Purification of proteins that participate in large transient complexes is impeded by low amounts, heterogeneity, instability and poor solubility. To circumvent these difficulties we set up a methodology that enables the production of stable complexes for structural and functional studies. This procedure is benchmarked and applied to two challenging protein families: the human steroid nuclear receptors (SNR) and the HIV-1 pre-integration complex. In the context of transcriptional regulation studies, we produce and characterize the ligand-binding domains of the glucocorticoid nuclear receptor and the oestrogen receptor beta in complex with a TIF2 (transcriptional intermediary factor 2) domain containing the three SNR-binding motifs. In the context of retroviral integration, we demonstrate the stabilization of the HIV-1 integrase by formation of complexes with partner proteins and DNA. This procedure provides a powerful research tool for structural and functional studies of proteins participating in non-covalent macromolecular complexes.
CITATION STYLE
Levy, N., Eiler, S., Pradeau-Aubreton, K., Maillot, B., Stricher, F., & Ruff, M. (2016). Production of unstable proteins through the formation of stable core complexes. Nature Communications, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10932
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