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NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
Molecular Neurobiology Unit, Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol, United Kingdom (J.J.W., M.S.F., S.J.A., D.D.); Department of Pharmacology and Pathophysiology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands (E.v.d.W., F.E., F.P.N.); ReNeuron Ltd., Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom (P.S.); and Neurorestoration Group and London Pain Consortium, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (S.M.)
Elevated levels of nerve growth factor have been linked to the onset and persistence of many pain-related disorders and asthma. Described here are the design, expression, refolding, and purification of a monomeric (nonstrand-swapped) form of the binding domain of the nerve growth factor receptor, designated TrkAd5. We have shown that TrkAd5 produced recombinantly binds nerve growth factor with picomolar affinity. TrkAd5 has been characterized using a variety of biophysical and biochemical assays and is shown here to be stable in both plasma and urine. The palliative effects of TrkAd5 are demonstrated in animal models of inflammatory pain and allergic asthma. We conclude that TrkAd5 will prove effective in ameliorating both acute and chronic conditions where nerve growth factor acts as a mediator and suggest a role for its application in vivo as a novel therapeutic.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Shelley J. Allen, Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Dorothy Hodgkin Bldg., Whitson St., University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 3NY, UK. E-mail: shelley.allen{at}bristol.ac.uk
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