Abstract: An improved method for expressing peptides as fusion proteins, uses a carrier for a heterologous peptide to provide a fusion protein having a high pI. The high isoelectric point facilitates separation of the fusion protein from all other host cell proteins, and separation of the carrier from the peptide after cleavage.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions containing a 57 amino acid protease inhibitor and uses for those compositions are taught. The protease inhibitor is referred to as A4i which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. In addition to the A4i protease, other analogs are taught as are pharmaceutical compositions containing such analogs and their uses in treating a variety of abnormalities associated with Kunitz-type basic protease inhibitors. For example, it has been found that pharmaceutical compositions containing A4i protease and analogs thereof inhibit plasmin and tryptase, and also inhibit pancreatic trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, tissue kallikrein and serum kallikrein. In that certain diseases are associated with a general release of proteases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase into the circulatory system pharmaceutical compositions containing A4i and analogs thereof can be used in the management of such diseases.