Abstract:
A nucleic acid construct useful in preparing reagents for determining target nucleotide sequences in the nucleic acid of a biological sample, the construct having in its single-stranded form: (a) a target binding region substantially complementary to the taget nucleotide sequences and (b) a signal strand pairing segment bound in the construct by complementary base pairing to a portion of the target binding region; a second portion of the target binding region being single-stranded; and the target binding region and signal strand pairing segment being covalently linked by a phosphate/sugar backbone. A replicable nucleic acid having an origin of replication and two half-restriction sites capable of forming a restriction site can be treated with a restriction enzyme to form a length of nucleic acid containing the target binding region and the signal strand pairing segment. Subsequent labeling of the construct and various optional cleavage and derivation steps can convert the construct to a reagent complex.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are methods and compositions related to engineered fragments of the human transglutaminase-related protein family, described herein as engineered transglutaminase barrel proteins (ETBPs), that have utility as high affinity, high selectivity target-binding proteins offering advantages as antibody equivalents for therapeutic, analytical, manufacturing and research purposes. ETBPs differ from naturally occurring human transglutaminase fragments by the addition, deletion, replacement and/or substitution of the naturally occurring amino acid sequence. ETBPs can be easily expressed in prokaryotic cells and in many cases can be purified by a simple solubilization and precipitation method.
Abstract:
In one aspect, the invention features a combination of oligonucleotides comprising a forward primer oligonucleotide and a blocking oligonucleotide. The forward primer oligonucleotide has a 3' end region, where the 3' end region includes a portion complementary to a mutation positioned in a region within a polynucleotide. The blocking oligonucleotide contains a blocking moiety and has a 5' end region, where the 5' end region includes a portion complementary to a wild-type sequence of the region corresponding to the position of the mutation. In other aspects, the invention provides kits including the combination of primer oligonucleotides and methods of using the oligonucleotides to detect a mutation in a polynucleotide.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a protein fusion technology that allows the combination of one or more cancer vaccine epitopes with scaffold domains. Also disclosed herein are polypeptide and polynucleic acid compositions encompassed by the protein fusion technology and the methods of using the same.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are methods and compositions related to engineered fragments of the human transglutaminase-related protein family, described herein as engineered transglutaminase barrel proteins (ETBPs), that have utility as high affinity, high selectivity target-binding proteins offering advantages as antibody equivalents for therapeutic, analytical, manufacturing and research purposes. ETBPs differ from naturally occurring human transglutaminase fragments by the addition, deletion, replacement and/or substitution of the naturally occurring amino acid sequence. ETBPs can be easily expressed in prokaryotic cells and in many cases can be purified by a simple solubilization and precipitation method.
Abstract:
Cloned genes for human erythropoietin (EPO) obtained from human fetal liver that provide surprisingly high levels of expression. Also described is the expression of said genes in vitro to produce active human EPO.