Intein-Mediated Biotinylation of Proteins and Its Application in a Protein Microarray

Abstract

We report here the first example using an intein-mediated expression system to generate biotinylated proteins suitable for immobilization onto avidin-functionalized glass slides. With this novel array, proteins are site-specifically immobilized on the glass surface and are able to retain their native activity. The advantage of the avidin/biotin linkage over his-tag/Ni-NTA strategies for protein immobilization is highlighted by its ability to withstand a variety of chemical conditions, which makes this new protein array compatible with most biological assays.