Mutant variants of mini-intein PRP8 from Penicillium chrysogenum (Int4b) with improved control of C-terminal processing were characterized. The presented variants can serve as a basis for self-removed polypeptide tags capable of carrying an affine label and allowing to optimize the process of obtaining target proteins and peptides in E. coli cells. They allow to synthesize target molecules in the composition of soluble and insoluble hybrid proteins (fusions), provide their afnne purification, autocatalytic processing and obtaining mature target products. The presented variants have a number of features in comparison with the known prototypes. In particular the mutant mini-intein Int4bPRO, containing the L93P mutation, has temperature-dependent properties. At cultivation temperature below 30 °C it allows the production of target molecules as part of soluble fusions, but after increasing of cultivation temperature to 37 °C it directs the most of synthesized fusions into insoluble intracellular aggregates. The transition of Int4bPRO into insoluble form is accompanied by complete inactivation of C-terminal processing. Further application of standard protein denaturation-renaturation procedures enable efficiently reactivate Int4bPRO and to carry out processing of its fusions in vitro. Two other variants, Int4b56 and Int4b36, containing a point mutation T62N or combination of mutations D144N and L146T respectively, have a reduced rate of C-terminal processing. Their use in E. coli cells allows to optimize the biosynthesis of biologically active target proteins and peptides in the composition of soluble fusions, suitable for afnne purification and subsequent intein-dependent processing without the use of protein denaturation-renaturation procedures.
intein, fusion, processing, processing rate, gelonin
The work was supported within the framework of the State Assignment no. 595-00003-19 PR.
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