Construction of human LRIG1-TAT fusions and TAT-mediated LRIG1 protein delivery

Human leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains (LRIG1) is a tumor suppressor in animals and also functions as an endogenous suppressor in human tumor. The level of LRIG1 expression is highly associated with patient survival in clinic. The exploration of LRIG1 as a protein drug is an important task. HIV-1 transactivator of transcription peptide (TAT) is an excellent candidate for protein transduction. In this study, human LRIG1 was cloned and LRIG1-TAT fusion gene was constructed. The fusion proteins were produced by an Escherichia coli strain and purified by Ni2+-resin. Western blot assay and immunofluorescence microscopy were employed for monitoring LRIG1-TAT protein transduction into human neuroblastoma cells. Cell proliferation and invasion were measured for evaluating the effect of LRIG1-TAT on neuroblastoma cell. Our data showed that LRIG1 protein can be delivered into cells or organs in living animals by TAT. One-time transduction of LRIG1 proteins into human neuroblastoma cells enhanced cell proliferation and increased cell invasion. In vivo transduction showed that LRIG1-TAT protein can be presented in living animal organs. Our experiments provide a new vision on LRIG1 applications and also offer a therapy window for revealing the intrinsic function of LRIG1 on cells.