Patent ID: 7109027
Filing Date: 2006-09-19
Classification: A01K,A61P,C07K,C12N

Abstract:
1. A process for detecting the presence of γ-secretase in a cell in vitro, comprising: a) transforming the cell with a nucleic acid encoding a fusion protein having (i) a first amino acid sequence comprising GAIIGLMVGGVVIATVIVITLVML (SEQ ID NO. 1); wherein said first amino acid sequence comprises a transmembrane domain; (ii) a signal peptide fused to the N-terminal end of the first amino acid sequence, and (iii) a protein located at the C-terminal end of the first amino acid sequence and containing a DNA-binding domain and a transcription-activating domain, wherein the fusion protein is expressed in the cell, and whereby if γ-secretase is present in the cell, the fusion protein is cleaved into a first partial protein containing amino acid sequence GAIIGLMVGGVV (SEQ ID NO. 2), and a second partial protein containing amino acid sequence VIVITLVML (SEQ ID NO. 3); b) transforming the cell with a reporter gene under the control of a regulatable promoter, wherein protein of (iii) regulates the promoter; and c) detecting the presence of the first partial protein and/or the second partial protein by detecting expression of the reporter gene, thereby detecting γ-secretase activity, and thus, the presence of γ-secretase in the cell.