This disclosure concerns production of product peptides with a target amino acid sequence by proteolysis of a recombinant polypeptide comprising specific protease recognition sites or chemical cleavage sequences. In some embodiments, the product peptide is released from repeating peptide units in the recombinant polypeptide by removal of intervening amino acid sequences by proteolysis by proteases that recognize sites within the intervening amino acid sequences and a carboxypeptidase, aminopeptidase, and/or further protease.

Disclosed are hypersensitive-response eliciting peptides that exhibit improved solubility, stability, resistance to chemical degradation, or a combination of these properties. Use of these peptides or fusion polypeptides, or DNA constructs encoding the same, for modulating plant biochemical signaling, imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, imparting tolerance to biotic stress, imparting tolerance and resistance to abiotic stress, imparting desiccation resistance to cuttings removed from ornamental plants, imparting post-harvest disease or post-harvest desiccation resistance to a fruit or vegetable, or enhancing the longevity of fruit or vegetable ripeness are also disclosed.

Disclosed are peptides that induce an active plant response, but not a hypersensitive response, when applied to plant tissue. These peptides also preferably exhibit improved solubility, stability, resistance to chemical degradation, or a combination of these properties. Use of these peptides or fusion polypeptides, or DNA constructs encoding the same, for modulating plant biochemical signaling, imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, imparting tolerance to biotic stress, imparting tolerance and resistance to abiotic stress, imparting desiccation resistance to cuttings removed from ornamental plants, imparting post-harvest disease or post-harvest desiccation resistance to a fruit or vegetable, or enhancing the longevity of fruit or vegetable ripeness are also disclosed.

The present invention is within the field of protein engineering and purification. The invention relates to a target-binding polypeptide mutant of an IgG binding polypeptide, such as Protein A, Protein G, Protein L or Protein M, comprising a metal binding motif. More closely the invention relates to an Fc binding ligand comprising an engineered protein based on the Protein A derived Z domain, to which a calcium binding EF-loop has been introduced.

The present disclosure relates to the field of biotechnology. In particular, provided are a ligase fusion protein and an immobilized ligase comprising the same. Also provided is use of the ligase fusion protein or the immobilized ligase in the preparation of conjugates. Further provided is a process for the preparation of conjugates using a ligase or a ligase unit.

In certain aspects, the disclosure provides ALK7 antagonists. In certain aspects, these ALK7 antagonists are can be used to improve metabolic parameters in a patient in need thereof. In certain aspects, these ALK7 antagonists can be used to treat or prevent one or more kidney-associated disease or condition in a patient in need thereof. In certain aspects, these ALK7 antagonists can be used to treat or prevent cancer.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to compositions of enzyme-binding polypeptides (EBPs) that modify the substrate specificity of an enzyme and a method for identifying an EBP that modifies substrate specificity of an enzyme binding at least one substrate, the method comprising: contacting the enzyme with a polypeptide library comprising a plurality of EBPs that bind different epitopes of the enzyme; identifying EBPs that bind to the enzyme to form an EBP-enzyme complex; assaying for the activity level and substrate specificity of the EBP-enzyme complex; and identifying EBPs that modify the substrate specificity of the enzyme by identifying EBPs that, when in an EBP-enzyme complex, have a different substrate specificity than un-complexed EBP; wherein the catalytic rate constant of the EBP-enzyme complex is ≥50% of the un-complexed enzyme for at least one substrate and/or wherein the EBP-enzyme complex retains binding to a substrate.

The invention provides compositions and methods for adoptive T cell therapy in treating a variety of disorders including cancer, infections, and autoimmune disorders. In one embodiment, the invention provides a universal immune receptor that comprises a protein or peptide tag, such as a SpyCatcher or a SpyTag moiety, bound to an extracellular hinge region, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular domain for T cell activation.

The present invention relates to an enzyme complex which the following (i) to (iv) are combined: (i) chimeric beta-agarase formed by a fusion of beta-agarase and the dockerin module of endo-β-1,4-glucanase-B; (ii) chimeric kappa-carrageenase formed by a fusion of kappa-carrageenase and the dockerin module of endo-β-1,4-glucanase-B; (iii) chimeric anhydro-galactosidase formed by a fusion of anhydro-galactosidase and the dockerin module of endoβ-1,4-glucanase-B; and (iv) mini cellulose-binding protein A, and to a method of degrading red algal biomass using the same. According to the present invention, an enzymatic degradation process is applied for the production of agar degradation products, deviating from conventional methods that relied on physical and chemical pretreatment processes. Thus, the present invention will greatly contribute to efficiently converting marine algae into valuable products by use of a convenient, cost-effective, highly efficient and environmentally friendly degradation system while controlling the products.

The present invention relates to improved adeno-associated virus (AAV) particles for gene delivery and gene therapy. Provided are adeno associated virus (AAV) particles that comprise a modified capsid. The present invention further relates to methods for producing the improved AAV particles of this invention by removing natural binding sites in adeno associated virus (AAV) capsids and introducing ligand binding sites into said capsid to provide AAVs that transduce only particular cells of interest. An additional aspect of the present invention relates to modified AAV particles for use in the treatment of a disease and methods for treating a disease, comprising administering the modified AAV particles to a subject in need thereof. Yet a further aspect of this invention relates to the AAV particles of this invention for the transfection of cells, for example as a gene delivery tool in basic research.