Affinity Tag Removal Proteases for Recombinant Proteins: TEV, HRV 3C, and SUMO Proteases – Selection Logic and Applications
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Affinity tags such as His, GST, MBP, and SUMO significantly enhance the yield and solubility of recombinant proteins during expression and purification. However, these tags frequently interfere with the target protein’s structure, function, or downstream applications, including crystallization, activity assays, and drug development. Precise removal of the tag has therefore become a critical step in obtaining native-like proteins.
Enzymatic cleavage remains the most reliable method due to its superior specificity compared to chemical cleavage. This article reviews commonly used endoproteases and exoproteases, focusing on their advantages and limitations. Special emphasis is placed on viral cysteine proteases — TEV, HRV 3C (PreScission™), and SUMO proteases (Ulp1/SENP family) — which belong to the clan CA cysteine protease superfamily.
The catalytic mechanisms, substrate recognition modes (sequence-specific vs. structure-specific), detergent tolerance, and optimized variants (including S219V TEV, SUMOstar, and the novel consensus-designed Con1 protease) are discussed in detail. Practical considerations for membrane protein purification and strategies for achieving scarless or near-native N-termini are also highlighted.
By integrating solubility tag design with highly specific enzymatic cleavage tools, researchers can efficiently produce high-quality, tag-free recombinant proteins suitable for structural biology, functional studies, and therapeutic development.