Refolding single-chain antibody (scFv) using lauroyl-l-glutamate as a solubilization detergent and arginine as a refolding additive

Effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate, Sarkosyl and sodium lauroyl glutamate on the structure of proteins monitored by agarose native gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism

We have studied binding properties of three detergents, i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Sarkosyl and sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG), to model proteins based on their effects on electrophoretic mobilities of the proteins using agarose native gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism (CD). This simple technology can evaluate the dissociative properties of bound detergents from the proteins and their effects on protein structure. SDS influenced the electrophoretic mobilities of all model proteins more strongly than the other two detergents, implying a stronger inclination for protein binding and subsequent alterations in protein structure or reductions in activity, which are supported by CD analysis. On the contrary, Sarkosyl and SLG showed weaker binding and interfered less with the structure and biological activities, indicating that these detergents may be useful for protein purification and analysis. It appeared that SLG was weaker in protein binding than Sarkosyl, although the effects of these two detergents appeared to depend on the proteins.

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Analogs as a Potential Molecular Biology Reagent

In this study, we review the properties of three anionic detergents, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Sarkosyl, and sodium lauroylglutamate (SLG), as they play a critical role in molecular biology research. SDS is widely used in electrophoresis and cell lysis for proteomics. Sarkosyl and, more frequently, SDS are used for the characterization of neuropathological protein fibrils and the solubilization of proteins. Many amyloid fibrils are resistant to SDS or Sarkosyl to different degrees and, thus, can be readily isolated from detergent-sensitive proteins. SLG is milder than the above two detergents and has been used in the solubilization and refolding of proteins isolated from inclusion bodies. Here, we show that both Sarkosyl and SLG have been used for protein refolding, that the effects of SLG on the native protein structure are weaker for SLG, and that SLG readily dissociates from the native proteins. We propose that SLG may be effective in cell lysis for functional proteomics due to no or weaker binding of SLG to the native proteins.

Development of an Anti-HER2 Single-Chain Variable Antibody Fragment Construct for High-Yield Soluble Expression in Escherichia coli and One-Step Chromatographic Purification

Although single-chain variable fragment (scFv) is recognized as a highly versatile scaffold of recombinant antibody fragment molecules, its overexpression in Escherichia coli often leads to the formation of inclusion bodies. To address this issue, we devised and tested four different constructs, named v21, v22, v23 and v24, for producing anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) scFv. Among them, the v24 construct obtained from N-terminal fusion of maltose-binding protein (MBP) and subsequent tobacco etch virus protease (TEV) was identified as the most efficient construct for the production of anti-HER2 scFv. Aided by an MBP tag, high-yield soluble expression was ensured and soluble scFv was liberated in cells via autonomous proteolytic cleavage by endogenously expressed TEV. The isolated scFv containing a C-terminal hexahistidine tag was purified through a one-step purification via nickel-affinity chromatography. The purified scFv exhibited a strong (nanomolar Kd) affinity to HER2 both in vitro and in cells. Structural and functional stabilities of the scFv during storage for more than one month were also assured. Given the great utility of anti-HER2 scFv as a basic platform for developing therapeutic and diagnostic agents for cancers, the v24 construct and methods presented in this study are expected to provide a better manufacturing system for producing anti-HER2 scFv with various industrial applications.

Effects of Chemical Additives in Refolding Buffer on Recombinant Human BMP-2 Dimerization and the Bioactivity on SaOS-2 Osteoblasts

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is a promising osteogenic agent in tissue engineering. BMP-2 is usually expressed in Escherichia coli owing to the high yield and low cost, but the protein is expressed as inclusion bodies. Thus, the bottleneck for BMP-2 production in E. coli is the refolding process. Here, we explored the effects of the refolding buffer composition on BMP-2 refolding. The BMP-2 inclusion body was solubilized in urea and subjected to refolding by the dilution method. Various additives were investigated to improve the BMP-2 refolding yield. Nonreducing SDS-PAGE showed that BMP-2 dimers, the presumably biologically active form, were detected at approximately 25 kDa. The highest yield of the BMP-2 dimers was observed in the refolding buffer that contained ionic detergents (sarkosyl and cetylpyridinium chloride) followed by zwitterionic and nonionic detergents (NDSB-195, NP-40, and Tween 80). In addition, sugars (glucose, sorbitol, and sucrose) in combination with anionic detergents (sodium dodecyl sulfate and sarkosyl) reduced BMP-2 oligomers and increased the BMP-2 dimer yield. Subsequently, the refolded BMP-2s were tested for their bioactivity using the alkaline phosphatase assay in osteogenic cells (SaOS-2), as well as the luciferase reporter assay and the calcium assays. The refolded BMP-2 showed the activities in the calcium deposition assay and the luciferase reporter assay but not in the alkaline phosphatase activity assay or the intracellular calcium assay even though the dimers were clearly detected. Therefore, the detection of the disulfide-linked dimeric BMP-2 in nonreducing SDS-PAGE is an inadequate proxy for the bioactivity of BMP-2.

Quality comparison of recombinant soluble proteins and proteins solubilized from bacterial inclusion bodies

Recombinant protein production in bacteria is often accompanied by the formation of aggregates, known as inclusion bodies (IBs). Although several strategies have been developed to minimize protein aggregation, many heterologous proteins are produced in aggregated form. For these proteins, purification necessarily requires processes of solubilization and refolding, often involving denaturing agents. However, the presence of biologically active recombinant proteins forming IBs has driven a redefinition of the protocols used to obtain soluble protein avoiding the protein denaturation step. Among the different strategies described, the detergent n-lauroylsarcosine (NLS) has proved to be effective. However, the impact of the NLS on final protein quality has not been evaluated so far. Here, the activity of three antimicrobial proteins (all as GFP fusions) obtained from the soluble fraction was compared with those solubilized from IBs. Results showed that NLS solubilized proteins from IBs efficiently, but that protein activity was impaired. Thus, a solubilization protocol without detergents was evaluated, demonstrating that this strategy efficiently solubilized proteins embedded in IBs while retaining their biological activity. These results showed that the protocol used for IB solubilization has an impact on final protein quality and that IBs can be solubilized through a very simple step, obtaining fully active proteins.

Strategic optimization of conditions for the solubilization of GST-tagged amphipathic helix-containing ciliary proteins overexpressed as inclusion bodies in E. coli

Expression of affinity-tagged recombinant proteins for crystallography, protein-protein interaction, antibody generation, therapeutic applications, etc. mandates the generation of high-yield soluble proteins. Although recent developments suggest the use of yeast, insect, and mammalian cell lines as protein expression platforms, Escherichia coli is still the most popular, due mainly to its ease of growth, feasibility in genetic manipulation and economy. However, some proteins have a spontaneous tendency to form inclusion bodies (IBs) when over-expressed in bacterial expression systems such as E. coli, thus posing a challenge in purification and yield. At times, small peptides undergo degradation during protein production and hence using suitable tags could circumvent the problem. Although several independent techniques have been used to solubilize IBs, these cannot always be applied in a generic sense. Although tagging a GST moiety is known to enhance the solubility of fusion proteins in E. coli, resulting in yields of 10-50 mg/L of the culture, the inherent nature of the protein sequence at times could lead to the formation of IBs. We have been working on a Myc Binding Protein-1 orthologue, viz. Flagellar Associated Protein 174 (FAP174) from the axoneme of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that binds to an A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 240 (AKAP240) which has been annotated as Flagellar Associated Protein 65 (FAP65). Using an in-silico approach, we have identified two amphipathic helices on FAP65 (CrFAP65AH1 and CrFAP65AH2) that are predicted to bind to FAP174. To test this prediction, we have cloned the GST-tagged peptides, and overexpressed them in E. coli that have resulted in insoluble IBs. The yields of these over-expressed recombinant proteins dropped considerably due to IB formation, indicating aggregation. An integrated approach has been used to solubilize four highly hydrophobic polypeptides, viz. two amphipathic helices and the respective proline variants of FAP65. For solubilizing these polypeptides, variables such as non-denaturing detergents (IGEPAL CA-630), changing the ionic strength of the cell lysis and solubilization buffer, addition of BugBuster^®, diluting the cell lysate and sonication were introduced. Our statistically viable results yielded highly soluble and functional polypeptides, indiscreet secondary structures, and a yield of ~ 20 mg/L of the E. coli culture. Our combinatorial strategy using chemical and physical methods to solubilize IBs could prove useful for hydrophobic peptides and proteins with amphipathic helices.

Recombinant Protein Production and Purification of Insoluble Proteins

Proteins are synthesized in heterologous systems because of the impossibility to obtain satisfactory yields from natural sources. The efficient production of soluble and functional recombinant proteins is among the main goals in the biotechnological field. In this context, it is important to point out that under stress conditions, protein folding machinery is saturated and this promotes protein misfolding and, consequently, protein aggregation. Thus, the selection of the optimal expression organism and its growth conditions to minimize the formation of insoluble protein aggregates should be done according to the protein characteristics and downstream requirements. Escherichia coli is the most popular recombinant protein expression system despite the great development achieved so far by eukaryotic expression systems. Besides, other prokaryotic expression systems, such as lactic acid bacteria and psychrophilic bacteria, are gaining interest in this field. However, it is worth mentioning that prokaryotic expression system poses, in many cases, severe restrictions for a successful heterologous protein production. Thus, eukaryotic systems such as mammalian cells, insect cells, yeast, filamentous fungus, and microalgae are an interesting alternative for the production of these difficult-to-express proteins.

Characterisation and structural analysis of glyoxylate cycle enzymes of Teladorsagia circumcincta

A 1332 bp full length cDNA encoding Teladorsagia circumcincta isocitrate lyase (TciICL) and a 1575 bp full length cDNA encoding T. circumcincta malate synthase (TciMS) were cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant proteins purified. The predicted TciICL protein of 444 amino acids was present as a single band of about 52 kDa on SDS-PAGE and the recombinant TciMS of 525 amino acids formed a single band about 62 kDa. Multiple alignments of the combined bifunctional TciICL-MS protein sequence with homologues from other nematodes showed that the greatest similarity (89-92 %) to the homologues of Ancylostoma ceylanicum, Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei and 71-87 % similarity to the other nematode sequences. The 3-dimensional structures, binding and catalytic sites were determined for TciICL and TciMS and shown to be highly conserved. Substrate and metal ion binding sites were identified and were completely conserved in other homologues. TciICL was confirmed as a functional enzyme. At 30 °C, the optimum pH was pH 7.5, the V_max was 275 ± 23 nmoles.min^-1. mg^-1 protein and the apparent K_m for the substrate isocitrate was 0.7 ± 0.01μM (mean ± SEM, n = 3). Addition of 10 mM metal ions (except Mg²⁺) or 1 mM inhibitors reduced the recombinant TciICL activity by 60-90 %. Antibodies in both serum and saliva from field-immune, but not nematode-naïve, sheep recognised recombinant TciICL in ELISA, supporting similar antigenicity to that of the native enzyme.

Soluble expression of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) in Escherichia coli using superfolder green fluorescent protein as fusion partner

Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) has great prospect in medical therapies and diagnostic applications due to its binding affinity and low immunogenicity. However, the application of scFv is limited by its heterologous expression facing challenges of insoluble aggregation. sfGFP has been developed as fusion tag to facilitate the solubility of fusion partner in Escherichia coli. We designed fusion protein of anti-influenza PB2 scFv at C-terminus of sfGFP and successfully obtained soluble expression of sfGFP-scFv-His in Escherichia coli. The expression level of sfGFP-scFv-His reached at 20 mg/L of bacterial culture when the culture was induced with 0.1 mM IPTG at 18 °C for 16 h. And 6 mg scFv-His was obtained from the cleavage of 10 mg pure sfGFP-scFv-His with TEV protease. In addition, we found that sfGFP-scFv-His was more stable than scFv-His in chicken serum, suggesting that sfGFP not only facilitated the solubility of scFv in Escherichia coli, but also promoted the stability of scFv. The immunologic activity of sfGFP-scFv-His was confirmed by Western blot and ELISA; the results showed that anti-PB2 sfGFP-scFv-His exhibited specific binding to PB2. Hemagglutination and comparative real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that sfGFP-scFv-His and scFv-His inhibited the replication of H1N1 influenza virus in the infected A549 cells. These results further develop the application of scFv as an agent, such as anti-influenza. Furthermore, soluble expression of scFv using sfGFP as fusion partner provide a cost-effective preparation model for manufacturing scFv against pandemic disease.

Evaluation of scFv protein recovery from E. coli by in vitro refolding and mild solubilization process

BACKGROUND

The production of therapeutically active single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody is still challenging in E. coli due to the aggregation propensity of recombinant protein into inclusion bodies (IBs). However, recent advancement of biotechnology has shown substantial recovery of bioactive protein from such insoluble IBs by solubilization and refolding processes. In addition, gene fusion technology has also widely been used to improve the soluble protein production using E. coli. This study demonstrates that mild-solubilization and in vitro refolding strategies, both are capable to recover soluble scFv protein from bacterial IBs, although the degree of success is greatly influenced by different fusion tags with the target protein.

RESULTS

It was observed that the most commonly used fusion tag, i.e., maltose binding protein (MBP) was not only influenced the cytoplasmic expression in E. coli but also greatly improved the in vitro refolding yield of scFv protein. On the other hand, mild solubilization process potentially could recover soluble and functional scFv protein from non-classical IBs without assistance of any fusion tag and in vitro refolding step. The recovery yield achieved by mild solubilization process was also found higher than denaturation-refolding method except while scFv was refolded in fusion with MBP tag. Concomitantly, it was also observed that the soluble protein achieved by mild solubilization process was better structured and functionally more active than the one achieved by in vitro refolding method in the absence of MBP tag or refolding enhancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Maltose binding protein tagged scFv has shown better refolding and solubility yields as compare to mild solubilization process. However, in terms of cost, time and tag free nature, mild solubilization method for scFv recovery from bacterial IBs is considerable for therapeutic application and further structural studies.

Improvement of solubility and refolding of an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 single-chain antibody fragment inclusion bodies

Single chain variable fragment antibodies (scFvs) have attracted many attentions due to their small size, faster bio-distribution and better penetration in to the target tissues, and ease of expression in Escherichia coli. Although, scFv expression in E. coli usually leads to formation of inclusion bodies (IBs). The aim of this research was to improve solubilizing and refolding conditions for IBs of scFv version of pertuzumab (anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antibody). After protein overexpression in E. coli BL21 (DE3), bacterial cells were lysed and IBs were extracted via repeated washing and centrifugation. The effect of different types, concentrations, pHs, and additive of denaturing agents on IBs solubility were evaluated. More than 40 refolding additives were screened and combinations of 10 of the best additives were check out using Plackett-Burman design to choose three refolding additives with the most positive effect on refolding of the scFv. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the concentration of adopted additives. The most efficient buffer to solubilize IBs was a buffer containing 6 M urea with 6 mM beta mercaptoethanol, pH 11. The optimum concentration of three buffer additives for refolding of the scFv was 23 mM tricine, 0.55 mM arginine, and 14.3 mM imidazole. The bioactivity of the refolded scFv was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of breast cancer tissue, a specific binding based method. The systematic optimization of refolding buffer developed in the present work will contribute to improve the refolding of other scFv fragments.

Recovery of bioactive protein from bacterial inclusion bodies using trifluoroethanol as solubilization agent

Background

Formation of inclusion bodies poses a major hurdle in recovery of bioactive recombinant protein from Escherichia coli. Urea and guanidine hydrochloride have routinely been used to solubilize inclusion body proteins, but many times result in poor recovery of bioactive protein. High pH buffers, detergents and organic solvents like n-propanol have been successfully used as mild solubilization agents for high throughput recovery of bioactive protein from bacterial inclusion bodies. These mild solubilization agents preserve native-like secondary structures of proteins in inclusion body aggregates and result in improved recovery of bioactive protein as compared to conventional solubilization agents. Here we demonstrate solubilization of human growth hormone inclusion body aggregates using 30 % trifluoroethanol in presence of 3 M urea and its refolding into bioactive form.

Results

Human growth hormone was expressed in E. coli M15 (pREP) cells in the form of inclusion bodies. Different concentrations of trifluoroethanol with or without addition of low concentration (3 M) of urea were used for solubilization of inclusion body aggregates. Thirty percent trifluoroethanol in combination with 3 M urea was found to be suitable for efficient solubilization of human growth hormone inclusion bodies. Solubilized protein was refolded by dilution and purified by anion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Purified protein was analyzed for secondary and tertiary structure using different spectroscopic tools and was found to be bioactive by cell proliferation assay. To understand the mechanism of action of trifluoroethanol, secondary and tertiary structure of human growth hormone in trifluoroethanol was compared to that in presence of other denaturants like urea and guanidine hydrochloride. Trifluoroethanol was found to be stabilizing the secondary structure and destabilizing the tertiary structure of protein. Finally, it was observed that trifluoroethanol can be used to solubilize inclusion bodies of a number of proteins.

Conclusions

Trifluoroethanol was found to be a suitable mild solubilization agent for bacterial inclusion bodies. Fully functional, bioactive human growth hormone was recovered in high yield from inclusion bodies using trifluoroethanol based solubilization buffer. It was also observed that trifluoroethanol has potential to solubilize inclusion bodies of different proteins.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-016-0504-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Optimization of dilution refolding conditions for a camelid single domain antibody against human beta-2-microglobulin

Single domain antibody (sdAb) is often expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli cytoplasm. Establishing an effective in vitro refolding method for sdAb obtained from inclusion bodies would be important for sdAb research. In this study, dilution refolding condition for a camelid sdAb specific against human beta-2-microglobulin was optimized for the sdAb purified from the inclusion bodies of E. coli BL21 (DE3). Single factor methods based on protein concentration, velocity of dilution, incubation time and refolding buffer composition were first investigated. Then the key refolding buffer compositions were selected for further optimization by means of the Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM). The activity of the refolded sdAb was determined by measuring its specific antigen-binding ability using indirect ELISA. The optimized refolding condition of sdAb consisted of a 10-fold dilution in 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) containing 1.24 mM GSH, 1mM GSSG, 352 mM L-Arg, 0.65% PEG-2000, and a 16 h incubation at 4 °C. Further comparison of the activities between the refolded sdAb and purified soluble sdAb expressed in E. coli Rosetta-gami (DE3) pLysS indicated that the sdAb was correctly refolded, as assayed by isothermal titration calorimetry. This work could provide an important strategy for the recombinant production and application of sdAb.

Protein recovery from inclusion bodies of Escherichia coli using mild solubilization process

Formation of inclusion bodies in bacterial hosts poses a major challenge for large scale recovery of bioactive proteins. The process of obtaining bioactive protein from inclusion bodies is labor intensive and the yields of recombinant protein are often low. Here we review the developments in the field that are targeted at improving the yield, as well as quality of the recombinant protein by optimizing the individual steps of the process, especially solubilization of the inclusion bodies and refolding of the solubilized protein. Mild solubilization methods have been discussed which are based on the understanding of the fact that protein molecules in inclusion body aggregates have native-like structure. These methods solubilize the inclusion body aggregates while preserving the native-like protein structure. Subsequent protein refolding and purification results in high recovery of bioactive protein. Other parameters which influence the overall recovery of bioactive protein from inclusion bodies have also been discussed. A schematic model describing the utility of mild solubilization methods for high throughput recovery of bioactive protein has also been presented.

General introduction: recombinant protein production and purification of insoluble proteins

Proteins are synthesized in heterologous systems because of the impossibility to obtain satisfactory yields from natural sources. The production of soluble and functional recombinant proteins is among the main goals in the biotechnological field. In this context, it is important to point out that under stress conditions, protein folding machinery is saturated and this promotes protein misfolding and, consequently, protein aggregation. Thus, the selection of the optimal expression organism and the most appropriate growth conditions to minimize the formation of insoluble proteins should be done according to the protein characteristics and downstream requirements. Escherichia coli is the most popular recombinant protein expression system despite the great development achieved so far by eukaryotic expression systems. Besides, other prokaryotic expression systems, such as lactic acid bacteria and psychrophilic bacteria, are gaining interest in this field. However, it is worth mentioning that prokaryotic expression system poses, in many cases, severe restrictions for a successful heterologous protein production. Thus, eukaryotic systems such as mammalian cells, insect cells, yeast, filamentous fungus, and microalgae are an interesting alternative for the production of these difficult-to-express proteins.

Inclusion bodies: not that bad…

The formation of inclusion bodies (IBs) constitute a frequent event during the production of heterologous proteins in bacterial hosts. Although the mechanisms leading to their formation are not completely understood, empirical data have been exploited trying to predict the aggregation propensity of specific proteins while a great number of strategies have been developed to avoid the generation of IBs. However, in many cases, the formation of such aggregates can be considered an advantage for basic research as for protein production. In this review, we focus on this positive side of IBs formation in bacteria. We present a compilation on recent advances on the understanding of IBs formation and their utilization as a model to understand protein aggregation and to explore strategies to control this process. We include recent information about their composition and structure, their use as an attractive approach to produce low cost proteins and other promising applications in Biomedicine.

Engineering production of functional scFv antibody in E. coli by co-expressing the molecule chaperone Skp

Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) is a class of engineered antibodies generated by the fusion of the heavy (V_H) and light chains (V_L) of immunoglobulins through a short polypeptide linker. ScFv play a critical role in therapy and diagnosis of human diseases, and may in fact also be developed into a potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic agent. However, the fact that current scFv antibodies have poor stability, low solubility, and affinity, seriously limits their diagnostic and clinical implication. Here we have developed four different expression vectors, and evaluated their abilities to express a soluble scFv protein. The solubility and binding activity of the purified proteins were determined using both SDS-PAGE and ELISA. Amongst the four purified proteins, the Skp co-expressed scFv showed the highest solubility, and the binding activity to antigen TLH was 3-4 fold higher than the other three purified scFv. In fact, this scFv is specific for TLH and does not cross-react with other TLH-associated proteins and could be used to detect TLH directly in real samples. These results suggest that the pACYC-Duet-skp co-expression vector might be a useful tool for the production of soluble and functional scFv antibody.

Efficient production of anti-fluorescein and anti-lysozyme as single-chain anti-body fragments (scFv) by Brevibacillus expression system

Expression of scFv in Brevibacillus choshinensis was tested using combinations of three different promoters and four different secretion signals. Two model scFv constructs, i.e., His-scFvFLU and His-scFvHEL, were successfully expressed with some of the combinations. Ni Sepharose column and size exclusion chromatography resulted in fairly pure preparations of these two proteins. The purified His-scFvFLU inhibited fluorescence from fluorescein, while the purified His-scFvHEL inhibited lysozyme activity. Relatively high yield of His-scFvFLU (∼40%) and His-scFvHEL (∼30%) was achieved with the expression and purification system described here.

Overproduction of anti-Tn antibody MLS128 single-chain Fv fragment in Escherichia coli cytoplasm using a novel pCold-PDI vector

Overproduction of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli is often hampered by their failure to fold correctly, leading to their accumulation within inclusion bodies. To overcome the problem, a variety of techniques aimed at soluble expression have been developed including low temperature expression and/or fusion of soluble tags and chaperones. However, a general protocol for bacterial expression of disulfide bond-containing proteins has hitherto not been established. Single chain Fv fragments (scFvs) are disulfide bond-containing proteins often difficult to express in soluble forms in E. coli. We here examine in detail the E. coli expression of a scFv originating from an anti-carbohydrate MLS128 antibody as a model system. We combine three techniques: (1) tagging scFv with thioredoxin, DsbC and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), (2) expressing the proteins at low temperature using the pCold vector system, and (3) using Origami E. coli strains with mutations in the thioredoxin reductase and glutathione reductase genes. We observed a high expression level of soluble MLS128-scFv in the Origami strain only when PDI is used as a tag. The recombinant protein retains full binding activity towards synthetic carbohydrate antigens. The developed "pCold-PDI" vector has potential for overproduction of other scFvs and disulfide-containing proteins in the Origami strains.

Wheat germ cell-free expression system as a pathway to improve protein yield and solubility for the SSGCID pipeline

Recombinant expression of proteins of interest in Escherichia coli is an important tool in the determination of protein structure. However, lack of expression and insolubility remain significant challenges to the expression and crystallization of these proteins. The SSGCID program uses a wheat germ cell-free expression system as a rescue pathway for proteins that are either not expressed or insoluble when produced in E. coli. Testing indicates that the system is a valuable tool for these protein targets. Further increases in solubility were obtained by the addition of the NVoy polymer reagent to the reaction mixture. These data indicate that this eukaryotic cell-free expression system has a high success rate and that the addition of specific reagents can increase the yield of soluble protein.