Novel pro-drugs and methods for their use to alter the growth and biological characteristics of living cells, tissues, or whole organisms are described. Such cells may include animal cells, plant cells and bacterial cells. The methods allow for selective activation of the pro-drugs at or near transformant host cells expressing a gene for an enzyme that activates the pro-drugs. Pro-drugs according to a preferred embodiment of the invention are conjugates of a bioactive compound and a chemical group that is capable of being cleaved from the bioactive compound by action of an enzyme. Methods according to this invention include, (a) introducing into targeted cells a gene encoding an enzyme and (b) administering a pro-drug, wherein the enzyme releases the pro-drug from conjugation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gene encoding the enzyme is a marker gene. Methods according to a preferred embodiment of the invention include altering protein production in a plant cell such as altering glycosylation of a protein produced by the plant cell.
本发明描述了一种新型的前药及其使用方法,用于改变
生物细胞、组织或整个
生物体的生长和
生物学特性。这些细胞可以包括动物细胞、植物细胞和细菌细胞。该方法允许在表达激活前药酶
基因的转化宿主细胞附近或附近选择性激活前药。本发明的优选实施方式中,前药是
生物活性化合物和能够被酶作用从
生物活性化合物中切除的
化学基团的结合物。根据本发明的方法包括:(a)将编码酶的
基因引入靶向细胞中和(b)给予前药,其中酶释放与前药结合的物质。在本发明的优选实施方式中,编码酶的
基因是一个标记
基因。根据本发明的优选实施方式,包括改变植物细胞中的蛋白质生产,例如改变植物细胞所产生的蛋白质的糖基化。