A highly efficient and robust cell-free protein synthesis system prepared from wheat embryos: plants apparently contain a suicide system directed at ribosomes

MEERCAT: Multiplexed Efficient Cell Free Expression of Recombinant QconCATs For Large Scale Absolute Proteome Quantification

A major challenge in proteomics is the absolute accurate quantification of large numbers of proteins. QconCATs, artificial proteins that are concatenations of multiple standard peptides, are well established as an efficient means to generate standards for proteome quantification. Previously, QconCATs have been expressed in bacteria, but we now describe QconCAT expression in a robust, cell-free system. The new expression approach rescues QconCATs that previously were unable to be expressed in bacteria and can reduce the incidence of proteolytic damage to QconCATs. Moreover, it is possible to cosynthesize QconCATs in a highly-multiplexed translation reaction, coexpressing tens or hundreds of QconCATs simultaneously. By obviating bacterial culture and through the gain of high level multiplexing, it is now possible to generate tens of thousands of standard peptides in a matter of weeks, rendering absolute quantification of a complex proteome highly achievable in a reproducible, broadly deployable system.

A novel function of N-linked glycoproteins, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein and hemopexin: Implications for small molecule compound-mediated neuroprotection

Therapeutic agents to the central nervous system (CNS) need to be efficiently delivered to the target site of action at appropriate therapeutic levels. However, a limited number of effective drugs for the treatment of neurological diseases has been developed thus far. Further, the pharmacological mechanisms by which such therapeutic agents can protect neurons from cell death have not been fully understood. We have previously reported the novel small-molecule compound, 2-[mesityl(methyl)amino]-N-[4-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl] acetamide trihydrochloride (WN1316), as a unique neuroprotectant against oxidative injury and a highly promising remedy for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). One of the remarkable characteristics of WN1316 is that its efficacious doses in ALS mouse models are much less than those against oxidative injury in cultured human neuronal cells. It is also noted that the WN1316 cytoprotective activity observed in cultured cells is totally dependent upon the addition of fetal bovine serum in culture medium. These findings led us to postulate some serum factors being tightly linked to the WN1316 efficacy. In this study, we sieved through fetal bovine serum proteins and identified two N-linked glycoproteins, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) and hemopexin (HPX), requisites to exert the WN1316 cytoprotective activity against oxidative injury in neuronal cells in vitro. Notably, the removal of glycan chains from these molecules did not affect the WN1316 cytoprotective activity. Thus, two glycoproteins, AHSG and HPX, represent a pivotal glycoprotein of the cytoprotective activity for WN1316, showing a concrete evidence for the novel glycan-independent function of serum glycoproteins in neuroprotective drug efficacy.

Comparison of cell-based versus cell-free mammalian systems for the production of a recombinant human bone morphogenic growth factor

The human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (hBMP2) is a glycoprotein, which induces de novo bone formation. Here, recombinant production in stably transfected Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells is compared to transient expression in Human Embryo Kidney (HEK) cells and cell-free synthesis in CHO cell lysates containing microsomal structures as sites of post-translational processing. In case of the stably transfected cells, growth rates and viabilities were similar to those of the parent cells, while entry into the death phase of the culture was delayed. The maximum achievable rhBMP2 concentration in these cultures was 153 pg/mL. Up to 280 ng/mL could be produced in the transient expression system. In both cases the rhBMP-2 was found to interact with the producer cells, which presumably contributed to the low yields. In the cell-free system, hBMP2 yields could be increased to almost 40 μg/mL, reached within three hours. The cell-free system thus approached productivities for the active (renatured) protein previously only recorded for bacterial hosts, while assuring comprehensive post-translational processing.

High-throughput production of a stable isotope-labeled peptide library for targeted proteomics using a wheat germ cell-free synthesis system

Quantitative proteomic approaches using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) are currently limited by the difficulty in the preparation of reference standards. In this study, we demonstrat the high-throughput production of a reference peptide library using a wheat germ cell-free synthesis system to develop a large-scale SRM assay for targeted proteomics.

CP5 system, for simple and highly efficient protein purification with a C-terminal designed mini tag

There are many strategies to purify recombinant proteins of interest, and affinity purification utilizing monoclonal antibody that targets a linear epitope sequence is one of the essential techniques used in current biochemistry and structural biology. Here we introduce a new protein purification system using a very short CP5 tag. First, we selected anti-dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) rabbit monoclonal antibody clone Ra62 (Ra62 antibody) as capture antibody, and identified its minimal epitope sequence as a 5-amino-acid sequence at C-terminal of DRD1 (GQHPT-COOH, D1CE sequence). We found that single amino acid substitution in D1CE sequence (GQHVT-COOH) increased dissociation rate up to 10-fold, and named the designed epitope sequence CP5 tag. Using Ra62 antibody and 2 peptides with different affinity, we developed a new affinity protein purification method, CP5 system. Ra62 antibody quickly captures CP5-tagged target protein, and captured CP5-tagged protein was eluted by competing with higher affinity D1CE peptide. By taking the difference of the affinity between D1CE and CP5, sharp elution under mild condition was achieved. Using CP5 system, we successfully purified deubiquitinase CYLD and E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH3, and detected their catalytic activity. As to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), 9 out of 12 cell-free synthesized ones were purified, demonstrating its purification capability of integral membrane proteins. CP5 tagged CHRM2 expressed by baculovirus-insect cell was also successfully purified by CP5 system. CP5 system offers several distinct advantages in addition to its specificity and elution performance. CP5 tag is easy to construct and handle because of its short length, which has less effect on protein characters. Mild elution of CP5 system is particulaly suitable for preparing delicate proteins such as enzymes and membrane proteins. Our data demonstrate that CP5 system provides a new promising option in protein sample preparation with high yield, purity and activity for downstream applications in functional and structural analysis.

Applications of reconstituted inflammasomes in a cell-free system to drug discovery and elucidation of the pathogenesis of autoinflammatory diseases

The inflammasome, typically consisting of a Nod-like receptor, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein, and pro-caspase-1, has recently been identified as a huge intracellular complex, which plays a crucial role in interleukin-1 maturation or specific physiological functions. Two Nod-like receptors, such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domains-containing protein (Nod)1 and Nod2, interact with the receptor-interacting protein serine-threonine kinase (RIPK)2 accompanied by Iκ-B kinase (IKK) complexes to construct the nodosome, leading to nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. The aberrant activation of inflammasomes or nodosomes causes autoinflammatory diseases. Therefore, inflammasomes may be attractive targets to treat autoinflammatory diseases. Our aim is to develop reconstituted inflammasomes in a cell-free system to discover specific molecular-target drugs and elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of autoinflammatory diseases. In this review, we describe reconstituted inflammasomes in a cell-free system.

A cell-free method for expressing and reconstituting membrane proteins enables functional characterization of the plant receptor-like protein kinase FERONIA

There are more than 600 receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in Arabidopsis, but due to challenges associated with the characterization of membrane proteins, only a few have known biological functions. The plant RLK FERONIA is a peptide receptor and has been implicated in plant growth regulation, but little is known about its molecular mechanism of action. To investigate the properties of this enzyme, we used a cell-free wheat germ-based expression system in which mRNA encoding FERONIA was co-expressed with mRNA encoding the membrane scaffold protein variant MSP1D1. With the addition of the lipid cardiolipin, assembly of these proteins into nanodiscs was initiated. FERONIA protein kinase activity in nanodiscs was higher than that of soluble protein and comparable with other heterologously expressed protein kinases. Truncation experiments revealed that the cytoplasmic juxtamembrane domain is necessary for maximal FERONIA activity, whereas the transmembrane domain is inhibitory. An ATP analogue that reacts with lysine residues inhibited catalytic activity and labeled four lysines; mutagenesis demonstrated that two of these, Lys-565 and Lys-663, coordinate ATP in the active site. Mass spectrometric phosphoproteomic measurements further identified phosphorylation sites that were examined using phosphomimetic mutagenesis. The results of these experiments are consistent with a model in which kinase-mediated phosphorylation within the C-terminal region is inhibitory and regulates catalytic activity. These data represent a step further toward understanding the molecular basis for the protein kinase catalytic activity of FERONIA and show promise for future characterization of eukaryotic membrane proteins.

Reaction dynamics analysis of a reconstituted Escherichia coli protein translation system by computational modeling

To elucidate the dynamic features of a biologically relevant large-scale reaction network, we constructed a computational model of minimal protein synthesis consisting of 241 components and 968 reactions that synthesize the Met-Gly-Gly (MGG) peptide based on an Escherichia coli-based reconstituted in vitro protein synthesis system. We performed a simulation using parameters collected primarily from the literature and found that the rate of MGG peptide synthesis becomes nearly constant in minutes, thus achieving a steady state similar to experimental observations. In addition, concentration changes to 70% of the components, including intermediates, reached a plateau in a few minutes. However, the concentration change of each component exhibits several temporal plateaus, or a quasi-stationary state (QSS), before reaching the final plateau. To understand these complex dynamics, we focused on whether the components reached a QSS, mapped the arrangement of components in a QSS in the entire reaction network structure, and investigated time-dependent changes. We found that components in a QSS form clusters that grow over time but not in a linear fashion, and that this process involves the collapse and regrowth of clusters before the formation of a final large single cluster. These observations might commonly occur in other large-scale biological reaction networks. This developed analysis might be useful for understanding large-scale biological reactions by visualizing complex dynamics, thereby extracting the characteristics of the reaction network, including phase transitions.

Cell-free translational screening of an expression sequence tag library of Clonorchis sinensis for novel antigen discovery

The rapidly evolving cloning and sequencing technologies have enabled understanding of genomic structure of parasite genomes, opening up new ways of combatting parasite-related diseases. To make the most of the exponentially accumulating genomic data, however, it is crucial to analyze the proteins encoded by these genomic sequences. In this study, we adopted an engineered cell-free protein synthesis system for large-scale expression screening of an expression sequence tag (EST) library of Clonorchis sinensis to identify potential antigens that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of clonorchiasis. To allow high-throughput expression and identification of individual genes comprising the library, a cell-free synthesis reaction was designed such that both the template DNA and the expressed proteins were co-immobilized on the same microbeads, leading to microbead-based linkage of the genotype and phenotype. This reaction configuration allowed streamlined expression, recovery, and analysis of proteins. This approach enabled us to identify 21 antigenic proteins. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:832-837, 2017.

OsMYC2, an essential factor for JA-inductive sakuranetin production in rice, interacts with MYC2-like proteins that enhance its transactivation ability

Biosynthesis of sakuranetin, a flavonoid anti-fungal phytoalexin that occurs in rice, is highly dependent on jasmonic acid (JA) signalling and induced by a variety of environmental stimuli. We previously identified OsNOMT, which encodes naringenin 7-O-methyltransferase (NOMT); NOMT is a key enzyme for sakuranetin production. Although OsNOMT expression is induced by JA treatment, the regulation mechanism that activates the biosynthetic pathway of sakuranetin has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we show that JA-inducible basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional factor OsMYC2 drastically enhances the activity of the OsNOMT promoter and is essential for JA-inducible sakuranetin production. In addition, we identified 2 collaborators of OsMYC2, OsMYC2-like protein 1 and 2 (OsMYL1 and OsMYL2) that further activated the OsNOMT promoter in synergy with OsMYC2. Physical interaction of OsMYC2 with OsMYL1 and OsMYL2 further supported the idea that these interactions lead to the enhancement of the transactivation activity of OsMYC2. Our results indicate that JA signalling via OsMYC2 is reinforced by OsMYL1 and OsMYL2, resulting in the inductive production of sakuranetin during defence responses in rice.

Wheat Germ Cell-Free Overexpression for the Production of Membrane Proteins

Due to their hydrophobic nature, membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to express in classical cell-based protein expression systems. Often toxic, they also undergo degradation in cells or aggregate in inclusion bodies, making delicate issues further solubilization and renaturation. These are major bottlenecks in their structural and functional analysis. The wheat germ cell-free (WGE-CF) system offers an effective alternative not only to classical cell-based protein expression systems but also to other cell-free systems for the expression of membrane proteins. The WGE-CF indeed allows the production of milligram amounts of membrane proteins in a detergent-solubilized, homogenous, and active form. Here, we describe the method to produce a viral integral membrane protein, which is the non-structural protein 2 (NS2) of hepatitis C virus, in view of structural studies by solid-state NMR in a native-like lipid environment.

Cell-Free Synthetic Biology: Engineering Beyond the Cell

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) technologies have enabled inexpensive and rapid recombinant protein expression. Numerous highly active CFPS platforms are now available and have recently been used for synthetic biology applications. In this review, we focus on the ability of CFPS to expand our understanding of biological systems and its applications in the synthetic biology field. First, we outline a variety of CFPS platforms that provide alternative and complementary methods for expressing proteins from different organisms, compared with in vivo approaches. Next, we review the types of proteins, protein complexes, and protein modifications that have been achieved using CFPS systems. Finally, we introduce recent work on genetic networks in cell-free systems and the use of cell-free systems for rapid prototyping of in vivo networks. Given the flexibility of cell-free systems, CFPS holds promise to be a powerful tool for synthetic biology as well as a protein production technology in years to come.

TLN-58, an Additional hCAP18 Processing Form, Found in the Lesion Vesicle of Palmoplantar Pustulosis in the Skin

We previously reported that the early vesicle of the palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) vesicle originated from eccrine sweat in the acrosyringium and that the PPP vesicle contains the antimicrobial peptide human cathelicidin-18/LL-37. The concentration of LL-37 was sufficient to induce the subsequent inflammation in lesions and human keratinocytes, and the PPP vesicles contained additional small fragments of human cathelicidin-18, of approximately 7 kDa, which have not been identified. The aim of the present study was to clarify the additional processed forms found in PPP vesicles and their physiological effects on normal keratinocytes and sweat gland cells. Lesional PPP vesicles were collected from PPP patients, and endogenous human cathelicidin-18/LL-37 was depleted using a LL-37 antibody affinity column. A designed recombinant human cathelicidin-18 peptide was prepared and incubated with the depleted PPP vesicle fluid to confirm the additional processed form. In-gel digestion analysis and protein sequencing confirmed the additional form as TLN-58. TLN-58 up-regulated IL-17C, IL-8, IL-23, IL-1α, and IL-1β mRNA and protein expression in normal human keratinocytes and also showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and group A Streptococcus species, similar to LL-37. This additional form could be involved in the continued inflammation in PPP lesions.

Production of Recombinant CCN2 Protein in Escherichia coli

Recombinant proteins are important tools for understanding molecular functions in vitro. Recent progress in the generation of recombinant proteins is amazing. However, when we plan to produce them, we should choose the best method according to the nature and the use of the target recombinant protein. Degradation and mis-folding are major problems in producing active recombinant CCN2. The method shown in this chapter describes the appropriate conditions under which we can produce CCN2 and its truncated fragments in Escherichia coli.

Biosynthesis of membrane dependent proteins in insect cell lysates: identification of limiting parameters for folding and processing

G protein-coupled receptors, like many other membrane proteins, are notoriously difficult to synthesize in conventional cellular systems. Although expression in insect cells is considered the preferred technique for structural characterizations in particular, inefficient membrane translocation, instability, toxic effects and low yields still pose clear limitations for their production in living cells. Recent studies started to explore alternative strategies for the in vitro production of problematic membrane proteins in cell-free lysates in combination with supplied membranes. We provide a detailed study on the production efficiencies and quality of G protein-coupled receptors, Fab fragments and other proteins synthesized in insect cell lysates containing endogenous microsomes. Effects of different reaction kinetics, redox conditions and sample preparations on the specific activities of synthesized proteins have been analyzed. The extent of glycosylation, membrane translocation and percentages of ligand binding active fractions of synthesized protein samples have been determined. We provide strong evidence that membrane insertion of integral membrane proteins can represent a prime limiting factor for their preparative scale in vitro production. Improved expression protocols resulting into higher production rates yielded more active protein in case of Fab fragments, but not in case of the human endothelin B receptor.

AGIA Tag System Based on a High Affinity Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody against Human Dopamine Receptor D1 for Protein Analysis

Polypeptide tag technology is widely used for protein detection and affinity purification. It consists of two fundamental elements: a peptide sequence and a binder which specifically binds to the peptide tag. In many tag systems, antibodies have been used as binder due to their high affinity and specificity. Recently, we obtained clone Ra48, a high-affinity rabbit monoclonal antibody (mAb) against dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1). Here, we report a novel tag system composed of Ra48 antibody and its epitope sequence. Using a deletion assay, we identified EEAAGIARP in the C-terminal region of DRD1 as the minimal epitope of Ra48 mAb, and we named this sequence the "AGIA" tag, based on its central sequence. The tag sequence does not include the four amino acids, Ser, Thr, Tyr, or Lys, which are susceptible to post-translational modification. We demonstrated performance of this new tag system in biochemical and cell biology applications. SPR analysis demonstrated that the affinity of the Ra48 mAb to the AGIA tag was 4.90 × 10-9 M. AGIA tag showed remarkably high sensitivity and specificity in immunoblotting. A number of AGIA-fused proteins overexpressed in animal and plant cells were detected by anti-AGIA antibody in immunoblotting and immunostaining with low background, and were immunoprecipitated efficiently. Furthermore, a single amino acid substitution of the second Glu to Asp (AGIA/E2D) enabled competitive dissociation of AGIA/E2D-tagged protein by adding wild-type AGIA peptide. It enabled one-step purification of AGIA/E2D-tagged recombinant proteins by peptide competition under physiological conditions. The sensitivity and specificity of the AGIA system makes it suitable for use in multiple methods for protein analysis.

Biofunction-assisted DNA detection through RNase H-enhanced 3' processing of a premature tRNA probe in a wheat germ extract

We have developed a novel type of biofunction-assisted, signal-turn-on sensor for simply and homogenously detecting DNA. This sensor system is composed of two types of in vitro-transcribed label-free RNAs (a 3' premature amber suppressor tRNA probe and an amber-mutated mRNA encoding a reporter protein), RNase H, and a wheat germ extract (WGE). A target DNA induces the 3' end maturation of the tRNA probe, which is enhanced by RNase H and leads to the expression of a full-length reporter protein through amber suppression in WGE, while there is almost no expression without the target due to the inactivity of the premature probe. Therefore, the target can be readily detected with the activity of the translated reporter. The catalytic reuse of the target with the help of RNase H in addition to various bioprocesses in WGE enables this sensor system to exhibit relatively high selectivity and sensitivity.

Glucose transporter type 10-lacking in arterial tortuosity syndrome-facilitates dehydroascorbic acid transport

Loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding GLUT10 are responsible for arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS), a rare connective tissue disorder. In this study GLUT10-mediated dehydroascorbic acid (DAA) transport was investigated, supposing its involvement in the pathomechanism. GLUT10 protein produced by in vitro translation and incorporated into liposomes efficiently transported DAA. Silencing of GLUT10 decreased DAA transport in immortalized human fibroblasts whose plasma membrane was selectively permeabilized. Similarly, the transport of DAA through endomembranes was markedly reduced in fibroblasts from ATS patients. Re-expression of GLUT10 in patients' fibroblasts restored DAA transport activity. The present results demonstrate that GLUT10 is a DAA transporter and DAA transport is diminished in the endomembranes of fibroblasts from ATS patients.

Yeast knockout library allows for efficient testing of genomic mutations for cell-free protein synthesis

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems from crude lysates have benefitted from modifications to their enzyme composition. For example, functionally deleting enzymes in the source strain that are deleterious to CFPS can improve protein synthesis yields. However, making such modifications can take substantial time. As a proof-of-concept to accelerate prototyping capabilities, we assessed the feasibility of using the yeast knockout collection to identify negative effectors in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae CFPS platform. We analyzed extracts made from six deletion strains that targeted the single deletion of potentially negative effectors (e.g., nucleases). We found a statistically significant increase in luciferase yields upon loss of function of GCN3, PEP4, PPT1, NGL3, and XRN1 with a maximum increase of over 6-fold as compared to the wild type. Our work has implications for yeast CFPS and for rapidly prototyping strains to enable cell-free synthetic biology applications.

Biofunction-assisted aptasensors based on ligand-dependent 3' processing of a suppressor tRNA in a wheat germ extract

We have developed a novel type of biofunction-assisted aptasensor that harnesses ligand-dependent 3' processing of a premature amber suppressor tRNA and the subsequent amber suppression of a reporter gene in a wheat germ extract.

Compartmentalization and Transport in Synthetic Vesicles

Nanoscale vesicles have become a popular tool in life sciences. Besides liposomes that are generated from phospholipids of natural origin, polymersomes fabricated of synthetic block copolymers enjoy increasing popularity, as they represent more versatile membrane building blocks that can be selected based on their specific physicochemical properties, such as permeability, stability, or chemical reactivity. In this review, we focus on the application of simple and nested artificial vesicles in synthetic biology. First, we provide an introduction into the utilization of multicompartmented vesosomes as compartmentalized nanoscale bioreactors. In the bottom-up development of protocells from vesicular nanoreactors, the specific exchange of pathway intermediates across compartment boundaries represents a bottleneck for future studies. To date, most compartmented bioreactors rely on unspecific exchange of substrates and products. This is either based on changes in permeability of the coblock polymer shell by physicochemical triggers or by the incorporation of unspecific porin proteins into the vesicle membrane. Since the incorporation of membrane transport proteins into simple and nested artificial vesicles offers the potential for specific exchange of substances between subcompartments, it opens new vistas in the design of protocells. Therefore, we devote the main part of the review to summarize the technical advances in the use of phospholipids and block copolymers for the reconstitution of membrane proteins.

A High Performance Platform Based on cDNA Display for Efficient Synthesis of Protein Fusions and Accelerated Directed Evolution

We describe a high performance platform based on cDNA display technology by developing a new modified puromycin linker-oligonucleotide. The linker consists of four major characteristics: a "ligation site" for hybridization and ligation of mRNA by T4 RNA ligase, a "puromycin arm" for covalent linkage of the protein, a "polyadenosine site" for a longer puromycin arm and purification of protein fusions (optional) using oligo-dT matrices, and a "reverse transcription site" for the formation of stable cDNA protein fusions whose cDNA is covalently linked to its encoded protein. The linker was synthesized by a novel branching strategy and provided >8-fold higher yield than previous linkers. This linker enables rapid and highly efficient ligation of mRNA (>90%) and synthesis of protein fusions (∼ 50-95%) in various cell-free expression systems. Overall, this new cDNA display method provides 10-200 fold higher end-usage fusions than previous methods and benefits higher diversity libraries crucial for directed protein/peptide evolution. With the increased efficiency, this system was able to reduce the time for one selection cycle to <8 h and is potentially amenable to high-throughput systems. We demonstrate the efficiency of this system for higher throughput selections of various biomolecular interactions and achieved 30-40-fold enrichment per selection cycle. Furthermore, a 4-fold higher enrichment of Flag-tag was obtained from a doped mixture compared with that of the previous cDNA display method. A three-finger protein library was evolved to isolate superior nanomolar range binding candidates for vascular endothelial growth factor. This method is expected to provide a beneficial impact to accelerated drug discovery and proteome analysis.

Rational optimization of amber suppressor tRNAs toward efficient incorporation of a non-natural amino acid into protein in a eukaryotic wheat germ extract

Amber suppressor tRNAs (sup-tRNAs) were rationally optimized toward efficient incorporation of a non-natural amino acid (AcPhe) into protein in a eukaryotic wheat germ extract.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by tunicamycin increases resistin messenger ribonucleic acid through the pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum eukaryotic initiation factor 2α kinase-activating transcription factor 4-CAAT/enhancer binding protein-α homologous protein pathway in THP-1 human monocytes

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

Resistin, secreted from adipocytes, causes insulin resistance in mice. In humans, the resistin gene is mainly expressed in monocytes and macrophages. Tunicamycin is known to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and reduce resistin gene expression in 3T3-L1 mouse adipocytes. The aim of the present study was to examine whether ER stress affects resistin gene expression in human monocytes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The relationship between resistin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and ER stress markers mRNA was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in isolated monocytes of 30 healthy volunteers. The effect of endotoxin/lipopolysaccharides or tunicamycin on resistin gene expression was analyzed in THP-1 human monocytes. Signaling pathways leading to resistin mRNA were assessed by the knockdown using small interfering RNA or overexpression of key molecules involved in unfolded protein response.

RESULTS

Resistin mRNA was positively associated with immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein (BiP) or CAAT/enhancer binding protein-α homologous protein (CHOP) mRNA in human isolated monocytes. In THP-1 cells, lipopolysaccharides increased mRNA of BiP, pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum eukaryotic initiation factor 2α kinase (PERK) and CHOP, as well as resistin. Tunicamycin also increased resistin mRNA. This induction appeared to be dose- and time-dependent. Tunicamycin-induced resistin mRNA was inhibited by chemical chaperone, 4-phenylbutyric acid. The knockdown of either PERK, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) or CHOP reduced tunicamycin-induced resistin mRNA. Conversely, overexpression of ATF4 or CHOP increased resistin mRNA.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by tunicamycin increased resistin mRNA through the PERK-ATF4-CHOP pathway in THP-1 human monocytes. ER stress could lead to insulin resistance through enhanced resistin gene expression in human monocytes.

Formation of New Polysomes on Free mRNAs in a Cell-Free Translation Systems Is Accompanied by Partial Disassembly of Previously Formed Polysomes

A method for detection of the fluorescence-labeled mRNA in translating ribosomal complexes has been developed. It is demonstrated that in the working cell-free translation system with preformed polysomes, formation of new polysomes on free mRNA takes place. For the first time, it is shown that the process is accompanied by partial disassembly of the previously formed polysomes. This result is interpreted as an indication of the direct relationship between processes of translation termination of polysomal ribosomes and translation initiation of free mRNAs.

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis: Pros and Cons of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Systems

From its start as a small-scale in vitro system to study fundamental translation processes, cell-free protein synthesis quickly rose to become a potent platform for the high-yield production of proteins. In contrast to classical in vivo protein expression, cell-free systems do not need time-consuming cloning steps, and the open nature provides easy manipulation of reaction conditions as well as high-throughput potential. Especially for the synthesis of difficult to express proteins, such as toxic and transmembrane proteins, cell-free systems are of enormous interest. The modification of the genetic code to incorporate non-canonical amino acids into the target protein in particular provides enormous potential in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and is in the focus of many cell-free projects. Many sophisticated cell-free systems for manifold applications have been established. This review describes the recent advances in cell-free protein synthesis and details the expanding applications in this field.

A cell-free enzymatic activity assay for the evaluation of HIV-1 drug resistance to protease inhibitors

Due to their high frequency of genomic mutations, human retroviruses often develop resistance to antiretroviral drugs. The emergence of drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a significant obstacle to the effective long-term treatment of HIV infection. The development of a rapid and versatile drug-susceptibility assay would enable acquisition of phenotypic information and facilitate determination of the appropriate choice of antiretroviral agents. In this study, we developed a novel in vitro method, termed the Cell-free drug susceptibility assay (CFDSA), for monitoring phenotypic information regarding the drug resistance of HIV-1 protease (PR). The CFDSA utilizes a wheat germ cell-free protein production system to synthesize enzymatically active HIV-1 PRs directly from PCR products amplified from HIV-1 molecular clones or clinical isolates in a rapid one-step procedure. Enzymatic activity of PRs can be readily measured by AlphaScreen (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay Screen) in the presence or absence of clinically used protease inhibitors (PIs). CFDSA measurement of drug resistance was based on the fold resistance to the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of various PIs. The CFDSA could serve as a non-infectious, rapid, accessible, and reliable alternative to infectious cell-based phenotypic assays for evaluation of PI-resistant HIV-1.

Autoantibody Profiles in Collagen Disease Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD): Antibodies to Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I-Related Chain A (MICA) as Markers of ILD

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is frequently associated with collagen disease. It is then designated as collagen vascular disease-associated ILD (CVD-ILD), and influences patients' prognosis. The prognosis of acute-onset diffuse ILD (AoDILD) occurring in patients with collagen disease is quite poor. Here, we report our investigation of auto-antibody (Ab) profiles to determine whether they may be useful in diagnosing CVD-ILD or AoDILD in collagen disease. Auto-Ab profiles were analyzed using the Lambda Array Beads Multi-Analyte System, granulocyte immunofluorescence test, Proto-Array Human Protein Microarray, AlphaScreen assay, and glutathione S-transferase capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 34 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with or without CVD-ILD and in 15 patients with collagen disease with AoDILD. The average anti-major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) Ab levels were higher in RA patients with CVD-ILD than in those without (P = 0.0013). The ratio of the average anti-MICA Ab level to the average anti-human leukocyte antigen class I Ab level (ie, MICA/Class I) was significantly higher in RA patients with CVD-ILD compared with those without (P = 4.47 × 10(-5)). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of auto-Ab profiles in CVD-ILD. The MICA/Class I ratio could be a better marker for diagnosing CVD-ILD than KL-6 (Krebs von den lungen-6).

Apoglobin Stability Is the Major Factor Governing both Cell-free and in Vivo Expression of Holomyoglobin

Expression levels in animal muscle tissues and in Escherichia coli vary widely for naturally occurring mammalian myoglobins (Mb). To explore this variation, we developed an in vitro transcription and wheat germ extract-based translation assay to examine quantitatively the factors that govern expression of holoMb. We constructed a library of naturally occurring Mbs from two terrestrial and four deep-diving aquatic mammals and three distal histidine mutants designed to enhance apoglobin stability but decrease hemin affinity. A strong linear correlation is observed between cell-free expression levels of holo-metMb variants and their corresponding apoglobin stabilities, which were measured independently by guanidine HCl-induced unfolding titrations using purified proteins. In contrast, there is little dependence of expression on hemin affinity. Our results confirm quantitatively that deep diving mammals have highly stable Mbs that express to higher levels in animal myocytes, E. coli, and the wheat germ cell-free system than Mbs from terrestrial mammals. Our theoretical analyses show that the rate of aggregation of unfolded apoMb is very large, and as a result, the key factor for high level expression of holoMb, and presumably other heme proteins, is an ultra high fraction of folded, native apoglobin that is capable of rapidly binding hemin. This fraction is determined by the overall equilibrium folding constant and not hemin affinity. These results also demonstrate that the cell-free transcription/translation system can be used as a high throughput platform to screen for apoglobin stability without the need to generate large amounts of protein for in vitro unfolding measurements.

The proto-oncogene survivin splice variant 2B is induced by PDGF and leads to cell proliferation in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes

Survivin is an independent prognostic factor for joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the expression and function of survivin in RA synoviocytes remain unclear. We certified the expression of survivin in RA synovial tissues and performed the experiment using RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) treated with siRNA. As a result, the expression levels of wild type (WT) survivin and the 2B splice variants in RA synovial tissues were higher than those in osteoarthritis tissue samples, and, these variants were highly expressed in RA-FLS. The expression levels of survivin-WT and -2B in the RA-FLS were upregulated by PDGF. Treatment with siRNA against survivin-2B led to decreased viability of PDGF-treated RA-FLS due to cell cycle suppression and apoptosis promotion, while the siRNA against all survivin isoforms did not affect the viability. Moreover, an overexpression of survivin-2B in RA-FLS led to cell proliferation through cell cycle activation and by conferring resistance to apoptosis. In conclusion, survivin-2B has an important role in RA-FLS proliferation. These data suggest that survivin-2B might contribute to rheumatoid synovial hyperplasia, and have the potential as a novel therapeutic target for RA.

Members of the Plant CRK Superfamily Are Capable of Trans- and Autophosphorylation of Tyrosine Residues

Protein phosphorylation on Tyr residues is a key post-translational modification in mammals. In plants, recent studies have identified Tyr-specific protein phosphatase and Tyr-phosphorylated proteins in Arabidopsis by phosphoproteomic screenings, implying that plants have a Tyr phosphorylation signal pathway. However, little is known about the protein kinases (PKs) involved in Tyr phosphorylation in plants. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK/CPK)-related PKs (CRKs) have high Tyr-autophosphorylation activity and that they can phosphorylate Tyr residue(s) on substrate proteins in Arabidopsis. To identify PKs for Tyr phosphorylation, we examined the autophosphorylation activity of 759 PKs using an Arabidopsis protein array based on a wheat cell-free system. In total, we identified 38 PKs with Tyr-autophosphorylation activity. The CRK family was a major protein family identified. A cell-free substrate screening revealed that these CRKs phosphorylate β-tubulin (TBB) 2, TBB7, and certain transcription factors (TFs) such as ethylene response factor 13 (ERF13). All five CRKs tested showed Tyr-auto/trans-phosphorylation activity and especially two CRKs, CRK2 and CRK3, showed a high ERF13 Tyr-phosphorylation activity. A cell-based transient expression assay revealed that Tyr(16/)Tyr(207) sites in ERF13 were phosphorylated by CRK3 and that Tyr phosphorylation of endogenous TBBs occurs in CRK2 overexpressing cells. Furthermore, crk2 and crk3 mutants showed a decrease in the Tyr phosphorylation level of TBBs. These results suggest that CRKs have Tyr kinase activity, and these might be one of the major PKs responsible for protein Tyr phosphorylation in Arabidopsis plants.

Cotranslational incorporation of non-standard amino acids using cell-free protein synthesis

Over the last years protein engineering using non-standard amino acids has gained increasing attention. As a result, improved methods are now available, enabling the efficient and directed cotranslational incorporation of various non-standard amino acids to equip proteins with desired characteristics. In this context, the utilization of cell-free protein synthesis is particularly useful due to the direct accessibility of the translational machinery and synthesized proteins without having to maintain a vital cellular host. We review prominent methods for the incorporation of non-standard amino acids into proteins using cell-free protein synthesis. Furthermore, a list of non-standard amino acids that have been successfully incorporated into proteins in cell-free systems together with selected applications is provided.

Automated production of functional membrane proteins using eukaryotic cell-free translation systems

Due to their high abundance and pharmacological relevance there is a growing demand for the efficient production of functional membrane proteins. In this context, cell-free protein synthesis represents a valuable alternative that allows for the high-throughput synthesis of functional membrane proteins. Here, we demonstrate the potential of our cell-free protein synthesis system, based on lysates from cultured Spodoptera frugiperda 21 cells, to produce pro- and eukaryotic membrane proteins with individual topological characteristics in an automated fashion. Analytical techniques, including confocal laser scanning microscopy, fluorescence detection of eYFP fusion proteins in a microplate reader and in-gel fluorescence of statistically incorporated fluorescent amino acid derivatives were employed. The reproducibility of our automated synthesis approach is underlined by coefficients of variation below 7.2%. Moreover, the functionality of the cell-free synthesized potassium channel KcsA was analyzed electrophysiologically. Finally, we expanded our cell-free membrane protein synthesis system by an orthogonal tRNA/synthetase pair for the site-directed incorporation of p-Azido-l-phenylalanine based on stop codon suppression. Incorporation was optimized by performance of a two-dimensional screening with different Mg(2+) and lysate concentrations. Subsequently, the selective modification of membrane proteins with incorporated p-Azido-l-phenylalanine was exemplified by Staudinger ligation with a phosphine-based fluorescence dye.

Biochemical requirements for two Dicer-like activities from wheat germ

RNA silencing pathways were first discovered in plants. Through genetic analysis, it has been established that the key silencing components called Dicer-like (DCL) genes have been shown to cooperatively process RNA substrates of multiple origin into distinct 21, 22 and 24 nt small RNAs. However, only few detailed biochemical analysis of the corresponding complexes has been carried out in plants, mainly due to the large unstable complexes that are hard to obtain or reconstitute in heterologous systems. Reconstitution of activity needs thorough understanding of all protein partners in the complex, something that is still an ongoing process in plant systems. Here, we use biochemical analysis to uncover properties of two previously identified native dicer-like activities from wheat germ. We find that standard wheat germ extract contains Dicer-like enzymes that convert double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into two classes of small interfering RNAs of 21 and 24 nt in size. The 21 nt dicing activity, likely an siRNA producing complex known as DCL4, is 950 kDa-1.2 mDa in size and is highly unstable during purification processes but has a rather vast range for activity. On the contrary, the 24 nt dicing complex, likely the DCL3 activity, is relatively stable and comparatively smaller in size, but has stricter conditions for effective processing of dsRNA substrates. While both activities could process completely complementary dsRNA albeit with varying abilities, we show that DCL3-like 24 nt producing activity is equally good in processing incompletely complementary RNAs.

Investigation of end processing and degradation of premature tRNAs and their application to stabilization of in vitro transcripts in wheat germ extract

We investigated the end processing and degradation of premature tRNAs in wheat germ extract (left), which led to the findings of end protectors for efficiently stabilizing an in vitro transcript (purple, right).

Cell-free protein synthesis systems derived from cultured mammalian cells

We present a technology for the production of target proteins using novel cell-free systems derived from cultured human K562 cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The protocol includes the cultivation of cells, the preparation of translationally active lysates, and the cell-free synthesis of desired proteins. An efficient expression vector based on the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) from the intergenic region (IGR) of the cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) was constructed for both systems. The coupled batch-based platforms enable the synthesis of a broad range of target proteins such as cytosolic proteins, secreted proteins, membrane proteins embedded into endogenous microsomes, and glycoproteins. The glycosylation of erythropoietin demonstrates the successful performance of posttranslational modifications in the novel cell-free systems. Protein yields of approximately 20 μg/ml (K562-based cell-free system) and 50 μg/ml (CHO-based cell-free system) of active firefly luciferase are obtained in the coupled transcription-translation systems within 3 h. As a result, both cell-free protein synthesis systems serve as powerful tools for high-throughput proteomics.

Engineering of ribosomal shunt-modulating eukaryotic ON riboswitches by using a cell-free translation system

A number of natural and artificial bacterial riboswitches have been reported thus far. However, they generally function only in bacteria, not in eukaryotes. This is because of the differences of expression mechanisms (transcription, translation, and so on) between these two main types of organisms. For example, the mechanism of translation initiation is quite different between bacteria and eukaryotes, especially in ribosome loading on mRNA. While the bacterial ribosome binds to a well-conserved, internal sequence some bases before the start codon to initiate translation, the eukaryotic one is loaded on the 5' terminus with the help of certain eukaryotic initiation factors. This means not only that bacterial riboswitches regulating translation initiation are not available in eukaryotic translation systems, but also that it is physically difficult to construct eukaryotic ON riboswitches that regulate the eukaryotic canonical translation initiation, because an aptamer cannot be inserted upstream of the ribosome loading site. However, the mechanism of noncanonical translation initiation via "ribosomal shunt" enables us to design translation initiation-modulating (specifically, ribosomal shunt-modulating) eukaryotic ON riboswitches. This chapter describes a facile method for engineering these ribosomal shunt-modulating eukaryotic ON riboswitches by using a cell-free translation system. Because these riboswitches do not require hybridization switching thanks to a unique shunting mechanism, they have the major advantages of a low energy requirement for upregulation and relatively straightforward design over common hybridization switch-based ON riboswitches.

High-throughput synthesis of stable isotope-labeled transmembrane proteins for targeted transmembrane proteomics using a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis system

Using a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis system, we developed a high-throughput method for the synthesis of stable isotope-labeled full-length transmembrane proteins as proteoliposomes to mimic the in vivo environment, and we successfully constructed an internal standard library for targeted transmembrane proteomics by using mass spectrometry.

Developmental strategies and regulation of cell-free enzyme system for ethanol production: a molecular prospective

Most biomanufacturing systems developed for the production of biocommodities are based on whole-cell systems. However, with the advent of innovative technologies, the focus has shifted from whole-cell towards cell-free enzyme system. Since more than a century, researchers are using the cell-free extract containing the required enzymes and their respective cofactors in order to study the fundamental aspects of biological systems, particularly fermentation. Although yeast cell-free enzyme system is known since long ago, it is rarely been studied and characterized in detail. In this review, we hope to describe the major pitfalls encountered by whole-cell system and introduce possible solutions to them using cell-free enzyme systems. We have discussed the glycolytic and fermentative pathways and their regulation at both transcription and translational levels. Moreover, several strategies employed for development of cell-free enzyme system have been described with their potential merits and shortcomings associated with these developmental approaches. We also described in detail the various developmental approaches of synthetic cell-free enzyme system such as compartmentalization, metabolic channeling, protein fusion, and co-immobilization strategies. Additionally, we portrayed the novel cell-free enzyme technologies based on encapsulation and immobilization techniques and their development and commercialization. Through this review, we have presented the basics of cell-free enzyme system, the strategies involved in development and operation, and the advantages over conventional processes. Finally, we have addressed some potential directions for the future development and industrialization of cell-free enzyme system.

Vesicular LL-37 contributes to inflammation of the lesional skin of palmoplantar pustulosis

“Pustulosis palmaris et plantaris”, or palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP), is a chronic pustular dermatitis characterized by intraepidermal palmoplantar pustules. Although early stage vesicles (preceding the pustular phase) formed in the acrosyringium contain the antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin (hCAP-18/LL-37) and dermcidin, the details of hCAP-18/LL-37 expression in such vesicles remain unclear. The principal aim of the present study was to clarify the manner of hCAP-18/LL-37 expression in PPP vesicles and to determine whether this material contributed to subsequent inflammation of lesional skin. PPP vesicle fluid (PPP-VF) induced the expression of mRNAs encoding IL-17C, IL-8, IL-1α, and IL-1β in living skin equivalents, but the level of only IL-8 mRNA decreased significantly upon stimulation of PPP vesicle with depletion of endogenous hCAP-18/LL-37 by affinity chromatography (dep-PPP-VF). Semi-quantitative dot-blot analysis revealed higher concentrations of hCAP-18/LL-37 in PPP-VF compared to healthy sweat (2.87±0.93 µM vs. 0.09±0.09 µM). This concentration of hCAP-18/LL-37 in PPP-VF could upregulate expression of IL-17C, IL-8, IL-1α, and IL-1β at both the mRNA and protein levels. Recombinant hCAP-18 was incubated with dep-PPP-VF. Proteinase 3, which converts hCAP-18 to the active form (LL-37), was present in PPP-VF. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination revealed that early stage vesicles contained many mononuclear cells but no polymorphonuclear cells, and the mononuclear cells were CD68-positive. The epidermis surrounding the vesicle expresses monocyte chemotactic chemokine, CCL2. In conclusion, PPP-VF contains the proteinase required for LL-37 processing and also may directly upregulate IL-8 in lesional keratinocytes, in turn contributing to the subsequent inflammation of PPP lesional skin.

Rational design of artificial ON-riboswitches

Riboswitches are composed of two regions: one for binding to the ligand (the aptamer domain) and the other for regulating the expression of the gene (the expression platform). In most riboswitches (both natural and artificial), a part of the aptamer domain required for ligand binding is directly involved in the regulation of expression, so that it is difficult to design other ligand-responsive riboswitches based on these riboswitches even by using artificial aptamers obtained through in vitro selection. This chapter describes a method for rationally constructing a foundational ON-riboswitch, which is easily available for the design of other ligand-dependent riboswitches, by introducing a new region (a modulator sequence: MS) in addition to the two basic regions. A facile method for preparing arbitrary molecule-dependent riboswitches based on the foundational riboswitch is also presented.

Overview of cell-free protein synthesis: historic landmarks, commercial systems, and expanding applications

During the early days of molecular biology, cell-free protein synthesis played an essential role in deciphering the genetic code and contributed to our understanding of translation of protein from messenger RNA. Owing to several decades of major and incremental improvements, modern cell-free systems have achieved higher protein synthesis yields at lower production costs. Commercial cell-free systems are now available from a variety of material sources, ranging from "traditional" E. coli, rabbit reticulocyte lysate, and wheat germ extracts, to recent insect and human cell extracts, to defined systems reconstituted from purified recombinant components. Although each cell-free system has certain advantages and disadvantages, the diversity of the cell-free systems allows in vitro synthesis of a wide range of proteins for a variety of downstream applications. In the post-genomic era, cell-free protein synthesis has rapidly become the preferred approach for high-throughput functional and structural studies of proteins and a versatile tool for in vitro protein evolution and synthetic biology. This unit provides a brief history of cell-free protein synthesis and describes key advances in modern cell-free systems, practical differences between widely used commercial cell-free systems, and applications of this important technology.

Improved cell-free RNA and protein synthesis system

Cell-free RNA and protein synthesis (CFPS) is becoming increasingly used for protein production as yields increase and costs decrease. Advances in reconstituted CFPS systems such as the Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements (PURE) system offer new opportunities to tailor the reactions for specialized applications including in vitro protein evolution, protein microarrays, isotopic labeling, and incorporating unnatural amino acids. In this study, using firefly luciferase synthesis as a reporter system, we improved PURE system productivity up to 5 fold by adding or adjusting a variety of factors that affect transcription and translation, including Elongation factors (EF-Ts, EF-Tu, EF-G, and EF4), ribosome recycling factor (RRF), release factors (RF1, RF2, RF3), chaperones (GroEL/ES), BSA and tRNAs. The work provides a more efficient defined in vitro transcription and translation system and a deeper understanding of the factors that limit the whole system efficiency.

Identification of short untranslated regions that sufficiently enhance translation in high-quality wheat germ extract

High-quality wheat germ extract (hqWGE) is very useful for the high-yield production of various types of protein. The most important key to high productivity is the design of mRNA templates. Although the design has been refined for straightforward and efficient translation in hqWGE, there is still room for improvement in untranslated regions (UTRs), especially the 3' UTR length, because a long, cumbersome 3' UTR is commonly used for translation enhancement. Here we examined some short viral 3' cap-independent translation enhancers (3' CITEs) to identify effective ones for efficient translation in hqWGE. We then combined the most effective 3' CITE and a 5' enhancer to further increase the translation efficiency. mRNA with the optimal short 3' and 5' UTRs, both of whose length was less than 150 nt, exhibited a productivity of 1.4 mg/mL in prolonged large-scale protein synthesis in hqWGE, which was comparable to that of control mRNA with a commonly-used long 3' UTR (∼1200 nt).

Wheat germ systems for cell-free protein expression

Cell-free protein expression plays an important role in biochemical research. However, only recent developments led to new methods to rapidly synthesize preparative amounts of protein that make cell-free protein expression an attractive alternative to cell-based methods. In particular the wheat germ system provides the highest translation efficiency among eukaryotic cell-free protein expression approaches and has a very high success rate for the expression of soluble proteins of good quality. As an open in vitro method, the wheat germ system is a preferable choice for many applications in protein research including options for protein labeling and the expression of difficult-to-express proteins like membrane proteins and multiple protein complexes. Here I describe wheat germ cell-free protein expression systems and give examples how they have been used in genome-wide expression studies, preparation of labeled proteins for structural genomics and protein mass spectroscopy, automated protein synthesis, and screening of enzymatic activities. Future directions for the use of cell-free expression methods are discussed.