METHOD OF REMOVING N-TERMINAL AMINO ACID RESIDUES FROM EUCARYOTIC POLYPEPTIDE ANALOGS AND POLYPEPTIDES PRODUCED THEREBY

摘要

The invention relates to a method of producing a human growth hormone having the amino acid sequence of naturally occurring human growth hormone which comprises a) producing in a microbial host a first polypeptide which is characterized by the presence of one or more additional amino acids at the N-terminus of the amino acid sequence of naturally occurring human growth hormone; b) contacting the first polypeptide so produced with an enzyme, preferably an aminopeptidase, so as to produce a second polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of naturally occurring human growth hormone; and c) recovering the second polypeptide so produced. A preferred microbial host is a bacterium, especially E. coli.