OBJECTIVETo clone migfilin-N terminal sequence into E.coli and obtain a fusion protein for preparing rabbit polyclonal antibody against migfilin, thereby facilitating the study of the role of migfilin in the biological behavior of colon cancer.

METHODSBased on human migfilin cDNA sequence, a pair of primers was designed to amplify migfilin-N terminal sequence by PCR. The PCR product was subcloned into the bacterial expression vector pGEX-4T-1 with EcoRI/XhoI sites, and the target recombinant plasmids were identified with enzymatic cleavage followed by DNA sequence analysis. By transforming the expression vector into component E.coli BL(21) cells, the GST-migfilin-N fusion protein was expressed with IPTG induction. Glutathione-sepharose beads were used to purify the fusion protein, and anti-migfilin polyclonal antibody was produced by immunization of rabbits with the purified GST-migfilin N-terminal fusion protein. The resultant anti-migfilin polyclonal antibody was purified by protein A beads and used for Western blotting for detecting migfilin expression in different cell lines.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe migfilin-N terminal gene fragment was cloned successfully, and purified GST-migfilin N-terminal fusion protein and anti-rabbit migfilin polyclonal antibodies were obtained. Western blot analysis demonstrates that the antibodies specifically detected migfilin expression in the cell lines, which may facilitate further investigation of the role of migfilin in the biology of colon cancer.