Technology
UNic™: Boosting translation
Enhanced protein production
The messenger RNA is a key component of the protein production cycle. This component can be optimized. One of the optimization methods results in mRNA that generates more protein than non-optimized mRNA: the translation is enhanced. UNic™ increases the translation of mRNA resulting in an increase in protein expressed.
To this end, an enhancing element is incorporated in the proximity of the coding sequence of the desired protein. Due to this incorporation the target mRNA is preferentially translated over other present mRNA. UNic™ does not lead to codon optimization, but positively affects the translation machinery.
Translation enhancement: not just more mRNA
UNic™ specifically boosts translation, not transcription. Such enhance-ment yields a higher amount of protein material. The advantage can be expressed in two ways: more protein is obtained with the energy supplied to the production system or, for the same protein yield less energy needs to be supplied to the production system.
Industrial protein production
The enhancing element is also functional in other platforms. Industrial protein producers, for instance, can apply UNic™ to their fungal production platforms. Incorporation of the enhancing element in a stable industrial Aspergillus niger strain has been carried out. Here also,
the amount of enzyme is increased relative to using constructs in which the enhancing element is not present.
Pharmaceutical proteins
ProteoNic also demonstrated translational enhancement in mammalian cells. These cells were transfected with constructs specifically adapted for mammalian expression.