Recombinant Protein Production—Overcoming Low Expression Difficulties in obtaining large amounts of a protein encoded by a recombinant gene are often overcome by using which molecular tool?

Biotechnology Recombinant DNA Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
  • A
    Expression vectors
  • B
    BACs (bacterial artificial chromosomes) for ultra-large genomic inserts
  • C
    YACs (yeast artificial chromosomes) for mapping studies
  • D
    All of these equally
  • E
    CRISPR knock-out vectors

Answer

Correct Answer: Expression vectors

Explanation

Introduction / Context:High-yield recombinant protein production typically requires specialized plasmids that drive strong transcription/translation and provide appropriate tags or secretion signals. These constructs are called expression vectors and are distinct from large-insert cloning vectors used for genome mapping.

Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Goal: increase quantity of a specific recombinant protein.
  • Host could be E. coli, yeast, insect, or mammalian cells.
  • Need promoters, ribosome binding sites/KOZAK sequences, tags, and selection markers.

Concept / Approach:Expression vectors place the gene under control of strong, regulatable promoters (e.g., T7, AOX1, CMV), optimize ribosome binding/translation initiation, and may include fusion tags for solubility and purification. This directly boosts protein yield compared with cloning-only vectors like BACs/YACs.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Select an expression vector with an appropriate promoter and host system.Clone the ORF in-frame with tags if needed (His-tag, GST, MBP).Induce expression and optimize conditions (temperature, media, inducer).

Verification / Alternative check:Quantify yield via SDS-PAGE and activity assays; compare with non-expression vectors to observe dramatic increases in production.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • BACs/YACs are for cloning very large DNA fragments, not for high-level protein expression.
  • “All equally” is incorrect; only expression vectors are designed for high-yield expression.
  • CRISPR knock-outs remove genes; they do not promote overexpression.

Common Pitfalls:Ignoring codon optimization, secretion signals, or chaperone co-expression; these further enhance yield with the right vector.

Final Answer:Expression vectors

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