We have designed stable pKD1 derivatives for efficient secretion of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) by industrial strains of Kluyveromyces yeasts. A comparison of this multi-copy expression system with isogenic cassettes integrated at chromosomal loci demonstrated that high level secretion of rHSA is a function of gene dosage in K. lactis. Various signal sequences could be used, and the secretion levels were independent of the presence of the native pro peptide. The mitotic stability of the pKD1-based expression vectors was found to be species and strain dependent and was influenced by promoter strength and culture conditions. Vector stability was drastically enhanced when the HSA gene was expressed from an inducible promoter: 90% of the transformed cells still harbored the vector after 100 generations of non-selective growth in uninduced culture conditions. Secretion levels in the range of several grams per liter of correctly folded and processed rHSA were obtained at the pilot scale, thus making the industrial production of pharmaceutical-grade, Kluyveromyces-derived rHSA economically feasible.

A totally redesigned host/vector system with improved initiator protein, protein, encoded by the pir gene limiting properties in terms of safety has been developed. The its host range to bacterial strains that produce this transpCOR plasmids are narrow-host range plasmid vectors for acting protein; (2) the plasmid's selectable marker is not an nonviral gene therapy. These plasmids contain a conantibiotic resistance gene but a gene encoding a bacterial ditional origin of replication and must be propagated in a suppressor tRNA. Optimized E. coli hosts supporting specifically engineered E. coli host strain, greatly reducing pCOR replication and selection were constructed. High the potential for propagation in the environment or in yields of supercoiled pCOR monomers were obtained (100 treated patients. The pCOR backbone has several features mg/l) through fed-batch fermentation. pCOR vectors carrythat increase safety in terms of dissemination and selecing the luciferase reporter gene gave high levels of lucifertion: (1) the origin of replication requires a plasmid-specific ase activity when injected into murine skeletal muscle.

Survival of bacteria (Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, and Arthrobacter spp.), fungal spores (Penicillium sp.), and yeasts (Saccharomyces sp.) was studied in relation to water activity (aw) and the presence of nutritive solutes.

SummaryField and cylinder experiments conducted in France and in Senegal showed that polyacrylamide, previously proposed as an entrapping gel for preparing Rhizobium inoculants, could be replaced by alginate (AER inoculant) or a mixture of xanthan and carob gum (XER inoculant). Semi-dried or dried AER and XER were used successfully provided that their storage time was less than 90 days. In soil inoculation trials, no marked differences were observed among semi-dried XER, dried AER, and dried XER. A number of seed inoculation experiments indicated that dried XER significantly outranked AER. Seeds preinoculated by up to 48 days with XER yielded plants which were comparable in nodulation and growth parameters to those derived from plant receiving peat inoculation at the time of planting.

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