| abstract |
Disclosed are neuregulin (NRG) heparin binding domain (N-HBD) polypeptides and nucleic acids encoding the same. In particular, a fusion polypeptide is produced, the fusion polypeptide comprising as target structure a polypeptide, fragment, homolog or functional derivative of N-HBD, and the protein to be targeted. It is fused to a polypeptide or peptide targeted to the cell surface rich in heparan sulfate proteoglycans (P trg ) to activate or inhibit interactions at tyrosine kinase receptors. A preferred fusion polypeptide comprises the extracellular domain of N-HBD, spacer and erbB4 (one of several receptors signaled by NRG), which is a potent NRG antagonist. |