Patent ID: 6165746
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: C07K,C12N,C12P

Abstract:
A process for the recombinant production in a bacterial host of the mature form of a mammalian protein which is subject to processing by endogenous bacterial aminopeptidases of the formula X-Pro-Z, comprising the steps of:a) transforming bacterial host cells with an appropriate vector containing DNA coding for Met-Y-X-Pro-Z (SID NO. 1);b) inducing the cell to express the Met-Y-X-Pro-Z product;c) treating the Met-Y-X-Pro-Z product with an appropriate aminopeptidase to cleave off Met and Y; andd) isolating the resulting protein X-Pro-Z,wherein X-Pro-Z is human interleukin 6 (IL-6) or leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), X is a single N-terminal amino acid other than proline, Z is the remaining sequence of amino acid residues of the protein, and Y is a natural amino acid selected from Ser, Asn, Gln, His, Arg, Lys, Tyr, Phe, Met, Val, Ile and Leu which is specifically cleavable in vitro from Y-X-Pro-Z (SID NO. 2) by an aminopeptidase and imparts resistance to in vivo processing by endogenous bacterial aminopeptidases.