Suntory Limited

Shinzo Oikawa

Shoji Tanaka

Hiroshi Nakazato

Hisayuki Matsuo

Kenji Kangawa

Toshihiro Nakanishi

Takehiro Oshima

Yasunori Tawaragi

Junko Hashino

Yujiro Hayashi

Youichi Nunokawa

A plasmid was constructed, in which the hiNOS structural gene was replaced with the luciferase structural gene as a reporter gene, with retaining functions of the hiNOS gene 5&prime;-promoter region and 3&prime;-untranslated region. This plasmid was stably transfected into human cell lines. The above transformed cells selectively expressed the reporter gene in the presence of inducers. It has become possible, by examining the reporter gene expression in these transformed cells, to simply and easily screen, with high sensitivity, a compound which is expected to be useful for treating inflammations and sepsis by suppressing the hiNOS expression, or a compound which is expected to be useful for antitumor, antiviral, and vascular restenosis prevention treatments by the hiNOS induction.

Method for screening compounds regulating the expression of human-inducible nitric oxide synthase

Method for inhibiting metastasis of colon cancer to the liver

Disclosed is a DNA fragment comprising a base sequence coding for a peptide occurring in human atrium cordis and having diuretic action or a precursor of the peptide, plasmids containing the DNA fragment, microorganisms transformed with the plasmid, and a process for production of the peptide using the transformant. Also disclosed is a new peptide consisting of 126 amino acids occurring in human atrium cordis and a precursor thereof. The peptide has notable diuretic action and hypotensive or antihypertensive actions.

Peptide and gene coding for same

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Shinzo Oikawa