Phase transition biopolymers and methods of use
AssigneeDuke University
InventorsAshutosh Chilkoti, Felipe Garcia Quiroz
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Abstract
The present disclosure describes environmentally responsive polypeptides capable of displaying stimuli-triggered conformational changes in a reversible or irreversible manner that may be accompanied by aggregation. Polypeptides include a number of repeated motifs and may be elastomeric or non-elastomeric. The polypeptides may be used to deliver therapeutics to a biological site and to develop bioactive polypeptides that are environmentally responsive.
Claims20
An environmentally responsive polypeptide comprising at least ten repeats of an amino acid sequence Z1PXGZ2Z3Z4Z5, wherein P is proline, G is glycine, X is from 0 to 4 amino acids that are not proline or glycine, and Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5 are each an amino acid and Z2 is optionally absent, wherein the amino acid sequence comprises (i) an arginine, (ii) serine or an amino acid selected from aspartate and glutamate, or both serine and aspartate or glutamate, and (iii) at least one hydrophobic residue selected from valine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine, tyrosine, tryptophan and alanine, wherein the polypeptide upon stimulation undergoes a conformational change that is accompanied by aggregation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.