The invention provides peptides and analogs of INGAP and HIP peptides. The peptides and analogs can be used in methods for treating various diseases and conditions. Such diseases and conditions can include impaired pancreatic function, treating a metabolic disease, for example, diabetes, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, islets induction, expansion and proliferation for transplantation, promoting neuroprotection or nerve regeneration, promoting liver regeneration or inhibiting inflammation.

The present disclosure generally relates to, among other things, a new class of receptors engineered to modulate transcriptional regulation in a ligand-dependent manner. In particular, the new receptors contain a heterologous transmembrane domain comprising at least one γ-secretase site. The disclosure also provides compositions and methods useful for producing such receptors, nucleic acids encoding same, host cells genetically modified with the nucleic acids, as well as methods for modulating an activity of a cell and/or for the treatment of various health conditions or diseases, such as cancers.

The present invention aims to provide a method for preparing an RPE cell, and an RPE cell prepared by the method, and a reagent for producing an RPE cell which is suitable for the method. The method of the present invention includes the following step: a step of introducing, as exogeneous factors, MITF (Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor) gene or an expression product thereof, OTX2 (Orthodenticle homeobox 2) gene or an expression product thereof, LIN28 gene or an expression product thereof, and L-MYC gene or an expression product thereof into a mammalian somatic cell.

Described are methods of suppressing the expression of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), M2 macrophages, and Treg cells in a tumor and inducing the expression of macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and T effector cells in a tumor in a subject. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a strain of Mycobacteria including an expression vector of the present invention is administered to a subject.

Polynucleotides encoding peptides, proteins, enzymes, and functional fragments thereof are disclosed. The polynucleotides of the disclosure can be effectively delivered to an organ, such as the lung, and expressed within cells of the organ. The polyribonucleotides of the disclosure can be used to treat a disease or condition associated with a gene of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family, such as ABCA3.

The present disclosure provides proteins, nucleic acids, systems and methods for enhancing the synthesis of a protein.

The present disclosure provides methods for testing whether a target protein regulates viral RNA translation. The methods comprise a) introducing into a test host cell (where the test host cell comprises a catalytically inactive or a catalytically active CRISPR/Cas effector polypeptide): i) a reporter nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a bicistronic translation monitor; and ii) a regulatory nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a single guide RNA (sgRNA) that comprises a targeting sequence that specifically binds to a target sequence within a nucleic acid encoding the target protein; and b) detecting expression of the reporter proteins to determine whether a target protein regulates viral RNA translation via a Cap-dependent element or a Cap-independent element based on the expression of the reporter proteins in the test host cell as compared to the expression in the control host cell. Kits for conducting the methods disclosed herein are also provided.

This disclosure concerns compositions and methods for increasing the expression of a polynucleotide of interest. Some embodiments concern novel transactivation polypeptides and variants thereof that have been identified in plants, and methods of using the same. Particular embodiments concern the use of at least one DNA-binding polypeptide in a fusion protein to target at least one transactivation polypeptide or variant thereof to a specific binding site on a nucleic acid comprising the polynucleotide of interest, such that its expression may be increased.

A method for producing a professional antigen-presenting cell, including inducing expression of c-MYC, BMI1, and MDM2 in a myeloid cell (MC) to obtain a proliferative myeloid cell (pMC), and inducing expression of GM-CSF and/or M-CSF in the pMC to obtain a professional antigen-presenting cell (pAPC). The myeloid cell is a myeloid cell differentiated from a pluripotent stem cell.

The present invention relates to compounds effective for the modulation of members of the protein kinase C (PKC) enzymatic family, including but not limited to, protein kinase epsilon (PKCε) inhibitors, protein kinase beta II (PKCβII) inhibitors, protein kinase zeta (PKCζ) inhibitors, and protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) activators. The present disclosure also relates to the mitigation of reperfusion (R) injury following the restoration of blood flow to previously ischemic (I) tissue. The present disclosure additionally relates to conjugates of PKC modulator peptides and a transduction domain of Trans-Activator of Transcription (TAT), and lipidated adducts thereof. The present disclosure further relates to a method of improving the therapeutic efficacy and solubility of compounds and drugs via dual conjugation of TAT and lipid moieties such as, for example, myristoyl.