Recombinant extracellular matrix-like proteins with repetitive elastin or collagen-like functional motifs

Using overlap elongation PCR, we created repetitive DNA libraries encoding the elastin VPGVG and collagen-like GERGDRGDP sequences. From these libraries we isolated two repetitive DNA sequences, Col-5 encoding [(GERGDRGDP)5GER], and Ela-16 encoding [(VPGVG)16VPG]. Both proteins were expressed as thioredoxin fusion proteins. The resulting recombinant extracellular matrix-like proteins had the expected properties (cell adhesive ability and thermally responsive structural change) of the functional motif sequence unit used.