High molecular weight collagen-like protein polymers

Details

Inventors: Cappello, Joseph; Ferrari, Franco A.;
Assignee: Protein Polymer Technologies, Inc. (San Diego, CA)
Primary Examiner: Patterson, Jr.; Charles L.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton and Herbert LLP, Trecartin; Richard F., Kresnak; Mark T.

Collagen-like polymers having repetitive triads are produced having reduced proline content, where glycine is the initial amino acid and the subsequent amino acids are varied, while retaining at least a minimum percentage of prolines. The resulting polymers have collagen-like properties, but are capable of being produced in unicellular microorganisms at high molecular weights and in high efficiency. The polymers, while retaining collagen-like characteristics, include various novel sequences which impart new characteristics, finding wide use in photographic, medical, structural and fiber applications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
An unnatural collagen-like polymer of at least about 30 kD, characterized by: being capable of being expressed in a unicellular organism from a construct prepared in vitro; comprising a major proportion of amino acids present as triads having glycine as the first amino acid and at least 40 number % of said triads comprising at least one proline, wherein the total proline content of said triads is less than 45 number %; and comprising at least two repetitive units of (glyXO), wherein X and O are the same or different in each triad and symbolize individual amino acids and n is at least 4.
2.
A collagen-like polymer according to claim 1, wherein at least two triads are triads found in naturally occurring collagens.
3.
A collagen-like polymer according to claim 1, wherein said polymer is not more than about 100 kD and at least 10 number % of the amino acids of said triads are proline.
4.
A collagen-like polymer according to claim 1, wherein X and 0 are selected from the group consisting of alanine, isoleucine, valine, leucine, serine, threonine, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine and proline.
5.
A collagen-like polymer according to claim 1, wherein the number of triads comprising proline is at least 60 number %.
6.
An unnatural collagen-like polymer of at least about 30 kD, having a repeating sequence of triads, wherein each of said triads has glycine as the first amino acid and comprising at least one repeat of a sequence of the following formula: ((glyXO).
sub.
n .
OMEGA.
).
sub.
m wherein: said polymer is capable of being expressed in a unicellular organism from a construct prepared in vitro; X and O are any amino acids, except that X and O are selected to provide a total proline content of the triads of at least about 10 and less than about 45 % by number; .
OMEGA.
has from 0 to 50 amino acids and is other than a repetitive glyXO motif; n is in the rage of 4 to 1 00; and m is at least one.
7.
A collagen-like polymer according to claim 6, wherein X and 0 are selected from the group consisting of alanine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, serine, threonine, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine and proline

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