Recent progress with recombinant collagens produced in Escherichia coli

Abstract Bacterial systems, especially using Escherichia coli, provide a useful system for recombinant production of collagen and collagen-like proteins. These systems provide high yields of products but have lacked the ability to introduce hydroxyproline when it is needed for stability and function. Recent progress, in the last 30 months, of animal-based recombinant proteins has focussed on further development of collagen peptide materials and their applications. The proposal of new approaches for incorporation of hydroxyproline may enhance the utility of these products and enable production of new materials. Bacterial, collagen-like constructs have also continued to be developed for use in understanding collagen structure and functions, while progress has also been made on their application as new biomedical materials.