METHOD FOR PRODUCING NEW HETERODIMERIC PROTEIN

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new expression system for surprisingly increasing the production of a dimeric protein hormone. SOLUTION: The method for producing the dimeric protein hormone comprising the following steps is carried out by using an α-subunit cDNA constituent containing introns is provided: a) The first vector is obtained by including promoter, structural gene and terminator sequences. The structural gene contains at least one of introns in the 5'-side closely in the code domain of the α-subunit. b) The β-subunit structural gene is i) connected functionally with the α-subunit and present in the first vector or ii) constituted as the second vector containing the promoter, β-subunit structural gene and terminator sequences. c) In the case that the host cell is transformed by plural vectors, all the host cell are transformed. d) The transformed cell is cultivated under the condition of producing the protein. The introns are arranged at intervals to ATG in the code domain so as to produce a larger amount of the protein than that produced under the condition of not containing the introns.