A Strategy to Optimize Translation Initiation in Recombinant mRNA: Application to the Rop Gene

Using the Escherichia coli Rop gene, we demonstrate a strategy that could be applied generally to optimize the initiation of translation of recombinant genes in E. coli. This involves cloning of the gene encoding the protein of interest in a suitable expression vector between an "efficient" ribosome binding site and the gene for the alpha-peptide of beta-galactosidase. By oligonucleotide-directed deletion mutagenesis, the two coding sequences are then fused in the correct frame. A second oligonucleotide is then used to place the initiator AUG (or GUG) at the correct distance from the Shine-Dalgarno sequence. In this step, however, we use an oligonucleotide that has a degenerate sequence. That is, on the basis of the "efficient" ribosome binding site sequence, we introduce random substitutions at various positions, both upstream and downstream from the initiator ATG, to obtain, after the mutagenesis experiment, a collection of random ribosome binding sites fused to the coding sequence. The development of blue colonies on indicator plates permits selection of clones in which an efficient ribosome binding site has been created for the specific gene of interest. We discuss the results obtained by applying the method to the Rop gene.