Phage T4 expression vector: protection from proteolysis

Overexpression of cloned genes using recombinant Escherichia coli regulated by a T7 promoter: II. Two-stage continuous cultures and model simulations

A two-stage culture strategy was studied for continuous high-level production of a foreign protein in the chemically inducible T7 expression system. The first stage is dedicated to the maintenance of plasmid-bearing cells and the second stage to the target protein synthesis by induction of cells coming from the first stage. On entering the second stage, recombinant cells undergo a gradual induction of the target gene expression. These plasmid-bearing cells experience dynamic changes in intracellular compositions and specific growth rates with their individual residence times. Therefore, the overall cultural characteristics in the production stage are really averages of the contributions from the various cells with different residence times. The behavior of the two-stage culture is described by a model, which accounts for dynamic variations of cell growth and protein synthesis rates with cell residence times. Model simulations were compared with experimental results at a variety of operating conditions such as inducer concentration and dilution rate. This model is useful for understanding the behavior of two-stage continuous cultures.

Characterization of oxygen-dependent lysis of Escherichia coli cells infected by bacteriophage T4

Infection of Escherichia coli cells by T4 phage at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.01 caused inhibition of cell lysis for up to 4 h. Such cells grown under aerobic condition were lysed by external stimuli such as cold shock, osmotic shock or addition of toxic substances, e.g., carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). However, the effects of these external stimuli were reduced by transferring the cells to static incubation, by which dissolved oxygen was consumed by the cells within 10 min. The cells became insensitive to such external stimuli when the culture was deoxygenated with nitrogen gas. Following infection with a lysozyme amber mutant, eL1a, the cell membrane permeability was found to be increased either by cold shock or osmotic shock treatment of cells grown under aerobic conditions, but not in cells transferred to the static incubation. Oxygen limitation was suggested to enhance membrane stability in relation to cell lysis following the cold or osmotic shock treatment.

Strategies for achieving high-level expression of genes in Escherichia coli

Progress in our understanding of several biological processes promises to broaden the usefulness of Escherichia coli as a tool for gene expression. There is an expanding choice of tightly regulated prokaryotic promoters suitable for achieving high-level gene expression. New host strains facilitate the formation of disulfide bonds in the reducing environment of the cytoplasm and offer higher protein yields by minimizing proteolytic degradation. Insights into the process of protein translocation across the bacterial membranes may eventually make it possible to achieve robust secretion of specific proteins into the culture medium. Studies involving molecular chaperones have shown that in specific cases, chaperones can be very effective for improved protein folding, solubility, and membrane transport. Negative results derived from such studies are also instructive in formulating different strategies. The remarkable increase in the availability of fusion partners offers a wide range of tools for improved protein folding, solubility, protection from proteases, yield, and secretion into the culture medium, as well as for detection and purification of recombinant proteins. Codon usage is known to present a potential impediment to high-level gene expression in E. coli. Although we still do not understand all the rules governing this phenomenon, it is apparent that "rare" codons, depending on their frequency and context, can have an adverse effect on protein levels. Usually, this problem can be alleviated by modification of the relevant codons or by coexpression of the cognate tRNA genes. Finally, the elucidation of specific determinants of protein degradation, a plethora of protease-deficient host strains, and methods to stabilize proteins afford new strategies to minimize proteolytic susceptibility of recombinant proteins in E. coli.

Protection from proteolysis using a T4::T7-RNAP phage expression-packaging-processing system

DNA coding for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase (T7-RNAP) was inserted into a positive selection-vector form of the T4 genome, placing it under the control of bacteriophage T4 ipIII promoters. The recombinant T4::T7-RNAP fusion phage retained infectivity and produced T7-RNAP in infected cells. Fusion genes were constructed by insertion into a plasmid containing an iPIII (encoding internal protein III) target portion and a bacteriophage T7 promoter region. When Escherichia coli cells containing the plasmid were infected with the T4::T7-RNAP re-phage, the bacteria produced fusion protein at high levels. The newly synthesized T4::T7-RNAP re-phage progeny package and process the fusion protein into the phage capsid during head morphogenesis. In this paper, we demonstrate that truncated T4 internal protein IPIII, human IPIII::beta Glo (beta-globin) fusion protein, E. coli IPIII::beta Glo::beta Gal (beta-galactosidase) triple-fusion protein and IPIII::V3 fusion protein (human immunodeficiency virus envelope protein gp120 V3 region) are expressed at high levels by T4::T7-RNAP induction. With IPIII::beta Glo, expression-packaging-processing (EPP) occurs simultaneously with T4::T7-RNAP re-phage infection. We also demonstrate that T4::T7-RNAP re-phage stabilize unstable proteins such as the X90 fragment of beta Gal, thought to be degraded by the lon protease. An unstable 20-kDa fragment of the large subunit of human cytochrome b558, an integral membrane protein in phagocytes, is subject to proteolytic degradation even when produced in the lon-deficient BL21 strain. However, upon induction with T4::T7-RNAP re-phage, the 20-kDa protein is produced intact.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriophage T4 as a surface display vector

We describe a method for construction of hymeric bacteriophage T4 particles displaying foreign polypeptides on their surface. The method is based on our finding that minor T4 fibrous protein fibritin encoded by gene wac (whisker's antigen control) could be lengthened at the C terminus without impairing its folding or binding to the phage particle. The lengthened fibritin gene could easily be transferred into the T4 genome by homologous recombination with a plasmid containing the modified gene wac. The modified gene wac is expressed properly during phage reproduction, and the lengthened fibritin is bound to phage particles. As an example of this type of method, we have obtained the hymeric T4 particles carrying a polypeptide of 53 residues, 45 of which are from the pre-S2 region of hepatitis B virus. The T4 display vector extends currently available display systems.

An expression-packaging-processing vector which selects and maintains 7-kb DNA inserts in the blue T4 phage genome

We have developed an efficient positive-selection vector to insert foreign DNA segments fused to the T4 ipIII gene (encoding internal protein IPIII) into the bacteriophage T4 genome. By using partial deletions of the T4 e gene, which encodes phage lysozyme, lysozyme activity required for plaque formation is used to select plasmid integrants which restore the e gene. In this work, we demonstrate that DNA inserts more than 7.0 kb in length can be incorporated into a T4 genome lacking the alt gene. In addition, the recombinant T4 not only contains a fusion gene driven by the T4 ipIII promoters, but also packages the fusion protein into the T4 capsid due to targeting by the IPIII portion. This expression-packaging-processing system shows that active IPIII::beta Gal fusion reporter protein is produced and packaged during phage infection.

Artificial mobile DNA element constructed from the EcoRI endonuclease gene

There exist several examples of mobile group I introns. These introns appear to use a straightforward mechanism to achieve highly site-specific and efficient insertion into homologous intronless genes. Because the only intron-specific function required by the prevailing model for the mechanism of intron mobility is the introduction of a site-specific double-stranded break in the intronless recipient DNA molecule, we reasoned that it should in principle be possible to construct artificially mobile DNA sequences. We have constructed an artificial mobile element from the gene for the restriction enzyme EcoRI that is capable of site-specific insertion at rates near those of authentic mobile introns. The generality of the mobility mechanism may enable high-efficiency targeted gene replacements or disruptions in a variety of organisms.

The Rex system of bacteriophage lambda: tolerance and altruistic cell death

The rexA and rexB genes of bacteriophage lambda encode a two-component system that aborts lytic growth of bacterial viruses. Rex exclusion is characterized by termination of macromolecular synthesis, loss of active transport, the hydrolysis of ATP, and cell death. By analogy to colicins E1 and K, these results can be explained by depolarization of the cytoplasmic membrane. We have fractionated cells to determine the intracellular location of the RexB protein and made RexB-alkaline phosphatase fusions to analyze its membrane topology. The RexB protein appears to be a polytopic transmembrane protein. We suggest that RexB proteins form ion channels that, in response to lytic growth of bacteriophages, depolarize the cytoplasmic membrane. The Rex system requires a mechanism to prevent lambda itself from being excluded during lytic growth. We have determined that overexpression of RexB in lambda lysogens prevents the exclusion of both T4 rII mutants and lambda ren mutants. We suspect that overexpression of RexB is the basis for preventing self-exclusion following the induction of a lambda lysogen and that RexB overexpression is accomplished through transcriptional regulation.

Control of in vivo proteolysis in the production of recombinant proteins

Proteolytic degradation of protein products causes many problems in the bioprocess industry. The increasing production of proteins in heterologous hosts through the use of recombinant DNA technology, has recently brought the problem into focus, since it seems that heterologous proteins are more prone to proteolysis. The result of proteolytic attack may vary from complete hydrolysis of the product to minor truncation of the protein without impairment of its biological function. The degree to which such partial proteolysis is a problem depends on the requirements of the ultimate use of the protein product.