| abstract |
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the use of natural and recombinant p95 forms and fragments as heat shock protein binding proteins. The invention is based, in part, on the Applicant's discovery that a p95 can be recombinantly expressed. The present invention also relates to CD91 polypeptide fragments that comprise at least p95 and additional contiguous sequence from domain II, III, and IV of CD91. The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules encoding a CD91 polypeptide fragment or an analog, derivative or mimetic thereof, CD91 polypeptide fragments, or analogs, derivatives or mimetics thereof, vectors comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a CD91 polypeptide fragment, expression vectors comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a CD91 polypeptide fragment, eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells recombinantly expressing a CD91 polypeptide fragment, methods of identifying compounds that interact with a CD91 polypeptide fragment or the interaction of a CD91 polypeptide fragment and CD91 ligands, methods for modulating an immune response with the compositions and methods of the invention, and methods for treatment using the compositions and methods disclosed herein. |