University of California

The Scripps Research Institute

Irm LLC

Steve A Kay

John B Hogenesch

Ewa Lis

James W Golden

Dawn M Adin

Satchidananda Panda

Susan Golden

Michael Melnick

M Fernanda Ceriani

Provided herein are methods and compositions for the production of renewable fatty acids from photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms, such as a blue green algae, any specie of the phylum Cyanophyta, a chloroplast of a green algae and/or a Cyanobacterium. Engineered or natural strains of these organisms or organelles can be used to produce both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with variable chain length specificity from 8-18 carbons. The fatty acids can then be secreted into the culture medium, allowing for rapid, continuous and efficient separation of fatty acid product without harvesting of cell mass.

Methods and compositions for the production of fatty acids in photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms

Screening assays for identifying agents that modulate BK channel activity and further modulate the sleep/wake cycle in a subject, circadian regulated locomotor activity in a subject, or both are provided, as are agents identified using such screening assays. Also provided are methods of modulating the sleep/wake cycle in a subject and methods of modulating circadian regulated locomotor activity in a subject by administering an agent that modulates BK channel activity to the subject, for example, an agent identified by a screening assay as disclosed.

Screening assay to identify modulators of the sleep/wake cycle

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Steve A Kay