Expression and purification of recombinant soluble tissue factor

Abstract

A method is disclosed to make any protein in a form that can be isolated rapidly from a solution using a specific monoclonal antibody designated "HPC-4". It has now been determined that it is possible to form a fusion protein of the epitope with a protein to be isolated, and isolate the protein using HPC-4-based affinity chromatography. In the preferred embodiment, a specific protease cleavage site is inserted between the epitope and the protein so that the epitope can be easily removed from the isolated protein. In an example, a functionally active soluble tissue factor including the twelve amino acid epitope recognized in combination with calcium by HPC-4 and a factor Xa cleavage site was expressed from a vector inserted into a procaryotic expression system. The recombinant tissue factor can be rapidly isolated in a single chromatographic step using the HPC-4 monoclonal antibody immobilized on a suitable substrate. Once isolated, the Protein C epitope is removed by cleavage with factor Xa, leaving the functionally active, soluble tissue factor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.