A System to Enhance Understanding of the Intrinsic Activity of ProPSA
JHU REF: [C12296]
Invention novelty: This technology is a system to enhance understanding of the intrinsic proteolytic activity of ProPSA. Protein-specific antigen (PSA) is a protease secreted as a zymogen, ProPSA.
Value Proposition: Variants of ProPSA are poorly understood. They are, however, believed to be inactive and indicative of poor clinical outcome. Due to a lack of appropriate experimental systems, current understanding of PSA’s enzymology is limited. In an effort to increase understanding, a series of PSA-derived mutants were developed. This generated panel of recombinants included variants that abolished removal of the predomain, disabled its enzymatic activity, and/or facilitated a cell-based conversion to the active conformation. Other advantages include:
- Various applications in both clinical and research settings
- Likely to be of benefit to diagnosis efforts and understanding of the prostate cancer
- Panel of recombinants available for further experimentation
Technical Details: Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a series of PSA-derived mutants. This panel of recombinants included variants that abolished removal of the predomain, disabled its enzymatic activity, and/or facilitated a cell-based conversion to the active conformation. These variants were evaluated and characterized. These findings and information represent a system that will prove useful for numerous applications.
Publications:
Sangster‐Guity, Niquiche, et al. "Mutational analysis of prostate‐specific antigen defines the intrinsic proteolytic activity of the proPSA zymogen." The Prostate (2016).
Categories: System
Keywords: Prostate Cancer, Mutant, ProPSA, Prostate-specific antigen, enzymatic activity, intrinsic activity, recombinants
