National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Maki Shiota

Atsushi Inoue

Renu Wadhwa

Sunil Kaul

The amino acid sequences of paratope regions involved in internalizing function of an anti-mortalin antibody into tumor cells were determined for the L-chain and H-chain variable regions of cellular internalizing anti-mortalin antibodies and non-internalizing anti-mortalin antibodies. Cancer-cell-specific drug delivery is provided by using the mortalin-binding activity of a single-chain antibody (scFv) wherein L-chain and H-chain variable regions both having the paratope region are linked together via a peptide linker. Also, the sequence of 6 amino acids of an epitope to be recognized by an anti-mortalin antibody having the internalizing function was determined. With the use of an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid that encodes the epitope, an agent for accelerating internalization of a mortalin antibody, a drug bound thereto, and the like into cancer cells is provided.

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Ibaraki, Japan

Maki Shiota