# US 2014/0193878 A1 · MRNA Interferase from Myxococcus Xanthus

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- Number: US 2014/0193878 A1
- Document ID: US20140193878A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/932,498
- Filed: 2013-07-01
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2007-03-28
- Assignees: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- Applicants: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- Inventors: Masayori Inouye; Hirofumi Nariya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193878A1

## CPC

- C12N 9/16: acting on ester bonds (3.1)
- C07K 14/195: from bacteria
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00)

## Abstract

A regulated deployment of a toxin gene for developmental programmed cell death in bacteria is described. M. xanthus is demonstrated to have a solitary mazF gene that lacks a cotranscribed antitoxin gene. Deletion of mazF results in elimination of the obligatory cell death during development causing dramatic reduction in spore formation. Surprisingly, MrpC functions as a MazF antitoxin and a mazF transcription activator. Transcription of mrpC and mazF is negatively regulated via MrpC phosphorylation by a Ser/Thr kinase cascade. Various methods of exploiting this novel pathway are described herein.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-6. (canceled)

### Claim 7

An isolated Myxococcus xanthus (mazF-mx) polypeptide.

### Claim 8

(canceled)

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

An isolated recombinant polynucleotide encoding the mazF-mx polypeptide of claim 7.

### Claim at position 5

10-11. (canceled)

### Claim 12

A method of production of a polypeptide having endoribonuclease activity comprising:
a. transforming a host cell by introducing a polynucleotide encoding maxF-mx into the host cell, and
b. culturing the transformed host cell.

### Claim 13

A promoter region of mazF-mx having the DNA sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14.