Methods and compositions are provided for expressing an endolysin in a bacterium or in a tobacco plant or plant part. Expression of the endolysin can reduce the total bacterial load on the plant and in tobacco products produced from the plant. Accordingly, the level of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA) in a cured tobacco product can be decreased when the tobacco leaves used in the product were harvested from a plant expressing endolysin or when bacteria modified to express endolysin is used to treat the tobacco. Thus, bacteria and tobacco plants and plant parts are provided that express an endolysin. Further provided are methods for decreasing the microbial load on a tobacco plant and in a tobacco product by applying a solution of bacteria modified to express an endolysin or by modifying a tobacco plant to express endolysins. Smokeless tobacco products including such modified tobacco plant parts are also provided.

Disclosed herein are stability-enhanced formulations that comprise a therapeutic protein and a stability-improving amount of a stabilizing excipient, wherein the stabilized-enhanced formulation is characterized by an improved stability parameter in comparison to a control formulation otherwise identical to the stability-enhanced formulation but lacking the stabilizing excipient. Further disclosed herein are methods of improving stability of therapeutic formulations or improving parameters of protein-related processes.

The invention relates to the field of medicine, specifically to the field of treatment of conditions associated with Staphylococcus infection. The invention relates to a novel endolysin polypeptide specifically targeting a bacterial Staphylococcus cell. The invention further relates to said endolysin polypeptide for medical use, preferably for treating an individual suffering from a condition associated with Staphylococcus infection.

This document relates to conjugates of TNF inhibitors or derivatives thereof and functionalized (e.g., mono- or bi-functional) polymers (e.g., polyethylene glycol and related polymers) as well as methods and materials for making and using such conjugates.

The present invention provides methods, compositions and articles of manufacture useful for the prophylactic and therapeutic amelioration and treatment of gram-positive bacteria, including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, and related conditions. The invention provides compositions and methods incorporating and utilizing Streptococcus suis derived bacteriophage lysins, particularly PlySs2 and/or PlySs1 lytic enzymes and variants thereof, including truncations thereof. Methods for treatment of humans are provided.

Provided are polypeptides and compositions comprising the polypeptides for use in killing and/or inhibiting growth of Gram-negative bacteria, particularly P. aeruginosa. The polypeptides are contiguous polypeptides (lysocins) that contain an engineered bacteriocin segment that can be translocated through an outer membrane channel of the Gram-negative bacteria, such as Domain I of the S-type poycin from P. aeruginosa bacterocin pyocin S2 (PyS2) linked to a lysin catalytic segment that has peptidoglycan (PG) hydrolase activity. The lysin catalytic segment can be a catalytic segment of GN4 lysin or any other lysin catalytic segment or a hydrolytic enzyme thereof that has PG hydrolase activity.

The present disclosure is directed to lysin-AMP polypeptide constructs, isolated lysin polypeptides, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the isolated polypeptides and/or lysin-AMP polypeptide constructs. Methods of using the lysin-AMP polypeptide constructs, isolated lysin polypeptides and pharmaceutical compositions are also herein provided, including methods of treating a bacterial infection of an organ or tissue in which pulmonary surfactant is present or Gram-negative bacterial infections that are associated with a biofilm. In addition, isolated polynucleotides encoding the lysin-AMP polypeptide constructs and isolated lysin polypeptides are disclosed herein.

Methods and reagents for esterification of biological molecules including proteins, polypeptides and peptides. Diazo compounds of formula I: ##STR00001##
where R is hydrogen, an alkyl, an alkenyl or an alkynyl, R.sub.A represents 1-5 substituents on the indicated phenyl ring and R.sub.M is an organic group. R.sub.M includes a label, a cell penetrating group, a cell targeting group, or a reactive group or latent reactive group for reaction to bond to a label, a cell penetrating group, or a cell targeting group, among other organic groups useful for esterification of biological molecules. Also provided are diazo compounds which are bifunctional and trifunctional coupling reagents as well as reagents for the synthesis of compounds of formula I.

The present description relates to chimeric bacteriophage lysins useful for the identification and/or reduction of staphylococcal populations. For example, a chimeric bacteriophage lysin was engineered and shown to effectively kill all strains of staphylococci tested including antibiotic resistant methicillin-resistant S. Aureus and VISA.

Provided is a carrier which has excellent pressure resistance, and even when a protein ligand is not immobilized thereon, has a high dynamic binding capacity to a target substance, and has a high performance of separating a target substance from a biological sample.

The carrier includes a polymer having a crosslinked structure containing a divalent group represented by the following Formula (1):

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1 to R.sup.4 independently represent a single bond or a divalent hydrocarbon group, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, X represents a thio group, a sulfinyl group, a sulfonyl group, an oxy group, >N(—R.sup.31), >Si(—R.sup.32).sub.2, >P(—R.sup.33), >P(═O)(—R.sup.34), >B(—R.sup.35), or >C(—R.sup.36).sub.2 (R.sup.31 to R.sup.36 independently represent a hydrogen atom or hydrocarbon group), and * represents a bond, with a proviso that when both R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 are a divalent hydrocarbon group, R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 may form a ring together with an adjacent carbon atom, and when both R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 are a divalent hydrocarbon group, R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 may form a ring together with an adjacent carbon atom.