Abstract: An endermic liniment which characteristically contains an extract from a plant of the Solanaceae family (Solanaceae), genus Withania (Withania). A whitening endermic liniment with a superior whitening effect can be provided.

Abstract: The specification relates to a gene which is involved in the control of melanin production in human melanocytes. Human homologs of rat rKr2 gene and their fragments, and a method for evaluating melanin production ability in human melanocytes using such fragments are also disclosed. These subject matters are useful mainly in the cosmetic and dermatological fields.

Abstract: A microorganism resistant to a threonine analogue, which has a plasmid containing part or whole of a biotin operon; and a process for producing biotin, which comprises culturing a microorganism described above in a medium to produce and accumulate biotin in the medium, and collecting biotin.

Abstract: A purified enzyme-I is obtained that participates in C-terminal amidation by acting on a peptide C-terminal glycine adduct to form a peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct. The enzyme has an optimum pH of about 5 to 7, an optimum temperature of 25 to 40.degree. C. and a molecular weight of about 25 kDa or about 36 kDa, and metal ions and ascorbic acid act as a cofactor. A purified enzyme-II is obtained that participates in C-terminal amidation by acting on the peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct to produce a C-terminal amidated compound. The enzyme has an optimum pH of about 5 to 6, an optimum temperature of 15 to 35.degree. C. and a molecular weight of about 40 kDa or about 43 kDa. Enzyme-I does not act on the peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct and enzyme-II does not act on the peptide C-terminal glycine adduct. The enzymes may be purified from a biological material such as horse serum by affinity chromatography using a peptide C-terminal glycine adduct as a ligand.

Abstract: A microorganism resistant to a threonine analogue, which has a plasmid containing part or whole of a biotin operon; and a process for producing biotin, which comprises culturing a microorganism described above in a medium to produce and accumulate biotin in the medium, and collecting biotin.

Abstract: Escherichia coli characterized in that a capability thereof of forming acetate is at most one fifth that of wild type Escherichia coli, and a process for producing a useful substance by cultivating the Escherichia coli to a high density and recovering the substance

Abstract: A DNA sequence of high biotin operon-expression system usable for breeding a bacterium having excellent biotin productivity is provided.A DNA sequence of biotin operon characterized in the fact that at least one base pair of either a nucleotide sequence of the regulatory region of the biotin operon of Escherichia coli or a nucleotide sequence in the vicinity of the bioB initiating codon is mutated in comparison with that of the one in its wild type strain is provided. Escherichia coli transformed with a recombinant plasmid carrying such a DNA sequence has high biotin-productivity.

Abstract: A purified enzyme-I is obtained that participates in C-terminal amidation by acting on a peptide C-terminal glycine adduct to form a peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct. The enzyme has an optimum pH of about 5 to 7, an optimum temperature of 25.degree. to 40.degree. C. and a molecular weight of about 25 kDa or about 36 kDa, and metal ions and ascorbic acid act as a cofactor. A purified enzyme-II is obtained that participates in C-terminal amidation by acting on a peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct to produce a C-terminal amidated compound. The enzyme has an optimum pH of about 5 to 6, an optimum temperature of 15.degree. to 35.degree. C. and a molecular weight of about 40 kDa or about 43 kDa. Enzyme-I does not act on the peptide C-terminal .alpha.-hydroxyglycine adduct and enzyme-II does not act on the peptide C-terminal glycine adduct.

Abstract: A microorganism resistant to a nicotinic acid analogue, which has a plasmid containing part or whole of a biotin operon; and a process for producing biotin, which comprises culturing a microorganism described above in a medium to produce and accumulate biotin in the medium, and collecting biotin.

Abstract: A mutant strain having a glucose consumption rate is at most 1/4 that of wild type strains is provided. The mutant strain belongs to Escherichia, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, or Serratia; has a glucose consumption rate of at most one fourth that of the corresponding wild type strain, and the feedback repression by biotin is removed. Further, a process for producing biotins using this mutant strain is provided.