Procalcitonin Rat

Procalcitonin is encoded by the CALCA gene, which can result in two alternatively spliced products: calcitonin and calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) . The mature procalcitonin protein is expressed as a 116 amino acid (aa) sequence, which is subsequently cleaved into three parts: a 57 aa pro-region, a 32 aa calcitonin peptide, and a 21 aa katacalcin peptide .

Procalcitonin levels in the blood are typically low, but they rise significantly in response to systemic inflammation, particularly bacterial infections and sepsis . This makes procalcitonin a valuable biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring these conditions. Elevated procalcitonin levels can help differentiate bacterial infections from other causes of inflammation, guiding appropriate antibiotic therapy .

Recombinant procalcitonin is produced using E. coli expression systems . This method involves inserting the gene encoding procalcitonin into E. coli bacteria, which then produce the protein. The recombinant protein is subsequently purified for use in research and clinical applications .

Recombinant procalcitonin is used in various research applications, including:

• Studying the role of procalcitonin in inflammation and infection.
• Developing and validating diagnostic assays for bacterial infections and sepsis.
• Investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying procalcitonin expression and regulation.

Recombinant procalcitonin is typically lyophilized and stored at -20 to -80°C to maintain its stability . It is reconstituted in sterile water or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) before use .