Kikkoman Corporation

Noda Institute for Scientific Research

Japanese Research and Development Association for Improvement of Enzyme

Noda Institutute for Scientific Research

Eiichi Nakano

Naoki Kajiyama

Hiroki Tatsumi

Tsutomu Masuda

Yasuji Koyama

Narimasa Saito

Danji Fukushima

Teruo Watarai

Osamu Hatamoto

Hideko Otake

Tatsuo Horiuchi

Masaru Suzuki

Seiji Murakami

Kiyoshi Mizusawa

Tatsuya Sakakibara

Toshio Ichikawa

Hiroshi Motai

Naoki Eisaki

Satoshi Kitao

Ayumi Arai

Shigetoshi Sugio

Yoshihiro Ogawa

Atsushi Masaki

Yutaka Ishida

Kohji Murakami

Haruhide Kawabe

Hirofumi Arimura

Yasuhiro Harada

Motoaki Umezu

The present invention relates to luminescent playthings such as candles, table lights, pen lights, illumination, illuminating playthings for camp, illuminating playthings for night fishing, fish-gathering lamps, safety candles, neon lights, luminescent inks, luminescent pens, luminescent coatings or luminescent writing implements, in which a soft light of an indescribable tone of color not obtainable from flames of conventional candles is emitted via seawater, lake and marsh water, river water, ground water, tap water or mineral drinking water by utilizing 3 components of luciferin, luciferase and ATP or 4 components of these components plus a metal salt, out of components necessary for bioluminescence in fireflies.

Luminescent tool, its auxiliary member and method of preserving bioluminescent composition used in the tool and the auxiliary member

Coating material

N-acetylmannosamine dehydrogenase gene derived from a microorganism belonging to the genus Flavobacterium, e.g., Flavobacterium sp. No. 141-8 strain and defined by a specific restriction enzyme map which encodes 271 amino acid sequence. Using the recombinant DNA, N-acetylmannosamine dehydrogenase can be produced in a simpler manner in an industrial scale. The enzyme is useful for quantitative determination of sialic acid.

N-acetylmannosamine dehydrogenase gene and novel recombinant DNA as well

The present invention relates to a DNA fragment of 3,563 base pairs containing a gene coding for tannase and derived from a microorganism belonging to the genus Aspergillus, with the following restriction enzyme map: ##STR1## B: Bam HI, H: Hind III, K: Kpn I, S: Sal I, X: Xba I; a DNA fragment containing a tannase gene coding for the amino acid sequence of (SEQ ID NO:4); a recombinant plasmid comprising the DNA fragment containing the tannase gene inserted into a plasmid vector; a process for producing tannase, comprising culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Aspergillus capable of producing tannase in medium with the recombinant plasmid, and recovering tannase from the culture; and a promoter represented by the nucleotide sequence of (SEQ ID NO:1). Tannase can be efficiently produced according to the present invention.

DNA fragment containing a tannase gene, a recombinant plasmid, a process

The present invention relates to variant E.sub.1 protein of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of high activity in which arginine at the 146-position is replaced by proline in the amino acid sequence of wild-type E.sub.1 protein of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, a gene coding for said variant E.sub.1 protein, a novel recombinant DNA comprising said variant E.sub.1 protein-encoding gene inserted in a vector DNA, and a process for producing variant E.sub.1 protein by said recombinant DNA. The present invention provides the variant E.sub.1 protein of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of high activity.

Variant E1 protein gene for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and variant

A purified luciferase from Luciola lateralis is disclosed. The enzyme is characterized by having properties including: an optimum pH range of 7.5 to 9.5, an optimum temperature range of 0.degree. C. to 50.degree. C., and that the enzyme does not act on ADP, CTP, UTP, and GTP. The enzyme is purified by using a process which includes: gel filtration chromatography, hydroxyapatite column chromatography, and a tris(hydroxy)aminomethane-hydro-chloric acid buffer.

Purified luciferase from luciola lateralis

The present invention provides an improved mink growth hormone gene, a recombinant DNA containing the improved mink growth hormone gene, microorganisms which belong to the genus Escherichia and contain the recombinant DNA and which are capable of producing a mink growth hormone, and a method for producing a mink growth hormone using the E.coli transformant containing the recombinant DNA. According to the present invention, a mink growth hormone is efficiently produced.

Isolated mink growth hormone genes, novel recombinant DNA and methods

The present invention provides industrially useful luciferase. Mutant luciferase of the invention is produced by culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Escherichia which harbors a recombinant DNA containing the mutant luciferase gene of a firefly. Mutant luciferase can produce red, orange or green color of light which can not be produced by wild type luciferase. Mutant luciferase can be used to measure ATP accurately in a colored solution such as red (e.g., blood), orange, or green in which wild-type luciferase has not provided reliable results.

Mutant luciferase of a firefly

Alkaline protease which has leucine or isoleucine in the place of valine at the amino acid number 40 of wild type alkaline protease, a gene encoding the amino acid sequence of alkaline protease which has the substitution as described above, a recombinant DNA comprising said gene, a method of producing the above described alkaline protease, and a DNA fragment used for the expression of a gene.

Alkaline protease, alkaline protease gene, recombinant DNA, DNA fragment

The present invention relates to thermostable luciferase of firefly wherein an amino acid at the 217-position of the amino acid sequence of wild-type firefly luciferase or an amino acid equivalent to the amino acid at the 217-position of luciferase of GENJI firefly or HEIKE firefly is converted into a hydrophobic amino acid, a gene encoding said thermostable luciferase, a vector comprising the gene encoding said thermostable luciferase inserted therein, and a process for the preparation of thermostable firefly luciferase comprising use of said vector.

Thermostable luciferase of firefly, thermostable luciferase gene of

Mutant luciferase of a firefly, mutant luciferase genes, recombinant

Disclosed is a purified luciferase and a method for making it. The luciferase is obtained from Luciola cruciata. The luciferase has a pH range for stabililty of 6.5-9.0 and a optimum pH range of 8.0-9.5. The enzyme does not act on ADP, CTP, UTP and GTP.

Purified luciferase from luciola cruciata

A luciferase gene isolated from Luciola cruciata (Japanese firefly) coding for an amino acid sequence shown in FIG. 4 and a novel recombinant DNA characterized by incorporating a gene coding for luciferase into a vector DNA are disclosed. There is also disclosed a method of producing luciferase which comprises culturing in a medium a microorganism containing a recombinant DNA having inserted a gene coding for luciferase in a vector DNA and belonging to the genus Escherichia capable of producing luciferase and collecting luciferase from the culture.

Luciferase gene and novel recombinant DNA as well as a method of

A bacteriophage which is characterized by the presence of one or more restriction enzyme sites downstream from the late promoter up to the cohesive end, and none or a permissible number of restriction enzyme sites upstream from the late promoter to the cohesive end is useful as an expression vector. The vector can be used to obtain high expression of DNA inserted at the restriction enzyme site downstream from the late promoter up to the cohesive end.

Novel bacteriophage and method for breeding thereof

A method for the preparation of a novel recombinant DNA, which comprises (1) cleaving with an endonuclease a temperate phage DNA having an endonuclease-sensitive region not in the DNA segment participating in the replication of phage DNA and the integration of phage DNA into a host chromosome but at least in the DNA segment carrying genetic information for the coat protein production and another DNA carrying intended genetic information, (2) adding DNA-ligase to the mixture of both cleft DNA's, and (3) recovering from the mixture a phage DNA having its coat protein producing ability deleted by the replacement of the DNA segments carrying genetic information for the coat protein production with a DNA fragment carrying the intended information.

Growing community of inventors

Noda, Japan

Eiichi Nakano