A high-performance protein preparation approach in a single column-free step

Protein purification remains a formidable and costly technical obstacle in biotechnology. Here, we present a new column-free method, utilizing the cleavable self-aggregating tag 2.0 (cSAT2.0) scheme, to streamline protein production in Escherichia coli, yielding high quantities with exceptional purity. In shake-flask experiments using lysogeny broth (LB) medium, the cSAT2.0 scheme successfully produced one peptide and five proteins, with yields ranging from 24 mg/l to 89 mg/l, and purity levels exceeding 98%. The cSAT2.0 scheme also enabled high-throughput protein preparation on microplates. Furthermore, we scaled up the fermentation process for caplacizumab, achieving 1.4 g/l of highly purified protein in a 5-l fermenter. Our results demonstrate that the cSAT2.0 scheme can serve as an economical and robust platform for protein production from microplate to fermenter scales.