Search

Thymosin β4 is a 43 amino acid long peptide with an acetylated N-terminal serin that has a high potential as a remedy for healing ulcers, wounds and burns. Although protein biosynthesis offers attractive opportunities in terms of a large-scale production, currently thymosin β4 is mainly produced by chemical synthesis. The problems that hinder the successful commercialization of the biotechnological approach are associated with the small peptides expression and N-terminal acetylation. This work presents an innovative biotechnological method for thymosin β4 production that employs the peptide acetylation in vivo. A genetically engineered construct was created, where the Tβ4 coding sequence fused with the intein Mxe GyrA sequence and chitin-binding domain was combined with the acetyltransferase coding sequence to form a polycistronic construct under a stringent control of T7 promoter. This plasmid construct provided for the expression of the Tβ4-intein fusion protein. In the process of the post-translational modification in vivo formyl methionine was completely removed from the target peptide N-terminus and followed by the Tβ4 precursor N-terminal acetylation. The use of the intein-mediated expression system made it possible to extract thymosin β4 in only 2 chromatographic runs. The method is straightforward to implement and scale up.

A wide range of natural purine analogues was used as probe to assess the mechanism of recognition by the wild-type (WT) E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) versus its Ser90Ala mutant. The results were analyzed from viewpoint of the role of the Ser90 residue and the structural features of the bases. It was found that the Ser90 residue of the PNP 1) plays an important role in the binding and activation of 8-aza-7-deazapurines in the synthesis of their nucleosides, 2) participates in the binding of α-D-pentofuranose-1-phosphates at the catalytic site of the PNP, and 3) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of intermediary formed 2-deoxy-α-D-ribofuranose-1-phosphate in the trans-2-deoxyribosylation reaction. 5-Aza-7-deazaguanine manifested excellent substrate activity for both enzymes, 8-amino-7-thiaguanine and 2-aminobenzothiazole showed no substrate activity for both enzymes. On the contrary, the 2-amino derivatives of benzimidazole and benzoxazole are substrates and are converted into the N1- and unusual N2-glycosides, respectively. 9-Deaza-5-iodoxanthine showed moderate inhibitory activity of the WT E. coli PNP, whereas 9-deazaxanthine and its 2'-deoxyriboside are weak inhibitors.

Chemical-enzymatic synthesis of human Epidermal Growth Factor (hEGF) cDNA has been performed, following by cloning into expression vector pTWIN1 (New England Biolabs). The resulting recombinant fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli consisted of the N-terminal chitin-binding domain, mini-intein Ssp dnaB domain and hEGF polypeptide at the C-terminus. In this construct, mini-intein Ssp dnaB played a role of catalytically active subunit capable under certain conditions of autocatalytic cleavage resulting in separation of the target protein. As the hybrid protein had several cysteins in its sequence-one in chitin-binding domain, one in mini-intein and six in hEGF, it was necessary to work out optimal scheme for refolding and purification of the recombinant hEGF. As a result of this work, two schemes of the recombinant hEGF purification have been developed: according to the first scheme, the recombinant protein with reduced cysteins is bound to the chitin column, the hEGF is cleaved off and eluted, and then refolded to form appropriate cystein bridges. In the second scheme, the entire hybrid protein is first refolded to form disulfide bonds and then loaded to affinity resin; the recombinant hEGF is cleaved off and eluted in its native state. In spite of the fact that the first scheme is more common and suitable for a variety of recombinant proteins, in case of recombinant hEGF, the second scheme proved to be more productive and cost-effective.

An artificial gene encoding oxyntomodulin was obtained using chemical and enzymatic methods and cloned into Escherichia coli. A recombinant plasmid was constructed containing a hybrid oxyntomodulin gene and Ssp dnaB intein from Synechocystis sp. The expression of the resulting hybrid gene in E. coli, its properties, and the conditions of its autocatalytic cleavage to oxyntomodulin were studied.

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.

An artificial gene encoding thymosin alpha1 was obtained by the chemoenzymatic synthesis and cloned into Escherichia coli. An expressing recombinant plasmid containing the hybrid protein gene, which encodes amino acid sequences of thymosin alpha1 and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae intein Sce VMA, was constructed. The expression of the hybrid protein from the resulting hybrid gene in E. coli, the properties of the resulting hybrid protein, and the conditions for its nonenzymatic cleavage to thymosin alpha1 were studied. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2004, vol. 30, no. 5; see also http: // www.maik.ru.