Human NgR-Fc decoy protein via lumbar intrathecal bolus administration enhances recovery from rat spinal cord contusion.

Axonal growth and neurological recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is limited by the presence of inhibitory proteins in myelin, several of which act via the NgR1 protein in neurons. A truncated soluble ligand-binding fragment of NgR1 serves as a decoy and promotes recovery in acute and chronic rodent SCI models. To develop the translational potential of these observations, we created a human sequence-derived NgR1(310)-Fc protein.

Remodelling of lipoproteins in transgenic mice expressing human cholesteryl ester transfer protein.

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) facilitates the transfer of reciprocal exchange of neutral lipids between lipoproteins. To better understand the function of CETP and its role in atherogenic pathways, transgenic mice which express human CETP were generated. The transgene encoding human CETP was under the control of the mouse alpha-fetoprotein enhancer and mouse albumin gene promoter and was expressed exclusively in the liver.

Processing of the pre-beta-amyloid protein by cathepsin D is enhanced by a familial Alzheimer's disease mutation.

A major pre-beta-amyloid protein695 (APP695) processing activity from Alzheimer's disease brain extracts was identified and found to be indistinguishable from the activity of cathepsin D.APP695 processing activity cleaved APP695 into a series of fragments that reacted on immunoblots to a monoclonal antibody (C286.8a) against beta-amyloid-(1-7)-peptide and cleaved N-dansyl-APP-(591-601)-amide at the Glu-Val and Met-Asp bonds.

Transgenic mice and transhybridomas producing chimeric mouse/human anti-human interleukin-2 receptor recombinant antibodies.

Transgenic mice were developed that secreted chimeric mouse/human anti-human interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) antibodies (Ab) into their serum. In addition, hybridomas producing the chimeric Ab in tissue culture were generated from the transgenic mice. The presence of the mouse/human immunoglobulin (Ig) transgene did not appear to affect rearrangement of endogenous murine Ig in the hybridomas.