A Plasmid for Expression of a More Soluble Form of HIV Integrase Protein in E. coli
Description of Invention:
The invention describes a plasmid that provides a convenient method for producing large quantities of integrase protein. This integrase protein is more soluble because amino acid residue Phe185 is changed to Lsy. This change does not affect the in vitro activity of the protein, but the improved solubility facilitates large-scale purification and handling. Since HIV integrase is a candidate target for antiviral drugs and an assay system or a source of HIV integrase is required to identify lead compounds, this invention could be very useful for an efficient means of producing integrase protein on a large scale. The integrase protein could be used in screening for integrase inhibitors that could be developed as anti-HIV drugs. This invention is available for licensing through a Biological Materials License, as no patent application exists.
For Additional Information Please Contact: Sally Hu PhD MBA
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301) 435-5606
Email: hus@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
