Back to results
US 10,272,137 B2Granted
Compositions and methods relating to myomaker-induced muscle cell fusion
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsEric Olson, Douglas P. Millay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure describes the fusogenic activity of the Myomaker protein. This polypeptide, when expressed in non-muscle cells, is able to drive fusion of the cell with a muscle cell, but not with other non-muscle cells. The use of this protein and cell expressing it in the delivery of exogenous genetic material to muscle cells also is described.
Claims25
A method of fusing a mammalian non-muscle cell to a mammalian muscle cell comprising:
- (a) providing a mammalian non-muscle cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding and expressing a Myomaker protein on the cell surface of said mammalian non-muscle cell;
- and
- (b) contacting said mammalian non-muscle cell with a mammalian muscle cell, wherein said mammalian non-muscle cell expressing the Myomaker protein will fuse with said mammalian muscle cell.
A method of delivering a gene of interest to a mammalian muscle cell comprising:
- (a) providing a mammalian non-muscle cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding and expressing a Myomaker protein on the cell surface of said mammalian non-muscle cell, and wherein said mammalian non-muscle cell comprises a nucleic acid that encodes and expresses an exogenous gene of interest;
- and
- (b) contacting said mammalian non-muscle cell with a mammalian muscle cell, wherein said mammalian non-muscle cell expressing the Myomaker protein will fuse with said mammalian muscle cell and deliver said gene of interest to said mammalian muscle cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.