Meet us next:   ELRIG UK 2025 – 20 March  ●  IBD Innovate 2025 – 9-10 April  ●  NIH Spring Vendor Exhibit 2025 – 24 April  ●  AACR Annual Meeting 2025 – 27-30 April  ●  ISCT Conference 2025 – 7-9 May  ●  more on our events calendar

Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein

QK031

Brand: Qkine

Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein is engineered to act as a high affinity ligand for the LGR5 receptor.  In epithelial tissues LGR5 marks the stem cell population.  This engineered protein, R-spondin 1 LR5, activates Wnt signalling only in the LGR5+ stem cell population. 

R-spondin 1 LR5 has been tested in intestinal organoid culture and supports organoid survival and growth. As LGR5 specifically marks stem cells and is not found on transit amplifying cells, the lower crypt multiplicity seen in organoid cultures with R-spondin 1 LR5 (in comparison to wild-type R-spondin 1, Qk006) supports the notion that this engineered form is acting specifically on stem cells.  This specialized form of R-spondin 1 was developed in Marc de la Roche’s lab (University of Cambridge).

Qkine 3-for-2 product campaign

Currency: 

Product name Catalog number Pack size Price Price (USD) Price (GBP) Price (EUR)
Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein, 25 µg QK031-0025 25 µg (select above) $ 210.00 £ 155.00 € 182.00
Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein,50 µg QK031-0050 50 µg (select above) $ 290.00 £ 210.00 € 246.00
Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein, 100 µg QK031-0100 100 µg (select above) $ 465.00 £ 340.00 € 398.00
Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein, 500 µg QK031-0500 500 µg (select above) $ 1,650.00 £ 1,200.00 € 1,402.00
Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein, 1000 µg QK031-1000 1000 µg (select above) $ 2,600.00 £ 1,900.00 € 2,220.00

Note: prices shown do not include shipping and handling charges.

Qkine company name and logo are the property of Qkine Ltd. UK.

Alternative protein names

human

species similarity:
mouse – 67%
porcine – 67%
rat – 66%
bovine – 66%

Alternative:

Recombinant human R-spondin 1 protein (Qk006)

Summary

  • High purity recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein. Binds with higher affinity to LGR5 receptor
  • >98%, by SDS-PAGE quantitative densitometry
  • 13 kDa
  • Expressed in E. coli
  • Animal origin-free (AOF) and carrier protein-free.
  • Manufactured in our Cambridge, UK laboratories
  • Lyophilized from acetonitrile, TFA
  • Resuspend in 10 mM HCl at >100 µg/ml (provided with protein and free of charge), prepare single use aliquots, add carrier protein if desired and store frozen at -20°C or -80°C
Handling and Storage FAQ

Featured applications

  • Intestinal organoid culture

Bioactivity

Human R-spondin 1 LR5 Qk031 protein bioactivity lot #104286

R-spondin 1 enhances Wnt signalling in TOP-Flash reporter assay. HEK293T cells transfected with Wnt-responsive firefly luciferase reporter TOP-FLASH are treated with increasing concentration of Qk031 R-spondin 1 LR5 (diluted in DMEM with 0.5 % of FCS), in the presence of Wnt-conditioned media (1:8 dilution), in triplicate. Cells are grown overnight and luciferase activity measured by luminescence. Data from Qk031 lot #104286. EC50 = 476 ng/ml (38 nM).  The higher EC50 than observed with wild-type R-spondin 1 Qk006 (72.7 ng/ml, 6nM) is due to the receptor population on HEK293 cells.

Purity

Human R-spondin 1 LR5 Qk031 protein purity lot #104286

R-spondin 1 LR5 migrates as a single band at 16 kDa in non-reducing (NR) and 13 kDa in reducing (R) conditions. Purified recombinant protein (1 µg) was resolved using 15% w/v SDS-PAGE in reduced (+β-mercaptothanol, R) and non-reduced conditions (NR) and stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250. Data from Qk031 lot #104286.

Further quality assays

  • Mass spectrometry: single species with expected mass
  • Analytical reversed-phase: single sharp peak
  • Endotoxin: <0.005 EU/μg protein (below level of detection)
  • Recovery from stock vial:  >95%
R-spondin 1 LR5 specifically activates Wnt signalling in lgr5+ stem cell population

Mouse intestinal organoid morphology is healthy in cultured maintained in R-spondin 1 LR5

Mouse intestinal organoid culture morphology

All organoid data from the laboratory of Marc de la Roche and reproduced with permission (© Marc de la Roche, 2020).

Intestinal organoid survival is maintained in R-spondin 1 LR5 cultures

Organoid survival

Lower crypt multiplicity is observed suggesting targeting of LGR5+ stem cell population

Crypt multiplicity

All organoid data from the laboratory of Marc de la Roche and reproduced with permission (© Marc de la Roche, 2020).

Qk031 is a specialized form of R-spondin 1 that specifically binds to the LGR5 receptor, which was developed in the lab of Marc de la Roche (University of Cambridge).  R-spondin 1 (Qk006) is a ligand for the leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptors (LGR) 4-6. Binding of R-spondin 1 to its coreceptors, LGR4-6 and ZNRF3, releases the inhibition ZNRF3 imposes on Wnt signalling.

In epithelial tissues LGR5 marks the stem cell population. This engineered form, R-spondin1 LR5, activates Wnt signalling only in the LGR5+ stem cell population.

Recombinant human R-spondin 1 LR5 protein support organoid survival and growth in intestinal organoid culture.  As LGR5 specifically marks stem cells and is not found on transit amplifying cells, lower crypt multiplicity is seen in organoid cultures with R-spondin1 LR5 (in comparison with WT R-spondin 1), which supports the notion that this engineered form is acting specifically on stem cells.

This is part of Qkine's pioneering proteins range where the full range of activities and applications of this novel protein have not been determined.

Protein background

Human R-spondin 1 (RSPO-1) protein is a secreted activator of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. A ligand for the leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptors (LGR) 4-6 [1], recombinant R-spondin 1 protein is used extensively in adult stem cell-derived organoid culture, intestinal organoid culture, hematopoietic stem cell specification and other iPSC and culture systems [1-5] .

Qk031 is an engineered form of R-spondin 1 with higher affinity for the LGR5 receptor and lower affinity for LGR4.  The aim is to specifically target Wnt-3a signalling in the LGR5+ stem cell population in intestinal organoids.

Qk006 recombinant human R-spondin 1 protein is a highly pure biologically active fragment comprising two cysteine-rich, furin-like domains – the essential domains for activity in stem cell culture. Our E. coli-produced recombinant R-spondin 1 protein is not glycosylated, which ensures reliable production of homogeneous protein and enhanced comparability between batches. The glycosylation of R-spondin 1 protein is not necessary for extracellular signalling and stability [6].

Background references

  1. de Lau, W. et al. Lgr5 homologues associate with Wnt receptors and mediate R-spondin signalling. Nature 476, 293–297 (2011). doi.org/10.1038/nature10337
  2. de Lau, W., Peng, W. C., Gros, P. & Clevers, H. The R-spondin/Lgr5/Rnf43 module: regulator of Wnt signal strength. Genes Dev. 28, 305–316 (2014). doi: 10.1101/gad.235473.113
  3. Genthe, J. R. & Clements, W. K. R-spondin 1 is required for specification of hematopoietic stem cells through Wnt16 and Vegfa signaling pathways. Development 144, 590–600 (2017). doi.org/10.1242/dev.139956
  4. Broutier, L. et al. Culture and establishment of self-renewing human and mouse adult liver and pancreas 3D organoids and their genetic manipulation. Nat. Protoc. 11, 1724–1743 (2016). doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2016.097
  5. Broutier, L. et al. Human primary liver cancer–derived organoid cultures for disease modeling and drug screening. Nat. Med. 23, 1424–1435 (2017). doi.org/10.1038/nm.4438
  6. Chang, C.-F. et al. N-Glycosylation of Human R-Spondin 1 Is Required for Efficient Secretion and Stability but Not for Its Binding Ability. doi:10.3390/ijms17060937