Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.

Astellas Pharma Gmbh

Yoshimasa Saito

Mineo Niwa

Yoshinori Ishii

Masaru Yoshida

Ikuo Ueda

Masakazu Kobayashi

Hitoshi Sasaki

Hisashi Yamada

Hiromi Suzuki

Yuji Noguchi

Yoko Takata

Hiroki Ono

Tadashi Kitaguchi

Yoshiko Ueda

Kouichi Tamura

Susumu Sato

Tatsuo Yamashita

Jouji Notani

Masako Hayashi

Hiromi Hayashi

Michio Yamashita

Shinsuke Soeda

Koji Yoshikawa

Tadashi Hitaguchi

Takashi Shibata

Mitsutaka Matsuura

Takao Fujimura

Chiyo Ichikawa

This invention relates to a hematopoietic stem cell proliferating agent comprising IGF-I, a hematopoietic stem cell proliferating agent comprising IGF-I and at least one protein selected from among SCF, M-CSF, and G-CSF, and a method of growing hematopoietic stem cells which comprises culturing hematopoietic stem cells in a medium containing IGF-I and at least one protein selected from the group consisting of SCF and M-CSF. The hematopoietic stem cell proliferating agent of the invention causes hematopoietic stem cells to proliferate in the undifferentiated state whether in vivo or in vitro and can, therefore, be used for amelioration of the cytopenia induced by radiotherapy or chemotherapy using anticancer drugs, prevention of infectious diseases associated with lymphopenia, or in vitro culture for multiplication of hematopoietic stem cells and extrasomatic culture of recombinant stem cells in gene therapy.

Hematopoietic stem cell proliferating agents

A gene encoding D-sorbitol dehydrogenase (SLDH); a process for producing SLDH by culturing host cells transformed by an expression vector having the above gene; and a process for processing L-sorbose or 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2KLGA) by using the above culture. 2KLGA is an important intermediate in the production of L-ascorbic acid. Thus, a process for producing L-ascorbic acid from the 2KLGA obtained by the above process is also provided.

Sorbitol dehydrogenase, gene encoding the same and use thereof

DNA fragments which contain a sequence of DNA which encodes a protective peptide-fused &agr;-hANP in which the protective peptide has a C-terminus lysine residue which is directly fused to the N-terminus of the &agr;-hANP, vectors which contain such a DNA sequence, and microorganisms transformed which such a vector are useful for the production of &agr;-hANP.

Process for the production of &agr;-human atrial natriuretic polypeptide

A DNA derived from plasmid pF4, which contains a region involved in the control of autonomous replication in a bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor, with or without a part of the polynucleotide region not essential for the autonomous replication therein, particularly, the same DNA comprising, as the region involved in the control of autonomous replication in the bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor, a part or the entirety of the polynucleotide of nucleotide No. 2897-3969 region of Sequence Listing SEQ:ID No. 1. A plasmid vector containing this DNA, transformant transformed with this plasmid vector, and a method for producing a physiologically active substance comprising culturing this transformant. The full length nucleotide sequence of plasmid pF4 and the region containing DNA involved in the control of automonous replication in the bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor were specified, whereby the region not essential for the automonous replication could be removed to provide a shortened pF4. The shortening of the region in the vector for autonomous replication increases the remaining region of the vector and allows incorporation of many structural genes into the vector. Consequently, the vector can have many functions.

Vector derivatives of gluconobacter plasmid pF4

A novel L-sorbose dehydrogenase (SDH) and a novel L-sorbosone dehydrogenase both derived from Gluconobacter oxydans T-100, a DNA which encodes the SDH and/or SNDH, an expression vector which contains the DNA, a host cell transformed by the expression vector and a process for producing the SDH and/or SNDH, which comprises culturing the host cell in a medium and recovering the SDH and/or SNDH from the resulting culture. The SDH and SNDH of the present invention are useful enzymes having preferable properties for the production of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid, as well as L-ascorbic acid. According to the production method of the present invention, the SDH and SNDH having such preferable properties can be produced in large amounts by genetic engineering.

L-sorbose dehydrogenase and novel L-sorbosone dehydrogenase obtained from gluconobacter oxydans T-100

An expression vector containing both a DNA encoding an L-sorbose dehydrogenase and a DNA encoding an L-sorbosone dehydrogenase; a transformant having an ability to produce 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (hereinafter 2KLGA) at high yields from D-sorbitol, which is prepared by transforming, with said expression vector, a microorganism capable of producing L-sorbose at high yields from D-sorbitol, which has no or low 2KLGA-decomposing activity or a host microorganism having, in addition to the above-mentioned properties, no or low L-idonic acid-producing activity; and a process for producing 2KLGA, which comprises culturing said transformant in a medium containing D-sorbitol. According to the present invention, 2KLGA useful for the production of L-ascorbic acid can be produced with ease and in larger amounts by a single operation of culture.

Method for producing 2-keto-L-gulonic acid

A novel L-sorbose dehydrogenase (SDH) and a novel L-sorbosone dehydrogenase (SNDH) both derived from Gluconobacter oxydans T-100, a DNA which encodes the SDH and/or SNDH, an expression vector which contains the DNA, a host cell transformed by the expression vector and a process for producing the SDH and/or SNDH, which comprises culturing the host cell in a medium and recovering the SDH and/or SNDH from the resulting culture. The SDH and SNDH of the present invention are useful enzymes having preferable properties for the production of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid, as well as L-ascorbic acid. According to the production method of the present invention, the SDH and SNDH having such preferable properties can be produced in large amounts by genetic engineering.

L-sorbose dehydrogenase and novel L-sorbosone dehydrogenase obtained

The invention relates to a new tissue plasminogen activator which has strong activity for converting plasminogen into plasmin that degrades the fibrin network of blood clots to form soluble products and therefore is useful as a thrombolytic agent. The invention also relates to a DNA sequence encoding the amino acid sequence for the tissue plasminogen activator, to a process for producing the plasminogen activator, and to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the new tissue plasminogen activator.

Tissue plasminogen activator

Cephalosporin C acylase

Two-cistronic Met-IGF-I expression vector, in which the first cistron encodes a protective peptide with a molecular weight of about 500-50,000 and the second cistron encodes IGF-I, was provided. Also provided is a process for preparing Met-IGF-I, which comprises transforming E. coli with said vector and growing the resultant transformant, followed by the lysis of the cell culture and isolation of Met-IGF-I.

Expression vector for insulin-like growth factor I and method of

The present invention concerns a mutant cephalosporin C acylase derived from a precursor of the formula:

Growing community of inventors

Kawanishi, Japan

Yoshimasa Saito