| abstract |
The present invention relates to chimeric neurotrophic factors which comprise at least a portion of a naturally occurring cellular factor and a portion of at least one other molecule such that the resulting chimeric molecule has neurotrophic activity. It is based, in part, on the discovery that chimeric molecules comprising portions of both NGF and BDNF are likely to possess neurotrotrophic activity, and in some cases exhibit a spectrum of activity larger than that of either parent molecule. It is further based on the discovery that chimeric molecules comprising neurotrophic factor sequences as well as additional peptide sequences may retain neurotrophic activity, and in some cases may exhibit a more potent activity than the parent factor. The chimeric neurotrophic factor molecules of the invention provide a number of advantages relative to naturally occurring neurotrophic factors. Chimeric neurotrophic factors may be used to provide, for example, the activity of two neurotrophic factors in a single molecule, or may serve as superagonists of an endogenous neurotrophic factor, thereby enabling an increased biological response at lower doses. Nucleic acids and plasmids encoding the chimeras are disclosed. |