There is provided procoagulant peptides, and use of same, such as in treatment of hemostasis-related diseases or disorders, and/or wound healing.

There is provided procoagulant peptides, and use of same, such as in treatment of hemostasis-related diseases or disorders, and/or wound healing.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide compositions for conjugates, including fusion proteins, and methods of using them to treat a variety of conditions. In some embodiments, the conjugates and/or fusion proteins incorporate a 60-amino acid human homeodomain (e.g., peptides derived from human HOX genes), to translocate functional and regulatory peptides and proteins or other biologically active molecules such as nucleic acids, which are not naturally associated with the human homeodomain, across cell and nuclear membranes to intended sites of action without provoking an unwanted immune response that may reduce exposure to the conjugate and/or result in a clinical adverse event. In further embodiments, disclosed conjugates and fusion proteins can pass through the blood-brain barrier to allow entry into the CNS. In various embodiments, the disclosed compositions are suitable for delivery into a cell (i) the expression product of a gene of interest and/or (ii) novel peptides or polynucleotides to regulate gene function.

Described have herein are peptide analogs of a prominin-1 peptide, DRVQRQTTTVVA (SEQ. ID. NO:1) which have enhanced regenerative and/or angiogenesis activity, increase VEGF binding to endothelial cells, and/or increase wound healing activity relative to the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1. Provided herein are fusion proteins and compositions comprising these peptide analogs and uses thereof.

Use of synthetic peptides derived from Trypanosoma cruzi antigens and their use in vaccination against trypomastigote infection and Chagas disease. T. cruzi uses several surface proteins to invade the host. In their role of protection, the surface protients ensure the targeting and invasion of specific cells or tissues. A conserved region in the family of mucin-associated surface proteins (MASP) was used to analyze the expression of MASP at different points of invasion and proved to be important for host cell invasion, thus suggesting MASP as a candidate for vaccine development. A synthetic peptide, MASPsyn, was studied and showed efficacy in stimulating antibody and cytokine production necessary for resistance against the parasite.

The present invention provides compounds that can modulate opioid receptors. Some compounds of the invention are modulators of - and/or -opioid receptors. Still other compounds of the invention are opioid receptor antagonists. Some compounds of the invention can modulate opioid receptors with a significantly less likelihood of developing addiction or abuse compared to conventional opioid ligands, such as morphine. In particular, compounds of the invention are of the formula:

##STR00001##

wherein Ar.sup.1 is H, optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; R.sup.1 is a heteroalkyl; R.sup.2 is alkyl; R.sup.3 is an oligopeptide or a moiety of the formula R.sup.4Y; R.sup.4 is alkylene; Y is optionally substituted heteroaryl, optionally substituted aryl or a moiety of the formula C(X.sup.2)X.sup.3R.sup.5; each of X.sup.1, X.sup.2 and X.sup.3 is independently O, NR.sup.6 or S; and each of R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 is independently H or alkyl.

The present invention provides compounds that can modulate opioid receptors. Some compounds of the invention are modulators of - and/or -opioid receptors. Still other compounds of the invention are opioid receptor antagonists. Some compounds of the invention can modulate opioid receptors with a significantly less likelihood of developing addiction or abuse compared to conventional opioid ligands, such as morphine. In particular, compounds of the invention are of the formula:

##STR00001##

wherein Ar.sup.1 is H, optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; R.sup.1 is a heteroalkyl; R.sup.2 is alkyl; R.sup.3 is an oligopeptide or a moiety of the formula R.sup.4Y; R.sup.4 is alkylene; Y is optionally substituted heteroaryl, optionally substituted aryl or a moiety of the formula C(X.sup.2)X.sup.3R.sup.5; each of X.sup.1, X.sup.2 and X.sup.3 is independently O, NR.sup.6 or S; and each of R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 is independently H or alkyl.

The present invention stems from the finding that the extracellular domain of CD31 proteins present on blood leukocytes is shed and released in the circulation as a soluble form of CD31. The invention relates to peptides corresponding to fragments of CD31 that inhibit T-cell response, and to their use in the treatment of thrombotic disorders such as atherothrombosis and autoimmune disorders.

Novel analogues of the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus toxin ShK, and their use as, for example, therapeutic agents for treating autoimmune diseases are disclosed. The analogues comprise a ShK toxin polypeptide and an N-terminal extension comprising an amino acid sequence according to formula (I): wherein X.sup.4 is D, E or other negatively-charged amino acid or derivative thereof, X.sup.3 is E, I, L, S, V, W or a tryptophan derivative, X.sup.2 is any amino acid, X.sup.1 is any amino acid, a is absent or a first additional moiety, and b is absent or a second additional moiety.
a-X.sup.4X.sup.3X.sup.2X.sup.1-b(SEQ ID NO: 3)(I)

The invention provides novel peptides (e.g., linkers) and polypeptide compositions comprising the linkers (e.g., fusion proteins) and methods of using the polypeptide compositions. Peptides (e.g., linkers) are useful as tags and for engineering fusion proteins (e.g., antigen binding molecules, scFv). Polypeptide linkers described herein facilitate flexibility of linked peptides allowing for proper folding, conformation and reduced immunogenicity.