leader peptide

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leader peptide

signal sequence

a PEPTIDE of about 15 to 30 AMINO ACIDS at the N-terminus of certain newly synthesized PROTEINS. The peptide can mediate transport of such a protein across the ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM or CELL MEMBRANE. It is afterwards cleaved from the protein. Leader peptides can be exploited in GENE CLONING in order to export foreign proteins to the exterior of HOST cells.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

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References in periodicals archive ?

A chimera of the inactivated multidrug-resistant RT with the leader peptide Ld of NS1 dubbed "Optimized Inactivated with Leader sequence" RT1.14, or RT1.14oil, was thus created.

Fusion of the leader peptide sequence changed localization of the chimera.

Fusion to Flaviviral Leader Peptide Targets HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase for Secretion and Reduces Its Enzymatic Activity and Ability to Induce Oxidative Stress but Has No Major Effects on Its Immunogenic Performance in DNA-Immunized Mice

Lyubetsky, "Ribosome reinitiation at leader peptides increases translation of bacterial proteins," Biology Direct, vol.