Prolonged Cell-free Protein Synthesis in a Batch System Using Wheat Germ Extract

Reaction conditions of cell-free protein synthesis using wheat germ extract were examined to prolong the period of protein synthesis in a batch reaction. By optimizing conditions for ATP regeneration system involved in the cell-free system, protein synthesis continued about 4 hours, so that about 17 micrograms dihydrofolate reductase protein was obtained in 1 ml of a reaction mixture. It suggests that maintaining ATP concentration is the primary requirement for long-life cell-free protein synthesis.