The preset invention relates to a promoter to target a fluorescent protein to the muscles of fish, such as A. nigrofasciatus, for ornamental purposes, which is a Mlc3 (myosin, light polypeptide 3, skeletal muscle) promoter. The Mlc3 promoter has the nucleotides of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) myosin light chain 3 (Mlc3) promoter region, which is potential to be a tilapia Mlc3 promoter to enhance protein expression in muscle of fish, particularly for the generation of ornamental fish.

Bistable type II opsins are provided. Accordingly, there is provided a polypeptide comprising a bistable type II opsin and a heterologous ER export signal and/or membrane trafficking signal. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding same, cells expressing same and methods of use thereof.

The present invention relates to polypeptides comprising a fragment of a teleost invariant chain optionally fused to one or more antigens or a teleost invariant chain fused to one or more antigens or antigenic fragments thereof, a polynucleotide encoding such polypeptides, vectors comprising such polynucleotides, collection of vectors comprising such polynucleotides and use of such polypeptides, polynucleotides, vectors for treating or preventing diseases, in particular tumor diseases. The teleost invariant chain polypeptides or fragments thereof act as “T cell enhancer” converting non-immunogenic antigenic sequences into immunogenic T cell antigens.

The present disclosure provides fish-derived peptides with ACE inhibitory activity, and methods of producing peptide isolates comprising the fish-derived peptides. The present disclosure also provides pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, and functional foods including the peptide isolates, and method of lowering blood pressure of a subject by administering to the subject one or more of the fish-derived peptides.

Transgenic microalgae expressing at least one exogenous biologically active protein. The protein-expressing microalgae are used for the oral delivery of the biologically active protein to the target organism in its intact and functional form. The exogenous protein, expressed in algae, is characterized by being biologically active, exerting at least one specific activity having a beneficial effect on the subject consuming the algae. The transgenic microalgae are used as animal food for aquatic or land animals welfare or as food supplement for human healthcare.

A method of preparing an anti-oxidation polypeptide having an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 includes enzymatic hydrolysis of black shark skins, which serve as the raw material, with alkali protease, separation, purification, freezing, and drying to obtain the anti-oxidation polypeptide. Enzymatic hydrolysis conditions include 7.0-9.0 pH value, 40-50° C. temperature, 4.0-6.0 h enzymatic hydrolysis time, 2.0-4.0% primer concentration, and 9.0-10.0 wt % of enzymes.

Methods of generating and optimizing stabilized (e.g., stapled and/or stitched) anti-microbial peptides (StAMPs) for the prophylaxis and treatment of antibiotic-resistant (e.g., colistin-resistant, methicillin resistant, meropenem-resistant) bacterial infections (e.g., Gram-negative, Gram-positive), and methods for using such peptides for experimental investigation, livestock management, management of crops/trees/plants, and/or therapeutic benefit. Also featured are methods for reducing renal toxicity of a StAMP.

Provided are delivery immunostimulatory bacteria that have enhanced colonization of tumors, the tumor microenvironment and/or tumor-resident immune cells, and enhanced anti-tumor activity. The immunostimulatory bacteria are modified by deletion of genes encoding the flagella or by modification of the genes so that functional flagella are not produced, and/or are modified by deletion of pagP or modification of pagP to produce inactive PagP product. As a result, the immunostimulatory bacteria are flagellin.sup.− and/or pagP.sup.−. The immunostimulatory bacteria optionally have additional genomic modifications so that the bacteria are adenosine and/or purine auxotrophs. The bacteria optionally are one or more of asd.sup.−, purI.sup.− and msbB.sup.−. The immunostimulatory bacteria, such as Salmonella species, are modified to encode proteins that induce type I interferon (IFN) expression, or that are variants thereof that have increased activity to induce type I IFN expression, or that are variants thereof that result in constitutive expression of type I IFN. The bacteria can encode a modified Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) protein from a non-human species, that has lower NF-κB signaling activity, and, optionally, higher type I IFN pathway signaling activity, compared to human STING. The bacteria preferentially infect immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, or tumor-resident immune cells, and/or induce less cell death in immune cells than in other cells. Also provided are methods of inhibiting the growth or reducing the volume of a solid tumor by administering the immunostimulatory bacteria.

A method of constructing a zebrafish notch1a mutant using CRISPR/Cas9 technique. The method includes: determining a target for knocking out notch1a; using primers T7-notch1a-sfd and tracr rev for PCR amplification with a pUC19-gRNA scaffold plasmid as a template; transcribing PCR product in vitro followed by purification to obtain gRNA; and microinjecting the gRNA and a Cas9 mRNA into a zebrafish embryo followed by culture to obtain an notch1a mutant of stable inheritance. The invention selects a specific target and utilizes CRISPR/Cas9 technique to knock out the notch1a in the zebrafish without destroying other genes, generating the zebrafish notch1a mutant. Moreover, the invention also discloses the phenotype of the zebrafish notch1a mutant, which plays a significant role in studying the effect of the Notch1a receptor in the Notch signaling pathway.

The present invention, as disclosed herein, provides an isolated peptide, and a composition or material comprising a hydrogel, for the delivery of an active agent. The hydrogel comprises one or more isolated peptides and an active agent encapsulated in the hydrogel. The hydrogel is at least partially in a β-sheet conformation. Further provided are a method for the encapsulation of an active agent in a hydrogel, a method for treating or diagnosing a condition or disease in a subject in need thereof.