Lymphotoxin, nucleic acid encoding it, vectors incorporating the nucleic acid and cells transformed therewith, methods of obtaining lymphotoxin, and lymphotoxin neutralizing antibody.

摘要

Biologically active lymphotoxin polypeptides are synthesized in recombinant cell culture. Novel nucleic acid and vectors incorporating same are provided. The compositions and processes herein enable the economical preparation of compositions containing uniform lymphotoxin polypeptides and variant lymphotoxins having amino acid sequences that differ from those found in nature. The lymphotoxins are purified to a specific activity of 2-10 x 107 unitllmg of protein by purification using a novel immobilized, lymphotoxin-neutralizing monoclonal antibody.Lymphotoxin (I) absolutely free from homologous proteins that are unidentified or present in unknown amounts is new. Unglycosylated (I) is new. Variant (I) in which an amino acid residue in the (I) sequence has been deleted or substd. by another residue, or in which another residue has been inserted, is new. Provided that (I) having a sequence with an amino terminal at Leu(+)1 or His(+)23 is excluded. Nucleic acid encoding (I) and selected from (a)-(c) is new. (a) DNA encoding (I) free from DNA encoding other proteins of the organism from which the DNA originated (b) DNA encoding (I) free from untranslated intervening sequences and (c) nucleic acid capable of hybridising to nucleic acid encoding (I), provided that the acid does not have the nucleotide sequence of natural DNA or RNA encoding (I).