Development of an Insect Cell-Free System

Cell-free protein synthesis systems offer production of native proteins with high speed, even for the proteins that are toxic to cells. Among cell-free systems, the system derived from insect cells has the potential to carry out posttranslational modifications that are specific to eukaryotic organisms, as occurs in the rabbit reticulocyte system. In this review, we describe development of this insect cell-free system and its applications. Keywords: Cell-free protein synthesis, 5'-UTR, Freeze-thawing, Insect cell, MALDI-TOF MS, Post-translational modification, Rabbit reticulocyte