Patent ID: 7098029

Claim:
A transgenic plant comprising a first exogenous nucleic acid molecule which encodes a peptide corresponding to a mammalian growth hormone fragment and comprising a disulphide bond, wherein said peptide includes amino acid residues 177–191 of human growth hormone, (amino acids 2–16 of SEQ ID NO:9), a subfragment thereof, or an analogue thereof, wherein the analogue varies at no more than three positions from SEQ ID NO:9 and wherein the analogue contains an arginine at the position corresponding to position 3 of SEQ ID NO:9, and wherein the analogue contains a glutamic acid at the position corresponding to position 11 of SEQ ID NO:9, with the provision that any analogue is not intact, full-length growth hormone polypeptide, and in which the peptide, subfragment, or analogue is orally active and has the ability to increase lipolysis or decrease lipogenesis in a mammal to which the transgenic plant or a part or product thereof is orally administered.