title: High-level expression of recombinant human FK-binding protein from a fusion precursor.
abstract: The human peptidyl-prolyl isomerase FK-binding protein (FKBP) was cloned as a fusion partner with CMP-KDO synthetase (CKS), and the resultant construct was characterized as an improved high-expression source for FKBP. The CKS-FKBP fusion was expressed as a soluble protein at levels approaching 1 gm/L in Escherichia coli fermentations. The fusion protein was purified to near homogeneity by a one-step ammonium sulfate fractionation of whole cell lysate. After selective cleavage, the fusion precursor produced yields approaching 300 mg of purified FKBP per liter of harvested culture, a approximately 30 to 60-fold increase over that observed for a nonfusion construct. Selective cleavage of the fusion partners was accomplished using either hydroxylamine or specific, limited proteolysis. Once separated from the CKS fusion partner, the FKBP was isolated in a single step by either reversed-phase HPLC or chromatography on Q-Sepharose. For comparison of physical and chemical properties, a nonfusion construct of recombinant human FKBP was expressed in E. coli and isolated. The purified FKBPs exhibited expected SDS-PAGE molecular weights and N-terminal sequences. The proteins had similar proton NMR spectra and binding to [3H]FK-506. The fusion construct, CKS-FKBP, was also found to bind [3H]FK-506. These data indicate that FKBP fused to the C-terminus of CKS folds independently of the fusion partner and suggests the fused FKBP adopts a conformation resembling that of the native protein.
authors.affiliation: Protein Biochemistry, Structural Biology Unit, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois 60064.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edalji
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pilot-Matias
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Severin
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Gubbins
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Petros
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Fesik
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Burres
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Holzman
mesh_terms: D000591:Amino Acid Isomerases / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D019811:Hydroxylamine; D006898:Hydroxylamines / Q000737:chemistry; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D019696:Peptidylprolyl Isomerase; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000378:metabolism*; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006898:Hydroxylamines; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019811:Hydroxylamine; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; C028984:3-deoxy-manno-octulosonate cytidyltransferase; D000591:Amino Acid Isomerases; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins; D019696:Peptidylprolyl Isomerase; D016559:Tacrolimus