Abstract: Peptides and peptidomimetics capable of modulating apoptosis through their interaction with cellular IAPs (inhibitor of apoptosis proteins) are disclosed. The peptides and mimetics are based on the N-terminal tetrapeptide of IAP-binding proteins, such as Smac/DIABLO, Hid, Grim and Reaper, which interact with a specific surface groove of IAP. Also disclosed are methods of using these peptides and peptidomimetics for therapeutic purposes and for rational drug design.

Abstract: Sickle-cell diseases are treated with annexin proteins that are modified to increase their half-life in the circulation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a compound having affinity for a negatively charged phospholipid as well as to a detection molecule, to a conjugate and to a pharmaceutical composition comprising said compound. Generally speaking, the compound of the present invention is useful for specific recognition of lipid vectors. It may be used in engineering and in the generation of compound for recognizing and sequestrating of negatively charged lipids, such as phosphatidyl-serine and phosphatidic acid. The chemical structure of the present invention may have the construction (I).

Abstract: A new class of chimeric polypeptides is disclosed that includes a transmembrane segment, an intracellular reporting segment, and an extracellular sorting segment. The novel polypeptides can be used to detect gene expression at the cellular level, and to isolate precisely those cells that are detected from organisms, organs, tissues, and mixtures of cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel human coagulation Factor VIIa variants having coagulant activity as well as polynucleotide constructs encoding such variants, vectors and host cells comprising and expressing the polynucleotide, pharmaceutical compositions, uses and methods of treatment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for purifying fibrinogen. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method of separating fibrinogen from plasma fraction I precipitate. In another aspect, the invention relates to the purification of fibrinogen using ion exchange chromatography.

Abstract: A topical ophthalmic formulation in the form of an aqueous solution comprising a cyclosporin, hyaluronic acid or one of its salts, and polysorbate 80 is described.

Abstract: A search of the public human genome database identified a human EST, GenBank accession number AW293249, which has high homology to known pufferfish urocortin sequences. The full length sequence was amplified from human genomic DNA and sequenced. Sequence homology comparisons of the novel sequence with human urocortin I and urocortin II revealed that the sequence encoded a novel human urocortin, which was designated urocortin III (UcnIII). While urocortin III does not have high affinity for either CRF-R1 or CRF-R2, the affinity for CRF-R2 is greater than the affinity for CRF-R1. Urocortin III is capable stimulating cyclic AMP production in cells expressing CRF-R2? or ?. Thus, the affinity is high enough that urocortin III could act as a native agonist of CRF-R2. However, it is also likely that urocortin III is a stronger agonist of a yet to be identified receptor.

Abstract: An adsorbent for peptidoglycan which comprises an water-insoluble porous material having an amino group and having a molecular weight of exclusion limit of at least 50,000, and a method for removing peptidoglycan by adsorption, which comprises a step of contacting the adsorbent to a liquid containing peptidoglycan.

Abstract: A protectant mixture for use in preserving biological materials comprising (1) at least one polyhydroxy compound, where the total amount of polyhydroxy compound in the mixture is from about 5% to about 60% by weight of the mixture where the mixture is an aqueous solution and is from about 10% to about 95% where the mixture is in solid form, and (2) phosphate ions, where the total amount of phosphate ions in the mixture is such that the molar ratio of phosphate ions to hydroxy groups in the polyhydroxy compound is from about 0.025 to about 0.625; a preservation medium comprising (1) a biological material, (2) at least one polyhydroxy compound, where the total amount of polyhydroxy compound in the medium is from about 5% to about 60% by weight of the medium, and (3) phosphate ions, where the total amount of phosphate ions in the mixture is such that the molar ratio of phosphate ions to hydroxy groups in the polyhydroxy compound is from about 0.025 to about 0.

Abstract: The invention concerns novel coagulation factor VII variants, wherein the Leu residue in position 305 or the Phe residue in position 374 of SEQ ID NO 1 has been replaced by another amino acid residue which can be encoded by nucleic acid constructs and, optionally, wherein at least one other amino acid residue in the remaining positions in the protease domain has been replaced by another amino acid residue which can be encoded by nucleic acid constructs; with the proviso that the variant is not FVII(Ala305).

Abstract: ?-MSH and other amino acid sequences derived from ?-MSH were determined to have antimicrobial influences, including against two major and representative cutaneous and mucosal pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, Pharmaceutical compositions useful as antimicrobial agents, including for use in reducing the viability of microbes, reducing the germination of yeasts, killing microbes without reducing the killing of microbes by human neutrophils, for treating inflammation in which there is microbial infection without reducing microbial killing, and for increasing the accumulation of cAMP in microbes are disclosed. The antimicrobial agent is selected from the group consisting of one or more peptides including the amino acid sequence KPV, one or more peptides including the amino acid sequence MEHFRWG, or a biologically functional equivalent of any of the foregoing. The most effective of the peprides were those bearing the C-terminal amino acid sequence of ?-MSH. i.e.

Abstract: A method for protecting a peptide from peptidase activity in vivo, the peptide being composed of between 2 and 50 amino acids and having a C-terminus and an N-terminus and a C-terminus amino acid and an N-terminus amino acid is described. In the first step of the method, the peptide is modified by attaching a reactive group to the C-terminus amino acid, to the N-terminus amino acid, or to an amino acid located between the N-terminus and the C-terminus, such that the modified peptide is capable of forming a covalent bond in vivo with a reactive functionality on a blood component. In the next step, a covalent bond is formed between the reactive group and a reactive functionality on a blood component to form a peptide-blood component conjugate, thereby protecting said peptide from peptidase activity. The final step of the method involves the analyzing of the stability of the peptide-blood component conjugate to assess the protection of the peptide from peptidase activity.

Abstract: The invention describes an inexpensive in vitro protein folding process for preventing large scale protein misfolding and aggregation, for concentrating aggregation prone chaperonin-protein folding intermediates in a stable non-aggregating form, and for rapidly screening these stable concentrates for the best folding solution conditions. The process comprises: (1) the formation of a chaperone-substrate complex and (2) the release of the substrate using a broad array of folding solutions containing different osmolyte ions, detergents, gradients of ionic strength and pH or other commonly used folding additives. Specifically, when the chaperonin/osmolyte protein process was applied to identify and optimize GS?468 bacterial glutamine synthetase mutant refolding conditions that otherwise cannot be folded in vitro by commonly used techniques, 67% of the enzymatic activity was recovered.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for diagnosing and treating individuals with insulin resistance.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to screen and identify a novel antimicrobial protein which can inhibit the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms at a relatively low concentration such as Pyricularia oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani causative of two major diseases causing damage to rice crops and, further, to clone the gene of this protein. According to the present invention, an antimicrobial protein which can be obtained from a fraction of an aqueous extract of Lyophyllum shimeji precipitated by the ammonium sulfate precipitation method, has an antimicrobial activity at least against Rhizoctonia solani or Pyricularia oryzae, and shows the presence of components of about 70 kDa and/or about 65 kDa in molecular weight in the SDS-PAGE method. A gene encoding this protein and a method of using the same are provided.

Abstract: Short bioactive peptides containing phenylalanine, leucine, alanine, and lysine residues are disclosed. The peptides can be used in antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and other biological applications.

Abstract: Variants of tissue plasminogen factor exhibit significantly enhanced fibrin stimulation, dramatically increased discrimination among fibrin co-factors, marked resistance to inhibition by PAI-1, and substantially increased zymogenicity, a combination of properties that enhance the therapeutic utility of the enzyme.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions and methods for expressing mini-dystrophin peptides. In particular, the present invention provides compositions comprising nucleic acid sequences that are shorter than wild-type dystrophin cDNA and that express mini-dystrophin peptides that function in a similar manner as wild-type dystrophin proteins. The present invention also provides compositions comprising mini-dystrophin peptides, and methods for expressing mini-dystrophin peptides in target cells.

Abstract: A method is provided for screening Caulobacter suitable for use as host organisms for secretion of heterologous polypeptides. Such Caulobacter have a transport protein homologous to one of the type I transport proteins known in C. crescentus. DNA constructs are also provided which code for a chimeric protein of which the C-terminus is a secretion signal of a Caulobacter surface layer protein, other than from C. crescentus. Bacterial cells containing, or which express such DNA constructs and which may secrete the resulting protein, are also provided.