Recombinant proteins are a vital part of the science industry; they’re used in a wide array of experiments, applications, and treatments. Recombinant proteins are manufactured in the laboratory, and they include growth factors or cytokines. The growth factors induce proliferation and cellular growth directly but cytokines, on the other hand, influence the immune system, which in turn induces cellular growth. If you wish to understand more about recombinant cytokines, click for recombinant cytokine info.
Due to the dynamics of recombinant proteins, cytokines, and growth factors, it’s important to choose the right ones for your research or production needs. There are many factors to consider when selecting recombinant proteins; continue reading to learn more. In this article, you’ll learn about the tips for choosing your recombinant proteins, cytokines, and growth factors.
Things To Consider When Choosing Recombinant Proteins, Cytokines, and Growth-factors
The Source of Recombinant Protein
Recombinant proteins are produced via an expression system, which has a significant impact on the final product. An important step in the creation of functional human proteins was the use of E. coli to produce recombinant human insulin. Since this discovery, research has advanced, changing the requirements for creating active recombinant proteins. In some cases, post-translational modifications (PTMs) and glycosylation, which can only be achieved by using eukaryotic expression systems, are sometimes required to create the desired activity for a protein. This type of recombinant protein obtained from eukaryotic expression systems is a non-human protein.
Human-derived proteins are typically more expensive, but they are also more likely to be tolerated by the human body and hence more suitable for human application. Non-human-derived recombinant proteins are less expensive but could pose a greater risk of adverse reactions when used for human applications due to their foreign nature.
Human Cell Expression System
Recombinant proteins obtained from the human cell (HEK293) expression system offer several benefits over those obtained from bacterial systems. humankind proteins have a higher level of purity and consistent lot-to-lot activity. The proteins produced through human cell expression systems have higher activity than the proteins produced in other expression systems, such as the eukaryotic expression systems.
- Product Information
Companies producing recombinant proteins provide detailed information about their products. Therefore, before you choose a recombinant protein for your research, make sure you check the product description. The product description should contain certain information such as purity, bioactivity, SDS-PAGE validation, and endotoxin concentration.
The purity of a recombinant protein is an important property to consider as it can affect the entire quality of the final product. Preferably, it would be best if you chose the recombinant protein with the highest purity level (above 95%). The highest purity indicates that the recombinant protein is free from endotoxins, extraneous proteins, and other substances that can react with physiology. The bioactivity of a recombinant protein is usually indicated as an EC50 or ED50 dose measured in pg/mL or ug/mL. If you see the above bioactivity description, it indicates that protein offers 50% maximal activity and a lower concentration is better. For recombinant proteins measured in units/mg, it indicates that a higher concentration is better. With this bioactivity concentration information, you can compare proteins from different companies and choose the one that’ll best suit your research or application.
Furthermore, when choosing recombinant protein, it’s better to pick the one that’s endotoxin-free. If you can not find an endotoxin-free recombinant protein, you can choose the one with the lowest endotoxin level.
- RUO vs. GMP products
This is another aspect you should consider when choosing recombinant protein. GMP-grade products (Good Manufacturers Practice) indicate that the product is considered safe and effective, while RUO products are produced for research use only. If you wish to use recombinant protein to conduct research that will give a final product that can be used for clinical treatment, endeavor to buy recombinant protein that’s GMP graded. GMP-graded recombinant protein makes it easier for the successful outcome of your research to be accepted for clinical use. However, if you’re solely testing out a new hypothesis and you’re not keen on converting the outcome into clinical use, RUO recombinant protein might be appropriate in such a situation.
What Are the Benefits of Using Recombinant Proteins?
Recombinant proteins are invaluable in the health sector; they’re used in producing protein-based polymers, pharmaceutical products, antibodies for disease treatment, and more. When researchers use recombinant protein, it offers them more flexibility, accuracy, and reliability than proteins derived from natural sources. This means you can trust the data you get from your experiments.
Additionally, recombinant proteins can help you to achieve your research goals more quickly and easily, thanks to their consistent quality and stability.
In conclusion, choosing the right recombinant proteins, cytokines, and growth factors can make a big difference in your research outcomes, so take your time and consider all your options.
