PATENT ABSTRACTS

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M E T H O D F O R I N S E R T I N G F O R E I G N G E N E S I N T O C E L L S

U S I N G P U L S E D R A D I O F R E Q U E N C Y

Donald C Chang assigned to Baylor College of Medicine

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for the poration and fusion of cells using high-power radiofrequency electrical pulses. The electrodes of the apparatus can be hand held or part of in- tegrated equipment with special containers for cells. The electrodes, which are positioned equi- distant from each other, are attached to a high power function generator. The power function generator can apply a continuous AC electrical field and/or a high-power pulsed radiofrequency electrical field across the electrodes. The alter- nating electrical field induces cell congregation by the process of dielectrophoresis. The high- power pulsed radiofrequency electrical field porates or fuses the cells. The method has the ab- ility to porate or fuse biological cells with a very high efficiency. The method can be used to fuse or porate a variety of cells including animal cells, human cells, plant cells, protoplasts, erythrocyte ghosts, liposomes, vesicles, bacteria and yeasts. The method has the unique ability to porate or fuse cells in very small or very large numbers. During the poration or fusions, a variety of chemical agents including DNA, RNA, anti- bodies, proteins, drugs, molecular probes, hor- mones, growth factors, enzymes, organic chemicals and inorganic chemicals can be in- troduced into these cells. The method can also be used to produce new biological species, to make hybridoma cells which produce animal or human monoclonal antibodies and to insert therapeutic genes into human cells which can be transplanted back into the human body to cure genetic diseases.

4970155

H S V H E L P E R V I R U S I N D E P E N D E N T V E C T O R

Gregory F Okasinski assigned to Abbott Laboratories

This invention encompasses an eukaryotic ex- pression vector constructed from a prokaryotic plasmid by inserting into the prokaryotic plas-

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mid a mediator sequence and a pro- moter/regulatory sequence with a restriction endonuclease site for inserting a gene to be ex- pressed. The gene to be expressed is inserted into the restriction endonuclease site in the pro- motet/regulatory sequence and the resulting plasmid is in turn used to transform a eukaryotic cell. The gen¢ is expressed with or without viral mediation.

4970157

I S O L A T E D P H E N Y L A L A N I N E D E H Y D R O G E N A S E G E N E A N D

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

D E H Y D R O G E N A S E

Yasuo Hibino, Yasuhisa Asano, Noriko Okazaki, Naganori Numao, Sagamihara, Japan assigned to Sagami Chemical Research Center; Central Glass Company Limited]Hodogaya Chemical Co Ltd ]Nippon Soda Company Limited]Nissan Chemical Industries Limited]Toyo Soda Manufacturing Co Ltd

An isolated gene coding for phenylalanine dehy- drogenase of a microorganism belonging to a genus selected from the group consisting of the genera Bacillus and Sporosarcina origin; plas- mids containing the gene; microorganism trans- formed with the plasmid, a process for the production of phenylalanine dehydrogenase using the microogranism; and a process for the production of L-phenylalanine using the en- zyme.

4970160

G E N E F O R C O R N P H O S P H O E N O L P Y R U V A T E

C A R B O X Y L A S E

Hirohik Katsuki, Kyoto, Japan assigned to Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited

A DNA sequence which encodes for a bio- logically active corn phosphocnolpyruvate car- boxylase is disclosed. A recombinant plasmid vector containing the DNA sequence, a micro- organism transformed with the vector, and the carboxylase expressed by the organism are also provided.