High yield purification of full-length functional hERG K+ channels produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Microb Cell Fact. 2015 Feb 7:14:15. doi: 10.1186/s12934-015-0193-9.

Abstract

The hERG potassium channel is essential for repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Due to this vital function, absence of unintended and potentially life-threatening interactions with hERG is required for approval of new drugs. The structure of hERG is therefore one of the most sought-after. To provide purified hERG for structural studies and new hERG biomimetic platforms for detection of undesirable interactions, we have developed a hERG expression platform generating unprecedented amounts of purified and functional hERG channels. Full-length hERG, with or without a C-terminally fused green fluorescent protein (GFP) His 8-tag was produced from a codon-optimized hERG cDNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Both constructs complemented the high potassium requirement of a knock-out Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, indicating correct tetramer assembly in vivo. Functionality was further demonstrated by Astemizole binding to membrane embedded hERG-GFP-His 8 with a stoichiometry corresponding to tetramer assembly. The 156 kDa hERG-GFP protein accumulated to a membrane density of 1.6%. Fluorescence size exclusion chromatography of hERG-GFP-His 8 solubilized in Fos-Choline-12 supplemented with cholesteryl-hemisuccinate and Astemizole resulted in a monodisperse elution profile demonstrating a high quality of the hERG channels. hERG-GFP-His 8 purified by Ni-affinity chromatography maintained the ability to bind Astemizole with the correct stoichiometry indicating that the native, tetrameric structure was preserved. To our knowledge this is the first reported high-yield production and purification of full length, tetrameric and functional hERG. This significant breakthrough will be paramount in obtaining hERG crystal structures, and in establishment of new high-throughput hERG drug safety screening assays.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Astemizole / metabolism*
  • Biomass
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Chromatography, Affinity / methods
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • ERG1 Potassium Channel
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / biosynthesis*
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / genetics
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / isolation & purification
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • ERG1 Potassium Channel
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels
  • Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating
  • KCNH2 protein, human
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Astemizole