Patent ID: 7718400

Claim:
A process of producing a fusion protein comprising an Fc portion of an antibody attached at the N-terminus of an OB protein moiety, wherein the process comprises expressing a DNA sequence comprising: (a) a first nucleic acid sequence encoding said Fc portion of an antibody; and (b) a second nucleic acid sequence encoding said OB protein moiety selected from the group consisting of: (i) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID. NO:2 or the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:4; (ii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ. ID. NO:4 having a lysine residue at position 35 and an isoleucine residue at position 74 according to the position numbering designation set forth in SEQ. ID. NO:4; (iii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence of subpart (i), lacking a glutaminyl residue at position 28; and (iv) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence of subpart (i), wherein the methionyl residue at the N-terminus is absent.