Identification and characterization of a novel angiostatin-binding protein by the display cloning method

Angiostatin is a potent anti-angiogenic protein. To examine the angiostatin-interacting proteins, we used the display-cloning method with a T7 phage library presenting human cDNAs. The specific T7 phage clone that bound to the immobilized angiostatin was isolated, and a novel gene encoding the displayed polypeptide on the isolated T7 phage was identified. The displayed angiostatin-binding sequence was expressed in E. coli as a soluble protein and purified to homogeneity. This novel angiostatin-binding region interacted specifically to angiostatin with a dissociation constant of 3.4 x 10(-7) M. A sequence analysis showed that the identified sequence was a part of the large ORF of 1,998 amino acids, whose function has not yet been characterized. A Northern analysis indicated that the gene containing the angiostatin-binding sequence was expressed differentially in the developmental stages or cell types.