NOVEL RECOMBINANT FACTOR C AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR MEASURING ENDOTOXIN
A horseshoe crab Factor C protein having activity of Factor C, wherein the horseshoe crab is selected from Tachypleus tridentatus, Limulus polyphemus, and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, and wherein the horseshoe crab Factor C protein is produced through being recombinantly expressed from a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) DG44 cell or HEK cell.
1 . A horseshoe crab Factor C protein having activity of Factor C,
wherein the horseshoe crab is selected from the group consisting of Tachypleus tridentatus, and Limulus polyphemus,
wherein the Factor C protein is produced through being recombinantly expressed from a Chinese Hamster Ovary cell, secreted into a culture supernatant and recovered from the culture supernatant, and
wherein the Factor C protein contains (α-2,3)-linked terminal sialic acid in a greater amount, as compared with a corresponding Factor C protein recombinantly expressed using Sf9 as a host cell.
2 . The horseshoe crab Factor C protein according to claim 1 , which has a molecular weight of 115 kDa to 130 kDa, as measured through SDS-PAGE under a non-reducing condition.
3 . An endotoxin assay kit comprising the Factor C protein according to claim 1 and one or more elements.
4 . A method for measuring endotoxin in a test specimen using an endotoxin assay agent comprising the Factor C protein according to claim 1 .