Patent ID: 8691940

Claim:
A modified relaxin polypeptide comprising a non-naturally encoded amino acid, wherein: (a) the relaxin polypeptide comprises a relaxin A chain polypeptide and a relaxin B chain polypeptide, wherein said relaxin A chain polypeptide has a sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 4, and said relaxin B chain polypeptide has a sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 5 or SEQ ID NO: 6, and said non-naturally encoded amino acid is substituted in said A chain polypeptide at residue 1; and (b) the non-naturally encoded amino acid is linked to a linker, polymer, or biologically active molecule, wherein said non-naturally encoded amino acid comprises a first functional group and the linker, polymer, or biologically active molecule comprises a second functional group, wherein the first functional group and second functional group are not identical and each comprise a carbonyl group, an aminooxy group, a hydrazide group, a hydrazine group, a semicarbazide group, an azide group, or an alkyne group, and the resultant covalent linkage created by the reaction of the first and second functional groups comprises an oxime linkage or a triazole.