Abstract: The invention described herein provides a C-terminally truncated interferon having enhanced biological activity and the polynucleotides encoding such interferon. Also provided are methods for producing and using such truncated interferon.

Abstract: Juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is treated using active vaccination or passive immune therapy of neutralizing antibodies against HPV L2 neutralizing epitopes.

Abstract: We describe here an in vitro method of increasing complementarity in a heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence. The method uses annealing of opposite strands to form a polynucleotide duplex with mismatches. The heteroduplex polynucleotide is combined with an effective amount of enzymes having strand cleavage activity, 3? to 5? exonuclease activity, and polymerase activity, and allowing sufficient time for the percentage of complementarity to be increased within the heteroduplex. Not all heteroduplex polynucleotides will necessarily have all mismatches resolved to complementarity. The resulting polynucleotide is optionally ligated. Several variant polynucleotides result. At sites where either of the opposite strands has templated recoding in the other strand, the resulting percent complementarity of the heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence is increased. The parent polynucleotides need not be cleaved into fragments prior to annealing heterologous strands. Therefore, no reassembly is required.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and compositions for creating a DNA, RNA or protein molecule with two or more nucleic acid or polypeptide domains, respectively, joined by a linker region. These methods are used to generate random linker libraries of nucleic acids that encode dual-domain or multi-domain polypeptides. The linker regions are characterized by both length and sequence variability.

Abstract: The present invention relates to foreign peptide sequences fused to recombinant plant viral structural proteins and a method of their production. Fusion proteins are economically synthesized in plants at high levels by biologically contained tobamoviruses. The fusion proteins of the invention have are useful as antigens for inducing the production of antibodies having desired binding properties, e.g., protective antibodies, or for use as vaccine antigens for the induction of protective immunity against the parvovirus. Feline parvovirus epitopes were fused to the N-terminus of the TMV coat protein, expressed in Nicotiana plants, extracted, purified, characterized and administered to animals, resulting in protective immunity.

Abstract: Described is a method for diagnosing a person having or being at risk of developing Sjögren's Syndrome and excluding patients with symptoms similar to Sjögren's Syndrome but with a different etiology, comprising the following steps: providing a sample of a body fluid or tissue from said person, said sample containing a mixture of unknown proteins, protein fragments or peptides; analyzing said samples with mass spectrometry to generate a m/z (mass to charge ratio) spectrogram for each sample; comparing whether the patient's sample contains m/z values that are characteristic of a Sjögren's Syndrome reference database derived from the analysis and cataloguing of multiple patient spectrograms; and determining whether said patient either has or does not have Sjögren's Syndrome on the basis of this comparative analysis.

Abstract: We describe here an in vitro method of increasing complementarity in a heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence. The method uses annealing of opposite strands to form a polynucleotide duplex with mismatches. The heteroduplex polynucleotide is combined with an effective amount of enzymes having strand cleavage activity, 3? to 5? exonuclease activity, and polymerase activity, and allowing sufficient time for the percentage of complementarity to be increased within the heteroduplex. Not all heteroduplex polynucleotides will necessarily have all mismatches resolved to complementarity. The resulting polynucleotide is optionally ligated. Several variant polynucleotides result. At sites where either of the opposite strands has templated recoding in the other strand, the resulting percent complementarity of the heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence is increased. The parent polynucleotides need not be cleaved into fragments prior to annealing heterologous strands. Therefore, no reassembly is required.

Abstract: We describe here an in vitro method of increasing complementarity in a heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence. The method uses annealing of opposite strands to form a polynucleotide duplex with mismatches. The heteroduplex polynucleotide is combined with an effective amount of enzymes having strand cleavage activity, 3? to 5? exonuclease activity, and polymerase activity, and allowing sufficient time for the percentage of complementarity to be increased within the heteroduplex. Not all heteroduplex polynucleotides will necessarily have all mismatches resolved to complementarity. The resulting polynucleotide is optionally ligated. Several variant polynucleotides result. At sites where either of the opposite strands has templated recoding in the other strand, the resulting percent complementarity of the heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence is increased. The parent polynucleotides need not be cleaved into fragments prior to annealing heterologous strands. Therefore, no reassembly is required.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recombinant viral nucleic acid selected from a (+) sense, single stranded RNA virus possessing a native subgenomic promoter encoding for a first viral subgenomic promoter, a nucleic acid sequence that codes for a viral coat protein whose transcription is regulated by the first viral subgenomic promoter, a second viral subgenomic promoter and a second nucleic acid sequence whose transcription is regulated by the second viral subgenomic promoter. The first and second viral subgenomic promoters of the recombinant viral nucleic acid do not have homologous sequences relative to each other. The recombinant viral nucleic acid provides the particular advantage that it systemically transcribes the second nucleic acid in the host. Host organisms encompassed by the present invention include procaryotes and eucaryotes, particularly animals and plants.

Abstract: Data acquisition and cataloging are used to classify polypeptides into a reference index or database. The database can be used to identify previously unidentified samples. New polypeptides are characterized and added to the database.

Abstract: Microarrays are prepared by using a separate fiber for each compound being used in the microarray. The fibers are bundled and sectioned to form a thin microarray that may be glued to a backing.

Abstract: Viruses, virus-like particles and protein and nucleic acid components are extracted from biological material using high ionic strength, activated carbon and changes in pH. The purified compositions are stored in similar or different conditions preferably with a higher pH.

Abstract: The present invention provides nucleic acid sequences having an altered viral movement protein and 126/183 kDa replicase proteins further characterized in its ability tostabilize a transgene contained in a virus that expresses the altered movement protein. The present invention also provides viral vectors expressing the altered movement protein, cells transformed with the vectors, and host plants infected by the viral vectors.

Abstract: Data acquisition and cataloging are used to classify polypeptides into a reference index or database. The database can be used to identify previously unidentified samples. New polypeptides are characterized and added to the database.

Abstract: Data acquisition and cataloging are used to classify polypeptides into a reference index or database. The database can be used to identify previously unidentified samples. New polypeptides are characterized and added to the database.

Abstract: A polypeptide self-antigen useful in a tumor-specific vaccine mimics one or more epitopes of an antigen uniquely expressed by cells of the tumor. The polypeptide is preferably produced in a plant that has been transformed or transfected with nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide and is obtainable from the plant in correctly folded, preferably soluble form without a need for denaturation and renaturation. This plant-produced polypeptide is immunogenic without a need for exogenous adjuvants or other immunostimulatory materials. The polypeptide is preferably an scFv molecule that bears the idiotype of the surface immunoglobulin of a non-Hodgkin's (or B cell) lymphoma. Upon administration to a subject with lymphoma, the plant-produced, tumor-unique scFv polypeptide induces an idiotype-specific antibody or cell-mediated immune response against the lymphoma.

Abstract: We describe here an in vitro method of increasing complementarity in a heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence. The method uses annealing of opposite strands to form a polynucleotide duplex with mismatches. The heteroduplex polynucleotide is combined with an effective amount of enzymes having strand cleavage activity, 3? to 5? exonuclease activity, and polymerase activity, and allowing sufficient time for the percentage of complementarity to be increased within the heteroduplex. Not all heteroduplex polynucleotides will necessarily have all mismatches resolved to complementarity. The resulting polynucleotide is optionally ligated. Several variant polynucleotides result. At sites where either of the opposite strands has templated recoding in the other strand, the resulting percent complementarity of the heteroduplex polynucleotide sequence is increased. The parent polynucleotides need not be cleaved into fragments prior to annealing heterologous strands. Therefore, no reassembly is required.

Abstract: We describe here restriction endonucleases and their uses. Restriction endonucleases are useful in finding single nucleotide polymorphisms. They are also useful in an in vitro method of redistributing sequence variations between non-identical polynucleotide sequences.

Abstract: A rolling circle DNA replicon which replicates in a host eukaryotic cell is disclosed which has a truncated replication cycle. The rolling circle DNA replicon comprises the following elements present on the same DNA molecule. It contains a Rep gene open reading frame from a virus belonging to the viral taxonomic families Geminiviridae, Circoviridae or genus Nanovirus. The Rep gene open reading frame is placed under transcriptional control of a promoter, which is placed 5? of the gene. Any sequences that are required to be present in cis on the rolling circle DNA replicon in order that the Rep protein might promote replication of the rolling circle DNA replicon are included. An expression cassette for expression of an ancillary protein that is capable of creating a cellular environment permissive for replication of the rolling circle DNA replicon in the host cell of interest is also included.

Abstract: A flexible automated apparatus for isolating and purifying viruses, proteins and peptides of interest from a plant material is disclosed, the apparatus being applicable for large scale purification and isolation of such substances from plant material. The flexible automated apparatus provides an efficient apparatus for isolating viruses, proteins and peptides of interest with little waste material. The automated apparatus for isolating viruses, proteins and peptides of interest includes a grinding apparatus for homogenizing a plant to produce a green juice, a means for adjusting the pH of and heating the green juice, a means for separating the target species, either virus or protein/peptide, from other components of the green juice by one or more cycles of centrifugation, resuspension, and ultrafiltration, and finally purifying virus particles by such procedure as PEG-precipitation or purifying proteins and peptides by such procedures as chromatography and/or salt precipitation.