A high-throughput automated protein folding system

Abstract

In vitro protein folding can be employed to produce complex proteins expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies in E. coli from laboratory to commercial scale. Often the most challenging step is identification of renaturation conditions that will enable the denatured protein to form the native structure at an acceptable yield. Generally this requires screening a matrix of buffers and stabilizers to find an appropriate solution. Herein, we describe an automated and quantitative method to identify optimal in vitro protein folding parameters with a high rate of success.