The invention provides a method for detecting a specific splice event of a gene of interest, wherein the specific splice event creates a specific splice product, which comprises an exon of interest, wherein the method comprises: (i) Inserting a split intein—heterologous polynucleotide construct into the exon of interest, wherein the split intein comprises an N-terminal splicing region upstream of the heterologous polynucleotide and a C-terminal splicing region downstream of the heterologous polynucleotide; and (ii) detecting the heterologous polynucleotide and/or the expression product of the heterologous polynucleotide. The present invention also provides the use of the split intein—heterologous polynucleotide construct, the nucleic acid encoding this construct, the vector and the host cell comprising the nucleic acid as well as a kit for detecting a specific splice event of a gene of interest.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to inteins, split inteins, compositions comprising inteins and methods for use of these.

The present invention relates to fusion proteins comprising an N-intein polypeptide and an N-intein solubilization partner, and affinity chromatography matrices comprising such fusion proteins, as well as methods of using same.

This disclosure provides platforms for delivery of herpes virus proteins to cells, particularly proteins that form complexes in vivo. In some embodiments these proteins and the complexes they form elicit potent neutralizing antibodies. Thus, presentation of herpes virus proteins using the disclosed platforms permits the generation of broad and potent immune responses useful for vaccine development.

Provided is a bispecific chimeric antigen receptor targeting CD19 and CD22, which comprises extracellular antigen binding domains of heavy-chain variable regions and light-chain variable regions of anti-CD19 and anti-CD22 antibodies. Further provided is a bispecific CAR-T cell targeting CD19 and CD22.

Provided herein are methods of delivering “split” Cas9 protein or nucleobase editors into a cell, e.g., via a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV), to form a complete and functional Cas9 protein or nucleobase editor. The Cas9 protein or the nucleobase editor is split into two sections, each fused with one part of an intein system (e.g., intein-N and intein-C encoded by dnaEn and dnaEc, respectively). Upon co-expression, the two sections of the Cas9 protein or nucleobase editor are ligated together via intein-mediated protein splicing. Recombinant AAV vectors and particles for the delivery of the split Cas9 protein or nucleobase editor, and methods of using such AAV vectors and particles are also provided.

The present disclosure provides improved compositions for adoptive T cell therapies targeting CD33 for treating, preventing, or ameliorating at least one symptom of a cancer, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, and immunodeficiency, or condition associated therewith. The present disclosure also relates to adoptive T cell therapies targeting CD33 and another target antigen for treating, preventing, or ameliorating at least one symptom of a cancer, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, and immunodeficiency, or condition associated therewith.

Disclosed herein are split inteins, fused proteins of split inteins, and methods of using split inteins to efficiently purify and modify proteins of interest.

The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition containing albumin-binding arginine deiminase (AAD) fusion protein for treating cancer or other arginine-dependent diseases. The AAD fusion protein can be purified from both soluble and insoluble fractions of crude proteins, binds to human serum albumin (HSA) or animal serum albumin and has its high activity with longer half life for efficient depletion of arginine in cancer cells. The specific activities of wild-type ADI and AAD fusion protein in the present invention are about 20 and about 19 U/mg (at physiological pH 7.4), respectively. The composition can be used alone or in combination with at least one chemotherapeutic agent to give a synergistic effect on cancer treatment and/or inhibiting metastasis. The AAD fusion protein can also be used as a component for detection and quantitative analysis of arginine in a testing kit for various samples including blood, food and analytical samples.

Some aspects of this disclosure provide compositions, methods, systems, and kits for controlling the activity of RNA-programmable endonucleases, such as Cas9, or for controlling the activity of proteins comprising a Cas9 variant fused to a functional effector domain, such as a nuclease, nickase, recombinase, deaminase, transcriptional activator, transcriptional repressor, or epigenetic modifying domain. For example, the inventive proteins provided comprise a ligand-dependent intein, the presence of which inhibits one or more activities of the protein (e.g., gRNA binding, enzymatic activity, target DNA binding). The binding of a ligand to the intein results in self-excision of the intein, restoring the activity of the protein.