DESIGN OF BIOACTIVE PEPTIDES BASED ON IMMUNOGLOBULIN STRUCTURE

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for producing peptides which have biological activity comprising: (i) identifying a region of a protein of interest which is homologous to a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of molecules; (ii) synthesizing a peptide which comprises amino acid sequence found in the region of homology; and (iii) modifying the synthetic peptide such that it assumes a three-dimensional conformation which is biologically active. The invention is based, in part, on the discovery that a cyclic peptide comprising amino acid sequences of a CDR derived from an antibody directed toward a viral receptor molecule can be used to effectively inhibit the binding of virus to its receptor. The invention is also based in part on the discovery that a cylic peptide corresponding to a portion of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gp120 that is homologous to immunoglobulins may be used to generate an anti-HIV immune response.