EUKARYOTIC EXPRESSION OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR B3

TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTORS TYPE BETA (TGF-BETA'S) ARE PROTEINS OF 25 KD DISULFIDE-LINKED HOMODIMERS AND HETERODIMERS THAT ACT TO CONTROL THE PROLIFERATION OF A VARIETY OF BOTH NORMAL AND TRANSFORMED CELL TYPES. IN ADDITION, TGF-BETA'S HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO STIMULATE WOUND HEALING AND TO ACT AS POTENT IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AGENTS. RECENTLY, A NEW FORM OF TGF-BETA WAS IDENTIFIED, WHICH WAS TERMED TGF-BETA3. SEQUENCE DETERMINATION OF THREE OVERLAPPING CDNA CLONES REVEALED AN EXTENSIVE HOMOLOGY OF TGF-BETA3 WITH TGF-BETA1 AND -BETA2. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO EXPRESS TGF-BETA3CDNA IN MAMMALIAN CELL LINES AND TO ESTABLISH THE INITIAL PURIFICATION PROTOCOL. IN PHASE II, IT IS PLANNED TO PURIFY TGF-BETA3 TO HOMOGENEITY AND CARRY OUT A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC USES OF RECOMBINANT TGF-BETA3 IN CANCER THERAPY.