title: Therapeutic peptide production in Drosophila.
abstract: Bioactive peptides are important therapeutic drugs, yet conventional methods of peptide synthesis are challenged to meet increasing demand. We developed a novel and efficient means of metabolic engineering: therapeutic peptide production in Drosophila and as a proof of concept, we demonstrate production of fully matured human insulin. This in vivo system offers an innovative means to produce valuable bioactive peptides for therapies, its inherent flexibility facilitates drug development, and its ease of producing fully processed peptides simplifies metabolic engineering of new peptide products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Dongkook
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Xiaowen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Jonathan V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Sweedler
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Taghert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D010455:Peptides