Other

University of Arkansas

Marie B Chow

Khaled Machaca

Courtney Wilkins

Robert Samuel Langer

Harry R Allcock

Karyn B Visscher

Smadar Cohen

Shouguang Jin

Carmen Bano

Konstantin Severinov

Scott M Lohrke

The present invention provides methods for studying pathogenesis of mammalian viruses. In particular, the present invention provides a nonhuman animal model system for studying disease mechanisms wherein the nonhuman animal model is infected with an animal virus. In a preferred embodiment the animal model isand the animal virus is vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV).

Development of a simple animal model for infection by viruses and other obligate intracellular parasites

The present invention provides methods for studying pathogenesis of mammalian viruses. In particular, the present invention provides a nonhuman animal model system for studying disease mechanism wherein the nonhuman animal model is infected with an animal virus. In a preferred embodiment, the animal model isand the animal virus is vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV).

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The present invention is directed to a method for expression of at least one heterologous gene in a host cell comprising transforming a host cell with at least one nucleic acid construct comprising a complete &agr; subunit of an RNA polymerase or a portion thereof of a hybrid nucleic acid containing a portion of the &agr; subunit of an RNA polymerase obtained from the same genus as the heterologous gene, and transforming the host cell, with at least one heterologous gene; and culturing the transformed host cell. The present invention further is directed to nucleic acid molecules used in the present method, vectors containing these nucleic acid molecules, and host cells containing the nucleic acid molecules. The nucleic acid encoding the &agr; subunit of an Agrobacterium RNA polymerase and the corresponding amino acid sequence and portions thereof is disclosed.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens rpoA gene

A method for encapsulating biologically-labile materials such as proteins, liposomes, bacteria and eucaryotic cells within a synthetic polymeric capsule, and the product thereof, are disclosed. The method is based on the use of a water-soluble polymer with charged side chains that are crosslinked with multivalent ions of the opposite charge to form a gel encapsulating biological material, that is optionally further stabilized by interactions with multivalent polyions of the same charge as those used to form the gel. In the preferred embodiment, hydrolytically stable polyphosphazenes are formed of monomers having carboxylic acid side groups that are crosslinked by divalent or trivalent cations such as Ca.sup.2+ or Al.sup.3+, then stabilized with a polycation such as poly-L-lysine. A variety of different compositions can be formed from the crosslinked polymer. In a preferred embodiment, microcapsules are made by spraying an aqueous solution of polyphosphazene and material to be encapsulated into a calcium chloride solution. A semi-permeable membrane is formed on the microspheres by complexation of the surface carboxylate groups with poly(L-lysine).

Ionically cross-linked polymeric microcapsules

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Brookline, MA, United States of America

Marie B Chow