303 results about "Actin" patented technology

The current invention provides regulatory regions from the rice actin 2 gene. In particular, the current invention provides the rice actin 2 promoter and actin 2 intron. Compositions comprising these sequences are described, as well as transformation constructs derived therefrom. Further provided are methods for the expression of transgenes in plants comprising the use of these sequences. The methods of the invention include the direct creation of transgenic plants with the rice actin 2 intron and/or promoter directly by genetic transformation, as well as by plant breeding methods. The actin 2 sequences of the invention represent a valuable new tool for the creation of transgenic plants, preferably having one or more added beneficial characteristics.

Microbial infections including anthrax infection, and gastrointestinal disorders, are treated or prevented by administration of an actin-sequestering peptide including amino acid sequence LKKTET, such as Thymosin β4, an isoform of Thymosin β4, oxidized Thymosin β4, or Tβ4 sulfoxide.

The invention relates to isolated hemangioblast cells. Hematopoietic and endothelial cells are postulated to be derived from a common progenitor, hemangioblast. While hemangioblast has been isolated retrospectively during embryonic stem cell differentiation, it has not been isolated from embryos or from bone marrow. Prospectively stable clonal cell lines have been isolated from mammalian embryos, from embryonic stem cells and from mammalian bone marrow that can differentiate in vitro into tubular structures with both endothelial and hematopoietic markers such as CD34, CD31, Flk-1, TIE2, P-selectin, Sca-1, thy-1, CD45, and smooth muscle actin. Gene expression profiles in the undifferentiated and differentiated cells were consistent with endothelial and hematopoietic differentiation potential. Transplantation studies in isogenic or immunodeficient mice demonstrated that these cells were not tumorigenic. In an appropriate microenvironment, the cells incorporate into the vasculature and participate in hematopoiesis.

A real-time assay coupled with a non-invasive tissue sampling was developed for the detection and quantification of fish viruses. As a proof of principles, data were presented for the detection and quantification of infectious hypodermal necrosis virus (IHNV) in trout. The primers were designed for IHNV nucleocapsid (N), and surface glycoprotein (G) genes, and trout &bgr;-actin and elongation factor-l&agr; (EF-I &agr;) were used as internal control for the assay. The reaction conditions for the real-time RT-PCR were optimized using cDNA derived from IHNV-infected Epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. Using both N- and G-gene primers, IHNV was successfully detected in liver, kidney, spleen, adipose tissue and pectoral fin samples of laboratory-challenged and wild samples. The dissociation curves with a single melting peak at expected temperature (85° C. for the N-gene and 86.5° C. for the G-gene) confirmed the specificity of the N- and G-gene amplicons. The IHNV N- and the G-gene expression levels in different tissues of laboratory challenged samples were in the order of spleen, liver, kidney, adipose tissue and pectoral fin, however in the field-collected samples the order of gene expression was liver, kidney, pectoral fin, adipose tissue, and spleen. The N- and G-gene expressions in spleen were found to be dramatically lower in the field-collected samples compared to the laboratory-challenged samples indicating a potential difference in the IHNV replication in the laboratory as opposed to field conditions. The real-time PCR assay was found to be rapid, highly sensitive, and reproducible. Based upon the ability to detect the virus in pectoral fins a non-invasive detection method for IHNV and other fish viruses is developed. Such a non-invasive tissue sampling coupled with real-time PCR assay is very valuable for large-scale virus screening of fish in aquaculture facilities as well as for epidemiological studies.

The equilibrium between G actin and F actin is shifted towards the F actin confirmation with compounds such as the ionic form of magnesium or potassium. The higher amount of F actin decreases the inhibition of nucleases such as DNAse I by monomeric G actin. The increased performance of the nuclease results in better treatment of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis or other diseases with viscous mucus.

Embodiments of the invention provides methods, devices and kits for determining the likelihood of an individual having an active fibrotic condition and/or early diagnosis, and subsequently prognosis evaluation of an individual having an active fibrotic condition such as systemic sclerosis (SSc) and/or nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) by measuring the levels of several biomarkers: α-enolase (ENO1), reticulocalbin 3 (RCN-3), alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), reticulocalbin 1 (RCN-1) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in the individual.

The invention discloses a self-immunity hepatitis detection protein chip and a kit thereof. The chip and the kit can be used for simultaneously detecting 12 immunity protein markers: ANA (dsDNA, RNP, Sm, SS-A/Ro, SS-B/La, Sc1-70, Jo-1), SMA, LKM-1, SLA/LP, F-actin and AMA. The invention overcomes the shortcomings of the current products that the detection index is single and incomplete. The invention provides a detection method which has a complete diction result and a simpler process.

Eye degradation such as may be associated with dry eye syndrome is inhibited or reversed by administration of an actin-sequestering peptide such as Thymosin β4, an isoform of Thymosin β4 or oxidized Thymosin β4.

The invention encompasses methods and compositions for increasing or decreasing collagen 1A1 expression and/or α-smooth muscle actin expression in lung fibroblasts using SERPINE2 and antagonists of SERPINE2. The invention also encompasses methods and compositions for increasing or decreasing the formation of myofibroblasts. The invention further provides methods and compositions for treatment of lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The current invention provides for methods and medicaments that apply an oligonucleotide comprising aninosine and/or an uracile and/or a nucleotide containing a base able to form a wobble base pair, said oligonucleotide being preferably RNAse H substantially independent and being complementary only to a repetitive sequence in a human gene transcript, for the manufacture of a medicament for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a cis-element repeat instability associated genetic disorders in humans. The invention hence provides a method of treatment for cis-element repeat instability associated genetic disorders. The invention also pertains to a modified oligonucleotide which can be applied in a method of the invention to prevent the accumulation and/or translation of repeat expanded transcripts in cells.

The invention discloses a multiple stain reagent and a detection method for identifying a breast myoepithelial lesion. The multiple stain reagent comprises 20% of mouse anti-human CK8/18 immunohistochemical monoclonal antibody, 20% of ready-to-use calmodulin mouse anti-human monoclonal antibody, 20% of ready-to-use cytokeratin mouse anti-human monoclonal antibody, 20% of ready-to-use P63 protein mouse anti-human monoclonal antibody, and 20% of actin HHF-35 anti-human monoclonal antibody. When a breast myoepithelial cell is marked, the myoepithelial cell has strong specificity and sensibility, and different target antigens in the same target cell can be identified, so that a cell nucleus, a cell membrane and a cytoplasm can be stained synchronously, the reactivity and the sensibility of the myoepithelial cell are markedly improved, basic structures of a breast acinus and a catheter can be indicated more objectively, and a good assistance effect is exerted on the diagnosis of the breast lesion.

The present inventors concerns vectors carrying a truncated chimeric CMV-chicken β-actin (smCBA) promoter in which the hybrid chicken β-actin/rabbit β-globin intron is greatly shortened, and their use to deliver to an operatively linked polynucleotide to host cells in vitro or in vivo, resulting in expression of the polynucleotide in the host cells. In one embodiment, the vector carrying the smCBA promoter is administered to the eye. In another embodiment, the vector carrying the smCBA promoter is a self-complementary adeno-associated virus (AAV). The AAV vector may be of any serotype (e.g., type 1, type 2, type 3, type 4, type 5, type 6, type 7, type 8, type 9, type 10). In another embodiment, a self-complementary vector carrying the smCBA promoter is administered to the eye. Another aspect of the invention concerns host cells carrying a vector of the invention. Another aspect of the invention concerns pharmaceutical composition comprising the vectors or host cells of the invention, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

A method of obtaining transgenic turfgrass plants by an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol is disclosed. The protocol makes use of a modified Agrobacterium vector system in which selectable marker genes and other genes of interest are operably linked to strong promoters from monocotyledenous plants, such as actin and ubiquitin promoters, that function efficiently in turfgrass cells. Transgenic turfgrass plants of several species, produced by the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method, are also disclosed.

Disclosed are methods and compositions for the selective manipulation of gene expression through the preparation of retroviral expression vectors for expressing antisense sequences, such as K-ras oncogene antisense sequences, or sequences encoding a desired product, such as wild type p53 sequences. Preferred retroviral vectors of the present invention incorporate the β-actin promoter in a reverse orientation with respect to retroviral transcription. Preferred antisense RNA constructs of the present invention employ the use of antisense intron DNA corresponding to distinct intron regions of the gene whose expression is targeted for down-regulation. In an exemplary embodiment, a human lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460a) with a homozygous spontaneous K-ras mutation was transfected with a recombinant plasmid that synthesizes a genomic segment of K-ras in antisense orientation. Translation of the mutated K-ras mRNA was specifically inhibited, whereas expression of H-ras and N-ras was unchanged. A three-fold growth inhibition occurred in H460a cells when expression of the mutated ras p21 protein was down-regulated by antisense RNA and cells remained viable. The growth of H460a tumors in nu/nu mice was substantially reduced by expressed K-ras antisense RNA.

The invention provides a prelithiation method and prelithiation device for a negative electrode of a lithium battery. A prelithiated negative plate of the lithium battery is formed mainly through laminating copper foil and lithium foil which are not coated with a negative electrode material into a prelithiated copper foil composite material under the cold-pressing actin of a precision roller pressand carrying out coating, drying and rolling on the copper foil composite material. The prelithiation device has the characteristics of being simple in mechanism arrangement, relatively low in manufacturing cost, good in rolling effect, smooth in surface and stable in shape.