The invention relates to compositions and methods for the preparation, manufacture and therapeutic use of polynucleotides, primary transcripts and mmRNA molecules.

The present invention provides a luminescent enzyme protein comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, and a mutant enzyme thereof.

Present invention is aimed at identification of new fungal luciferin biosynthesis enzymes, nucleic acids able to encode these enzymes, and proteins able to catalyze certain stages of the fungal luciferin biosynthesis. The invention also provides for application of nucleic acids for producing said enzymes in a cell or organism. Methods for in vitro or in vivo preparation of chemical compounds identical to fungal luciferins and preluciferins are also provided. Vectors comprising nucleic acid described in the present invention are also provided. In addition, the present invention provides expression cassettes comprising the nucleic acid of the present invention and regulatory elements necessary for nucleic acid expression in a selected host cell. Besides, cells, stable cell lines, transgenic organisms (e.g. plants, animals, fungi, or microorganisms) including nucleic acids, vectors, or expression cassettes of the present invention are also provided. Present invention also provides combinations of nucleic acids to obtain autonomously luminous cells, cell lines, or transgenic organisms. In preferred embodiments, cells or transgenic organisms are capable to produce fungal luciferin from precursors. In some embodiments, cells or transgenic organisms are capable to produce fungal preluciferin from precursors. In some embodiments, cells or transgenic organisms are capable of bioluminescence in the presence of a fungal luciferin precursor. In some embodiments, cells or transgenic organisms are capable of autonomous bioluminescence. Combinations of proteins for producing luciferin or its precursors from more simple chemical compounds are also provided. A kit containing nucleic acids, vectors, or expression cassettes of the present invention for producing luminous cells, cell lines, or transgenic organisms is also provided.

Compositions of luminescence labeled activated natural killer (aNK) cells are utilized in methods of in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) for assaying and identifying genetically modified NK cells capable of targeting selected anatomical locations (e.g., bone and/or brain) or targeting selected diseased cells at selected sites.

This disclosure generally relates to synthetic bioluminescent proteins such as synthetic luciferase polypeptides. Methods of making and using the proteins are also provided herein.

The present invention relates to a complexed RNA, comprising at least one RNA complexed with one or more oligopeptides, wherein the oligopeptide has a length of 8 to 15 amino acids and has the empirical formula (Arg).sub.l;(;Lys).sub.m;(His).sub.n;(Orn).sub.o;(Xaa).sub.x. The invention further relates to a method for transfecting a cell or an organism, thereby applying the inventive complexed RNA. Additionally, pharmaceutical compositions and kits comprising the inventive complexed RNA, as well as the use of the inventive complexed RNA for transfecting a cell, tissue or an organism and/or for modulating, preferably inducing or enhancing, an immune response are disclosed herein.

The invention relates to compositions including polynucleotides encoding polypeptides which have been chemically modified by replacing the uridines with 1-methyl-pseudouridine to improve one or more of the stability and/or clearance in tissues, receptor uptake and/or kinetics, cellular access by the compositions, engagement with translational machinery, mRNA half-life, translation efficiency, immune evasion, protein production capacity, secretion efficiency, accessibility to circulation, protein half-life and/or modulation of a cell's status, function, and/or activity.

Disclosed herein are novel lipids and liposomal compositions prepared using such compounds and related methods of neutralizing or otherwise modifying such liposomal compositions. The lipids described herein are useful for example, as liposomal vehicles to facilitate the delivery of encapsulated polynucleotides to target cells and the subsequent transfection of such target cells. In certain embodiments, one or more of the compounds that comprise the liposomal delivery vehicle may be neutralized or further modified such that the properties of the liposomal delivery vehicle are modified.

Provided herein are systems and methods for characterizing target/ligand engagement. In particular, luciferase-labeled polypeptide targets are used to detect or quantify target/ligand engagement (e.g., within a cell or cell lysate).

Provided herein are systems and methods for characterizing target/ligand engagement. In particular, luciferase-labeled polypeptide targets are used to detect or quantify target/ligand engagement (e.g., within a cell or cell lysate).