Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

Purdue Research Foundation

Jordan J Tang

Chi-Sun Wang

Xin-Li Lin

Arun K Ghosh

Xinli Lin

Xiangping Huang

Wan-Pin Chang

Deborah Downs

Gerald Keolsch

Proteases such as memapsin-1 are import enzymes, playing roles in a variety of diseases including diabetes. The inventors have developed inhibitors of memapsin 1 and methods of use therefore in the treatment of disease.

Inhibition of memapsin 1 cleavage in the treatment of diabetes

This application pertains to antibodies which specifically bind to immunogenic memapsin 2&#x3b2;-secretase peptides for use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and memapsin 2&#x3b2;-secretase disorders. The application also pertains to immunogenic compositions comprising memapsin 2&#x3b2;-secretase peptides and uses thereof.

Immunogenic memapsin 2 &#x3b2;-secretase peptides and methods of use

A previously unknown aspartic protease capable of cleavage of proteins by hydrolysis, referred to herein as &ldquo;napsin&rdquo;, has been cloned from a human liver library. Two cDNA clones have been cloned, sequenced and expressed. These encode isozymes of the protease, referred to as &ldquo;napsin A&rdquo; and &ldquo;napsin B&rdquo;. The gene has also be obtained and partially sequenced. A process for rapid purification of the enzyme using immobilized petpstatin has also been developed, and enzyme isolated from human kidney tissue. Polyclonal antibodies to the enzymes have been made which are also useful for isolation and detection of the enzyme. Similarities to other aspartic proteases, especially cathepsin D, establish the usefulness of the enzyme in diagnostic assays as well as as a protease. Either or both the amount or type of napsin expressed in a particular tissue can be determined using labelled antibodies or nucleotide probes to the napsin.

Cloning and characterization of napsin

Drug delivery conjugates of including a BAL C-tail peptide including all or a portion of the carboxy terminal region of human bile salt-activated lipase (BAL) conjugated to a biologically active substance are described. The C-tail peptide-drug conjugates, when orally ingested, compete with native BAL in binding to the intestinal surface, and, as a result, permit drug compositions to be delivered specifically to the intestine. Useful C-tail peptides are derivatives of the carboxy terminal region of BAL derived from all or portion of the region containing amino acid residues 539 to 722, and have a mucin-like structure containing at least three of the repeating proline-rich units of eleven amino acid residues each.

BAL C-tail drug delivery molecules

Compositions including all or a portion and chemically or recombinantly synthesized analogues of the carboxy terminal region of bile salt-activated lipase (BAL) are described, which, when orally ingested, compete with native BAL in binding to the intestinal surface and thus reduce the amount of cholesterol taken into the blood stream.

Method and compositions for reducing cholesterol absorption

Compositions derived from all or a portion of the carboxy terminal region of human bile salt-activated lipase (BAL) are described, which, when orally ingested, compete with native BAL in binding to the intestinal surface, thus reducing the physiological role of BAL in mediating the transfer of cholesterol into the intestinal cells, and, as a result, reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed from the intestine into the blood stream. Useful derivatives of the carboxy terminal region of BAL are derived from all or portion of the region containing amino acid residues 539 to 722, and have a mucin-like structure containing at least three of the repeating proline-rich units of eleven amino acid residues each.

A 46,000 Dalton thermostable, very acidic protease, which has been named thermopsin, was purified to homogeneity from the culture medium of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius by a five-step procedure including column chromatographies on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B, Sephadex G-100, MonoQ (FPLC), and gel filtration (HPLC). The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain having proteolytic activity over pH range 0 to 11 at temperatures between 0.degree. C. and 100.degree. C., with maximal activity at approximately pH 2 and 90.degree. C. Antibodies directed against thermopsin have been prepared. Through studies using various aspartic protease inhibitors, thiol and metalloprotease inhibitors, and serine protease inhibitors, it was determined that, although similar to some aspartic proteases, the active site of thermopsin is clearly not identical to that of other aspartic proteases. Thermopsin hydrolyses the following bonds: Leu-Val, Leu-Tyr, Phe-Phe, Phe-Tyr, and Tyr-Thr, indicating that the specificity of thermopsin is similar to that of pepsin for the large hydrophobic residues at both sides of the scissile bond. In addition, thermopsin is resistant to detergent inactivation, the protein retaining proteolytic activity even in the presence of high concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Thermostable acid protease from sulfolobus acidocaldarius

The complete structure of human milk BAL cDNA is disclosed. The nucleotide sequences of the cDNA inserts of two clones overlap and together contain 2951 base pairs of BAL cDNA which codes for an open reading frame of 742 amino acid residues between initiation and termination codons. There is a putative signal sequence of 20 residues which is followed by a 61-amino-terminal sequence of BAL. The cDNA sequence also contains a 678-base 5'-untranslated sequence, a 97-base 3'-untranslated region, and a 14-base poly(A) tail. The deduced BAL protein structure contains in the carboxyl-terminal region fourteen repeating unis of 11 amino acids each. The repeating units have the basic structure of Pro-Val-Pro-Pro-Thr-Gly-Asp-Ser-Gly-Ala-Pro-, with only minor substitutions. The cDNA is useful for expression of protein, study of structure, function and the effect of modification or deletion or addition of amino acids, including entire repeating units, and as probes for studies involving BAL or related lipases, including rat pancreatic lysophospholipase, cholinesterase, and acetylcholinesterase.

Recombinant bile salt activated lipases

A thermostable, very acidic protease, which has been named thermopsin, was purified to homogeneity from the culture medium of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius by a five-step procedure including column chromatographies on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B, Sephadex G-100, MonoQ (FPLC), and gel filtration (HPLC). The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain having proteolytic activity over pH range 0 to 11 at temperatures between 0.degree. and 100.degree. C., with maximal activity at approximately pH 2 and 90.degree. C. Antibodies directed against thermopsin have been prepared. Through studies using various aspartic protease inhibitors, thiol and metalloprotease inhibitors, and serine protease inhibitors, it was determined that, although similar to some aspartic proteases, the active site of thermopsin is clearly not identical to that of other aspartic proteases. Thermopsin hydrolyzes the following bonds: Leu-Val, Leu-Tyr, Phe-Phe, Phe-Tyr, and Tyr-Thr, indicating that the specificity of thermopsin is similar to that of pepsin for the large hydrophobic residues at both sides of the scissile bond. In addition, thermospin is resistant to detergent inactivation, the protein retaining proteolytic activity even in the presence of high concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Thermostable acid protease from sulfolobus acidocaldarius and gene

Dietary compositions, especially cow's milk-based infant formulas, are fortified with bile salt-activated lipase. Methods are provided for feeding newborn and premature infants which include administration of bile salt-activated lipase to increase fat digestion and therefore growth rate. Similarly, a method is provided to treat subjects for inadequate pancreatic enzyme production by administration of bile salt-activated lipase in conjunction with ingestion of fats.

Growing community of inventors

Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America

Jordan J Tang