Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40413522›Full record

ArticleMicrobial cell factories2025

Further characterization and engineering of an 11-amino acid motif for enhancing recombinant soluble protein expression.

Jiawu Bi, Elaine Tiong, Ying Sin Koo, Weibiao Zhou, Fong Tian Wong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Microbial cell factories, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. High-level fed-batch production of recombinant type II cholesterol oxidase fromBiotechnology reports (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026
    Article
  2. Engineering of a Carbonic Anhydrase fromInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jiawu BiInstitute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos #07-06, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
Elaine TiongInstitute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos #07-06, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
Ying Sin KooInstitute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8 Biomedical Grove, Neuros, #07-01, Singapore, 138665, Republic of Singapore.
Weibiao ZhouDepartment of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore (NUS), Faculty of Science, 2 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117542, Republic of Singapore.
Fong Tian WongInstitute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos #07-06, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore. wongft@imcb.a-star.edu.sg.

Funding

Agency of Science, Technology and Research, Singapore C233017004MTC Programmatic 'BLISS' M24M9b0013Singapore Food Story (SFS) programme W23W2D0009
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEscherichia coli (E. coli) is a popular system for recombinant protein production, owing to its low cost and availability of genetic tools. However, the expression of soluble recombinant proteins remains an issue. As such, various solubility-enhancing and yield-improving methods such as the addition of fusion tags have been developed. This study focuses on a small solubility tag (NT11), derived from the N-terminal domain of a duplicated carbonic anhydrase from Dunaliella species. The small size of NT11 (< 10 kDa) lowers the chance of protein folding interference and post-translation removal requirement, which ultimately minimizes cost of production.

resultsA comprehensive analysis was performed to improve the characteristics of the 11-amino acid tag. By investigating the alanine-scan library of NT11, we achieved at least a two-fold increase in protein yield for three different proteins and identified key residues for further development. We also demonstrated that the NT11 tag is not limited to the N-terminal position and can function at either the N- or C-terminal of the protein, providing flexibility in designing constructs. With these new insights, we have successfully doubled the recombinant soluble protein yields of valuable growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in E. coli.

conclusionThe further characterisation and development of the NT11 tag have provided valuable insights into the optimisation process for such small tags and expanded our understanding of its potential applications. The ability of the NT11 tag to be positioned at either the N- or C- termini within the protein construct without compromising its effectiveness to enhance soluble recombinant protein yields, makes it a valuable tool across a diverse range of proteins. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a promising approach to simplify and enhance the efficiency of soluble recombinant protein production.

Indexed as

Protein EngineeringRecombinant Fusion ProteinsRecombinant ProteinsAmino Acid MotifsCarbonic AnhydrasesEpidermal Growth FactorEscherichia coliFibroblast Growth Factor 2HumansSolubilityCarbonic AnhydrasesEpidermal Growth FactorFibroblast Growth Factor 2Recombinant Fusion ProteinsRecombinant ProteinsEnzymeEscherichia coliGrowth factorProtein solubility tagRecombinant protein expression

Identifiers

PMID40413522
PMCPMC12103771

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.