CHIMERA PROTEIN AND ITS PRODUCTION

摘要

PURPOSE: To obtain a chimera protein containing an amino acid chain of a foreign protein or peptide inserted into a specific site of a fibronectin molecule, capable of targeting an arbitrary functional protein to an extracellular matrix and useful e.g. for the research and development of pharmaceuticals. CONSTITUTION: This chimera protein is produced by inserting an amino acid chain of a foreign protein or peptide between an N-terminal 70kDa region and a C-terminal 37kDa region of a fibronectin molecule. The protein is a specific inhibitor acting as a foreign protein or peptide on a matrix metaproteinase which is a matrix decomposition enzyme of cancer cell. Functional proteins such as TIMP-1 effective for suppressing the infiltration and metastasis of cancer, protein A expected to be useful for the immunological suppression of cancer and a luminescent protein aequorin useful for the tracking of material metabolism in an extracellular matrix can be insolubilized or targeted in the extracellular matrix and the objective protein can be utilized as an agent for the research and development of a drug.