University of Minnesota

University of Kansas

Gregg B Fields

Leo T Furcht

James B McCarthy

Daniel L Mooradian

Hideaki Nagase

Matthew V Tirrell

A peptide-amphiphile complex having a lipophilic portion and a peptide portion, wherein the peptide portion has a secondary structure.

Self-assembling amphiphiles for construction of peptide secondary

A method for making a medical device having a biomolecule immobilized on a substrate surface is provided. The method includes: providing an immobilized biomolecule comprising a biomolecule covalently attached to a support material; attaching a photoreactive crosslinking agent to the immobilized biomolecule to form a photoreactive analog of the biomolecule; and removing the photoreactive analog of the biomolecule from the support material. The photoreactive analog of the biomolecule can then be attached to a substrate surface, such as a biomaterial that forms part of a medical device. The immobilized biomolecule may contain a peptide having an N.sup..alpha. -terminus. The photoreactive crosslinking agent is attached to the peptide at the N.sup..alpha. -terminus to form the photoreactive analog of the biomolecule. The peptide can be an adhesion peptide containing the sequence Trp-Gln-Pro-Pro-Arg-Ala-Arg-Ile. Attachment of the peptide to a substrate surface promotes cell adhesion to the surface. The photoreactive crosslinking agent can be heterobifunctional or contain two photoreactive groups. The photoreactive analog of the biomolecule is attached to the substrate surface by activating a photoreactive group of the analog such as by exposing the analog to UV radiation.

Solid-phase method for attaching a biomolecule to a substrate surface

A method of screening a sample for the presence of a matrix metalloproteinase employing discriminatory peptide substrates is provided. The method involves providing a peptide substrate of 6-14 amino acid residues containing at least one matrix metalloproteinase cleavage site. The peptide substrate contains Mca as a fluorogenic group and Lys(Dnp) as a quenching group separated by at least four amino acid residues, wherein the peptide substrate is specific for the matrix metalloproteinase of interest. The peptide substrate is combined with a sample containing at least one matrix metalloproteinase to form a mixture. The fluorescence of the mixture is monitored to determine if the matrix metalloproteinase of interest is present.

Discriminatory substrates for MMP hydrolysis

Polypeptides are provided that have a sequence of at least about four amino acids corresponding substantially to an amino acid sequence within the triple-helical domain of Type I collagen. The polypeptides promote cell adhesion and/or cell migration. Cell culture substrates coated with the polypeptides are also provided. Prosthetic devices and methods for identifying and distinguishing cells of different types are also provided.

Polypeptides with type I collagen activity

A triple-helical polypeptide of the formula: ##STR1## is provided wherein: Z is Hyp or Pro; each X and Y is an amino acid such that (Gly-X-Y).sub.m is a sequence of a collagen cell adhesion site; said X and Y may be the same or different and each (Gly-X-Y) may be the same or different; O is an amino acid having a single side-chain amino group; J is an amino acid capable of acting as a chromophore; U is an amino acid; u=0 or 1; n.ltoreq.30; m.ltoreq.30; m+n.ltoreq.30; and j.gtoreq.1. Methods of making these compounds and intermediates used in the methods, are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Brooklyn Park, MN, United States of America

Gregg B Fields