An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of producing a protein fiber in which shrinkage at the time of first contact with moisture after production is more reliably suppressed and generation of crimp is also suppressed. A method for producing a protein fiber according to the present invention includes: a pre-shrinking step of shrinking a protein fibril in a relaxed state after drawing and before being wound; a winding step of winding the protein fibril subjected to the pre-shrinking step to obtain a wound product; and a post-shrinking step of shrinking the protein fibril subjected to the winding step in a relaxed state.

Disclosed are compositions and methods for expressing and purifying a peptide of interest using a Flagellar Type III secretion system. Disclosed are nucleic acid sequences that contain a FlgM nucleic acid sequence, a cleavage site, and a nucleic acid sequence of interest. Also disclosed are polypeptides that contain FlgM, a cleavage site and a peptide of interest. Methods of producing polypeptides that have FlgM, a cleavage site and a peptide of interest are provided.

Insecticidal toxins described herein are fused toxin peptides made up of a targeting domain fused to a toxin domain. The targeting peptide generates a specific association with mosquitoes by causing the fused toxin peptide to bind mosquitoes in a way that leads to the insecticidal activity. Transgenic plants described herein are mosquitocidal by expressing an insecticidal toxin protein in nectar that includes a targeting peptide to ensure specificity against mosquitoes. These transgenic plants serve as role models for safety, since they are non-crop plants and specific to one mosquito species.

The present disclosure presents a general approach to engineering existing protein-protein interactions through domain addition and evolution. The disclosure teaches the creation of novel fusion proteins that include knottin peptides where a portion of the knottin peptide is replaced with a sequence that has been created for binding to a particular target. Such fusion proteins can also be bispecific or multi specific in that they can bind to and/or inhibit two or more receptors or receptor ligands. Knottins may be fused with an existing ligand (or receptor) as a general platform tor increasing the affinity of a ligand-receptor interaction or for creating a multi specific protein. In addition, the fusion proteins may comprise a knottin peptide fused to another protein where the other protein facilitates proper expression and folding of the knottin.

Computational systems and methods are described for identifying new α-helical antimicrobial peptides using a systemic consensus formula. Newly identified α-helical antimicrobial peptides are tested experimentally and show potent microbiocidal activities.

This application discloses a composition comprising an amiloride and/or an amiloride analog which can be used for reducing nerve injury or nervous system injury in a subject. The formulation of such composition is also disclosed. The application further directs to methods for treating nerve injury or nervous system injury by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising amiloride, an amiloride analog or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Peptides that home, target, migrate to, are directed to, are retained by, or accumulate in and/or bind to the cartilage or kidney of a subject are disclosed. Pharmaceutical compositions and uses for peptides or peptide-active agent complexes comprising such peptides are also disclosed. Such compositions can be formulated for targeted delivery of an active agent to a target region, tissue, structure or cell in the cartilage. Targeted compositions of the disclosure can deliver peptide or peptide-active agent complexes to target regions, tissues, structures, or cells targeted by the peptide.

Peptides that home, target, migrate to, are directed to, are retained by, or accumulate in and/or bind to the cartilage or kidney of a subject are disclosed. Pharmaceutical compositions and uses for peptides or peptide-active agent complexes comprising such peptides are also disclosed. Such compositions can be formulated for targeted delivery of an active agent to a target region, tissue, structure or cell in the cartilage. Targeted compositions of the disclosure can deliver peptide or peptide-active agent complexes to target regions, tissues, structures, or cells targeted by the peptide.

The present invention relates to a modified fibroin including a domain sequence represented by Formula 1: [(A).sub.nmotif-REP].sub.m or Formula 2: [(A).sub.nmotif-REP].sub.m−(A).sub.n motif, in which the domain sequence has an amino acid sequence with a reduced content of a glutamine residue equivalent to an amino acid in which one or a plurality of glutamine residues in REP are deleted or substituted with other amino acid residues, as compared with a naturally occurring fibroin.

New insecticidal proteins, nucleotides, peptides, their expression in plants, methods of producing the peptides, new processes, production techniques, new peptides, new formulations, new organisms, and a process which increases the insecticidal peptide production yield from yeast expression systems. The present invention is also related to novel cell culture methods and conditions that can be used to express heterologous polypeptides, along with new transgenic yeast strains.