Expression and purification of chimeric peptide comprising EGFR B-cell epitope and measles virus fusion protein T-cell epitope in Escherichia coli

Strategies for Optimizing the Production of Proteins and Peptides with Multiple Disulfide Bonds

Bacteria can produce recombinant proteins quickly and cost effectively. However, their physiological properties limit their use for the production of proteins in their native form, especially polypeptides that are subjected to major post-translational modifications. Proteins that rely on disulfide bridges for their stability are difficult to produce in Escherichia coli. The bacterium offers the least costly, simplest, and fastest method for protein production. However, it is difficult to produce proteins with a very large size. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris are the most commonly used yeast species for protein production. At a low expense, yeasts can offer high protein yields, generate proteins with a molecular weight greater than 50 kDa, extract signal sequences, and glycosylate proteins. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic species maintain reducing conditions in the cytoplasm. Hence, the formation of disulfide bonds is inhibited. These bonds are formed in eukaryotic cells during the export cycle, under the oxidizing conditions of the endoplasmic reticulum. Bacteria do not have an advanced subcellular space, but in the oxidizing periplasm, they exhibit both export systems and enzymatic activities directed at the formation and quality of disulfide bonds. Here, we discuss current techniques used to target eukaryotic and prokaryotic species for the generation of correctly folded proteins with disulfide bonds.

[Bacterial expression of 183-227aa region of HER3 extracellular domain I and preparation and identification of its polyclonal antibodies]

OBJECTIVE

To prepare the recombinant peptide MVF-HER3 I composed of the 183-227aa peptide segment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3 I) and the measles virus protein 288-302 peptide segment (MVF), and prepare polyclonal antibodies (PcAb) against this recombinant peptide.

METHODS

The MVF-HER3 I gene was synthesized chemically and subcloned into pET21b or pET32a plasmid containing Thioredoxin (Trx) tag gene. The recombinant plasmids were identified by endonuclease digestion. MVF-HER3 I was expressed in E.coli BL21(DE3) cells under an optimal bacterial expression condition. The fusion protein Trx-MVF-HER3 I was purified using nickel ion affinity chromatography, and the purified protein was digested by enterokinase to remove Trx tag. The digested mixture underwent further nickel ion affinity chromatography to obtain purified MVF-HER3 I. The purified MVF-HER3 I was used to immunize SD rats subcutaneously for preparing anti-MVF-HER3 I PcAb. The titer of PcAb was determined using ELISA. The bindings of anti-MVF-HER3 I PcAb to MVF-HER3 I, native HER3 and MCF7 cells were analyzed using immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and laser confocal microscopy. The growth inhibition effect of the antibodies on MCF7 cells cultured in the absence or presence of NRG was assessed using sulforhodamine B.

RESULTS

The recombinant peptide gene could not be expressed alone, but could be efficiently expressed after fusion with Trx gene under optimized conditions. The fusion peptide MVF-HER3 I was successfully prepared from Trx-MVF-HER3 I. The anti-MVF-HER3 I PcAb, with a titer reaching 1: 512 000, specifically bound to MVF-HER3 I, recognized native HER3 and bound to the membrane of MCF7 cells. The obtained PcAb could dose-dependently inhibit the growth of MCF7 cells irrespective of the presence or absence of NRG.

CONCLUSIONS

We successfully obtained the recombinant peptide MVF-HER3 I and prepared its PcAb, which can facilitate further functional analysis of HER3 signaling pathway.

Designs of Antigen Structure and Composition for Improved Protein-Based Vaccine Efficacy

Today, vaccinologists have come to understand that the hallmark of any protective immune response is the antigen. However, it is not the whole antigen that dictates the immune response, but rather the various parts comprising the whole that are capable of influencing immunogenicity. Protein-based antigens hold particular importance within this structural approach to understanding immunity because, though different molecules can serve as antigens, only proteins are capable of inducing both cellular and humoral immunity. This fact, coupled with the versatility and customizability of proteins when considering vaccine design applications, makes protein-based vaccines (PBVs) one of today's most promising technologies for artificially inducing immunity. In this review, we follow the development of PBV technologies through time and discuss the antigen-specific receptors that are most critical to any immune response: pattern recognition receptors, B cell receptors, and T cell receptors. Knowledge of these receptors and their ligands has become exceptionally valuable in the field of vaccinology, where today it is possible to make drastic modifications to PBV structure, from primary to quaternary, in order to promote recognition of target epitopes, potentiate vaccine immunogenicity, and prevent antigen-associated complications. Additionally, these modifications have made it possible to control immune responses by modulating stability and targeting PBV to key immune cells. Consequently, careful consideration should be given to protein structure when designing PBVs in the future in order to potentiate PBV efficacy.

Development of an indirect ELISA for detection of E. Coli antibodies in cow serum using a recombinant OmpT as antigen

The aim of this article was to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for efficient detection of the infection of E. coli in cattle. OmpT, a highly conserved protease in all E. coli strains, was successfully expressed in E. coli XL-1-Blue strain with PET32a vector. Molecular weight of recombinant protein was identified by analyzing SDS-PAGE and the immunogenicity of OmpT was confirmed by Western Blotting. The recombinant OmpT was then employed as capture antigen in the ELISA. The antigen concentration and serum dilution were determined using a checkerboard titration. Results showed that the optimal concentration of coated antigen was 1 μg/ml at a serum dilution of 1:640 and the cut-off value of the assay was 0.335. In addition, the cross-reactivity assay showed that the OmpT was E. coli specific and the reproducibility experiments displayed good repeatability of the assay. Three hundred and forty cattle serum samples were tested by rOmpT-ELISA and sera coagulation tests. The ELISA has showed relative sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 96.47%. Results of these experiments indicated that the rOmpT-ELISA is a simple, rapid, and convenient method for detection the infection of E. coli with different serotype strains.