Though accumulated evidence has demonstrated the transformation capacity of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 18 protein E7, the underlying mechanism is still arguable. Developing a protein transduction domain (PTD)-iinked E7 molecule is a suitable strategy for assessing the biological functions of the protein. In the present study, HPVI8 E7 protein fused to an N-terminal PTD was expressed in the form of giutathione S-trans-ferase fusion protein in Escherichia coil with pGEX-4T-3 vector. After giutathione-Sepharose 4B bead affinity purification, immunobiot identification and thrombin cleavage, the PTD-18E7 protein showed structural and functional activity in that it potently transduced the cells and localized into their nuclei. The PTD-18E7 protein transduced the NIH3T3 cells in 30 min and remained stable for at least 24 h. In addition, the PTD-18E7 protein interacted with retinoblastoma protein (pRB) and caused pRB degradation in the transduced NIH3T3 cells. In contrast to the pRB level, p27 protein level was elevated in the transduced NIH3T3 cells. The PTD-18E7 protein gives us a new tool to study the biological functions of the HPV E7 protein.
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