The present disclosure provides activated formylglycine-generating enzymes (FGE), methods of producing activated FGE, and their use in methods of producing a protein comprising a formylglycine (FGly) residue. The methods of producing activated FGE, as well as methods of use of activated FGE in producing FGly-containing proteins, include both cell-based and cell-free methods. Compositions and kits that find use, e.g., in practicing the methods of the present disclosure are also provided.

The present disclosure identifies pathways, mechanisms, systems and methods to confer chemoautotrophic production of carbon-based products of interest, such as sugars, alcohols, chemicals, amino acids, polymers, fatty acids and their derivatives, hydrocarbons, isoprenoids, and intermediates thereof, in organisms such that these organisms efficiently convert inorganic carbon to organic carbon-based products of interest using inorganic energy, such as formate, and in particular the use of organisms for the commercial production of various carbon-based products of interest.

The present invention relates to nucleic acids coding for and capable of expressing a rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF) and viral vectors containing these nucleic acids. The invention also relates to compositions and pharmaceutical preparations comprising these nucleic acids or vectors, methods of producing or secreting an RdCVF, and methods of treatment.

The invention relates generally to the field of nanoparticles, and more specifically, in one embodiment, to bio-nanoparticle elements formed from materials comprised of self-assembling protein molecules, which are capable of coating one or more type of elements. In another invention embodiment, the invention relates to a protein that coats one or more elements in order to modify or improve one or more characteristic of the element, including, but not limited to, stability, rigidity, or functionality of the element that is coated with the instant invention.

The present invention relates to nucleic acids coding for and capable of expressing a full-length rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF) and human IgK signal sequence and viral vectors containing these nucleic acids. The invention also relates to compositions and pharmaceutical preparations comprising these nucleic acids or vectors, methods of producing or secreting a full-length RdCVF and human IgK signal sequence, and methods of treatment.

The invention describes new peptides containing epitopes recognized by CD4+ natural killer T (NKT) cells for increasing activity for use in infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, immune reaction to administration of allofactors, allergic diseases, therapy of tumors, prevention of graft rejection and prevention of immunization against viral proteins used in gene therapy or gene vaccination.

Certain embodiments are directed to methods and compositions for preventing treating bacterial infections. In certain embodiments the compositions comprise thioredoxin deficient bacteria.

Phototropin is a blue light receptor, which mediates a variety of blue-light elicited physiological processes in plants and algae. In higher plants these processes include phototropism, chloroplast movement and stomatal opening. In the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, phototropin plays a vital role in progression of the sexual life cycle and in the control of the eye spot size and light sensitivity Phototropin is also involved in blue-light mediated changes in the synthesis of chlorophylls, carotenoids, chlorophyll binding proteins. We compared the transcriptome of phototropin knock out (PHOT KO) mutant and wild-type parent to analyze differences in gene expression in high light grown cultures (500 mol photons m.sup.2 s.sup.1). Our results indicate the up-regulation of genes involved in photosynthetic electron transport chain, carbon fixation pathway, starch, lipid, and cell cycle control genes. With respect to photosynthetic electron transport genes, genes encoding proteins of the cytochrome b6f and ATP synthase complex were up regulated potentially facilitating proton-coupled electron transfer. In addition genes involved in limiting steps in the Calvin cycle Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), Sidoheptulose 1,7 bisphosphatase (SBPase), Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (3PGDH) and that mediate cell-cycle control (CDK) were also up regulated along with starch synthase and fatty acid biosynthesis genes involved in starch and lipid synthesis. In addition, transmission electron micrographs show increased accumulation of starch granules in PHOT mutant compared to wild type, which is consistent with the higher expression of starch synthase genes. Collectively, the altered patterns of gene expression in the PHOT mutants were associated with a two-fold increase in growth and biomass accumulation compared to wild type when grown in environmental photobioreactors (Phenometrics) that simulate a pond environment. In conclusion, our studies suggest that phototropin may be a master gene regulator that suppresses rapid cell growth and promotes gametogenesis and sexual recombination in wild type strains.

The present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In particular the present invention relates to RdCVFL polypeptide or polynucleotide for use in the treatment of AMD.

The invention relates to the field of producing succinate by E. coli fermentation. Specifically, the invention provides an engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, wherein said E. coli contains one or more of the following modifications: a) enhanced activity of the protein(s) encoded by the gene(s) involved in pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), b) enhanced activity of the protein encoded by sthA gene, and optionally c) mutant lpdA gene. The invention also relates to use of the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, and a method of using the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate.