Open AccessProtein refolding based on high hydrostatic pressure and alkaline pH: Application on a recombinant dengue virus NS1 protein
Author(s) -
Rosa Maria ChuraChambi,
Cleide Mara Rosa da Silva,
Len Ramos Pereira,
Paolo Bartolini,
Luís Carlos de Souza Ferreira,
Lígia Morganti
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0211162
Subject(s) - recombinant dna , escherichia coli , dengue virus , chemistry , hydrostatic pressure , inclusion bodies , dimer , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , virus , virology , biology , organic chemistry , physics , gene , thermodynamics
In this study we evaluated the association of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and alkaline pH as a minimally denaturing condition for the solubilization of inclusion bodies (IBs) generated by recombinant proteins expressed by Escherichia coli strains. The method was successfully applied to a recombinant form of the dengue virus (DENV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1). The minimal pH for IBs solubilization at 1 bar was 12 while a pH of 10 was sufficient for solubilization at HHP: 2.4 kbar for 90 min and 0.4 kbar for 14 h 30 min. An optimal refolding condition was achieved by compression of IBs at HHP and pH 10.5 in the presence of arginine, oxidized and reduced glutathiones, providing much higher yields (up to 8-fold) than association of HHP and GdnHCl via an established protocol. The refolded NS1, 109 ± 9.5 mg/L bacterial culture was recovered mainly as monomer and dimer, corresponding up to 90% of the total protein and remaining immunologically active. The proposed conditions represent an alternative for the refolding of immunologically active recombinant proteins expressed as IBs.