PATENT ABSTRACTS

rapidly dividing tissue and tender shoots from a wide variety of environmentally induced stress conditions.

5177017

M O L E C U L A R C L O N I N G O F T H E G E N E S R E S P O N S I B L E F O R

C O L L A G E N A S E P R O D U C T I O N F R O M C L O S T R I D I U M

H I S T O L Y T I C U M

331

protein. The invention also provides recom- binant mutant forms of the human alpha subunit common to FSH, LH, CG, and TSH, to obtain hormones which also have unique glycosylation patterns. Also provided are recombinant materials to produce these subunits separately or together to obtain complete beterodimeric hor- mones of regulated glycosylation pattern and ac- tivity. Modified forms of LH and FSH beta subunits which enhance the rate of dimerization and secretion of the dimers or individual chains are also disclosed.

Hun-Chi Lin, Shau-Pin Lei assigned to Trigen Inc

Genetically engineered E. coli carry vectors con- taining inserts that code for Clostridium histolyticum coUagenase. These inserts code for: (a) a form of collagenase having a molecular weight of about 68,000 daltons in the essential absence of larger forms ofcollagenase; (b) the 68 kd form ofcollagenas¢ and a fusion polypeptide consisting of the collagenase protein fused to at least a portion of the beta-galactosidase protein of E. coli; or (3) the 68 kd form of collagenase and polypeptides of molecular weight of from above about 68,000 daltons to about 100,000 daltons and having the enzymatic activity of C. histolyticum collagenase as indicated by diges- tion of 3H-acetylated collagen and by specific in- hibition by 1,10-phenanthroline plus EDTA. The collagenase genes in the transformed E. coli are expressed efficiently in the transformed cells to yield enzymatically active and immuno- logically cross-reactive collagenase. In par- ticular, the 68 kd form of collagenase is resistant to autocatalytic degradation and is stable to long-term storage. Genetically engineered col- lagenase, especially the 68 kd form that is resistant to autocatalytic degradation, can be used for isolation of pancreatic islets, for the isolation of dispersed tumor cells, or for treat- ment of slipped disc.

5177197

I S O L A T E D N U C L E O T I D E S E Q U E N C E E X P R E S S I N G H U M A N T R A N S F O R M I N G

G R O W T H F A C T O R - B E T A I - B I N D I N G P R O T E I N

Tetsuto Kanzaki, Anders Olofsson, Anita Moren, Christer Wernstedt, Ulf Hellman, Kohei Miyazono, Lena Claesson-Welsh, Carl-Henrik Heldin, Chiba, Japan assigned to Ludwig In- stitute for Cancer Research

Purified protein known as platelet TGF- betal- BP (transforming growth factor- betal-binding protein) is described. The protein is useful for purposes such as the production of antisera which are useful in identifying complexes con- taining the binding protein, as well as in forma- tion of labeled probes. Also described are purified DNA which expresses the protein, as well as messenger RNA translated into the pro- tein. The protein contains 16 epidermal growth factors (EGF) like repeats, and 3 repeats not found in other proteins. The DNA for the pro- tein is found to contain consensus sequences for hydroxylation of asparagine/aspartic acid residues, and, in the purified protein beta hydro- xylated asparagine residues were found.

5177193

M O D I F I E D F O R M S O F R E P R O D U C T I V E H O R M O N E S

Irving Boime, Martin Matzuk assigned to Washington University

The invention provides recombinant native and mutein forms of human reproductive hormones with characteristic glycosylation patterns which are influential in the metabolic activity of the

5177307

C O M P O S I T I O N S A N D M E T H O D S F O R M O D U L A T I O N O F

E N D O G E N O U S C Y T O K I N I N L E V E L S

Catherine M Houck, Julie R Pear, Belinda Mar- tineau, William Hiatt assigned to Calgene Inc

Developmentally regulated transcriptional regulatory regions are identified employing

332 PATENTABSTRACTS

cDNA screening. The resulting regulatory re- gions are manipulated for use with DNA sequences encoding enzymes involved in cyto- kinin metabolism for introduction into plant cells to provide transformed plants having tissue, particularly fruit, with a modified phenotypic property.

5178737

E L E C T R O P H O R E T I C R E S O L U T I O N O F S I N G L E

S T R A N D D N A BY A S Y M M E T R I C F I E L D I N V E R S I O N

Eric Lai assigned to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Single stranded DNA fragments in sizes above 300 bases are separated electrophoretically in a field inversion technique in which the voltage of the reverse pulse exceeds that of the forward pulse, the duration of the forward pulse exceeds that of the reverse pulse, and the product of vol- tage and duration for the forward pulse exceeds that of the reverse pulse. The result is an im- provement in resolution over previous field inversion techniques, and the elimination of band inversion.

5179007

M E T H O D A N D V E C T O R F O R T H E P U R I F I C A T I O N O F

F O R E I G N P R O T E I N S

Donald L Jarvis, James C Carrington assigned to The Texas A & M University System

The present invention provides an method for isolating and purifying recombinantly produced proteins. This invention involves the use of an expression vector which includes a nuclear tar- geting signal sequence which effectively directs newly synthesized proteins to the nucleus; a cleavage recognition sequence which cleaves specifically at a pre-determined cleavage site af- ter addition of a viral enzyme; and a cDNA sequence which codes for a desired protein. Specifically the production and isolation of a desired protein is accomplished through the use of lepidopteran cells transfected or infected with recombinant baculovirus expression vector com- prising a polyhedrin gene derived nuclear tar- geting signal sequence and a cleavage recognition sequence derived from a potyvirus polyprotein. The newly synthesized proteins are directed into the nucleus whereupon nuclear protein is extracted from the nucleus. Thereafter the desired protein is bound to an affinity matrix embedded with antibodies directed against the nuclear targeting sequence. Afterwards the desired protein is cleaved from the affinity matrix with the addition of a viral enzyme.

5179003

P R O C E S S F O R T H E P R O D U C T I O N O F P R O T E I N S O R

P R O T E I N - C O N T A I N I N G G E N E P R O D U C T S

Dieter Wolf, Erhard Kopetzki, Gunther Schumacher, Gundelfingen, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Boehringer Mannbeim GmbH

The present invention provides a process for the production of proteins or protein-containing gene products by transformation of eukaryotic host cells with a recombinant DNA molecule containing the gene for the desired protein, cul- turing the cells and isolating the gene product af- ter expression, wherein, as host cells, there is used a yeast strain which is deficient in proteases A and B.

5179010

F E R M E N T A T I O N P R O C E S S F O R P R O D U C I N G L - L Y S I N E

Yasuhiko Yoshihara, Yoshio Kawahara, Shigeho Ikeda, Yokohama, Japan assigned to Ajinomoto Co Inc

A fermentative process for producing L-lysine is disclosed. The process is based on growing in a culture medium a mutant strain of the genus Brevibacterium or Corynebacterium (1) capable of producing L-lysine, and (2) having an in- tensified superoxide dismutase activity.