Abstract:

Considering that Nisin has a narrow antibacterial spectrum, rbLF-N with strong inhibitory activity against a wide range of bacteria was used to construct fusion gene Nisin-rbLF-N. The fusion gene was cloned into the expression vector pGEX- 4T1, followed by transformation into the E. coli BL21 prokaryotic expression system for protein expression under IPTG induction. The expressed protein encoded by Nisin- rbLF-N gene was detected by Tricine-SDS-PAGE protein electrophoresis and it inhibitory activities against Gram positive and negative bacteria were also assayed. A considerable amount of fusion protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 cells and the protein was mainly found in inclusion bodies. The product obtained from the inclusion bodies subjected to washing, dissolution in 8 mol/L urea and protein refolding had good inhibitory activity against Gram positive bacteria rather than their negative counterparts.

Key words: fusion gene, inducible expression, antibacterial activity