Production, purification, and crystallization of human interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme derived from an Escherichia coli expression system.

Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE) is a cysteine protease that catalyzes the conversion of the inactive precursor form of IL-1 beta to an active mature form. The mature form of IL-1 beta is involved in mediating inflammatory responses and in the progression of autoimmune diseases. We recently reported on the production of active human ICE in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system (Wang XM et al., 1994, Gene 145:273-277). Because the levels of expression achieved with this system were limiting for the purpose of performing detailed biochemical and biophysical studies, we examined the production of ICE in Escherichia coli. By using a tac promoter-based expression system and fusion to thioredoxin we were able to recover high levels of active ICE protein. The expressed protein, which was distributed between the soluble and insoluble fractions, was purified to homogeneity from both fractions using a combination of classical and affinity chromatography. Comparisons of ICE derived from both fractions indicated that they were comparable in their specific activities, subunit composition, and sensitivities to specific ICE inhibitors. The combined yields of ICE obtained from the soluble and insoluble fractions was close to 1 mg/L of induced culture. Recombinant human ICE was crystallized in the presence of a specific ICE inhibitor in a form suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. This readily available source of ICE will facilitate the further characterization of this novel and important protease.

Production, purification and characterization of non-myristylated human T-cell protein tyrosine kinase in a baculovirus expression system.

A non-myristylated form (LCK M) of the human T-lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK) was produced at high levels in a baculovirus expression system (BVES) using two strategies. First, LCK M was produced by direct expression of a Gly2 --> Ala mutant of LCK. Second, LCK was produced as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion, and LCK M was derived from the fusion protein by cleavage with thrombin. Both recombinant proteins (re-proteins) were produced at 5% of the total protein of infected Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells and were purified to >95% homogeneity. The enzymatic properties of the re-proteins and their inhibition by protein kinase inhibitors were comparable to the native enzyme (LCK N) derived from Jurkat cells and wild-type LCK derived from the BVES. The high production levels will facilitate the recovery of large quantities of re-protein for use in biochemical and biophysical studies.

Gene expression, purification and characterization of recombinant human neutrophil collagenase.

Human neutrophil collagenase (HNC) is a member of a family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). HNC is capable of cleaving all three alpha-chains of types I, II and III collagens. In rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, MMP members have been implicated in the pathology associated with these diseases due to the accelerated breakdown of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. A cDNA coding for the HNC catalytic domain (lacking both the propeptide and C-terminal fragments) was sub-cloned into the pETlla prokaryotic expression vector. The cloned fragment encodes a protein that extends from amino acids (aa) Met100 through Gly262 of the full-length proenzyme, which as a result, would not require proteolytic or chemical activation. The HNC construct was expressed in Escherichia coli and recombinant mature, truncated neutrophil collagenase (re-mNC-t) was produced at high levels (approx. 30% of total bacterial protein). The re-mNC-t protein was extracted from inclusion bodies by solubilization in 6 M urea, followed by ion-exchange chromatography. The protein was refolded to an active conformation in the presence of Ca2+ and Zn2+. A final purification step on size-exclusion chromatography yielded 30 mg per liter of active re-mNC-t with minor autodegradative products. Alternatively, hydroxamate affinity chromatography was used to obtain pure, non-degraded re-mNC-t (20-25 mg per liter). The catalytic activity of re-mNC-t was abolished by known MMP inhibitors and the Ki measurement against actinonin was similar to that of HNC prepared from human blood.

Production of selenomethionine-labeled recombinant human neutrophil collagenase in Escherichia coli.

Molecular analogs of amino acids can be incorporated into proteins. The amino acid analog selenomethionine (SeMet) has been shown to be efficiently incorporated into the proteins of growing Escherichia coli. SeMet-containing proteins are known to produce sufficiently strong anomalous scatter permitting the solution of the selenomethionyl crystal structure by multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) techniques. The recombinant protein chosen for these studies is mature, truncated neutrophil collagenase (rmNC-t). The rmNC-t protein is a monomer of 163 amino acid residues featuring one active site and two Met residues. We developed a T7 polymerase expression system allowing incorporation of SeMet into rmNC-t protein produced in E. coli. Substitution of Met with SeMet was accomplished by culturing E. coli DL41(DE3), a SeMet-tolerant strain with metA lesion, in a defined medium containing SeMet as the sole source of Met. The SeMet-labeled rmNC-t was isolated from inclusion bodies by solubilizing in urea, purified by anion column chromatography, and then refolded in the presence of Ca2+ and Zn2+. Analysis of SeMet-labeled rmNC-t demonstrated that Met replacement was 100%. Enzymatic characterization revealed no obvious differences in activity or inhibitor binding between rmNC-t and the SeMet-labeled product. We have produced pure, active SeMet-labeled rmNC-t in sufficient quantities for macromolecular crystallography studies.

Examination of recombinant truncated mature human fibroblast collagenase by mass spectrometry: identification of differences with the published sequence and determination of stable isotope incorporation.

Human fibroblast collagenase belongs to a family of matrix metalloproteinases which have been implicated in a number of connective tissue disorders ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to tumor invasion. To examine the active site of this enzyme by biophysical studies, a 19 kDa recombinant truncated mature collagenase (mCL-t) was prepared. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry have been utilized for the characterization of mCL-t. The molecular weights measured by these techniques identified the presence of two closely related protein components separated by approximately 100 Da. Edman sequence analysis demonstrated that the two protein components differ from each other by an amino terminal valine, consistent with the mass spectrometric data. In addition, the molecular weight of mCL-t determined by mass spectrometry did not agree with that calculated from the reported sequence. To identify the origin of this discrepancy, the DNA sequence of the mCL-t clone was examined. Several differences were noted between the DNA sequence of mCL-t and the published collagenase gene sequence. When these differences were taken into account, the measured molecular weights were found to be in good agreement with that calculated for the modified sequence. In separate experiments, both ESI and MALDI mass spectrometry have been used to determine molecular weights of mCL-t samples enriched with stable isotopes 15N and (15N + 13C). The measured molecular weights demonstrated a 97% (15N) and 99% (15N + 13C) incorporation of labeled isotopes in the two samples.

Identification of new autolytic sites of recombinant truncated mature human fibroblast stromelysin by mass spectrometry.

Stromelysin has been proposed to play a major role in the pathologic degradation of diseased cartilage of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients. A truncated, recombinant form of this enzyme, with the sequence Phe83 to Thr260 (mSL-t), has been expressed and purified from E. coli to investigate its biochemical and biophysical properties, and to develop inhibitors for arthritis treatment. LC/ESI-MS technique was utilized for the characterization of mSL-t. The mass spectra of mSL-t showed the presence of a number of different protein components in addition to the full-length mSL-t form. We have demonstrated that protein degradation arose from autolysis. Molecular weights determined by LC/ESI-MS of these autolysis products allowed for the identification of new autolytic sites in mSL-t. Furthermore, two strategies were undertaken to prepare mSL-t free of degradation products. These include preparation of a mutant form of the enzyme in which Arg163 was substituted for Leu163 and purification of mSL-t using affinity chromatography. The LC/ESI-MS data of the mutant protein confirmed the Leu to Arg mutation. The affinity-purified material showed only one LC peak in the LC/MS chromatograms, and the mass spectrum of the peak identified only the intact protein, demonstrating that the full-length protein has been successfully separated from the autodegradation products and further autolysis of the enzyme has been prevented.