Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation

Affymax Technologies, N.v.

Dana Johnson

Linda K Jolliffe

William J Dower

Steven A Middleton

Nicholas C Wrighton

Linda Mulcahy

Arun K Kashyap

Ray S Chang

Frank J McMahon

Linda S Mulkahy

The extracellular domain of the human erythropoietin receptor (EPO binding protein, EBP) has been expressed and overproduced in,. Control of oxygen levels and pH during high density fermentation allows the production of only the protein variant with the native amino terminus. Methods disclosed permit the efficient recovery of purified EBP which quantitatively binds EPO. The active purified protein competes with membrane associated EPO receptor for binding &lsqb;,I&rsqb;EPO and neutralizes EPO dependent stimulation in a cell based proliferation assay. Further, the radioligand equilibrium binding constant for this interaction has been determined by immobilizing EBP on agarose gel via a free cysteine. The EBP of the present invention has many uses including the structural determination of the protein by NMR or crystallography, in drug design and discovery, and as a therapeutic. A fusion protein of EBP and an immunoglobulin heavy chain was also produced. This protein, termed EBP-Ig, is a preformed dimerization template and is also useful in drug design and discovery methods.

Methods for identifying erythropoietin receptor binding protein

Peptides of 10 to 40 or more amino acid residues in length and having the sequence X.sub.3 X.sub.4 X.sub.5 GPX.sub.6 TWX.sub.7 X.sub.8 (SEQ ID NO:252) where each amino acid is indicated by standard one letter abbreviation; X.sub.3 is C; X.sub.4 is R, H, L, or W; X.sub.5 is M, F, or I; X.sub.6 is independently selected from any one of the 20 genetically coded L-amino acids; X.sub.7 is D, E, I, L, or V; and X.sub.8 is C, which bind and activate the erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R) or otherwise act as an EPO agonist, and methods for their use.

Compounds and peptides that bind to the erythropoietin receptor

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Upper Black Eddy, PA, United States of America

Dana Johnson