Expression of the human UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase UGT116 in Escherichia coli

Abstract
The membrane-bound human liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT1∗6 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Exchange of the natural signal peptide by the bacterial signal peptides of pelB or OmpT proteins considerably increased the level of expression and, as the natural signal peptide, targeted the protein to the membranes. The extent of maturation of spelB-UGTl*6 precursor was about 30%. No processing of sOmpT-UGTl∗6 occurred but the processing rate of this precursor could be significantly increased by mutagenesis of the first two amino acid residues of the mature sequence. These expression vectors allowed us to produce high levels of recombinant mature UGT1∗6 required for further structural studies