阅读说明：本技术 对胰岛素受体具有降低的结合力的胰岛素类似物及其用途 (insulin analogs having reduced binding to insulin receptor and uses thereof ) 是由 崔仁荣 郑圣烨 M·寇恩 S·居斯雷根 N·特纳格尔斯 于 2017-09-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种新型胰岛素类似物、其用途以及制备该类似物的方法。(The present invention relates to a novel insulin analogue, its use and a method for preparing the analogue.)

1. An insulin analogue comprising at least one modification in one or more amino acids selected from the group consisting of: the 16 th amino acid of the B chain, the 25 th amino acid of the B chain, the 14 th amino acid of the a chain, and the 19 th amino acid of the a chain of natural insulin.

2. the insulin analogue of claim 1, wherein the modification is a modification of the 16 th amino acid tyrosine of the B-chain of native insulin to glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid; modifying the 25 th amino acid phenylalanine of the B chain of native insulin to aspartic acid or glutamic acid; tyrosine, the 14 th amino acid of the a chain of natural insulin, is modified to histidine, lysine, alanine or aspartic acid; or tyrosine, the 19 th amino acid of the A chain of natural insulin, is modified to glutamic acid, serine or threonine.

3. the insulin analogue of claim 1, comprising an A-chain of SEQ ID NO 55 as indicated in the following general formula 1 and a B-chain of SEQ ID NO 56 as indicated in the following general formula 2 (with the proviso that peptides wherein the A-chain is identical to SEQ ID NO 53 and the B-chain is also identical to SEQ ID NO 54) are excluded:

[ general formula 1]

Xaa1-Ile-Val-Glu-Xaa5-Cys-Cys-Thr-Ser-Ile-Cys-Xaa12-Leu-Xaa14-Gln-Xaa16- Glu-Asn-Xaa19-Cys-Xaa21(SEQ ID NO:55)

Wherein in the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is alanine, glycine, glutamine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine;

Xaa5 is alanine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, or asparagine;

Xaa12 is alanine, serine, glutamine, glutamic acid, histidine, or asparagine;

Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid;

Xaa16 is alanine, leucine, tyrosine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine;

xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, or threonine; and is

Xaa21 is asparagine, glycine, histidine or alanine; and

[ general formula 2]

Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Gly-Ser-His-Leu-Val-Glu-Ala-Leu-Xaa16-Leu- Val-Cys-Gly-Glu-Arg-Gly-Phe-Xaa25-Tyr-Xaa27-Xaa28-Lys-Thr(SEQ ID NO:56)

wherein in the general formula 2, the compound represented by the formula,

xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine, or aspartic acid;

Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid, or glutamic acid;

Xaa27 is threonine, or absent; and is

xaa28 is proline, glutamic acid or aspartic acid, or is absent.

4. the insulin analogue of claim 3, comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO. 55 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO. 54 as indicated in the general formula 1.

5. the insulin analogue of claim 3, comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO 53 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO 56 as indicated in the general formula 2.

6. The insulin analogue of claim 3, wherein the insulin analogue,

Wherein in the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, or threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and is

in the general formula 2, the reaction mixture is,

Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

7. The insulin analogue of claim 3, wherein the insulin analogue,

wherein in the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid or serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and is

In the general formula 2, the reaction mixture is,

Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

8. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein:

(1) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is histidine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(2) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is lysine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(3) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is glutamic acid, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(4) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(5) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(6) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is glutamic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(7) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is serine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(8) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is threonine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(9) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is alanine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(10) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(11) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(12) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is aspartic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline; and is

(13) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

9. The insulin analogue of claim 1, comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, and 52.

10. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is glutamic acid, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

11. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

12. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein

in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

13. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

14. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is aspartic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

15. The insulin analog of claim 3 wherein:

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

16. An isolated nucleic acid encoding an insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A recombinant expression vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim 16.

18. A transformant comprising the recombinant expression vector of claim 17.

19. The transformant of claim 18, wherein the transformant is escherichia coli.

20. A process for preparing an insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising:

a) expressing an insulin analogue by culturing a transformant comprising the nucleic acid encoding the insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15; and is

b) The expressed insulin analogue is isolated and purified.

21. A process for preparing the insulin analogue of claim 20, wherein the isolating and purifying comprises:

b-1) obtaining the transformant from the culture in step a) and pulverizing it;

b-2) recovering the expressed insulin analogue from the comminuted cell lysate and then refolding the insulin analogue;

b-3) purifying the refolded insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography;

B-4) treating the purified insulin analogue with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B; and is

b-5) purifying the treated insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography, and anion exchange chromatography or reverse phase chromatography in sequence.

22. A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of diabetes comprising an insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15 as an active ingredient.

23. A composition comprising the insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15 as an active ingredient.

24. A method of treating diabetes comprising administering the insulin analogue or a composition comprising the insulin analogue of any one of claims 1 to 15 to a subject in need thereof.

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a novel insulin analogue, its use and a method for preparing the analogue.

[ background art ]

It is known that proteins in the body are removed by various routes including decomposition by proteases in blood, excretion through the kidney, removal through receptors, and the like. In this regard, various attempts have been made to improve the therapeutic effect of proteins by increasing the half-life of physiological proteins by avoiding protein clearance mechanisms.

Generally, insulin is a hormone secreted from the human pancreas, which regulates blood glucose levels and has the effect of maintaining normal blood glucose levels while carrying excess glucose in the blood to cells to energize the cells. However, in diabetic patients, insulin does not function normally due to lack of insulin, insulin resistance and loss of beta cell function, so glucose in blood cannot be used as an energy source and blood glucose level rises, resulting in hyperglycemia. Therefore, diabetics cannot use glucose in blood as an energy source, but exhibit symptoms of hyperglycemia (with high glucose levels) and excrete glucose in urine, which is a cause of various complications. Thus, insulin therapy is essential for patients with abnormal insulin secretion (type I) or insulin resistance (type II), and blood glucose levels can be normally regulated by insulin administration.

however, like other protein and peptide hormones, insulin has a very short half-life in vivo and therefore has the disadvantage of repeated administration. Such frequent administration causes severe pain and discomfort to the patient, and thus there is a need for improved administration in terms of patient compliance, safety and convenience.

Therefore, research has focused on developing various protein formulations, chemical conjugates (e.g., fatty acid conjugates), and the like to improve the therapeutic effect and quality of life of patients by increasing the in vivo half-life of these protein drugs, such as insulin, to reduce the frequency of administration.

According to previous reports, 50% or more of insulin is removed in the kidney, while the rest is removed by a receptor-mediated clearance (RMC) process in target sites (e.g., muscle, fat, liver, etc.).

In this regard, it has been reported (J Pharmacol Exp Ther (1998)286:959, Diabetes Care (1990)13:923, and Diabetes (1990)39:1033, etc.) that in vitro activity is reduced to avoid RMC of insulin, thereby increasing insulin levels in blood. However, in J Pharmacol Exp Ther (1998)286:959, Diabetes Care (1990)13:923 where insulin analogues are proposed which have substitutions of at least two amino acids or which provide no particular result, whereas in Diabetes (1990)39:1033 insulin analogues show no change in their binding affinity to the receptor or have reduced insulin analogue activity by substituting amino acids directly involved in binding to the insulin receptor.

The inventors have developed analogues that can only reduce the binding affinity to the insulin receptor by substituting amino acids that are not directly involved in binding to the insulin receptor; and confirmed that they have reduced binding affinity for insulin receptor, thereby completing the present invention.

[ summary of the invention ]

[ problem ] to

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel insulin analogue.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an isolated nucleic acid encoding the insulin analogue, a recombinant expression vector comprising the nucleic acid, and a transformant comprising the expression vector.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing the insulin analogue.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a composition, e.g. a pharmaceutical composition, comprising the insulin analogue as an active ingredient.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition for treating insulin-related diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus) comprising an insulin analog as an active ingredient.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for treating diabetes, which comprises administering the insulin analog or a pharmaceutical composition comprising the insulin analog as an active ingredient to a subject in need thereof.

It is still another object of the invention to provide the use of the insulin analogue in the manufacture of a medicament.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the use of insulin analogues in the treatment of insulin-related diseases, in particular diabetes.

[ solution ]

To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides an insulin analogue, and in particular an insulin analogue comprising at least one modification in one or more amino acids selected from the group consisting of: the 16 th amino acid of the B chain, the 25 th amino acid of the B chain, the 14 th amino acid of the a chain, and the 19 th amino acid of the a chain of natural insulin.

in exemplary embodiments, the modification may be the modification of the 16 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the B chain of native insulin to glutamic acid, serine, threonine, or aspartic acid; modification of the 25 th amino acid (i.e., phenylalanine) of the B chain of native insulin to aspartic acid or glutamic acid; modifying the 14 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the a chain of native insulin to histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid; or the 19 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the a chain of natural insulin is modified to glutamic acid, serine or threonine.

In another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analogue may be an insulin analogue comprising all combinations of the A-chain of SEQ ID NO:55 represented by the following general formula 1 and the B-chain of SEQ ID NO:56 represented by the following general formula 2, excluding native insulin, i.e. excluding peptides wherein the A-chain is identical to SEQ ID NO:53 and the B-chain is also identical to SEQ ID NO: 54.

[ general formula 1]

Xaa1-Ile-Val-Glu-Xaa5-Cys-Cys-Thr-Ser-Ile-Cys-Xaa12-Leu-Xaa14-Gln-X aa16-Glu-Asn-Xaa19-Cys-Xaa21(SEQ ID NO:55)

In the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is alanine, glycine, glutamine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine,

xaa5 is alanine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine or asparagine,

Xaa12 is alanine, serine, glutamine, glutamic acid, histidine or asparagine,

Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine or aspartic acid,

xaa16 is alanine, leucine, tyrosine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine,

Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or threonine, and

xaa21 is asparagine, glycine, histidine or alanine.

[ general formula 2]

Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Gly-Ser-His-Leu-Val-Glu-Ala-Leu-Xaa16-L eu-Val-Cys-Gly-Glu-Arg-Gly-Phe-Xaa25-Tyr-Xaa27-Xaa28-Lys-Thr(SEQ ID NO:56)

in the general formula 2, the reaction mixture is,

Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid,

Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid,

Xaa27 is threonine, or is absent, and

Xaa28 is proline, glutamic acid or aspartic acid, or is absent.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO:55 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO:54 represented by formula 1 above.

in yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO 53 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO 56 represented by formula 2 above.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog wherein:

In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, or threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and is

In formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine, or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid, or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog wherein:

In the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid or serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and is

in the general formula 2, the reaction mixture is,

Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

in yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog wherein:

(1) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is histidine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, Xaa28 is proline;

(2) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is lysine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(3) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is glutamic acid, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and, in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(4) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(5) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(6) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is glutamic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(7) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is serine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(8) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and, in formula 2, Xaa16 is threonine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(9) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is alanine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(10) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(11) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(12) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is aspartic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline; and is

(13) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, and 52.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides an isolated nucleic acid encoding the insulin analog.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a recombinant expression vector comprising the nucleic acid.

In still another aspect, the present invention provides a transformant comprising the recombinant expression vector.

in an exemplary embodiment, the transformant may be Escherichia coli.

in yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of preparing the insulin analogue, comprising:

a) Expressing the insulin analogue by culturing a transformant comprising a nucleic acid encoding the insulin analogue; and is

b) The expressed insulin analogue is isolated and purified.

in exemplary embodiments, the isolating and purifying may comprise:

b-1) obtaining the transformant from the culture in step a) and pulverizing it;

b-2) recovering the expressed insulin analogue from the comminuted cell lysate and then refolding the insulin analogue;

b-3) purifying the refolded insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography;

B-4) treating the purified insulin analogue with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B; and is

b-5) purifying the treated insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography, and anion exchange chromatography or reverse phase chromatography in sequence.

in yet another aspect, the present invention provides a composition, e.g. a pharmaceutical composition, comprising an insulin analogue as an active ingredient.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for treating insulin-related diseases (e.g., diabetes) comprising an insulin analog as an active ingredient.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating an insulin-related disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus) comprising administering an insulin analog or a pharmaceutical composition comprising the insulin analog as an active ingredient to a subject in need thereof.

in yet another aspect, the invention provides the use of an insulin analogue in the manufacture of a medicament.

in one embodiment, the medicament is for the prevention or treatment of an insulin-related disorder.

In another embodiment, the medicament is for the prevention or treatment of diabetes.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides the use of an insulin analogue in the treatment of insulin-related diseases, in particular diabetes.

[ advantageous effects of the invention ]

the non-natural insulin analogues of the present invention may improve compliance of patients in need of insulin administration.

[ description of the drawings ]

Figure 1 shows the results of an analysis of the purity of an insulin analogue by protein electrophoresis, in particular the results of representative insulin analogues 9, 10, 11 and 12 (lane 1: size marker; lane 2: native insulin; lane 3: insulin analogue 9; lane 4: insulin analogue 10; lane 5: insulin analogue 11; and lane 6: insulin analogue 12).

Figures 2a to 2d show the results of analysis of insulin analogue purity by high pressure chromatography, and in particular the results of representative insulin analogues 9, 10, 11 and 12. In each figure, the results of RP-HPLC (C18), RP-HPLC (C4) and SE-HPLC are shown in order from top to bottom.

Figure 3 shows the results of experiments demonstrating the glucose uptake capacity of human insulin and insulin analogue 10.

Figure 4 shows the results of experiments demonstrating the cell stability of human insulin and insulin analogue 10.

[ detailed description of the invention ]

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

Meanwhile, each of the explanation and exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to other explanations and exemplary embodiments. That is, all combinations of the various factors disclosed herein are within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the specific disclosure provided below.

In addition, those skilled in the art will be able to identify or ascertain based on routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein and such equivalents are intended to be included herein.

Throughout the specification, the conventional single letter and 3-letter codes for amino acids are used. In addition, amino acids referred to herein by abbreviations are described according to the IUPAC-IUB rules.

One aspect of the present invention provides novel insulin analogues, and in particular insulin analogues comprising at least one modification in one or more amino acids selected from the group consisting of: the 16 th amino acid of the B chain, the 25 th amino acid of the B chain, the 14 th amino acid of the a chain, and the 19 th amino acid of the a chain of natural insulin.

The term "insulin analog" as used herein refers to a non-natural insulin that is different from a natural insulin.

Insulin analogues include non-natural human insulin, which is different from natural human insulin. Such insulin analogues include analogues in which a portion of the amino acids of the natural insulin are modified by addition, deletion or substitution.

In particular, an insulin analogue of the invention may be an insulin analogue having a sequence characteristic of at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94% or at least 95% sequence identity compared to the native insulin sequence. In addition, the insulin analogue of the present invention may be an insulin analogue having reduced receptor binding affinity compared to native insulin while having the above sequence identity. In addition, insulin analogs can have the ability to take up glucose as native insulin and/or have the ability to lower blood glucose levels in vivo.

More specifically, an insulin analog of the invention can exhibit a binding affinity for insulin receptor of about 99% or less, about 95% or less, about 90% or less, about 85% or less, about 80% or less, about 75% or less, about 70% or less, about 65% or less, about 60% or less, about 55% or less, about 50% or less, about 45% or less, about 40% or less, about 35% or less, about 30% or less, about 25% or less, about 20% or less, about 15% or less, about 10% or less, about 9% or less, about 8% or less, about 7% or less, about 6% or less, about 5% or less, about 4% or less, about 3% or less, about 2% or less, about 1% or less, or about 0.1% or less (but the binding affinity of the insulin analog of the invention for insulin receptor is not corresponding to the binding affinity of the insulin receptor of the invention (100%) 0%).

the binding affinity of an insulin analogue to the insulin receptor can be assessed by a proximity scintillation assay (SPA) which exploits the competitive reaction of an insulin analogue with I125-labeled insulin in the cell membrane of an overexpressed recombinant human insulin receptor. This method can also be used to assess the binding affinity of insulin analogs to the insulin receptor. As an exemplary embodiment of the method, the method used in example 8 may be used.

As used herein, the term "about" refers to a range including ± 0.5, ± 0.4, ± 0.3, ± 0.2, ± 0.1, etc., and the term "about" includes any numerical value equal to or similar within the range to the numerical value following the term, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, insulin analogues of the invention may have glucose uptake capacity as native insulin.

specifically, an insulin analog of the present invention can be an insulin analog having a glucose uptake capacity of about 10% or more, about 20% or more, about 30% or more, about 40% or more, about 50% or more, about 55% or more, about 60% or more, about 65% or more, about 70% or more, about 75% or more, about 80% or more, about 85% or more, about 90% or more, about 95% or more, about 100% or more, about 110% or more, about 120% or more, about 130% or more, about 140% or more, about 150% or more, about 160% or more, about 170% or more, about 180% or more, about 190% or more, or about 200% or more, as compared to the glucose uptake capacity (100%) of native insulin.

the measurement of the glucose uptake ability can be achieved by various methods for measuring the glucose uptake ability known in the art, and for example, can be achieved by the method for measuring the glucose uptake ability described in embodiment 9, but the measurement method is not limited thereto.

in particular, the insulin analogue to be used in the present invention may be in the form of a single polypeptide chain or two polypeptide chains, more preferably two polypeptide chains, but the insulin analogue is not particularly limited thereto.

An insulin analogue in the form of two polypeptide chains can be composed of two polypeptides, a polypeptide corresponding to the a-chain of native insulin and a polypeptide corresponding to the B-chain of native insulin. Specifically, the a chain or B chain corresponding to native insulin may refer to the following: wherein any one of the two polypeptide chains has at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, or at least 95% sequence identity as compared to the a chain or B chain of native insulin, but is not particularly limited thereto, and can be readily determined by one skilled in the art by comparison between the sequences constituting the two polypeptide chains and the sequences of the a chain or B chain of native insulin.

Natural insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and generally has the effects of promoting intracellular glucose uptake and inhibiting lipolysis, thereby controlling blood glucose levels in the body. Insulin, which controls blood glucose levels, is produced by processing its precursor proinsulin, which does not have the function of controlling blood glucose levels. Insulin is composed of two polypeptide chains, an a-chain and a B-chain, which comprise 21 and 30 amino acids, respectively, and are interconnected via two disulfide bonds. Each of the A chain and the B chain may include an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NOS: 53 and 54 as shown below.

Chain A:

Gly-Ile-Val-Glu-Gln-Cys-Cys-Thr-Ser-Ile-Cys-Ser-Leu-Tyr-Gln-Leu-Glu-A sn-Tyr-Cys-Asn(SEQ ID NO:53)

Chain B:

Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Gly-Ser-His-Leu-Val-Glu-Ala-Leu-Tyr-Leu- Val-Cys-Gly-Glu-Arg-Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-Thr-Pro-Lys-Thr(SEQ ID NO:54)

In exemplary embodiments, insulin analogs described in the present invention can be those that have reduced binding affinity for the receptor while having the function of controlling blood glucose levels in vivo like native insulin. More specifically, insulin analogs can have the ability to lower blood glucose levels in vivo.

In addition, in exemplary embodiments, the type and size of insulin analogs may not be particularly limited as long as they can exhibit reduced receptor-mediated internalization or receptor-mediated clearance. Thus, the insulin analogues of the present invention may exhibit an improved half-life in blood compared to native insulin. Insulin analogs of the invention include reverse insulin, derivatives of natural insulin, fragments of natural insulin, and the like. Insulin analogs can be prepared not only by recombinant methods but also by solid phase synthesis, and the preparation method is not limited thereto.

As used herein, the term "derivative of natural insulin" refers to a peptide having at least one difference in amino acid sequence compared to natural insulin, a peptide prepared by modifying the sequence of natural insulin, and a natural insulin mimetic that can control blood glucose levels in vivo like natural insulin. Such derivatives of natural insulin may be those having a function of controlling blood glucose levels in vivo.

Specifically, the derivative of natural insulin can be produced by any one of or a combination of substitution, addition, deletion and modification in a part of amino acids of natural insulin.

Specifically, the derivative of natural insulin may have 80% or more homology with each amino acid sequence of the a chain and the B chain of natural insulin, and/or a part of the amino acid residues may be modified by chemical substitution (e.g., α -methylation, α -hydroxylation), deletion (e.g., deamination), modification (e.g., N-methylation), or the like (but not limited thereto).

The derivatives of native insulin used in the present invention can be prepared by a combination of various methods for preparing the derivatives.

In addition, such modifications for preparing derivatives of native insulin include modifications using one or more L-or D-amino acids and/or one or more unnatural amino acids; and/or modifications or post-translational modifications of the native sequence (e.g., methylation, acylation, ubiquitination, intermolecular covalent bonds, etc.).

Additionally, those insulins are included in which one or more amino acids are added to the amino and/or carboxy terminus of the native insulin.

For substitution or insertion of one or more amino acids, not only 20 kinds of amino acids conventionally observed in human proteins but also atypical or unnatural amino acids may be used. Commercial sources of atypical amino acids may include Sigma-Aldrich, ChemPep, Genzyme pharmaceuticals, and the like. The peptides comprising these amino acids and sequences of typical peptides can be synthesized or purchased from commercial Peptide synthesis companies such as, but not particularly limited to, American Peptide Company, Bachem (USA), and Anygen (Korea).

As used herein, the term "fragment of native insulin or a fragment of a derivative of native insulin" refers to a form of insulin in which at least one amino acid at the amino terminus or the carboxyl terminus of native insulin or a derivative of native insulin is removed. Such insulin fragments may have the function of controlling blood glucose levels in vivo.

In addition, insulin analogues of the invention may be those prepared using one or more methods of preparing derivatives and fragments of native insulin, either independently or in combination.

In particular, insulin analogues according to the invention may comprise those having modifications in the a-chain and the B-chain of the natural insulin described above, and in particular those wherein one or more specific amino acid residues of the a-chain of the natural insulin are modified and/or one or more specific amino acid residues of the B-chain of the natural insulin are modified.

In particular, insulin analogues may be those in which at least one modification of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of: the 16 th amino acid of the B chain, the 25 th amino acid of the B chain, the 14 th amino acid of the a chain, and the 19 th amino acid of the a chain of natural insulin, and specifically, these amino acids may be substituted with glutamic acid, serine, threonine, aspartic acid, histidine, lysine, or alanine, but are not limited thereto.

In particular, insulin analogues may be those in which at least one, at least two, at least three or four of the above amino acids are substituted by one or more other amino acids.

Specifically, the modification may be a modification of the 16 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the B chain of insulin to glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid; modification of the 25 th amino acid of the B chain of insulin (i.e., phenylalanine) to aspartic acid or glutamic acid; the 14 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the a chain of insulin is modified to histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid; or the 19 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the a chain of insulin is modified to glutamic acid, serine or threonine.

Thus, an insulin analogue may include the following modifications: modifying the 16 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the B chain of native insulin to glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid; and/or the 25 th amino acid of the B chain of native insulin (i.e., phenylalanine) is modified to aspartic acid or glutamic acid; and/or the 14 th amino acid of the a chain of native insulin (i.e. tyrosine) is modified to histidine, lysine, alanine or aspartic acid; and/or the 19 th amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of the a chain of natural insulin is modified to glutamic acid, serine or threonine, but the modification is not limited thereto.

More specifically, the insulin analogs may be those comprising an A chain of SEQ ID NO:55 represented by general formula 1 below and a B chain of SEQ ID NO:56 represented by general formula 2 below. These insulin analogs may be in the form of an a-chain and a B-chain linked to each other by a disulfide bond or in the form of proinsulin, but are not limited thereto.

[ general formula 1]

Xaa1-Ile-Val-Glu-Xaa5-Cys-Cys-Thr-Ser-Ile-Cys-Xaa12-Leu-Xaa14-Gln-X aa16-Glu-Asn-Xaa19-Cys-Xaa21(SEQ ID NO:55)

In the general formula 1, the compound represented by the formula,

Xaa1 is alanine, glycine, glutamine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine,

Xaa5 is alanine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine or asparagine,

Xaa12 is alanine, serine, glutamine, glutamic acid, histidine or asparagine,

Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine or aspartic acid,

Xaa16 is alanine, leucine, tyrosine, histidine, glutamic acid, or asparagine,

xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or threonine, and

xaa21 is asparagine, glycine, histidine or alanine.

[ general formula 2]

Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Gly-Ser-His-Leu-Val-Glu-Ala-Leu-Xaa16-L eu-Val-Cys-Gly-Glu-Arg-Gly-Phe-Xaa25-Tyr-Xaa27-Xaa28-Lys-Thr(SEQ ID NO:56)

In the general formula 2, the reaction mixture is,

Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid,

Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid,

Xaa27 is threonine, or is absent, and

Xaa28 is proline, glutamic acid or aspartic acid, or is absent.

Herein, peptides comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO 53 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO 54 can be excluded.

In addition, those peptides are included within the scope of the present invention which have 70% or more, in particular 80% or more, more in particular 90% or more, and even more in particular 95% or more homology with the sequence of the corresponding insulin analogue (which comprises the a-chain of general formula 1 above and the B-chain of general formula 2 above, while comprising the characteristic modifications described above (i.e. the amino acid residues not present in the natural insulin), in particular the 14 th and/or 19 th amino acid of the a-chain and/or the 16 th and/or 25 th amino acid of the B-chain) and which have a reduced binding affinity for the receptor compared to the natural insulin.

as used herein, the term "homology" refers to a level of similarity with respect to the amino acid sequence of a wild-type protein or a polynucleotide sequence encoding the same, and includes sequences having the above-described percentage or more of the amino acid sequence or polynucleotide sequence of the present invention or sequences of the same sequence. This homology can be determined by visual comparison, or can be determined by bioinformatics algorithms that analyze the degree of homology by aligning two sequences. Homology between two amino acid sequences can be indicated as a percentage. Useful automated algorithms may be used on the GAP, BESTFIT and FASTA and TFASTA Computer software modules of the Wisconsin Genetics software package (Genetics Computer Group, Madison, Wis., USA). Automatic array algorithms include Needleman & Wunsch, Pearson & Lipman, and Smith & Waterman sequence array algorithms. The determination of the algorithm and homology is automated in software including FASTP, BLAST2, psibllast and CLUSTAL W.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog comprising an A chain of SEQ ID NO:55 and a B chain of SEQ ID NO:54 represented by formula 1 above; or an insulin analog comprising the A chain of SEQ ID NO 53 and the B chain of SEQ ID NO 56 represented by the above general formula 2, but is not particularly limited thereto.

more specifically, the insulin analog may be an insulin analog wherein in general formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, histidine, lysine, alanine, or aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, or threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine, threonine or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline, but is not limited thereto.

more specifically, the insulin analog may be an insulin analog wherein in general formula 1 Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid or serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline, but is not limited thereto.

More specifically, the insulin analog may be an insulin analog wherein in general formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine or aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, glutamic acid, serine or threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, aspartic acid or glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline, but is not limited thereto.

In exemplary embodiments, an insulin analogue according to the invention may correspond to the following insulin analogues:

(1) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is histidine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(2) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is lysine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(3) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is glutamic acid, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(4) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is serine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(5) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is threonine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(6) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is glutamic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(7) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is serine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(8) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is threonine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(9) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is alanine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(10) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is aspartic acid, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(11) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is aspartic acid, Xaa25 is phenylalanine, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline;

(12) in formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is aspartic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline; and is

(13) In formula 1, Xaa1 is glycine, Xaa5 is glutamine, Xaa12 is serine, Xaa14 is tyrosine, Xaa16 is leucine, Xaa19 is tyrosine, and Xaa21 is asparagine; and in formula 2, Xaa16 is tyrosine, Xaa25 is glutamic acid, Xaa27 is threonine, and Xaa28 is proline.

Additionally, in exemplary embodiments, the insulin analog can be an insulin analog comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, and 52, but is not limited thereto.

An insulin analogue according to the present invention may be a peptide comprising, consisting essentially of, but not limited to the above-specified sequence.

meanwhile, although it is described as "a peptide or insulin analogue consisting of a specific SEQ ID NO" in the present invention, it does not exclude the addition of any nonsense sequence or naturally occurring mutation or silent mutation thereof upstream or downstream of the amino acid sequence of the corresponding SEQ ID NO as long as the peptide has the same or equivalent activity as the peptide or insulin analogue consisting of the amino acid sequence of the corresponding SEQ ID NO, and it is apparent that such sequence addition or mutation is also within the scope of the present invention.

Also, insulin analogs include all peptides themselves, salts thereof (e.g., pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the peptides), or solvates thereof.

Additionally, the peptide or insulin analog can be in any pharmaceutically acceptable form.

The kind of the salt is not particularly limited. However, it is preferred that the salt is in a form that is safe and effective for a subject (e.g., a mammal), but is not particularly limited thereto.

As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable" refers to a substance that is effective for a desired purpose within the scope of the medical decision to make a medicament without causing undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response, and the like.

As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable salt" includes salts derived from pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic acids, organic acids or bases. Examples of suitable acids may include hydrochloric acid, bromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, perchloric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, phosphoric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, succinic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, citric acid, methanesulfonic acid, formic acid, benzoic acid, malonic acid, naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, and the like. Salts derived from suitable bases can include alkali metals (e.g., sodium, potassium, etc.), alkaline earth metals (e.g., magnesium, etc.), ammonium, and the like.

Further, as used herein, the term "solvate" refers to a complex formed between a peptide or salt thereof according to the present invention and a solvent molecule.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid encoding an insulin analog, a recombinant expression vector comprising the nucleic acid, and a transformant comprising the recombinant expression vector.

Insulin analogues are the same as explained above.

as used herein, the term "nucleic acid" refers to Deoxyribonucleotides (DNA) or Ribonucleotides (RNA) in either single-or double-stranded form, including genomic DNA, cDNA, and RNA transcribed therefrom, and nucleotides that are the basic building blocks in nucleic acid molecules include not only natural nucleotides, but also Analogs having modifications in sugar or base (Scheit, Nucleotide Analogs, John Wiley, New York, 1980; Uhlman and Peyman, Chemical Reviews,90: 584, 1990). The nucleic acids of the invention can be isolated or prepared using standard techniques in molecular biology. For example, the nucleic acids of the invention can be prepared by PCR amplification using appropriate primer sequences based on the native insulin gene sequence (NM — 000207.2, NCBI) and can be prepared by standard synthetic techniques using an automated DNA synthesizer.

Specifically, the nucleic acid of the present invention includes a nucleotide sequence represented by SEQ ID NO 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, or 51. In an exemplary embodiment, the nucleic acid of the invention includes not only the nucleotide sequence represented by SEQ ID NO 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, or 51, but also all sequences having at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, even more preferably at least 95%, and most preferably at least 98% sequence homology to the above sequences, wherein the peptide encoded by the above nucleic acid exhibits reduced binding affinity for a receptor as compared to native insulin while having substantially the function of controlling blood glucose levels in vivo.

The recombinant vector according to the present invention may be constructed as a vector for typical cloning or for expression, and may be constructed as a vector using a eukaryotic cell or a prokaryotic cell as a host cell.

As used herein, the term "vector" refers to a recombinant vector capable of expressing a target protein in an appropriate host cell, which is a nucleic acid construct comprising the necessary regulatory factors operably linked to enable expression of the nucleic acid insert. The present invention allows for the preparation of recombinant vectors comprising nucleic acids encoding insulin analogues and the insulin analogues of the present invention can be obtained by transformation or transfection of the recombinant vectors into host cells.

in the present invention, the nucleic acid encoding an insulin analogue may be operably linked to a promoter.

as used herein, the term "operably linked" refers to a functional linkage between a regulatory sequence (e.g., promoter, signal sequence, ribosome binding site, transcription termination sequence, etc.) and a different nucleotide sequence for expression of a nucleic acid, and the regulatory sequence can regulate transcription and/or translation of the different nucleotide sequence by the same regulatory sequence.

as used herein, the term "promoter" refers to an untranslated nucleic acid sequence that can be located upstream of a coding region, that includes a polymerase binding site and that has the activity to initiate transcription of a gene located downstream of the promoter into mRNA, i.e., a region of DNA where the polymerase binds to and initiates transcription of the gene, and that can be located 5' to the initiation of mRNA transcription.

For example, when the vector of the present invention is a recombinant vector and a prokaryotic cell is used as a host cell, in general, a strong promoter capable of performing transcription (e.g., tac promoter, lac promoter, lacUV5 promoter, lpp promoter, pL λ promoter, pR λ promoter, rac5 promoter, amp promoter, recA promoter, SP6 promoter, trp promoter, T7 promoter, etc.), a ribosome binding site for initiating translation, and a transcription/translation termination sequence are usually included.

In addition, the vector to be used in the present invention can be prepared by manipulating a plasmid (e.g., pSC101, pGV1106, pACYC177, ColE1, pKT230, pME290, pBR322, pUC8/9, pUC6, pBD9, pHC79, pIJ61, pLAFR1, pHV14, pGEX series, pET series, pPICZ α series, pUC19, etc.), a phage (e.g., λ gt 4. lamda.B, λ -Charon, λ Δ z1, M13, etc.), or a virus (e.g., SV40, etc.) commonly used in the art

Meanwhile, when the vector of the present invention is a recombinant vector and uses a eukaryotic cell as a host cell, a promoter derived from the genome of a mammalian cell (for example, metallothionein promoter) or a promoter derived from a mammalian virus (for example, adenovirus late promoter, 7.5K promoter of papilloma virus, SV40 promoter, cytomegalovirus promoter and tk promoter of HSV) may be used, and generally, the vector includes a polyadenylation sequence (for example, bovine growth hormone terminator and polyadenylation sequence derived from SV 40) as a transcription termination sequence.

in addition, the recombinant vector of the present invention includes antibiotic resistance genes commonly used in the art as a selection marker, and may include genes having resistance to, for example, ampicillin, gentamicin, carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, kanamycin, geneticin, neomycin, and tetracycline.

the recombinant vectors of the invention may additionally include different sequences to facilitate purification of the collected target protein, i.e., single-chain insulin analog, proinsulin, or analogs thereof. The additionally included sequence may be a tag sequence for protein purification, such as glutathione S-transferase (Pharmacia, USA), maltose binding protein (NEB, USA), FLAG (IBI, USA), 6-histidine, etc., but the kind of sequence necessary for purification of the target protein is not limited thereto.

The fusion protein expressed from the recombinant vector comprising the above tag sequence can be purified by affinity chromatography. For example, when glutathione S-transferase is fused, glutathione (which is a substrate of the enzyme) may be used, and when a 6-histidine tag is used, a desired target protein may be easily collected through a Ni-NTA column.

The term "transformation" as used herein refers to the process of introducing DNA into a host cell and allowing the DNA to replicate therein as a chromosomal factor or complete chromosomal integration, a phenomenon in which genetic changes are artificially induced by introducing foreign DNA into the cell.

The transformation method used in the present invention may be any transformation method, and may be easily performed according to a conventional method used in the art. Examples of commonly used transformation methods may include CaCl2 precipitation, Hanahan method using Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as a reducing agent in CaCl2 precipitation to improve efficiency, electroporation, CaPO4 precipitation, protoplast fusion, agitation using silicon carbide fibers, agrobacterium-mediated transformation, transformation using PEG, dextran sulfate, lipofectamine, and dry/inhibition-mediated transformation, etc.

the method for transforming a recombinant vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding an insulin analogue according to the invention may not be limited to these methods, but any transformation or transfection method commonly used in the art may be used without limitation.

the transformant of the present invention can be obtained by introducing a recombinant vector containing a target nucleic acid encoding an insulin analog into a host cell.

An appropriate host used in the present invention may not be particularly limited as long as it can express the nucleic acid of the present invention. Examples of suitable hosts may include bacteria belonging to the genus Escherichia (e.g., Escherichia coli), bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus (e.g., Bacillus subtilis), bacteria belonging to the genus Pseudomonas (e.g., Pseudomonas putida), yeasts (e.g., Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe), insect cells (e.g., Spodoptera frugiperda (SF9)), and animal cells (e.g., CHO, COS, and BSC). Specifically, Escherichia coli can be used as the host cell, but is not limited thereto.

In another aspect for achieving the object of the present invention, a method for preparing an insulin analog using the transformant is provided.

in particular, the process for preparing insulin analogues may comprise the following:

a) Expressing the insulin analogue by culturing a transformant comprising a nucleic acid encoding the insulin analogue; and is

b) the expressed insulin analogue is isolated and purified.

the medium used for culturing the transformant of the present invention may satisfy the requirements of the host cell culture in an appropriate manner. The carbon source contained in the medium for growth of the host cell can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art according to the determination of the transformant to be produced, and the appropriate culture conditions can be selected to control the time and amount of culture.

Examples of the sugar source used may include sugars and carbohydrates such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, starch and cellulose; oils and fats such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, and coconut oil; fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid; alcohols such as glycerol and ethanol; and organic acids such as acetic acid. These materials may be used alone or in combination.

examples of the nitrogen source used may include peptone, yeast extract, meat extract, malt extract, corn steep liquor, soybean powder and urea; or inorganic compounds such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium carbonate and ammonium nitrate. The nitrogen sources may also be used individually or in combination.

examples of phosphorus sources used may include potassium dihydrogen phosphate or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate or the corresponding sodium-containing salts. In addition, the medium may contain salts of metals necessary for the growth of the transformant, such as magnesium sulfate or iron sulfate.

Finally, essential growth materials, such as amino acids and vitamins, can be used. In addition, suitable precursors for the culture medium may also be used. The above-mentioned source may be appropriately added to the culture during the culture by batch culture or continuous culture. The pH of the culture can be suitably adjusted using basic compounds such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and ammonia or acid compounds such as phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid. In addition, a defoaming agent (e.g., fatty acid polyglycol ester) may be added to prevent foaming. In addition, in order to maintain the aerobic state of the culture, oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas (e.g., air) may be injected into the culture.

The transformant of the present invention can be cultured at 20 ℃ to 45 ℃ and particularly 25 ℃ to 40 ℃. In addition, the culture is continued until a maximum yield of the desired insulin analogue is obtained, and for that matter, the culture may normally last from 10 hours to 160 hours.

As described above, the transformant of the present invention can produce an insulin analog when appropriate culture conditions are provided according to the host cell, and the insulin analog produced according to the vector constitution and the host cell characteristics can be secreted into the cytoplasm of the host cell or into the periplasmic space or extracellularly.

The protein expressed in the host cell or outside the host cell can be purified by a conventional method. Examples of the purification method may include salting out (e.g., ammonium sulfate precipitation, ammonium phosphate precipitation, etc.), solvent precipitation (e.g., protein fraction precipitation using acetone or ethanol, etc.), dialysis, gel filtration, ion exchange, or chromatography (e.g., reverse phase column chromatography), ultrafiltration, etc., and these methods may be used alone or in combination.

in exemplary embodiments, the present invention may further include the following steps for isolating and purifying the insulin analog expressed in the form of inclusion bodies from the transformants:

b-1) obtaining the transformant from the culture in step a) and pulverizing it;

b-2) recovering the expressed insulin analogue from the comminuted cell lysate and then refolding the insulin analogue;

b-3) purifying the refolded insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography;

B-4) treating the purified insulin analogue with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B; and is

b-5) purifying the treated insulin analogue by cation exchange chromatography, and anion exchange chromatography or reverse phase chromatography in sequence.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a composition (e.g., a pharmaceutical composition) for treating diabetes comprising an insulin analog as an active ingredient.

The pharmaceutical composition may be a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of insulin-related diseases, such as diabetes.

Insulin analogues are the same as explained above.

As used herein, the term "insulin-related disease" refers to a disease that occurs or develops in the absence or low level of physiological activity of insulin, including, for example, diabetes, but is not particularly limited thereto.

a pharmaceutical composition comprising an insulin analogue of the invention may comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

The term "pharmaceutically acceptable" as used herein means having a property of an amount sufficient to exhibit a therapeutic effect and not causing side effects, and can be easily determined by those skilled in the art based on factors well known in the medical field, such as the kind of disease, age, body weight, health condition, sex, drug sensitivity of a patient, administration route, administration method, administration frequency, treatment duration, one or more drugs to be mixed or administered simultaneously, and the like.

For oral administration, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can include binders, lubricants, disintegrants, excipients, solubilizers, dispersants, stabilizers, suspending agents, colorants, perfumes, and the like. For injectable preparations, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can include buffers, preservatives, analgesics, solubilizers, isotonic agents and stabilizers. For preparations for topical administration, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can include bases, excipients, lubricants, preservatives, and the like. The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention can be formulated into various dosage forms in combination with the aforementioned pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. For example, for oral administration, the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated as tablets, troches, capsules, elixirs, suspensions, syrups, or wafers. For injectable preparations, the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated in single-dose ampoules or in multi-dose containers. The pharmaceutical compositions may also be formulated as solutions, suspensions, tablets, pills, capsules and sustained release preparations.

Meanwhile, examples of carriers, excipients and diluents suitable for formulation may include lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, starch, gum arabic, alginate, gelatin, calcium phosphate, calcium silicate, cellulose, methyl cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, water, methyl hydroxybenzoate, propyl hydroxybenzoate, talc, magnesium stearate, mineral oil and the like. In addition, the pharmaceutical preparation may further comprise fillers, anticoagulants, lubricants, humectants, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, preservatives and the like.

In addition, the insulin analogue of the present application may be included in an amount of 0.001 wt% to 10 wt% based on the total weight of the composition of the present application, but the amount is not particularly limited thereto.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating an insulin-related disease (e.g., diabetes) comprising administering an insulin analog or a pharmaceutical composition comprising the insulin analog to a subject in need thereof.

The insulin analogues and the pharmaceutical compositions are the same as explained above.

As used herein, the term "administering" refers to introducing a particular material to a patient by an appropriate means, and the insulin analog of the present invention can be administered by any common route, so long as the drug can reach the target tissue. For example, intraperitoneal, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intradermal, oral, topical, intranasal, intrapulmonary, and intrarectal administration may be performed, but the administration route is not limited thereto. However, since peptides are digested upon oral administration, the active ingredients of compositions for oral administration should be coated or formulated to prevent degradation in the stomach. Preferably, the compositions of the present invention may be administered in injectable form. In addition, the pharmaceutical composition may be administered using some device capable of transporting the active ingredient into the target cell.

In addition, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention can be determined by the type of the drug as an active ingredient and several relevant factors including the type of the disease to be treated, the administration route, the age, sex and weight of the patient, and the severity of the disease. Since the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention has excellent in vivo duration, the administration frequency and the drug dose of the present invention can be significantly reduced.

the total effective dose of the compositions of the present invention may be administered to a patient in a single dose, or may be administered in multiple doses over an extended period of time according to a fractionated treatment regimen. The amount of one or more active ingredients included in the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may vary depending on the severity of the disease. In particular, the total daily dose of insulin analogues of the invention may be between about 0.0001mg and 500mg per 1kg of patient body weight.

However, the effective dose of the insulin analog is determined in consideration of various factors including age, body weight, health condition, sex, disease severity, diet and excretion rate of the patient, in addition to the administration route and treatment frequency of the pharmaceutical composition. In this regard, one skilled in the art can readily determine an effective dosage amount suitable for a particular use of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention. The pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention is not particularly limited in formulation and administration route and mode as long as it shows the effect of the present invention.

To carry out the invention, a further aspect of the invention provides the use of an insulin analogue in the manufacture of a medicament.

In an embodiment, the medicament is for the prevention or treatment of insulin-related diseases, but the use is not particularly limited thereto.

in an embodiment, the medicament is for preventing or treating diabetes, but the use is not particularly limited thereto.

To achieve the present invention, yet another aspect of the present invention provides the use of an insulin analogue in the treatment of insulin-related diseases, in particular diabetes.

Insulin analogs and insulin related diseases are the same as explained above.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of the present invention should not be limited thereto in any way.