PATENT

Recombinant DNA transfer vectors containing DNA inserts which are complementary to either the human LDL receptor gene, or its mR NA transcript, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods which utilize these genetic probes for diagnosing Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) in a suspected individual. A case study of numerous such individual are disclosed wherein the genetic deletion mutation is detailed with great precision through the practice of this in- vention.

ABSTRACTS 83

4966842

S T R U C T U R A L G E N E S E N C O D I N G T H E V A R I O U S A L L E L I C A N D

M A T U R A T I O N F O R M S O F P R E P R O T H A U M A T I N

R E C O M B I N A N T C L O N I N G V E H I C L E S , C O M P R I S I N G S A I D

S T R U C T U R A L G E N E S A N D E X P R E S S I O N T H E R E O F IN

T R A N S F O R M E D M I C R O B I A L H O S T C E L L S

4966840

S T A B L E H I G H C O P Y N U M B E R P L A S M I D S

David H Gelfand assigned to Cetus Corporation

DNA plasmids are described which are selected mutants in which an altered repressor gene leads to high copy number replication. Elements in the plasmids are modified in such a way that read- through expression of heterologous DNA in- serted in the plasmid will not continue into the replication primer strand. Deletions resulting from interference with replication primer strand transcription are thereby avoided.

Cornelis Verrips, Jan Maat, Luppo Edens, Adrianus M Ledeboer, Maassluis, Netherlands assigned to Unilever Patent Holdings B V

The invention relates to structural genes con- sisting of DNA sequences encoding non- processed and partly processed thaumatin, to the various allelic forms of said non-processed thaumatin and to recombinant DNA's and plas- mids comprising said structural genes coding for the various allelic forms of preprothaumatin, and naturally and/or artificially modified pre- prothaumatin in various stages of its natural processing, and to the use of said recombinant plasmids to transform microorganisms, par- ticularly bacteria in which said genes are ex- pressed.

4966841

E N H A N C E D V E C T O R P R O D U C T I O N A N D E X P R E S S I O N

O F R E C O M B I N A N T D N A P R O D U C T S

Donald E Riley assigned to The Board of Re- gents of the University of Washington

A 2,356 base pair fragment isolated from the human X chromosome, designated as Xrep, has been found to exert a positive effect on plasmid replication in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The Xrep, in addition, has been found to increase transcription of DNA, thus leading to increased expression of desired protein products. The Xrep segment has been fully sequenced and portions thereof have been found to exhibit homologies with enhancer sequences contained in various viruses.

4966843

E X P R E S S I O N O F I N T E R F E R O N G E N E S I N C H I N E S E H A M S T E R

O V A R Y C E L L S

Francis P McCormick, Michael Innis, Gordon M Ringold assigned to Cetus Corporation

DNA constructs are prepared which operably link human interferon genes, selective, eu- karyotic marker genes, and promoter and ex- pression control sequences for the expression of human interferon in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells or progeny thereof. The human recombinant interferon so produced contains glycans which are a subset of the population of glycans which are contained in the native coun- terpart, and may be used in therapeutic formula- tions. The CHO cells yield high levels of human interferon with no detectable amounts of host IFN, either constitutive or inductive.