Vault and vault like carrier molecules

摘要

A method of using vaults as carrier molecules to deliver one or more than one substance to an organism, or to a specific tissue or to specific cells, or to an environmental medium. A vault-like particle. A method of preventing damage by one or more than one substance to an organism, to a specific tissue, to specific cells, or to an environmental medium, by sequestering the one or more than one substance within a vault-like particle. A method of delivering one or more than one substance or a sensor to an organism, to a specific tissue, to specific cells, or to an environmental medium. According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of making vault-like particles, and making vault-like particles comprising one or more than one substance, or one or more than one sensor.

主权项

1. A method of delivering at least one substance to an organism, comprising administering to the organism an assembled vault-like particle, wherein said assembled vault-like particle comprises:
i) multiple copies of a naturally occurring sequence of major vault protein (MVP) having an N-terminal and a C-terminal and having at least one modification selected from the group consisting of addition of an amino acid sequence to the N-terminal, addition of an amino acid sequence to the C-terminal, deletion of between 1 to 100 amino acid residues from the C-terminal, deletion of between 1 to 100 amino acid residues from the N-terminal, and substitution of at least one amino acid residue of the naturally occurring sequence of MVP, and ii) the at least one substance.