cDNA-Sequenz und daraus abgeleitete Aminosäuresequenz des Vorläuferproteins von humanem GCAP II/Uroguanylin sowie Aminosäuresequenz des im humanen Blut zirkulierenden Fragmentes

摘要

The invention concerns a peptide from human blood, designated GCAP-II (guanylate cyclase activating peptide), the structure of which has been elucidated for the use of the substance as a drug for diagnostic, medical and industrial purposes. The isolation of the GCAP-II peptide proves its existence. The removal of certain amino acids from GCAP-II reduces its biological effectiveness. The GCAP-II circulating in human blood is identical to the synthetic GCAP-II reference substance, but not to other peptides or its fragments. The molecular formula of GCAP-II has been found using mass spectrometry. A different biological activity and differences in the three-dimensional peptide structure of GCAP-II compared with other GCAP-II fragments show that this GCAP-II fragment is a high-quality natural peptide belonging to a family with a peptide group which is suitable for use in treating numerous conditions which progress hand in hand with electrolyte-transport disorders in cells as well as for use in treating, in particular, diseases of endocrine organs. In addition, GCAP-II can be used industrially as the natural raw extract, or in purified form, for research into new cell functions. These discoveries concerning the structure of the cDNA and gene structure of GCAP-II can be used for future diagnostic and therapeutic concepts based on the invention.