Erythropoietin analog-human serum albumin fusion

Abstract

Erythropoietin analog-human serum albumin (EPOa-hSA) fusion protein and methods of making and using the fusion protein.

1 . An EPOa-hSA fusion protein, wherein at least one amino acid residue of the EPOa moiety of the fusion protein is altered such that a site which serves as a site for glycosylation in EPO does not serve as a site for glycosylation in the EPOa.  
     
     
         2 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein said fusion protein has the formula: 
 R1-L-R2; R2-L-R1; or R1-L-R2-L-R1,    wherein R1 is an erythropoietin analog amino acid sequence; L is a peptide linker and R2 is human serum albumin amino acid sequence.    
     
     
         3 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 2 , wherein R1 and R2 are covalently linked via said peptide linker.  
     
     
         4 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein an amino acid residue which serves as an attachment point for glycosylation has been deleted.  
     
     
         5 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein an amino acid residue of human EPO which serves as a site for glycosylation has been replaced with an amino acid residue which does not serve as a site for glycosylation.  
     
     
         6 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid residue is selected from the group consisting of amino acid residues Asn24, Asn38, Asn83 and Ser126.  
     
     
         7 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein said glycosylation site is altered at amino acid residue Ser126 and at least one additional N-linked glycosylation site selected from the group consisting of Asn24, Asn38 and Asn83 is altered.  
     
     
         8 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein said glycosylation site provides for N-linked glycosylation and is altered by replacing an amino acid residue Asn with Gln.  
     
     
         9 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein said glycosylation site provides for O-linked glycosylation and is altered by replacing an amino acid residue Ser with Gin.  
     
     
         10 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of amino acid residues 24, 38, or 83 has been altered.  
     
     
         11 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 10 , wherein one or more of amino acid residues 24, 38, or 83 has been replaced with Gln.  
     
     
         12 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein amino acid residue 126 has been altered.  
     
     
         13 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 12 , wherein said amino acid residue 126 has been replaced with Ala.  
     
     
         14 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein each of amino acid residues 24, 38, 83 and 126 has been altered such that it does not serve as a glycosylation site.  
     
     
         15 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 14 , wherein each of said amino acid residues 24, 28, 83 and 126 has been replaced with Gln, Gln, Gln, and Ala respectively.  
     
     
         16 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 3 , wherein said peptide linker is 10 to 30 amino acids in length.  
     
     
         17 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 16 , wherein each of said amino acids in said peptide linker is selected from the group consisting of Gly, Ser, Asn, Thr and Ala.  
     
     
         18 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 3 , wherein said peptide linker includes a sequence having the formula (Ser-Ser-Ser-Ser-Gly) y  wherein y is less than or equal to 8.  
     
     
         19 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 3 , wherein said peptide linker includes a sequence having the formula ((Ser-Ser-Ser-Ser-Gly) 3 -Ser-Pro.  
     
     
         20 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein the EPOa is Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO.  
     
     
         21 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein the fusion protein includes from left to right, an EPOa which includes amino acid residues Gln24, Gln38, Gln83 and Ala126, a peptide linker, and human serum albumin.  
     
     
         22 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 21 , wherein the EPOa is Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO.  
     
     
         23 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein the fusion protein is from left to right, Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO, a peptide linker having the formula ((Ser-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly) 3 -Ser-Pro), and human serum albumin.  
     
     
         24 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein the EPOa-hSA fusion protein includes, from left to right, human serum albumin, a peptide linker, and an EPOa which includes amino acid residues Gln24, Gln38, Gln83 and Ala126.  
     
     
         25 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 24 , wherein the EPOa is Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO.  
     
     
         26 . The EPOa-hSA fusion protein of  claim 1 , wherein the fusion protein is from left to right, human serum albumin, a peptide linker having the formula ((Ser-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly) 3 -Ser-Pro), and Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO.  
     
     
         27 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence which encodes an EPOa-hSA fusion protein, wherein at least one amino acid residue of the encoded EPOa-hSA which can serve as a glycosylation site in EPO is altered such that it does not serve as a glycosylation site in the EPOa.  
     
     
         28 . An expression vector or a construct which comprises the nucleic acid of  claim 27 .  
     
     
         29 . A cell which comprises the vector or construct of  claim 28 .  
     
     
         30 . A method of making an EPOa-hSA fusion in a construct or a vector, comprising forming in a construct or vector a sequence in which a nucleic acid which comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding an EPOa is linked in frame to a nucleic acid which comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding human serum albumin.  
     
     
         31 . A method for making an EPOa-hSA fusion protein comprising: 
 supplying a cell which comprises a nucleic acid which encodes an EPOa-hSA fusion protein and    expressing said EPOa-hSA fusion protein from said nucleic acid, thereby making said EPOa-hSA fusion protein.    
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said cell is selected from a group consisting of a mammalian, yeast, plant, insect or a bacterial cell.  
     
     
         33 . A method of making an EPOa-hSA fusion protein comprising: 
 providing a transgenic organism which includes a transgene which directs the expression of EPOa-hSA fusion protein;    allowing the transgene to be expressed; and    recovering EPOa-hSA fusion protein.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33  wherein, the transgenic organism is a transgenic animal.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33  wherein, the transgenic organism is a transgenic dairy animal.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33  wherein, the EPOa-hSA fusion protein is made in a mammary gland of a transgenic mammal under the control of a milk specific promoter.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  wherein, said promoter is a milk serum protein or casein promoter.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein, the transgenic mammal is a goat.  
     
     
         39 . A method for providing a transgenic preparation which includes an EPOa-hSA fusion protein in the milk of a transgenic mammal comprising: 
 providing a transgenic mammal having an EPOa-hSA fusion protein protein-coding sequence operatively linked to a promoter sequence that results in the expression of the protein-coding sequence in mammary gland epithelial cells,    allowing the fusion protein to be expressed, and obtaining milk from the mammal, thereby providing the transgenic preparation.    
     
     
         40 . A transgenic organism, which includes a transgene which encodes an EPOa-hSA fusion protein.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40  wherein, the transgenic organism is a transgenic animal.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40  wherein, the transgenic organism is a transgenic dairy animal.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 40  wherein, the EPOa-hSA fusion protein is made in a mammary gland of a transgenic mammal under the control of a milk specific promoter.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43  wherein, said promoter is a milk serum protein or casein promoter.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44  wherein, the transgenic mammal is a goat or cow.  
     
     
         46 . A pharmaceutical composition having a therapeutically effective amount of an EPOa-hSA fusion protein.  
     
     
         47 . A method of treating a subject in need of erythropoietin comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an EPOa-hSA fusion protein to the subject.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the method comprises administering a nucleic acid encoding an EPO-hSA fusion protein to the subject.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the nucleic acid is administered in a cell.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the cell is an autologous cell.  
     
     
         51 . An erythropoietin analog, wherein four sites which serve as sites for glycosylation in erythropoietin are altered such that they do not serve as glycosylation sites.  
     
     
         52 . The erythropoietin analog of  claim 48  wherein the EPOa is Gln24, Gln38, Gln83, Ala126 EPO.  
     
     
         53 . The transgenic organism of  claim 40 , wherein the organism is a rabbit.  
     
     
         54 . The transgenic organism of  claim 40 , wherein the organism is a bird.  
     
     
         55 . A method for making an EPOa-hSA fusion protein in a cultured cell comprising supplying a cell which includes a nucleic acid which encodes an EPOa-hSA fusion protein, and expressing the EPOa-hSA fusion protein from the nucleic acid, thereby making the EPOa-hSA fusion protein.