Expression and purification of functional human glycogen synthase-1:glycogenin-1 complex in insect cells

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Roger W. Hunter
  • Elton Zeqiraj
  • Nicholas Morrice
  • Frank Sicheri
  • Sakamoto, Kei

We report the successful expression and purification of functional human muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1) in complex with human glycogenin-1 (GN1). Stoichiometric GYS1:GN1 complex was produced by co-expression of GYS1 and GN1 using a bicistronic pFastBac™-Dual expression vector, followed by affinity purification and subsequent size-exclusion chromatography. Mass spectrometry analysis identified that GYS1 is phosphorylated at several well-characterised and uncharacterised Ser/Thr residues. Biochemical analysis, including activity ratio (in the absence relative to that in the presence of glucose-6-phosphate) measurement, covalently attached phosphate estimation as well as phosphatase treatment, revealed that recombinant GYS1 is substantially more heavily phosphorylated than would be observed in intact human or rodent muscle tissues. A large quantity of highly-pure stoichiometric GYS1:GN1 complex will be useful to study its structural and biochemical properties in the future, which would reveal mechanistic insights into its functional role in glycogen biosynthesis.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProtein Expression and Purification
Volume108
Pages (from-to)23-29
Number of pages7
ISSN1046-5928
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2015
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Energy metabolism, Glucosyltransferase, Glycogenesis, Phosphorylation

ID: 239212865