Transgene S.a.

Aventis Pharma S.a.

Hoechst Marion Roussel

Bayer Cropscience S.a.

Eric Degryse

Gilles Cauet

Tilman Achstetter

Bruno Dumas

Denis Pompon

Gerard Loison

Michael J Courtney

Roberto Spagnoli

Jacques Winter

Georges L Freyssinet

Alain Sailland

Richard Lathe

Michel Lebrun

Yves Lemoine

Cécile Chartier

Pedro Vico

C&eacute;cile Chartier

The present invention relates to novel yeast strains, methods and genetic constructs for their preparation, and their use for the synthesis or modification of steroidal compounds. More particularly, the invention describes strains having a reduced 20&#x3b1;HSD type activity, in particular by modifying the GCY1 and/or YPR1 genes. The yeast strains of the invention make it possible to improve the efficiency of the synthesis or to increase the selectivity or the yields of the method, as well as the quality of the final product. The strains, methods and compounds of the invention are useful in the search for, the development and the production of products with therapeutic or prophylactic activity, in humans or animals, in particular of steroidal derivatives.

Modified yeasts and uses thereof, in particular for producing steroid derivatives

The present invention relates to genetically modified yeast strains autonomously producing, from a simple carbon source, steroids. The invention also relates to a method for producing steroids from such yeast strains.

Yeast strains autonomously producing steroids

The present invention encompasses methods of preparing a recombinant viral vector, within a procaryotic cell, by intermolecular homologous recombination, methods of preparing an infectious viral particle containing the recombinant viral vector and pharmaceutical compositions comprising said vector or particle. The invention also encompasses the therapeutic use of said vector or particle, especially in human gene therapy.

Method for the preparation of a viral vector by inter-molecular homologous recombination

The invention concerns a novel method for producing hydroxylated and/or acetylated steroid comprising steps which consist in: culturing yeasts on a medium comprising at least a precursor of such hydroxylated and/or acetylated steroids; then isolating the hydroxylated and/or acetylated steroids from the medium after bioconversion. Said method is characterized in that said yeasts are yeasts transformed so as to express the product of Cypb gene. The invention also concerns the modified yeast strains.

Method for preparing steroids modified by yeast fermentation

The present invention relates to DNA molecules of plant origin encoding a modified 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme wherein the a first EPSPS coding sequence that normally encodes a threonine residue of a mature EPSPS sequence is modified to encode isoleucine of the mature EPSPS sequence, and a second EPSPS coding sequence that normally encodes a proline residue of a mature EPSPS sequence is modified to encode serine of the mature EPSPS sequence, wherein the first and second residues are respectively located at relatively positions 102 and 106 of a mature EPSPS sequence encoded by said DNA molecule; and the production of a transgenic plant resistant or tolerant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, e.g., glyphosate. The mutated enzyme, which substantially maintains the catalytic activity of the wild-type enzyme, allows for increased tolerance or tolerance of the plant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, and allows for the substantially normal growth or development of the plant, its organs, tissues or cells.

Mutated 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, gene coding for said protein and transformed plants containing said gene

A subject of the invention is a modified yeast strain in which the acetyl-CoA pregnenolone acetyltransferase (APAT) activity is eliminated by altering the gene coding for this activity with resultant stabilization of 3&bgr;-hydroxysteroids.

Yeast strains possessing the interrupted ATF2 gene and their applications

The present invention encompasses methods of preparing a recombinant viral vector, within a procaryotic cell, by intermolecular homologous recombination, methods of preparing an infectious viral particle containing the recombinant viral vector and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the vector or particle. The invention also encompasses the therapeutic use of the vector or particle, especially in human gene therapy.

Method for the preparation of a viral vector by intermolecular homologous recombination

Method for the preparation of a viral vector by intermolecular

The present invention relates to variants of hirudin containing an amino acid different from the amino acid in the natural form at position 47 or 63.

Hirudin HV2 having a SN7LYS substitution, method of making, and method

The present invention relates to a method for the stabilization of a plasmid vector contained in a bacterium, wherein the bacterium comprises a dap.sup.- chromosomal mutation and wherein the plasmid vector carries a dap.sup.+ gene.

Method for expressing a heterologous protein in a dapD.sup.- mutant of

The present invention relates to hirudin variants having a modified peptide structure, relative to a parent hirudin variant. The new hirudin variants of the present invention display improve biological properties relative to the parent variant.

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Crosne, France

Eric Degryse