- A truly water soluble and intact protein
- Higher likelihood of being absorbed by the skin
- Compatible with the biochemistry of the human skin
- Available to be incorporated in the tissue matrix through crosslinking
- More esthetically acceptable
- Identical to the human material
- Available as the tropoelastin precursor
- Can be produced as isomorphs
click here for a larger version of Figure 3.
The human tropoelastin gene, mRNA synthesis and alternate
exon splicing to form polymorphs.
Research has shown that human tropoelastin is in fact isomorphic, and
at least 9 different isomorphs of elastin have been identified, including
different isomorphic compositions of distinct tissues (Fig 3). The relative
abundance of 8 of the tropoelastin exons was measured in human skin fibroblast,
placental and fetal aortal tissues. Each tissue contained a unique tropoelastin
mRNA profile. In addition, the presence or absence of a particular exon
in any mRNA molecule can be determined through a more detailed analysis
of isomorphism.
Relative abundance of 8 tropoelastin mRNA exons in skin, placental, and aortal tissues. The Company believes that due to the complexity shown to date in mRNA isomorphism, the tropoelastin isomorphic composition of an individual may be unique, similar to fingerprints or iris pigmentation. Any population group could be chosen to serve as a model for a tropoelastin cosmetic composition, their mRNA isolated and the precise isomorphic composition of the tropoelastin mRNA determined. A tropoelastin composition modeled after that of the chosen population group could be produced.
A schematic of this process is shown in figure 4
Click here for a larger version of figure 4.
Figure 4. Production of polymorphic tropoelastin. A human population group is sampled (and the mRNA isolated in step 1. The RNA is amplified in step 2. The relative abundance of each type of elastin mRNA is deduced in step 3. A gene encoding each elastin isomorph is constructed in step 4, and introduced into a host plant. Transgenic plants in step 5 produce the discrete elastin molecules, and the partially purified proteins formulated to match the original relative mRNA abundance. The formulated protein is incorporated into a personal care product in step 6.