拥挤试剂PEG2000对不同拓扑结构类弹性蛋白相变的影响

类弹性蛋白（Elastin-like polypeptides,ELPs）是属于弹性蛋白中的一种且具有温控性的生物大分子,本文研究拥挤试剂对不同拓扑结构ELPs相变温度的影响,利用温控-紫外分光光度计研究其相变特性,结果发现,随着PEG2000浓度的增加,T-E-F的相变温度下降11.9~17.1℃;在固定Tadpole-like-E浓度下,随着PEG2000浓度的增加,Tadpole-like-E的相变温度降低11.5~16℃,其中,25 μmol/L的Tadpole-like-E其相变速度缓慢;ELPs浓度越大,其相变温度降低愈大,且PEG2000影响ELPs相变温度的趋势与ELPs的拓扑结构关系不大。另外,在简单的PBS缓冲溶液中加入PEG2000,可以使E-C在浓度＜0.5 mol/L的Na2CO3中发生相变,且随着PEG2000浓度的增加,E-C相变温度逐渐降低。本研究为今后ELPs在复杂体系的应用提供前期的基础研究。     

以类弹性蛋白多肽为标签的表达质粒构建及其用于木聚糖酶的非色谱纯化

【目的】旨在构建一个能以非色谱纯化目标蛋白的表达质粒,使用自行设计的类弹性蛋白多肽(ELPs)作为非色谱纯化标签,以纯化目标蛋白。该ELPs长度短,对盐非常敏感。【方法】从头设计了木聚糖酶,将其通过一段无规则卷曲同ELPs相连,合成了编码上述序列的基因,并构建重组表达载体pET-22b-SoxB-M2-S-ELP,转化至大肠杆菌BLR(DE3)中诱导表达,采用可逆相变循环经高速离心纯化木聚糖酶,并考察纯酶的酶学性质。【结果】成功构建了表达载体并表达,在pH=7.0时0.5 mol/L碳酸钠可使ELPs的相变温度降至22℃。在上述条件下,对木聚糖酶进行了非色谱纯化,其纯化倍数为3.2,回收率为21.2%,纯度为64.3%。经测定,未连接ELPs的酶、粗酶及纯化酶学性质基本一致,其最适温度为60℃,最适pH为6.0,最适反应时间为30 min,粗酶70℃保温1 h相对酶活仍有50%,为嗜热木聚糖酶,与预期相符。【结论】ELPs作为非色谱纯化标签纯化重组木聚糖酶具有操作简单、易于放大、成本较低的优势,故所构建的重组质粒可望通用于分离多种重组蛋白,具有较广泛的用途。     

聚乙二醇对ELP[I]40相变温度的影响

目的:研究聚乙二醇(polyethylene glycol,PEG)对类弹性蛋白(elastin-like protein,ELP)ELP[I]40相变温度(inverse temperature transition,Tt)的影响.方法:设计并合成ELP[I]40基因(由40个(VPGIG)五肽单元串联组成),表达纯化后,检测不同浓度PEG条件下ELP[I]40的Tt.结果:在ELP[I]40终浓度为25 μmol/L时,PEG浓度为5％,10％,15％,20％,25％时分别使Tt由29℃降至26.5℃,22℃,15.2℃,8.8℃,2.5℃.结论:PEG可降低ELP的Tt,可通过PEG促进ELP重组蛋白分离纯化.     

ELP[Ⅰ]50标签在重组硫氧还蛋白分离纯化中的应用及PEG对其相变温度的影响

[目的]使用自行设计的类弹性蛋白(Elastin-like protein,ELP) ELP[Ⅰ]50作为非色谱纯化标签,分离纯化重组硫氧还蛋白(Thioredoxin,Trx),并研究聚乙二醇(Polyethyleneglycol,PEG)对ELP[Ⅰ]50-Trx相变温度(Inverse temperature transition,Tt)的影响.[方法]人工合成Trx基因,将其亚克隆到自行构建的表达载体pET28编码ELP[Ⅰ]50标签下游,转入大肠杆菌BLR(DE3)进行表达.融合蛋白表达后,采用可逆相变循环(Inverse transition cycling,ITC)分离纯化,并检测不同浓度PEG时的Tt值.[结果]成功表达、分离纯化出融合蛋白ELP[Ⅰ]50-Trx,检测出该蛋白浓度为25 μmol/L时,Tt为28.6℃;而当PEG的浓度为5％、10％、15％、20％时,Tt分别降至22.3℃、15.9℃、6℃、0℃.[结论]ELP[Ⅰ]50标签高效纯化重组蛋白具有操作简便、成本较低、易于扩大的优势,而PEG能降低蛋白的Tt值,进一步增强分离纯化效果,扩大使用范围,可望应用于分离纯化多种重组蛋白.     

类弹性蛋白多肽的从头设计、非色谱纯化及盐效应

旨在克隆、表达与纯化类弹性蛋白多肽,并测定类弹性蛋白的相变温度对不同的盐敏感程度。从头设计了类弹性蛋白多肽的序列并人工合成其编码基因片段,克隆至改造后的表达载体pET-22b中,构建重组表达载体,转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3) 中并诱导表达,采用可逆相变循环经高速离心对其进行纯化,并考察了盐类型及浓度对类弹性蛋白相变温度的影响。结果表明：0.4 mmol/L的Na2CO3能使25 μmol/L类弹性蛋白多肽 [KV8F-20] 相变温度降低至19 ℃,此类弹性蛋白多肽序列有望开发成一新型纯化标签,为今后     

ELP[I]50标签在重组硫氧还蛋白分离纯化中的应用及PEG对其相变温度的影响

【目的】使用自行设计的类弹性蛋白(Elastin-like protein, ELP) ELP[I]50作为非色谱纯化标签, 分离纯化重组硫氧还蛋白(Thioredoxin, Trx), 并研究聚乙二醇(Polyethylene glycol, PEG)对ELP[I]50-Trx相变温度(Inverse temperature transition, Tt)的影响。【方法】人工合成Trx基因, 将其亚克隆到自行构建的表达载体pET28编码ELP[I]50标签下游, 转入大肠杆菌BLR(DE3)进行表达。融合蛋白表达后, 采用可逆相变循环(Inverse transition cycling, ITC)分离纯化, 并检测不同浓度PEG时的Tt值。【结果】成功表达、分离纯化出融合蛋白ELP[I]50-Trx, 检测出该蛋白浓度为25 μmol/L时, Tt为28.6 °C; 而当PEG的浓度为5%、10%、15%、20%时, Tt分别降至22.3 °C、15.9 °C、6 °C、0 °C。【结论】ELP[I]50标签高效纯化重组蛋白具有操作简便、成本较低、易于扩大的优势, 而PEG能降低蛋白的Tt值, 进一步增强分离纯化效果, 扩大使用范围, 可望应用于分离纯化多种重组蛋白。     

易发生聚集的重组HBcAg病毒样颗粒的纯化*

目的:探索针对易发生聚集的重组HBcAg病毒样颗粒(VLP)的有效纯化方案。方法:培养的大肠杆菌经IPTG诱导重组HBcAg蛋白的表达,菌体超声破碎后的离心沉淀用含有不同浓度尿素的PBS缓冲液重悬溶解,经密度梯度离心并结合电镜观察对VLPs行为进行分析鉴定。以Sepharose 4 FF凝胶过滤层析在选定的尿素条件下纯化沉淀溶解液,纯化获得的目的蛋白进一步在含30%山梨醇的PBS中脱盐去除尿素。整个过程以SDS-PAGE及电镜进行各步骤样品中目的蛋白的分析。结果:含有1mol/L尿素的PBS缓冲溶液重悬超声沉淀,可有效溶解聚集的VLPs,在蔗糖密度梯度离心中显示典型HBcAg VLPs的行为,且电镜观察颗粒形态结构完整。经1mol/L尿素下凝胶过滤,VLPs进一步获得纯化。在脱尿素过程中流动相采用含30%山梨醇的PBS,有效避免了VLPs在尿素去除后重新聚集。结论:尿素与山梨醇的联合应用,为具有聚集现象的VLPs纯化制备提供了一种有效解决方案。     

早熟砂梨ISSR-PCR反应体系的建立与优化

以我国南方主栽的早熟砂梨品种‘翠冠’Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Cuiguan’为材料,对ISSR技术体系中的模板DNA浓度、Taq DNA聚合酶用量、引物浓度、dNTP浓度、Mg2+浓度、退火温度、PCR循环数等7个主要因素进行优化和筛选,建立了适合早熟砂梨的ISSR-PCR反应体系。最终反应体系为20 μL体系中10×PCR buffer（不含Mg2+）2 μL,模板DNA浓度60 ng,TaqDNA聚合酶0.75 U,引物浓度1 μmol/L,dNTP浓度90 μmol/L,Mg2+浓度2.25 mmol/L。扩增程序为：预变性94 ℃ 5 min,变性94 ℃ 45 s,退火45 s,72 ℃延伸1 min,共42个循环,然后72 ℃再延伸10 min,4 ℃保存,用1.5%琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测多态性。     

白地霉Cryytococcus neoformans脂肪酶的双水相萃取

本文研究了不同无机盐的双水相体系对白地霉脂肪酶的萃取分离效果,对PEG/（NH4）2SO4成相系统进行了系统的研究,通过考察体系PEG分子量、不同的无机盐、PEG浓度、（NH4）2SO4浓度、离子强度、pH值及（NH4）2SO4浓度对反萃取的影响,并通过正交实验进一步优化了实验条件,初步确定在PEG浓度15%,（NH4）2SO4浓度22.5%,pH8.0,不加NaCl的条件下进行双水相萃取,脂肪酶分离系数和纯化倍数分别为6.8和7.5,比活力达到40.3 U/mg蛋白。     

中国林蛙卵核糖核酸酶的分离纯化及其抗肿瘤作用

以中国林蛙卵为原料,采用丙酮分级沉淀、SP-Trisacryl阳离子交换色谱、Sephadex G-75凝胶过滤色谱、C8反相色谱等纯化方法,得到一种具有核糖核酸酶活性的蛋白质,采用SDS-PAGE电泳对该蛋白质进行了相对分子质量和纯度测定。结果表明：纯化的中国林蛙卵核糖核酸酶为相对分子质量13kDa的单一成分。该酶最适反应温度为65℃,最适反应pH为5.5~6.0,米氏常数为4.11μmol/L,最大反应速率为2.82 pmol/s。在体外细胞毒性实验中,对人三种肿瘤细胞HeLa、K562、MCF-7具有抑制作用,其IC50分别为0.6μmol/L、0.8μmol/L和4μmol/L,而对于正常人成纤维细胞在酶浓度达到8μmol/L时仍未见明显细胞毒性。这种从中国林蛙卵中分离纯化出的具有选择性细胞毒性的小分子量核糖核酸酶,为肿瘤的治疗提供了新的候选蛋白分子。     

Molecular architecture influences the thermally induced aggregation behavior of elastin-like polypeptides

Elastin-like polypeptides are thermally responsive polymers that exhibit phase separation above a transition temperature. The effect of molecular architecture on the temperature responsive behavior of elastin-like polypeptide solutions was investigated by characterization of solutions of three-armed star polypeptides, linear polypeptides, and their mixtures. These biosynthesized polypeptides have precise lengths and amino acid sequences. Transition temperatures were measured as a function of molecular weight and solution concentration and compared to their linear counterparts. Like their linear counterparts, the transition temperature is linearly related to log concentration. A mathematical relationship was used to fit the transition temperature data of different polypeptide lengths to a volume-based concentration using the polymer coil volume. The results of this model suggest that the linear ELP is in a random coil conformation at the transition temperature while the three-armed ELP is in a compact extended coil conformation, consistent with different pathways for aggregation. Solutions containing both trimer and linear constructs have two transition temperatures, further supporting differing aggregation behaviors.     

Thermal behaviors of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) according to their physical properties and environmental conditions

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) have a distinctive thermal property, transition temperature (T_t), which leads to phase transition. This thermal property depends on the molecular weight (MW) of ELP, ELP concentration, composition of the amino acids constituting ELPs, and ionic strength of the aqueous solution. In order to investigate the effects of ELP length, ionic strength and existence of fusion protein, ELP genes of three different sizes were cloned using the recursive directional ligation (RDL) method and expressed in Escherichia coli. Following purification, thermal behaviors of ELPs were monitored using a spectrophotometer with temperature scanning. The results of our study indicated that T_t shifted to low in accordance with ELP length or increased ionic strength. Additionally, it was observed that T_t was affected by the physical properties of the protein fused with ELPs.     

Characterization of a genetically engineered elastin-like polypeptide for cartilaginous tissue repair

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are artificial polypeptides with unique properties that make them attractive as a biomaterial for tissue-engineered cartilage repair. ELPs are composed of a pentapeptide repeat, Val-Pro-Gly-Xaa-Gly (Xaa is any amino acid except Pro), that undergo an inverse temperature phase transition. They are soluble in aqueous solution below their transition temperature (T(t)) but aggregate when the solution temperature is raised above their T(t). This study investigates the rheological behavior of an un-cross-linked ELP, below and above its T(t), and also examines the ability of ELP to promote chondrogenesis in vitro. A thermally responsive ELP with a T(t) of 35 degrees C was synthesized using recombinant DNA techniques. The complex shear modulus of the ELP increased by 3 orders of magnitude as it underwent its inverse temperature phase transition, forming a coacervate, or gel-like, ELP phase. Values for the complex shear moduli of the un-cross-linked ELP coacervate are comparable to those reported previously for collagen, hyaluronan, and cross-linked synthetic hydrogels. Cell culture studies show that chondrocytes cultured in ELP coacervate maintain a rounded morphology and their chondrocytic phenotype, characterized by the synthesis of a significant amount of extracellular matrix composed of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and collagen. These results suggest that ELPs demonstrate great potential for use as in situ forming scaffolds for cartilaginous tissue repair.     

Elastin-like Peptide amphiphiles form nanofibers with tunable length

Peptide amphiphiles (PAs) self-assemble nanostructures with potential applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Some PAs share environmentally responsive behavior with their peptide components. Here we report a new type of PAs biologically inspired from human tropoelastin. Above a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) undergo a reversible inverse phase transition. Similar to other PAs, elastin-like PAs (ELPAs) assemble micelles with fiber-like nanostructures. Similar to ELPs, ELPAs have inverse phase transition behavior. Here we demonstrate control over the ELPAs fiber length and cellular uptake. In addition, we observed that both peptide assembly and nanofiber phase separation are accompanied by a distinctive secondary structure attributed primarily to a type-1 β turn. We also demonstrate increased solubility of hydrophobic paclitaxel (PAX) in the presence of ELPAs. Due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and environmental responsiveness, elastin-inspired biopolymers are an emerging platform for drug and cell delivery; furthermore, the discovery of ELPAs may provide a new and useful approach to engineer these materials into stimuli-responsive gels and drug carriers.     

Branched short elastin-like peptides with temperature responsiveness obtained by EDTA-mediated multimerization

Elastin-like peptides (ELPs) exhibit a reversible phase transition, known as coacervation, triggered by temperature changes. This property makes them useful as stimuli-responsive molecular materials for various applications. Among ELPs, short peptide chain lengths have some advantages over long peptide chain lengths because short ELPs can be easily obtained by chemical synthesis, allowing the use of various amino acids, including D-type and unnatural amino acids, at any position in the sequence. Moreover, the incorporated amino acids readily affect the temperature-responsive behavior of ELPs. However, to be utilized in various applications, it is necessary to develop short ELPs and to investigate their temperature-responsive properties. To obtain further insights into the temperature-responsive behavior of the short ELPs, we investigated branched short ELP analogs composed of (FPGVG)_n chains (n = 1 or 2, abbreviated as F1 and F2, respectively). We synthesized multimers composed of four F1 chains or two to four F2 chains using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a central component of multimerization. Our results show that the multimers obtained exhibited coacervation in aqueous solutions whereas linear F1 or F2 did not. Furthermore, the structural features of the obtained multimers were the same as those of linear (FPGVG)₄. In this study, we demonstrated that molecules capable of coacervation can be obtained by multimerization of F1 or F2. The temperature-responsive molecules obtained using short ELPs make it possible to use them as easy-to-synthesize peptide tags to confer temperature responsiveness to various molecules, which will aid the development of temperature-responsive biomaterials with a wide variety of functions.     

Influence of the Amino-Acid Sequence on the Inverse Temperature Transition of Elastin-Like Polymers

This work explores the dependence of the inverse temperature transition of elastin-like polymers (ELPs) on the amino-acid sequence, i.e., the amino-acid arrangement along the macromolecule and the resulting linear distribution of the physical properties (mainly polarity) derived from it. The hypothesis of this work is that, in addition to mean polarity and molecular mass, the given amino-acid sequence, or its equivalent—the way in which polarity is arranged along the molecule—is also relevant for determining the transition temperature and the latent heat of that transition. To test this hypothesis, a set of linear and di- and triblock ELP copolymers were designed and produced as recombinant proteins. The absolute sequence control provided by recombinant technologies allows the effect of the amino-acid arrangement to be isolated while keeping the molecular mass or mean polarity under strict control. The selected block copolymers were made of two different ELPs: one exhibiting temperature and pH responsiveness, and one exhibiting temperature responsiveness only. By changing the arrangement and length of the blocks while keeping other parameters, such as the molecular mass or mean polarity, constant, we were able to show that the sequence plays a key role in the smart behavior of ELPs.     

Heterologous expression and optimized one-step separation of levansucrase via elastin-like polypeptides tagging system

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) undergo a reversible inverse phase transition upon a change in temperature. This thermally triggered phase transition allows for a simple and rapid means of purifying a fusion protein. Recovery of ELPs-tagged fusion protein was easily achieved by aggregation, triggered either by raising temperature or by adding salt. In this study, levansucrase has been used as a model enzyme in the development of a simple one-step purification method using ELPs. The levansucrase gene cloned from Pseudomonas aurantiaca S-4380 was tagged with various sizes of ELPs to functionally express and optimize the purification of levansucrase. One of two ELPs, ELP[V-20] or ELP[V-40], was fused at the C-terminus of the levansucrase gene. A levansucrase-ELP fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli DH5alpha at 37 degrees C for 18 h. The molecular masses of levansucrase-ELP[V-20] and levansucrase-ELP[V-40] were determined as 56 kDa and 65 kDa, respectively. The phase transition of levansucrase-ELP[V-20] occurred at 20 degrees C in 50 mM Tris-Cl (pH 8) buffer with 3 M NaCl added, whereas the phase transition temperature (Tt) of levansucrase-ELP[V-40] was 17 degrees C with 2 M NaCl. Levansucrase was successfully purified using the phase transition characteristics of ELPs, with a recovery yield of higher than 80%, as verified by SDS-PAGE. The specific activity was measured spectrophotometrically to be 173 U/mg and 171 U/mg for levansucrase-ELP[V-20] and levansucrase-ELP[V-40], respectively, implying that the ELP-tagging system provides an efficient one-step separation method for protein purification.     

Effects of osmolytes on human brain-type creatine kinase folding in dilute solutions and crowding systems

The effects of osmolytes on the unfolding and refolding process of recombinant human brain-type creatine kinase (rHBCK) were comparatively, quantitatively studied in dilute solutions and macromolecular crowding systems (simulated by 100g/L polyethylene glycol 2000), respectively. The results showed that the osmolytes, including glycerol, sucrose, dimethylsulfoxide, mannitol, inositol, and xylitol, could both protect the rHBCK from denaturation induced by 0.8M GdnHCl and aid in the refolding of denatured-rHBCK in macromolecular crowding systems. When we examined the effects of sucrose and xylitol on the parameters of residual activity, reaction kinetics and intrinsic fluorescence of rHBCK during unfolding, it was found that the protecting effects of osmolytes in a macromolecular crowding system were more significant compared with those in a dilute solution, which resulted in more residual activities, protected the conformational changes and greatly decreased the rates of both the fast and slow tracks. Regarding the effects of glycerol, sucrose and mannitol on the denatured-rHBCK refolding parameters of refolding yield, reaction kinetics and aggregation, the results indicated that the osmolytes could alleviate the aggregation of rHBCK during refolding in both dilute solutions and macromolecular crowding systems, and the refolding yields and reaction rates under macromolecular crowding environment could be increased by the addition of osmolytes, though higher yields were obtained in the dilute solution. For further insight, osmolyte docking simulations and rHBCK denaturation were conducted successfully and confirmed our experimental results. The predictions based on the docking simulations suggested that the deactivation of guanidine may be blocked by osmolytes because they share common binding sites on rHBCK, and the higher number of interactions with rHBCK by osmolytes than guanidine may be one of the causes of rHBCK refolding. In brief, the additive effects of the exclusive volume effect from the macromolecular crowding system and the osmophobic effects from the osmolytes resulted in better performance of the osmolytes in a macromolecular crowding system, which also led to a better understanding of protein folding in the intracellular environment.