The present invention relates to the field of fibrosis and inflammation and more particularly to the use of ADAM12 (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 12) inhibitors to prevent or treat inflammation-induced fibrosis. The present invention also relates to the use of ADAM12 as a marker for inflammation-induced fibrosis and to the ablation of ADAM12 expressing cells as therapeutic approach to interfere with the development of pro-fibrotic cells.

The invention provides an expression and secretion system, and methods of using the same, for the expression and secretion of one fusion protein in prokaryotic cells and a second fusion protein in eukaryotic cells. Also provided herein are nucleic acid molecules, vectors and host cells comprising such vectors and nucleic acid molecules.

The present invention relates to a polynucleotide comprising at least one promoter and an S/MAR element, wherein the S/MAR element is located downstream of the promoter in the 3 UTR of the transcription unit and wherein the S/MAR element is flanked by a 5 splice donor site and a 3 splice acceptor site; the present invention further relates to a composition comprising the polynucleotide, and to the polynucleotide for use in medicine and for use in treating genetic disease.

Fungal artificial chromosome (FAC) vectors are disclosed. A vector can be replicated in a bacterial or a fungal host, and can comprise an insert of heterologous DNA up to about 500 kilobases. A vector can be used for cloning and expressing a secondary metabolite (SM) gene cluster. An insert sequence can be modified by homologous recombination. A vector can be a plasmid comprising bacterial and fungal origins of replication, as well as bacterial and fungal selection marker genes. Also disclosed are vectors that can be integrated into a fungal genome, and dual function vectors which can be replicated in a bacterial or a fungal host and can also be integrated into a fungal genome. Also disclosed are methods of generating plasmid libraries including vectors comprising intact SM gene clusters.

The purpose of the invention is to provide means with which it is possible to efficiently select a vector to which a foreign gene has been introduced when a foreign gene is to be introduced by homologous recombination to a vector having multiple sequences homologous with one another. The vector comprises, in succession, a replication origin, a sequence A, a marker gene X, two sequences C and D for introducing a foreign gene by homologous recombination, and a sequence B homologous with sequence A. The two sequences C and D are directly or indirectly adjacent to one another. The vector is used for introducing a foreign gene between the two adjacent sequences C and D.

Compositions for a phage particle are disclosed. The phage particle is non-replicating and includes at least one heterologous nucleic acid sequence that is capable of being expressed in a target bacteria. The expressed heterologous nucleic acid sequence is non-lethal to the target bacteria.

A plant cell including a DNA molecule having at least one heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding a preproprotein of a pectate lyase chosen from Amb a 1, the alpha subunit of Amb a 1, the beta subunit of Amb a 1, and homologs of Amb a 1, functionally bound to a strong promoter.

The present invention relates to recombinant DNA molecules such as plasmids, non-viral vectors, viral vectors and hybrids thereof, and more particularly to vector modifications that improve expression of said DNA molecules in cell lines and organisms.

The present invention relates to the production and use of covalently closed circular (ccc) recombinant plasmids, and more particularly to vector modifications that improve expression of said DNA molecules in the target organism.

The present invention relates to the production and use of covalently closed circular (ccc) recombinant plasmids, and more particularly to vector modifications that improve expression of said DNA molecules in the target organism.