Biotechnology Letters, Vol.30, No.8, 1409-1414, 2008
Expression and secretion of recombinant ZZ-EGFP fusion protein by the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris
We constructed a fusion protein ZZ-EGFP by fusing the ZZ domains of staphylococcal protein A (SpA) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). ZZ-EGFP was secreted in the yeast, Pichia pastoris, with a hexahistidine tag. Its expression level was determined by measuring the fluorescence of EGFP. When the recombinant yeast cells in shake-flasks were induced with 0.5% methanol for 96 h, a maximum yield of 115 mg ZZ-EGFP/l was obtained. The resulting ZZ-EGFP fusion protein retained immunoglobulin G (IgG)-binding capacity and EGFP fluorescence. ZZ-EGFP was then used in immunofluorescence assays for detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA); it produced a good signal that was comparable in its brightness and fluorescence pattern to that generated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled anti-human IgG. Thus, ZZ-EGFP showed great potential in immunological applications due to its ability to bind to various IgG from different animal sources.
Keywords:enhanced green fluorescent protein;fusion protein;immunofluorescence;pichia pastoris;secretion;ZZ peptide