C-terminally truncated interferon

1 . A polypeptide comprising a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced biological activity.

2 . The polypeptide of claim 1 wherein the enhanced biological activity is antiproliferative activity.

3 . The polypeptide of claim 1 wherein the C-terminally truncated interferon is interferon alpha 2a.

4 . The polypeptide of claim 1 wherein the C-terminally truncated interferon is interferon alpha 2b.

5 . The polypeptide of claim 1 comprising 156 amino acids, 157 amino acids, or 158 amino acids.

6 . The polypeptide of claim 1 having an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of residues #1-156 of SEQ ID NO:2, residues #1-157 of SEQ ID NO:2, and residues #1-158 of SEQ ID NO:2.

7 . A composition comprising the polypeptide of claim 1 associated with a molecule capable of stabilizing the composition.

8 . The composition of claim 7 wherein the molecule is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol derivatives.

9 . A composition comprising the polypeptide of claim 1 fused to a heterologous amino acid sequence.

10 . The composition of claim 9 wherein the heterologous amino acid sequence is a signal peptide.

11 . The composition of claim 10 wherein the signal peptide is extensin.

12 . The polypeptide of claim 1 wherein the polypeptide is plant produced.

13 . The polypeptide of claim 1 wherein the polypeptide is produced by fermentation or microbially.

14 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising the composition of claim 1 .

15 . The polypeptide of claim 12 having 1.56 amino acids, 157 amino acids or 158 amino acids and exhibiting enhanced processing qualities.

16 . The polypeptide of claim 15 wherein the enhanced processing qualities comprise enhanced stability in plant extracts.

17 . The polypeptide of claim 15 wherein the enhanced processing qualities comprise enhanced yield.

18 . The polypeptide of claim 15 wherein the enhanced processing qualities comprise enhanced homogeneity at the C-terminus.

19 . An artificial polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide comprising a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced biological activity.

20 . The artificial polynucleotide of claim 19 further comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of an extensin signal peptide.

21 . The artificial polynucleotide of claim 20 wherein the nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of an extensin signal peptide is linked to the 5′ end of the C-terminally truncated interferon.

22 . The artificial polynucleotide of claim 19 , wherein the polypeptide comprises 156 amino acids, 157 amino acids, or 158 amino acids.

23 . The artificial polynucleotide of claim 19 with a sequence selected from the group consisting of nucleotides #1-468 of SEQ ID NO:1, nucleotides #1-471 of SEQ ID NO:1, and nucleotides #1-474 of SEQ ID NO:1.

24 . An expression vector comprising the polynucleotide of claim 19 .

25 . The expression vector of claim 24 wherein the vector is selected from the group consisting of a plasmid and a viral vector.

26 . A host cell comprising the expression vector of claim 24 .

27 . The host cell of claim 26 wherein the host cell is selected from the group consisting of a plant cell, a CHO cell, a bacterial cell and a yeast cell.

28 . A process for producing a polypeptide comprising a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced biological activity comprising transforming a plant with the expression vector of claim 24 .

29 . The process of claim 28 comprising infecting the plant with a viral vector comprising the expression construct.

30 . The process of claim 29 further comprising recovering the polypeptide from the plant.

31 . The process of claim 28 wherein the expression construct further comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of an extensin signal peptide.

32 . The process of claim 28 comprising stably incorporating the expression construct into the genome of the plant.

33 . A process for producing a polypeptide comprising a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced antiproliferative activity comprising culturing the host cell of claim 26 and recovering the polypeptide from the host cell.

34 . A polypeptide produced by the method of claim 28 .

35 . A polypeptide produced by the method of claim 33

36 . A plant comprising the expression vector of claim 24 .

37 . The plant of claim 36 wherein the expression construct is delivered by a viral vector.

38 . The plant of claim 36 wherein the expression construct is stably incorporated into the plant genome.

39 . The plant of claim 37 wherein the plant is N. benthamiana.

40 . A plant containing a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced biological activity.

41 . A method for treating an interferon affected disorder comprising administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising the polypeptide of claim 1 .

42 . The method of claim 41 wherein the therapeutically effective amount comprises between 5-20 ug.

43 . The method of claim 41 wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered subcutaneously.