Expression, purification, and characterization of rat interferon-beta, and preparation of an N-terminally PEGylated form with improved pharmacokinetic parameters.

To identify potential new clinical uses and routes of administration for human interferon-beta-1a (IFN-beta-1a), we have developed an expression and purification procedure for the preparation of highly purified rat interferon-beta (IFN-beta) suitable for testing in rat models of human disease. An expression vector containing the rat IFN-beta signal sequence and structural gene was constructed and transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The protein was purified from CHO cell conditioned medium and purified to > 99.