Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear Llp

Other

University of California

American Biogenetics Corporation

G Wesley Hatfield

Dane A Hoiberg

George A Gutman

Richard H Lathrop

Harris S Moyed

Janice A Sharp

Disclosed herein is a method for synthesizing a desired nucleic acid sequence. The method comprises dividing the desired sequence into a plurality of partially overlapping segments; optimizing the melting temperatures of the overlapping regions of each segment to disfavor hybridization to the overlapping segments which are non-adjacent in the desired sequence; allowing the overlapping regions of single stranded segments which are adjacent to one another in the desired sequence to hybridize to one another under conditions which disfavor hybridization of non-adjacent segments; and filling in, ligating, or repairing the gaps between the overlapping regions, thereby forming a double-stranded DNA with the desired sequence. Also disclosed is a method for preventing errors in the synthesis of the nucleic acid sequence.

Method for producing a synthetic gene or other DNA sequence

An apparatus is disclosed for treating lignocellulosic materials, comprising an enzymatic conversion zone adapted to enzymatically convert alcohol to aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide, a delignification zone, a device for transferring an effluent comprising aqueous hydrogen peroxide from the conversion zone to the delignification zone, a chopper for adding chopped lignocellulosic material to the delignification zone, a separator for separating solid delignified material in the delignification zone from a liquid, and a fermenter adapted to grow alcohol oxidase-producing yeast, and means for transferring alcohol oxidase from the fermenter into the conversion zone.

Apparatus for the treatment of lignocellulosic materials

A process is disclosed for enzymatically converting lower alkyl alcohols to corresponding aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of oxygen under process conditions which increase the catalytic capacity of alcohol oxidase enzymes. Such process conditions involve low temperatures, high substrate concentrations and an enriched supply of oxygen. Enzymes may be used in the form of whole cells, a soluble cell free extract or a highly purified fraction, and the process may be employed in batch or continuous operation.

Enzymatic process for manufacturing formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide

A method for determining the pattern of nonrandom codon pair usage of an organism, comprising the steps of obtaining nucleotide sequence data for the organism, determining from the data the number of codons represented in at least a portion of the sequence and the frequency of usage of at least some codons in the portion, determining from the frequency the expected number of occurrences of at least some codon pairs, if they are paired in a random manner, and comparing the expected number with the actual number of occurrences to determine relative codon pairing preferences. The codon pairings of organisms are highly nonrandom, and differ from organism to organism. This information is used to construct and express altered or synthetic genes having desired levels of translational efficiency, to determine which regions in a genome are protein coding regions, to introduce translational pause sites into heterologous genes, and to ascertain relationship or ancestral origin of nucleotide sequences.

Codon pair utilization

Disclosed is a process for converting alcohols to aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide through the use of a methanol oxidase enzyme. The process involves introducing a lower alkyl or lower alkylene alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, or allyl alcohol, as an aqueous solution into a reaction zone. Methanol oxidase enzyme that is stable in methanol concentrations of at least 0.5% and formaldehyde concentrations of at least 1.0% is also introduced into the reaction zone, which is maintained at an elevated pressure in contact with an oxygen-containing gas. The preferred methanol oxidase enzyme has the properties of the methanol oxidase enzyme produced by Hansenula polymorpha ATCC 34438. Both batchwise and continuous processes are disclosed. Also disclosed is a process in which a catalase is present in the reaction zone to decompose hydrogen peroxide as it is formed, so that the net reaction is the conversion of alcohol to aldehyde. In one aspect of that process, the aldehyde may be removed as a gas and subsequently condensed to an essentially pure liquid.

Growing community of inventors

Corona del Mar, CA, United States of America

G Wesley Hatfield