Patent ID: 6063562
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: C12N,C12Q,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A kit for evaluating, in vitro, the efficacy of a drug against a biologically-active mutant or wild-type form of a first protein, the first protein being a protease that is natively expressed as part of a polyprotein with a second protein, the second protein having a biological activity which is catalyzed by cleavage of the polyprotein by the protease, said kit comprising:(a) a mutant polyprotein, said mutant polyprotein including the second protein, a biologically-inactive mutant form of the protease, and one or more sites cleavable by the biologically-active or wild-type form of the protease in such a way as to activate the second protein;(b) a biologically-active mutant or wild-type form of the protease which, when combined with the mutant polyprotein in the absence of an effective drug thereagainst, cleaves the mutant polyprotein in such a way as to activate the second protein; and(c) means for detecting the presence of biological activity for the second protein.