Susceptibility to AcMNPV and Expression of Recombinant Proteins by a Novel Cell Clone Derived from a Trichoplusia ni QAU-BTI-Tn9-4s Cell Line

It is well known that Tn5B1-4 (commercially known as the High Five) cell line is highly susceptible to baculovirus and provides superior production of recombinant proteins when compared to other insect cell lines.But the characteristics of the cell line do not always remain stable and may change upon continuous passage.Recently an alphanodavirus,named Tn5 Cell Line Virus (or TNCL Virus),was identified in High Five cells in particular.Therefore,we established a new cell line,QB-Tn9-4s,from Trichoplusia ni,which was determined to be free of TNCL virus by RT-PCR analysis.In this paper,we describe the development of a novel cell clone,QB-CL-B,from a low passage QB-Tn9-4s cell line and report its susceptibility to AcMNPV,and the level of recombinant protein production.This cell clone was similar to its parental cells QB-Tn9-4s and Tn5B1-4 cells in morphology and growth rate;although it also showed approximately the same responses to AcMNPV infection and production of occlusion bodies,there were higher levels of recombinant protein production in comparison to QB-Tn9-4s (parental cells) and High5 cells.

Expression and purification of recombinant human hemangiopoietin in Escherichia coli

Objective:To express the soluble recombinant hemangiopoietin protein in E.coli BL21(DE3).Methods:Using human fetal live cDNA as a template,a partial cDNA fragment of HAPO coding N-terminal region was subcloned into plasmids pTrc99,pQE60 and pET32c to construct different recombinant prokaryotic expression systems.After selecting,the soluble rhHAPO fusion protein was expressed stably in E.coli BL21(DE3) by vector pET32c-HAPO and further isolated by nickelnitrilotriacetic acid(NTA) affinity chromatography.After cleavage with enterokinase,the rhHAPO protein was applied to Fast Flow SP sepharose column.Results:The rhHAPO protein had a purity of more than 95% and a good bioactivity based on the cell adhesion assay in ECV304 cells.Conclusion:We have established a protein engineering system to produce rhHAPO which may provide the possibility for clinical application.

The recombinant expression systems for structure determination of eukaryotic membrane proteins

Eukaryotic membrane proteins, many of which are key players in various biological processes, constitute more than half of the drug targets and represent important candidates for structural studies. In contrast to their physiological significance, only very limited number of eukaryoUc membrane protein structures have been obtained due to the technical challenges in the genera- tion of recombinant proteins. In this review, we examine the major recombinant expression systems for eukaryotic membrane proteins and compare their relative advantages and disadvantages. We also attempted to summarize the recent technical strategies in the advancement of eukaryotic membrane protein purification and crystallization.

Solubility of disulfide-bonded proteins in the cytoplasm of Escherichia co/i and its “oxidizing” mutant

AIM: To study the influence of redox environment of Escherichia coli (E(?) coli) cytoplasm on disulfide bond formation of recombinant proteins. METHODS: Bovine fibrobllast growth factor (BbFGF) was selected as a model of simple proteins with a single disulfide bond and free cysteines. Anti-HBsAg single-chain Fv (HBscFv), an artificial multidomain protein, was selected as the model molecule of complex protein with 2 disulfide bonds. A BbFGF-producing plasmid, pJN-BbFGF, and a HBscFv producing-plasmid, pQE-HBscFv, were constructed and transformed into E(?)coli strains BL21(DE3) and M15[pREP4] respectively. At the same time, both plasmids were transformed into a reductase-deficient host strain,E(?)coli Origami(DE3). The 4 recombinant E(?)coli strains were cultured and the target proteins were purified. Solubility and bioactivity of recombinant BbFGF and HBscFv produced in different host strains were analyzed and compared respectively. RESULTS: All recombinant E(?)coli strains could efficiently produce target proteins. The level of BbFGF in BL21(DE3) was 15-23% of the total protein, and was 5-10% in Origami (DE3). In addition, 65% of the BbFGF produced in BL21(DE3) formed into inclusion body in the cytoplasm, and all the target proteins became soluble in Origami (DE3). The bioactivity of BbFGF purified from Origami(DE3) was higher than its counterpart from BL21(DE3). The ED50 of BbFGF from Origami(DE3) and BL21(DE3) was 1.6 μg/L and 2.2 μg/L, respectively. Both HBscFv formed into inclusion body in the cytoplasm of M15[pQE-HBscFv] or Origami[pQE-HBscFv]. But the supernatant of Origami [pQE-HBscFv] lysate displayed weak bioactivity and its counterpart from M15[pQE-HBscFv] did not display any bioactivity. The soluble HBscFv in Origami[pQE-HBscFv] was purified to be 1-2 mg/L and its affinity constant was determined to be 2.62×107 mol/L. The yield of native HBscFv refolded from inclusion body in M15[pQE-HBscFv] was 30-35 mg/L and the affinity constant was 1.98×107 mol/L. There was no significant difference between the bioactivity of HBscFvs refolded from the inclusion bodies produced in different host strains. CONCLUSION: Modification of the redox environment of E(?)coli cytoplasm can significantly improve the folding of recombinant disulfide-bonded proteins produced in it.

Expression and functional identification of the hypothetical adhesin P32 from Mycoplasma genitalium

Mycoplasma genitalium is the main causative agent for non-gonococcal and non-chlamydial urethritis. P32 is the putative surface-exposed membrane protein of M. genitalium and it has substaintial identity in amino acid sequence with adhesin protein P30 from M. pneumoniae. Since M. pneumoniae mutants lacking P30 protein is defective in cytadherence, P32 protein has been proposed to be an essential adhesin implicated in the adherence of M. genitaliurn to host cells. The prokaryotic expression vector pET-30 （ ＋ ）/p32 was constructed in the present study, and the recombinant protein was expressed in E. coli and purified under denaturing condition. As demonstrated by the immuno- blotting analysis, the recombinant protein could react with rabbit antisera against M. genitalium, and adherence inhibition assays were performed with antisera against this recombinant protein. It was demonstrated that P32 protein apperared to be an adhesion protein of M. genitalium, thus providing the experimental basis for better understanding of the pathogenesis of M. genitalium infection and for the development of the related vaccines against the infection.

A suspended cell line from Trichoplusia ni （Lepidoptera）： Characterization and expression of recombinant proteins

A suspended cell line from Trichoplusia ni embryos was established, and its susceptibility to Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus （AcMNPV） infection was investigated. This cell line had characteristics distinct from the BTI-Tn5B 1- 4 cell line （Tn5B 1-4） from T. ni in growth, and showed approximately the same responses to AcMNPV infection, production of occlusion bodies, and levels of recombinant protein expression. No clumps were observed at maximum cell density at late-log phase in shake-flask or T-flask cultures, and thus the cells represent a useful new contribution for baculovirus research. The cells consist of two major morphological types： approximately 70% spindle-shaped cells and 30% round cells. The cell line was highly susceptible to virus infection and produced around 107 AcMNPV occlusion bodies per cell, on average. Production of β-galactosidase and secreted alkaline phosphatase was high with 3.97 ± 0.13 × 10^4 IU/mL and 3.48 ± 0.40IU/mL, respectively. This cell line may be applicable for studies of scale-up production of viruses or baculovirus-insect cell expression. We also believe the new line can be a source for cell clones with higher production of virus and recombinant proteins compared to the parent or other existing cell lines such as Tn5B 1-4.

Expression, purification and activity assay of recombinant human thymidylate synthase

Thymidylate synthase （TS, E.C.2.1.1.45） catalyzes a critical reaction in the only pathway of de novo synthesis of thymidylate （dTMP） in human cells, and is an important target of chemotherapy. To evaluate the inhibitory activities of novel compounds to TS, a convenient method of activity assay using 6x His-tagged recombinant human TS （rhTS） was established and 49 novel synthetic folate analogues were screened to discover potential TS inhibitors. During the process, 4 novel compounds were found to effectively inhibit TS, while the IC 50 of a positive control raltitrexed was 3.4 μM in this assay.