The position of the heterologous domain can influence the solubility and proteolysis of β-galactasidase fusion proteins in E. coli

The VP1 protein (23 kDa) of the foot-and-mouth disease virus has been produced in MC1061 and BL21 E. coli strains as β-galactosidase fusion proteins, joined to either the amino and/or the carboxy termini of the bacterial enzyme. In BL21, devoid of La protease, all the recombinant fusion proteins are produced at higher yields than in MC1061, and occur mainly as inclusion bodies. The fusion of VP1 at the carboxy terminus yields a protease-sensitive protein whose degradation releases a stable, enzymatically active polypeptide indistinguishable from the native β-galactosidase. On the contrary, when the same viral domain is fused to the amino terminus, the resulting chimeric protein is resistant to proteolysis even in the soluble form. These data demonstrate that the position of the heterologous domain in β-galactosidase fusion proteins would not be irrelevant since it can dramatically influence properties of biotechnological interest such as solubility and proteolytic resistance.