| 摘要 |
The present invention relates to an isolated and purified peptide of the RY domain having an amino acid sequence of general formula (I) comprising a sequence of the following amino acids: X1 - X2 - X3 - X4 - X1 - X4 - X4 - X3 - X1, X1 = Phe, Tyr, or any amino acid having a substituted aromatic residue; X2 = Glu, Asp, Ser, or any amino acid having a -(CH2)n-COO residue, wherein n = 0-3; X3 = Asp, Thr, any aliphatic amino acid, or any of amino acids X4; and X4 = Arg, Lys, or any amino acid having a -(CH2)n-NH3<+> residue, or a -(CH2)n-NH-C(NH3<+>)NH2 residue wherein n = 0-4; as well as functional equivalents thereof. The invention relates also to pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of general formula (I), the use of said RY peptide and of said pharmaceutical composition in the preparation of a medicament and in methods for the treatment of disorders of inappropriate activation of apoptosis; for increasing the number of viable cells in a biological tissue; and in a method for the enhancement for the survival of biological cells. The invention also relates to a method for the preparation of a RY-peptide of general formula (I). Furthermore, the invention also relates to an in vitro assay system for the regulation of cell death by the Bcl-2 family of test compounds (as hereinbefore defined). |
