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Zipbodyzyme: Development of new antibody-enzyme fusion proteins
Akihiro Mori1, Teruyo Ojima-Kato2, Takaaki Kojima1
1Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
Abstract:
A new antibody-enzyme fusion protein, named Zipbodyzyme, composed of a Fab antibody (i.e., an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody) and an enzyme, has been successfully produced in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. Zipbodyzymes have a leucine zipper (LZ) pair at the C-termini of the heavy chain (Hc) and the light chain (Lc) of Fab, to promote the association of the Hc and the Lc in E. coli cytoplasm, adjoining a fused enzyme. A Zipbodyzyme containing mouse-derived anti-E. coli O157 Fab and a luciferase or a green fluorescent protein retained both the antigen-binding and an enzymatic activity/fluorescence. The bifunctional proteins were applicable in direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without the need for a secondary antibody, indicating that the utility of the antibody enzyme bifunctional fusion protein will be expanded.
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