The present invention relates to esterases, more particularly to esterase variants having improved activity and/or improved themostability compared to the esterase of SEQ ID NO:1 and the uses thereof for degrading polyester containing material, such as plastic products. The esterases of the invention are particularly suited to degrade polyethylene terephthalate, and material containing polyethylene terephthalate.

The present invention relates to esterases, more particularly to esterase variants having improved activity and/or improved themostability compared to the esterase of SEQ ID NO:1 and the uses thereof for degrading polyester containing material, such as plastic products. The esterases of the invention are particularly suited to degrade polyethylene terephthalate, and material containing polyethylene terephthalate.

The present disclosure provides engineered carboxyesterase enzymes that have the ability to catalyze amide bond formation. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the carboxyesterase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered carboxyesterase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered carboxyesterase enzymes to make commercially valuable amides. Also provided are amides that are made using the engineered carboxyesterase enzymes.

The present disclosure relates to tunable biocircuit systems for the development of controlled and/or regulated therapeutic systems. In particular, regulatable biocircuits containing destabilizing domains (DD) derived from mutant human cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) are disclosed. Especially, the present disclosure provides an effector module. Such effector module may include (a) a stimulus response element (SRE), wherein the SRE is a DD, said DD comprising at least one mutation relative to cGMP-specific 3′,5′-cyclic phosphodiesterase (hPDE5; SEQ ID NO: 1) and (b) at least one payload, which is attached, appended or associated with said SRE. The SRE may be responsive to one or more stimuli.

The present disclosure relates to tunable biocircuit systems for the development of controlled and/or regulated therapeutic systems. In particular, regulatable biocircuits containing destabilizing domains (DD) derived from mutant human cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) are disclosed. Especially, the present disclosure provides an effector module. Such effector module may include (a) a stimulus response element (SRE), wherein the SRE is a DD, said DD comprising at least one mutation relative to cGMP-specific 3′,5′-cyclic phosphodiesterase (hPDE5; SEQ ID NO: 1) and (b) at least one payload, which is attached, appended or associated with said SRE. The SRE may be responsive to one or more stimuli.

The present disclosure relates to, inter alia, a weed control method. In one example, a method comprises applying to the locus a weed controlling amount of a pesticide composition comprising a FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase-inhibiting herbicide, wherein the crop plants are modified such that they comprise a FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase which provides the crop plant with tolerance against the FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase-inhibiting herbicide. Recombinant polynucleotides and suitable for use in the methods, and edited FatA acyl-ACP thioesterases are also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to, inter alia, a weed control method. In one example, a method comprises applying to the locus a weed controlling amount of a pesticide composition comprising a FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase-inhibiting herbicide, wherein the crop plants are modified such that they comprise a FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase which provides the crop plant with tolerance against the FatA acyl-ACP thioesterase-inhibiting herbicide. Recombinant polynucleotides and suitable for use in the methods, and edited FatA acyl-ACP thioesterases are also disclosed.

Provided are nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides with ribonuclease III activity, wherein the nucleotide sequences have been modified to reduce their regulation by miRNAs. In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequences are at least 50% and as much as 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 20 or SEQ ID NO: 22, and/or encode polypeptides that are at least 90% percent identical to SEQ ID NO: 23. Also provided are vectors and host cells that include the nucleotide sequences, methods for expressing the nucleotide sequences in cells, tissues, and organs, which in some embodiments can be in the eye of a subject in need thereof, methods for preventing and/or treating development of diseases or disorders and/or for restoring undesirably low DICER1 expression using the nucleotide sequences, and pharmaceutical compositions that have the presently disclosed nucleotide sequences.

Provided are nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides with ribonuclease III activity, wherein the nucleotide sequences have been modified to reduce their regulation by miRNAs. In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequences are at least 50% and as much as 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 20 or SEQ ID NO: 22, and/or encode polypeptides that are at least 90% percent identical to SEQ ID NO: 23. Also provided are vectors and host cells that include the nucleotide sequences, methods for expressing the nucleotide sequences in cells, tissues, and organs, which in some embodiments can be in the eye of a subject in need thereof, methods for preventing and/or treating development of diseases or disorders and/or for restoring undesirably low DICER1 expression using the nucleotide sequences, and pharmaceutical compositions that have the presently disclosed nucleotide sequences.

The present invention provides, among other things, improved methods for purifying I2S protein produced recombinantly for enzyme replacement therapy. The present invention is, in part, based on the surprising discovery that recombinant I2S protein can be purified from unprocessed biological materials, such as, I2S-containing cell culture medium, using a process involving as few as four chromatography columns.