Abstract
A gene encoding a 113-amino acid, NH2-terminal fragment of CD4, rsT4,113, was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the tryptophan operon promoter. Following induction, rsT4.113 is produced at 5-10% of total E. coli protein, and it is found in inclusion bodies. The protein is purified in two steps under denaturing and reducing conditions. Solubilized rsT4.113 is first purified on a column of Q-Sepharose to remove low molecular weight contaminants and then purified to > 95% homogeneity by gel filtration. Renaturation of rsT4.113 is achieved at approximately 20% yield by dilution and dialysis. High performance liquid chromatography analysis of renatured rsT4.113 reveals a < 15% contaminant of reduced protein. Purified and renatured rsT4.113 contains epitopes for both OKT4a and Leu3a, anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies which block CD4-gp120 association, but lacks measurable affinity toward a nonblocking anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody, OKT4. By comparison to a longer form (375 amino acids) of recombinant soluble T4 produced in mammalian cells that contains the entire extracellular domain, rsT4.113 has a comparable affinity for binding to OKT4a and Leu3a in a radioimmunoassay. Analysis of antiviral activity of rsT4.113 demonstrates that the E. coli-derived protein inhibits human immunodeficiency virus-induced syncytium formation with an IC50 of 5-10 μg/ml. These data demonstrate that the human immunodeficiency virus-binding domain of CD4 is localized within the NH2-terminal 113 amino acids of CD4 and is contained within a structure homologous to the κ variable-like domain of immunoglobulins.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 5812-5817 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 264 |
Issue number | 10 |
State | Published - 1989 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology