The invention relates to nucleic acid constructs for expression in mice for the reproduction of heavy chain only antibodies and V.sub.H domains, transgenic mice, related methods and uses.

Problem to be Solved: The present invention is intended to provide a polynucleotide encoding the light-chain variable region and the heavy-chain variable region of an anti-dog IgE antibody; and an anti-dog IgE antibody containing these variable regions. Solution: The present invention is DNA encoding a heavy-chain variable region consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or 6 and DNA encoding a light-chain variable region consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 4 or 8, and an anti-dog IgE monoclonal antibody which binds to dog IgE, containing these variable regions or a functional fragment thereof which binds to dog IgE.

The present invention provides an anti-IGF-I receptor antibody that binds specifically to an IGF-I receptor of a vertebrate and has the proliferation-inducing activity of a vertebrate-derived cell, or a fragment thereof, or derivatives of these.

The present disclosure provides FGF1 mutant proteins having one or more mutations in the heparin binding domain. Such mutants may also have an N-terminal deletion, point mutation(s), or combinations thereof. In some examples, the mutant FGF1 proteins have reduced mitogenic activity. Also provided are nucleic acid molecules that encode such proteins, and vectors and cells that include such nucleic acids. The disclosed FGF1 mutants can reduce blood glucose in a mammal, and in some examples are used to treat a metabolic disorder.

Provided herein are methods and compositions related to non-human animals that express exogenous Terminal Deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT).

Amino acid residue misincorporations are necessarily found in sequence variants at low concentrations in admixture with expressed polypeptides, resulting from one or more base mismatches within codons susceptible to amino acid residue misincorporation during transcription and/or translation. The invention provides a method of optimizing the coding sequences of a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide, wherein at least one codon is susceptible to amino acid residue misincorporation. The method of the invention can be used to reverse-engineer an unknown coding sequence, which encodes the same polypeptide, but differs in said at least one codon from the known coding sequence. The method can further be used to alter the immunogenic potential of an expressed polypeptide. Thus, the invention is useful in engineering optimized polynucleotides encoding polypeptides.

Disclosed is an adapted Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line capable of suspension culture in the absence of serum, and a chemically-defined medium for culture of the adapted MDCK cell line. Further disclosed are culture methods for growing the adapted MDCK cell line and methods for producing a vaccine from the adapted MDCK cell line grown in the chemically-defined medium.

Disclosed are methods, compositions, and systems for transforming silkworms to produce spider silk and analogs of spider silk. In certain embodiments, the method may include inserting a DNA sequence coding for at least a portion of a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, or an analog of a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, positioned between at least a portion of the 5′ and 3′ ends of a silkworm fibroin gene to generate a fusion gene construct having a sequence that encodes for a polypeptide comprising both spider silk fibroin and silkworm silk fibroin sequences. In certain embodiments, the fused gene is able to replace a native gene present in the silkworm such that the transformed silkworm expresses a polypeptide comprising a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, or an analog thereof, and expresses significantly less of the native silkworm silk.

Methods and compositions are provided for making non-human animals with reduced tolerance of a foreign antigen of interest and making antigen-binding proteins against that foreign antigen of interest using such animals. The methods and compositions employ CRISPR/Cas9 systems using multiple guide RNAs to reduce or eliminate expression of a self-antigen homologous to or sharing an epitope of interest with the foreign antigen of interest or to reduce or eliminate expression of an epitope on the self-antigen that is shared with the foreign antigen of interest.

The present invention provides engineered human alpha-galactosidase polypeptides and compositions thereof. The engineered human alpha-galactosidase polypeptides have been optimized to provide improved thermostability, serum stability, improved cellular uptake, stability under both acidic (pH<4) and basic (pH>7) conditions, reduced immunogenicity, and improved globotriaosylceramide removal from cells. The invention also relates to the use of the compositions comprising the engineered human alpha-galactosidase polypeptides for therapeutic purposes.