Nov 2008
On November 24, 2008, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced the production of its “human protein factory” infrastructure for in vitro proteome research. The infrastructure includes a comprehensive collection of human Gateway entry clones of nearly 15,000 human genes, approximately 70% of the human genome, and their wheat germ cell-free protein expression data.
Synthesized in the wheat germ cell-free expression system, nearly all of those clones yielded proteins with soluble fractions. The research that led to the construction of the infrastructure was reported by Goshima and colleagues [1] in Nature Methods, December 2008, which was reviewed by Hartley and colleagues [2] in the same issue.
Information and expression data of the Gateway entry clones including SDS-PAGE patterns are available in the URL of Human Gene and Protein Database (HGPD) at http://hgpd.lifesciencedb.jp/ and information of the purchase of those clones is obtained by clicking Clone Inquiry in that URL.
[1] N. Goshima et al., Human protein factory for converting the transcriptome into an in vitro-expressed proteome, Nature Methods, 5, 1011-1017 (2008)
[2] J. L. Hartley et al., Proteome expression moves in vitro: resources and tools for harnessing the human proteome, Nature Methods, 5, 1001-1002 (2008)
July 2008
Malaria Vaccine Development - Malaria Protein Synthesis
“Research at Ehime University among 23 innovative technologies selected and supported by Japanese Government,” Ehime Shimbun, May 21, 2008
The Council for Science and Technology Policy chaired by Yasuo Fukuda, Prime minister of Japan, drafted a strategy for developing innovative technologies and selected 23 research projects as the global cutting-edge technologies. They will be funded from the next fiscal year onward by a new public fund established by the Council for accelerating the development of those innovative technologies. Among the recipients of new funding is the Malaria Vaccine Development Project at Ehime University using the Cell-Free Protein Expression System developed by Dr. Yaeta Endo of Ehime University.
The above strategy is aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of industries, constructing healthy society, and strengthening the security of Japan and the rest of the world by supporting innovative technologies expected to have ripple effects on society. The selected technologies, one of which is regenerative therapy using iPS cells, encompass broad areas including information and communication technology, healthcare, and agriculture. Of the fiscal 2008 outlay of 1.4 trillion yen for science and technology promotion, 1% will be allocated to the innovative technology strategy.
In search of malaria vaccine candidates, Ehime University has started a joint research project with international collaborators including an Australian institute. In the heart of this search is the cell-free protein expression system, whose advent has made it possible to efficiently synthesize malaria parasite proteins beyond the limit of the commonly used E. coli system.
The Council for Science and Technology Policy states that the plant-based protein synthesis technology used in the Malaria Vaccine Development Project at Ehime University permits efficient production of a variety of malaria-related proteins for malaria vaccine development. By this statement, the Council expresses high expectation for the production of malaria vaccines in near future. |
