cDNA clone, prokaryotic expression and purification of human interleukin-13 receptor [alpha]2 chain

Despite advances in surgical technology and radiation therapy, the prognosis in the patients with malignant glioma remains poor. Recent studies show that interleukin-13 receptor [alpha]2 chain (IL-13Ra2), a brain tumor-associated receptor for IL-13, may play a role in immunotherapy for glioblastoma. We thus amplified human IL-13Ra2 gene from the human glioblastoma cell line using RT-PCR and cloned the target gene into the pET-28a, a prokaryotic expressing plasmid. After transformation, the recombinant plasmid expressed a soluble protein induced by IPTG. The purified recombinant protein was shown to be a single band on the SDS-PAGE with a predicated molecular weight of human IL-13Ra2 gene, suggesting that the recombinant protein of human IL-13Ra2 was successfully expressed. Recombinant IL-13Ra2 protein can be used as an anti-tumor vaccine, which may provide a promising new strategy for the treatment of brain malignant gliomas.