Characterization of an active GST-human Cdc2 fusion protein kinase expressed in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe: a new approach to the study of cell cycle control proteins.

Characterization of cdk (cyclin dependent kinases) substrates and studies of their regulation require purified enzymatic complexes of cdc2-related catalytic and cyclin regulatory subunits. We produced human Cdc2 kinase in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST). The GST-human Cdc2p fusion protein was active in vivo since it rescued a temperature-sensitive allele of cdc2. The fusion protein was purified using a one-step chromatography procedure with glutathione-Sepharose and exhibited a catalytic activity in vitro. Yeast cyclin B and suc1 were found in association with GST-Cdc2. A 17-fold stimulation of GST-Cdc2 kinase activity was obtained by incubation of recombinant human cyclin A with the S. pombe cellular extract prior to affinity purification. This indicates that cyclin concentration is limiting in this overexpression system. These findings describe a fast and easy production of active recombinant human Cdc2 kinase in yeast that can be used for biochemical studies.