An isolated or recombinant aminopeptidase N (pepN) polypeptide having inflammatory cytokine production and cytolysis inhibiting activity is provided. A method of inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production and cytolysis in a subject in need thereof is also provided, comprising administering to the subject an inflammatory cytokine production and cytolysis inhibiting amount of the isolated or recombinant pneumococcal pepN polypeptide. A method of treating a disease, disorder, or condition characterized by or associated with undesirable inflammatory cytokine production and cytolysis in a subject in need thereof is also provided, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an isolated or recombinant pepN polypeptide. A method of treating pneumococcal infection in a subject in need thereof is also provided comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-pepN polypeptide inhibitory agent.

A chimeric protein having deubiquitinase activity, methods of identifying anti-deubiquitinase compounds using chimeric proteins, and kits comprising chimeric proteins are described herein. In one aspect, a chimeric protein comprises a mammalian deubiquitinase catalytic domain, a linker domain, and a non-human deubiquitinase proteasome binding domain. In another aspect, a method of identifying a compound having deubiquitinase inhibition activity comprises a) providing an assay for identifying a compound having deubiquitinase inhibition activity, wherein the assay comprises one or more biological cells comprising a chimeric protein comprising a mammalian deubiquitinase catalytic domain, a linker domain, and a non-human deubiquitinase proteasome binding domain; b) screening the assay with at least one compound; and c) identifying a compound having deubiquitinase inhibition activity based on survival of the biological cell. In another aspect, a kit comprises a biological cell comprising a herein disclosed chimeric protein.

The invention relates to an in vitro method for prognosis, diagnosis or determination of the evolution of a condition involving an altered production of Basic Proline-rich Lacrimal Protein (BPLP) or of any of its maturation products, by detecting, or quantifying in a biological sample of a test subject, a BPLP protein or a maturation product thereof, and comparing the production of BPLP protein or maturation product with the production of the same in a biological sample of a control subject.

An excellent peptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor and the like are provided. A peptide consisting of Val-Pro-X wherein X represents an amino acid residue (except for L-proline residue); the aforementioned X is preferably one selected from a basic amino acid residue, an aliphatic neutral amino acid residue, an amide group-carrying neutral amino acid residue, or an aromatic group-carrying neutral amino acid residue; the aforementioned X is preferably one selected from an alanine residue, a glutamine residue, a methionine residue, an asparagine residue, a glycine residue, a valine residue, a tyrosine residue, a serine residue, and a lysine residue; a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, a blood sugar rise suppressing agent, a vascular endothelial disorder suppressing agent, and an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor containing the aforementioned peptide as an active ingredient.

Compositions and methods are presented for prevention and/or treatment of a coronavirus disease wherein the composition comprises comprises a recombinant entity. The recombinant entity comprises a nucleic acid that encodes a nucleocapsid protein of coronavirus 2 (CoV2); and/or wherein the recombinant entity encodes a spike protein of CoV2.

The present disclosure provides fish-derived peptides with ACE inhibitory activity, and methods of producing peptide isolates comprising the fish-derived peptides. The present disclosure also provides pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, and functional foods including the peptide isolates, and method of lowering blood pressure of a subject by administering to the subject one or more of the fish-derived peptides.

The invention relates to a method for purifying proteins having a tubulin carboxypeptidase activity from a biological extract, comprising polymerization/depolymerization cycle performed on a biological extract in presence of microtubules. The invention further relates to a peptidic based inhibitor for use in the treatment of a disorder involving altered microtubule detyrosination in an animal, wherein the peptidic based inhibitor comprises a peptidic moiety constituted of 1 to 20 amino acids, said peptidic moiety having an amino acid selected from Y or F at the C-terminal position, and wherein the peptidic based inhibitor inhibits at least partially a tubulin carboxypeptidase activity.