Direct expression of urogastrone gene in Escherichia coli.

Human epidermal growth factor (urogastrone; UG) is a 53-amino acid polypeptide hormone. A 192-bp DNA fragment containing the coding sequence for methionyl UG (Met-UG) and the ribosome-binding site (RBS) was chemically synthesized and placed downstream from the promotor for the Escherichia coli outer-membrane lipoprotein gene (lpp) on a plasmid. E. coli cells harboring the plasmid directed the synthesis of Met-UG at 10(2)-10(3) molecules per cell. Next, the coding sequence for Met-UG was inserted in a runaway-replication plasmid and expressed under the control of the lpp promoter and the RBS derived from bacteriophage Mu cII gene. Upon heat induction, the cells harboring the recombinant plasmid synthesized 10(5) molecules of Met-UG per cell.