Patent Publication Number: US-2007099838-A1

Title: Plant-derived peptides harboring water-cleaning and antimicrobial activities

Description:
The present application claims a priority based on international patent application PCT/03/00568. The content of said priority application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a family of proteins which may be used for different purposes such as coagulation agents for water treatment or as antimicrobial agents.  
     STATE OF THE ART  
      A protein corresponding to the above-cited definition, called FLO, is disclosed in PCT patent application WO 03/008441 A2 (OPTIMA ENVIRONMENT S.A.).  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention concerns derivatives of FLO which, surprisingly, show similar or higher coagulating or antimicrobial activities than FLO.  
      The inventors have also unexpectedly found that some of those derivatives may show either a coagulating or an antimicrobial activity.  
      Finally, it was found that other FLO derivatives had neither a coagulating nor an antimicrobial activity.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Table 1 summarizes the derivatives of FLO representing the object of the invention.  
      The following terms are used:  
      +++higher activity than FLO  
      ++equivalent activity of FLO  
      +lower activity than FLO  
      −no activity observed  
      More information regarding the detailed description of the invention (e.g. material &amp; methods, experimental results) can be found in international patent application PCT/CH03/00568 which is incorporated by reference.  
                           TABLE 1                                   Coag.   antlbt.                                                    Flo                   QGPGRQPDFQRCGQQLRNISPPQRCPSLRQAVQLTH   ++   ++       QQQGQVGPQQRQMYRVASNIPST                             predicted alpha helices           XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXX               Positive charge         +   +   +   +   +    (+)      +   +               Glutamine (Gln)       Q   Q  Q   QQ    Q    Q  Q   QQQ   QQ  Q               Hydrophobic            F  C   L  I    C L AV L     V    V  M  VA I               Gln/Hydrophobic       Q   Q FQ C QQL  I  Q C L QAVQL  QQQ QV  QQV QM       VA  I                                     P1                   QGPGRQPDFQRCGQQLRNISPP   −   +/−               P2       PQRCPSLRQAVQLTHQQQGQV   ++   +               P3       GQVGPQQVRQMYRVASNIPST   −   −               P2.1       RCGQQLRNISPPQRCPSLRQAVQLTHQQQGQ   −   ++++               P2a       PQRCPSLRQAV   −   −               P2b       SLRQAVQLTHQ   −   −               P2c       AVQLTHQQQGQV   −   −               P2ab       PQRCPSLRQAVQLTHQ   ++   +/−               P2GR40       PQRCPSLRQAVQLTHQQQ R QV   +++   ++