Patent ID: 7655413

Claim:
A method for enhancing the expression a protein of interest in a host cell comprising: a) providing a nucleic acid construct which encodes a fusion protein wherein said construct consists of: i) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a carboxy-terminal domain of SUMO, wherein said carboxy-terminal domain of SUMO consists of the amino acid sequence from between position 50 and position 62 through position 98 of SEQ ID NO: 1; ii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding said protein of interest; and iii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding at least one purification tag; wherein said carboxy-terminal domain of SUMO is attached to the amino-terminus of said protein of interest in the expressed fusion protein, wherein said at least one purification tag is attached to the amino-terminus of said carboxy-terminal domain of SUMO in said expressed fusion protein, and wherein said fusion protein begins with a methionine; b) expressing said nucleic acid construct in said host cell, whereby the presence of said carboxy-terminal domain of SUMO in said fusion protein increases the expression level of said protein of interest in said host cell.