Abstract: The present application relates to a composition including gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles, and to an animal disease model using same. In addition, the present application relates to a method for using the gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles to efficiently search for a candidate drug which may prevent or treat diseases that occur due to gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles, and to a vaccine which can efficiently prevent or treat infections caused by gut flora or diseases that occur due to gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles. Further, the development of diagnostic technology to discover, using the gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles of the present application, the etiology of diseases that occur due to gut flora-derived extracellular vesicles, can be achieved.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections, including pneumococal infections. Compositions provided herein comprise a variety of immunogenic fusion proteins, wherein at least one polypeptide component of a given fusion protein comprises a CbpA polypeptide and/or a cytolysoid polypeptide, or an active variant or fragment thereof. Methods are provided for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections, including pneumococcal infections by employing the various immunogenic fusion proteins having at least one polypeptide component comprising a CbpA polypeptide and/or a cytolysoid polypeptide, or an active variant or fragment thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to processes for purifying high-quality recombinant Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein at high yields.

Abstract: Described are methods for inducing an immune response in a subject against an antigen from a malaria-causing parasite, preferably P.

Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein pertains to the modulation of a bacterial invasion switch and the subsequent use of the bacterium to vaccinate an organism. In one embodiment, the bacterial invasion switch is modulated by changing the proteolysis of ExoR protein. In another embodiment, a mutated bacterium produces a mutant ExoR protein that resists proteolysis.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of producing vaccines, including methods wherein whole organism vaccines are provided with limited replication abilities, thereby increasing vaccine safety and efficacy, through the use of non-natural, unnatural, or non-naturally encoded amino acids.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of producing vaccines, including methods wherein whole organism vaccines are provided with limited replication abilities, thereby increasing vaccine safety and efficacy, through the use of non-natural, unnatural, or non-naturally encoded amino acids.

Abstract: Aqueous solution containing at least 300 mg/l of hydrophobin and at least 0.3 mg/l of antifoam, wherein the antifoam/hydrophobin weight ratio is below 0.2, preferably below 0.15, more preferably below 0.1.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel nucleotide sequence and other constructs used for expression of novel recombinant P. falciparum circumsporozoite proteins in bacterial cells such as E. coli. Processes are provided for producing a soluble recombinant P. falciparum CSP from E. coli. Methods to produce a human-grade, highly immunogenic anti-malaria vaccine based on CSP are shown. The novel recombinant P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein by itself or in combination with other malaria antigens or adjuvants can form the basis of an effective malaria vaccine.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polypeptides from Plasmodium and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention further relates to compositions comprising the polypeptides and their use in the treatment and prevention of malaria.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to the field of the immune system, in particular to strengthening the immune system of the elderly. One embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of a food product enriched with sialic acid for the preparation of a composition to strengthen the immune system.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods for delivering a bioactive moiety comprising at least one non-natural component into a cell cytosol of an eukaryotic cell. The bioactive moiety is linked to an A component of a bacterial toxin, a functional wild-type or modified fragment thereof, or an A component surrogate or mimetic. For delivery, the cell is contacted with the linked bioactive moiety and a corresponding B component of the bacterial toxin or a functional fragment thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for magnetic separation of cells are disclosed. By combining inkjet printing technology and magnetic labeling of cells, accurate cell counts are obtained using an optical microscope. Mouse CD4+ lymphocytes are attached to micron sized magnetic beads and printed through a modified, commercial inkjet printer. The labeled cells are then attached to a glass slide covering a permanent magnet. Cell counts can be obtained by use of regular and inverted optical microscopes and imaging software. The magnetically-labeled beads are collected for evaluation on a modified polymer coupon that is placed in front of a permanent magnet and the unlabeled cells fall into an excess container. Flow cytometry results verify the presence of the CD4+ protein on the LBRM-33 lymphocytes membrane. Protein-specific attachment of magnetic microspheres to the lymphocytes is utilized for sorting CD4+ lymphocytes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a molecular construct capable of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET), comprising a linker peptide, and donor and acceptor fluorophore moieties, where the linker peptide is a substrate of a botulinum neurotoxin selected from the group consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin and SNAP-25, or a fragment thereof capable being cleaved by the botulinum neurotoxin, and separates the donor and acceptor fluorophores by a distance of not more than 10 nm, and where emission spectrum of the donor fluorophore moiety overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor fluorophore moiety; or where the emission spectra of the fluorophores are detectably different. Also provided are isolated nucleic acid expressing the construct, kits comprising said construct and cell lines comprising said nucleic acid. Further provided are methods of detecting a BoNT using the above described construct via FRET, and methods for detecting a BoNT using surface plasmon resonance imaging.

Abstract: Virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases have a potential as antimicrobial agents due to their ability to lyse Gram positive bacteria on contact. Full-length HydH5, a virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolase from the Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage vB_SauS-phi-IPLA88, and two truncated derivatives, containing only the CHAP domain, exhibited high lytic activity against live S. aureus cells. Three different fusion proteins were created and showed higher staphylolytic activity than the parental enzyme or its deletion construct. Parental and fusion proteins lysed S. aureus cells in zymograms, plate lysis and turbidity reduction assays. In plate lysis assays, HydH5 and its derivative fusions lysed bovine and human S. aureus, S. aureus MRSA N315 strain, and human Staphylococcus epidermidis strains.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to methods of modifying the glycosylation structures of recombinant proteins expressed in fungi or other lower eukaryotes, to more closely resemble the glycosylation of proteins from higher mammals, in particular humans. The present invention also relates to novel enzymes and, nucleic acids encoding them and, hosts engineered to express the enzymes, methods for producing modified glycoproteins in hosts and modified glycoproteins so produced.

Abstract: A method is provided for extraction of chemical compounds from an organism having a cell wall that includes adding nanomaterials, which may be metallic nanofibers such as silver nanofibers, to the organism.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods for isolating proteins from lipids. The isolation methods may utilize derivatives of apolipoprotein A1 for isolating membrane proteins from membranes without the use of detergent.

Abstract: Immunolocalization of ?- and ?-giardin in Giardia lamblia trophozoites revealed that both giardins are strictly associated with the ventral disc. Optical sectioning of immunolabeled ventral disc, together with quantitative co-localization of ?- and ?-giardin immunoreactivity, demonstrated that ?-giardin is primarily localized to the ventral side, and ?-giardin is localized to the dorsal side of the ventral disc. Antibodies to ?-giardin and ?-giardin can both be used as diagnostic agents; anti-?-giardin antibody can be used as a therapeutic reagent to inhibit binding of trophozoites to host cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of Yersinia outer protein M (YopM), a YopM fragment, or a YopM variant, which is capable of autopenetrating the cell membrane and of integrating into the cell cytosol without the requirement of additional factors for delivering a cargo molecule across the membrane to the cytosol of a cell. The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising YopM, a YopM fragment, or a YopM variant being capable of autopenetrating the cell membrane and of integrating into the cell cytosol without the requirement of additional factors for the regulation of inflammatory reactions of the immune system and the treatment of diseases caused by autoimmunity of the host. The present invention further relates to a YopM fragment or variant, which is capable of autopenetrating the cell membrane and of integrating into the cell cytosol without the requirements of additional factors as well as such proteins or YopM linked to a cargo molecule.