Patent ID: 6967080
Filing Date: 2005-11-22
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for selecting a variant enzyme of a reference enzyme, wherein the variant enzyme causes a lower immunogenic response in a mammal than the reference enzyme, comprising: (a) (i) preparing a recombinant expression vector comprising a DNA sequence encoding the reference enzyme; (b) (i) preparing recombinant vectors comprising DNA sequences encoding one or more variant enzymes, wherein the one or more variant enzymes differ from the reference enzyme by one or more amino acid substitutions at one or more positions in the amino acid sequence of the reference enzyme; (c) mapping one or more epitopes of the reference enzyme with immunological techniques by incubating the antibodies raised in steps (a) and (b) with the reference enzyme and at least one of the one or more variant enzymes; and (d) selecting a variant enzyme, which (i) has an altered amino acid sequence of one or more epitopes of the reference enzyme, (ii) has enzymatic activity, and (iii) evokes a lower immunogenic response in an animal than the reference enzyme.