Abstract: Inhibitors of the tmRNA pathway have antibacterial activity with broad species specificity, including B. anthracis and other pathogens of military and civilian interest. Identified cyclic or linear peptides are further selected by in vivo selection methods, kill bacterial pathogens when added exogenously, and/or eliminate plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance or virulence genes. The molecular target of each cyclic peptide is in the tmRNA pathway and the tmRNA pathway is inhibited in vitro and in vivo by the addition of the peptides.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for preparing complexed diaryl boronic acids from alkyl diarylborinates.

Abstract: Compositions and methods of use of borole derivatives, including benzoxaboroles, benzazaboroles and benzthiaboroles, as therapeutic agents for treatment of diseases caused by bacteria or viruses are disclosed, as well as methods for synthesis of said agents and compositions thereof.

Abstract: A series of methods that utilize the incremental truncation of nucleic acids are described to create a plurality of modified nucleic acids and hybrid polypeptides. A plurality of substantially all possible single base-pair deletions of a given nucleic acid sequence is created. A method of making shuffled incremental truncated nucleic acids, which is independent of nucleic acid sequence homology, is also described. These methods can be used in protein engineering, protein folding, protein evolution, and the chemical synthesis of novel hybrid proteins and polypeptides.

Abstract: A series of methods that utilize the incremental truncation of nucleic acids are described to create a plurality of modified nucleic acids and hybrid polypeptides. A plurality of substantially all possible single base-pair deletions of a given nucleic acid sequence is created. A method of making shuffled incremental truncated nucleic acids, which is independent of nucleic acid sequence homology, is also described. These methods can be used in protein engineering, protein folding, protein evolution, and the chemical synthesis of novel hybrid proteins and polypeptides.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for preparing complexed diaryl boronic acids from alkyl diarylborinates.

Abstract: The structure and preparation of antibiotics incorporating borinic acid complexes are disclosed, especially hydroxyquinoline, imidazole and picolinic acid derivatives, along with compositions of these antibiotics and methods of using the antibiotics and compositions as bactericidal and fungicidal agents as well as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.

Abstract: The structure and preparation of antibiotics incorporating borinic acid complexes are disclosed, especially hydroxyquinoline, imidazole and picolinic acid derivatives, along with compositions of these antibiotics and methods of using the antibiotics and compositions as bactericidal and fungicidal agents as well as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.

Abstract: Methods of producing cyclic peptides and splicing intermediates of peptides in a looped conformation are disclosed. The methods utilize the trans-splicing ability of split inteins to catalyze cyclization of peptides from a precursor peptide having a target peptide interposed between two portions of a split intein. The interaction of the two portions of the split intein creates a catalytically-active intein and also forces the target peptide into a loop configuration that stabilizes the ester isomer of the amino acid at the junction between one of the intein portions and the target peptide. A heteroatom from the other intein portion then reacts with the ester to form a cyclic ester intermediate. The active intein catalyzes the formation of an aminosuccinimide that liberates a cyclized form of the target peptide, which spontaneously rearranges to form the thermodynamically favored backbone cyclic peptide product.

Abstract: A series of methods that utilize the incremental truncation of nucleic acids are described to create a plurality of modified nucleic acids and hybrid polypeptides. A plurality of substantially all possible single base-pair deletions of a given nucleic acid sequence is created. A method of making shuffled incremental truncated nucleic acids, which is independent of nucleic acid sequence homology, is also described. These methods can be used in protein engineering, protein folding, protein evolution, and the chemical synthesis of novel hybrid proteins and polypeptides.

Abstract: A method for replicating and amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence is described. A method of the invention involves the formation of a recombination intermediate without the prior denaturing of a nucleic acid duplex through the use of a recombination factor. The recombination intermediate is treated with a high fidelity polymerase to permit the replication and amplification of the target nucleic acid sequence. In preferred embodiments, the polymerase comprises a polymerase holoenzyme. In further preferred embodiments, the recombination factor is bacteriophage T4 UvsX protein or homologs from other species, and the polymerase holoenzyme comprises a polymerase enzyme, a clamp protein and a clamp loader protein, derived from viral, bacteriophage, prokaryotic, archaebacterial, or eukaryotic systems.

Abstract: This invention provides broad-spectrum antibiotics that are inhibitors of bacterial adenine DNA methyltransferases.

Abstract: The structure and preparation of antibiotics incorporating borinic acid complexes are disclosed, especially hydroxyquinoline, imidazole and picolinic acid derivatives, along with compositions of these antibiotics and methods of using the antibiotics and compositions as bactericidal and fungicidal agents as well as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.

Abstract: A method for replicating and amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence is described. A method of the invention involves the formation of a recombination intermediate without the prior denaturing of a nucleic acid duplex through the use of a recombination factor. The recombination intermediate is treated with a high fidelity polymerase to permit the replication and amplification of the target nucleic acid sequence. In preferred embodiments, the polymerase comprises a polymerase holoenzyme. In further preferred embodiments, the recombination factor is bacteriophage T4 UvsX protein or homologs from other species, and the polymerase holoenzyme comprises a polymerase enzyme, a clamp protein and a clamp loader protein, derived from viral, bacteriophage, prokaryotic, archaebacterial, or eukaryotic systems.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for reliably detecting the presence of proteins in a sample by the use of capture agents that recognize and interact with recognition sequences uniquely characteristic of a set of proteins in the sample. Arrays comprising these capture agents are also provided.

Abstract: A method for replicating and amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence is described. A method of the invention involves the formation of a recombination intermediate without the prior denaturing of a nucleic acid duplex through the use of a recombination factor. The recombination intermediate is treated with a high fidelity polymerase to permit the replication and amplification of the target nucleic acid sequence. In preferred embodiments, the polymerase comprises a polymerase holoenzyme. In further preferred embodiments, the recombination factor is bacteriophage T4 UvsX protein or homologs from other species, and the polymerase holoenzyme comprises a polymerase enzyme, a clamp protein and a clamp loader protein, derived from viral, bacteriophage, prokaryotic, archaebacterial, or eukaryotic systems.

Abstract: This invention provides improved methods of protein engineering, reagents useful therewith, and combinatorial libraries of chimeric proteins produced independent of amino acid or nucleotide sequence homology.

Abstract: The invention includes methods for assaying protease activity. According to one aspect of the present invention provides a nucleic acid construct having a sequence encoding an amino terminal portion of a fluorescent reporter fused to a sequence encoding a substrate of a protease followed by a sequence encoding a carboxyl terminal portion of a fluorescent reporter protein. The recombinant fluorescent substrate is then expressed in the presence of a protease. A change in quenching of fluorescence in the recombinant substrate is then detected. The change is an indication of protease activity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the isolation and sequencing of a novel class of methyltransferase genes, including the methyltransferase gene from Rhizobium meliloti, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Brucella abortus, and Helicobacter pylori. The invention further comprises efficient methods of assaying methyltransferase activity.

Abstract: A method to determine the molecular weights of femtomole or smaller quantities of small molecules, such as peptides, oligonucleotides, or heterocyclics, covalently attached to polystyrene beads on a grid, is presented using imaging time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The determination is made possible by selectively clipping the bond linking the small molecule to the bead, followed directly by a TOF-SIMS assay of the bead on the grid. The method can be applied to large numbers of polystyrene beads having different small molecules attached thereto for direct characterization of massive combinatorial libraries.