The production of heterologous proteins is an important procedure for biologists in basic and applied sciences. A variety of cell-based and cell-free protein expression systems are available to achieve this. The expression system must be selected carefully, especially for target proteins that require post-translational modifications. In this study, human Src family kinases were prepared using six different protein expression systems: 293 human embryonic kidney cells, Escherichia coli, and cell-free expression systems derived from rabbit reticulocytes, wheat germ, insect cells, or Escherichia coli. The phosphorylation status of each kinase was analyzed by Phos-tag SDS-PAGE. The kinase activities were also investigated. In the eukaryotic systems, multiple phosphorylated forms of the expressed kinases were observed. In the rabbit reticulocyte lysate system and 293 cells, differences in phosphorylation status between the wild-type and kinase-dead mutants were observed. Whether the expressed kinase was active depended on the properties of both the kinase and each expression system. In the prokaryotic systems, Src and Hck were expressed in autophosphorylated active forms. Clear differences in post-translational phosphorylation among the protein expression systems were revealed. These results provide useful information for preparing functional proteins regulated by phosphorylation.
Keywords: Src family kinase; phos-tag; phosphorylation; protein expression system.