Mammalian follistatin
US5041538A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 26, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 20, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 26, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC07K14/575
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Two follistatin proteins with inhibin-like activity were isolated from porcine follicular fluid using heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography, followed by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and then six steps of high-performance liquid chromatography. Each isolated molecule is a monomer having a molecular weight of at least about 32,000 daltons. Microsequencing revealed the NH.sub.2 -terminal portions both to be Gly-Asn-Cys-Trp-Leu-Arg-Gln-Ala-Lys-Asn-Gly-Arg-Cys-Gln-Val-Leu. The larger protein has 315 residues and is believed to be glycosylated. The smaller protein is a 288-residue, C-terminally shortened version thereof. These proteins specifically inhibit basal secretion of FSH, but not of LH, in a rat anterior pituitary monolayer culture system. The Half-maximal effective dose for both is 2.5-6.0 ng/ml. Human and rat follistatins exhibit very high homology with the porcine protein, with the human differing from porcine in only 4 residues out of 315 and with the rat differing from porcine in only 8 residues out of 315.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.