Genentech, Inc.

Genencor, Inc.

Dennis J Henner

James A Wells

Henry Bernard Lowman

David J Matthews

Steven H Bass

Lisa J Garrard

Ronald Greene

Daniel G Yansura

Eugenio Ferrari

Frederic DeSauvage

David Aaron Estell

Richard L Vandlen

Mark L Stahl

James A Wilkins

The present invention is directed to novel chimpanzee erythropoietin polypeptides and to nucleic acid molecules encoding those polypeptides. Also provided herein are vectors and host cells comprising those nucleic acid sequences, chimeric polypeptide molecules comprising the polypeptides of the present invention fused to heterologous polypeptide sequences, and antibodies which bind to the polypeptides of the present invention.

Chimpanzee erythropoietin (CHEPO) polypeptides and nucleic acids encoding the same

The present invention is directed to novel chimpanzee erythropoietin polypeptides and to nucleic acid molecules encoding those polypeptides. Also provided herein are vectors and host cells comprising those nucleic acid sequences, chimeric polypeptide molecules comprising the polypeptides of the present invention fused to heterologous polypeptide sequences, antibodies which bind to the polypeptides of the present invention and to methods for producing the polypeptides of the present invention.

A method for selecting novel proteins such as growth hormone and antibody fragment variants having altered binding properties for their respective receptor molecules is provided. The method comprises fusing a gene encoding a protein of interest to the carboxy terminal domain of the gene III coat protein of the filamentous phage M13. The gene fusion is mutated to form a library of structurally related fusion proteins that are expressed in low quantity on the surface of a phagemid particle. Biological selection and screening are employed to identify novel ligands useful as drug candidates. Disclosed are preferred phagemid expression vectors and selected human growth hormone variants.

Enrichment method for variant proteins with altered binding properties

Monovalent phage display

Enrichment method for variant proteins having altered binding

A process is provided for cleaving a polypeptide into at least two polypeptide components comprising treating a reduced, free-cysteine form of the polypeptide with a cleaving agent under conditions for cleaving the polypeptide at a desired junction between the polypeptide cleavage products. More preferably, the process for cleaving comprises culturing cells containing DNA encoding said polypeptide, wherein at least one Asp codon is present in said DNA at a desired junction between the components to be cleaved from each other, said culturing resulting in expression of the DNA to produce the polypeptide in the host cell culture; and treating a reduced, free-cysteine form of the polypeptide with dilute acid under conditions for cleaving the polypeptide at the Asp junction. In particular embodiments, a DNA sequence is provided that encodes a relaxin precursor and includes codons encoding aspartic acid-containing linkers at novel positions within the precursor, allowing the ready cleavage of relaxin A peptides by treatment with dilute acid.

Processes and compositions for the isolation of human relaxin

Recombinant host bacteria and plasmids for making the bacteria using recombinant DNA techniques are described. The plasmids contain DNA coding for subtilisin with an amino acid substitution. Expression of the plasmid DNA results in production of a modified subtilisin.

Procaryotic carbonyl hydrolases

There are described, normally sporulating mutant Bacillus strain(s) which produce no detectable proteolytic activity during any phase of its growth. The absence of detectable proteolytic activity is due to the deletion of one or more codons specifying the mature subtilisin protease and the mature neutral protease. Also described are methods for producing such normally sporulating, protease deficient Bacillus mutants.

Protease deficient bacillus

Shuttle vector systems are provided for the regulated expression of subject genes in transformed hosts. A promoter/operator which does not originate with the transformed host cell controls expression of the subject gene and a repressor, which also does not originate with the host cell, regulates the promoter/operator. According to this invention, promoter/operator--repressor functionalities from one bacterium are used in other bacteria, thereby obviating the need to locate homologous expression regulatory sequences for each bacterial host.

Growing community of inventors

Pacifica, CA, United States of America

Dennis J Henner