1. A library of serum albumin scaffold-based candidate binding proteins, said candidate binding proteins having sequences derived from the human serum albumin (HSA) protein sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein each of said candidate binding proteins has one or more mutated amino acids within at least one of the serum albumin domains or sub-domains.
2. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IB of HSA.
3. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IIB of HSA.
4. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IIIB of HSA.
5. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IA of HSA.
6. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IIA of HSA.
7. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in sub-domain IIIA of HSA.
8. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in domain I of HSA.
9. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in domain II of HSA.
10. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in domain III of HSA.
11. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutation in full-length HSA.
12. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has mutations in more than one HSA sub-domains.
13. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has mutations in two or more amino acids.
14. The library of claim 13, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has mutations in six or more amino acids.
15. The library of claim 14, wherein said at least one candidate binding protein has mutations in no more than 50% of the total amino acids.
16. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutated HSA sub-domain fused to the remaining wild-type HSA protein.
17. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a mutated HSA sub-domain fused to at least one additional HSA sub-domain.
18. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein has a binding affinity for a compound that is at least ten-fold higher than the binding affinity of wild-type HSA for said compound.
19. The library of claim 18, wherein said compound is tumor necrosis factor \u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1).
20. The library of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate binding protein is part of a fusion protein.
21. The library of claim 20, wherein said fusion protein further comprises a complement protein.
22. The library of claim 20, wherein said fusion protein further comprises a toxin protein.
23. The library of claim 1, wherein the candidate binding proteins of said library are immobilized on a solid support.
24. A library of serum albumin scaffold-based proteins, wherein each of said candidate binding proteins has a sequence derived from the human serum albumin (HSA) protein sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) by randomizing a sub-domain or a domain of HSA.
25. The library of claim 24, wherein at least one candidate binding protein comprises more than one randomized HSA sub-domains.
26. A library of nucleic acid-protein fusion molecules, the proteins of said molecules being derived from the human serum albumin sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein each of the proteins has one or more mutated amino acids within at least one of the serum albumin domains or sub-domains, the proteins being attached to the nucleic acids of the fusion molecules by means of a covalent bond.
27. The library claim 26, wherein said nucleic acid comprises DNA.
28. The library of claim 26, wherein said nucleic acid comprises RNA.
29. The library of claim 28, wherein said RNA is an mRNA.
30. The library of claim 26, wherein said nucleic acid of the fusion molecule encodes the protein to which it is bound.
31. The library of claim 26, wherein the nucleic acid-protein fusion molecules of said library are immobilized on a solid support.
32. A library of nucleic acid-protein fusion molecules, wherein the proteins of said molecules are derived from the human serum albumin (HSA) sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) by randomizing a sub-domain or a domain of HSA, and wherein the proteins are attached to the nucleic acids of the fusion molecules by means of a covalent bond.
33. The library of claim 32, wherein the protein of at least one of said nucleic acid-protein fusion molecules comprises more than one randomized HSA sub-domains.
34. A method for obtaining a protein which binds to a compound, said method comprising:
(a) contacting a compound with a library of serum albumin scaffold-based candidate binding proteins under conditions that allow binding to form a compound-protein complex, said proteins being derived from the human wild-type serum albumin protein sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein each of said candidate binding proteins has one or more mutated amino acids within at least one of the serum albumin domains or sub-domains; and
(b) obtaining, from said complex, a protein that binds to said compound.
35. The method of claim 34, said method further comprising mutating at least one sub-domain of the protein obtained in step (b) and repeating steps (a) and (b) using the further mutated protein.
36. The method of claim 34, wherein said compound is a protein.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein said protein is TNF-\u03b1.
38. The method of claim 34, wherein each of said candidate binding proteins is covalently bound to a nucleic acid.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein said nucleic acid is DNA.
40. The method of claim 38, wherein said nucleic acid is RNA.
41. The method of claim 38, wherein said nucleic acid encodes the protein to which it is bound.
42. The method of claim 34, wherein the candidate binding proteins of said library are immobilized on a solid support.
43. A method for obtaining a protein which binds to a compound, said method comprising:
(a) contacting a compound with a library of serum albumin scaffold-based candidate binding proteins under conditions that allow binding to form a compound-protein complex, said candidate binding proteins being derived from the human wild-type serum albumin protein sequence of FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) by randomizing a sub-domain or domain of HSA; and
(b) obtaining, from said complex, a protein that binds to said compound.
44. The method of claim 43, wherein at least one of the candidate binding proteins of said library comprises more than one randomized HSA sub-domains.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A centralized power distribution unit for a vehicular thin brushless motor, wherein said centralized power distribution unit is formed into a ring configuration and can concentratedly distribute current to stator windings of the motor, comprising:
a plurality of bus bars each having a terminal portion to be connected to a power source and one or more tabs to be connected respectively to one or more of the stator windings, the bus bars provided correspondingly with phases of the motor; and
a resin insulating layer that covers the bus bars;
wherein
each of the bus bars comprises a metal strip that is bent, in a thickness direction of the metal strip, into a substantially annular shape, and diameters of the annular shapes of the bus bars are set to be different from one another depending on the corresponding motor phase; and
the bus bars are stacked in a radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, mutually separated by a predetermined gap.
2. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the terminal portions includes a first section extending in a first direction that is a substantially radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, a second section extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and a ramp section connecting the first and second sections and extending in a third direction that is different from the first and second directions.
3. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one slit is provided in at least one of the terminal portions.
4. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 3, wherein a section of the at least one of the terminal portions is covered by a sealing material, and the at least one slit is provided in the section covered by the sealing material.
5. The centralized power distribution unit according to claim 3, wherein the at least one slit extends in a longitudinal direction of the terminal portion.
6. A method of producing a centralized power distribution unit for a vehicular thin brushless motor wherein said centralized power distribution unit is formed into a ring configuration and can concentratedly distribute current to stator windings of the motor, the method comprising:
stamping out a conductive metal plate into a plurality of strips, the strips stamped out simultaneously by press molding;
bending the strips in a thickness direction into a substantially annular shape to obtain a plurality of bus bars in the form of rings, the rings being mutually different in diameter, the bus bars each having a terminal portion to be connected to a power source and one or more tabs to be connected respectively to one or more windings of a stator;
providing the bus bars correspondingly with phases of the motor;
stacking the strips in a radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, mutually separated by a predetermined gap; and
covering the bus bars with a resin insulating layer.
7. A method of producing bus bars, comprising:
stamping out a conductive metal plate into a plurality of strips, the strips stamped out simultaneously by press molding; and
bending the strips in a thickness direction to obtain a plurality of rings, the rings being mutually different in diameter.
8. The method of producing bus bars according to claim 7, wherein, in the step of stamping out, at least one of (a) a terminal portion and (b) one or more tabs are integrally stamped with a main body of the bus bar.
9. The method of producing bus bars according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of stamping out, the bus bars are stamped out in a state where the main bodies are laid out in parallel, and in a state where both ends of the main bodies are substantially aligned with one another.
10. The method of producing bus bars according to claim 7, wherein, in the step of stamping out, a terminal portion and one or more tabs are integrally stamped with a main body of the bus bar.
11. The method of producing bus bars according to claim 10, wherein, in the step of stamping out, the terminal portion and the one or more tabs of a predetermined one of the bus bars are laid out to be directed to a center of a row of the bus bars, the predetermined one of the bus bars being positioned at an outermost side among the bus bars which are placed in parallel.
12. A method of producing a centralized power distribution unit wherein said centralized power distribution unit is formed into a ring configuration and can concentratedly distribute current to stator windings of a motor, the method comprising:
stamping out a conductive metal plate into a plurality of strips, the strips stamped out simultaneously by press molding;
bending the strips in a thickness direction to obtain a plurality of rings, the rings being mutually different in diameter; and
stacking the strips in a radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit mutually, separated by a predetermined gap.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein each bus bar includes a terminal portion that connects to a power source, further comprising bending the terminal portion into a bent configuration.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein bending at least one of the terminal portions comprises bending the terminal portion such that the at least one of the terminal portions includes a first section extending in a first direction that is a substantially radial direction of the centralized power distribution unit, a second section extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and a ramp section connecting the first and second sections and extending in a third direction that is different from the first and second directions.
15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising providing at least one slit in at least one of the terminal portions.
16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a section of the at least one of the terminal portions by a sealing material, wherein the at least one slit is provided in the section covered by the sealing material.
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one slit extends in a longitudinal direction of the terminal portion.