Patent ID: 7943300

Claim:
A method for the rapid monitoring of functionally correct folding or misfolding of a target protein produced by a recombinant process in a bacterial host by means of the reporter enzyme luciferase, comprising: (i) expressing a target protein in said recombinant bacterial host cell expression system using a first plasmid comprising a gene coding for the target protein, (ii) expressing luciferase in said recombinant bacterial host cell expression system using a second plasmid in said host cell comprising the reporter gene luc+ which codes for luciferase and is under control of the DegP promoter, and (iii) detecting and analysing on-line during the fermentation process of said bacterial host cell without disrupting the host cell, the expressed luciferase signals, which are correlated to the correct folding or misfolding of the co-expressed target protein thereby determining the presence of correct folding or misfolding thereof within a total time of 90 seconds per analysis.