Patent ID: 7056512

Claim:
A method for in vivo down-regulation of growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF-8) activity in an animal, the method comprising administering to said animal an immunogenically effective amount of at least one GDF-8 analogue, which is a GDF-8 polypeptide that has been modified by means of at least two substitutions of a first amino acid sequence in SEQ ID NO: 11 or 12 with a second amino acid sequence which comprises a foreign T H epitope, wherein said first amino acid sequence is selected from residues 1–12, 18–41, 43–48, 49–69, or 79–104 in SEQ ID NO: 11 or 12; or at least one GDF-8 analogue, which is a GDF-8 polypeptide that has been modified by inserting at least one first amino acid sequence in SEQ ID NO: 11 or 12 with at least one second amino acid sequence which comprises a foreign T H epitope, wherein said first amino acid sequence is from one or more of residues 1–12, 18–30, 42–51, 82–86 and 105–109 in SEQ ID NO: 11 or 12.