China, first to determine three-dimensional structure of 'earthworm enzyme'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, October 18, 2003

China, first to determine three-dimensional structure of 'earthworm enzyme'

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After five years' endeavor, Chinese sci-tech researchers recently herald in determining the three-dimensional structure of earthworm enzyme, a kind of protein with thrombus-dissolving activity thereby making us to open up a gate for the understanding of this protein medicine at the molecular stratum. The achievement has not only laid a foundation for a further designing of the medicine, but also made the earthworm enzyme, one of the protein medicines with their three-dimensional structure the earliest determined by China.

The earthworm enzyme extracted from earthworms indicates in clinical studies a distinctive effect in preventing and curing thrombus. Researchers separated and purified 7 kinds of fibrinolytic active components, one of which can also be used as "activator" to dissolve thrombus. The separation and purification process has applied for national patent rights of China.

Through X-ray diffraction, scientists determined the electronic density diagram of one of the major active substances, and the coordinate and spatial distribution of over one thousand non-hydrogen atoms in the active substance.

By PD Online staff member Gao Lanrong

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