Abstract:
The present invention provides compositions for RNA interference and methods of use thereof. In particular, the invention provides small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) having modified promoters, including the Pol III U6 promoter, which may be used to increase the potency of shRNA by increasing the expression level. Modifications include constructs with a Pol II enhancer, such as the cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer, immediate-early promoter near the Pol III, e.g., U6 promoter, either upstream or downstream from the shRNA sequence and in either forward or backward orientation. Such constructs are useful for increasing the expression of the shRNA, thereby enhancing inhibition of a single nucleotide mismatched mutant allele. Functional and genomic and proteomic methods are featured. Therapeutic methods are also featured.
Abstract:
Compositions and methods of producing components of protein biosynthetic machinery that include leucyl orthogonal tRNAs, leucyl orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and orthogonal pairs of leucyl tRNAs/synthetases are provided. Methods for identifying these orthogonal pairs are also provided along with methods of producing proteins using these orthogonal pairs.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of qualifying pancreatic cancer status in a subject comprising: (a) measuring at least one of the disclosed biomarkers in a sample from the subject and (b) correlating the measurement with pancreatic cancer status. The invention further relates to kits for qualifying pancreatic cancer status in a subject.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are methods of destabilizing double-stranded nucleic acid hybridization using an enzyme comprising DNA N-glycosylase activity. Also disclosed herein is the detection of a double-stranded target DNA wherein the hybridization of duplex strands has been at least partially disrupted thereby permitting invasion of a probe strand. Also disclosed herein are methods of using an enzyme comprising DNA N-glycosylase activity to generate single-stranded circular nucleic acids.
Abstract:
The invention provides methods of detecting West Nile virus and oligonucleotide reagents derived from a West Nile virus consensus sequence that are useful in the methods of the invention.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for identifying a patient as a candidate for treatment with a long acting beta agonist comprises isolating a biological sample from a patient and identifying the presence or absence of at least one haplotype C in the beta2 -adrenergic receptor gene. The presence of at least one haplotype C in a patient sample indicates that patient is a good candidate for treatment. For example, the patient may have a respiratory disease, preferably an obstructive airway disease, and most preferably, COPD or asthma. The invention also related to a method for predicting an asthma patient's response to long acting beta2 agonist therapy comprising detecting polymorphisms in the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to improved methods of detecting a target using a labeled substrate or substrate analog. The methods comprise reacting the substrate or substrate analog in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction which produces a labeled moiety with independently detectable signal only when such substrate or substrate analog reacts. The present invention, in particular, describes methods of detecting a nucleic acid in a sample, based on the use of terminal-phosphate-labeled nucleotides as substrate for nucleic acid polymerases. The methods provided by this invention utilize a nucleoside polyphosphate, dideoxynucleoside polyphosphate, or deoxynucleoside polyphosphate analogue which has a colorimetric dye, chemiluminescent, or fluorescent moiety, a mass tag or an electrochemical tag attached to the terminal-phosphate. When a nucleic acid polymerase uses this analogue as a substrate, an enzyme-activatable label would be present on the inorganic polyphosphate by-product of phosphoryl transfer. Cleavage of the polyphosphate product of phosphoryl transfer via phosphatase leads to a detectable change in the label attached thereon. When the polymerase assay is performed in the presence of a phosphatase, there is provided a convenient method for real-time monitoring of DNA or RNA synthesis and detection of a target nucleic acid.
Abstract:
Methods are provided for identifying agents that modulate intracellular calcium. Also provided are methods of modulating calcium within cells and methods of identifying proteins involved in modulating intracellular calcium.
Abstract:
Thermal interfaces and methods include an array of carbon nanotubes aligned substantively perpendicularly from a substrate. One method includes arranging metal catalyst particles (732) with a particular ligand (734) on a fluid surface (722) of a Langmuir-Blodgett trough (710). This forms uniformly spaced particles (744) with spacing based on the particular ligand (734) . The uniformly spaced metal catalyst particles (744) are deposited on a substrate and carbon nanotubes are grown on the particles using chemical vapor deposition. A highly efficient thermal interface can be produced with a carbon nanotube packing ratio greater than fifty percent and used in a thermal switch or other device. In some methods, commercially available nanotubes (842) are condensed on a substrate using carbon nanotubes with terminal carboxylic acids (844) in solution and an amine monolayer (810) on the substrate. Pretreatment of the nanotubes (250) in a switch by applying heavy pressure between two surfaces (210, 220) results in good thermal conductivity between those surfaces (210, 220) at smaller operating pressures.