302 PATENT ABSTRACTS

transformed with the plasmid, and a process for production of the peptide using the trans- formant. Also disclosed is a new peptide con- sisting of 126 amino acids occurring in human atrium cordis and a precursor thereof. The pep- tide has notable diuretic action and hypotensive or antihypertensive actions.

5118616

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

S I L K W O R M S

Susumu Maeda, Mitsuru Furusawa, Tottori, Japan assigned to Daiichi Seiyaku Co Ltd

A method of producing useful substances which comprising propagating in cultured cells or in a host a recombinant Bombyx mori nuclear poly- degrosis virus (BmNPV) DNA is disclosed. The BmNPV DNA is produced by recombination with a double-stranded DNA containing (i) a 5'- upstream BmNPV DNA fragment orginally oc- curring upstream from the structural gene coding for the production of polyhedral protein and also including the promoter region for the structural gene, (ii) a translational start codon and (iii) a gene coding for the production of a useful substance exogenous to the virus, with or without (iv) a T-downstream BmNPV DNA fragment originally occurring downstream from the structural gene coding for the production of polyhedral protein.

5118617

S A F P O L Y P E P T I D E , G E N E C O D I N G T H E R E F O R , S A F

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

F O R E I G N D N A S E Q U E N C E S I N S T R E P T O M Y C E S

Antonio D Ortega, Jose A Gil, Tomas Garcia, Juan Martin, Benacazon, Spain assigned to Applied Research Systems ARS Holding N V

The cloning and characterization of a newly isolated gene, referred to as saf (secondary meta- bolism activation factor) is disclosed. This gene encodes a new amino acid polypeptide, referred to as the SAF polypeptide, which directly or in- directly modulates the expression of extra- cellular enzymes in Streptomyces. DNA units or fragments which encode the SAF polypeptides

are also disclosed, as are vectors containing said DNA, host organisms transformed with such vectors, and processes for preparing extra- cellular enzymes or heterologous polypeptides by culturing such host organisms.

5118619

M E T H O D F O R T H E F E R M E N T A T I V E P R O D U C T I O N O F L - I S O L E U C I N E F R O M D,L- A L P H A - H Y D R O X Y B U T Y R A T E

Elisabeth Scheer, Hermann Sahm, Lothar Eg- geling, Manfred Kircher, Wolfgang Leuchten- berger, Aachen, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Degussa Aktiengesellschaft

A method for the fermentative production of L- isoleucine from D,L- alpha-hydroxybutyrate by means of mutants of the genus Corynbecaterium which utilize D-lactate.

5118620

A P P L I C A T I O N O F A N T I B I O T I C S O F T H E P H L E O M Y C I N F A M I L Y AS S E L E C T I O N A G E N T I N T H E

F I E L D O F G E N E T I C E N G I N E E R I N G

Elise Armau, Daniel Drocourt, Gilles Etienne, Gerard Tiraby, Toulouse, France assigned to Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

A method of transforming eukaryotic or pro- karyotic hosts sensitive to an antibiotic of the phleomycin family to confer resistance to the antibiotic is disclosed in which a phleomycin resistance gene is used as a selectable marker.

5118623

B L E A C H S T A B L E E N Z Y M E S

Georg Boguslawski, John W Shultz assigned to Solvay Enzymes Inc

The methods of the invention can be used to identify sites of cleavage of an enzyme in the pre- sence of hypochlorite. It has been found that such cleavage occurs at tryptophan. Chemical modifications or genetic manipulation to change or delete tryptophan can be done to produce a

PATENT ABSTRACTS

more stable enzyme which retains activity in the presence of hypochlorite. The invention is par- ticularly applicable to alkaline proteases which are useful in detergent compositions.

5118625

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

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

T H E R E W I T H

Shuichi Aiba, Tomohis Nagasaki, Kohji Uchida, Saitama, Japan assigned to Oriental Yeast Co Ltd; Nisshin Flour Milling Co Ltd

The plasmid of the present invention contains Leu 2 gene ( beta-isopropylmaleate dehy- drogenase gene) from Saccharomycopsis lipolytica and an autonomously replicating sequence (hereafter referred to as ARS) and can be a shuttle vector between Escherichia coil and Saccharomycopsis lipolytica since it is produced from shuttle vector pVC 1 of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An exogenous useful gene is inserted into the plasmid of the pre- sent invention, namely, shuttle vector to trans- form Escherichia coli, whereby a large quantity of plasmids are obtained. It becomes possible to produce a useful substance in Saccharomycopsis lipolytica as a host using the plasmid.

5118627

P A P O V A V I R U S C O N S T R U C T I O N

Jeffrey K Browne assigned to Amgen

A microbial shuttle vector is disclosed which is independently replicative in bacterial cells and mammalian cells and includes in its DNA sequence bacterial plasmid sequences allowing selection and replication in bacterial cells, an SV40 viral origin of replication, and either an SV40 functional early gene promoter and func- tional early gene terminator or an SV40 func- tional late gene promoter and functional late gene terminator, the vector having a unique restriction endonuclease enzyme recognition site between the promoter and terminator for inser- tion of an exogenous gene. The presence of restriction endonuclease enzyme recognition sites facilitative of insertion of a viral functional late gene into the early gene pro-

303

moter/terminator vector in a single step allows for conversion of the shuttle vector into a lytic vector of an exogenous gene. The presence of restriction endonuclease enzyme recognition sites facilitative of insertion of a viral functional late gene into the late gene promoter/terminator vector in a single step allows for conversion of the shuttle vector into a lytic vector.

5118668

V A R I A N T S O F B O V I N E P A N C R E A T I C T R Y P S I N

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

T H E R E O F

Ernst-August Auerswald, Wolfgang Bruns, Dietrich Horlein, Gerd Reinhardt, Eugen Schnabel, Werner Schroder, Munich, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Bayer Ak- tiengesellschaft

Peptides having essentially the sequence of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (aprotinin) wherein one or more of the amino acids at posi- tions 15, 16, 17, 18, 34, 39 and 52 are replaced by any naturally occurring amino acid produced by recombinant DNA technology, process, expres- sion vector and recominant host therefor and pharmaceutical use thereof. Such peptides being useful as therapeutic agents in diseases con- nected with the presence of excessive amounts of proteinases.

5118792

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

A N D M E T H O D O F M A K I N G

Gareth J Warren, Gunhild M Mueller, Robert McKown assigned to DNA Plant Technology Corporation

Novel methods of improving freezing tolerance of organic materials through the use of antifreeze polypeptides is provided. These polypeptides in- crease the storage life of foodstuffs and bio- logics, as well as protect plant products, such as during growth. The antifreeze polypeptides, or their fusion proteins, may be produced chem- ically or by recombinant DNA techniques, and then purified for a variety of uses.