Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated

Human Cell Systems, Inc.

Torli Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Toshihiro Oikawa

Hiroki Ishibashi

Yasushi Fukuiri

Toshifumi Yamaki

Yasuko Matsuba

Tadashi Araki

Kaori Matoishi

Hitoki Miyake

Reiko Abe

Tomoyuki Ando

Hironori Komatsu

Nobuhiro Fukuhara

Atsushi Sakuma

Kiyoteru Nagahara

Hideki Umetani

Kazuhiko Togashi

Ichirou Ikeda

Hideki Kobayashi

Daisuke Mochizuki

Hitoshi Takahashi

Hitoshi Endou

Hideki Sawai

Shinichi Banba

Tsuyoshi Inoue

Takashi Mimitsuka

Mitsufumi Wada

Takeshi Nakamura

Takashi Morishige

Kiyoshi Ito

Eishi Tanaka

Junko Tokuda

Setsuo Yoshino

Masami Osabe

Katsuyuki Takahashi

Teruo Arii

Yosuke Higashi

Kenichi Ishiwata

Miyuki Kawashima

Mitsufumi Wade

Satoru Iwamori

A method for producing D-lactic acid in high yield, and to provide a method for producing D-lactic acid with high selectivity, in which optical purity is high and a by-product organic acid is small. In one aspect, a microorganism, wherein activity of pyruvate formate-lyase (pfl) is inactivated or decreased, and further activity of-derived NADH-dependent D-lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA) is enhanced, is cultured to efficiently produce D-lactic acid. With regard to a method for enhancing ldhA activity, by linking, on a genome, a gene encoding ldhA with a promoter of a gene which controls expression of a protein involved in a glycolytic pathway, a nucleic acid biosynthesis pathway or an amino acid biosynthesis pathway, suitable results are obtained compared to the method for enhancing expression of the gene using an expression vector. A microorganism in which a dld gene is substantially inactivated or decreased is cultured to produce high quality D-lactic acid with reduced concentration of pyruvic acid.

Biocatalyst for production of D-lactic acid

The invention provides a method for producing a cytosine nucleoside compound from pentose-1-phosphate and cytosine or a derivative thereof using a nucleoside phosphorylase reactive to cytosine or a bacterium having the enzyme activity. The invention also provides a method for specifically reducing an activity to degrade the substrates or the product, resulting in efficient production of the cytosine nucleoside compound. According to the invention, little by-product is produced in producing cytonucleocide compounds.

Method for producing cytosine nucleoside compounds

The amino acid sequence of a mutant which is obtained by introducing a novel mutation into aJCM3095-derived nitrile hydratase consisting of two types of heterogeneous subunits, and the base sequence of the gene are provided. The nitrile hydratase is modified by specifying the region to be modified in the stereostructure/amino acid sequence of the nitrile hydratase, and applying alteration such as substitution, insertion, deletion or the like, to the amino acids in the amino acid sequence which are corresponding to the amino acid residues forming the region. Also provided is a method for modifying an enzyme having a nitrile hydratase activity.

Nitrile hydratase variant

To provide highly safe therapeutic or preventive agents for hyperuricemia, more specifically uricosuric agents, which have potent uricosuric effect and do not cause grave hepatic disorder. Medicinal compositions for the treatment or prevention of hyperuricemia or diseases caused by hyperuricemia, which contain 6-hydroxybenzbromarone or salts thereof, and pharmaceutically acceptable carriers; uricosuric agents, xanthine oxidase inhibitors, and inhibitors against the uptake of uric acid in kidney, which contain 6-hydroxybenzbromarone or salts thereof; and a process for the production of 6-hydroxybenzbromarone.

Medicinal compositions containing 6-hydroxybenzbromarone or salts thereof

A novel gluconate dehydratase derived fromand a gene encoding the gluconate dehydratase are provided. By reacting the gluconate dehydratase or a transformed cell containing the gene with an aldonic acid, the corresponding 2-keto-3-deoxyaldonic acid can be efficiently produced.

Gluconate dehydratase

This invention provides a novel D-aminoacylase obtained by cloning a DNA encoding the novel D-aminoacylase from Methylobacterium mesophilicum MT 10894, etc. and which shows sufficiently high activity at an industrially useful substrate concentration to allow a D-amino acid to be efficiently produced from an N-acyl-DL-amino acid; a DNA encoding the D-aminoacylase; a process for producing a D-amino acid from the corresponding N-acylamino acid using a transformant containing the DNA.

DNA encoding novel D-aminoacylase and process for producing D-amino acid by using the same

Optically active chroman-3-acetic acids and optically active chroman-3-acetic acid esters can be obtained by treating a mixture of (3R)- and (3S)-chroman-3-acetic esters of formula (I)

Esterase and methods for the production of optically active chroman compounds

Optically active chroman-3-acetic acids and optically active chroman-3-acetic acid esters can be obtained by treating a mixture of (3R)- and (3S)-chroman-3-acetic esters of formula (I) ##STR1## [wherein R.sub.1 is a straight or branched alkyl group having 1-5 carbon atoms and R.sub.2 is a hydrogen atom or substituted or unsubstituted amino group]

Esterase and methods for the production of optically active chroman

Disclosed is a cloned tyrosine phenol-lyase gene which encodes an amino acid sequence represented by the formula [I], which can be expressed in the absence of tyrosine in culturing medium. A recombinant vector containing the tyrosine phenol-lyase gene as well as E. coli transformants capable of producing tyrosine phenol-lyase are also disclosed.

Cloned tyrosine phenol-lyase gene, recombinant plasmid containing the

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Mobara, Japan

Toshihiro Oikawa