1
|
Kaur V, Garg S, Rakshit S. Polyprotein synthesis: a journey from the traditional pre-translational method to modern post-translational approaches for single-molecule force spectroscopy. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023. [PMID: 37183922 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc01756g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Polyproteins, an array of protein units of similar or differential functions in tandem, have been extensively utilized by organisms, unicellular or multicellular, as concentrators of the myriad of molecular activities. Most eukaryotic proteins, two-thirds in unicellular organisms, and more than 80% in metazoans, are polyproteins. Although the use of polyproteins continues to evolve in nature, our understanding of the structure-function-property of polyproteins is still limited. Cumbersome recombinant strategies and the lack of convenient in vitro synthetic routes of polyproteins have been rate-determining factors in the progress. However, in this review we have discussed the revolutionary journey of polyprotein synthesis with a major focus on surface-based structure-function-property studies, especially using force spectroscopy at the single-molecule level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veerpal Kaur
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Surbhi Garg
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Sabyasachi Rakshit
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
- Centre for Protein Science Design and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lee CH, Lee JH, Lee JY, Cui CH, Cho BK, Kim SC. Novel Split Intein-Mediated Enzymatic Channeling Accelerates the Multimeric Bioconversion Pathway of Ginsenoside. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:3296-3304. [PMID: 36150110 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Cascade reaction systems, such as protein fusion and synthetic protein scaffold systems, can both spatially control the metabolic flux and boost the productivity of multistep enzymatic reactions. Despite many efforts to generate fusion proteins, this task remains challenging due to the limited expression of complex enzymes. Therefore, we developed a novel fusion system that bypasses the limited expression of complex enzymes via a post-translational linkage. Here, we report a split intein-mediated cascade system wherein orthogonal split inteins serve as adapters for protein ligation. A genetically programmable, self-assembled, and traceless split intein was utilized to generate a biocatalytic cascade to produce the ginsenoside compound K (CK) with various pharmacological activities, including anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects. We used two types of split inteins, consensus atypical (Cat) and Rma DnaB, to form a covalent scaffold with the three enzymes involved in the CK conversion pathway. The multienzymatic complex with a size greater than 240 kDa was successfully assembled in a soluble form and exhibited specific activity toward ginsenoside conversion. Furthermore, our split intein cascade system significantly increased the CK conversion rate and reduced the production time by more than 2-fold. Our multienzymatic cascade system that uses split inteins can be utilized as a platform for regulating multimeric bioconversion pathways and boosting the production of various high-value substances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cho-Heun Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Jun-Hyoung Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Ju Young Lee
- Research Center for Bio-based Chemistry, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Ulsan 44429, Korea
| | - Chang-Hao Cui
- Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Byung-Kwan Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Sun-Chang Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea.,Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kang C, Shrestha KL, Kwon S, Park S, Kim J, Kwon Y. Intein-Mediated Protein Engineering for Cell-Based Biosensors. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12050283. [PMID: 35624584 PMCID: PMC9138240 DOI: 10.3390/bios12050283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based sensors provide a flexible platform for screening biologically active targets and for monitoring their interactions in live cells. Their applicability extends across a vast array of biological research and clinical applications. Particularly, cell-based sensors are becoming a potent tool in drug discovery and cell-signaling studies by allowing function-based screening of targets in biologically relevant environments and enabling the in vivo visualization of cellular signals in real-time with an outstanding spatiotemporal resolution. In this review, we aim to provide a clear view of current cell-based sensor technologies, their limitations, and how the recent improvements were using intein-mediated protein engineering. We first discuss the characteristics of cell-based sensors and present several representative examples with a focus on their design strategies, which differentiate cell-based sensors from in vitro analytical biosensors. We then describe the application of intein-mediated protein engineering technology for cell-based sensor fabrication. Finally, we explain the characteristics of intein-mediated reactions and present examples of how the intein-mediated reactions are used to improve existing methods and develop new approaches in sensor cell fabrication to address the limitations of current technologies.
Collapse
|
4
|
SufB intein splicing in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is influenced by two remote conserved N-extein histidines. Biosci Rep 2022; 42:230724. [PMID: 35234249 PMCID: PMC8891592 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20212207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins are auto-processing domains that implement a multistep biochemical reaction termed protein splicing, marked by cleavage and formation of peptide bonds. They excise from a precursor protein, generating a functional protein via covalent bonding of flanking exteins. We report the kinetic study of splicing and cleavage reaction in [Fe–S] cluster assembly protein SufB from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtu). Although it follows a canonical intein splicing pathway, distinct features are added by extein residues present in the active site. Sequence analysis identified two conserved histidines in the N-extein region; His-5 and His-38. Kinetic analyses of His-5Ala and His-38Ala SufB mutants exhibited significant reductions in splicing and cleavage rates relative to the SufB wildtype (WT) precursor protein. Structural analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggested that Mtu SufB displays a unique mechanism where two remote histidines work concurrently to facilitate N-terminal cleavage reaction. His-38 is stabilized by the solvent-exposed His-5, and can impact N–S acyl shift by direct interaction with the catalytic Cys1. Development of inteins as biotechnological tools or as pathogen-specific novel antimicrobial targets requires a more complete understanding of such unexpected roles of conserved extein residues in protein splicing.
Collapse
|
5
|
Chen S, Rehm B. Use Intein Cleavable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthase Fusions to Improve Protein Solubility. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2406:145-153. [PMID: 35089555 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1859-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant E. coli producing intein-cleavable polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase fusions mediates the intracellular formation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) particles densely coated with intein-cleavable target protein fusion. These PHA particles can be efficiently purified from lysed cells. The self-cleaving intein performs as a bio-linker between the PHA synthase and the target protein. The tagless target protein can be released as pure soluble protein from the PHA particles by a simple pH reduction to 6.0. Here we describe that PHA particles serve as bioseparation resin for purification of soluble target proteins with pharmaceutical grade purity, similar to commercial affinity separation technologies. This cost-effective technique does not involve multiple complicated protein purification procedures, and we have exploited this approach to purify six target proteins: green fluorescent protein (GFP) from A. victoria, antigen Rv1626 from M. tuberculosis, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding ZZ domain of protein A derived from Staphylococcus aureus, human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and human interferon alpha 2b (IFNα2b).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuxiong Chen
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Bernd Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chen P, Paschoal Sobreira TJ, Hall MC, Hazbun TR. Discovering the N-Terminal Methylome by Repurposing of Proteomic Datasets. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:4231-4247. [PMID: 34382793 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Protein α-N-methylation is an underexplored post-translational modification involving the covalent addition of methyl groups to the free α-amino group at protein N-termini. To systematically explore the extent of α-N-terminal methylation in yeast and humans, we reanalyzed publicly accessible proteomic datasets to identify N-terminal peptides contributing to the α-N-terminal methylome. This repurposing approach found evidence of α-N-methylation of established and novel protein substrates with canonical N-terminal motifs of established α-N-terminal methyltransferases, including human NTMT1/2 and yeast Tae1. NTMT1/2 are implicated in cancer and aging processes but have unclear and context-dependent roles. Moreover, α-N-methylation of noncanonical sequences was surprisingly prevalent, suggesting unappreciated and cryptic methylation events. Analysis of the amino acid frequencies of α-N-methylated peptides revealed a [S]1-[S/A/Q]2 pattern in yeast and [A/N/G]1-[A/S/V]2-[A/G]3 in humans, which differs from the canonical motif. We delineated the distribution of the two types of prevalent N-terminal modifications, acetylation and methylation, on amino acids at the first position. We tested three potentially methylated proteins and confirmed the α-N-terminal methylation of Hsp31 by additional proteomic analysis and immunoblotting. The other two proteins, Vma1 and Ssa3, were found to be predominantly acetylated, indicating that proteomic searching for α-N-terminal methylation requires careful consideration of mass spectra. This study demonstrates the feasibility of reprocessing proteomic data for global α-N-terminal methylome investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Panyue Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | | | - Mark C Hall
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.,Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Tony R Hazbun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.,Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Comparative Genomics of Three Novel Jumbo Bacteriophages Infecting Staphylococcus aureus. J Virol 2021; 95:e0239120. [PMID: 34287047 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02391-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of previously described Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages belong to three major groups: P68-like podophages, Twort-like or K-like myophages, and a more diverse group of temperate siphophages. Here we present three novel S. aureus "jumbo" phages: MarsHill, Madawaska, and Machias. These phages were isolated from swine production environments in the United States and represent a novel clade of S. aureus myophage. The average genome size for these phages is ∼269 kb with each genome encoding ∼263 predicted protein-coding genes. Phage genome organization and content is similar to known jumbo phages of Bacillus, including AR9 and vB_BpuM-BpSp. All three phages possess genes encoding complete virion and non-virion RNA polymerases, multiple homing endonucleases, and a retron-like reverse transcriptase. Like AR9, all of these phages are presumed to have uracil-substituted DNA which interferes with DNA sequencing. These phages are also able to transduce host plasmids, which is significant as these phages were found circulating in swine production environments and can also infect human S. aureus isolates. Importance of work: This study describes the comparative genomics of three novel S. aureus jumbo phages: MarsHill, Madawaska, and Machias. These three S. aureus myophages represent an emerging class of S. aureus phage. These genomes contain abundant introns which show a pattern consistent with repeated acquisition rather than vertical inheritance, suggesting intron acquisition and loss is an active process in the evolution of these phages. These phages have presumably hypermodified DNA which inhibits sequencing by several different common platforms. Therefore, these phages also represent potential genomic diversity that has been missed due to the limitations of standard sequencing techniques. In particular, such hypermodified genomes may be missed by metagenomic studies due to their resistance to standard sequencing techniques. Phage MarsHill was found to be able to transduce host DNA at levels comparable to that found for other transducing S. aureus phages, making them a potential vector for horizontal gene transfer in the environment.
Collapse
|
8
|
Ho TYH, Shao A, Lu Z, Savilahti H, Menolascina F, Wang L, Dalchau N, Wang B. A systematic approach to inserting split inteins for Boolean logic gate engineering and basal activity reduction. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2200. [PMID: 33850130 PMCID: PMC8044194 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22404-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Split inteins are powerful tools for seamless ligation of synthetic split proteins. Yet, their use remains limited because the already intricate split site identification problem is often complicated by the requirement of extein junction sequences. To address this, we augment a mini-Mu transposon-based screening approach and devise the intein-assisted bisection mapping (IBM) method. IBM robustly reveals clusters of split sites on five proteins, converting them into AND or NAND logic gates. We further show that the use of inteins expands functional sequence space for splitting a protein. We also demonstrate the utility of our approach over rational inference of split sites from secondary structure alignment of homologous proteins, and that basal activities of highly active proteins can be mitigated by splitting them. Our work offers a generalizable and systematic route towards creating split protein-intein fusions for synthetic biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trevor Y H Ho
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Hangzhou Innovation Centre, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Alexander Shao
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zeyu Lu
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Filippo Menolascina
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Baojun Wang
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. .,Hangzhou Innovation Centre, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. .,College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. .,ZJU-UoE Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University, Haining, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Panda S, Nanda A, Nasker SS, Sen D, Mehra A, Nayak S. Metal effect on intein splicing: A review. Biochimie 2021; 185:53-67. [PMID: 33727137 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Inteins are intervening polypeptides that interrupt the functional domains of several important proteins across the three domains of life. Inteins excise themselves from the precursor protein, ligating concomitant extein residues in a process called protein splicing. Post-translational auto-removal of inteins remain critical for the generation of active proteins. The perspective of inteins in science is a robust field of research, however fundamental studies centralized upon splicing regulatory mechanism are imperative for addressing more intricate issues. Controlled engineering of intein splicing has many applications; intein inhibition can facilitate novel drug design, while activation of intein splicing is exploited in protein purification. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the past and recent advances in the splicing regulation via metal-intein interaction. We compare the behavior of different metal ions on diverse intein systems. Though metals such as Zn, Cu, Pt, Cd, Co, Ni exhibit intein inhibitory effect heterogeneously on different inteins, divalent metal ions such as Ca and Mg fail to do so. The observed diversity in the metal-intein interaction arises mostly due to intein polymorphism and variations in atomic structure of metals. A mechanistic understanding of intein regulation by metals in native as well as synthetically engineered intein systems may yield potent intein inhibitors via direct or indirect approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sunita Panda
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India
| | - Ananya Nanda
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India
| | - Sourya Subhra Nasker
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India
| | - Debjani Sen
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India
| | - Ashwaria Mehra
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India
| | - Sasmita Nayak
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Inteins in Science: Evolution to Application. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8122004. [PMID: 33339089 PMCID: PMC7765530 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8122004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins are mobile genetic elements that apply standard enzymatic strategies to excise themselves post-translationally from the precursor protein via protein splicing. Since their discovery in the 1990s, recent advances in intein technology allow for them to be implemented as a modern biotechnological contrivance. Radical improvement in the structure and catalytic framework of cis- and trans-splicing inteins devised the development of engineered inteins that contribute to various efficient downstream techniques. Previous literature indicates that implementation of intein-mediated splicing has been extended to in vivo systems. Besides, the homing endonuclease domain also acts as a versatile biotechnological tool involving genetic manipulation and control of monogenic diseases. This review orients the understanding of inteins by sequentially studying the distribution and evolution pattern of intein, thereby highlighting a role in genetic mobility. Further, we include an in-depth summary of specific applications branching from protein purification using self-cleaving tags to protein modification, post-translational processing and labelling, followed by the development of intein-based biosensors. These engineered inteins offer a disruptive approach towards research avenues like biomaterial construction, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Therefore, this linear perspective allows for a more comprehensive understanding of intein function and its diverse applications.
Collapse
|
11
|
Woods D, Vangaveti S, Egbanum I, Sweeney AM, Li Z, Bacot-Davis V, LeSassier DS, Stanger M, Hardison GE, Li H, Belfort M, Lennon CW. Conditional DnaB Protein Splicing Is Reversibly Inhibited by Zinc in Mycobacteria. mBio 2020; 11:e01403-20. [PMID: 32665276 PMCID: PMC7360933 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01403-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Inteins, as posttranslational regulatory elements, can tune protein function to environmental changes by conditional protein splicing (CPS). Translated as subdomains interrupting host proteins, inteins splice to scarlessly join flanking sequences (exteins). We used DnaB-intein1 (DnaBi1) from a replicative helicase of Mycobacterium smegmatis to build a kanamycin intein splicing reporter (KISR) that links splicing of DnaBi1 to kanamycin resistance. Using expression in heterologous Escherichia coli, we observed phenotypic classes of various levels of splicing-dependent resistance (SDR) and related these to the insertion position of DnaBi1 within the kanamycin resistance protein (KanR). The KanR-DnaBi1 construct demonstrating the most stringent SDR was used to probe for CPS of DnaB in the native host environment, M. smegmatis We show here that zinc, important during mycobacterial pathogenesis, inhibits DnaB splicing in M. smegmatis Using an in vitro reporter system, we demonstrated that zinc potently and reversibly inhibited DnaBi1 splicing, as well as splicing of a comparable intein from Mycobacterium leprae Finally, in a 1.95 Å crystal structure, we show that zinc inhibits splicing through binding to the very cysteine that initiates the splicing reaction. Together, our results provide compelling support for a model whereby mycobacterial DnaB protein splicing, and thus DNA replication, is responsive to environmental zinc.IMPORTANCE Inteins are present in a large fraction of prokaryotes and localize within conserved proteins, including the mycobacterial replicative helicase DnaB. In addition to their extensive protein engineering applications, inteins have emerged as environmentally responsive posttranslational regulators of the genes that encode them. While several studies have shown compelling evidence of conditional protein splicing (CPS), examination of splicing in the native host of the intein has proven to be challenging. Here, we demonstrated through a number of measures, including the use of a splicing-dependent sensor capable of monitoring intein activity in the native host, that zinc is a potent and reversible inhibitor of mycobacterial DnaB splicing. This work also expands our knowledge of site selection for intein insertion within nonnative proteins, demonstrating that splicing-dependent host protein activation correlates with proximity to the active site. Additionally, we surmise that splicing regulation by zinc has mycobacteriocidal and CPS application potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Woods
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Sweta Vangaveti
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Ikechukwu Egbanum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Allison M Sweeney
- Department of Biology, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA
| | - Zhong Li
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Valjean Bacot-Davis
- Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | | | - Matthew Stanger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | | | - Hongmin Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Marlene Belfort
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Nasr ML. Large nanodiscs going viral. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2020; 60:150-156. [PMID: 32066086 PMCID: PMC10712563 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Covalently circularized and DNA-corralled nanodisc technologies have enabled engineering of large-sized bilayer nanodiscs up to 90nm. These large nanodiscs have the potential to extend the applicability of nanodisc technology from studying small and medium-sized membrane proteins to acting as surrogate membranes to investigate functional and structural aspects of viral entry. Here, we discuss the recent technical developments leading to construction of large circularized and DNA-corralled nanodiscs and examine their application in viral entry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud L Nasr
- Division of Renal Medicine, Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Balkhi SS, Hojati Z. The Effects of Self-cleavage Intein-ELK16 Tag in the Transcript Steric Hindrance of IFN. Indian J Clin Biochem 2020; 36:159-166. [PMID: 33867706 DOI: 10.1007/s12291-020-00872-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Intervening proteins (Inteins) are identified as protein domains in a precursor protein structure. Inteins can excise itself from precursor protein and join the remaining portions which result in forming an active protein. In this study, the transcript expression level of recombinant human Interferon beta (rhIFNβ) connected to the self-cleavage Intein-ELK16 (LELELKLKLELELKLK) tag was measured by real-time PCR in HEK293T cell line. First, the sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis RecA (Mtu recA) was obtained from the InBase database to do appropriate changes including adding the restriction sites, kozak sequence, signal peptide and ELK16 sequence by SnapGene software. The RNA secondary structure were also examined using the online RNA Fold 2.2 web server. Next, the construct was inserted into pUC19 plasmid. The sequence of rhIFNβ was also cloned into pBudCE4.1 vector. In the next step, the rhIFNβ was ligated into the construct (self-cleavage tag of ELK16) using T4 DNA ligase and the recombinant construct was transfected into HEK293T cell line. Finally, expression of the cassette was evaluated by real-time PCR. The analysis of secondary RNA structure indicates a minimum free energy of MEF - 261.10 kcal/mol. Our results indicate that IFNβ was upregulated (37.8-fold, p < 0.0001) in cells which transfected by rhIFNβ-ELK16 compared to the mock and un-transfected conditions. Altogether, our results show that the presence of mini self-cleavage Intein-ELK16 tag along with the rhIFNβ had no interference in transcription of rhIFNβ in the HEK293T cell line.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sayed Sharif Balkhi
- Division of Genetics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 81746-73441 Iran
| | - Zohreh Hojati
- Division of Genetics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 81746-73441 Iran
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Romero-Casañas A, Gordo V, Castro J, Ribó M. Protein Splicing: From the Foundations to the Development of Biotechnological Applications. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2133:15-29. [PMID: 32144661 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0434-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Expressed protein ligation is a simple and powerful method in protein engineering to introduce sequences of unnatural amino acids, posttranslational modifications, and biophysical probes into proteins of any size. This methodology has been developed based on the knowledge obtained from protein splicing. Protein splicing is a multistep biochemical reaction that includes the concomitant cleavage and formation of peptide bonds carried out by self-processing domains named inteins. The natural substrates of protein splicing are essential proteins found in intein-containing organisms; inteins are also functional in nonnative frameworks and can be used to alter nearly any protein's primary amino acid sequence. Accordingly, different reactivity features of inteins have been largely exploited to manipulate proteins in countless methods encompassing fields from biochemical research to the development of biotechnological applications including the study of disease progression and validation of potential drug candidates. Here, we review almost three decades of research to uncover the chemical and biochemical enigmas of protein splicing and the development of inteins as potent protein engineering tools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Romero-Casañas
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Verónica Gordo
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Jessica Castro
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Marc Ribó
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zhao J, Du Z, Wang C, Mills KV. Methods to Study the Structure and Catalytic Activity of cis-Splicing Inteins. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2133:55-73. [PMID: 32144663 PMCID: PMC7325523 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0434-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The autocatalytic process of protein splicing is facilitated by an intein, which interrupts flanking polypeptides called exteins. The mechanism of protein splicing has been studied by overexpression in E. coli of intein fusion proteins with nonnative exteins. Inteins can be used to generate reactive α-thioesters, as well as proteins with N-terminal Cys residues, to facilitate expressed protein ligation. As such, a more detailed understanding of the function of inteins can have significant impact for biotechnology applications. Here, we provide biochemical methods to study splicing activity and NMR methods to study intein structure and the catalytic mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Zhenming Du
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Kenneth V Mills
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tornabene P, Trapani I. Can Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Deliver Effectively Large Genes? Hum Gene Ther 2020; 31:47-56. [DOI: 10.1089/hum.2019.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Tornabene
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
- Medical Genetics, Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Ivana Trapani
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
- Medical Genetics, Department of Translational Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Expanding the Diversity of Myoviridae Phages Infecting Lactobacillus plantarum-A Novel Lineage of Lactobacillus Phages Comprising Five New Members. Viruses 2019; 11:v11070611. [PMID: 31277436 PMCID: PMC6669764 DOI: 10.3390/v11070611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Lactobacillus plantarum is a bacterium with probiotic properties and promising applications in the food industry and agriculture. So far, bacteriophages of this bacterium have been moderately addressed. We examined the diversity of five new L. plantarum phages via whole genome shotgun sequencing and in silico protein predictions. Moreover, we looked into their phylogeny and their potential genomic similarities to other complete phage genome records through extensive nucleotide and protein comparisons. These analyses revealed a high degree of similarity among the five phages, which extended to the vast majority of predicted virion-associated proteins. Based on these, we selected one of the phages as a representative and performed transmission electron microscopy and structural protein sequencing tests. Overall, the results suggested that the five phages belong to the family Myoviridae, they have a long genome of 137,973-141,344 bp, a G/C content of 36.3-36.6% that is quite distinct from their host's, and surprisingly, 7 to 15 tRNAs. Only an average 41/174 of their predicted genes were assigned a function. The comparative analyses unraveled considerable genetic diversity for the five L. plantarum phages in this study. Hence, the new genus "Semelevirus" was proposed, comprising exclusively of the five phages. This novel lineage of Lactobacillus phages provides further insight into the genetic heterogeneity of phages infecting Lactobacillus sp. The five new Lactobacillus phages have potential value for the development of more robust starters through, for example, the selection of mutants insensitive to phage infections. The five phages could also form part of phage cocktails, which producers would apply in different stages of L. plantarum fermentations in order to create a range of organoleptic outputs.
Collapse
|
18
|
Ranjbar S, Rahbarizadeh F, Ahmadvand D. Designing an ELP-intein system: toward a more realistic outlook. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2019; 49:222-229. [PMID: 30806151 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2018.1509087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Despite the ever-growing demand for proteins in pharmaceutical applications, downstream processing imposes many technical and economic limitations to recombinant technology. Elastin-like polypeptides tend to aggregate reversibly at a specific temperature. These biopolymers have been joined with self-cleaving inteins to develop a non-chromatographic platform for protein purification without the need for expensive enzymatic tag removal. Following the design and expression of an ELP-intein-tagged GFP, herein, we report certain complications and setbacks associated with this protein purification system, overlooked in previous studies. Based on our results, a recovery rate of 68% was achieved using inverse transition cycling. Fluorescence intensity analysis indicated a production yield of 11 mg GFP fusion protein per liter of bacterial culture. The low expression level is attributable to several factors, such as irreversible aggregation, slipped-strand mispairing or insufficiency of aminoacyl tRNAs during protein translation of the highly repetitive ELP tag. While the goals we set out to achieve were not entirely met, a number of useful tips could be gathered as a generic means for implementing ELP-intein protein purification. Overall, we believe that such reports help clarify the exact capacity of emerging techniques and build a fairly realistic prospect toward their application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saeed Ranjbar
- a Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences , Tarbiat Modares University , Tehran , Iran
| | - Fatemeh Rahbarizadeh
- a Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences , Tarbiat Modares University , Tehran , Iran
| | - Davoud Ahmadvand
- b Department of Medical Laboratoty Sciences , Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.,c Neuroscience Research Center , Iran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Arora A, Somasundaram K. Targeted Proteomics Comes to the Benchside and the Bedside: Is it Ready for Us? Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800042. [PMID: 30734933 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
While mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantification of small molecules has been successfully used for decades, targeted MS has only recently been used by the proteomics community to investigate clinical questions such as biomarker verification and validation. Targeted MS holds the promise of a paradigm shift in the quantitative determination of proteins. Nevertheless, targeted quantitative proteomics requires improvisation in making sample processing, instruments, and data analysis more accessible. In the backdrop of the genomic era reaching its zenith, certain questions arise: is the proteomic era about to come? If we are at the beginning of a new future for protein quantification, are we prepared to incorporate targeted proteomics at the benchside for basic research and at the bedside for the good of patients? Here, an overview of the knowledge required to perform targeted proteomics as well as its applications is provided. A special emphasis is placed on upcoming areas such as peptidomics, proteoform research, and mass spectrometry imaging, where the utilization of targeted proteomics is expected to bring forth new avenues. The limitations associated with the acceptance of this technique for mainstream usage are also highlighted. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/mieB47B8gZw.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Arora
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Kumaravel Somasundaram
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Wang XW, Zhang WB. SpyTag-SpyCatcher Chemistry for Protein Bioconjugation In Vitro and Protein Topology Engineering In Vivo. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 2033:287-300. [PMID: 31332761 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9654-4_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of "molecular superglue," such as SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry, has tremendously expanded our capability in manipulating protein shape and architecture via conjugation. Telechelic proteins bearing the SpyTag and SpyCatcher reactive sequences can be expressed and purified for bioconjugation in vitro, giving protein conjugates, branched proteins, and circular proteins. By encoding both reactive sequences in the same construct for expression in vivo, the nascent protein undergoes programmed posttranslational modification guided by protein folding and reaction, leading to diverse nonlinear topologies in situ. In this chapter, we present the SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry as a versatile platform for protein bioconjugation and topology engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Wei Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Bin Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Panahi Chegini P, Nikokar I, Tabarzad M, Faezi S, Mahboubi A. Effect of Amino Acid Substitutions on Biological Activity of Antimicrobial Peptide: Design, Recombinant Production, and Biological Activity. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH : IJPR 2019; 18:157-168. [PMID: 32802096 PMCID: PMC7393060 DOI: 10.22037/ijpr.2019.112397.13734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Recently, antimicrobial peptides have been introduced as potent antibiotics with a wide range of antimicrobial activities. They have also exhibited other biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, growth stimulating, and anti-cancer activities. In this study, an analog of Magainin II was designed and produced as a recombinant fusion protein. The designed sequence contained 24 amino acid residues (P24), in which Lys, His, Ser residues were substituted with Arg and also, hydrophobic Phe was replaced with Trp. Recombinant production of P24 in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 using pTYB21, containing chitin binding domain and intein sequence at the N-terminus of the peptide gene, resulted in 1 μg mL-1 product from culture. Chitin column chromatography, followed by online peptide cleavage with thiol reducing agent was applied to purify the peptide. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using five bacteria strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumonia, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Designed AMP exhibited promising antimicrobial activities with low minimum inhibitory concentration, in the range of 64-256 µg/mL. P24 showed potent antimicrobial activity preferably against Gram-positive bacteria, and more potent than pexiganan as a successful Magainin II analog for topical infections. In general, further modification can be applied to improve its therapeutic index.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Parvaneh Panahi Chegini
- Department of Medicinal Biotechnology, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
| | - Iraj Nikokar
- Department of Medicinal Biotechnology, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
| | - Maryam Tabarzad
- Protein Technology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sobhan Faezi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
| | - Arash Mahboubi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Hu X, Lai CYN, Sivakumar T, Wang H, Ng KL, Lam CC, Wong WKR. Novel strategy for expression of authentic and bioactive human basic fibroblast growth factor in Bacillus subtilis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:7061-7069. [PMID: 29951857 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9176-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Inteins, also known as "protein introns," have been found to be present in many microbial species and widely employed for the expression and purification of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. However, interestingly, until now there has not been much information on the identification and application of inteins to protein expression in Bacillus subtilis. In this article, for the first time, despite the likelihood of absence of inteins in B. subtilis, this bacterium was shown to be able to facilitate auto-catalytic cleavages of fusions formed between inteins and recombinant proteins. Employing a construct expressing the intein, Ssp DnaB, (DnaB), which was fused at its N-terminus with the cellulose-binding domain (CellBD) of an endoglucanase encoded by the cenA gene of Cellulomonas fimi, the construct was demonstrated to be capable of mediating intracellular expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), followed by auto-processing of the CellBD-DnaB-bFGF fusion to result in bFGF possessing the 146-residue authentic structure. The mentioned fusion was shown to result in a high yield of 84 mg l-1 of biologically active bFGF. Future work in improving the growth of B. subtilis may enable the use of this bacterium, working in cooperation with inteins, to result in a new platform for efficient expression of valuable proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhua Hu
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Cheuk Yin Nelson Lai
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - T Sivakumar
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - K L Ng
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - C C Lam
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - W K R Wong
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Hosseini ES, Moniri R, Goli YD, Kashani HH. Purification of Antibacterial CHAP K Protein Using a Self-Cleaving Fusion Tag and Its Activity Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2018; 8:202-210. [PMID: 27797005 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-016-9236-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic LysK-CHAP is a potent anti-staphylococcal protein that could be utilized as an antibiotic substitute. Intein-mediated protein purification is a reasonable and cost-effective method that is most recently used for recombinant therapeutic protein production. Intein (INT) is the internal parts of the protein that can be separated from the immature protein during protein splicing process. This sequence requires no specific enzyme or cofactor for separation. INT sequence and their characteristic of self-cleavage by thiol induction, temperature, and pH changes are used for protein purification. The current study presents the expression of CHAPK262 domain of LysK gene that is fused with INT/chitin-binding sequence while evaluating its purification procedure and antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The coding gene sequence of LysK-CHAP (CHAPK262) in pET22-b was amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR); the digested product was then cloned into the pTXB1 vector. Electrophoresis confirmed the cloning accuracy of the gene. The pTXB1-CHAPK262 plasmid was transformed to the Escherichia coli ER2566 (E. coli ER2566) expression strain and analyzed for expression of the recombinant protein by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting methods. Finally, CHAPK262 was purified by chitin affinity column using INT tag technology and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Lytic activity of the purified protein was investigated by disk diffusion method. Cloning of CHAPK262 into the pTXB1 vector, which comprised INT/chitin-binding sequence, was successfully achieved. The SDS-PAGE data also revealed successful expression of the CHAPK262-INT fusion protein and Western blotting method validated the accuracy of the protein. Moreover, purification of CHAPK262 protein was induced by dithiothreitol (DTT) and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Finally, inhibition zone in MRAS culture medium confirmed antibacterial activity of the protein. Application of intein-mediated antibacterial protein is an appropriate and streamlined method for one-step purification of CHAPK262 as a therapeutic and antibacterial protein. Self-cleaving tags like intein are cost-effective and could be used as a proper purification method for industrial purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elahe Seyed Hosseini
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Rezvan Moniri
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | | | - Hamed Haddad Kashani
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Gordo V, Aparicio D, Pérez-Luque R, Benito A, Vilanova M, Usón I, Fita I, Ribó M. Structural Insights into Subunits Assembly and the Oxyester Splicing Mechanism of Neq pol Split Intein. Cell Chem Biol 2018; 25:871-879.e2. [PMID: 29754955 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Split inteins are expressed as two separated subunits (N-intein and C-intein) fused to the corresponding exteins. The specific association of both intein subunits precedes protein splicing, which results in excision of the intein subunits and in ligation, by a peptide bond, of the concomitant exteins. Catalytically active intein precursors are typically too reactive for crystallization or even isolation. Neq pol is the trans-intein of the B-type DNA polymerase I split gene from hyperthermophile Nanoarchaeum equitans. We have determined the crystal structures of both the isolated NeqN and the complex of NeqN and NeqC subunits carrying the wild-type sequences, including the essential catalytic residues Ser1 and Thr+1, in addition to seven and three residues of the N- and C-exteins, respectively. These structures provide detailed information on the unique oxyester chemistry of the splicing mechanism of Neq pol and of the extensive rearrangements that occur in NeqN during the association step.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Gordo
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 40, 17003 Girona, Spain; IdIBGi Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - David Aparicio
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa Pérez-Luque
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Benito
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 40, 17003 Girona, Spain; IdIBGi Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Maria Vilanova
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 40, 17003 Girona, Spain; IdIBGi Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Isabel Usón
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA Lluís Companys 23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Fita
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Marc Ribó
- Laboratori d'Enginyeria de Proteïnes, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 40, 17003 Girona, Spain; IdIBGi Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Covalently circularized nanodiscs; challenges and applications. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2018; 51:129-134. [PMID: 29677570 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2018.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Covalently circularized nanodiscs (cNDs) represent a significant advance in the durability and applicability of nanodisc technology. The new cNDs demonstrate higher size homogeneity and improved stability compared with that of non-circularized forms. Moreover, cNDs can be prepared at various defined sizes up to 80-nm diameter. The large cNDs can house much larger membrane proteins and their complexes than was previously possible with the conventional nanodiscs. In order to experience the full advantages of covalent circularization, high quality circularized scaffold protein and nanodisc samples are needed. Here, we give a concise overview and discuss the technical challenges that needed to be overcome in order to obtain high quality preparations. Furthermore, we review some potential new applications for the cNDs.
Collapse
|
26
|
Green CM, Novikova O, Belfort M. The dynamic intein landscape of eukaryotes. Mob DNA 2018; 9:4. [PMID: 29416568 PMCID: PMC5784728 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-018-0111-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inteins are mobile, self-splicing sequences that interrupt proteins and occur across all three domains of life. Scrutiny of the intein landscape in prokaryotes led to the hypothesis that some inteins are functionally important. Our focus shifts to eukaryotic inteins to assess their diversity, distribution, and dissemination, with the aim to comprehensively evaluate the eukaryotic intein landscape, understand intein maintenance, and dissect evolutionary relationships. RESULTS This bioinformatics study reveals that eukaryotic inteins are scarce, but present in nuclear genomes of fungi, chloroplast genomes of algae, and within some eukaryotic viruses. There is a preponderance of inteins in several fungal pathogens of humans and plants. Inteins are pervasive in certain proteins, including the nuclear RNA splicing factor, Prp8, and the chloroplast DNA helicase, DnaB. We find that eukaryotic inteins frequently localize to unstructured loops of the host protein, often at highly conserved sites. More broadly, a sequence similarity network analysis of all eukaryotic inteins uncovered several routes of intein mobility. Some eukaryotic inteins appear to have been acquired through horizontal transfer with dsDNA viruses, yet other inteins are spread through intragenomic transfer. Remarkably, endosymbiosis can explain patterns of DnaB intein inheritance across several algal phyla, a novel mechanism for intein acquisition and distribution. CONCLUSIONS Overall, an intriguing picture emerges for how the eukaryotic intein landscape arose, with many evolutionary forces having contributed to its current state. Our collective results provide a framework for exploring inteins as novel regulatory elements and innovative drug targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen M. Green
- Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 USA
| | - Olga Novikova
- Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 USA
| | - Marlene Belfort
- Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Microbial lipolytic fusion enzymes: current state and future perspectives. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 33:216. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-017-2381-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
|
28
|
Kick LM, Harteis S, Koch MF, Schneider S. Mechanistic Insights into Cyclic Peptide Generation by DnaE Split-Inteins through Quantitative and Structural Investigation. Chembiochem 2017; 18:2242-2246. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201700503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leonhard M. Kick
- Center for Integrated Protein Science; Department of Chemistry; Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstrasse 4 85748 Garching Germany
| | - Sabrina Harteis
- Center for Integrated Protein Science; Department of Chemistry; Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstrasse 4 85748 Garching Germany
| | - Maximilian F. Koch
- Center for Integrated Protein Science; Department of Chemistry; Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstrasse 4 85748 Garching Germany
| | - Sabine Schneider
- Center for Integrated Protein Science; Department of Chemistry; Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstrasse 4 85748 Garching Germany
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
|
30
|
Mujika JI, Lopez X. Unveiling the Catalytic Role of B-Block Histidine in the N–S Acyl Shift Step of Protein Splicing. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:7786-7796. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b04276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. I. Mujika
- Kimika Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) and Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P.K. 1072, 20080 Donostia, Euskadi Spain
| | - X. Lopez
- Kimika Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) and Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P.K. 1072, 20080 Donostia, Euskadi Spain
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Sannikova EP, Bulushova NV, Cheperegin SE, Gubaydullin II, Chestukhina GG, Ryabichenko VV, Zalunin IA, Kotlova EK, Konstantinova GE, Kubasova TS, Shtil AA, Pokrovsky VS, Yarotsky SV, Efremov BD, Kozlov DG. The Modified Heparin-Binding L-Asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes. Mol Biotechnol 2017; 58:528-39. [PMID: 27198565 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-016-9950-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The modified asparaginase Was79 was derived from the recombinant wild-type L-asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes. The Was79 contains the amino acid substitutions V23Q and K24T responsible for the resistance to trypsinolysis and the N-terminal heparin-binding peptide KRKKKGKGLGKKR responsible for the binding to heparin and tumor K562 cells in vitro. When tested on a mouse model of Fischer lymphadenosis L5178Y, therapeutic efficacy of Was79 was significantly higher than that of reference enzymes at all single therapeutic doses used (125-8000 IU/kg). At Was79 single doses of 500-8000 IU/kg, the complete remission rate of 100 % was observed. The Was79 variant can be expressed intracellularly in E. coli as a less immunogenic formyl-methionine-free form at high per cell production levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E P Sannikova
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - N V Bulushova
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - S E Cheperegin
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - I I Gubaydullin
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - G G Chestukhina
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - V V Ryabichenko
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - I A Zalunin
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - E K Kotlova
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - G E Konstantinova
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - T S Kubasova
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - A A Shtil
- N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Kashirskoye Shosse 24, Moscow, Russia, 115478
| | - V S Pokrovsky
- N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Kashirskoye Shosse 24, Moscow, Russia, 115478
| | - S V Yarotsky
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - B D Efremov
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545
| | - D G Kozlov
- State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, Moscow, Russia, 117545.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
|
33
|
Conditional Toxin Splicing Using a Split Intein System. Methods Mol Biol 2016. [PMID: 27714618 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6451-2_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Protein toxin splicing mediated by split inteins can be used as a strategy for conditional cell ablation. The approach requires artificial fragmentation of a potent protein toxin and tethering each toxin fragment to a split intein fragment. The toxin-intein fragments are, in turn, fused to dimerization domains, such that addition of a dimerizing agent reconstitutes the split intein. These chimeric toxin-intein fusions remain nontoxic until the dimerizer is added, resulting in activation of intein splicing and ligation of toxin fragments to form an active toxin. Considerations for the engineering and implementation of conditional toxin splicing (CTS) systems include: choice of toxin split site, split site (extein) chemistry, and temperature sensitivity. The following method outlines design criteria and implementation notes for CTS using a previously engineered system for splicing a toxin called sarcin, as well as for developing alternative CTS systems.
Collapse
|
34
|
Jiang Q, Zhang H, Xie Y, Wang Y. Recombinant expression of porcine lactoferrin peptide LF-6 with intein technology and its immunomodulatory function in ETEC K88-infected mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2016; 39:181-191. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2016.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/02/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
35
|
Ma Y, Yu J, Lin J, Wu S, Li S, Wang J. High Efficient Expression, Purification, and Functional Characterization of Native Human Epidermal Growth Factor in Escherichia coli. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:3758941. [PMID: 27766259 PMCID: PMC5059520 DOI: 10.1155/2016/3758941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) is a small, mitotic growth polypeptide that promotes the proliferation of various cells and is widely applied in clinical practices. However, high efficient expression of native hEGF in Escherichia coli has not been successful, since three disulfide bonds in monomer hEGF made it unable to fold into correct 3D structure using in vivo system. To tackle this problem, we fused Mxe GyrA intein (Mxe) at the C-terminal of hEGF followed by small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) and 10x His-tag to construct a chimeric protein hEGF-Mxe-SUMO-H10. The fusion protein was highly expressed at the concentration of 281 mg/L and up to 59.5% of the total cellular soluble proteins. The fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography and 29.4 mg/L of native hEGF can be released by thiol induced N-terminal cleavage without any proteases. The mitotic activity in Balb/c 3T3 cells is proliferated by commercial and recombinant hEGF measured with methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay which indicated that recombinant hEGF protein stimulates the cell proliferation similar to commercial protein. This study significantly improved the yield and reduced the cost of hEGF in the recombinant E. coli system and could be a better strategy to produce native hEGF for pharmaceutical development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ma
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jieying Yu
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jinglian Lin
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shaomin Wu
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shan Li
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jufang Wang
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Kwong KWY, Sivakumar T, Wong WKR. Intein mediated hyper-production of authentic human basic fibroblast growth factor in Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33948. [PMID: 27653667 PMCID: PMC5032022 DOI: 10.1038/srep33948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Human basic fibroblast growth factor is a functionally versatile but very expensive polypeptide. In this communication, employing a novel amplification method for the target gene and genetic optimization of a previously engineered expression construct, pWK3R, together with a refined fed-batch fermentation protocol, we report an achievement of a phenomenal yield of 610 mg/L of the 146 aa authentic human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in Escherichia coli. Construct pWK3R was first modified to form plasmid pWK311ROmpAd, which was devoid of the ompA leader sequence and possessed two copies of a DNA segment encoding a fusion product comprising an intein, Saccharomyces cerevisiae vascular membrane ATPase (VMA), and bFGF. When E. coli transformant JM101 [pWK311ROmpAd] was cultivated using the refined fed-batch fermentation protocol, superb expression resulting in a total yield of 610 mg/L of bFGF was detected. Despite existing in high levels, the bFGF remained to be soluble and highly bioactive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keith W Y Kwong
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - T Sivakumar
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - W K R Wong
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Alishah K, Asad S, Khajeh K, Akbari N. Utilizing intein-mediated protein cleaving for purification of uricase, a multimeric enzyme. Enzyme Microb Technol 2016; 93-94:92-98. [PMID: 27702489 DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Uric acid, a side product of nucleotide metabolism, should be cleared from blood stream since its accumulation can cause cardiovascular diseases and gout. Uricase (urate oxidase) converts uric acid to 5-hydroxyisourate, but it is absent in human and other higher apes. Yet, the recombinant form of uricase, Rasburicase, is now commercially available to cure tumor lysis syndrome by lowering serum uric acid level. Developing new methods to efficiently purify pharmaceutical proteins like uricase has attracted researchers' attention. Self-cleaving intein mediated single column purification is one of these novel approaches. Self-cleaving inteins are modified forms of natural inteins that can excise and join only at one junction site. In this study, the synthetic gene of Aspergillus flavus uricase, a homotetrameric protein, was cloned into pTXB1 vector as a fusion with the N-terminal of Mxe GyrA intein and chitin-binding domain (CBD) for simple purification. Expression was confirmed by western blot analysis. The fusion protein containing uricase-intein-CBD was purified on a chitin column. The cleavage was induced by adding DTT,1 as a reducing agent to release uricase. The purity of uricase and complete excision of the intein and CBD were confirmed by SDS-PAGE2 while its proper folding was proved by circular dichroism and fluorescent emission studies. Isoelectric focusing further confirmed its homogeneity when a single protein band was observed at the predicted pI value. This is the first report of successful purification of a multimeric therapeutic enzyme by intein-mediated protein cleaving using a well-established and facile system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Alishah
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sedigheh Asad
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Khosro Khajeh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Akbari
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Production of a polar fish antimicrobial peptide in Escherichia coli using an ELP-intein tag. J Biotechnol 2016; 234:83-89. [PMID: 27485812 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
An important aspect related to infectious pathogens is their exceptional adaptability in developing resistance, which leads to a perpetual challenge in the discovery of antimicrobial drugs with novel mechanisms of action. Among them, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) stand out as promising anti-infective molecules. In order to overcome the high costs associated with isolation from natural sources or chemical synthesis of AMPs we propose the expression of Pa-MAP 2, a polyalanine AMP. Pa-MAP 2 was fused to an ELP-intein tag where the ELP (Elastin-like polypeptide) was used to promote aggregation and fast and cost-effective isolation after expression, and the intein was used to stimulate a controlled AMP release. For these, the vector pET21a was used to produce Pa-MAP 2 fused to the N-termini region of a modified Mxe GyrA intein followed by 60 repetitions of ELP. Purified Pa-MAP 2 showed a MIC of 25μM against E. coli ATCC 8739. Batch fermentation demonstrated that Pa-MAP-2 can be produced in both rich and defined media at yields 50-fold higher than reported for other AMPs produced by the ELP-intein system, and in comparable yields to expression systems with protease or chemical cleavage.
Collapse
|
39
|
Kis Z, Pereira HS, Homma T, Pedrigi RM, Krams R. Mammalian synthetic biology: emerging medical applications. J R Soc Interface 2016; 12:rsif.2014.1000. [PMID: 25808341 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.1000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we discuss new emerging medical applications of the rapidly evolving field of mammalian synthetic biology. We start with simple mammalian synthetic biological components and move towards more complex and therapy-oriented gene circuits. A comprehensive list of ON-OFF switches, categorized into transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational and post-translational, is presented in the first sections. Subsequently, Boolean logic gates, synthetic mammalian oscillators and toggle switches will be described. Several synthetic gene networks are further reviewed in the medical applications section, including cancer therapy gene circuits, immuno-regulatory networks, among others. The final sections focus on the applicability of synthetic gene networks to drug discovery, drug delivery, receptor-activating gene circuits and mammalian biomanufacturing processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Kis
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Takayuki Homma
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ryan M Pedrigi
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rob Krams
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Reitter JN, Cousin CE, Nicastri MC, Jaramillo MV, Mills KV. Salt-Dependent Conditional Protein Splicing of an Intein from Halobacterium salinarum. Biochemistry 2016; 55:1279-82. [PMID: 26913597 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
An intein from Halobacterium salinarum can be isolated as an unspliced precursor protein with exogenous exteins after Escherichia coli overexpression. The intein promotes protein splicing and uncoupled N-terminal cleavage in vitro, conditional on incubation with NaCl or KCl at concentrations of >1.5 M. The protein splicing reaction also is conditional on reduction of a disulfide bond between two active site cysteines. Conditional protein splicing under these relatively mild conditions may lead to advances in intein-based biotechnology applications and hints at the possibility that this H. salinarum intein could serve as a switch to control extein activity under physiologically relevant conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie N Reitter
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross , Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Christopher E Cousin
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross , Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Michael C Nicastri
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross , Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Mario V Jaramillo
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross , Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| | - Kenneth V Mills
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross , Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Li X, Jiang H, Luo Z, Chang YT, Zhang L. Development of a disaggregation-induced emission probe for the detection of RecA inteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Chem Commun (Camb) 2016; 52:9086-8. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cc00439c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A novel fluorescent sensor with disaggregation-induced emission characteristics has been developed for the detection of RecA inteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Institute of Technical Biology and Agriculture Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Hefei
| | - Hao Jiang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale
- Core Facility Center for Life Sciences
- School of Life Sciences
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230026
| | - Zhaofeng Luo
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale
- Core Facility Center for Life Sciences
- School of Life Sciences
- University of Science and Technology of China
- Hefei 230026
| | - Young-Tae Chang
- Department of Chemistry
- National University of Singapore
- Singapore
| | - Liyun Zhang
- Institute of Technical Biology and Agriculture Engineering
- Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Hefei
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
|
43
|
Engineering versatile protein expression systems mediated by inteins in Escherichia coli. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 100:255-62. [PMID: 26381664 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6960-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We have recently employed an intein, Saccharomyces cerevisiae vascular membrane ATPase (VMA), in conjunction with efficient expression and secretory functions formed between the ompA leader sequence and the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene (fused at the 5' end of VMA), and the human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene (fused at the 3' end of VMA), to engineer an efficient intein-based Escherichia coli system for high-level co-expression of EGF and bFGF as authentic mature products. Both products were found not only excreted to the culture medium but also located, surprisingly, in the cytoplasm (Kwong and Wong 2013). In this study, we employed two structurally varied inteins, VMA and Mycobacterium xenopi GyraseA (GyrA), and further demonstrated that despite acting alone, both VMA and GyrA were able to mediate successful co-expression of two widely different proteins, EGF and an endoglucanase (Eng) in E. coli. Although EGF and Eng were initially expressed as large precursors/intermediates, they were soluble and auto-cleavable to finally yield the desired products in both the cytoplasm and culture media. The results further substantiate our postulation that the aforementioned intein/E. coli approach might lead to the development of cost-effective and versatile host systems, wherein all culture fractions are involved in producing the target proteins.
Collapse
|
44
|
von der Heyde A, Lockhauserbäumer J, Uetrecht C, Elleuche S. A hydrolase-based reporter system to uncover the protein splicing performance of an archaeal intein. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 99:7613-24. [PMID: 26026939 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6689-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Extein amino acid residues around the splice site junctions affect the functionality of inteins. To identify an optimal sequence context for efficient protein splicing of an intein from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Picrophilus torridus, single extein amino acid residues at the splice site junctions were continuously deleted. The construction of a set of different truncated extein variants showed that this intein tolerates multiple amino acid variations near the excision sites and exhibits full activity when -1 and +1 extein amino acid residues are conserved in an artificial GST-intein-HIS fusion construct. Moreover, splicing of the recombinant intein took place at temperatures between 4 and 42 °C with high efficiency, when produced in Escherichia coli. Therefore, structural model predictions were used to identify optimal insertion sites for the intein to be embedded within a hemicellulase from the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas arctica. The P. torridus intein inserted before amino acid residue Thr75 of the reporter enzyme retained catalytic activity. Moreover, the catalytic activity of the xylan-degrading hydrolase could be easily monitored in routine plate assays and in liquid test measurements at room temperature when produced in recombinant form in E. coli. This tool allows the indirect detection of the intein's catalytic activity to be used in screenings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amélie von der Heyde
- Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Technical Microbiology, Kasernenstr. 12, 21073, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Xie M, Fussenegger M. Mammalian designer cells: Engineering principles and biomedical applications. Biotechnol J 2015; 10:1005-18. [PMID: 26010998 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Biotechnology is a widely interdisciplinary field focusing on the use of living cells or organisms to solve established problems in medicine, food production and agriculture. Synthetic biology, the science of engineering complex biological systems that do not exist in nature, continues to provide the biotechnology industry with tools, technologies and intellectual property leading to improved cellular performance. One key aspect of synthetic biology is the engineering of deliberately reprogrammed designer cells whose behavior can be controlled over time and space. This review discusses the most commonly used techniques to engineer mammalian designer cells; while control elements acting on the transcriptional and translational levels of target gene expression determine the kinetic and dynamic profiles, coupling them to a variety of extracellular stimuli permits their remote control with user-defined trigger signals. Designer mammalian cells with novel or improved biological functions not only directly improve the production efficiency during biopharmaceutical manufacturing but also open the door for cell-based treatment strategies in molecular and translational medicine. In the future, the rational combination of multiple sets of designer cells could permit the construction and regulation of higher-order systems with increased complexity, thereby enabling the molecular reprogramming of tissues, organisms or even populations with highest precision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingqi Xie
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Fussenegger
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland. .,Faculty of Life Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Intracellular caspase-modulating chimeric antigen receptor. Drug Discov Today 2015; 20:629-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2015.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 01/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
47
|
Zhang Y, Zhang K, Wan Y, Zi J, Wang Y, Wang J, Wang L, Xue X. A pH-induced, intein-mediated expression and purification of recombinant human epidermal growth factor inEscherichia coli. Biotechnol Prog 2015; 31:758-64. [DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuejuan Zhang
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Kun Zhang
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Yi Wan
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Jing Zi
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Yan Wang
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Jun Wang
- Inst. of Microbiology; Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences; Xi'an 710043 China
| | - Lili Wang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Modern Separation Science; Institute of Modern Separation Science, Northwest University; Xi'an 710069 China
| | - Xiaochang Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Dept. of Biopharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy; Fourth Military Medical University; Xi'an 710032 China
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Miraula M, Enculescu C, Schenk G, Mitić N. Inteins—A Focus on the Biotechnological Applications of Splicing-Promoting Proteins. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.4236/ajmb.2015.52005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
49
|
Bringing functions together with fusion enzymes—from nature’s inventions to biotechnological applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2014; 99:1545-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-6315-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
50
|
Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of C-terminal Cleavage Intein-Based Constructs in Producing a Recombinant Analog of Anophelin, an Anticoagulant from Anopheles albimanus. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2014; 175:2468-88. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-014-1400-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|