Design and chemical synthesis of a homogeneous polymer-modified erythropoiesis protein

We report the design and total chemical synthesis of "synthetic erythropoiesis protein" (SEP), a 51-kilodalton protein-polymer construct consisting of a 166-amino-acid polypeptide chain and two covalently attached, branched, and monodisperse polymer moieties that are negatively charged. The ability to control the chemistry allowed us to synthesize a macromolecule of precisely defined covalent structure. SEP was homogeneous as shown by high-resolution analytical techniques, with a mass of 50,825 +/-10 daltons by electrospray mass spectrometry, and with a pI of 5.0. In cell and animal assays for erythropoiesis, SEP displayed potent biological activity and had significantly prolonged duration of action in vivo. These chemical methods are a powerful tool in the rational design of protein constructs with potential therapeutic applications.     

Molecular biology. Transposase team puts a headlock on DNA

Transposable DNA elements jump from one location in the genome to another. But, the cut-and-paste molecular machinations that support this nomadic lifestyle are still being unraveled. In their Perspective, Williams and Baker at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discuss new details of transposon relocation revealed through resolution of the structure of a transposase enzyme bound to DNA (Davies et al.).