Abstract: A polymerase activity is effectively enhanced by adding an anionic surfactant, in particular an anionic surfactant having a polyethoxyl group, to a reaction mixture containing a polymerase.

Abstract: In the case where a template nucleic acid has sequences substantially the same as each other, a primer is designed in a region between these sequences so as to give a product in a ladder structure in which a target region is polymerized in a single sequence via the same sequences in the ICAN reaction. By using a chimeric oligonucleotide primer and a ladder-forming oligonucleotide primer containing a specific base sequence, an amplification product having a ladder structure can be positively formed and thus the sensitivity, amplification efficiency and reaction speed in the ICAN reaction can be elevated.

Abstract: A polypeptide having an RNaseH activity and being highly useful in gene engineering; a gene encoding. this polypeptide; and a genetic engineering process for producing the polypeptide.

Abstract: A polypeptide represented by SEQ. ID No. 13, a polypeptide represented by SEQ. ID No. 30 or functional equivalents thereof and a polypeptide represented by SEQ. ID No. 17.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for increasing the efficiency of gene transfer into target cells with a retrovirus. The transduction is affected by infecting target cells with a retrovirus in the presence of a mixture of a functional material having a retrovirus binding domain, and a second functional material having target cell binding domain. The target cells may be selected from the group of unintentional hematopoietic progenitor cells and erythrocyte precursor, specifically pluripotent stem cells or embryopalstic stem cells.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: A nucleic acid, which is provided in a large amount through a nucleic acid amplification reaction with the use of chimeric oligonucleotide primers, is constructed in a state of containing a modified deoxyribonucleotide for immobilizing the nucleic acid to a solid phase and then immobilized to a solid phase at a high efficiency, thereby giving an immobilized nucleic acid product with excellent qualities.

Abstract: A method of stabilizing a reaction reagent for highly sensitively and specifically amplifying a target nucleic acid in a sample with the use of a chimeric oligonucleotide primer and a method of storing the same over a long time; and a method of highly sensitively detecting a pathogenic microorganism and a virus.

Abstract: A method of determining the base sequence of a nucleic acid characterized by involving: the step of amplifying a template nucleic acid in the presence of at least two primers each having a tag sequence, a primer specific to the template nucleic acid and a DNA polymerase, wherein the primers having tag sequences have each the tag sequence in the 5′-terminal side thereof and a specific base sequence consisting of three or more nucleotides in the 3′-terminal side; and the step of directly sequencing the amplified fragments obtained in the above step.

Abstract: Polypeptides having an RNase H activity highly useful in genetic engineering; genes encoding these polypeptides; and a process for genetic engineeringly producing these polypeptides.

Abstract: A DNA synthesis method with a shortened time period required for DNA synthesis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), characterized in that a DNA polymerase is used in an amount effective for providing more than 10 ng of amplified DNA fragments of about 2 kb per 50 &mgr;l of a reaction mixture, when PCR is carried out under the following conditions (A) and (B): (A) reaction mixture: 50 &mgr;l volume of a reaction mixture comprising DNA polymerase, 1 ng of genomic DNA from Escherichia coli, and 10 pmol each of primers Eco-1 and Eco-2 (nucleotide sequences of the primers Eco-1 and Eco-2 being shown in SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 11 of Sequence Listing, respectively); and having a composition suitable for the DNA polymerase; and (B) reaction conditions: 35 cycles of PCR, wherein one cycle consists of 99° C., 1 second-66° C., 7 seconds; a kit for DNA synthesis usable for the DNA synthesis method; and an article of manufacture of a PCR agent.

Abstract: A DNA synthesis method with a shortened time period required for DNA synthesis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), characterized in that a DNA polymerase is used in an amount effective for providing more than 10 ng of amplified DNA fragments of about 2 kb per 50 &mgr;l of a reaction mixture, when PCR is carried out under the following conditions (A) and (B): (A) reaction mixture: 50 &mgr;l volume of a reaction mixture comprising DNA polymerase, 1 ng of genomic DNA from Escherichia coli, and 10 pmol each of primers Eco-1 and Eco-2 (nucleotide sequences of the primers Eco-1 and Eco-2 being shown in SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 11 of Sequence Listing, respectively); and having a composition suitable for the DNA polymerase; and (B) reaction conditions: 35 cycles of PCR, wherein one cycle consists of 99° C., 1 second-66° C., 7 seconds; a kit for DNA synthesis usable for the DNA synthesis method; and an article of manufacture of a PCR agent.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for increasing the efficiency of gene transfer into target cells with a retrovirus. The transduction is effected by infecting target cells with a retrovirus in the presence of a mixture of a functional material having a retrovirus binding domain, and a second functional material having target cell binding domain. The target cells may be selected from the group of unipotential hematopoietic progenitor cells and erythrocyte precursor, specifically pluripotent stem cells or embryopalstic stem cells.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for increasing the efficiency of retroviral mediated gene transfer into viable target cells, which comprises transducing the target cells by infecting the target cells with a replication defective recombinant retrovirus that infects the target cells in an aqueous medium in the presence of (a) a mixture of an effective amount of a first functional material having a retrovirus binding domain that binds said retrovirus, and an effective amount of a second functional material having a target cell binding domain that binds said target cell, or (b) an effective amount of a bifunctional material having both a retroviral binding domain which does not contain the heparin binding domain derived from human fibronectin, and a target cell binding domain, wherein the bifunctional material has a retrovirus binding domain that binds to said retrovirus and a target cell binding domain that binds to the target cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a thermostable DNA polymerase-associated factor capable of enhancing DNA synthesizing-activity of a DNA polymerase; a thermostable DNA polymerase-associated factor possessing an activity of binding to a DNA polymerase and a method for producing the same; a gene encoding the DNA polymerase-associated factor; a method of DNA synthesis by using a DNA polymerase in the presence of the DNA polymerase-associated factor; and a kit comprising the DNA polymerase-associated factor. According to the present invention, there can be provided in vitro DNA synthesis and a DNA amplification system which are more excellent than conventional techniques by utilizing the DNA polymerase-associated factor of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention provides a kit to carry out retrovirus-mediated gene transfer into target cells. The kit contains a functional material bearing a retrovirus binding domain, another functional material bearing a target cell binding domain, an artificial substrate for incubating the retrovirus contacted with the target cells, and a target cell growth factor for pre-stimulating target cells to spur them along the cell cycle. The kit of the invention may further comprise a recombinant retroviral vector, necessary buffers, and the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a DNA polymerase possesses the properties of 1) exhibiting higher polymerase activity when assayed by using as a substrate a complex resulting from primer annealing to a single stranded template DNA, as compared to the case where an activated DNA is used as a substrate; 2) possessing a 3′→5′ exonuclease activity; 3) being capable of amplifying a DNA fragment of about 20 kbp, in the case where polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is carried out using &lgr;-DNA as a template. It also relates to a DNA polymerase-constituting protein; a DNA containing the base sequence encoding thereof; and a method for producing the DNA polymerase. The present invention provides a novel DNA polymerase possessing both a high primer extensibility and a 3′→5′ exonuclease activity.