The proposed research is to develop inexpensive production methods for uniformly stable isotopically labeled recombinant proteins by utilizing microalgal systems for protein expression. These methods would take advantage of the lower cost associated with the microalgal use of simple carbon and nitrogen sources versus heterotrophic expression using fixed carbon sources such as glucose and glycerol. This research will evaluate existing technologies for microalgal protein expression and develop any additional methods needed for expression of proteins in both cyanobacterial and green algal systems. A successful conclusion of this project will be one or two algal systems that produce a large amount of an introduced protein that can be labeled with stable isotopes either singly or with a number of labels at costs greatly reduced from heterotrophic incorporation of label. This could lower the costs associated with NMR structural determination in obtaining suitably labeled proteins destined for pharmaceutical discovery.
