Method for producing ACE2 polypeptide
The present invention relates to recombinant ACE2 polypeptide, where the ACE2 polypeptide is present as a dimer. The dimer is formed specifically from glycosylated monomers and is used for producing pharmaceutical products with an extended half-life.
1. A method for producing a recombinant angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) polypeptide dimer comprising:
(a) introducing a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having amino acids 18-740 of SEQ ID NO: 1 in a eukaryotic cell in the presence of 0.5 to 5.0 micromolar Zn2+;
(b) expressing the polypeptide; and
(c) collecting the dimeric form of the expressed polypeptide.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide is provided on a vector.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein, the vector further comprises a polynucleotide encoding dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).
4. The method of claim 3 wherein, the vector further comprises an internal ribosome entry site (IRES).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the eukaryotic cell is a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell.
6. A stable eukaryotic cell line transfected with a polynucleotide encoding ACE2 polypeptide having amino acids 18-740 of SEQ ID NO: 1 wherein said eukaryotic cell line expresses at least 10 pg/cell/day of the ACE2 polypeptide.