Nucleic acids for inducing expression of transcripts and proteins and methods for making and using them

An isolated, purified, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid for increased expression or increased stabilization of an mRNA (transcript) and/or polypeptide, wherein the nucleic acid comprises, or consists of:

• (a) a nucleotide sequence having at least about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% sequence identity, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity, to 5′-atgggctataagaaatctaacaatccgttttctgat-3′ (SEQ ID NO:1),
• wherein the nucleic acid acts as an enhancer of transcription when it is operatively linked to or is in close proximity to a second nucleic acid sequence, or the nucleic acid acts as to stabilize the mRNA (transcript) and/or polypeptide;
• (b) the nucleic acid sequence of (a), wherein the transcription-enhanced second nucleic acid sequence comprises a protein-encoding sequence, a protein-encoding transcript or a protein-encoding gene;
• (c) the nucleic acid sequence of (a) or (b), wherein the nucleic acid is operatively linked to or is in close proximity to:
• a Shine-Dalgarno sequence (Shine-Dalgarno box);
• a Kozak sequence (Kozak consensus sequence);
• a transcription start site;
• a translational start site;
• a promoter;
• an enhancer;
• a splice site;
• and/or a ribosomal binding site;
• (d) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (c), wherein the close proximity is being within about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30 or more nucleic acid residues;
• (e) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (d), wherein the nucleic acid sequence further comprises sequence encoding a protein localization signal;
• (f) the nucleic acid sequence of (e), wherein the protein localization signal comprises a FKDE or CFFKDEL motif, or a PFS or a VLTNENPFSDP or YKKSNNPFSD containing motif;
• (g) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (d), wherein the nucleic acid sequence further comprises a Shine-Dalgarno sequence (Shine-Dalgarno box);
• a Kozak sequence (Kozak consensus sequence);
• a transcription start site;
• a translational start site;
• a promoter;
• an enhancer;
• a splice site;
• and/or a ribosomal binding site;
• (h) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (g), wherein the nucleic acid sequence is inserted into a vector, a cloning vehicle, an expression cassette, an expression system, an expression vector, a cloning vector or a cloning vehicle, or a viral vector, a plasmid, a phage, a phagemid, a cosmid, a fosmid, a bacteriophage or an artificial chromosome, or a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), a plasmid, a bacteriophage P1-derived vector (PAC), a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), or a mammalian artificial chromosome (MAC);
• or
• (i) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (h), wherein the nucleic acid sequence is about at least 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 or 40 or more nucleic acid residues in length.