Elastin-Like Polypeptide Triblock with FRB

Information

This part is made up of the basic parts: two times Elastin-Like Polypeptide (ELP) sequence A[60]I[60] (BBa_K4905001) and two times FRB (BBa_J18926). This results in the sequence FRB-I[60]-A[120]-I[60]-FRB. With A[5] the sequence (VPGAG[3]VPGGG[2]), since there are five VPGXG repeats, and I the sequence (VPGIG). The numbers indicate the number of repeats of these sequences. This construct was used by the TU Eindhoven 2023 team to form a hydrogel outside as well as inside E.coli BL21 cells. A schematic overview of this is shown in figure 1.

**Figure 1 |** Schematic overview of the sequence of this construct. (VPGAG[3]VPGGG[2]) is from now on referred to as A[5] and VPGIG is referred to as I.

General applications

ELPs are protein polymers derived from human tropoelastin. One of their key features is that they exhibit a phase separation that is often reversible whereby samples remain soluble below Tt but form coacervates above Tt. They have many possible applications in purification, sensing, activation, and nano assembly. Furthermore, they are non-immunogenic, substrates for proteolytic biodegradation, and can be decorated with pharmacologically active peptides, proteins, and small molecules. Recombinant synthesis additionally allows precise control over ELP architecture and molecular weight, resulting in protein polymers with uniform physicochemical properties suited to the design of multifunctional biologics. As such, ELPs have been employed for various uses including as anti-cancer agents, ocular drug delivery vehicles, and protein trafficking modulators².

Construct design

The construct consists of ELPs and FRB. In general, ELPs have hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains that exhibit reversible phase separation behavior that is temperature-dependent. They are made from a repeating VPGXG sequence, with X replaced by specific amino acids. This results in specific properties of the ELPs, especially related to the transition temperature Tt at which the ELPs will interact with each other on the hydrophobic sites¹. When the temperature is below Tt, the water molecules surrounding the hydrophobic parts will go into the bulk water phase which gains the solvent entropy. This makes it possible to form interactions with other ELP molecules².

This construct has a hydrophilic region in the middle (A[120]) and a hydrophobic region on each side of it (I[60]). On the ends, FRB domains are located for stronger interactions between the ELPs. FRB can form a complex with Rapamycin and FKBP12. This mechanism is normally used in the mTOR pathway inside cells, which regulates cellular proliferation, protein synthesis, differentiation and survival, and lipid metabolism. In the case of a hydrogel, the addition of rapamycin to a cell with these ELPs and ELPs with FKBP12 at the ends can induce crosslinking between them to form a network^3,4. These stronger interactions make them useful in the formation of a hydrogel.

This parts needs to be combined with part BBa_K4905010 that contains the FKBP12 domain.

Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

10
INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
Illegal EcoRI site found at 2177
Illegal EcoRI site found at 4103
Illegal XbaI site found at 294
Illegal XbaI site found at 2220
12
INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]
Illegal EcoRI site found at 2177
Illegal EcoRI site found at 4103
21
INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
Illegal EcoRI site found at 2177
Illegal EcoRI site found at 4103
Illegal BglII site found at 225
Illegal BglII site found at 4364
Illegal XhoI site found at 2194
Illegal XhoI site found at 4120
23
INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
Illegal EcoRI site found at 2177
Illegal EcoRI site found at 4103
Illegal XbaI site found at 294
Illegal XbaI site found at 2220
25
INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]
Illegal EcoRI site found at 2177
Illegal EcoRI site found at 4103
Illegal XbaI site found at 294
Illegal XbaI site found at 2220
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 351
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 531
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 621
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 801
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 2277
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 2457
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 2547
1000
COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]

Results

References

1. Christensen, T., Hassouneh, W., Trabbic-Carlson, K., & Chilkoti, A. (2023). Predicting Transition Temperatures of Elastin-Like Polypeptide Fusion Proteins. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm400167h

2. Despanie, J., Dhandhukia, J. P., Hamm-Alvarez, S. F., & MacKay, J. A. (2016). Elastin-like polypeptides: Therapeutic applications for an emerging class of nanomedicines. Journal of Controlled Release, 240, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.11.010

3. Inobe, T., & Nukina, N. (2016). Rapamycin-induced oligomer formation system of FRB–FKBP fusion proteins. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 122(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBIOSC.2015.12.004