University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Takara Bio Inc.

Kunitoshi Yamanaka

Masayori Inouye

Ikunoshin Kato

Weining Jiang

Sangita Phadtare

Masanori Mitta

Jean-Pierre Etchegaray

Li Fang

Nan Wang

The invention relates to a gene isolated from, dep, which confers resistance to the antibacterial activity of 4,5-dihydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-one (DHCP). The invention further relates to the putative protein encoded by dep, which is a hydrophobic, transmembrane efflux protein specific for DHCP. The invention further relates to plasmids containing the dep gene, and to bacterial cells expressing dep. Furthermore, the invention provides applications for use in conferring resistance to antibacterial activity in organisms. The dep gene can be used to identify compounds which inhibit the efflux activity responsible for the resistance to DHCP or to compounds which are functionally equivalent to DHCP.

Method of using a gene conferring resistance to 4,5-dihydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-one (DHCP) and identifying inhibitors of a polypeptide encoded by the gene

Regulatory elements of the 5'UTR of cold-shock inducible genes that prolong the expression of cold-shock inducible genes under conditions that elicit the cold-shock response in a bacterium, repress the expression of the cold-shock inducible genes under physiological conditions, or enhance the translation of cold-shock inducible genes under conditions that elicit a cold-shock response in bacteria; vectors incorporating these elements; and methods for expressing proteins.

Cold-shock regulatory elements, constructs thereof, and method of use

A fourth cold shock protein of the CspA family is disclosed, as are the regulatory elements of the 5&prime; UTR of the corresponding gene. The cspI gene is located at 35.2 min on the chromosome map, and CspI shows 70, 70, and 79% identity of CspA, CspB, and CspG, respectively. The 5&prime;-untranslated region of the cspI mRNA consists of 145 bases and causes a negative effect on cspI expression at 37&deg; C. The cspI mRNA was very unstable at 37&deg; C. but was stabilized upon cold shock. The 5&prime; UTR of cspI can enhance the translation of cold shock inducible genes under conditions that elicit a cold shock response in bacteria.

Cold-shock regulatory elements, constructs thereof, and methods of use

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Highland Park, NJ, United States of America

Kunitoshi Yamanaka