title: Interleukin-2-collagen chimeric protein which liberates interleukin-2 upon collagenolysis.
abstract: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a potent activator of cellular immunity and has been utilized as an immunotherapeutic agent. We stably immobilized human IL-2 to collagen by covalently binding it to the N-terminus of human type III collagen (3A1) as IL2-3A1 chimeric protein using recombinant technology. The present study was aimed at liberating IL-2 from the immobilized chimeric protein by treating the chimera with bacterial collagenase. These IL2-3A1 chimeras were synthesized in insect cells which had been infected with baculovirus vectors carrying IL2-3A1 cDNA. The IL2-3A1 protein produced was shown to be in a pepsin-resistant triple helical structure and exhibited IL-2 activity to a similar extent as IL-2 itself. IL2-3A1 could be immobilized on the surface of plastic dishes by incubating it in the dishes. The IL-2 region of the immobilized IL2-3A1 was liberated to culture media by collagenase treatment and this freed IL-2 stimulated the growth of lined T cells. Thus, IL2-3A1 chimeric protein could be utilized as an IL-2 deliverer whose T cell mitogenic activity can be liberated by a collagenolytic environment.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshizato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D018914:Cells, Immobilized / Q000378:metabolism; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017364:Collagenases / Q000378:metabolism; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018411:Spodoptera
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D017364:Collagenases