Abstract
The advent of efficient procedures for site-directed and random in vitro mutagenesis has led to detailed exploration of protein structure-function relationships. Using these approaches, amino acid residues critical for protein activity can be determined in the absence of X-ray crystallographic data (1, 2). An important prerequisite for any study examining protein structure-function relationships is an efficient expression system that gives not only adequate protein yield, but also fully native protein. Expression of mammalian genes in E. coli is often very successful with good protein yields, but some proteins are not correctly folded and, as a consequence, are not fully biologically active. Structure-function studies can be hampered by poor expression of modified proteins in both yeast and E. coli (3). Mammalian expression systems can give high-fidelity protein, but often the protein yield is poor and significant purification may be required. Systematic studies of protein using mutagenesis often require the analysis of a large number of modified proteins. If this process requires recloning into expression vectors, expression of protein, and purification, the analysis of a large number of proteins becomes prohibitive. The rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL,) translation system can be used to provide small quantities of protein when primed with synthetic mRNA generated in vitro from DNA templates with bacterial RNA polymerases.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Tymms, M. J., McInnes, B., Waine, G. J., Cheetham, B. F., and Linnane, A. W. (1989) Functional significance of amino acid residues within conserved hydrophilic regions in human mterferons-α. Antiviral Res. 12, 37–48.
Waine, G. J., Tymms, M. J., Brandt, E. R., Cheetham, B. F., and Linnane, A. W. (1992) Structure-function study of the region encompassing residues 26-40 of human interferon-α4: identification of residues important for antiviral and antiproliferative activities. J. Interferon Res. 12, 43–48.
Tymms, M. J. and McInnes, B. (1988) Efficient in vitro expression of interferon-α analogues using SP6 polymerase and rabbit reticulocyte lysate. Gene Anal. Technol. 5, 9–15
Dalman, F. C., Sturzenbecker, L. J., Levin, A. A., Lucas, D. A., Perdew, G. H., Petkovitch, M., Chambon, P., Grippo, J. F., and Pratt, W. B. (1991) Retinoic acid receptor belongs to a subclass of nuclear receptors that do not form “docking” complexes with hsp90. Biochemistry 30, 5605–5608.
Omura, F., Taniyama, Y., and Rikuchi, M. (1991) Behavior of cysteine mutants of human lysozyme in de novo synthesis and in vivo secretion. Eur. J. Biochem. 198, 477–484.
Jones, P. F., Jakubowicz, T., Pitossi, F. J., Maurer, F., and Hemmings, B. A. (1991) Molecular cloning and identification of a serine/threonine protein kinase of the second-messenger subfamily. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 4171–4175.
Hennessey, E. S., Drummond, D. R., and Sparrow, J. C. (1991) Post-translational processing of the amino terminus affects actin function. Eur. J. Biochem. 197, 345–352.
Javaux, F., Donda, A., Vassar, G., and Christophe, D. (1991) Cloning and sequence analysis of TFE, a helix-loop-helix transcription factor able to recognize the thyroglobulin gene promoter in vitro Nucleic Acids Res. 19, 1121–1127.
Lim, F., Kraut, N., Frampton, J., and Graf, T. (1992) DNA binding by c-Ets-1, but not v-Ets, is repressed by an intramolecular mechanism. EMBO J. 11, 643–652.
Ner, S. S., Goodin, D. B., and Smith, M. (1988) A simple and efficient procedure for generating random point mutations and for codon replacement using mixed oligonucleotides. DNA 7, 127–134.
Kunkel, T. A. (1985) Rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection. Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA 82, 488–492.
Yanisch-Perron, C., Vieira, J., and Messing, J. (1985) Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19. Gene 33, 103–119.
Loveland, B. E., Johns, T. G., Mackay, I. R., Vaillant, F., Wang, Z.-X., and Hertzog, P. J. (1992) Validation of the MTT dye assay for enumeration of cells in proliferative and antiproliferative assays. Biochem. Int. 27, 501–510.
Mosmann, T. R. (1983) Rapid calorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. J. Immunol. Meth. 65, 55–63.
Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., and Maniatis, T. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Luboratory Manual, 2nd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
Nossal, N. G. (1974) DNA synthesis on a double-stranded DNA template by the T4 bacteriophage DNA polymerase and the T4 gene 32 DNA unwinding protein. J. Biol. Chem. 249, 5668–5676.
Krieg, P. A. and Melton, D. A (1984) Functional messenger RNAs are produced by SP6 in vitro transcription of cloned cDNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 7057–7070.
Hertzog, P. J., Johns, T. G., Callister, K. A., Dinatale, A., and Linnane, A. W. (1990) Comparative antiproliferative and receptor binding activities of interferons α and β on lymphoblastoid and melanoma cells. Biochem. Int. 22, 1095–1102.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Humana Press Inc.
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Tymms, M.J., Hertzog, P.J. (1995). Structure-Function studies based on in vitro expression. In: Tymms, M.J. (eds) In Vitro Transcription and Translation Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 37. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-288-4:317
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-288-4:317
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-288-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-524-2
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols