Purification and characterization of Qβ replicase with a His-tag

Facile production and rapid purification of functional recombinant Qβ replicase heterotetramer complex

We describe an improved method for the production of recombinant Qβ replicase heterotetramer. The successful expression of the soluble Qβ RNA polymerase complex depends on the EF-Ts and EF-Tu subunits being co-expressed prior to β-subunit expression. Efficient co-expression requires two different inducible operons to co-ordinate the expression of the heterotrimer. The complete heterotetramer enzyme complex is achieved by production of the recombinant S1-subunit of Qβ replicase in a separate host. This approach represents a facile way for producing and purifying large amounts of soluble and active recombinant Qβ replicase tetramer without the necessity of a His-tag for purification.

Preparation of nitrilotriacetic acid/Co2+-linked, silica/boron-coated magnetite nanoparticles for purification of 6×histidine-tagged proteins

In this report, we describe the preparation of novel nitrilotriacetic acid/Co2+-linked, silica/boron-coated magnetite nanoparticles for purification of 6 x His-tagged proteins. The nanoparticles were approximately 200 nm in size and were stable against hydrochloric acid and had negligible non-specific binding for protein. Elimination of non-specific binding by nucleic acids was readily achieved by digestion of samples with DNase and RNase. The modified nanoparticles were used to purify two model proteins: one had a C-terminal 6 x His tag, and the other had an internal 6 x His tag. Both proteins were purified within one hour into single band purity on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis gel.

Functional Qbeta replicase genetically fusing essential subunits EF-Ts and EF-Tu with beta-subunit

Qbeta replicase, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of RNA coliphage Qbeta, is a heterotetramer composed of a phage-encoded beta-subunit and three host-encoded proteins: the ribosomal protein S1 (alpha-subunit), EF-Tu, and EF-Ts. Several purification methods for Qbeta replicase were described previously. However, in our efforts to improve the production of Qbeta replicase, a substantial amount of the beta-subunit overproduced in Escherichia coli cells was found as insoluble aggregates. In this paper, we describe two kinds of method of producing Qbeta replicase. In one kind, both EF-Tu and EF-Ts subunits were expressed with the beta-subunit, and in the other kind, the beta-subunit was genetically fused with EF-Tu and EF-Ts. The fused protein, a single-chain alpha-less Qbeta replicase, was mostly found in the soluble fraction and could be readily purified. These results pave the way for the large-scale production of the highly purified form of this enzyme.