US5362638A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fungal strains and use thereof in antibiotic production
Assignee: Teva Canada Ltd
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Filing: 1992-11-30
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Granted: 1994-11-08
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Expires: 2012-11-30
Abstract
Abstract Lovastatin is produced by a process of fermentation using a fungal transformant produced by introducing into a non-lovastatin expressing Aspergillus strain such as a strain of Aspergillus oryzae the DNA of a lovastatin-expressing strain of Aspergillus terreus .
Inventors
- 👤 Jagroop S. Dahiya
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 19:12
CPC Classifications
C; C12; C12P; C12P17/00; C12P17/02; C12P17/06; C12N; C12N15/00; C12N15/09; C12N15/11; C12N15/52; C12N15/63; C12N15/79; C12N15/80; C12P7/00; C12P7/40; C12P7/42; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S435/00; Y10S435/8215; Y10S435/911; Y10S435/913; Y10S435/918
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
62 words
A process of preparing lovastatin which comprises fermenting a nutrient medium with a transformed fungal microorganism of an Aspergillus strain naturally incapable of expressing lovastatin but which has been transformed to contain foreign DNA derived from a lovastatin-producing Aspergillus terreus species and coding for the enzymes capable of synthesizing lovastatin, and a selectable marker, and recovering the lovastatin from the nutrient medium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
62 words
A process of preparing lovastatin which comprises fermenting a nutrient medium with a transformed fungal microorganism of an Aspergillus strain naturally incapable of expressing lovastatin but which has been transformed to contain foreign DNA derived from a lovastatin-producing Aspergillus terreus species and coding for the enzymes capable of synthesizing lovastatin, and a selectable marker, and recovering the lovastatin from the nutrient medium.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the Aspergillus strain naturally incapable of expressing lovastatin is a strain selected from the group of species consisting of A. oryzae, A. niger, A. nidulans and A. fumigalis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said Aspergillus strain is a strain of the species A. oryzae.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the foreign DNA introduced into the transformant contains cycloheximide-resistance genes as selectable marker.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the transformant is ATCC 741356.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 5 including the additional step of lactonization of the hydroxyacid analog formed in the fermentation process to lovastatin.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
Fungal transformants capable of expressing the enzymes for synthesizing lovastatin, said transformants being strains of an Aspergillus sp. naturally incapable of lovastatin expression but containing foreign DNA derived from a lovastatin producing Aspergillus terreus strain and containing genes coding for the enzymes capable of synthesizing lovastatin.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
Fungal transformants capable of expressing the enzymes for synthesizing lovastatin, said transformants being strains of an Aspergillus sp. naturally incapable of lovastatin expression but containing foreign DNA derived from a lovastatin producing Aspergillus terreus strain and containing genes coding for the enzymes capable of synthesizing lovastatin.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
Fungal transformants according to claim 7 wherein the Aspergillus sp. is selected from the group consisting of A. oryzae, A. niger, A. nidulans and A. fumigalus.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
Fungal transformants according to claim 8 wherein the Aspergillus sp. is A. oryzae.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
Fungal transformants according to claim 9, and comprising the product of transfection of total DNA from said A. terreus strain into said A. oryzae strain.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
5 words
The fungal transformant ATCC 74135.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
5 words
The fungal transformant ATCC 74135.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-11-07 | 1998-05-09 | 1998-11-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-11-07 | 2002-05-09 | 2002-11-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-11-07 | 2006-05-09 | 2006-11-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |