Modular Genetics, Inc.

Boston University

Kevin A Jarrell

Gabriel Oscar Reznik

Prashanth Vishwanath

Michelle Pynn

William Donahue

Vincent W Coljee

Svetlana Mikheeva

Brian Turczyk

Nathan Tichovolsky

Bob Rogers

Jonah Keegan

Engineered polypeptides or engineered microbial cells useful in synthesizing acyl amino acids are provided. In some embodiments, engineered polypeptides or engineered microbial cells are useful in synthesizing acyl amino acids with one or more hydroxyl and/or methyl groups at one or more positions of the fatty acid portion of the acyl amino acid (e.g., at ω-1, ω-2, and/or ω-3 positions of the fatty acid portion of the acyl amino acid). Also provided are methods of making acyl amino acids using engineered polypeptides and/or engineered microbial cells.

Generation of acyl amino acids

Methods, compositions, and cells for generating acyl alcohols. Compositions comprising acyl alcohols. Methods of cleaving acyl amino acids and/or acyl alcohols to generate free fatty acids, free amino acids, and/or free alcohols.

Generation of acyl alcohols

In certain embodiments, the present invention comprises compositions and methods useful in the generation of acyl amino acids. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides an engineered polypeptide comprising a peptide synthetase domain; in some such embodiments, the engineered polypeptide comprises only a single peptide synthetase domain. In some embodiments, the present invention provides an engineered peptide synthetase that is substantially free of a thioesterase domain, and/or a reductase domain. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides an acyl amino acid composition comprising a plurality of different forms of an acyl amino acid. In some such compositions, substantially all of the acyl amino acids within the composition contain the same amino acid moiety and differ with respect to acyl moiety. We also described populations where the fatty acid is for example 95% one length (C14, myristic).

In certain embodiments, the present invention comprises compositions and methods useful in the generation of acyl amino acids. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides an engineered polypeptide comprising a peptide synthetase domain; in some such embodiments, the engineered polypeptide comprises only a single peptide synthetase domain. In some embodiments, the present invention provides an engineered peptide synthetase that is substantially free of a thioesterase domain, and/or a reductase domain. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides an acyl amino acid composition comprising a plurality of different forms of an acyl amino acid. In some such compositions, substantially all of the acyl amino acids within the composition contain the same amino acid moiety and differ with respect to acyl moiety. We also described populations where the fatty acid si for example 95% one length (C14, myristic).

Engineered polypeptides useful in synthesizing acyl amino acids are provided. Also provided are methods of making acyl amino acids using engineered polypeptides. In certain embodiments, an acyl amino acid produced using compositions and/or methods of the present invention comprises cocoyl glutamate.

Engineered polypeptides useful in synthesizing acyl amino acids are provided. Also provided are methods of making acyl amino acids using engineered polypeptides.

Acyl amino acids

The present invention provides an improved system for linking nucleic acids to one another. In particular, the present invention provides techniques for producing DNA product molecules that may be easily and directly ligated to recipient molecules. The product molecules need not be cleaved with restriction enzymes in order to undergo such ligation. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the DNA product molecules are produced through iterative DNA synthesis reactions, so that the product molecules are amplified products. The invention further provides methods for directed ligation of product molecules (i.e., for selective ligation of certain molecules within a collection of molecules), and also for methods of exon shuffling, in which multiple different product molecules are produced in a single ligation reaction. Preferred embodiments of the invention involve ligation of product molecules encoding functional protein domains, particularly domains naturally found in conserved gene families. The inventive DNA manipulation system is readily integrated with other nucleic acid manipulation systems, such as ribozyme-mediated systems, and also is susceptible to automation.

System for manipulating nucleic acids

Nucleic acid cloning

The present invention provides novel methods of generating a nucleic acid molecule. In certain embodiments, a double stranded nucleic acid chunk is generated from a ladder complex comprising partially complementary oligonucleotides, which chunk is combined with a nucleic acid acceptor molecule. In certain embodiments, the assembled chunk/nucleic acid acceptor molecule complex may be propagated in vivo or in vitro. The present invention also provides improved systems for generating a plurality of nucleic acid molecules that differ at one or more nucleotide positions. In certain embodiments, the plurality of nucleic acid molecules encodes a polypeptide or portion of a polypeptide.

Ladder assembly and system for generating diversity

The present invention provides improved techniques and reagents for producing nucleic acid molecules. In certain preferred embodiments, the nucleic acid molecules are modular vectors. In certain preferred embodiments, the nucleic acid molecules are produced in polymerase chain reactions employing terminator primer residues.

Growing community of inventors

Lincoln, MA, United States of America

Kevin A Jarrell