PROCESS FOR THE MASS PRODUCTION OF SILK PROTEIN AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED SILK-LIKE PROTEIN HAVING FUNCTION IMPARTED THERETO

摘要

A process for producing a silk or silk-like protein by using Escherichia coli. A silk or silk-like polymer comprising at least one protein selected from among domesticated silkworm fibroin, wild silkworm fibroin, elastin and fibronectin and essentially comprising the above-described domesticated silkworm fibroin or wild silkworm fibroin is designed and the minimum unit of the silk or the thus designed polymer is synthesized. The polymer of the minimum unit thus synthesized is integrated into at least one expression vector selected from expression vectors containing T7 promoter. Then, the expression vector is integrated into E. coli BL21(DE3)pLysS or BLR(DE3)pLysS. Subsequently, the E. coli is grown in a medium selected from among composite media.