title: An in vitro screening system for protein splicing inhibitors based on green fluorescent protein as an indicator.
abstract: This paper describes an in vitro fluorometric assay system for protein splicing based on the RecA intein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a modified green fluorescent protein (GFP). The assay takes advantage of the fact that polypeptides inserted adjacent to residue 129 of GFP cause the protein to form inclusion bodies when expressed in Escherichia coli and to be incapable of fluorophore formation. However, when the inserted polypeptide is an intein, the renatured fusion protein can undergo protein splicing and chromophore formation. Comparison of chromophore formation by renatured GFP-intein fusion and renatured GFP showed that under optimal conditions (pH 6.5 and 20 degrees C) protein splicing is significantly slower than GFP chromophore formation. Taking advantage of the reversible inhibition of protein splicing by zinc ion, a fluorometric protein splicing assay was developed in which the denatured fusion protein of GFP and the RecA intein was purified on a metal ion affinity column and renatured in the presence of 2 mM ZnCl2. When diluted into appropriate buffers, protein splicing could be initiated by the addition of a molar excess of EDTA and followed fluorometrically. This assay should be valuable as a high-throughput screening system for protein splicing inhibitors as potential antimycobacterial agents and as tools for studying the mechanism of protein splicing.
authors.affiliation: Boston Biomedical Research Institute, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, USA.
authors.forename: Jaya Pal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gangopadhyay
authors.forename: Shu-Qin
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Paulus
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000379:methods*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D019154:Protein Splicing; D011938:Rec A Recombinases / Q000737:chemistry*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D011938:Rec A Recombinases