| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a new protein having a specific amino acid sequence, having cysteine protease activity, and useful as a preventive/therapeutic agent for diseases such as diabetic nephropathy, glomerular nephritis, hepatic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, hernia of the intervertebral disk and sciatica. SOLUTION: This new protein (salt) has an amino acid sequence of the formula or amino acid sequence essentially identical with the former, having cysteine protease activity. This protein or the DNA coding it is useful as a medicine such as a preventive/therapeutic agent for various diseases (e.g. nephropathy such as diabetic nephropathy and glomerular nephritis, hepatopathy such as hepatic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, hernia of the intervertebral disk, sciatica, livor cutis). This new protein is obtained by the following process: a cDNA library derived from human spleen is subjected to hybridization with a probe prepared by biotinylation of synthesized oligonucleotide followed by labeling, and by integrating a vector with the resultant cysteine protease gene followed by expressing the gene in host cell. |
