US 12,297,230 B2
Synthetic system for tunable thresholding of protein signals
Lucy S. Chong, Pasadena, CA (US); Ronghui Zhu, Pasadena, CA (US); Xiaofei Ge, Beijing (CN); Michael B. Elowitz, Pasadena, CA (US); and Mark W. Budde, Arcadia, CA (US)
Assigned to California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (US)
Filed by California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (US)
Filed on May 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/316,102.
Application 18/316,102 is a continuation of application No. 16/738,664, filed on Jan. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,667,676, issued on Jun. 6, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/790,553, filed on Jan. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0101606 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61K 38/00 (2006.01); C07K 14/00 (2006.01); C12N 9/22 (2006.01)
CPC C07K 14/001 (2013.01) [C12N 9/22 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
 
1. A method of thresholding protein signals comprising:
expressing a synthetic protein circuit in a cell, the synthetic protein circuit comprising:
a first input polypeptide comprising a first partner domain and a first polypeptide domain;
a second input polypeptide comprising a second partner domain and a second polypeptide domain, wherein the first partner domain is capable of binding the second partner domain, wherein the first polypeptide domain and the second polypeptide domain are capable of associating with each other to constitute a first protein capable of being in a first protein active state when the first partner domain binds the second partner domain; and
a thresholding polypeptide comprising a third partner domain and a third polypeptide domain, wherein the third partner domain is capable of binding the second partner domain, wherein the first protein is not in the first protein active state when the third partner domain binds the second partner domain, wherein the first protein in the first protein active state is capable of generating a thresholding output.