PATENT ABSTRACTS

Composition useful for producing vaccines con- taining particles having immunogenic properties characteristic of antigen HBsAg, said particles being more particularly characterized in that they also contain a receptor for polymerized human albumin. They are obtained by trans- formation of human or animal cells by a vector containing a DNA sequence coding for the S and pre-S regions o fa gene of viral hepatitis B, said DNA sequence being placed under direct control of a promoter enabling the efficient transcription of said sequence in human or animal cells trans- formable by said vector.

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

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

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

I N G R E D I E N T S T H E R E O F O R P R O T E I N S U S I N G S U C H

B A C T E R I A

Jan KOK, Jan MAAT, DER VOSSEN Josephus Mauritius Bernardus Ma VAN, Gerard VENEMA, Soerabajastraat 57A, NL- 9715 LR Groningen, Netherlands assigned to UNILEVER N V;

The cryptic Streptococcus cremoris) Wg2 plas- mid pWV01 (I.5 Md) was genetically marked with the chlorampbenicol resistance (Cm(R)) gene from pCI94, the erythromycin resistance (Era(R)) gene from pE194 cop-6, the chloram- phenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene, or combinations thereof to provide recombinant vector plasmids which can replicate in B. subtilis, E. coli) and lactic streptococci. The Cm(R) and Em(R) genes were expressed under regie of their own promoters, whereas the CAT gene was ex- pressed under regie of the b. subtilis) SPO2 pro- moter. Instead of antibiotic resistance markers, the use ofauxotrophic markers, e.g. the genes for lactose metabolism, is envisaged. Moreover. other genes were inserted into these plasmids and expressed in Streptococcus lactis), namely the bovine prochymosin gene described in EP-PA 0 077 109 (A2) under regie of B. subtilis) SPO2 promoter and the protease gen¢(s) from Strep- tococcus cremoris) Wg2 plasmids pWV05. These and similar plasmids can be used to transform lactic acid bacteria to provide them with im- proved or new properties for the use in the fer- mentative preparation of food products, animal feedstuffs and ingredients thereof, as well as of proteins. A method for isolating other protease genes is provided which can be used instead of the pW05-derived protease gene(s).

143

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

Nicole CHENC1NER, Jean Fran@ois HOUS- SAIS, I 1, quai Bourdon, F-75004 Paris, France assigned to CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIF1QUE; GROUPE- MENT DE GENIE GENETIQUE (G3)

Hybrid cells transformed or transformable by a cloned DNA sequence containing the sequence coding for a determined polypeptide, for ex- ample an immunogene polypeptide having vac- cination properties to hepatitis B. They are characterized in that they contain on one hand at least a portion of the genotype of a primary cell lineage which are naturally favorable to the ex- pression of said DNA sequence and on the other hand a genetic marker which enable them to grow in a selective medium or containing an ac- tive principle which is normally lethal for the cells from which the hybrid is issued, but unac- tivable by the polypeptide expressed by said genetic marker.

8503947

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

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

Mark M DAVIS, Stephen M HEDRICK as- signed to THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JR U

Oligonucleotide sequences are provided coding for T-cell-specific antigen receptors or fragments thereof. The oligonucleotid¢ sequences can be used as probes for detecting helper and cytotoxic T-cells, preparing and isolating DNA sequences encoding for the receptor polypeptide, and in constructions for expression of receptor poly- peptides or fragments thereof. In addition, pro- cessing signals from the receptor subunits can be employed in conjuction with modified wild type oligonucleotide sequences or non-wild type olignucleotide sequences.

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

Alfred L GOLDBERG, Stephen A GOFF, Lawrence P CASSON assigned to PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE

144 PATENT ABSTRACTS

Host organisms and methods for producing recombinant products in high yields. More par- ticularly, the present invention relates to cell strains carrying specific mutations within their DNA sequences which cause the cells to exhibit a reduced capacity for degrading foreign products due to the reduced expression of cellular pro- teases and to the use of these strains to produce increased yields of genetically engineered foreign proteins, polypeptides and other products. The methods disclosed in this invention advan- tageously permit the prodhction, in high yields, of foreign recombinant proteins, polypeptides or other products in hosts which do not usually pro- duce such products.

8504187

PROCESS FOR PREPARING 5 ' - G U A N Y L I C ACID

Tatsuro FUJIO, Akihiko MARUYAMA, Tat- sunari NISHI, Akio OZAKI, Seiga ITO, Atsuko OZAKI, 6-29-1, Sagamidai, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa 228, Japan assigned to KYOWA HAKKO KOGYO CO LTD;

GMP can be prepared in a good yield by con- verting XMP, ammonia and/or L-glutamine in an aqueous solution using a culture product, cells or their treated product of E. coli having GMP synthetase activity and the ability of con- verting AMP to ATP in the presence of an energy source other than phosphorus oxides, in the pre- sence of the energy source. GMP can also be pre- pared in a good yield by converting XMP. ammonia and/or L-glutamine to GMP in an aqueous medium in the presence of ATP using a culture product, cells or their treated product of transformant obtained by using a recombinant DNA ofa DNA fragment containing GMP syn- thetase gene and a vector DNA fragment. The process of using transformant having ATP- reproducing ability is extremely advantageous.

8504188

R E C O M B I N A N T DNA M O L E C U L E S

Ashley Roger DUNN, Nicholas Martin GOUGH, Donald METCALF, 81 Panoramic Road, North Balwyn, VIC, Australia assigned to RESEARCH CORPORATION

DNA sequence coding for a mammalian granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating fac- tor (GM-CSF), a method of obtaining same. vec- tors and hosts harboring same. The sequence is useful as a probe for identifying related

sequences, selecting GM-CSF encoding mRNA from a mixture ofmRNAs containing same, and a source of GM-CSF DNA for expression in an appropriate expression vector. The GM-CSF protein encoded by the sequence is useful for stimulating the production of granulocytes and macrophages from their respective progenitor cells.

8504418

V E C T O R S FOR THE E X P R E S S I O N OF HIRUDINE, TRANSFORMED C E L L S A N D P R O C E S S FOR THE

PREPARATION OF HIRUDINE

Paul TOLSTOSHEV. Richard HARVEY, Michael COURTNEY, Jean-Pierre LECOCQ, 5. rue Gounod, F-67450 Mundelsheim, France assigned to TRANSGENE S A:

Vector for the cloning and expression in a host cell of hirudine or an analogue of hirudine, characterized in that it comprises the gene coding for hirudine or an analogue of hirudine, and the elements for the expression of this gene in said host cell, said coding gene beginning, af- ter the starting sequence, by an lie codon and a thr codon.

8504419

H I G H C O P Y N U M B E R E X P R E S S I O N VECTORS

Nikos PANAYOTATOS, 17 Pre-Jerome, CH- 1205 Geneva, Switzerland assigned to BIOGEN N V:

High copy number expression vectors and methods for increasing the copy number of such vectors in an appropriate host and for expressing cloned genes using them. The vectors and methods of the invention may be used to im- prove the production of polypeptides, proteins and amino acids in host cells transformed with DNA sequences coding for those products.

8504420

N O V E L DNA AND I T S U S E

Masaharu SENOO, Haruo ONDA. Koichi IGARASHI, D73-106, 18 Tsukumodai 5- chome. Suita-shi, Osaka 565. Japan assigned to TAKEDA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LTD;

A novel DNA is prepared in which a DNA frac- tion having a structural gene which codes a pep- tide containing human immunointerferon and a