Cloning, expression and purification of Pwo polymerase from Pyrococcus woesei

Amir Ghasemi1, Ali Hatef Salmanian, Nourkhoda Sadeghifard

  • 1Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Insights

Researchers purified heat-stable Pyrococcus woesei DNA polymerase (Pwo polymerase) with proofreading activity. Its performance in PCR assays is comparable to commercial Pfu polymerase.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Extremophile Research

Background:

  • Pyrococcus woesei is a hyperthermophilic archaeon.
  • It produces a heat-stable DNA polymerase with proofreading capabilities, known as Pwo polymerase.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clone, express, and purify the Pwo polymerase enzyme.
  • To verify the DNA sequence of the cloned pwo gene.
  • To assess the enzyme's activity and compare it to commercial alternatives.

Main Methods:

  • Culturing of Pyrococcus woesei and DNA extraction.
  • Cloning of the pwo gene using the GATEWAY™ Cloning System.
  • Expression and purification of the recombinant protein with a C-terminal His6x-Tag using Ni-NTA resin.
  • DNA sequencing to verify the gene sequence (2,328 bp, encoding 775 amino acids, ~90 kD).

Main Results:

  • Successful purification of the Pwo polymerase enzyme.
  • DNA sequencing confirmed the integrity of the cloned pwo gene.
  • PCR assays demonstrated that Pwo polymerase activity is comparable to commercial Pfu polymerase.

Conclusions:

  • The Pwo polymerase enzyme was successfully purified.
  • The purified enzyme exhibits comparable PCR activity to Pfu polymerase, highlighting its potential utility.

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