Mologen Ag

Mologen Forschungs Entwicklungs Und Vertriebs Gmbh

Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

Soft Gene Gmbh

Claas Junghans

Burghardt Wittig

Matthias Schroff

Rainer Wingen

Gunter Scherowsky

Anke Kaltbeitzel

Hans Lutz

Christiane Juhls

Detlef Oswald

Britta Michalski

Sven König Merediz

The invention concerns a vaccine that can induce protection against disease especially in consequence of a lentivirus infection, especially an infection with the Feline Leukosis virus. Such vaccine comprises codon-optimized DNA sequences encoding structural proteins and the most important membrane protein of FeLV.

Vaccine against oncovirus infections such as infections by feline leukosis virus of the cat

The invention concerns an expressible nucleic acid construct, which contains only the sequence information necessary for expressing a gene for RNA or protein synthesis. Expression constructs of this type can be used in gene therapy and genetic vaccination and avoid many of the risks associated with constructs today. The invention further concerns the possibility of improving the conveying of the construct into cells or tissue by covalent linkage of the construct, for example to particles of peptides.

Design principle for the construction of expression constructs for gene therapy

Short deoxyribonucleic acid molecules that are partially single-stranded, dumbbell-shaped, and covalently closed, which contain one or more unmethylated cytosine guanosine motif (CpG motif) and exhibit immunomodifying effects. Such molecules can be used for immunostimulation applications in humans or vertebrates.

Covalently closed nucleic acid molecules for immunostimulation

The invention concerns an expressible nucleic acid construct, which contains only the sequence information necessary for expressing a gene for RNA or protein synthesis. Expression constructs of this type can be used in gene therapy and genetic vaccination and avoid many of the risks associated with constructs today. The invention further concerns the possibility of improving the conveying of the construct into cells or tissue by covalent linkage of the construct, for example to particles or peptides.

Design principle for construction of expression constructs for gene therapy

A process to obtain linear double-stranded covalently closed DNA &ldquo;dumbbell&rdquo; constructs from plasmids by restriction digest, subsequent ligation with hairpin oligodesoxyribonucleotides, optionally in the presence of restriction enzyme, and a final digestion with endo- and exonucleolytic enzymes that degrade all contaminating polymeric DNA molecules but the desired construct. The invention also provides a process to obtain said dumbbell constructs employing endonuclease class II enzymes. Furthermore, the invention provides a process to obtain linear, covalently closed DNA molecules, such as plasmids, free from contamination by genomic DNA, by submitting the DNA preparation to a facultative endonucleolytic degradation step and an obligatory exonucleolytic degradation step.

Method for making linear, covalently closed DNA constructs

Azetidinones of the formula I ##STR1## in which, for example, R.sup.1 is an alkyl or alkenyl radical, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are hydrogen or an alkyl or alkenyl radical, Z is hydrogen or (pseudo)halogen, A.sup.1, A.sup.2 and A.sup.3 are a ring system, and M is a spacer group, can be added to liquid-crystal mixtures. Even when admixed in small amounts, they cause considerable twist in the cholesteric and smectic C* phase, which can compensate the pitch of another dope or produce a short S.sub.C * pitch.

Growing community of inventors

Berlin, Germany

Claas Junghans