Recombinant Protein Expression Optimizing: A Review of S/MAR, STAR, and UCOE, as a Chromatin-Modifying Element

Abstract

The rapid growth of the global biopharmaceutical market in recent years indicates its importance in the biotechnology industry. The production of these medicinal products is one of the fastest-growing industries in the patient treatment field. Since 1980, processes have been developed to optimize the production of recombinant protein products upstream and downstream. In this regard, one promising approach is the engineering of expression vectors based on combinations of DNA regulatory elements found in euchromatin regions. This approach aims to achieve proper gene integration and facilitate its expression in the target cell, as epigenetic mechanisms can lead to instability of the desired gene in long-term cell cultures and gene silencing. To address this issue, genetically engineered vectors have been produced, which include components such as Matrix Attachment Regions (MARs), Scaffold Attachment Regions (SARs), Stabilizing Anti-Repressor Elements (STAREs), and Ubiquitous Chromatin Opening Elements (UCOE). These components can modify the chromatin environment to minimize gene silencing and enhance higher, more stable, and biologically active expression of recombinant molecules. In this review, we focus on different approaches and developments in the technology of expression vector engineering and their impact on increasing the production of recombinant proteins.