Analysis and control of proteolysis of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli

Proteolysis is one of the reasons for poor production of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Important properties of E. coli proteases, which are relevant for the production of recombinant proteins, are reviewed. Furthermore, various strategies to control the proteolysis of the recombinant proteins are presented. These strategies for control of proteolysis can be applied on various stages of the process: design of more stable protein, a modification of the host cell in respect to proteolytic activity, optimisation of cultivation and downstream processing. However, before implementing these measures the proteolysis rate should be measured in order to calculate a potential benefit of reduced proteolysis rate.