HYPER EXPRESSION OF AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SYNTHETIC-POLYMER GENE

Biodegradable polymers offer an environmentally friendly alternative t o petroleum-based polymers. Applications of protein based polymers inc lude the use of these compounds in the fields of medicine, molecular-b ased energy conversions, the manufacture of unique fibers, coatings an d biodegradable plastics. We report here expression of a synthetic gen e G-(VPGVG)(119)-VPGV coding for the EG-120mer (elastomer) in E. coli. Polymer expression is observed in uninduced cells grown in terrific b roth in polyacrylamide gels negatively stained with CuCL(2). Electron micrographs reveal formation of inclusion bodies in uninduced cells oc cupying upto 80-90% of the cell volume under optimal growth conditions . To the best of our knowledge this report represents the first demons tration of hyper expression of a synthetic gene (with no natural analo g) in E. coli.