| abstract |
The present invention relates to a biologically active interleukin-10 fusion protein, in which two IL-10 monomers, or variants thereof, are respectively fused to the C-terminus of two immunoglobulin Fc parts. The Fc parts associate with one another, which enables the two IL-10 monomers (or variants thereof) to act as a dimer having anti-inflammatory activity. The present invention further relates to a method of expressing the fusion protein in plant cells (such as tobacco cells) by introducing an amino acid spacer into the interdomain region of at least one of the IL-10 monomers. The amino acid spacer enables reduced aggregation of the fusion protein, as compared to expression of the IL-10 dimer, in the plant cells. |