The efficient refolding of recombinant proteins produced in the form of inclusion bodies (IBs) in Escherichia coli still is a complicated experimental problem especially for large hydrophobic highly disulfide-bonded proteins. The aim of this work was to develop highly efficient and simple refolding procedure for such a protein. The recombinant C-terminal fragment of human alpha-fetoprotein (rAFP-Cterm), which has molecular weight of 26 kDa and possesses 6 S-S bonds, was expressed in the form of IBs in E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP) is an oncofetal protein which is a common cancer marker. Conjugates of native hAFP with different cytostatic agents inhibit growth of cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. The hAFP interacts with its receptor (AFPR) on the surface of cancer cells via its C-terminal domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe specific receptor of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a universal tumor marker, being expressed on the surface of many tumor cells, but not in normal human tissues. AFP enters the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis; its receptor-binding site is hypothetically localized in the third domain of AFP. A recombinant C-terminal AFP fragment, which contains all the third and a part of the second domains of hAFP, was produced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioblastomas belong to the most aggressive human cancers with short survival times. Due to the blood-brain barrier, they are mostly inaccessible to traditional chemotherapy. We have recently shown that doxorubicin bound to polysorbate-coated nanoparticles crossed the intact blood-brain barrier, thus reaching therapeutic concentrations in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe object of this work was to study (i) the effect of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to a receptor (R) of an oncofetal protein of an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on the survival rate and sensitivity of tumor target cells to the cytotoxic action of effector cells, (ii) the level of Ab to AFP-R in the blood serum of patients with malignant tumors (iii) the effect of blood serum with a high level of Ab to AFP-R on the survival rate of tumor cells in vitro, and also (iv) the effect of immunization of animals with an AFP-R preparation on subsequent development of a grafted tumor. It is shown that mAb to AFP-R of clones 2E1, 5C6 and 2B8 effectively bond to both mouse tumor cells and to human tumor cells. Monoclonal Ab to AFP-R of the studied clones do not affect the proliferation of tumor cells of mice and insignificantly inhibit the proliferation of human tumor cells.
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