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AssigneeUniversity College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork
InventorsMary O'Connell Motherway, Douwe Van Sinderen, Fergus Shanahan, Aileen Houston
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The invention describes peptide, and proteins and fusion proteins comprising the peptides, that are capable of increasing the proliferation of cells, especially epithelial cells in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. The peptides comprise the hydrophilic domain of the TadE subunit of the Tad pilus of Bifidobacterium, especially the pilus encoded by the Tad2003 gene cluster identified in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003, and functional fragments of the hydrophilic domain. The invention informs new treatments for diseases and conditions that involve attenuated epithelial cell proliferation and growth, such as inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and trauma of the skin including burns and other wounds. The invention also informs treatments of newborn babies to promote proliferation and growth of gut epithelial tissue by administration of agents comprising the peptide of the invention in the form of infant formula.
An isolated TadE polyamino acid sequence, for use as a medicament.
An isolated TadE polyamino acid sequence, for use in a method of inducing proliferation of epithelial cells in a subject having epithelial cells damaged by disease, surgery, trauma, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
An isolated TadE polyamino acid sequence, for use in a method of development of gut epithelial lining in a premature infant.
An isolated TadE polyamino acid sequence, for use in a method of treating or preventing a disease or condition in a subject characterised by attenuated cellular growth of a target tissue.
A pharmaceutical composition comprising a TadE polyamino acid sequence in combination with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient.
An expression vector comprising DNA encoding a TadE polyamino acid sequence comprising SEQUENCE ID NO:
A host cell engineered to heterologously express a TadE polyamino acid sequence.
A host cell according to any of claims 127 to 32, for use of claim 28, in which the disease is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, and in which the host cell is a bacterium.
Isolated TadE peptide.
A bacterium expressing a Tad pilus, for use in a method of inducing proliferation of epithelial cells in a subject having epithelial cells damaged by disease, surgery, trauma, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
A bacterium expressing a Tad pilus, for use in a method of development of gut epithelial lining in a premature infant
A bacterium expressing a Tad pilus, for use in a method of treating or preventing a disease or condition in a subject characterised by attenuated cellular growth of a target tissue.
A food or dietary supplement composition comprising an isolated TadE polyamino acid sequence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.