Topic Introduction

Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions with Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) Fusion Proteins

Adapted from "Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions with Glutathione-S-Transferase Fusion Proteins," Chapter 6, in Protein-Protein Interactions, 2nd edition (eds. Golemis and Adams). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2005.

INTRODUCTION

Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins have had a wide range of applications since their introduction as tools for synthesis of recombinant proteins in bacteria. GST was originally selected as a fusion moiety because of several desirable properties. First and foremost, when expressed in bacteria alone, or as a fusion, GST is not sequestered in inclusion bodies (in contrast to previous fusion protein systems). Second, GST can be affinity-purified without denaturation because it binds to immobilized glutathione, which provides the basis for simple purification. Consequently, GST fusion proteins are routinely used for antibody generation and purification, protein-protein interaction studies, and biochemical analysis. This article describes the use of GST fusion proteins as probes for the identification of protein-protein interactions.