Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.

Amoco Corporation

Genzyme Corporation

Jeffrey F Lemontt

Michael W Heartlein

Michael F Concino

David J Lane

William G Weisburg

Nancy Hsiung

William R Dackowski

Susan M Barns

Vermuri B Reddy

Edward S Cole

Cha-Mer Wei

David Tai-Yui Lau

Richard D Purcell, Jr

Richard Douglas

Chimeric proteins useful in transporting a selected substance present in extracellular fluids, such as blood or lymph, into cells; quantitative assays for the selected substance using chimeric proteins; DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; plasmids which contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; mammalian cells, modified to contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins, which express and, optionally, secrete the chimeric proteins; a method of producing the chimeric proteins; a method of isolating the chimeric proteins; a method of using the chimeric proteins to assay the selected substance; and a method of reducing extracellular levels of the selected substance through administration of the chimeric protein, which results in transport of the selected substance into cells.

Chimeric proteins for use in transport of a selected substance into cells

Chimeric proteins which comprise a ligand-binding domain of a first receptor and a carrier domain which tends a cell surface receptor other than the first receptor, useful in transporting a selected substance present in extracellular fluids, such as blood or lymph, into cells; quantitative assays for the selected substance using chimeric proteins; DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; plasmids which contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; mammalian cells, modified to contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins, which express and, optionally, secrete the chimeric proteins; a method of producing the chimeric proteins; a method of isolating the chimeric proteins; a method of using the chimeric proteins to assay the selected substance; and a method of reducing extracellular levels of the selected substance through administration of the chimeric protein, which results in transport of the selected substance into cells.

Chimeric proteins, which comprise a ligand-binding domain of a first receptor and a carrier domain which binds a cell surface receptor other than the first receptor, useful in transporting a selected substance present in extracellular fluids, such as blood or lymph, into cells; quantitative assays for the selected substance using chimeric proteins; DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; plasmids which contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; mammalian cells, modified to contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins, which express and, optionally, secrete the chimeric proteins; a method of producing the chimeric proteins; a method of isolating the chimeric proteins; a method of using the chimeric proteins to assay the selected substance; and a method of reducing extracellular levels of the selected substance through administration of the chimeric protein, which results in transport of the selected substance into cells.

Chimeric proteins for use in transport of a selected substance into

Chimeric proteins, which bind a cell surface receptors, useful in transporting a selected substance present in extracellular fluids, such as blood or lymph, into cells; quantitative assays for the selected substance using chimeric proteins; DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; plasmids which contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins; mammalian cells, modified to contain DNA encoding the chimeric proteins, which express and, optionally, secrete the chimeric proteins; a method of producing the chimeric proteins; a method of isolating the chimeric proteins; a method of using the chimeric proteins to assay the selected substance; and a method of reducing extracellular levels of the selected substance through administration of the chimeric protein, which results in transport of the selected substance into cells.

A method for constructing a cDNA probe for use in detecting in a sample, under conditions of predetermined stringency, a target organism belonging to a strain of fungal microorganisms, and not detecting in the sample under such conditions a reference microorganism or any prokaryotic microorganism, includes the steps of determining a nucleotide base sequence in a variable region of small subunit ribosomal RNA from the target organism, the variable region being a region of the small subunit ribosomal RNA that is poorly conserved among eukaryotes and having no corresponding region in prokaryotes; comparing the nucleotide base sequence in the corresponding region of small subunit ribosomal RNA from the reference microorganism, and selecting as a useful probe site a subsequence within the determined sequence; and synthesizing a cDNA complementary to the useful probe site, the cDNA being the probe. Nucleic acid probes are constructed according to the disclosed method. A method for using such a probe for detecting a strain of fungal microorganisms in a sample includes the steps of providing such a probe, deriving RNA from the sample, contacting the probe with the RNA under conditions that allow the probe to hybridize with small subunit rRNA to form hybrid nucleic acid complexes, and detecting the hybrid nucleic acid complexes as an indication of the presence in the sample of the organism. A kit includes such a probe and instructions for its use.

Detecting eukaryotic microorganisms

Nucleic acid probes are described for detecting yeasts capable of causing Candida infection, specifically yeasts of the genera Candida, Torulopsis, and Yarrowia. The preferred probes are complementary to ribonucleic acid sequences unique to specific Candida species, or groups of such species, and as such can detect the rRNA, rDNA, or polymerase chain reaction amplification products of these genes. Methods for detecting the etiological agent of human Candida fungemia utilizing these probes are also provided.

Nucleic acid probes and methods for detecting pathogenic candida yeasts

A replicable expression vector capable, in a transformed host mammallian cell, of expressing a DNA sequence encoding active human TPA which, when expressed in the host cell, yields active TPA which lacks one or more of the TPA-bound N-linked carbohydrate moieties of naturally occurring human TPA.

Growing community of inventors

West Newton, MA, United States of America

Jeffrey F Lemontt