Synthesis of peptides as cloned ubiquitin extensions

摘要

A method for the preparation of synthetic peptide products containing up to about forty amino acid residues as ubiquitin-carboxyl terminal extensions expressed in procaryotic cells such as E. coli is disclosed. This is accomplished by cloning appropriate oligonucleotides encoding the desired peptide as a ubiquitin peptide extension gene, splicing the gene into an appropriate plasmid which, in turn is transformed into E. coli, or other appropriate procaryotic cells and inducing expression of the ubiquitin peptide fusion product. When expressed, the cells produce recoverable amounts of ubiquitin extended at its carboxyl terminus by the encoded carboxyl terminal extended peptide (CTEP). The peptide can be recovered as ubiquitin fused extension products (Ub-CTEP) or, alternatively, can be cleaved from the ubiquitin by an appropriate eucaryotic peptidase and purified. The process is adaptable to the production of any desirable peptide containing from 2 to about 40 amino acid residues and is particularly adaptable to the production of peptides containing between about 5 and 40 amino acid residues.