Back to results

University of the Pacific

Design and synthesis of aryl hydrocarbon receptor fusion proteins for polyclonal antibodies production and cellular delivery

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are environmental chemicals that are produced during incomplete combustion of coal, oil, gas, and garbage. Toxic effects of these compounds are mediated via the ligand activated Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) signaling pathway. To enable the study of the AHR signaling mechanism, our lab has generated many human proteins using recombinant DNA technology. This thesis documents the design and synthesis of a number of proteins of the AHR deletion construct C&Delta;553. The bacterial expressed and purified fusion proteins could be utilized as antigen to generate antibodies and be used for cellular delivery. The purified protein was immunogenic in rabbits and produced significant amount of polyclonal antibodies. In western blot analysis, the antibodies were able to the detect baculovirus expressed AHR and different recombinant proteins of the AHR. The polyclonal antibodies were also used in the gel-shift assay to show the AHR dependent gel shift. Cellular delivery C&Delta;553 was achieved using the protein transduction domain from the HIV-1 virus transactivating protein (TAT). In order to deliver the C&Delta;553 into mammalian cells, an expression vector was constructed to generate the TAT-C&Delta;553 fusion protein. The TAT-C&Delta;553 fusion protein was successfully transduced into two mammalian cells-HeLa and HepG2. The in vivo function of TAT-C&Delta;553 was determined using the luciferase reporter plasmid assay. The transduced protein was functional; it competed with the AHR and heterodimerize with ARNT in both HeLa and HepG2 cells at a concentration of 3.8x103 nM and 18 nM respectively. Since there an apparent similarity between the basic region of TAT-PTD and C&Delta;553, we examined the transduction potential of C&Delta;553. Western blot analysis indicated that the extent of denatured protein transduction was comparable for C&Delta;553 and TAT-C&Delta;553 in HepG2 cells. Thus C&Delta;553 might have intrinsic transduction capability.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry
Year dc:date.available
2001

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Bhagwat, Bhagyashree Yogesh
Contributors dc:contributor
  • William K. Chan

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/558
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-1557

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of the Pacific
Base URL
scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Bhagwat, Bhagyashree Yogesh. Design and synthesis of aryl hydrocarbon receptor fusion proteins for polyclonal antibodies production and cellular delivery. Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted thesis, 2001. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/558