Patent ID: 6821728
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: C07K,C12N,C12Q

Abstract:
A screening system for peptide agonists comprising a eukaryotic host cell stably transformed with a selection system and an effector peptide expressing system, said selection system enabling the survival of the cells in the case of a desired interaction between at least one defective target molecule and an effector peptide with agonist activity, said desired interaction restoring the normal function of said defective are moleculewhereby said selection system comprises (a) at least one monitoring gene enabling the detection of said host cell upon transcription of said monitoring gene, said at least one monitoring gene being directly or indirectly under the control of a specific activation system and, (b) at least one DNA sequence coding for at least one defective target molecule, said at least one defective target molecule being selected from the group consisting of RNA sequences and proteins, said at least one defective target molecule being responsible in its natural environment for the induction of the production and/or the activity of an undesired protein or the omission of the production and/or the activation of a desired protein, said at least one DNA sequence coding for said at least one defective target molecule being under the control of an host cell specific active promoter, preferably a host cell specific promoter, whereby said specific activation system is selectively modulated in the presence of at least one specific interaction between said at least one defective target molecule and an effector peptide with agonist activity, whereby said specific activation system upon modulation directly or indirectly modulates the transcription of at least one monitoring gene enabling the survival of said host cell, and whereby said effector peptide expressing system comprises a peptide encoding nucleic acid sequence under the control of a host cell active promoter.