[Genetic engineering in the bacterial synthesis of somatostatin]. / Genno-inzhenernye podkhody k bakterialnomu syntezu somatostatina.

Series of recombinant plasmids for expression of the synthetic gene somatostatin-14 (SST) as a fusion protein were obtained. The somatostatin gene was fused to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) or its deleted variant genes. Both parts of the resultant fusion protein were joined through a Met residue. The hybrid gene was expressed under the control of the cat gene promoter (Pcat), the tryptophan operon promoter (Ptrp) or the promoter of bacteriophage T5 (PT5). These fusions gave insoluble polypeptide products amounting from 5-10% of the total cellular protein under constitutive biosynthetic conditions (Pcat) to 5-30% upon induction (Ptrp, PT5). A correlation between the efficiency of expression and the length of cat, the power of the promoter used and the absence or presence of transcription terminators, was studied. The scheme for SST isolation from bacterial cells was developed. SST was liberated from the fused polypeptide by treatment with cyanogen bromide and purified to homogenity by a combination of chromatographic steps: gel filtration, ion-exchange and rpHPLC. The renaturated recombinant SST showed specific biological and immunological activities and had 98% purity. The yield was 1 mg of the purified cyclic SST/1 culture of E.coli.

[Synthesis of somatostatin in Escherichia coli cells: isolation and characteristics]. / Sintez somatostatina v kletkakh Escherichia coli. Vydelenie i kharakteristika.

A synthetic gene coding for somatostatin-14 (SST) was cloned in plasmid expression vectors in frame with the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene, both genes being divided by a Met residue. The hybrid gene was expressed under the control of the CAT gene promoter (Pcat) or the tryptophan operon promoter (Ptrp). Them fused genes gave insoluble polypeptide products amounting from 5% of the total cellular protein under constitutive biosynthesis conditions (Pcat) to 30% upon induction (Ptrp). SST was liberated from the fused polypeptide by treatment with cyanogen bromide, purified to homogeneity by gel-filtration and reverse phase HPLC, and finally refolded by dilution and air oxidation. The renaturated recombinant SST showed the specific biological and immunological activities of the native peptide.