Cloning and expression of rat GFAP cDNA in Escherichia coli.

A cDNA fragment encoding GFAP was amplified by reverse transcription PCR from total mRNA isolated from primary culture of rat astrocytes and cloned for expression in Escherichia coli using pET-28a vector. High level of GFAP expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, while immunochemical identity was verified by immunoblotting. The constructed producer strain is a cheap source of GFAP and can be used for diagnostic purposes.