Global proteome response of BL21 to production of human basic fibroblast growth factor in complex and defined medium.

The global proteome response toward recombinant protein production in BL21 (DE3) grown in complex and defined medium was analyzed. Overproduction of human basic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-2), a difficult-to-fold protein, led to a reconstruction of the bacterial proteome. For example, heat shock chaperones were highly upregulated, especially when production occurred during fast growth in complex medium.