Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.

Expression patterns in Escherichia coli of two small archaeal proteins with a natural content of about 30% rare codons were analyzed. The proteins, a histone-like protein from Sulfolobus shibatae (Ssh10), and a glutaredoxin-like protein from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (mtGrx), were produce...

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Main Authors: Wu, X, Jörnvall, H, Berndt, K, Oppermann, U
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2004
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author Wu, X
Jörnvall, H
Berndt, K
Oppermann, U
author_facet Wu, X
Jörnvall, H
Berndt, K
Oppermann, U
author_sort Wu, X
collection OXFORD
description Expression patterns in Escherichia coli of two small archaeal proteins with a natural content of about 30% rare codons were analyzed. The proteins, a histone-like protein from Sulfolobus shibatae (Ssh10), and a glutaredoxin-like protein from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (mtGrx), were produced with expression plasmids encoding wild-type genes, codon-optimized synthetic, and GST-fusion genes. These constructs were expressed in BL21 (DE3), its LysS derivative, and modified strains carrying copies for rare codon tRNAs or deletions in the RNAseE gene. Both Ssh10 and mtGrx expression levels were constitutively high in BL21(DE3) and its derivatives, with the exception of the LysS phenotype, which prevented high level expression of the Ssh10 wild-type gene. Surprisingly, a codon-optimized mtGrx gene construct displayed undetectable levels of protein production. The translational block observed with the synthetic mtGrx gene could be circumvented by using a synthetic mtGrx-glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion construct or by in vitro translation. Taken together, the results underscore the importance of mRNA levels and RNA stability, but not necessarily tRNA abundance for efficient heterologous protein production in E. coli.
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spelling oxford-uuid:c8e3db56-a493-4be0-968d-471736b74f142022-03-27T06:55:12ZCodon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:c8e3db56-a493-4be0-968d-471736b74f14EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2004Wu, XJörnvall, HBerndt, KOppermann, UExpression patterns in Escherichia coli of two small archaeal proteins with a natural content of about 30% rare codons were analyzed. The proteins, a histone-like protein from Sulfolobus shibatae (Ssh10), and a glutaredoxin-like protein from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (mtGrx), were produced with expression plasmids encoding wild-type genes, codon-optimized synthetic, and GST-fusion genes. These constructs were expressed in BL21 (DE3), its LysS derivative, and modified strains carrying copies for rare codon tRNAs or deletions in the RNAseE gene. Both Ssh10 and mtGrx expression levels were constitutively high in BL21(DE3) and its derivatives, with the exception of the LysS phenotype, which prevented high level expression of the Ssh10 wild-type gene. Surprisingly, a codon-optimized mtGrx gene construct displayed undetectable levels of protein production. The translational block observed with the synthetic mtGrx gene could be circumvented by using a synthetic mtGrx-glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion construct or by in vitro translation. Taken together, the results underscore the importance of mRNA levels and RNA stability, but not necessarily tRNA abundance for efficient heterologous protein production in E. coli.
spellingShingle Wu, X
Jörnvall, H
Berndt, K
Oppermann, U
Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title_full Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title_fullStr Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title_full_unstemmed Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title_short Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.
title_sort codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in escherichia coli rna stability and secondary structure but not trna abundance
work_keys_str_mv AT wux codonoptimizationrevealscriticalfactorsforhighlevelexpressionoftworarecodongenesinescherichiacolirnastabilityandsecondarystructurebutnottrnaabundance
AT jornvallh codonoptimizationrevealscriticalfactorsforhighlevelexpressionoftworarecodongenesinescherichiacolirnastabilityandsecondarystructurebutnottrnaabundance
AT berndtk codonoptimizationrevealscriticalfactorsforhighlevelexpressionoftworarecodongenesinescherichiacolirnastabilityandsecondarystructurebutnottrnaabundance
AT oppermannu codonoptimizationrevealscriticalfactorsforhighlevelexpressionoftworarecodongenesinescherichiacolirnastabilityandsecondarystructurebutnottrnaabundance