Shionogi Company Limited

Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.

Hidehiko Tanaka

Kenji Soda

Kenji Inagaki

Nobuyoshi Esaki

Manabu Sugimoto

Hiroyuki Inoue

Hidetsugu Nakazawa

Koji Mitsugi

Akio Takimoto

Tomoaki Takakura

Shintaro Misaki

An L-methionine &#x3b3;-lyase having modified function which is obtained by structurally stabilizing natural L-methionine &#x3b3;-lyase by analyzing the structure of crystals thereof by using X-ray, estimating an amino acid sequence concerning its substrate specificity and varying amino acid residue thereof; enzymes comprising a protein constituting the L-methionine &#x3b3;-lyase having modified function or its multimer (preferably its tetramer); DNA sequences encoding these enzymes; a process for producing these enzymes; and medicinal preparations (preferably anticancer agent) containing these enzymes.

L-methionine $g(g)-lyase with modified function

A recombinant protein capable of constituting a recombinant L-methionine .gamma.-lyase or a variant thereof, a recombinant oligomeric enzyme, preferably tetrameric enzyme, consisting of the recombinant protein, a DNA molecule encoding the same, an expression vector containing the DNA molecule, a host cell harboring the expression vector, a method of preparing the recombinant L-methionine .gamma.-lyase, and anti-tumor agent comprising the recombinant L-methionine .gamma.-lyase or a variant thereof are provided.

Recombinant L-methionine Y-lyase

Recombinant L-methionine .gamma.-lyase

Method for the production of substituted sulfur containing L-amino acids by contacting .beta.- or .gamma.-substituted amino acids in an aqueous medium containing methioninase together with the precursor of the substituent.

Method of producing sulfur containing L-amino acids

Growing community of inventors

Okayama, Japan

Hidehiko Tanaka