ANTIBODY ENGINEERING - COMPARISON OF BACTERIAL, YEAST, INSECT AND MAMMALIAN EXPRESSION SYSTEMS

Engineered antibody molecules, and their fragments, are being increasi ngly exploited as scientific and clinical tools. However, one factor t hat can limit the applicability of this technology is the ability to e xpress large amounts of active protein In this review we describe the relative advantages and disadvantages of bacterial, yeast, insect and mammalian expression systems, and discuss some of the problems that ca n be encountered when using them. There is no 'universal' expression s ystem, that can guarantee high yields of recombinant product, as every antibody-based molecule will pose its own problems in terms of expres sion. As a result the choice of system will depend on many factors, in cluding the molecular species being expressed, the precise sequence of the individual antibody and the preferences of the individual investi gator. However, there are general rules with regards to the design of expression vectors and systems which will help the investigator to mak e informed choices as to which strategy might be appropriate for their application. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.