EXPRESSION OF NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS WITH HETEROLOGOUS PREPRO REGIONS

摘要

The present invention relates to chimeric prepro proteins or prepro peptides comprising neurotrophic factors, and the use of such precursors and their nucleic acid sequences to produce proteins or peptides which have one or more biological activities of a neurotrophin. The chimeric prepro molecules provided by the present invention contain a heterologous prepro region fused to a mature neurotrophin sequence or biologically active portion or derivative thereof. The mature neurotrophin sequences that can be used according to the present invention are those of the NGF/BDNF family of homologous molecules including but not limited to NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4. Similarly, the prepro regions can be derived from those neurotrophin molecules of the NGF/BDNF family including but not limited to NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4.