Expression and purification of fused kinase from insect cells for in vitro kinase assay

The Fused (Fu) kinase is a key transducer of Hedgehog signaling, but its relevant substrates have remained obscured due to the difficulty of obtaining active Fu for in vitro kinase assay. Based on the mechanism of Fu activation in vivo, we engineered a constitutively active Fu and expressed it in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus system. The kinase was affinity purified and applied for in vitro kinase assay using recombinant GST-fusion proteins as substrates to identify Fu-specific phosphorylation sites. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Han et al. (2019). The Fused (Fu) kinase is a key transducer of Hedgehog signaling but its relevant substrates have remained obscured due to the difficulty of obtaining active Fu for in vitro kinase assay. Based on the mechanism of Fu activation in vivo, we engineered a constitutively active Fu and expressed it in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus system. The kinase was affinity purified and applied for in vitro kinase assay using recombinant GST-fusion proteins as substrates to identify Fu-specific phosphorylation sites.