Purification and Refolding of a Novel β-Agarase from Inclusion Body of E. coli

β-agarase AgaB appears to represent a new family of glycoside hydrolase; it is structurally and functionally different from other known agarases. In the present study, AgaB was expressed with a temperature-inducible expression system in E. coli BL21 (DE3) as a fusion protein bearing a C-terminal hexahistidine tag. The protein existed mainly in the form of inclusion body. After being washed and solubilized, AgaB in inclusion body was denatured and purified to electrophoretic purity by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The purified AgaB was then refolded using a simple pulse dilution method, and the refolded AgaB showed a high specific hydrolysis activity of about 1600 units /mg protein. Forty milligrams of refolded pure protein were obtained from 1L of culture.

Phenotypical statin-associated immune-mediated necrotizing myositis with histological features of inclusion body myositis

Introduction:Statin-associated immune-mediated necrotizing myositis(IMNM)is a rare but distinct idiopathic inflammatory myopathy(IIM)that requires early recognition and intervention to prevent irreversible muscle damage.It is typically characterized by active statin use,elevated creatinine kinase(CK)levels,proximal muscle weakness,and at times,a positive 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase(HMGCR)antibody.Treatment includes immediate discontinuation of the statin and may include corticosteroids,intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG),and/or immunosuppressive therapy.Inclusion body myositis(IBM),another distinct IIM,also presents with elevated CK levels but with insidious onset of distal upper and proximal lower extremity weakness and is typically refractory to treatment.Case Description:A 64-year-old female patient presented with proximal muscle weakness,elevated CK levels,and a positive HMGCR antibody in the setting of statin use with muscle pathology suggestive of both statinassociated IMNM and IBM.She responded to subcutaneous methotrexate and a slow prednisone taper over several months,however,will require close monitoring for symptoms associated with either disease.Conclusion:In conclusion,we report a case of muscle weakness with muscle pathology demonstrating both statin-associated IMNM and IBM.This case highlights the importance of understanding the clinical and pathological features of statin-associated IMNM and IBM.

Effect of Freeze-Thaw and Urea in Solubility of GPC3-Csub Protein Expressed in Escherichia coli

Glypican-3 is a protein encoded by the Glypican-3 gene located on human X chromosome (Xq26), composed of two subunits, a 40 kDa N-terminal subunit, and a 30 kDa C-terminal subunit. Glypican-3 is a currently potential target molecule for liver cancer treatments because of its over-expression and growth effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study examined the expression and purification of a C-terminal subunit of Glypican-3 protein (GPC3-Csub) due to its application in both diagnosis and therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. The gene encoding for GPC3-Csub was successfully cloned into plasmid pET28a fused with an affinity tag composed of six consecutive histidine residues (His-tag). Recombinant protein GPC3-Csub was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) in the condition of adding 3% ethanol with IPTG induction. GPC3-Csub was extracted using repeated freeze-thaw cycles with lysozyme, and inclusion bodies were solubilized by 8M Urea, SDS 10% in pH 12. His-tag fused GPC3-Csub proteins allowed it to be purified by affinity chromatography method using the Nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) column. High expression of GPC3-Csub was confirmed by Coomassie staining and western-blot. GPC3-Csub could be isolated with a Ni-NTA column and have a purity of about 90%.

Refolding and Purification of Yeast Acetyl-CoA Carboxylases CT Domain Expressed as Inclusion Bodies in Escherichia coli

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase（ACCase） is a crucial enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, by regulating the first committed step in the process. Therefore, it is a potential target for the development of new compounds against obesity or as herbicides. The cDNA encoding yeast ACCase CT domains（YCTs） from Saccharvmyces cerevisiae was amplified by RT-PCR and inserted into the vector PET28a（＋） for bacterial expression of YCT fused to N-terminal His-tag（YCT-his6）. YCTs-his6 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21（DE3） PLys as inclusion bodies, which was solubilized in 8 mol/L urea. Ni-agarose chromatography was used to purify the inclusion bodies under denaturing condition. Correct refolding was achieved via systematic dialysis to remove the denaturant gently in the presence of 0.5 mmol/L Triton X-100. The low concentration Triton X-100 was included in the refolding buffer to increase the solubilization and enhance dimeric formation of refolding proteins. The activity of the refolded YCT-his6 was 1.2 U/rag as measured in a spectrophotometric assay using malonyl-CoA as the substrate. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the bioactive YCT-his6 has been expressed successfully in E. coli and isolated from their inclusion bodies.

Prokaryotic Expression of Glycoprotein Gene of Infectious Hnematopoietic Necrosis Virus and Polyclonal Antibody Preparation

[Objective]The aim is to perform prokaryotic expression of the glycoprotein gene of infectious hnematopoietic necrosis virus and polyclonal antibody preparation. [Methods]Glycoprotein gene( G) of infectious hematopoietic tissue( IHNV) was synthesized,cloned to prokaryotic expression system pET-30a vector,yielding the recombinant plasmid pET-30a-IHNV-G. The yielded pET-30a-IHNV-G was transformed into E. coli strain BL21( DE3) plySs. [Results] SDSPAGE and Western blot results showed that protein G successfully expressed in E. coli at 37 ℃,1 mmol /L IPTG induction for 4 h. The molecular weight of fusion G protein was 57 KD. The polyclonal antibody was prepared by immunizing mice with the product of gel purification. ELISA analysis showed that the serum titer reached 1∶10 000. [Conclusion]The expressed G protein and the serum with polyclonal antibody obtained in this study provided the theoretical basis for the development of IHNV vaccine and detection of colloidal gold test strip.

A New Protocol for Solubilization, Refolding and Purification of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor in Inclusion Bodies

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor （rhG-CSF） in inclusion bodies was solubilized by 8 mol/L urea solution and subsequently precipitated by acetone to improve its purity. After that, the precipitates were solubilized by sodium hydroxide solution containing 2 mol/L urea. Then the solubilized rhG-CSF was passed through a size exclusion chromatography for refolding and extensive purification, and further purified by a weak anion exchange chromatography. The purity and mass recovery of refolded rhG-CSF were 96.5% and 75.6%, respectively. The bioactivity was 8.4x10^7 IU/mg.

The role of sequestosome 1/p62 protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia pathogenesis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration are multifaceted diseases with genotypic,pathological and clinical overlap.One such overlap is the presence of SQSTM1/p62 mutations.While traditionally mutations manifesting in the ubiquitin-associated domain of p62 were associated with Paget’s disease of bone,mutations affecting all functional domains of p62 have now been identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients.p62 is a multifunctional protein that facilitates protein degradation through autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system,and also regulates cell survival via the Nrf2 antioxidant response pathway,the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway and apoptosis.Dysfunction in these signaling and protein degradation pathways have been observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration,and mutations that affect the role of p62 in these pathways may contribute to disease pathogenesis.In this review we discuss the role of p62 in these pathways,the effects of p62 mutations and the effect of mutations in the p62 modulator TANK-binding kinase 1,in relation to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal lobar degeneration pathogenesis.

Paterns and regularity of ring distribution of seismic activity before great earthquakes in China

A systematic study on ″ring phenomena″ frequently occurring before great earthquakes has made in this paper, which has analyzed the features of ring distributions before 16 great earthquakes and part of large earthquakes in China and its boundary areas, and discussed their features of generality, regularity and predictive meaning. The results have showed that moderate earthquakes or larger earthquakes distribute around the epicenter like a ring from decades to hundred years before the great earthquakes of magnitude more than 7, which is a general phenomenon of great earthquakes without an exception. The active ring generally occurs in the areas from hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the epicenter(according to the magnitude). The seismicity in the ring has three basic stages with different features. in the first stage, seismicity remains at low level and the earthquakes distribute scatteredly, while the source area of the future great earthquake remains quiet; in the second stage, the seismicity strengthens, whose frequency, intensity, concentrated degree, released rate of strain and ratio of distributed area etc. increase, while the quiet area decreases or disappears; in the third stage, the seismicity is weaker than in the former stage, and the quiet area appears again. The source area surrounded by the active ring might have three periods of activity(called as early term, medium term and late term foreshocks activity). The length of the quiet area undergoes the process from large to small, then to large. Therefore, we can estimate the occurring place, magnitude and seismogenic stage of great earthquake according to the area,length and the seismicity in the active ring, which is valuable to make a long term prediction of great earthquakes. At last, we had a preliminary discussion on the mechanism of active ring formation.

Expression, purification, and bioactivity of GST-fused v-Src from a bacterial expression system

v-Src is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase involved in many signal transduction pathways and closely related to the activation and development of cancers. We present here the expression, purification, and bioactivity of a GST (glutathione S-transferase)-fused v-Src from a bacterial expression system. Different culture conditions were examined in an isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-regulated expression, and the fused protein was purified using GSH (glutathione) affinity chromatography. ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was employed to determine the phosphorylation kinase activity of the GST-fused v-Src. This strategy seems to be more promising than the insect cell system or other eukaryotic systems em- ployed in earlier Src expression.

Expression Characterization and Preparation of Human Amyloid Precursor Protein in Escherichia coli

To analyze whether expressed amyloid precursor protein（APP） existed in hydrophilic（cytoplasmid） or hydrophobic（lipid bilayer） environment in E. coli and to obtain intact APP for study on its function, we investigated the expression characterization and preparation of the three intact isoforms APP770, APP751, and APP695 in E. coll. The results show that these expressed APPs existed both in hydrophilic cytoplasm region as inclusion bodies and hydrophobic membrane region as membrane-bound state in E. coll. APPs in inclusion bodies were purified on an NTA-Ni^2＋ agarose column after dissolving in the urea buffer and APPs in membrane-bound state were obtained by ultracentrifugation. The activity analysis indicates that APP770 and APP751 exhibited strong trypsin-inhibitory activity like the natural ones. These results indicate that E. coli cells can be used as host cells for the expression of human integral membrane protein like APP in either soluble or membrane-bound state unless the interest protein undergone post-translational modification is required.

Expression of Fragaria ananassa Osmotin-like Protein(FaOLP2) in E. coli:Purification and Antifungal Activity

[ Objective] The FaOLtr2 （ Frago^ia ananassa osmotin-like protein） is a functional homolog of PR5-1ike protein. This study was undertaken to produce recombinant FaOLP2 and to identify its antifungal activity. [ Method] The ORF of FaOLP2 （ accession number DQ325524） was cloned into pET22b vector to con- stroct the pET22b-FaOLP2 plasmid. The recombinant mature FaOLP2 was expressed in E. coli Rosetta-gami B （DE3） by inducing with I nunol/L IPTG and found exclusively in insoluble inclusion bodies. As FaOLP2 requires the correct formation of eight disulfide bonds, but there were no obvious effect to correctly form these by expression at different temperatures and high osmotic pressure （ supplemented Betaineand and D-Sorbitol）, we used an in vitro method to refold E. coli expressed FaOLP2 by gradually elution using reduced：oxidized gluthatione redox buffer, followed by 8 mol/L urea solubilized His6-tagged mature FaOLP2 protein, which was affinity-purified by an immobilized-metal （Ni2＋ ） affinity chromatography （IMAC） column. [ Result] This method generated biologically active conformations of the recombinant mature FaOLP2 that displayed antifungal activity against Ustilaginoides virens, a plant pathogenic fungus, which causes rice false smut. [ Conclusion] This study laid the foundation for further biotechnological application of the novel protein.

On seismic strengthening area before strong and great shocks and its mechanism

By systematically studying seismic strengthening areas before 85 earthquakes with M>=6.0 in China, some results have been extracted. 1) Earthquake active strengthening area exists universally before strong shock or great earthquake; 2) The size of the strengthening area and its appearing time will increase when the earthquake magnitude increases; 3) The rate between the size of seismic strengthening area and the size of the source region decreases when earthquake magnitude increases; 4) The appearing time of the earthquake active strengthening region in the eastern part of China is longer than that in the western part of China. The above characteristics have been preliminarily explained qualitatively and half-quantitatively by applying the strong body earthquake generating model and the hard inclusion theory. Then applying the seismic strengthening area, we have obtained long-term predictions of 2 earthquakes, so the seismic strengthening area before strong earthquake or great earthquakes is a universal phenomenon, which has some mechanical base.

Tissue plasminogen activator-independent roles of neuroserpin in the central nervous system

A number of studies have confirmed the existence of tissue-type plasminogen activator-independent roles of neuroserpin, a member of the serine protease inhibitor superfamily. In this review article, we aim to clarify this role. These unique roles of neuroserpin are involved in its neuroprotective effect during ischemic brain injury, its regulation of tumorigenesis, and the mediation of emotion and cognition through the inhibition of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and fibrinolysin, modification of Th cells, reducing plaque formation, promoting process growth and intracellular adhesion, and alterina the expression of cadherin and nuclear factor kaooa B.

PABP-driven secondary condensed phase within RSV inclusion bodies activates viral mRNAs for ribosomal recruitment

Inclusion bodies(IBs)of respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation(LLPS)and contain internal structures termed“IB-associated granules”(IBAGs),where anti-termination factor M2-1 and viral mRNAs are concentrated.However,the mechanism of IBAG formation and the physiological function of IBAGs are unclear.Here,we found that the internal structures of RSV IBs are actual M2-1-free viral messenger ribonucleoprotein(mRNP)condensates formed by secondary LLPS.Mechanistically,the RSV nucleoprotein(N)and M2-1 interact with and recruit PABP to IBs,promoting PABP to bind viral mRNAs transcribed in IBs by RNArecognition motif and drive secondary phase separation.Furthermore,PABP-eIF4G1 interaction regulates viral mRNP condensate composition,thereby recruiting specific translation initiation factors(eIF4G1,eIF4E,eIF4A,eIF4B and eIF4H)into the secondary condensed phase to activate viral mRNAs for ribosomal recruitment.Our study proposes a novel LLPS-regulated translation mechanism during viral infection and a novel antiviral strategy via targeting on secondary condensed phase.

Expression and Purification of Soluble Human Programmed Death-1 in Escherichia coli

Programmed death-1 （PD-1）, a member of CD28 family, is able to negatively regulate the TCR complex-initiated signaling by interacting with its cognate ligands （PD-L1 and/or PD-L2）. PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays an important role in down-regulating the effective phase of adaptive immune responses and the blockade of this pathway has been proved to enhance antiviral and antitumoral immunity, suggesting that it might be a potential target for the development of therapies to improve T cell responses in patients with virus infections or malignancies. In present study, the extracellular domain of human PD-1 with a carboxyl terminal His-tag （designated as sPD-1） was expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coll. The product was on-column refolded, purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and characterized by Western blotting. Furthermore, the soluble PD-1 with high purity possessed specific binding activity with its cognate ligand PD-L1, and the dissociation constant was 0.43 nmol/L as determined by Scatchard plot analysis. These results suggest that refolded sPD-1 from prokaryotic cells may be of therapeutic interest in enhancing antivirus and antitumoral immune responses.

Visualized and precise design of artificial small RNAs for regulating T7 RNA polymerase and enhancing recombinant protein folding in Escherichia coli

Small non-coding RNAs(sRNAs)have received much attention in recent years due to their unique biological properties,which can efficiently and specifically tune target gene expressions in bacteria.Inspired by natural sRNAs,recent works have proposed the use of artificial sRNAs(asRNAs)as genetic tools to regulate desired gene that has been applied in several fields,such as metabolic engineering and bacterial physiology studies.However,the rational design of asRNAs is still a challenge.In this study,we proposed structure and length as two criteria to implement rational visualized and precise design of asRNAs.T7 expression system was one of the most useful recombinant protein expression systems.However,it was deeply limited by the formation of inclusion body.To settle this problem,we designed a series of asRNAs to inhibit the T7 RNA polymerase(Gene1)expression to balance the rate between transcription and folding of recombinant protein.Based on the heterologous expression of Aspergillus oryzae Li-3 glucuronidase in E.coli,the asRNA-antigene1-17bp can effectively decrease the inclusion body and increase the enzyme activity by 169.9%.

Oculopharyngeal Weakness, Hypophrenia, Deafness, and Impaired Vision： A Novel Autosomal Dominant Myopathy with Rimmed Vacuoles

Background： Myopathies with rimnled vacuoles are a heterogeneous group of muscle disorders with progressive muscle weakness and varied clinical manifestations but similar features in muscle biopsies. Here, we describe a novel autosomal dominant myopathy with rimmed vacuoles in a large family with 11 patients of three generations affected. Methods： A clinical study including family history, obstetric, pediatric, and development history was recorded. Clinical examinations including physical examination, electromyography （EMG）, serum creatine kinase （CK）, bone X-rays, and brain magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） were performed in this family. Open muscle biopsies were performed on the proband and his mother. To find the causative gene, the whole-exome sequencing was carried out. Results： Disease onset was from adolescence to adulthood, but the affected patients of the third generation presented an earlier onset and more severe clinical manifestations than the older generations. Clinical features were characterized as dysarthria, dysphagia, external ophthalmoplegia, limb weakness, hypophrenia, deafness, and impaired vision. However, not every patient manifested all symptoms. Serum CK was mildly elevated and EMG indicated a myopathic pattern. Brain MRI showed cerebellum and brain stem mildly atrophy. Rimmed vacuoles and inclusion bodies were observed in muscle biopsy. The whole-exome sequencing was performed, but the causative gene has not been found. Conclusions： We reported a novel autosomal dominant myopathy with rimmed vacuoles characterized by dysarthria, dysphagia, external ophthalmoplegia, limb weakness, hypophrenia, deafness, and impaired vision, but the causative gene has not been tbund and needs further study.