Proteins & Peptides (Classes 19-20) Flashcards
Give an example of a commonly used protein drug?
Insulin
What are some benefits of protein therapy?
High specificity, target any defective gene, broad range, easier FDA approval
Give an example of an anti-cancer protein therapy (besides monoclonal antibodies)?
Herceptin
What is the largest class of therapeutic proteins?
Antibodies
Name 4 ways protein therapies deliver their therapeutic effects to the body.
Replace a deficient or abnormal protein, Augment existing pathway, provide novel function, Interfere with a molecule or pathway, Deliver a therapeutic payload
What are some classes of protein therapies?
Enzymes, antibodies, blood factors, hormones, interferons, interleukins
What are some clinical conditions that protein therapies are used for?
Diabetes, Cancer, Transplant rejection, Crohn’s disease
What classifies a peptide drug vs a protein drug?
Peptide - 50 Aas or less; Protein - 100 to 1000s of Aas
What is the major disadvantage of protein therapy?
Maintaining stability & high dosing; efficacy requires maintaining 3D structure/high dosing can lead to aggregation or precipitation
What are 4 ways to cause denaturation of proteins (not the chemical rxns)?
Adjust temp, Adjust pH, agitation, Use solvents
What are 3 physical issues that can affect protein stability/efficacy (other than denaturation & not chemical reactions)?
adsorption, aggregation, precipitation
What are 4 chemical reactions that can affect protein stability/efficacy?
Deamidation, Oxidation, hydrolysis, racemisation, Isomerisation, disulfide exchange
What are 2 common sites of attack for protein oxidation (think amino acid residues)?
methionine & cysteine
What are four ways to cause oxidation in proteins?
Irradiation, Air pollutants, Inflammation, Reactive Oxygen Species
What amino acid residues are affected in deamidation?
asparagine & glutamine
What are 2 ways to cause deamidation in a protein?
change pH, change temp
What does TRAIL do on a molecular level?
Induces cell death via TNFa
What is TRAIL used for clinically?
Kill cancer cells
What is the goal of transfection?
Transfer DNA into a cell
In recombinant DNA tech, what do you use to cleave the host plasmid?
Restriction Endonucleases
In recombinant DNA tech, what is the name of the process of closing the 2 ends of the open plasmid after you have inserted new DNA?
Annealing