Hormonal Interferons

Biotechnology era beginning First recombinant DNA products Human insulin Human growth hormone Interferons, etc. Monoclonal antibodies Nucleotide blockage Growth in use of natural products and neutraceuticals... 

Cytokines are proteins that serve as signal molecules in cell-cell communication, and as such, perform a central and very diverse function in growth and differentiation of an organism. Representatives of cytokines control proliferation, differentiation and function of cells of the immune system and of cells of the blood-forming system. Furthermore, they are involved in processes of inflammation and in the neuronal, hema-poetic and embryonal development of the organism. Known cytokines include the interleukins (IL), erythropoietin, growth hormone, interferons (INF) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (see Table 8.1). A review of cytokines and cytokine receptors is to be found in HiU and Treisman, (1995) Taniguchi et al., (1995) and Moutoussamy et al., (1998). 

The mammalian cell culture technique can be employed to produce clinically important biochemicals such as human growth hormones, interferon, plasminogen activator, viral vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. Traditionally, these biochemicals had been produced using living animals or extracted from human cadavers. As examples, monoclonal antibodies can be produced by cultivating hybridoma cells in the peritoneal cavity of mice, and the human growth hormone to cure dwarfism can be extracted from human cadavers. However, the quantity obtained from these methods is quite limited for the wide clinical usages of the products. 

Walsh (2003) defined biopharmaceuticals as therapeutic protein or nucleic acid preparations made by techniques involving recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology. Therapeutic proteins include blood clotting factors and plasminogen activators, hemopoietic factors, hormones, interferons and interleukins, and monoclonal antibodies (LeVine, 2006). Over time, the term biopharmaceutical has broadened, and, in addition to proteins and nucleic acids, now includes bacteriophages, viral and bacterial vaccines, vectors for gene therapy, and cells for cell therapy (Primrose and Twyman, 2004). Attention here focuses on proteins, since the majority of approved biopharmaceuticals are proteins. 

Erythropoetin Human growth hormone Interferon a Interferon (3 Factor VIII... 

VI. The Mechanism by Which Glycoprotein Hormones, Interferon, and the Bacterial Toxins Effect Cell Changes - Current views regarding the mechanism of action of TSH and other glycoprotein hormones invoke alterations in the concentration of cyclic AMP as the second event in the transfer of information from the hormones to the appropriate cell.1 That is, the information carried by the hormone is purportedly translated into a "second message" by means of a change in intracellular cyclic AMP concentration. 

Many different types of proteins are glycoproteins. For example, stractural proteins such as collagen, proteins found in mucous secretions, immunoglobulins, folhcle-stimu-lating hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone, interferon (an antiviral protein), and blood plasma proteins are all glycoproteins. One of the functions of the polysaccharide chain is to act as a receptor site on the cell surface in order to transmit signals from hormones and other molecules across the cell membrane into the cell. The carbohydrates on the surfaces of cells also serve as points of attachment for other cells, vimses, and toxins. 

N., White, M. F. and Carter-Su, C. (1995) Growth hormone, interferon-, and leukemia inhibitory factor promoted tyrosyl phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1. J. Biol. Chem. 270 14685-14692. 

Fluorenyl-based reagent 58 has been used for the attachment of mPEG of up to 40 kDa to proteins by means of urethane bond formation (Scheme 3.11). The fluorenyl moiety releases the native unmodified protein at a slow controlled rate by hydrolysis reaction, as is shown in Equation 3.29 [216]. Reagent 58 has been used in the reversible PEGylation of exendine-4 [216], human growth hormone, interferon a2 [217], enkephalin [218], atrial natriuretic peptide [219] and insulin [220]. 

---