CONSTRUCTION OF A NOVEL FUSION PROTEIN HARBORING MOUSE INTERFERON-GAMMA AND EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR-BINDING DOMAIN AND ENHANCEMENTOF ITS ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY

A novel fusion protein harboring mouse interferon Y and epidermal grow th factor receptor binding domain was constructed with the method of g enetic and protein engineering. The fusion protein kept complete antiv iral activity with the titer of 10(8) IU per liter of culture. The EGF -RBD of the fusion protein exhibited competitive binding activity agai nst I-125-mEGF for mEGF receptors on A431 cells. The fusion protein vi as shown to be more potent in inhibiting the growth of cultured mouse breast carcinoma cells than interferon gamma. Experimental data on mou se B16 malignant melanoma model indicated that the tumor weight of fus ion protein-treated group was statistically significantly smaller than that of interferon gamma-treated group. The work here provides a nece ssarily reliable clue for the upcoming clinical employment of a novel class of targeting interferons.