申请人:——
公开号:US20020061549A1
公开(公告)日:2002-05-23
The invention described herein comprises methods for stabilizing polypeptides and polypeptide complexes, and the polypeptides and polypeptide complexes stabilized using the methods. To achieve stabilization, a cross-link reaction is controlled such that polypeptides and polypeptide complexes maintain their original functionality. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for the identification of amino acid residues which, when cross-linked, are least disruptive to the structure and function of the polypeptide or polypeptide complex. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for mutagenesis of identified residues to further control the cross-link reaction. Polypeptides and polypeptide complexes so stabilized can be utilized under a wide variety of physiological and non-physiological conditions. Further, the cross-link methodology disclosed herein may preclude the need for addition of exogenous structures to engineered proteins and complexes, such as peptide linkers that could be immunogenic and/or significantly decrease efficacy. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for statistical analysis of databases of structural and/or sequence information available for polypeptides and polypeptide complexes to be stabilized. The statistical analysis identifies suitable residue pairs which are least likely to be disruptive of structure and function when cross-linked. Further, in a polypeptide chain or chains to be cross-linked, potentially undesirable reactive side-chains may be masked and protected, or altered using site-directed mutagenesis, e.g., to introduce a maximally conservative point mutation that will not support the cross-link reaction. The cross-link reaction conditions may also be adjusted to prevent undesired cross-links or other undesired side-effects. At residues identified as desirable positions for cross-linking, reactive side-chains may be introduced by site-directed mutagenesis, and the cross-link reaction is carried out using the conditions identified above.
本发明包括稳定多肽和多肽复合物的方法,以及使用这些方法稳定的多肽和多肽复合物。为实现稳定化,要控制交联反应,使多肽和多肽复合物保持原有功能。在一个实施方案中,本发明提供了一种用于鉴定氨基酸残基的方法,这些氨基酸残基在交联时对多肽或多肽复合物的结构和功能破坏最小。在另一个实施方案中,本发明提供了一种对确定的残基进行诱变以进一步控制交联反应的方法。如此稳定的多肽和多肽复合物可在各种生理和非生理条件下使用。此外,本发明公开的交联方法可避免在工程蛋白和复合物中添加外源结构,如可能产生免疫原性和/或显著降低功效的肽连接体。在另一个实施方案中,本发明提供了一种对多肽和多肽复合物结构和/或序列信息数据库进行统计分析的方法。统计分析可确定在交联时最不可能破坏结构和功能的合适残基对。此外,在待交联的多肽链中,可以屏蔽和保护潜在的不良反应性侧链,或使用定点突变来改变侧链,例如,引入不支持交联反应的最大保守点突变。还可以调整交联反应条件,以防止出现不期望的交联或其他不期望的副作用。在确定为理想交联位置的残基上,可通过定点突变引入反应性侧链,并利用上述条件进行交联反应。