Recombinant proteins were expressed using the E. coli (BL21, Arctic strain) system after induction by 0.25 mM isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) at 13°C overnight as described elsewhere.34 (link),37 (link),38 (link) Soluble Hisx6-tagged proteins were purified using the Cobalt resins (Thermo Fisher Scientific), while GST and GST-tagged protein were isolated using the Glutathione Sepharose 4 Fast Flow medium (GE Healthcare Life Sciences) according to the instructions of the manufacturers. The tag-free S-αTSR protein was purified by a two-step procedure, including a precipitation of the target protein from the bacteria lysate using ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4], and an ion exchange chromatography (see below).35 (NH4)2SO4 at 1.6 M end concentration was used to effectively precipitate the tag-free S-αTSR protein at room temperature (20–22°C).