Expression, purification and spectral characterization of p21(Waf1/Cip1)

p21(Waf1/Cip1), best known as a broad-specificity inhibitor of cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complexes, can interact with various target proteins, and this ability relies on its structural plasticity. Therefore, studies on the structural properties of p(21) are very important to understand its structure-function relationship. However, detailed studies on its secondary structure and biophysical properties have been comparatively sparse. A human p(21) gene was cloned into the temperature expression vector pBV220 and transformed into Escherichia coli strain JM109.