Construction of prokaryotic expression system of TGF-β1 epitope gene and identification of recombinant fusion protein immunity

AIM： To insert the constructed TGF-β1 epitope gene into the el loop of C-terminus of truncated hepatitis B core antigen to increase TGF-β1 antigenicity in its prokaryotic expression system and to identify immunity of the expressed recombinant protein in order to exploit the possibility for obtaining anti- TGF-β1 vaccine. METHODS： The TGF-β1 encoding epitope gene （the mature TGF-β1 from 78-109 amino acid residues, TGF-β1^32） was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the recombinant pGEM-7z/ TGF-β1 ^32 vector. The HBcAg gene fragments （encoding HBcAg from 1-71 and 89-144 amino acid residues） were amplified from PYTAI- HBcAg vector. The recombinant vector pGEMEX-1 was used to insert HBcAg1-71, TGF-β1^32 and HBcAg89-144 into restrictive endonuclease enzyme and ligated with T4 Ugase. The fusion gene fragments HBc.Ag1-71-TGF-β1^32 HBcAg89-144 were recloned to pET28a（＋） and the DNA sequence was confirmed by the dideoxy chain termination method. The recombinant vector pET28a （＋）/ CTC was transformed and expressed in E. coli BL21 （DE3） under induction of IPTG. After purification with Ni^＋2 NTA agarose resins, the antigenicity of purified protein was detected by ELISA and Western blot and visualized under electron microscope. RESULTS： Enzyme digestion analysis and sequencing showed that TGF-β1 epitope gene was inserted into the el loop of C-terminus of truncated hepatitis B core antigen. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that relative molecular mass （Mr） of the expressed product by pET28a （＋）/CTC was Mr 24 600.The output of the target recombinant protein was approximately 34.8% of the total bacterial protein,mainly presented in the form of inclusion body. Western blotting and ELISA demonstrated that the fusion protein could combine with anti-TGF-β1 polyclonal IgG but not with anti-HBcAg. The purity of protein was about 90 % and the protein was in the form of self-assembling particles visualized under electron microscope. This fusion protein had good anti-TGF-β1 antigenicity and could be used as anti-TGF-β1 vaccine. CONCLUSION： A recombinant prokaryotic expression system with high expression efficiency of the target TGF-β1 epitope gene was successfully established. The fusion protein is in the form of self-assembling particles and HBcAg can increase the antigenicity of TGF-β1. The expressed TGF-β1 epitope gene shows good immunogenicity and antigenicity.

Establishment of method for seroepidermiological detection of human herpes virus 8 infection by using the fusion protein in the prokaryotic expression system as antigen for testing

To establish a sensitive and specific method for seroepidermiological detection of human her- pes virus 8(HHV-8)infection,three potent antigenic proteins encoded by open reading frames(ORFs) K8.1,65 and 73C in genome of HHV-8 were produced as glutathione S-transferase fusion protein in the prokaryotic expression system and was used as antigen for testing.The recombinant fusion protein ex- pressed in the prokaryotic expression vector E.coli BL21 was purified by glutathione Sepharose 4B affin- ity chromatography and was quantitated with SDS-PAGE.All these 3 fusion proteins produced in the pro- karyotic expression system showed good immunogenicity as demonstrated by Western blotting and could be recognized by mixed sera of patients with Kaposi′s sarcoma(KS).The immuno-reactivities of the single or compound fusion protein were determined by means of ELISA and compared with the traditional immu- nofluorescence assay(IFA)to determine their sensitivity and specificity of the test.It was demonstrated that the sensitivity of mixed-antigen ELISA method was significantly higher than that of IFA(81.8% vs 34.4%),while the specificity of the former was demonstrated to be 97.9%.The coincidence of the de- tection rate between these two methods was considerably high,approaching up to 90.0%.These results suggest that the mixed antigen ELISA assay appears to be a sensitive and specific method for sero-epide- miological detection of human herpesvirus 8 infection.

Construction of a High-efficient Expression Vector of Δ^(12) Fatty Acid Desaturase in Peanut and Its Prokaryotical Expression

A full-length sequence coding for △^12 fatty acid desaturase gene from peanut（Arachis hypogaea L.）was cloned into the expression vector, pRSETB, to generate recombinant plasmid pRSET/HO-A, which was subsequently transformed into expression Escherichia. coli BL21（DE3）pLysS. The △^12 fatty acid desaturase was highly expressed in E. coli BL21（DE3）pLysS in the presence of isopropyl-D-thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG）. The fusion protein was purified and used to form a reaction system in vitro by adding oleic acid as substrate and incubating it at 20℃ for 6 h. Total fatty acids was extracted and methlesterified and then analyzed with gas chromatography. A novel peak corresponding to linoleic acid methyl ester standards was detected with the same retention time. GC-MS （gas chromatogram and gas chromatogram-mass spectrometry） analysis showed that the novel peak was linoleic acid methyl ester. These results exhibited △^12 fatty acid desaturase activity, which could convert oleic acid to linoleic acid specifically.

Study on the Knockout and the Soluble Prokaryotic Expression of VP5 Protein Transmembrane Region of IBDV

[Objective] The research aimed to construct the prokaryotic expression vector of VP5 protein of IBDV.The transmembrane region sequence of VP5 protein was knocked out.Moreover,the expression,separation and purification of objective protein were carried out.[Method] PCR technology was used to respectively amplify the extracellular and intracellular fragments of VP5 gene of IBDV.Then,the two fragments were simultaneously linked to pET-28b（＋）,and it was the vector-intracellular fragment-extracellular fragment-vector.The recombinant expression plasmid pET-VP5-FC and the improved pET-VP5-SC of VP5 whose transmembrane region gene fragment was knocked out were constructed.Then,the expression plasmid was transformed into BL21（DE3）.After IPTG induction,the recombinant protein was purified by Ni affinity chromatography and the gel filtration chromatography.[Result] The soluble expressed VP5 of IBDV was obtained.[Conclusion] The research laid the foundation for further studying the structure and function of VP5 protein.

Cloning and Prokaryotic Expression of NS1 Gene of Porcine Parvovirus (PPV) SD1 Strain

[Objective] The research aimed to provide the theoretical basis for establishing a rapid diagnosis method for porcine parvovirus（PPV）. [ Method] One pair of primers were designed according to PPV genome sequences on GenBank website and the sequences of prokaryotic expression vector pET30a （ ＋ ） with multiple cloning sites. The whole sequence of NS1 gene in PPV SD1 strain was amplified by using PCR technology and the positive recombinant plasmid was analyzed by sequencing and homology comparison. The prokaryotic expression recombinant plasmid PET30a/NS1 was constructed to make its induction expression in Escherichia coll. [ Result] The target fragment with the length of 2 208 bp was obtained from PCR amplification. The nucleotide homologies between the cloned NS1 gene and the reported relevant PPV genes were from 97.3 % to 99.4 %, which indicated that NS1 gene had high conservation. But it had a 12-basepair successive deletion near the hydroxyl end. The cloned PPV NS1 gene was successfully expressed in prokaryotic cell, and its expression products existed mostly in inclusion bodies. [ Conclusion] The results of SDS-PAGE detection showed that the molecular weight of PPV NS1 protein was 86 KD.

Molecular Cloning, Sequence Analysis and Prokaryotic Expression of Ovine Activin Receptor Type IIB(ActRIIB) Gene

Objective] This study aimed to clone ovine activin receptor type llB （Ac-tRIIB） gene, construct the prokaryotic expression vector and express the target gene in vitro, thus providing basis for further function verification. [Method] The template cDNA which was reversely transcribed from total RNA of sheep liver tissue, was subjected to polymerase chain reaction （PCR） using specific primers of ActRIIB. The ful-length cDNA of ovine ActRIIB was obtained by pMD18-T cloning and sequencing for bioinformatics analysis. Ovine ActRIIB encoding sequence was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET41a with restriction sites BamHl/Notl, and then transformed into BL21 （DE3）. The induced products by lPTG were analyzed with SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. [Result] The amplified ful-length cDNA of ovine Ac-tRllB gene was 1 564 bp in length （Genbank accession number： JX422071.1） with an open reading frame of 1 539 bp, encoding 512 amino acides. Ovine ActRllB shared the highest homology （99.6%） with bovine ActRllB. ActRllB had highly ho-mologous C-terminal domains and belonged to the TGFβ family. After prokaryotic expression, an approximately 92 kD His-tagged ActRllB recombinant protein was obtained, which was consistent with the excepted result. [Conclusion] Cloning and successful expression of ovine ActRIIB laid solid foundation for further investigation of its biological function.

Construction of Prokaryotic Expression Vectors of EBP1 Gene from Nervilia Fordii (Hance) Schltr.

[Objective] To construct prokaryotic expression vectors encoding gene Erb3binding protein （EBP1）, which plays important roles in regulating plant organ size from Nervilia fordii （Hance） Schltr. [Methods] PCR products of NfEBP1 with particular restriction sites and expression vectors, pET-28 and pET-16b were digested. Ligation, transformation and selection were performed to construct the recombinant plasmids pET-28-NfEBP1 and pET-16-NfEBP1. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli BL21 using heat -shock transformation. [Results] Recombinant plasmids pET-28-NfEBP1-1188 and pET-16-NfEBP1-1188 were constructed and transformed into expressional host cells, E. coli BL21, and validated by colony PCR, sequencing and double digestion. [Conclusion] Prokaryotic expression vectors of EBP1 gene from N. fordii were successfully constructed, which laid the foundation for characterization of the gene function.

Cloning and Prokaryotic Expression of P23 Major Surface Protein Gene from Theileria sergenti

[Objective] The aim was to study cloning and prokaryotic expression of P23 major surface protein gene of Theileria sergenti. [Method] A pair of specific primers was designed according to the sequence of P23 major surface protein of T. sergenti (D84447).The P23 gene was amplified by PCR from genomic DNA of T. sergenti and cloned into pMD18-T vector to construct recombinant clonal vector pMD18-P23. Positive clones were identified by PCR screening and restriction digestion. A recombinant expression plasmid pGEX-4T-P23 was constructed by subcloning the cloned P23 gene into the linearized pGEX-4T-1 vector and transformed into E. coli BL21. After introduction by IPTG,the expressed fusion protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western-blotting. [Result] The cloned gene has a total length of 507 bp. Sequencing result showed that the nucleotide sequence of the cloned P23 gene shared 99.4% identity with that of P23 published in GenBank (D84447). The expressed fusion protein was 46 ku in molecular mass. Induction opportunity of zhours after culture inoculation was the best,the induction time of 6 h was the best,and induction temperature of 34 ℃ was the best as well,IPTG of 1 mmol/L had little effect on the expression. Western-blotting indicated that recombinant protein was recognized by specific antibody. [Conclusion] This study would lay a foundation for further research on the prevention and diagnose of T. sergenti.

Cloning, Analysis and Prokaryotic Expression of DsSP Gene from Dunaliella salina

[Objective] The purpose of this study was to clone a starch phosphorylase gene from Dunaliella salina and to preliminarily analyze its basic properties and protein expression. [Method] RT-PCR and RACE （rapid amplification of cDNA ends） method was used for gene cloning; basic properties of the gene were analyzed using bioinformatics method; prokaryotic expression vector PGS21a-DsSP was constructed and transformed into E. coil BL21; the fusion protein was purified and detected by GST-SefinoseTM Kit and Western Blot, respectively. [Result] A starch phos-phorylase gene （GenBank accession No. KF061044） named DsSP was successfully isolated from D. salina. Basic properties, subcellular localization, secondary structure and tertiary structure of the protein were analyzed and predicted. The fusion protein was found in the supernatant and inclusion bodies. The supernatant protein was successfully purified. Western Blot analysis showed that the fusion protein was successfully expressed in E. coil BL21. [Conclusion] This study laid experimental foun- dation for further clarifying the function and mechanism of DsSP.

Sequence Analysis of Transcription Factor AtWRKY35 and Construction of Prokaryotic Expression Vector

As members of a super gene family, WRKY transcription factors are widely distributed in higher plants. ln this study, bioinformatic analysis of WRKY35, a member of the WRKY gene family, was carried out. Results indicated that tran-scription factor WRKY35 harbors a WRKYGQK core domain and a Cys2His2 or Cys2His/Cys zinc finger in the 5’ end without transmembrane domain. After PCR amplification and restriction digestion, WRKY35 gene fragment was ligated to prokaryotic expression vector PET28. This study provided basis for expression anal-ysis of WRKY35 protein and subsequent functional identification of WRKY35 gene.

Study on the Factors Influencing Prokaryotic Expression of ScMYB Protein

[Objective] This study aimed to find out the factors influencing the prokary- otic expression of ScMYB protein and optimize the expression conditions. [Method] First, the prokaryotic expression plasmid ScMYB：：pEASY-E1 was constructed; and then the effects of various induction conditions on its expression were studied, in- cluding concentration of inductor IPTG, induction time, induction temperature and OD600 of the bacteria solution. [Result] All the induction time, induction temperature, and OD600 except the concentration of IPTG have significant influence on the expres- sion of target protein. [Conclusion] The expression of target protein reaches the high- est level under the conditions of induction temperature 37 ℃, induction time 4 h and OD600 0.6-1.0.

High Level Expression of Grass Carp Reovirus VP7 Protein in Prokaryotic Cells

Sequences analysis revealed Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) s10 was 909 nucleotides coding a 34 kDa protein denoted as VP7, which was determined to be a viral outer capsid protein (OCP). To obtain expressed OCP in vitro, a full length VP7 gene was produced by RT-PCR amplification, and the amplified fragment was cloned into T7 promoted prokaryotic expression vector pRSET. The recombinant plasmid,which was named as pR/GCRV-VP7,was then transformed into E.coli BL21 host cells. The data indicated that the expressed recombinant was in frame with the N-terminal fusion peptide. The over-expressed fusion protein was produced by inducing with IPTG, and its molecular weight was about 37kDa, which was consistent with its predicted size. In addition, the fusion protein was produced in the form of the inclusion body with their yield remaining steady at more than 60% of total bacterial protein. Moreover,the expressed protein was able to bind immunologically to anti-his-tag monoclonal antibody (mouse) and anti-GCRV serum (rabbit). This work provides a research basis for further structure and function studies of GCRV during entry into cells.

Prokaryotic Expression of P1 Gene of Type Asia1 Foot and Mouth Disease Virus(FMDV)and the Preparation of Its Antiserum

[Objective] The aim was to study the prokaryotic expression of P1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus（FMDV）type Asia 1and the preparation of its antiserum.[Method]The P1 gene of FMDV type Asia 1 was obtained by gene cloning techniques,and then cloned into pET-32a（＋）plasmid;subsequently the recombinant plasmid was transformed into E.coli BL21（DE3）;after the IPTG induction and protein purification,SDS-PAGE analysis was carried out;the ultrasonic wave was use to lyse the cultivated recombinant strain,and after the isolation and purification,this fusion protein was utilized to immunize New Zealand rabbits so as to prepare P1 protein antiserum.[Result]The positive clones were obtained;SDS-PAGE result showed that the target band was appeared at 105 kD;Western blot analysis showed that the antisera could bind to the expressed P1 fusion protein specifically;the ELISA titer of the rabbit anti-FMDV-P1 sera was approximately 1∶5 120.[Conclusion]This study had provided foundations for FMDV serological diagnostic methods and genetically engineered vaccine.

Prokaryotic Expression and Polyclonal Antibody Preparation of SDG711 C-terminal from Rice

[Objective] This study aimed to conduct prokaryotic expression of rice SDG711 C-terminal and to prepare its polyclonal antibody. [Method] C-terminal of rice SDG711 containing relatively intensive antigen determinants was selected for prokaryotic expression, prokaryotic expression vector pET28a-711C was constructed and the recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 （DE3） competent cells. The recombinant fusion protein was induced by IPTG and purified to immunize a New Zealand white rabbit as the antigen, and polyclonal antibody was obtained and confirmed by Western-blot analysis. [Result] The polyclonal anti- body was successfully prepared and could efficiently detect the expressed antigen. [Conclusion] This study laid the foundation for further investigating the functions of SDG711 protein in rice.

Prokaryotic Expression and Purification of Ds MAPK from Dunaliella salina

Dunaliella salina is an important model organism for investigating the salt tolerance mechanism of plant. MAPK is the key gene in the molecular pathway of salt tolerance of plant. In this experiment, the open reading frame （ORF） of DsMAPK gene was amplified by PCR. The target fragment was cloned in pGS-21a, a prokaryotic expression vector with GST-tag. The recombinant plasmid pGS-21a- DsMAPK was then transformed into E. coil BL21 （DE3）. The expression was induced with IPTG. Then the expression form of the recombinant protein was analyzed. The expression products were purified with GST-SefinoseTM Kit and identified with SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The results showed the recombinant expression vector pGS-21a-DsMAPK was constructed successfully, and the molecular weight of the expressed recombinant protein was as same as expected. Western blot analysis showed the purified recombinant protein could be identified specially by the anti- GST antibody and had a good immunological activity. The successful expression of DsMAPK will lay a basis for the further research on the role of DsMAPK in the salt tolerance mechanism at the protein level.

Prokaryotic Expression, Purification and Characterization of a Novel Rice Seed Lipoxygenase Gene OsLOX1

Lipoxygenase （LOX, EC1.13.11.12） is a key enzyme during the degradation of lipids in animals and even plants, and also the first key enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of jasmonate. To purify and characterize the OsLOX1 gene from rice seeds, the entire coding region of the OsLOX1 gene was inserted into an expression vector pET30a（＋） and transformed into Escherichia coil BL21 （DE3）. Expression of the fusion protein was successfully induced by isopropyl-β-D- thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG） and the purified recombinant protein was obtained by His.Bind Kits. Further assay showed that the purified recombinant protein exhibited the LOX activity. The optimum pH was 4.8 （acetate buffer） and the optimum temperature was 30℃ for the above enzyme. Thus, the recombinant might confer an available usage for the synthesis of jasmonate in vitro, and also provides a possibility for elucidating the inter-relationship between the primary structure of the plant seed lipoxygenase protein and its physiological functions.

Construction of recombinant plasmid and prokaryotic expression in E. Coli and biological activity analysis of human placenta arresten gene

BACKGROUND: The proliferation and metastasis of cancers depend on angiogenesis. This property provides the feasibility for the treatment of cancer by inhibition of angiogenesis, and many angiogenic inhibitors have been demonstrated to effectively inhibit angiogenesis and consequently the growth of solid cancer. As for the newly identified angiogenesis inhibitor, arresten, some studies have found its high activity on restrainting tumor vessel. This study was to assess the anti-angiogenic activity of arresten. METHODS: The arresten gene was obtained from a healthy puerpera's placenta tissue by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, and molecular cloning to prokaryotic expression plasmid pBV220 by recombination strategy. The prokaryotic expression plasmid pBV220/arr was identified by restriction enzyme digestion and sequenced. The pBV220/arr was transformed into E. coli JM109, DH5α, BL21 and BL21 (DE3) by the CaCl_2 transformation method. The arresten expression level was detected by SDS-PAGE. The expressed product was purlfled, re-naturalized and detected for its biological activity of inhibiting the angiogenesis of chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). RESULTS: The arresten gene was cloned and pBV220/arr was constructed. The arresten expression level of protein was highly increased after pBV220/arr was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). SDS-PAGE showed that the expressed arresten proteins were mainly inclusion bodies and had a molecular weight of 26 kDa. The expressed arresten protein showed evident biological activities. CONCLUSIONS: The successful construction of recombinant plasmid pBV220/arr and the effective expression in E. coil have laid a foundation for further study of its anti-angiogenic function and may pave the way for future antitumor application.

Prokaryotic Expression, Ascitic Polyclonal Antibody Preparation and Identification of Cashmere Goat Izumo1

Izumol is a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily locating on sperm, and is indispensable for sperm-egg fusion. According to its immunoglobulin-like domain in the extracellular region, Izumol was fractionated into 6 fragments （F0-F5） which were ligated with pGEX-4T1 to construct the prokaryotic expression vectors pGEX-Fn. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 （DE3） and the GST-Fn fusion proteins were expressed successfully by induction with IPTG. GST-F0, a recombinant fusion protein of GST with the full length of extracellular region of mature cashmere goat Izumol, was purified by polyacrylamide gel slicing method and was used as an antigen to immunize the Kunming mouse to generate anti-GST-Izumol ascetic polyclonal antibody with intraperitoneal injection of S 180 cells. Subsequently, the anti-GST-Izumol polyclonal antibody was purified with miscellaneous antigen by glutaraldehyde cross-linking method. Western blotting analysis showed that the purified ascetic polyclonal antibody had high affinity to all 6 GST-Izumol fragment fusion proteins. Immunohistochemical analysis with this antibody displayed that the cashmere goat Izumol proteins were at the equatorial segment of sperm head surface. These results indicate that this polyclonal antibody has high specificity and lays the foundations for further study on the expression pattern of Izumol in cashmere goat testis and binding abilities of each extra-membrane fragment of Izumol to the egg surface.

Prokaryotic Expression and Biological Activity Analysis of Human Arresten Gene

To express recombinant arresten in Escherichia coli (E.Coli) and investigate its biological activity, prokaryotic expression vector of human arresten gene was constructed by gene engineering. Human arresten gene was amplified from recombinant plasmid pGEMArr by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pRSET containing T7 promoter. Restriction analysis and DNA sequencing verified that the arresten gene was correctly cloned into the expression vector. The recombinant plasmid pRSETAt was subsequently transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3), and the target gene was expressed under induction of IPTG. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the recombinant protein with a molecular weight of 29 kD (1 kD=0.992 1 ku) amounted to 29 % of the total bacterial proteins. After purification and renaturation, the recombinant protein could significantly suppress the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These results suggested that the expression of a biologically active form of human arresten in the pRSET expression system laid a foundation for further study on the mechanistic insight into arresten action on angiogenesis and the development of powerful anti-cancer drugs.

Construction of Prokaryotic Expression Vector of Mouse Nanog Gene and Its Expression

The aim of this study is to construct a prokaryotic expression vector of mouse Nanog gene and to express it in E. coli. A pair of primers was designed according to digestion sites in plasmid pGEX-KG and the Nanog gene sequence published by GenBank. The DNA fragment of 918 bp was amplified by polymerase chain reaction （PCR） from the pNA992 recombinant plasmid with Nanog gene, then cloned into pGEX-KG and transformed into the host E. coli strain TG Ⅰ. The sequence of the fragment was matched with the original sequence of pNA992. It indicated that fusion expression vector, pGEX-KG- Nanog, was constructed successfully. The pGEX-KG-Nanog plasmid was extracted from E. coli strain TG Ⅰ and was transformed into BL21（DE3） for expression. After induction by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside （IPTG） at 37℃, the expression product of Nanog gene was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE）, and the expression condition was optimized. Nanog fusion protein was successfully expressed in the form of inclusion bodies. The molecular weight of the inclusion body was 63 kDa. Meanwhile, the optimum condition for the expression of Nanog fusion protein was induced with 0.8 mmol L^-1 IPTG for 5 h. The mouse Nanog gene was successfully expressed in E. coli, which laid a foundation for the purification of Nanog protein and for the preparation of polyclonal antibody.