A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PROTEIN OR POLYPEPTIDE, A DNA SEQUENCE CODING FOR THE POLYPEPTIDE, A MICROORGANISM CONTAINING THE DNA SEQUENCE AS WELL AS THE POLYPEPTIDE AND ITS USE AS A PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATION

摘要

A protein or polypeptide of the general formula: E - P, wherein P is a desired mature polypeptide, E is an amino terminal extension containing preferably at least two amino acids, is produced by cultivation of a bacterium containing a DNA sequence which codes for a polypeptide of the formula: S - E - P, wherein S is a signal sequence, and E and P are as defined above. The amino terminal extension can be removed from the polypeptide by enzymatic digestion to form the mature protein or polypeptide, P, e.g. by using the enzyme DAP 1. The polypeptide may be amino-terminal-extended interleukin 1 or a derivative thereof which has biological activity.