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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Green Fluorescent Protein-based Expression Screening of Membrane Proteins in Escherichia coli
Published on: January 6, 2015
Eukaryotic integral membrane protein expression utilizing the Escherichia coli glycerol-conducting channel protein
Irene Neophytou1, Richard Harvey, Jayne Lawrence
1Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, King's College London, Franklin Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
Abstract:
A fusion protein expression system is described that allows for production of eukaryotic integral membrane proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The eukaryotic membrane protein targets are fused to the C terminus of the highly expressed E. coli inner membrane protein, GlpF (the glycerol-conducting channel protein). The generic utility of this system for heterologous membrane-protein expression is demonstrated by the expression and insertion into the E. coli cell membrane of the human membrane proteins: occludin, claudin 4, duodenal ferric reductase and a J-type inwardly rectifying potassium channel. The proteins are produced with C-terminal hexahistidine tags (to permit purification of the expressed fusion proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography) and a peptidase cleavage site (to allow recovery of the unfused eukaryotic protein).
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