Oleosin

Oleosins are structural proteins, which are found in plant cells, more specifically in the oil body, the Oleosom. They are integrated into the monolayer of Oleosoms and prevent the clumping together of the different lipid droplets.

They consist of three parts: N-and C -terminal domain are amphiphilic, the central part, however, is hydrophobic. Models show that oleosins have a hairpin -like shape, which extends into the triacylglycerol - layer, while the hydrophilic part remains outside the oil body.

Oleosins was found in oil bodies of seeds, in cells of the tapetum and pollen.

Use for the production of recombinant proteins

Oleosins be used to simply extracting recombinant proteins. They are cloned as fusion proteins with oleosins in the cells with a protease recognition sequence between the two proteins, for example, chymosin. Can be isolated by centrifugation, then only the oil body. Then Oleosins and recombinant protein can be cleaved by a protease. The protein is normally hydrophilic than the oleosins and will then dissolve in the aqueous phase and can be separated by centrifuging again.