Fast quantification of recombinant protein inclusion bodies within intact cells by FT-IR spectroscopy

The accomplishment of the quantification of the recombinant protein content of whole bacterial cells by FT-IR spectroscopy by application of chemometrics is shown. Recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing an inclusion body forming fusion protein were dried on a 96-well silicon plate for the analysis in a high-throughput FT-IR spectrometer. Acquired spectra of additionally conventionally quantified samples were used to establish a multivariate calibration. The obtained method was tested by predicting inclusion body contents of samples not used for the multivariate model. Results from FT-IR spectra coincided well with the data of universalized electrophoresis analysis. Hence FT-IR spectroscopy could prove as a fast and simple alternative to conventional quantification methods.