摘要:
A method is described for altering the properties such as the accumulation, the stability and/or integrity, the subcellular localisation, the post-translational modifications, the ability to get purified, and the phase partitioning behaviour of natural or recombinant target proteins expressed in a host organism. The method involves the co-expression of natural or recombinant proteins along with a specific binding partner that sequesters the target recombinant protein into a complex. The binding partner is supplied as a separate protein allowing formation of intermolecular complexes or is fused to the protein of interest, allowing the formation of intramolecular complexes. The binding partner can also be used to alter the subcellular localisation without modifying the sequence or structure of the target protein itself. This can be achieved by either incorporating appropriate targeting signals into the binding ligand, which are then linked to the target protein through complex formation, or complex formation itself may alter the subcellular localisation. The same strategy can be used to provide an affinity tag to facilitate protein purification. The principle of the invention is demonstrated by the coexpression of an unstable antibody and its cognate antigen.