Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying modulators of B1 G-protein coupled receptors. The present invention also relates to a method for identifying an antagonist or agonist of the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRFR2). The present invention also relates to a method for improving antagonists or agonists of CRFR2. The present invention also relates to the three-dimensional structure of CRFR2 as representative of the B1 GPCR subfamily and its use as a basis for rational drug design of antagonist or agonists of B1 GPCRs.

Abstract: A class of integral membrane proteins, referred to as Mistic polypeptides, their variants, fusion proteins including a Mistic polypeptide domain, and nucleic acid molecules encoding Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins are disclosed herein. Also described are methods of using Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins to produce and/or isolate recombinant proteins (including without limitation classes of eukaryotic proteins that have previously been intractable to recombinant bacterial expression, such as, eukaryotic integral membrane proteins).

Abstract: A class of integral membrane proteins, referred to as Mistic polypeptides, their variants, fusion proteins including a Mistic polypeptide domain, and nucleic acid molecules encoding Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins are disclosed herein. Also described are methods of using Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins to produce and/or isolate recombinant proteins (including without limitation classes of eukaryotic proteins that have previously been intractable to recombinant bacterial expression, such as, eukaryotic integral membrane proteins).

Abstract: Analogs of SRIF which are selective for SSTR4 in contrast to the other cloned SRIF receptors are useful in determining tissue and cellular expression of the receptor SSTR4 and its biological role in regulating tumor growth. SRIF analog peptides, such as des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Ala7]-SRIF; des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Aph7]-SRIF, des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Aph7]Cbm-SRIF; des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Tyr2,Ala7]-Cbm-SRIF, and des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Tyr7,C?Me-L-2Nal8]-SRIF, and counterparts incorporating D-Cys3 and/or D-Trp8 and/or Ala11, bind with high affinity to the cloned human receptor SSTR4 and activate the receptor, but they do not bind with significant affinity to human SSTR1, SSTR2, SSTR3 or SSTR5. By incorporating an iodinated tyrosine in position-2 in these SSTR4-selective SRIF analogs, a labeled compound useful in drug-screening methods is provided. Alternatively, for use in therapy, cytotoxins or highly radioactive elements can be N-terminally coupled or complexed thereto.

Abstract: A class of integral membrane proteins, referred to as Mistic polypeptides, their variants, fusion proteins including a Mistic polypeptide domain, and nucleic acid molecules encoding Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins are disclosed herein. Also described are methods of using Mistic polypeptides and Mistic fusion proteins to produce and/or isolate recombinant proteins (including without limitation classes of eukaryotic proteins that have previously been intractable to recombinant bacterial expression, such as, eukaryotic integral membrane proteins).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for identifying modulators of B1 G-protein coupled receptors. The present invention also relates to a method for identifying an antagonist or agonist of the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRFR2). The present invention also relates to a method for improving antagonists or agonists of CRFR2. The present invention also relates to the three-dimensional structure of CRFR2 as representative of the B1 GPCR subfamily and its use as a basis for rational drug design of antagonist or agonists of B1 GPCRs.

Abstract: Analogs of SRIF which are selective for SSTR4 in contrast to the other cloned SRIF receptors are useful in determining tissue and cellular expression of the receptor SSTR4 and its biological role in regulating tumor growth. SRIF analog peptides, such as des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Ala7]-SRIF; des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Aph7]-SRIF, des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Aph7]Cbm-SRIF; des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Tyr2,Ala7]-Cbm-SRIF, and des-AA1,2,4,5,12,13[Tyr7,C?Me-L-2Nal8]-SRIF, and counterparts incorporating D-Cys3 and/or D-Trp8 and/or Ala11, bind with high affinity to the cloned human receptor SSTR4 and activate the receptor, but they do not bind with significant affinity to human SSTR1, SSTR2, SSTR3 or SSTR5. By incorporating an iodinated tyrosine in position-2 in these SSTR4-selective SRIF analogs, a labeled compound useful in drug-screening methods is provided. Alternatively, for use in therapy, cytotoxins or highly radioactive elements can be N-terminally coupled or complexed thereto.

Abstract: A method for performing polarization transfer in NMR experiments with coupled spin ½ nuclei I and S being irradiated by a sequence of rf pulses comprising a first 90° pulse exciting the spins of the nuclei I and after a delay time a further 90° pulse exciting the spins of the nuclei S is characterized in that there is no inversion pulse acting on the spins of the nuclei S during a time period T between the first 90° pulse exciting the spins of the nuclei I and either the further 90° pulse exciting the spins of the nuclei S or a second 90° pulse acting on the spins of the nuclei I, and that the length of the time period T is chosen such that d/dT[{square root over (sinh+L (RCT+L )2+L +sin(&pgr;JIST+L )2+L )} exp(−RIT)] is minimized, where RC is the transverse cross-correlation-relaxation rate of nuclei I, RI is the total transverse relaxation rate of nuclei I and JIS is the scalar coupling constant between nuclei I and S.

Abstract: A method for obtaining a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) correlation spectrum of heteronuclear spin systems, in particular comprising large molecules, especially biological macromolecules in solution, the spin system being subjected to a homogeneous magnetic field B.sub.0, being irradiated by a sequence of radio frequency (rf) pulses, is characterized in that the spin system comprises at least two kinds of spin 1/2 nuclei I and S being coupled to each other, whereby the sequence of rf pulses is chosen such that line broadening in the observed spectrum due to transverse relaxation (T.sub.2) is significantly reduced because of cross correlation between dipole--dipole (DD) coupling of the spins and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), giving rise to different relaxation rates of the individual multiplet components of the spin system and chosen such that the relaxation effects of the two different mechanisms cancel each other out to a large degree. Thus, even very large biological macromolecules can be measured.