Bristol-myers Squibb Compnay

Domantis Limited

Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Laura Price

Aaron Paul Yamniuk

Suzanne J Suchard

Steven G Nadler

Steven Grant

James William Bryson

Olga Ignatovich

James K Tamura

Robert P Rehfuss

Anish Suri

Philip Drew

Donald R Kirsch

Bradley Alton Ozenberger

Mark Henry Pausch

John Richard Hadcock

Deborah Tardy Chaleff

Eileen Marie Kajkowski

Antibody polypeptides that specifically bind human CD40L are provided. The antibody polypeptides do not activate platelets. The antibody polypeptides are useful in the treatment of diseases involving CD40L activation, such as graft-related diseases and autoimmune diseases. The antibody polypeptides may be domain antibodies (dAbs) comprising a single Vor Vdomain. The half-life of the antibody polypeptides may be increased by modifying the antibody polypeptides to be dual specific reagents that can also bind human serum albumin (HSA) or another antigen.

Antibody polypeptides that antagonize CD40L

Methods of treating immune diseases by administering antibody polypeptides that specifically bind CD40L

Nucleic acids encoding antibody polypeptides that antagonize CD40L

Expression vectors and yeast cells that contain a heterologous G protein-coupled receptor gene and a gene mutation that causes increased sensitivity to receptor activation or a gene mutation that permits transcriptional activation of pheromone-responsive genes without cell cycle arrest. Methods of making the yeast cells.

Heterologous G protein coupled receptors expressed in yeast, their fusion with G proteins and use thereof in bioassay

A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a transformed yeast cell containing a first heterologous DNA sequence which codes for a G protein-coupled receptor, for example, the somatostatin receptor, and a second heterologous DNA sequence which codes for a G protein a subunit or portions thereof fused to DNA sequences from the yeast G protein in a subunit. A second aspect of the present invention is a transformed yeast cell containing a heterologous DNA sequence which codes for a G protein coupled receptor. A third aspect of the present invention is a method of assaying compounds to determine effects on cell growth.

The present invention is directed to expression vectors and yeast cells transformed therewith containing a first heterologous nucleotide sequence which codes for a G protein-coupled receptor, for example, the somatostatin receptor, and a second nucleotide sequence which codes for all or a portion of a G protein &agr;&bgr;&ggr; complex. Said heterologous protein is physically expressed in a host cell membrane in proper orientation for both stereoselective binding of ligands, as well as functional interaction with G proteins on a cytoplasmic side of the cell membrane. In some embodiments, a nucleotide sequence encoding a heterologous or chimeric G&agr; protein is expressed in conjunction with nucleotide sequences from the yeast G protein &bgr;&ggr; subunits. A second aspect of the present invention provides expression vectors and yeast cells transformed therewith encoding chimeric yeast/heterologous G protein coupled receptors. A third aspect of the present invention is directed to methods of assaying compounds using such expression constructs and yeast cell expression systems to determine the effects of ligand binding to the heterologous receptors expressed in the systems.

Method for detecting ligand binding to G protein coupled receptors

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Langhorne, PA, United States of America

Laura Price