PATENT ABSTRACIS

IGF-II (rlGF-II) without a covalently attached foreign protein moiety and without N-terminal attached methionine or a derivative of methionine or of a salt of said IGF-II, rlGF-II produced by said method, hybrid vectors com- prising DNA encoding said rlGF-II, hosts trans- formed with said vectors, and a process for the isolation of said rlGF-II from the host cell and refolding it into a biologically active form.

5210029

M E T H O D O F P R O D U C I N G I N T E R L E U K I N - 2

Kazuaki Kitano, Shigeru Fujimoto, Sakai, Japan assigned to Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd

The present invention provides an improvement in a method for producing physiologically active proteins by cultivating Escherichia coli having an expression vector which contains a structural gene for such proteins at the downstream end of the translational starting codon. The method comprises cultivating the Escherichia coli in a medium containing (1) an iron ion source, a manganese ion source or a mixture thereof and (2) a nitrogen source derived from natural origin. The advantage of this method is an increase in the yield of physiologically active proteins sub- stantially free of methionine (corresponding to translational starting codon ATG) at the N- terminus.

5210032

D E G E N E R A T I O N - R E S I S T A N T S O L V E N T O G E N I C C L O S T R I D I A

Eva R Kashket assigned to Trustees of the Boston University

Butanol and acetone are major end products of a bacterial fermentation process carried out by anaerobic saccharolytic clostridia such as Clostridium acetobutylicum. However, these or- ganisms degenerate upon repeated subculture of growing cells, thereby losing their capacity to produce solvents and to develop into spores. A novel class of degeneration-resistant mutants of C. acetobutylicum, generated by transposon in- sertion mutagenesis, has been produced em- ploying a novel selection procedure. Upon subculture the mutant cells survive significantly longer than the parental cells without altered sol- ventogenic characteristics. The mutant or-

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ganism, the technique for its isolation and its use are provided.

~ 1 0 0 3 3

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

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

P R O D U C I N G S T R E P T O V A R I C I N C

Kanam Inoue, Motohid Yamazaki, Kanji Murofushi, Richard W Armentrout, Kanagawa, Japan assigned to Shin-Etsu Bio Inc; Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd

Disclosed is a method for selecting a mutant strain belonging to the genus Streptomyces which is a hyper-producer of Streptovaricin C superior to those know heretofore. This is ac- complished by first subjecting a natural strain of Streptomyces spectabilis to conditions so as to isolate organisms which are streptovaricin resistant. The streptovaricin resistant organisms thus isolated are then subjected to mutagenesis and then cultured. The colonies which are asporogenous are individually cultured in fer- mentation batches such that the strains take the form of pellets of varying sizes and colors. From the batch having the most heterogeneous mix- ture of pellets, the smallest pellet or the pellet(s) having the deepest color (usually deep red or crimson) is isolated. We have discovered that the strain of this pellet has a high likelihood of being a hyperproducer of streptovaricin. The strain of this pellet may then be subjected to fermentation conditions to produce streptovaricin. The nutr- ient broth containing fumaric acid or water- soluble salts thereof, and adsorbent polymer beads and the streptovaricin produced are recovered in the usual manner. In another em- bodiment, the fermentation may be carried out in a nutrient broth wherein fumaric acid or its water-soluble salts are deliberately excluded to achieve even higher productivity.

5210035

N O N - R E V E N T I N G L I V E V A C C I N E S

Bruce A Stocker assigned to Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Jr University

Live vaccines are provided and methods for pre- paring the live vaccines for protection of a host