Abstract: The invention is based on the discovery of methods for purification of an acid active hyaluronidase found in human plasma (hpHAse), including both biochemical and immunoaffinity purification methods. The method of immunoaffinity purification of the invention is based on the discovery of a method for identifying antibodies that specifically bind native hpHAse (anti-native hpHAse antibodies), and anti-native hpHAse antibodies identified by this screening method. The invention also features an assay for sensitive detection of HAse activity using biotinylated hyaluronic acid (bHA). Purification and characterization of hpHAse lead to the inventors' additional discovery that hpHAse is encoded by the LuCa-1 gene, which gene is present in the human chromosome at 3p21.3, a region associated with tumor suppression.

Abstract: Secretory gland cells, particularly pancreatic and salivary gland cells, are genetically altered to operatively incorporate a gene which expresses a protein which has a desired therapeutic effect on a mammalian subject. The expressed protein is secreted directly into the gastrointestinal tract and/or blood stream to obtain therapeutic blood levels of the protein thereby treating the patient in need of the protein. The transformed secretory gland cells provide long term therapeutic cures for diseases associated with a deficiency in a particular protein or which are amenable to treatment by overexpression of a protein.

Abstract: A method and system for quantifying the relative abundance of gene transcripts in a biological sample. One embodiment of the method generates high-throughput sequence-specific analysis of multiple RNAs or their corresponding cDNAs (gene transcript imaging analysis). Another embodiment of the method produces a gene transcript imaging analysis by the use of high-throughput cDNA sequence analysis. In addition, the gene transcript imaging can be used to detect or diagnose a particular biological state, disease, or condition which is correlated to the relative abundance of gene transcripts in a given cell or population of cells. The invention provides a method for comparing the gene transcript image analysis from two or more different biological samples in order to distinguish between the two samples and identify one or more genes which are differentially expressed between the two samples.

Abstract: Secretory gland cells, particularly pancreatic and salivary gland cells, are genetically altered to operatively incorporate a gene which expresses a protein which has a desired therapeutic effect on a mammalian subject. The expressed protein is secreted directly into the gastrointestinal tract and/or blood stream to obtain therapeutic blood levels of the protein thereby treating the patient in need of the protein. The transformed secretory gland cells provide long term therapeutic cures for diseases associated with a deficiency in a particular protein or which are amenable to treatment by overexpression of a protein.

Abstract: The invention features a purified hyaluronidase BH55 polypeptide isolated from a mammalian species, preferably bovine or human. The invention also features DNA encoding BH55, vectors and transformed host cells containing DNA encoding BH55, methods of making BH55 hyaluronidase polypeptides, and antibodies that specifically bind BH55.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising a BPI Protein and an anionic compound which composition exhibits (1) no bactericidal activity and (2) endotoxin neutralizing activity. Also, this invention provides methods for using BPI Proteins.

Abstract: A method of suppressing ventricular muscle cell hypertrophy induced by an .alpha..sub.1 -adrenergic agonist or endothelin, by providing an effective amount of a retinoic acid compound. Also provided are methods for identifying compounds which suppress ventricular muscle cell hypertrophy, compounds which inhibit the retinoic acid suppression of ventricular muscle cell hypertrophy, and therapeutic methods.

Abstract: The present invention features packaging cell lines and recombinant retroviral particles produced thereby, particularly pseudotyped retroviral particles. Preferably, the packaging cell lines are derived from HeLa, Cf2Th, D17, MDCK, or BHK cells, most preferably from Cf2Th cells. Retroviral particles are produced by inducibly expressing an envelope protein of interest (e.g., a retroviral envelope or the envelope protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV G)). Inducible expression of the envelope protein is accomplished by operably linking an envelope protein-encoding nucleotide sequence to an inducible promoter (e.g., a promoter composed of a minimal promoter linked to multiple copies of tetO, the binding site for the tetracycline repressor (tetR) of the Escherichia coli, tetracycline resistance operon Tn10).