Patent ID: 6194143
Filing Date: 2001-02-27
Classification: C07K,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
A substrate, suitable for cleavage by a cytomegalovirus protease, represented by formula IX-Tbg-Tbg-Y-Ala-Z (I) [SEQ ID NO: 1]wherein X is a fluorescent donor radical, a fluorescent acceptor radical, an affinity tag, a detectable label or an N-terminal capping group, or X is an amino acid sequence sufficient for substrate recognition and to which a fluorescent donor radical, a fluorescent acceptor radical, an affinity tag, a detectable label or an N-terminal capping group, is optionally attached;Y is NHCH{CH.sub.2 C(O)N(R.sup.1)(R.sup.2)}C(O) wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower cycloalkyl, or lower cycloalkyl-lower alkyl or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a pyrrolidino, piperidino or morpholino,; andZ is an amino acid sequence sufficient for substrate recognition and to which a fluorescent donor radical, a fluorescent acceptor radical, an affinity tag or a detectable label is optionally attached; or Z is a radical derived from an aromatic amino or phenoxy compound whose fluorescence or absorbance characteristics change upon acylation with an amino acid; or Z is amino, lower alkylamino or lower alkoxy; with the provisos (1) that when one of X and Z comprises a fluorescent donor radical then the other of X and Z comprises a fluorescent acceptor radical, and (2) that when one of X and Z comprises an affinity tag then the other of X and Z comprises a detectable label; wherein said protease cleaves the substrate at the corresponding amide or ester bond between Ala and Z.