Functional peptide segment of epididymis protease inhibitors and uses thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an epididymis protease inhibitor which is a functional peptide segment of Eppin. The inhibitor is any one selected from amino acid sequences shown from SEQ ID No.1 to SEQ ID No.7 and has advantages of single component, simple structure and strong pertinence of immunoreaction inspired; polypeptide with at least 80 percent of sequences the same as the functional peptide segment of Eppin can be used for constructing immunogen which can improve the immunogenicity of the functional peptide segment of Eppin, stimulate an organism to generate a specific antibody, reduce Eppin level in blood plasma and induce high-efficient, safe and reversible antifertility effect. The immunogen of the epididymis protease inhibitor can form a medicament composite with medically acceptable carriers, and the composite can be used for preparing male contraception vaccines, therefore, the epididymis protease inhibitor has broad application prospect.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the field of biotechnology, in particular to functional peptides and applications of epididymis protease inhibitors. Background technique [0002] Population, resource and environmental issues are key issues that seriously affect human survival and economic and social development in this century, and research on contraception has received great attention. So far, male contraceptive methods are still limited to traditional in vitro ejaculation, sterilization and condom use, and there is no new efficient, convenient, safe and reversible contraceptive measure. [0003] For decades, researchers have tried to use reproductive-related hormones and sperm-specific proteins as target antigens to apply immunization methods to male birth control, but there are still many problems, such as not yet finding the best specific target antigens, and the lack of natural antigens. Weak antigenicity and immune tolerance, unsatisfactory immune cont...

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Problems solved by technology

Male rhesus monkeys immunized with the Eppin truncated protein retaining the carboxy-terminal showed reversible infertility (contraceptive rate 7 / 9, reversible rate 5 / 7), semen analysis found that the forward movement ability of sperm was weakened, and the number of sperm and male sex in the body were weak. Hormone levels were not affected, and no autoimmune diseases occurred, indicating that Eppin is a promising target antigen, but it is a self-antigen, so there are still problems such as weak immunogenicity and immune tolerance. , did not eliminate or process the undesired peptides in Eppin that may cause long-term toxic and side effects

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