PATENT ABSTRACTS 387

4883750 HBsAg, and myeloma cells, cloning the hybridomas and selecting the antibody-

D E T E C T I O N O F S P E C I F I C producing clones. The monoclonal antibody can S E Q U E N C E S I N N U C L E I C A C I D S react with all the subtypes of HBsAg and is ex-

pected to bc very effective in diagnosis and treat- Norman Whiteley, Michael W Hunkapiller, ment of diseases due to the viral infection. Alexander N Glazer assigned to Applied Bio- systems Inc 4883761

The invention provides a method for diagnosis P E R T U S S I S T O X I N G E N E : of genetic abnormalities or other genetic condi- tions which can be readily automated. The C L O N I N G A N D E X P R E S S I O N O F method is used to determine the presence or abs- P R O T E C T I V E A N T I G E N ence of a target sequence in a sample of denatured nucleic acid and entails hybridizing Jerry M Kcith, Camille Locht assigned to The the sample with a probe complementary to a dia- United States of America as represented by the gnostic portion of the target sequence (the dia- Department of Health and Human Services gnostic probe), and with a probe complementary to a nucleotide sequence contiguous with the dia- The complete nucleotide sequence of the pertus- gnostic portion (the contiguous probe), under sis toxin gene and the deduced amino acid conditions wherein the diagnostic probe remains sequences of the individual subunits have been bound substantially only to the sample nucleic determined. All five subunits are coded by acid containing the target sequence. The dia- closely linked cistrons and possibly expressed gnostic probe and contiguous probe are then through a polycistronic mRNA, since a covalently attached to yield a target probe which promotor-like structure was found in the 5' is complementary to the target sequence, and the flanking region. The order of the cistrons is S 1, probes which are not attached are removed. In $2, $3, $4, $5, and $3. All subunits contain signal the preferred mode, one of the probes is labeled peptides of variable length. The calculated so that the presence or absence of the target molecular weights of the mature subunits are sequenc, can then be tested by melting the sam- 25,024 for SI, 21,924 for $2, 21,873 for $3, ple nucleic acid-target probe duplex, eluting the 12,058 for $4 and 11,013 for $5. All subunits dissociated target probe, and testing for the contain signal peptides of variable length. Sub- label. In another embodiment, the testing is ac- units $2 and $3 share 70% amino acid homology complisbed without first removing probes not and 75% nucleotide homology. Subunit SI con- covalently attached, by attaching a hook to the tains two regions of eight amino acids probe that is not labeled, so that the labeled tar- homologous to analogous regions in the A sub- get probe may be recovered by catching the unitofbothcholeraandE.coliheatlabiletoxins. hook. In both instances, the presence of both the Functional domains in relation to the primary diagnostic probe and the contiguous probe is re- structure and the development of a safer, new quired for the label to appear in the assay. The generation vaccine against whooping cough are above method is then applied to the detection of presented. genetic diseases.

4885236 4883752

M E T H O D F O R D E T E R M I N I N G M E T H O D F O R P R E P A R I N G T I S S U E O F O R I G I N A N D

M O N O C L O N A L A N T I B O D Y T O P R E S E N C E A N D E X T E N T O F H B S A G C E L L U L A R A B N O R M A L I T I E S

Yasuyuki Eda, Toshihiro Maeda, Kiyoto SheldoPenman, EdwardGFeyass ignedtoMas- Nishiyama, Akira Tashiro, Kumamoto, Japan sachusetts Institute of Technology assigned to Juridical Foundation the Chcmo- Scro-Thcrapeutic Research Institute A biochemical procedure for identification and

characterization of cells in a biopsy or sample of Disclosed is a monoclonal antibody to HBsAg a body fluid. The method can be used to deter- which is prepared by forming hybridomas bet- mine cell type, i.e. epidermal, neuronal; tissue of ween human peripheral blood lymphocyte cells, origin, i.e. breast tissue, liver tissue; and degree derived from humans having high titers of anti- of abnormality. The procedure can also be used