Unitika Ltd.

Senji Kitabatake

Isao Tomioka

Hiroshi Nakajima

Munehiko Dombou

Kazutomo Imahori

Ryoichi Tsurutani

Hiroshi Nakejima

A method of producing a growth promoting factor for Bifidobacterium species from lactose which comprises contacting lactose with resting cells of a lactose-utilizing yeast strain having activity to rearrange lactose to galacto-oligosaccharides.

Method for production of a growth factor for Bifidobacterium sp.

A process for producing a physiologically active substance by a combined enzymatic method is disclosed. In the combined enzymatic method, a reactant solution containing a precursor or precursors for the physiologically active substance, AXP, and a divalent metal ion is supplied at one end of a reactor incorporating either the combined enzymatic reaction system (a) or (b), wherein (a) is a reaction system including an enzyme for converting AMP to ADP, an enzyme for converting ADP to ATP, and an enzyme which catalyzes the synthesis of the physiologically active substance as it converts ATP to AMP; and (b) is a reaction system including an enzyme for converting ADP to ATP and an enzyme which catalyzes the synthesis of the physiologically active substance as it converts ATP to ADP, wherein the concentration of the divalent metal ion supplied into the reactor is held at a level no higher than 30 mM while the concentration of the AXP is held below that of that of the precursor or precursors for the physilogically active substance, and the physiologically active substance produced is withdrawn from the other end of the reactor.

Process for producing physiologically active substance

A process for producing diadenosine tetraphosphate or derivatives thereof in very high yields with little formation of undesired by-products is disclosed. The process comprises reacting adenosine-5'-triphosphate or a derivative thereof with an amino acid under the catalytic action of an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase in the presence of an enzyme that converts adenosine-5'-diphosphate to adenosine-5'-triphosphate. The formation of by-products can be substantially completely inhibited if the last-mentioned enzyme is used in combination with an enzyme that converts adenosine-5'-monophosphate to adenosine-5'-diphosphate.

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Kyoto, Japan

Senji Kitabatake