A fibroblast growth factor receptor-blocking peptide is provided. In one embodiment, the peptide is a retro-peptide of the fibroblast growth factor receptor. The receptor-blocking peptide may be used in a therapeutic method for treatment of viral diseases, hypervascular diseases, and tumors.

Native, analog, and mutein species of A and B chains of platelet derived growth factor are produced in prokaryotes, purified, combined, and modified in vitro to produce various active AA, AB, and BB PDGF dimers.

A sensor device of the present invention is capable of surely detecting occurrence of a fire and a type of the fire. The sensor device includes a detection element made of an organic semiconductor element or an inorganic semiconductor element which is varied in characteristic value (i.e., resistance) thereof by both gas produced in a flaming-type fire and a smouldering-type fire and of which a variation in resistance by gas produced in a flaming-type fire is different in polarity from that by ga...

An antigenic preparation is provided which contains a 63 Kd outer membrane protein from Leptospira which can be used immunologically as a vaccine for leptospirosis caused by this organism. Also provided in the invention are polynucleotides encoding the protein and antibodies which bind the protein which are useful in the diagnosis of leptospirosis.

Human G-protein coupled receptor polypeptides and DNA (RNA) encoding such polypeptides and a procedure for producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques is disclosed. Also disclosed were methods for utilizing such polypeptides for identifying antagonists and agonists to such polypeptides and methods of using the agonists and antagonists therapeutically to treat conditions related to the underexpression and overexpression of the G-protein coupled receptor polypeptides. Also disclosed are ...

Improved methods for recombinant production of human reproductive hormones are disclosed. These methods involve the use of animal-derived cells that contain regulated secretory granules as host cells for expression systems capable of expressing DNA encoding human reproductive hormones or their .beta. subunits.

Single-chain forms of the glycoprotein hormone quartet, at least some members of which are found in most vertebrates, are disclosed. In one embodiment of these single-chain forms, the .alpha. and .beta. subunits of the wild-type heterodimers or their variants are covalently linked, optionally through a linker moiety. A drug may further be included within the linker moiety to be targeted to receptors for these hormones. Some of the single-chain forms are agonists and others antagonists of the gly...

The invention relates to hHSP polypeptides, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, methods for producing the polypeptides, in particular by expressing the polynucleotides, and agonists and antagonists of the polypeptides. The invention further relates to methods for utilizing such polynucleotides, polypeptides, agonists and antagonists for applications, which relate, in part, to research, diagnostic and clinical arts.

The P.sub.2X receptor of ATP has been cloned and expressed by recombinant DNA technology, so the receptor can be prepared free from other ATP receptors. The P.sub.2X receptor enables antibodies to be prepared and is useful in screening compounds for use in a variety of diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, cognition, emesis, pain (especially migraine), asthma, peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, diseases of the immune system, irritable bowel syndrome and premature ejaculation.

The present invention relates to isolated MEKK proteins, nucleic acid molecules having sequences that encode such proteins, and antibodies raised against such proteins. The present invention also includes methods to use such proteins to regulate signal transduction in a cell. The present invention also includes therapeutic compositions comprising such proteins or nucleic acid molecules that encode such proteins and their use to treat animals having medical disorders including cancer, inflammatio...