Protocol for quantitative evaluation of misfolded protein degradation using Agrobacterium-mediated expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana

STAR Protoc. 2024 Apr 24;5(2):103034. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103034. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Cellular protein homeostasis is maintained by the disposal of aggregated misfolded proteins. Here, we present a protocol for investigating the involvement of the proteins of interest in misfolded protein degradation via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. We describe in detail the steps of misfolded protein design, transient protein expression in N. benthamiana, subsequent total protein extraction, and quantification of misfolded proteins through western blotting. This generalizable system can be used for misfolded proteins derived from various plants or microbes. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ai et al.1.

Keywords: Microbiology; Plant sciences; Protein expression and purification; Sequence analysis.