The production of recombinant human laminin-332 in a Leishmania tarentolae expression system

Laminin (LM)-332 (α3β3γ2), a large heterotrimeric glycoprotein, is an essential component of epithelial basement membranes that promotes cell adhesion and migration. Here, we expressed human LM-332 using a novel protein expression system based on the trypanosomatid protozoan host Leishmania tarentolae. Plasmids containing cDNA encoding full-length β3 and γ2 subunits and truncated α3 subunit were sequentially introduced into L. tarentolae. A recombinant strain harboring the three subunits of human LM-332 efficiently formed heterotrimer and secreted it into the culture medium. Heterotrimeric recombinant LM-332 (rLM-332) could be purified from culture medium with one-step immuno-affinity chromatography. The eluted fraction contained all three subunits, as confirmed by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. The purified rLM-332 showed similar cell adhesion activity to rLM-332 purified from mammalian cells, indicating its proper folding and assembly. The obtained expression level was not high; however, we suggest that this expression system has the potential for mass production of LMs for tissue engineering.