Cytokine/multimer complexes as cytokine antagonists

摘要

Ligand trap antagonist molecules composed of two or more fusion protein units that comprise of cytokine-binding portions and a multimerising component, which multimerises with a similar such component of another such fusion polypeptide. So that when the cytokine-binding portions bind to a cytokine, cytokine/multimer complex is formed that is non-functional in the sense that it does not initiate, that is, it antagonizes signal transduction by the cytokine.