PURPOSE: Bone morphogenetic protein-2(BMP-2) has been shown to possess significant osteoinducitve potential. There have been attempts to overcome a limitation of mass production, and economical efficiency of BMP. The aim of this study was to produce recombinant human BMP-2(rhBMP-2) from E. coli in a large scale and evaluate its biological activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The E.coli strain BL21(DE3) was used as a host for rhBMP-2 production. Dimerized rhBMP-2 was purified by affinity chromatography using Heparin column. To determine the physicochemical properties of the rhBMP-2 expressed in E. coli, we examined the HPLC profile and performed Western blot analysis. The effect of the purified rhBMP-2 dimer on osteoblast differentiation was examined by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and representing morphological change using C2C12 cell. RESULTS: E. coli was genetically engineered to produce rhBMP-2 in a non-active aggregated form. We have established a method which involves refolding and purifying a folded rhBMP-2 dimer from non-active aggregates. The purified rhBMP-2 homodimer was characterized by SDS-PAGE as molecular weight of about 28kDa and eluted at 34% acetonitrile, 13.27 min(retention time) in the HPLC profile and detected at Western blot. The purified rhBMP-2 dimer stimulated ALP activity and induced the transformation from myogenic differentiation to osteogenic differentiation. CONCLUSION: rhBMP-2 was produced in E. coli using genetic engineering. The purified rhBMP-2 dimer stimulated ALP activity and induced the osteogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells.
Acetonitriles ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Blotting, Western ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Durapatite ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Genetic Engineering ; Heparin ; Humans ; Molecular Weight ; Osteoblasts ; Recombinant Proteins ; Sprains and Strains ; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is associated with a severe liver disease and increased frequency in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Overexpression of HCV core protein is known to transform fibroblast cells. Phospholipase D (PLD) activity is commonly elevated in response to mitogenic signals, and has also been overexpressed and hyperactivated in some human cancer cells. The aim of this study was to understand how PLD was regulated in the HCV core protein-transformed NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. We observed that PLD activity was elevated in the NIH3T3 cells overexpressing HCV core protein over the vector alone-transfected control cells, however, expression levels of PLD protein and protein kinase C (PKC) in the HCV core protein-transformed cells was similar to the control cells. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), which is known to activate PKC, stimulated PLD activity significantly more in the core protein-transformed cells, in comparison with that of the control cells. PLD activity assay using PKC isozyme-specific inhibitor and PKC translocation experiment showed that PKC-delta was mainly involved in the PMA- induced PLD activation in the core-transformed cells. Moreover, in cells overexpressing HCV core protein, PMA also stimulated p38 kinase more potently than that of the control cells, and an inhibitor of p38 kinase abolished PMA-induced PLD activation in cells overexpressing HCV core protein. Taken together, these results suggest that PLD might be implicated in core protein-induced transformation.
Animals ; Cell Line, Transformed ; *Cell Transformation, Viral ; Fibroblasts/enzymology/virology ; Hepacivirus/genetics/*physiology ; Mice ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Phospholipase D/*metabolism ; Protein Kinase C/antagonists & inhibitors/physiology ; Protein Transport/drug effects ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/*analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Transfection ; Up-Regulation ; Viral Core Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/physiology

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major causative agent in liver disease. In order to investigate if Korean type HCV core protein and its related mutants, S99Q and S116I, are cytopathic to liver, three types of transgenic mice were established. The expression of transgenes was confirmed by HCV specific RT-PCR and Western immunoblotting. The livers of all wild type core and S116I transgenic lineages remained largely histologically normal. However, the livers of the S99Q transgenic mice showed significant high level of cell dysplasia associated with the transgene expression in hepatocytes largely located around the central veins by in situ hybridization analysis. In conclusion, the mutant HCV core protein at S99Q may contribute to the progress of HCV induced liver disease.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors/genetics ; Hepatitis C/*pathology/virology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal/*pathology/virology ; Hepatocytes/pathology/virology ; Liver/pathology/*virology ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/chemistry/metabolism ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Transgenes ; Viral Core Proteins/analysis/*genetics/metabolism