Full Sequence Analysis of Recombinant Protein Vaccines by Mass Spectrometry

Recombinant protein vaccines are a type of vaccine produced using genetic engineering technology, aiming to trigger an immune response by expressing and producing specific proteins of a pathogen. These vaccines do not contain the complete active pathogen; instead, they select specific proteins or portions of the pathogen to serve as antigens. Due to their advantages, such as high safety, strong stability, and lower cost, recombinant protein vaccines have gained widespread attention from researchers in recent years. Currently, recombinant protein vaccines are widely used for various infectious diseases, such as the prevention of hepatitis B, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and more.

 

The full protein sequence refers to the complete sequence of a protein, including its amino acid composition and arrangement, the number of polypeptide chains, as well as the number and positions of disulfide bonds. This is also known as the primary structure of a protein. The analysis of recombinant protein expression and purification products, particularly in the development and process establishment of recombinant protein products like vaccines, requires the confirmation of the full-length protein sequence. Full-length sequence analysis is crucial for studying the composition, characteristics, structure, conserved regions, and functional domains of recombinant proteins.

 

Mass spectrometry is the primary method for full sequence analysis of recombinant protein vaccines. The techniques for determining a full protein sequence have evolved from liquid-phase sequencing, solid-phase sequencing, and gas-phase sequencing to mass spectrometry-based sequencing. Traditional methods like protein microsequencing and amino acid composition analysis could not meet the demands for high throughput and efficiency. The advent of mass spectrometry has overcome these limitations, offering higher sensitivity, resolution, and accuracy while maintaining high-throughput identification. It has become the preferred technology for full protein sequence analysis.

 

MtoZ Biolabs provides clients with drug quality research services that comply with global drug regulatory laws. Using our existing high-resolution mass spectrometry technology platform, we have developed a recombinant protein vaccine full sequence analysis technology based on mass spectrometry, achieving 100% coverage of the target protein sequence determined. This analysis can be used to confirm whether the recombinant protein is fully expressed and detect whether breakage occurs during the expression process of the recombinant protein.