Gene fragment polymerization gives increased yields of recombinant human proinsulin C-peptide

Gene. 1998 Apr 14;210(2):203-10. doi: 10.1016/s0378-1119(98)00026-2.

Abstract

A multimerization strategy to improve yields upon recombinant production of the 31-aa human proinsulin C-peptide is presented. Gene fragments encoding the C-peptide were assembled using specific head-to-tail multimerization. DNA constructs encoding one, three or seven copies of the C-peptide gene, fused to a serum albumin binding affinity tag, were expressed intracellularly in Escherichia coli. The three fusion proteins were produced at similar levels (approximately 50 mg/l) and were proteolytically stable during production. Enzymatic digestion by trypsin-carboxypeptidase B treatment of the fusion proteins was shown to efficiently release native C-peptide, as determined by mass spectrometry, reverse-phase chromatography and a radioimmunoassay. The quantitative yields of C-peptide obtained from the three different fusion proteins suggest that this multimerization strategy could provide a cost-efficient production scheme for the C-peptide, and that this strategy could be useful also for production of other recombinant peptides.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • C-Peptide / biosynthesis*
  • C-Peptide / genetics*
  • C-Peptide / isolation & purification
  • C-Peptide / metabolism
  • Carboxypeptidase B
  • Carboxypeptidases / metabolism
  • Chromatography, Affinity
  • Cloning, Molecular / methods*
  • DNA
  • Escherichia coli
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Trypsin / metabolism

Substances

  • C-Peptide
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • DNA
  • Carboxypeptidases
  • Carboxypeptidase B
  • Trypsin