Direct expression of PCR products in a cell-free transcription/translation system: synthesis of antibacterial peptide cecropin.

A simple and effective methodology is proposed for direct expression of PCR-generated linear DNAs in cell-free transcription/translation systems without cloning DNA fragments in plasmids. This methodology is realized for the synthesis of the active antibacterial peptide cecropin using the synthetic coding sequence. Possible scientific applications and perspectives of the proposed approach are discussed.