Comparing Expression Systems

 COMPARING EXPRESSION SYSTEMS

Each expression system has its own unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to characteristics such as cost, speed, and ability to glycosylate or fold proteins, as well as government regulations. Bacterial cells are by far the cheapest and fastest method for recombinant protein expression, but they do not glycosylate proteins or fold mammalian proteins correctly. Cultured mammalian cells glycosylate and fold proteins properly, but they are expensive to maintain. Therefore, determining what system to use to express recombinant proteins depends on the protein and its particular idiosyncrasies (Fig. 10.15).

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