Unique properties of bacteriorhodopsin, namely, photochromism and high thermal stability, make this protein an attractive target for physico-chemical studies, as well as for various biotechnological applications. Using Mistic as a suitable carrier for insertion of recombinant membrane proteins into cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli, we developed a system for overexpression of bacteriorhodopsin and worked out an efficient procedure for its purification and renaturation with the final yield of 120 mg/l of refolded protein, which is the highest value reported to date for bacteriorhodopsin produced in E. coli. Functional activity of recombinant bacteriorhodopsin was confirmed by spectroscopic and electrochemical assays.
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