Abstract: The invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment which encodes a polypeptide fragment which exhibits a substantial immunological reactivity with a rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against a polypeptide having an apparent molecular weight of 13 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE followed by visualization, said polypeptide being derived from Borrelia burgdorferi B313 and being encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18, said rabbit polyclonal antibody exhibiting substantially no immunological reactivity with proteins from at least 95% of spirochaetes randomly selected from the group consisting of Borrelia hermsii, Borrelia crocidurae, Borrelia anserina, and Borrelia hispanica, and/or hybridises readily under highly stringent hybridization conditions with a DNA fragment having a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 18, SEQ ID NO: 20, and SEQ ID NO: 22, or with a DNA fragment complementary thereto, but exhibits no substantial hybridization when the hybridization co

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides encoded by the same, antibodies directed thereto and a method of preparing such polypeptides including: (a) inserting an isolated DNA molecule coding for a polypeptide which is immunoreactive with a 66 kDa polypeptide derived from Borrelia garinii IP90 into an expression vector; (b) transforming a host organism or cell with the vector; (c) culturing the transformed host cell under suitable conditions; and (d) harvesting the polypeptide. The isolated DNA molecule is preferably at least 10 nucleotides in length, and the method may optionally include subjecting the polypeptide to post-translational modification. The host cell can be a bacterium, a yeast, a protozoan, or a cell derived from a multicellular organism such as a fungus, an insect cell, a plant cell, or a mammalian cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an expression system comprising a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide which has a biological activity of human &kgr;-casein, the system comprising a 5′-flanking sequence capable of mediating expression of said DNA sequence. In preferred embodiments the 5′-flanking sequence is from a milk protein gene of a mammal such as a casein gene or whey acidic protein (WAP) gene and the DNA sequence contains at least one intron sequence selected from the intron sequences presented in SEQ ID NO:30. The invention also relates to DNA sequences, replicable expression vectors and cells harboring said vectors, recombinant polypeptide e.g. in glycosylated form, and milk, infant formula or nutrient supplement comprising recombinant polypeptide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an expression system comprising a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide which ha a biological activity of human &kgr;-casein, the system comprising a 5′-flanking sequence capable of mediating expression of said DNA sequence. In preferred embodiments the 5′-flanking sequence is from a milk protein gene of a mammal such as a casein gene or whey acidic protein (WAP) gene and the DNA sequence contains at least one intron sequence. The invention further relates to DNA sequences, replicable expression vectors and cells harboring said vectors, recombinant polypeptide e.g. in glycosylated form, and milk, infant formula or nutrient supplement comprising recombinant polypeptide.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are: substantially pure lipidated OspA protein, compositions containing substantially pure lipidated OspA protein, immunogenic fragments of OspA, compositions containing immunogenic fragments of OspA, polypeptides containing an immunogenic fragment or epitopic region of OspA, and methods for making and using such proteins, fragments, and polypeptides.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed is an isolated DNA molecule having a nucleotide sequence encoding substantially pure OspA, as well as vectors containing such DNA, uses of such DNA, and compositions containing such vectors.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are isolated polypeptides consisting of amino acid sequences derived form ospA and/or ospB of various B. burgdorferi or portions thereof and methods of making and using the same.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides encoded by the same, antibodies directed thereto and a method of preparing such polypeptides including: (a) inserting an isolated DNA molecule coding for a polypeptide which is immunoreactive with a 66 kDa polypeptide derived from Borrelia garinii IP90 into an expression vector; (b) transforming a host organism or cell with the vector; (c) culturing the transformed host cell under suitable conditions; and (d) harvesting the polypeptide. The isolated DNA molecule is preferably at least 10 nucleotides in length, and the method may optionally include subjecting the polypeptide to post-translational modification. The host cell can be a bacterium, a yeast, a protozoan, or a cell derived from a multicellular organism such as a fungus, an insect cell, a plant cell, or a mammalian cell.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are Lyme disease vaccines and methods for making and using them. The vaccines include a vector containing DNA encoding OspA or an immunogenic fragment thereof or such DNA encoding OspA or an immunogenic fragment thereof which has been modified by substitution, addition, insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides, whereby the DNA when expressed results in OspA, or an immunogenic fragment thereof, or a polypeptide having the immunological activity of OspA or the fragment thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides encoded by the same, antibodies directed thereto and a method of preparing such polypeptides including: (a) inserting an isolated DNA molecule coding for a polypeptide which is immunoreactive with a 66 kDa polypeptide derived from Borrelia garinii IP90 into an expression vector; (b) transforming a host organism or cell with the vector; (c) culturing the transformed host cell under suitable conditions; and (d) harvesting the polypeptide. The isolated DNA molecule is preferably at least 10 nucleotides in length, and the method may optionally include subjecting the polypeptide to post-translational modification. The host cell can be a bacterium, a yeast, a protozoan, or a cell derived from a multicellular organism such as a fungus, an insect cell, a plant cell, or a mammalian cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides encoded by the same, antibodies directed thereto and a method of preparing such polypeptides including: (a) inserting an isolated DNA molecule coding for a polypeptide which is immunoreactive with a 66 kDa polypeptide derived from Borrelia garinii IP90 into an expression vector; (b) transforming a host organism or cell with the vector; (c) culturing the transformed host cell under suitable conditions; and (d) harvesting the polypeptide. The isolated DNA molecule is preferably at least 10 nucleotides in length, and the method may optionally include subjecting the polypeptide to post-translational modification. The host cell can be a bacterium, a yeast, a protozoan, or a cell derived from a multicellular organism such as a fungus, an insect cell, a plant cell, or a mammalian cell.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are isolated DNA molecules consisting of nucleotide sequences encoding or priming for ospA and/or ospB of various B. burgdorferi or portions thereof and methods of making and using the same.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a DNA sequence encoding the human milk protein .beta.-casein or an analogue or variant thereof which has either the calcium binding activity of human .beta.-casein, or opioid activity, or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, or a combination of any two or three of these activities. The DNA sequence may optionally contain one or more intron sequences and permissive RNA splice signals. The DNA sequence is used in the production of recombinant human .beta.-casein, advantageously by means of production in transgenic non-human mammals such as bovine species. In one embodiment, the DNA sequence is inserted into a milk protein gene of a mammal such as a whey acidic protein (WAP) gene. The main use of the recombinant human .beta.-casein is as a constituent of infant formulae. It is contemplated that the recombinant human .beta.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are substantially pure OspA, vaccines including substantially pure OspA and an immunologically acceptable carrier or vehicle, methods for producing such vaccines, and methods for inducing a protective immunological response against Borrelia burgdorferi employing such vaccines. The methods for producing the vaccines can include admixing the OspA and the carrier or vehicle. The methods for producing the vaccines also can include recovering the OspA from a host organism transformed with a vector containing DNA encoding the OspA and admixing the OspA with an immunologically acceptable carrier or vehicle. Such methods can further include adding an adjuvant. The vaccine can contain OspA from two or more strains of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are isolated nucleic acid molecules, such as DNA encoding Borrelia burgdorferi OspA, vectors containing the nucleic acid molecules, and methods for diagnosing Borrelia burgdorferi infection employing such nucleic acid molecules. The isolated nucleic acid molecule can be an isolated DNA molecule encoding the 31 kD OspA protein of New York strain B31. The isolated nucleic acid molecule also can be an isolated DNA molecule encoding Borrelia burgdorferi OspA and a signal peptide which contains an amino acid recognition sequence. The recognition sequence can be L-z-z-C, where each z independently designates a small, neutral amino acid, such as isoleucine or alanine. The recognition sequence can also be L-I-x-C where x is a non-charged amino acid residue, such as alanine. Further, the isolated nucleic acid molecule can be an isolated DNA molecule encoding Borrelia burgdorferi OspA and which includes a 5'-flanking region containing at least one promoter sequence for expression of the OspA.

Abstract: B fraction of Borrelia burgdorferi, methods for preparing the B fraction, and compositions containing the B fraction, are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: A method is provided for shredding and dry-defibrating compressed cellulose pulp, and depositing the resulting fibrous material on a foraminous support to form a batt of relatively uniform density while controlling the feed of cellulose pulp material through the shredding and dry-defibrating operations to the foraminous support according to the output rate of the batt-forming operation, to ensure a relatively uniform density in the batt withdrawn from the foraminous support.