolyze colloidal chitin giving, as reaction products, N-acetyl- d -glucosamine, chitobiose and chitotriose. Moreover, we observed that calcium and magnesium ions enhance chitinase activity. Finally, we cloned the cDNA encoding the E. characias latex chitinase. The partial cDNA nucleotide sequence contains 762 bp, and the deduced amino acid sequence (254 amino acids) is homologous to the sequence of several plant class III endochitinases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability of highly purified proteins in quantity is crucial for detailed biochemical and structural investigations. Fusion tags are versatile tools to facilitate efficient protein purification and to improve soluble overexpression of proteins. Various purification and fusion tags have been widely used for overexpression in Escherichia coli . However, these tags might interfere with biological functions and/or structural investigations of the protein of interest. Therefore, an additional purification step to remove fusion tags by proteolytic digestion might be required. Here, we describe a set of new vectors in which yeast SUMO (SMT3) was used as the highly specific recognition sequence of ubiquitin-like protease 1, together with other commonly used solubility enhancing proteins, such as glutathione S-transferase, maltose binding protein, thioredoxin and trigger factor for optimizing soluble expression of protein of interest. This tandem SUMO (T-SUMO) fusion system was tested for soluble expression of the C-terminal domain of TonB from different organisms and for the antiviral protein scytovirin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have focused on HIV-1 protease for developing drugs for treating AIDS. Recombinant HIV-1 protease is used to screen new drugs from synthetic compounds or natural substances. However, large-scale expression and purification of this enzyme is difficult mainly because of its low expression and solubility. In this study, we constructed 9 recombinant plasmids containing a sequence encoding HIV-1 protease along with different fusion tags and examined the expression of the enzyme from these plasmids. Of the 9 plasmids, pET32a(+) plasmid containing the HIV-1 protease-encoding sequence along with sequences encoding an autocleavage site GTVSFNF at the N-terminus and TEV plus 6× His tag at the C-terminus showed the highest expression of the enzyme and was selected for further analysis. The recombinant protein was isolated from inclusion bodies by using 2 tandem Q- and Ni-Sepharose columns. SDS–PAGE of the obtained HIV-1 protease produced a single band of approximately 13 kDa. The enzyme was recovered efficiently (4 mg protein/L of cell culture) and had high specific activity of 1190 nmol min −1 mg −1 at an optimal pH of 4.7 and optimal temperature of 37 °C. This procedure for expressing and purifying HIV-1 protease is now being scaled up to produce the enzyme on a large scale for its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral like particles (VLPs) have been used as immunogen for improvement of preventive vaccines against several viral infections in preclinical and clinical trials. These constructs can stimulate both cellular and humoral immunity. Two prophylactic HPV L1 VLP vaccines known as Gardasil and Cervarix were commercialized worldwide. However, there are main problems for expression and purification of VLPs in eukaryotic expression systems such as baculovirus and yeast leading to high cost of these vaccines. A novel Leishmania protozoan system has been applied to produce different recombinant proteins due to unique properties including generation of similar proteins with mammalian, easy handling, and large-scale culture. In the current study, we developed a novel strategy to produce HPV L1 VLP using stably transfected Leishmania cells. The positive transfectants were analyzed by SDS–PAGE and Western blot analysis. The assembly of purified L1 protein was detected by TEM microscopy. Finally, C57BL/6 mice were immunized by crude VLPs and antibody responses were assessed. The results of electronic microscopy revealed average 55–60 nm for L1 VLP. Furthermore, high IgG1 and IgG2a antibody responses were generated by L1 VLPs in mice similar to L1 VLPs produced in baculovirus -infected insect cells. Regarding the results, the amount of recombinant protein generated by Leishmania was 2–3 mg/500 ml media, suggesting further optimization of this system for using in large animals and human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of people worldwide. AD is characterized by the presence of extracellular plaques composed of aggregated/oligomerized β-amyloid peptides with Aβ42 peptide representing a major isoform in the senile plaques. Given the pathological significance of Aβ42 in the progression of AD, there is considerable interest in understanding the structural ensembles for soluble monomer and oligomeric forms of Aβ42. This report describes an efficient method to express and purify high quality 15 N isotope-labeled Aβ42 for structural studies by NMR. The protocol involves utilization of an auto induction system with 15 N isotope labeled medium, for high-level expression of Aβ42 as a fusion with IFABP. After the over-expression of the 15 N isotope-labeled IFABP-Aβ42 fusion protein in the inclusion bodies, pure 15 N isotope-labeled Aβ42 peptide is obtained following a purification method that is streamlined and improved from the method originally developed for the isolation of unlabeled Aβ42 peptide (Garai et al., 2009). We obtain a final yield of ∼6 mg/L culture for 15 N isotope-labeled Aβ42 peptide. Mass spectrometry and 1 H– 15 N HSQC spectra of monomeric Aβ42 peptide validate the uniform incorporation of the isotopic label. The method described here is equally applicable for the uniform isotope labeling with 15 N and 13 C in Aβ42 peptide as well as its other variants including any Aβ42 peptide mutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of experiment (DoE) is a statistics-based technique for experimental design that could overcome the shortcomings of traditional one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach for protein purification optimization. In this study, a DoE approach was applied for optimizing purification of a recombinant single-chain variable fragment (scFv) against type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) expressed in Escherichia coli . In first capture step using Capto L, a 2-level fractional factorial analysis and successively a central composite circumscribed (CCC) design were used to identify the optimal elution conditions. Two main effects, pH and trehalose, were identified, and high recovery (above 95%) and low aggregates ratio (below 10%) were achieved at the pH range from 2.9 to 3.0 with 32–35% (w/v) trehalose added. In the second step using cation exchange chromatography, an initial screening of media and elution pH and a following CCC design were performed, whereby the optimal selectivity of the scFv was obtained on Capto S at pH near 6.0, and the optimal conditions for fulfilling high DBC and purity were identified as pH range of 5.9–6.1 and loading conductivity range of 5–12.5 mS/cm. Upon a further gel filtration, the final purified scFv with a purity of 98% was obtained. Finally, the optimized conditions were verified by a 20-fold scale-up experiment. The purities and yields of intermediate and final products all fell within the regions predicted by DoE approach, suggesting the robustness of the optimized conditions. We proposed that the DoE approach described here is also applicable in production of other recombinant antibody constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-structural protein 2 (NS2) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an integral membrane protein that contains a cysteine protease and that plays a central organizing role in assembly of infectious progeny virions. While the crystal structure of the protease domain has been solved, the NS2 full-length form remains biochemically and structurally uncharacterized because recombinant NS2 could not be prepared in sufficient quantities from cell-based systems. We show here that functional NS2 in the context of the NS2-NS3pro precursor protein, ensuring NS2–NS3 cleavage, can be efficiently expressed by using a wheat germ cell-free expression system. In this same system, we subsequently successfully produce and purify milligram amounts of a detergent-solubilized form of full-length NS2 exhibiting the expected secondary structure content. Furthermore, immuno-electron microscopy analyses of reconstituted proteoliposomes demonstrate NS2 association with model membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human meprin β (h-meprin β), a single-zinc metalloendoprotease of the astacin family, is potentially involved in disorders such as fibrosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we describe the expression of the enzyme in the yeast Pichia pastoris . The N-terminal signal sequence was replaced by the α-leader of Saccharomyces , enabling efficient secretion of the mature enzyme, harboring either an N-terminal or C-terminal His-tag. The purification by affinity and hydrophobic interaction chromatography resulted in isolation of 58.4 mg/l of homogenous human pro-meprin β from fermentation broth. The activated enzyme isolated from yeast (yh-meprin β) displayed virtually identical enzymatic activity as h-meprin from a mammalian cell line. Furthermore, the yh-meprin β was N-glycosylated and secreted as a dimer with a molecular mass of 148 kDa. Endoglycosidase H treatment generated a protein with a molecular mass of 133 kDa, but essentially unchanged kinetic parameters. Thus, our data suggest that human meprin β expressed in P. pastoris displays virtually identical parameters as meprin from other sources. The high yield of protein expression, the ease of purification and the deglycosylation in its native state appear to favor further studies aiming at inhibitor screening and structure-based inhibitor refinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A new method to purify milligram quantities of proteins was developed on the QIAcube. [•] It allowed optimal purification conditions to be found. [•] It gave comparable yields to equivalent manual gravity based protocols. [•] It allows much more protein to be purified than the current method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A brief overview of application of plant lipases. [•] Description of challenges associated with purification and expression of plant lipases. [•] Description of solutions to problems associated in purification of plant lipases. [•] Description of recombinant production and protein engineering of plant lipases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays important roles in variety of immune functions. Recombinant IL-2 has become an important therapeutic protein for therapy of melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Previously, it was proved that the therapeutic efficacy of rIL-2 expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was improved by prolonging its in vivo half-life through genetic fusion with albumin. In this study, a fusion protein composed of hIL-2 genetically fused to HSA was expressed as a secretory protein under AOX1 (alcohol oxidase 1) promoter in Pichia pastoris. An effective strategy was established to express rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein in 5L scale and the optimal purification procedure was investigated. The purity of rhIL-2-HSA in final product was about 95%. The purified rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein could be recognized by both anti-hIL-2 and anti-human serum albumin monoclonal antibody. Bioactivity analysis showed that the purified rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein displayed high level activity on proliferation in IL-2 dependent manner in CTLL2-cells. rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein also showed a extended half-life in plasma compared with IL-2 when tested in a BALB/c mouse model. This study provides an alternative strategy for large-scale production of bioactive rhIL-2-HSA fusion protein using P. pastoris as an expression host. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Endonuclease VIII-like 3 (Neil3) is one of the five DNA glycosylases found in mammals that recognize and remove oxidized bases, and initiate the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Previous attempts to express and purify the mouse and human orthologs of Neil3 in their active form have not been successful. Here we report the construction of bicistronic expression vectors for expressing in Escherichia coli the full-length mouse Neil3 (MmuNeil3), its glycosylase domain (MmuNeil3Δ324), as well as the glycosylase domain of human Neil3 (NEIL3Δ324). The purified Neil3 proteins are all active, and NEIL3Δ324 exhibits similar glycosylase/lyase activity as MmuNeil3Δ324 on both single-stranded and double-stranded substrates containing thymine glycol (Tg), spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) or an abasic site (AP). We show that N-terminal initiator methionine processing is critical for the activity of both mouse and human Neil3 proteins. Co-expressing an E. coli methionine aminopeptidase (EcoMap) Y168A variant with MmuNeil3, MmuNeil3Δ324 and NEIL3Δ324 improves the N-terminal methionine processing and increases the percentage of active Neil3 proteins in the preparation. The purified Neil3 proteins are suitable for biochemical, structural and functional studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Furaltadone is an illicit veterinary drug that shows toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects, as does its metabolite 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidone (AMOZ) [1] Abbreviations used: scFv, single-chain variable fragment; AMOZ, 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2- oxazolidone; NPAMOZ, 2-nitrobenzaldehyde derivative of furaltadone metabolite 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidone; VH, heavy chain variable region; VL, light chain variable region; SDS-PAGE, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Ni-NTA, nickel nitrilotriacetic acid; icCLEIA, indirect competitive chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay; PAb, polyclonal antibody; MAb, monoclonal antibody; RAb, recombinant antibody; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; IPTG, isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside; RLU, relative light units. 1 . Recombinant antibodies with desirable affinity and specificity that can replace polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies are important factors for effective AMOZ immunoassays. In the present study, a novel single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody against the 2-nitrobenzaldehyde derivative of AMOZ (NPAMOZ) was prepared and characterized. The scFv gene was cloned into the pET-22b(+) expression vector, and 6His-tagged scFv antibodies expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), which were then purified by nickel nitrilotriacetic acid column chromatography. Characterization of the target protein by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), western blotting, and a novel indirect competitive chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (icCLEIA) showed that the scFv antibody was ∼27kDa and exhibited HRP-anti-His-tag antibody-recognized activity. The final purity, yield and mg of this scFv antibody after ultrafiltration concentration were 97%, 20% and 29.1mg, respectively. The icCLEIA indicated that the antibody competitively combined with NPAMOZ, exhibiting an IC50 value of 1.46±0.01ng/ml (n =6). Cross-reactivity studies revealed that the antibody showed desirable specificity to NPAMOZ and little reactivity to analogs except the parent furaltadone. In summary, these findings suggested that the prepared recombinant scFv antibody can be used for future immunoassay screening for AMOZ. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a method for the purification of the 45 residue long leader peptide of Escherichia coli dimethyl sulfoxide reductase subunit A (DmsAL), a substrate of the twin arginine translocase, by co-expressing the leader peptide with its specific chaperone protein, DmsD. The peptide can be isolated from the soluble DmsAL/DmsD complex or conveniently from the lysate pellet fraction. The recombinant leader peptide is functionally intact as the peptide/chaperone complex can be reconstituted from purified DmsAL and DmsD. A construct with DmsAL fused to the N-terminus of DmsD (DmsAL–DmsD fusion) was created to further explore the properties of the leader peptide-chaperone interactions. Analytical size-exclusion chromatography in-line with multi-angle light scattering reveals that the DmsAL–DmsD fusion construct forms a dimer wherein each protomer binds the neighboring leader peptide. A model of this homodimeric interaction is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Interferon beta (IFN-β) belongs to a class of natural proteins that can inhibit virus replication. In this paper, nucleic acid sequence encoding chicken interferon beta (chIFN-β) mature protein was cloned and highly expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) by 1mM IPTG induction. The expressed chIFN-β was about 20% of total bacterial protein. The recombinant protein in form of inclusion body was then solubilised, refolded and purified to a purity of greater than 95% by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). This recombinant chIFN-β could inhibit vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) replication in vitro. Animal experiments showed that the recombinant chIFN-β could decrease pathological lesions caused by the IBDV in bursa of Fabricius. These results will provide useful information for further investigations on veterinary clinical applications and fundamental research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: βγ-Crystallins are a large superfamily of proteins found in vertebrate eye lens. They are hetero-dimers (linked in tandem by a specific peptide) and are shown to bind calcium. The monomers possess two β-strand rich greek-key motifs. Recently, a structurally closest member to the family of lens βγ-crystallins has been described, for the first time, from the archaea Methanosarcina acetivorans, which is named as M-crystallin. Unlike lens βγ-crystallins, M-crystallin exits as a monomer. Here, we synthesized a dimeric gene of M-crystallin in which two monomers are linked by a 10-amino acid residue coding sequence. The linker sequence in the target protein is long and flexible enough to reduce the proximity between the individual crystallins in the dimer. This methodology would be highly beneficial in designing polyproteins (two or more proteins linked in tandem to aid mechanical stretching studies) that are regularly used in single-molecule force spectroscopy. The dimer of M-crystallin was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BLR(DE3) strain. The overexpressed protein containing an N-terminal hexa-histidine tag was purified using nickel affinity chromatography and then by size-exclusion chromatography. Further, a method to purify isotopically (15N) labeled protein with high yield for NMR studies is reported. The uniformly 15N-labeled M-crystallin dimer thus produced has been characterized by recording sensitivity enhanced 2D [15N–1H] HSQC and other optical spectroscopy techniques. Observation of only one set of peaks in the HSQC, along with the structural characterization using optical spectroscopy, suggests that the domains in the dimer possess similar structure as that of the monomer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Corneal dystrophies (CDs) are a group of inherited bilateral disorders affecting the corneal tissue of the eye. Most of these CDs in the stromal layer of the cornea have been associated with mutations found on the TGFBI gene that codes for a 683-amino acid transforming growth factor induced protein (TGFβIp). These mutations have been found to induce atypical aggregation and progressive accumulation of protein aggregates in the cornea that leads to loss of corneal transparency and hence blindness. At present, 65 distinct pathogenic mutations have been identified in TGFBI that are associated with different clinical phenotypes. More than 80% of these missense mutations occur in the 4th FAS (fasciclin-like) 1 domain. Current treatment includes surgical intervention, which often involves high recurrence rates. Hence, it is imperative to examine the properties of the TGFβIp and the pathogenic mutant proteins to understand the pathology of the disease mechanism and to develop potent therapeutics. Here, we report the recombinant expression, purification, characterization and the effect of four clinically significant pathogenic TGFβIp mutants – R555W, H572R, A620D, and H626R on the biophysical properties of the wild type (WT) 4th FAS1 domain of TGFβIp. While a higher proportion of the R555W, H572R and H626R mutants of the 4th FAS1 domains remained stable, the A620D mutant largely existed as inclusion bodies in native state and aggregates under physiological conditions. These mutants present a unique platform to examine protein aggregation-prone diseases wherein single amino-acid mutations present distinct pathogenic phenotypes. Though pathogenically and phenotypically diverse, these mutants do not exhibit variations in secondary structure and stability, except for the A620D mutant, when examined by CD and UV spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a biological drug candidate of high medicinal potential in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, cancer, and regenerative medicine. Large-scale production of recombinant human alpha-fetoprotein (rhAFP) is desirable for structural and functional studies and applied research. In this study we cloned and expressed in the secreted form wild-type glycosylated human rhAFP and non-glycosylated mutant rhAFP0 (N233S) in the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae with multiple chromosome-integrated synthetic human AFP genes. RhAFP and rhAFP0 were successfully produced and purified from the culture liquids active naturally folded proteins. Elimination of the glycosylation by mutation reduced rhAFP0 secretion about threefold as compared to the wild-type protein showing critical role of the N-linked glycan for heterologous protein folding and secretion. Structural similarity of rhAFP and rhAFP0 with natural embryonic eAFP was confirmed by circular dichroism technique. Functional tests demonstrated similar type of tumor suppressive and immunosuppressive activity for both recombinant species rhAFP and rhAFP0 as compared to natural eAFP. It was documented that both types of biological activities attributed to rhAFP and rhAFP0 are due to the fast induction of apoptosis in tumor cells and mitogen-activated lymphocytes. Despite the fact that rhAFP and rhAFP0 demonstrated slightly less effective tumor suppressive activity as compared to eAFP but rhAFP0 had produced statistically notable increase in its ability to induce inhibition of in vitro lymphocyte proliferation as compared to the glycosylated rhAFP and eAFP. We conclude that N-linked glycosylation of rhAFP is required for efficient folding and secretion. However the presence of N-linked sugar moiety was shown to be unimportant for tumor suppressive activity but was critically important for its immunoregulative activity which demonstrates that different molecular mechanisms are involved in these two types of biological functional activities attributed to AFP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In an attempt to produce glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) using recombinant Escherichia coli, ubiquitin (Ub) as a fusion partner was fused to GLP-1 with the 6-lysine tag (K6) for simple purification. Despite the high solubility of ubiquitin, the fusion protein K6UbGLP-1 was expressed mainly as insoluble inclusion bodies in E. coli. In order to elucidate this phenomenon, various N- and C-terminal truncates and GLP-1 mutants of K6UbGLP-1 were constructed and analyzed for their characteristics by various biochemical and biophysical methods. The experiment results obtained in this study clearly demonstrated that the insoluble aggregation of K6UbGLP-1 was attributed to the electrostatic interaction between the N-terminal 6-lysine tag and the C-terminal GLP-1 before the completion of folding which might be one of the reasons for protein misfolding frequently observed in many foreign proteins introduced with charged amino acid residues such as the His tag and the protease recognition sites. The application of a cation exchanger for neutralizing the positive charge of the 6-lysine tag in solid-phase refolding of K6UbGLP-1 successfully suppressed the electrostatic interaction-driven aggregation even at a high protein concentration, resulting in properly folded K6UbGLP-1 for GLP-1 production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Human endothelin receptor type A (ETA) is a G-protein coupled receptor that mediates vasoconstriction of blood vessels. To determine the structural characteristics and signaling mechanism of ETA, we have expressed recombinant ETA as a fusion protein with p9 envelope protein from phi6 bacteriophage. The His-tag-labeled p9-ETA fusion protein was highly expressed in the membrane fraction of Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity by single affinity chromatography after solubilization with detergents. Purified p9-ETA appeared as an oligomer and presented mainly as an α-helical structure. The protein also showed specific binding to endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the alpha subunit of Gq protein with apparent K D values of 17 and 20nM, respectively. An antagonist of ETA, bosentan, prevented the interaction between p9-ETA and ET-1 in a concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that recombinant p9-ETA has a competent conformation for interactions with ET-1 and the alpha subunit of Gq protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thymosin α1–thymopentin (Tα1–TP5) fusion peptide has been proved to be an immune regulator based on its higher immunoregulatory activity than Tα1 and TP5. To obtain Tα1–TP5 more effectively and economically, Tα1–TP5 was genetically fused to a self-cleaving intein-chitin binding domain tag for purification via chitin beads in Escherichia coli. After affinity purification, the target peptide was released from the chitin beads via self-cleaving intein ((INTervening protEIN) induced by dithiothreitol. Further, Tα1–TP5 was purified by Superdex 30 and identified by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Finally, about 7.6mg Tα1–TP5 purified from the soluble fraction and inclusion bodies was obtained from 1 L culture media. The purity was 95% after a series of chromatographic purification steps. In vitro, the purified Tα1–TP5 could stimulate the proliferation of mouse splenic lymphocytes. Overall, this work demonstrated that Tα1–TP5 was purified with low cost and high efficiency, greatly expanding its potential use as an immune regulator. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) is a multi-subunit proton pump that is involved in both intra- and extracellular acidification processes throughout human body. Subunits constituting the peripheral stalk of the V-ATPase are known to have several isoforms responsible for tissue/cell specific different physiological roles. To study the different interaction of these isoforms, we expressed and purified the isoforms of human V-ATPase peripheral stalk subunits using Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system: E1, E2, G1, G2, G3, C1, C2, H and N-terminal soluble part of a1 and a2 isoforms. The purification conditions were different depending on the isoforms, maybe reflecting the isoform specific biochemical characteristics. The purified proteins are expected to facilitate further experiments to study about the cell specific interaction and regulation and thus provide insight into physiological meaning of the existence of several isoforms of each subunit in V-ATPase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have recently shown, using a well-defined in vitro model, that connexin 43 (Cx43) is directly involved in human cytotrophoblastic cell fusion into a multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast. Cx43 appears to interact with partner proteins within a fusogenic complex, in a multi factorial and dynamic process. This fusogenic complex remains to be characterized and constituent proteins need to be identified. In order to identify proteins interacting with the entire Cx43 molecule (extracellular, transmembrane and intracellular domains), we produced and purified full-length recombinant Cx43 fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST-Cx43) and used it as “bait” in GST pull-down experiments. Cx43 cDNA was first cloned into the pDEST15 vector in order to construct a GST-fusion protein, using the Gateway system. The fusion protein GST-Cx43 was then expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21-AI™ and purified by glutathione-affinity chromatography. The purified fusion protein exhibited the expected size of 70kDa on SDS–PAGE, western blot and GST activity. A GST pull-down assay was used to show the capacity of the full-length recombinant protein to interact with known partners. Our results suggest that this method has the capacity to produce sufficient full-length recombinant protein for investigations aimed at identifying Cx43 partner proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The photosystem 1 subunit PsaF is involved in the docking of the electron-donor proteins plastocyanin and cytochrome c6 in eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms. Here we report the expression, purification and basic characterization of the luminal domain of spinach PsaF, encompassing amino-acid residues 1–79. The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) using a pET32 Xa/LIC thioredoxin fusion system. The thioredoxin fusion protein contained a His6 tag and was removed and separated from PsaF through proteolytic digestion by factor Xa followed by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Further purification with size-exclusion chromatography resulted in a final yield of approximately 6mg PsaF from one liter growth medium. The correct identity after the factor Xa treatment of PsaF was verified by FT-ICR mass spectrometry which also showed that the purified protein contains an intact disulfide bridge between Cys residues 6 and 38. Secondary structure and folding was further explored using far-UV CD spectroscopy indicating a α-helical content in agreement with the 3.3Å-resolution crystal structure of photosystem I Ref. and a helix-coil transition temperature of 29°C. Thermofluorescence studies showed that the disulfide bridge is necessary to keep the overall fold of the protein and that hydrophobic regions become exposed at 50–65°C depending on the ionic strength. The described expression and purification procedure can be used for isotopic labeling of the protein and 15N-HSQC NMR studies indicated a slow or intermediate exchange between different conformations of the prepared protein and that it belongs to the molten-globule structural family. Finally, by using a carboxyl- and amine-reactive zero-length crosslinker, we have shown that the recombinant protein binds to plastocyanin by a specific, native-like, electrostatic interaction, hence, confirming its functionality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The sequencing of the genome of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) identified seven putative adenine/adenosine deaminases and adenosine deaminase-like proteins, none of which have been biochemically characterized. This report describes recombinant expression, purification and characterization of SCO4901 which had been annotated in data bases as a putative adenosine deaminase. The purified putative adenosine deaminase gives a subunit Mr=48,400 on denaturing gel electrophoresis and an oligomer molecular weight of approximately 182,000 by comparative gel filtration. These values are consistent with the active enzyme being composed of four subunits with identical molecular weights. The turnover rate of adenosine is 11.5s−1at 30°C. Since adenine is deaminated ∼103 slower by the enzyme when compared to that of adenosine, these data strongly show that the purified enzyme is an adenosine deaminase (ADA) and not an adenine deaminase (ADE). Other adenine nucleosides/nucleotides, including 9-β-d-arabinofuranosyl-adenine (ara-A), 5′-AMP, 5′-ADP and 5′-ATP, are not substrates for the enzyme. Coformycin and 2′-deoxycoformycin are potent competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with inhibition constants of 0.25 and 3.4nM, respectively. Amino acid sequence alignment of ScADA with ADAs from other organisms reveals that eight of the nine highly conserved catalytic site residues in other ADAs are also conserved in ScADA. The only non-conserved residue is Asn317, which replaces Asp296 in the murine enzyme. Based on these data, it is suggested here that ADA and ADE proteins are divergently related enzymes that have evolved from a common α/β barrel scaffold to catalyze the deamination of different substrates, using a similar catalytic mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bio-nanocapsules (BNCs) are hollow particles (approx. 50nm diameter) consisting of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) large (L, pre-S1+pre-S2+S) proteins embedded in a unilamellar liposome, sharing the same transmembrane S region with an immunogen of hepatitis B vaccine (i.e., HBsAg small (S) protein particle). BNCs can incorporate drugs and genes into the hollow space and systemic administration of the BNCs can deliver the products to human liver via the human hepatocyte-specific receptor within the pre-S (pre-S1+pre-S2) region displayed on BNC’s surface. Thus, BNCs are expected to offer efficient and safe non-viral nanocarriers to deliver human liver-specific genes and drugs. To date, BNCs have been purified from the crude extract of BNC-overexpressing yeast cells by fractionation with polyethylene glycol followed by one CsCl equilibrium and two sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation steps. However, the process was inefficient in terms of yield and time, and was not suitable for mass production because of the ultracentrifugation step. Furthermore, trace contamination with yeast-derived proteinases degraded the pre-S region, which is indispensable for liver-targeting, during long-term storage. In this study, we developed a new purification method involving heat treatment and sulfated cellulofine column chromatography to facilitate rapid purification, completely remove proteinases, and enable mass production. In addition, the BNCs were functional for at least 14months after lyophilization with 5% (w/v) sucrose as an excipient. This new process will significantly contribute to the development of forthcoming BNC-based nanomedicines as well as hepatitis B vaccines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) plays an essential role in the life cycle of the virus. Therefore, RT has been a primary target in the development of antiviral agents against HIV-1. Given the prevalence of resistant viruses, evaluation of the resistance profile of potential drug candidates is a key step in drug development. A simplified RT purification protocol would facilitate this process, as it provides an efficient method by which to purify RT variants for compound evaluation. Traditional purification protocols require the use of several columns to purify untagged RT. The entire procedure usually requires at least one week to complete. Herein, we report two novel methods that enable us to purify highly active RT in either one or two steps. First, a one-step purification protocol was developed by employing an affinity column that was prepared by conjugating an RNase H specific inhibitor (RNHI) with NHS-activated resin. Cell lysate containing RT was loaded onto the column followed by washing in the presence of 2mM Mn2+. The RT retained in the column was eluted after soaking overnight in 10mM EDTA to retrieve the Mn2+. In the other method, a vector was constructed that encodes RT fused to cleavable intein and AviTag (a biotin tag) sequences at the C-terminus. Cell lysate containing biotinylated RT was passed through a DE-52 column and then loaded onto an avidin column. Untagged RT was released from the column by reductive cleavage of the intein by DTT. These two methods significantly shorten the time required to purify untagged WT and mutant RTs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To enhance the quantity and quality of eukaryotic transmembrane proteins (TMPs) available for structure determination by X-ray crystallography, we have optimized protocols for purification of TMPs expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We focused on a set of the highest-expressing endogenous yeast TMPs for which there are established biochemical assays. Genes encoding the target TMPs are transferred via ligation-independent cloning to a series of vectors that allow expression of reading frames fused to C-terminal His10 and ZZ (IgG-binding) domains that are separated from the reading frame by a cleavage site for rhinovirus 3C protease. Several TMP targets expressed from these vectors have been purified via affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography at levels and purities sufficient for ongoing crystallization trials. Initial purifications were based on expression of the genes under control of a galactose-inducible promoter, but higher cell densities and improved expression have been obtained through use of the yeast ADH2 promoter. Wide variations have been observed in the behavior of different TMP targets during purification; some can be readily purified, while others do not bind efficiently to affinity matrices, are not efficiently cleaved from the matrices, or remain tightly associated with the matrices even after cleavage of the affinity tags. The size, oligomeric state, and composition of purified protein–detergent complexes purified under different conditions were analyzed using a colorimetric assay of detergent concentrations and by analytical size-exclusion chromatography using static light scattering, refractive index, and UV absorption detection to monitor the elution profiles. Effective procedures were developed for obtaining high concentrations of purified TMPs without excessively concentrating detergents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The human alanine–serine–cysteine transporter 1 (Asc-1) belongs to the slc7a family of solute carrier transporters. Asc-1 mediates the uptake of d-serine in an exchanger-type fashion, coupling the process to the release of alanine and cysteine. Among the bacterial Asc-1 homologues, one transporter shows a significantly higher sequence identity (35%) than other bacterial homologues. Therefore, this homologue from Gloeobacter violaceus might represent the best bacterial target for structural studies probing the molecular mechanism of Asc-1. We have over-expressed the G. violaceus transporter by auto-induction, and performed purification and biophysical characterization. In addition, growth studies indicate a preference for alanine as nitrogen source in cells expressing the G. violaceus transporter. It was observed that use of the auto-induction method and subsequent optimization of the length of auto-induction was crucial for obtaining high yields and purity of the transporter. The transporter was purified with yields in the range of 0.2–0.4mg per L culture and eluted in a single peak from a size-exclusion column. The circular dichroism spectrum revealed a folded and apparently all-helical protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report an improved procedure for purification of the ω subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. In contrast to the original procedure, the revised procedure: (i) allows purification of ω entirely from the soluble fraction, obviating the need for denaturation/renaturation, (ii) results in >99% pure ω in only two chromatographic steps, and (iii) improves the yield of purified ω by at least 5-fold. Reconstitution of E. coli RNAP from ω purified by this procedure, as well as purified sigma and core RNAP lacking ω, produces active holoenzyme in vitro, and co-overexpression of ω from a plasmid containing rpoZ and an additional plasmid encoding the other RNAP core subunits results in production of active core enzyme in vivo. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The formate–nitrite transporter family is composed of integral membrane proteins that possess six to eight α-helical transmembrane domains. Genes encoding these proteins are observed widely in prokaryotic genomes as well as certain groups of lower eukaryotes. Thus far, no structural information is available for this transporter family. Towards this aim, and to provide protein for biophysical studies, overexpression of a prokaryotic (TpNirC, from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Thermofilum pendens) and an eukaryotic (AnNitA, from the fungus Aspergillus nidulans) representative was achieved in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris hosts, respectively. The proteins were purified to >95% homogeneity yielding quantities sufficient for crystallisation trials and were shown by Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy to have a highly α-helical content as expected from in silico predictions. Preliminary investigations by size exclusion chromatography of the oligomeric state of the purified AnNitA protein suggested that it most likely exists as a tetramer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a novel efficient procedure for high level purification of human IGFBP-3. Insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) are key regulators of insulin-like growth factor mediated signal transduction and thereby can profoundly influence cellular phenotypes. Certain IGFBPs, including IGFBP-3, have also been described to possess additional IGF-independent activities, which rely, at least in part, on their nuclear localization. However, the mechanisms of IGF-independent biological activities of IGFBP-3 are not well understood. For the study of these functions, recombinant IGFBP-3 is used. However, it has traditionally been difficult to obtain recombinant protein in sufficient quality and quantity. Here we describe a new procedure for the purification of recombinant IGFBP-3 from cell culture supernatants involving a two-step affinity purification procedure. Using this new protocol, we obtained pure IGFBP-3 free of any visible contaminants. We also provide evidence that the protein purified in this way retains biological activity, to bind IGF and modulate IGF-dependent signal transduction. We also show that the purified protein produced by the new procedure is readily internalized by human fibroblasts, suggesting that this protein is also suitable to study intracellular trafficking of IGFBP-3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tarzarotene-induced gene 3 (TIG3) and HRAS-like suppressor (HRASLS3) are members of the HREV107 family of class II tumor suppressors, which are down-regulated in various cancer cells. TIG3 and HRASLS3 also exhibit phospholipase activities. Both proteins share a common domain architecture with hydrophilic N-terminal and hydrophobic C-terminal regions. The hydrophobic C-terminal region is important for tumor suppression. However, the function of the hydrophilic N-terminal region remains elusive. To facilitate biochemical characterizations of TIG3 and HRASLS3, we expressed and purified the N-terminal regions of TIG3 and HRASLS3, designated TIG3 (1–134) and HRASLS3 (1–133), in a bacterial system. We found that the N-terminal regions of TIG3 and HRASLS3 have calcium-independent phospholipase A2 activities. Limited proteolysis revealed that TIG3 (1–132) is a structural domain in the N-terminal region of TIG3. Our data suggest that the hydrophobic C-terminal regions might be crucial for cellular localization, while the hydrophilic N-terminal regions are sufficient for the enzymatic activity of both TIG3 and HRASLS3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We previously reported that a silica-binding protein, designated Si-tag, can be used as a fusion tag to immobilize functional proteins on silica surfaces. In this study, by taking advantage of the strong affinity of Si-tag for silica, we developed a single-step purification method for Si-tagged fusion proteins. We utilized unmodified bare silica particles as a specific adsorbent and a high concentration of MgCl2 solution as an elution buffer. A fusion protein of Si-tag and immunoglobulin-binding staphylococcal protein A, designated Si-tagged protein A, was recovered with a purity of 87±3% and yield of 84±4% from a crude extract of recombinant Escherichia coli. The simplicity of our method enables rapid, cost-effective purification of Si-tagged fusion proteins. We also discuss the mechanism of binding and dissociation of Si-tag and silica surfaces, and we suggest that the unusual basicity and disordered structure of the Si-tag polypeptide play important roles in the binding to silica. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We developed streamlined, automated purification protocols for the production of milligram quantities of untagged recombinant human cyclophilin-A (hCypA) and untagged human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (hPCNA) from Escherichia coli, using the ÄKTAxpress™ chromatography system. The automated 2-step (cation exchange and size exclusion) purification protocol for untagged hCypA results in final purity and yields of ⩾93% and ∼5mgL−1 of original cell culture, respectively, in under 12h, including all primary sample processing and column equilibration steps. The novel automated 4-step (anion exchange, desalt, heparin-affinity and size exclusion, in linear sequence) purification protocol for untagged hPCNA results in final purity and yields of ⩾87% and ∼4mgL−1 of original cell culture, respectively, in under 24h, including all primary sample processing and column equilibration steps. This saves in excess of four full working days when compared to the traditional protocol, producing protein with similar final yield, purity and activity. Furthermore, it limits a time-dependent protein aggregation, a problem with the traditional protocol that results in a loss of final yield. Both automated protocols were developed to use generic commercially available pre-packed columns and automatically prepared minimal buffers, designed to eliminate user and system variations, maximize run reproducibility, standardize yield and purity between batches, increase throughput and reduce user input to a minimum. Both protocols represent robust generic methods for the automated production of untagged hCypA and hPCNA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Plant defensins make up a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides with a characteristic three-dimensional folding pattern stabilized by four disulfide bridges. The aim of this work was the purification and functional expression of a defensin from cowpea seeds and the assessment of its α-amylase inhibitory activity. The cDNA encoding the cowpea defensin was cloned into the pET-32 EK/LIC vector, and the resulting construct was used to transform Escherichia coli cells. The recombinant peptide was purified via affinity chromatography on a Ni Sepharose column and by reverse-phase chromatography on a C2/C18 column using HPLC. N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that the recombinant peptide had a similar sequence to that of the defensin isolated from seeds. The natural and recombinant defensins were submitted to the α-amylase inhibition assay. The cowpea seed defensin was found to inhibit α-amylases from the weevils Callosobruchus maculatus and Zabrotes subfasciatus. α-Amylase inhibition assays also showed that the recombinant defensin inhibited α-amylase from the weevil C. maculatus. The cowpea seed defensin and its recombinant form were unable to inhibit mammalian α-amylases. The three-dimensional structure of the recombinant defensin was modeled, and the resulting structure was found to be similar to those of other plant defensins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The androgen receptor (AR) is a DNA-binding and hormone-activated transcription factor that plays critical roles in the development and progression of prostate cancer. The transcriptional function of AR is modulated by intermolecular interactions with DNA elements and coactivator proteins, as well as intramolecular interactions between AR domains; thus, the structural information from the full-length AR or a multi-domain fragment is essential for understanding the molecular basis of AR functions. Here we report the expression and purification of full-length AR protein and of a fragment containing its DNA-binding and ligand-binding domains connected by the hinge region in the presence of its natural ligand, dihydrotestosterone. Crystals of ligand-bound full-length AR and of the AR fragment in complex with DNA elements and coactivator motifs have been obtained and diffracted to low resolutions. These results help establish a foundation for pursuing further crystallographic studies of an AR/DNA complex. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mpd gene coding for a novel methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH) was previously reported and its putative open reading frame was also identified. To further confirm its coding region, the intact region encoding MPH was obtained by PCR and expressed in Escherichia coli as a hexa-His C-terminal fusion protein. The fusion protein was purified to homogeneity by metal-affinity chromatography. The enzyme activity and zymogram assay showed that the fusion protein was functional in degrading methyl parathion. The amino terminal sequencing of the purified recombinant MPH indicated that a signal peptide of the first 35 amino acids was cleaved from its precursor to form active MPH. A rat polyclonal antiserum was raised against the purified mature fusion protein. The results of Western blot and zymogram demonstrated that mature MPH in native Plesiomonas sp. strain M6 was also processed from its precursor by cleavage of a putative signal peptide at the amino terminus. The production of active MPH in E. coli was greatly improved after the coding region for the signal peptide was deleted. HPLC gel filtration of the purified mature recombinant MPH revealed that the MPH was a monomer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mutation of the gene encoding γ-sarcoglycan (SGCG), an integral membrane protein responsible for maintaining the integrity of the muscle cell sarcolemma, results in Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), a congenital disease with no current treatment options. This member of the sarcoglycan glycoprotein family is a vital component of the Dystrophin Complex, which together facilitate normal muscle function. However, very little is known about the structure and dynamics of these proteins, and of membrane glycoproteins in general. This is due to a number of factors, including their complexity, heterogeneity and highly-specific native environments. The expression, purification, and structural study of membrane proteins is further impeded by their hydrophobic nature and consequent propensity to aggregate in aqueous solutions. Here, we report the first successful expression and purification of milligram quantities of full-length recombinant SGCG, utilizing fusion protein-guided overexpression to inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. Purification of SGCG from the fusion protein, TrpΔLE, was facilitated using chemical cleavage. Cleavage products were then isolated by size-exclusion chromatography. Successful purification of the protein was confirmed using SDS-PAGE and mass spectroscopy. Finally, solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of uniformly 15N-labeled SGCG in detergent environments was performed, yielding the first spectra of the full-length membrane glycoprotein, SGCG. These results represent the initial structural studies of SGCG, laying the foundation for further investigation on the interaction and dynamics of other integral membrane proteins. More specifically, this data allows for opportunities in the future for enhanced treatment modalities and cures for LGMD. • Full-length human glycoprotein γ-sarcoglycan can be recombinantly expressed as a fusion protein in e. coli. • Chemical cleavage and purification by FPLC yields milligram amounts of pure γ-sarcoglycan. • Purified γ-sarcoglycan can be refolded in DDM detergent and yield well-resolved NMR spectra. • Expressed and purified γ-sarcoglycan can be used to monitor changes caused by glycosylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]