INHIBIN COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

• Main Authors: FIORETTI, WILLIAM C, SATTERLEE, DANIEL G, KOUSOULAS, KONSTANTIN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 08.02.2005
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; DERIVATIVES THEREOF; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; NUCLEIC ACIDS; NUCLEOSIDES; NUCLEOTIDES; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEPTIDES; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROCESSES USING MICROORGANISMS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS ORMEDICINAL PREPARATIONS; SPIRITS; SUGARS; VINEGAR; WINE

The present invention relates to a method of accelerating the onset of puberty in avians, especially ratites and psittaciformes, by administering a heterologous protein comprising inhibin, or a fragment thereof, and a carrie r protein. The present invention also relates to a method of increasing egg production in animals, particularly birds, more particularly ratites, via th e administration of the heterologous protein. This invention further relates t o the heterologous protein and a method for producing the heterologous protein. Th e heterologous protein can be either inhibin conjugated to the carrier protein or inhibin fused to the carrier protein. The method of producing the fused heterologous protein comprises inserting double stranded cDNA encoding inhib in, or a fragment thereof, into a vector which encodes a carrier protein such as maltose binding protein or bovine serum albumin. After inserting the vector into an expression system, the fused heterologous protein is expressed by the sys tem.After purifying the expressed heterologous protein, an effective amount of the protein is administered to an animal such that an immunological response occ urs in the animal against the heterologous protein.