Patent ID: 7776548

Claim:
A chimeric transmembrane protein comprising: a membrane-spanning polypeptide; and an internalization motif, having the sequence MX 1 X 2 X 3 L, wherein MX 1 X 2 X 3 L is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 24, SEQ ID NO: 25; SEQ ID NO: 26, and SEQ ID NO: 27; LX 3 X 2 X 1 M wherein LX 3 X 2 X 1 M is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 28, SEQ ID NO: 29, SEQ ID NO: 30, and SEQ ID NO: 31, connected to the membrane-spanning polypeptide; wherein at least a portion of the membrane-spanning polypeptide is heterologous to the internalization motif, the internalization motif occurs at a cytoplasmically located part of the chimeric transmembrane protein, and wherein the chimeric transmembrane protein is internalized when expressed in the plasma membrane of a eukaryotic cell.