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US 6,294,356 B1Granted
Methods and materials for making and using laminin-5
AssigneeNorthwestern University
InventorsJonathan C. R. Jones, M. Sharon Stack, Lawrence E. Goldfinger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides two forms of laminin-5. One form comprising unprocessed α3 subunits promotes the migration of epithelial cells. The other form comprising plasmin-cleaved α3 subunits promotes the formation of hemidesmosomes. The invention further provides methods of making and using the two forms of laminin-5 and products comprising the two forms of laminin-5.
Claims14
A method of generating hemidesmosome-promoting laminin-5 comprising:
- culturing epithelial cells that do not produce hemidesmosome-promoting laminin-5 under conditions effective so that they produce extracellular matrix protein comprising laminin-5 containing unprocessed α3 subunits;
- and
- contacting the laminin-5 with plasmin under conditions effective so that the plasmin cleaves the α3 subunits.
A method of generating hemidesmosome-promoting laminin-5 comprising:
- producing heterotrimeric laminin-5 containing unprocessed α3 subunits by expressing DNA coding for α3, γ2 and β3 subunits in host cells transformed with the DNA;
- and
- contacting the laminin-5 with plasmin under conditions effective so that the plasmin cleaves the α3 subunits.
A method of generating hemidesmosome-promoting laminin-5 comprising:
- contacting a material containing unprocessed α3 subunits of laminin-5, but not γ2 subunits or β3 subunits of laminin-5, with plasmin under conditions effective so that the plasmin cleaves the α3 subunits;
- and
- contacting the cleaved α3 subunits with γ2 and β3 subunits so that the three subunits combine to form the hemidesmosome-promoting laminin-5.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.