Abstract 1633 Comparative Optimization of Caspase-1 Expression and Kinetics in E. coli for Anti-Inflammatory Research

Caspase-1 (Casp-1) is a key enzyme in the inflammatory response, activating cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-18, which drive inflammatory diseases like diabetic nephropathy and atherosclerosis. This study focused on optimizing the expression of the Casp-1 catalytic domain in E. coli to facilitate enzyme kinetic analysis and future inhibitor development. Two cultivation methods were compared: manual induction with Lysogeny Broth (LB) and autoinduction using Terrific Broth (TB). LB yielded 76.4 μg of purified protein compared to 59.6 μg with TB from 500 mL cultures, though LB required more intensive monitoring and manual induction with IPTG.