Patents Examined by Gerald George Leffers, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6184000
    Abstract: A method which combines the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or oligonucleotide linkers and restriction enzymes which cleave degenerate or variable recognition site sequences to allow the cloning of multiple DNA sequences into a vector is disclosed. In this invention, a plurality of unrelated DNA sequences may be directionally cloned within a single vector by adding onto the ends of the sequences, restriction sites with specific sequences which are cleaved by corresponding restriction endonucleases which recognize degenerate or variable recognition sites and which generate cohesive ends upon cleavage. The compatibility (or ability to anneal) of the cohesive ends on different DNA sequences is controlled by the choice of the nucleotide sequence within the recognition sequences of the restriction endonucleases, allowing the DNA sequences to be inserted or joined in any desired orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: James D. Jones, Thomas M. Hohn, Timothy D. Leathers
  • Patent number: 6180367
    Abstract: Processes are described for recovering heterologous polypeptide from bacterial cells, including the periplasm and cytoplasm. One process involves culturing the bacterial cells, which cells comprise nucleic acid encoding phage lysozyme and nucleic acid encoding a protein that displays DNA-digesting activity, wherein these nucleic acids are linked to a first promoter, and nucleic acid encoding the heterologous polypeptide, which nucleic acid is linked to a second promoter, under certain conditions to produce a broth lysate; and recovering accumulated heterologous polypeptide from the broth lysate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Genentech, Inc.
    Inventors: Woon-Lam Susan Leung, James R. Swartz
  • Patent number: 6143502
    Abstract: Plasmids and methods of use for assaying translational recoding are disclosed. The plasmids contain a constitutively expressed renilla (Renilla reniformis; sea pansy) luciferase gene, a polylinker for insertion of a selected DNA segment, and an out-of-frame firefly luciferase gene. Recoding is determined by monitoring luminescence of the firefly luciferase normalized to the luminescence of the renilla luciferase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation
    Inventors: Guido Grentzmann, Raymond F. Gesteland, John F. Atkins