Abstract: The present invention is directed to a defructosylation enzyme originating from a plant, a method of defructosylating a fructosylated peptide or protein through use of the enzyme, and a method of measuring a fructosylated peptide or protein.

Abstract: A method for measuring human CYP3A inducibility upon administration of a test drug, characterized in that a non-human animal to which a test drug is administered or a population of human cells cultured in a medium containing a test drug is infected with viruses (A) and (B); virus (A) being an adenovirus which is used as a vector and engineered by incorporating thereto a detectable reporter gene and at least 3 human PXR binding regions falling within an untranslated region of a human CYP3A gene, and virus (B) being an adenovirus which is used as a vector and engineered by incorporating thereto a human PXR cDNA; and subsequently expression level of the reporter gene is determined in the non-human animal or the cultured human cells.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively determining LDL cholesterol, including the steps of adding to serum a surfactant selected from among polyoxyethylenealkylene phenyl ethers and polyoxyethylenealkylene tribenzylphenyl ethers and a cholesterol-assaying enzyme reagent so as to preferentially react cholestrols in high density- and very low density-cholesterols among lipoproteins, and subsequently determining the amount of cholesterol that reacts thereafter. This method can eliminate the necessity for pretreatments such as centrifugation and electrophoresis, enables the quantitative determination to be conducted in an efficient, simple manner, and can be applied to various automatic analyzers.

Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (I) or (II) or a salt thereof and an agent for measurement of a reactive oxygen comprising said compound or a salt thereof: wherein R1 and R2 independently represent an aryl group which may be substituted, e.g., a phenyl group substituted with an amino group or a hydroxy group, and R3 represents a 2-carboxyphenyl group which may be substituted.

Abstract: A D-aminoacylase having a high substrate specificity is provided. This D-aminoacylase can produce D-amino acids from N-acetyl-D,L-amino acids conveniently and efficiently at a low cost. A D-aminoacylase produced by a microorganism of genus Defluvibacter; which acts on a N-acetyl-D-amino acid; which has a molecular weight (as determined by electrophoresis) of about 55,000 daltons, and an isoelectric point (as determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis for denatured system) of 5.3; which acts on N-acetyl-D-valine, N-acetyl-D-leucine, and the like, but not on N-acetyl-L-valine, N-acetyl-L-leucine, and the like; which has an optimal temperature of 37° C. (pH 8) and an optimal pH value of 8 to 8.5 at 37° C.; and whose activity is inhibited by Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ each at 1 mmol/L, and by dithiothreitol, 2-mercaptoethanol, o-phenanthroline, and L-cysteine each at 5 mmol/L.

Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (IA) or a salt thereof useful as a fluorescent probe for zinc: wherein R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen atom or a group represented by formula (A), wherein X1, X2, X3, and X4 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a 2-pyridylmethyl group, or a protective group for an amino group, and m and n represent 0 or 1, provided that R1 and R2 do not simultaneously represent hydrogen atoms; R3 and R4 represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; and R5 and R6 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkylcarbonyl group, or an alkylcarbonyloxymethyl group, and R7 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for testing S. aureus in a specimen by an immunoassay using an antibody against protein A wherein at least one mouse IgG1 monoclonal antibody is used in the immunoassay, and a test kit for testing S. aureus in a specimen wherein the kit at least comprises a mouse IgG1 anti-protein A monoclonal antibody and a reagent for detecting the labeled protein A. Use the present invention enables detection of S. aureus in the sample in a short time and at a high sensitivity.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for testing S. aureus in a specimen wherein DNase produced by the S. aureus is directly detected or quantitatively determined by an immunoassay without cultivating the Staphylococcus aureus, and a test kit for testing S. aureus in a specimen by such test method. Use the present invention enables detection of S. aureus in the sample in a short time and at a high sensitivity without cultivating the S. aureus.

Abstract: A method of lipid assay characterized by assaying the lipids contained in a blood component in the presence of an organic silicon compound. The method can cause specific conditions for direct methods while satisfying requirements such as no influence on precision of assay, no burden on assay apparatus, and easy availability.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for quantitatively determining hydrogen sulfide or sulfide ions conveniently with high sensitivity, which comprises adding to a sample containing hydrogen sulfide or sulfide ions, metal ions or a compound which liberates said metal ions and a metal indicator which reacts with the metal ions and resultingly undergoes color development, wherein the color development is accelerated or inhibited by the hydrogen sulfide or sulfide ions; and measuring the degree of color development of the metal indicator.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a test piece having a simple structure, by which HDL cholesterol can be measured easily using a small amount of specimen. A reagent layer (2) is formed on a support (1), and an enzyme reagent for measuring cholesterol, a first surfactant that makes a solubility of a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) higher than that of a lipoprotein other than the HDL, and a second surfactant that inhibits the lipoprotein other than the HDL from dissolving are contained in the reagent layer (2).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a test piece having a simple structure, by which HDL cholesterol can be measured easily using a small amount of specimen. A reagent layer (2) is formed on a support (1), and an enzyme reagent for measuring cholesterol, a first surfactant that makes a solubility of a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) higher than that of a lipoprotein other than the HDL, and a second surfactant that inhibits the lipoprotein other than the HDL from dissolving are contained in the reagent layer (2).

Abstract: A compound represented by the following general formula (I) or a salt thereof: wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 independently represent 2-quinolyl group which may be substituted, 1-isoquinolyl group which may be substituted, or 3-isoquinolyl group which may be substituted; m, n, p, and q independently represent 1 or 2; and L represents a single bond, or an alkylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms wherein said alkylene group may contain one or more heteroatoms in the main chain, and may have one or more substituents on the main chain, which is useful as a fluorescent zinc ion sensor.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively determining a specific component in a biological specimen, which includes reacting a biological specimen, in the presence of an electron acceptor, with an enzyme which has an ability, by the dehydrogenation reaction, to oxidize the specific component or a substance derived from the specific component, and measuring the formed reductant of the electron acceptor, wherein the method avoids the influence of hemoglobin effectively if any contained in the specimen by using a measuring reagent containing albumin, thereby making an quantitative determination of the target component accurately; and a reagent for the quantitative determination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for quantitatively determining homocysteine in a biological specimen containing homocysteine and cysteine by use of an enzyme which is capable of forming hydrogen sulfide both from homocysteine and from cysteine, which comprises (a) reacting the biological specimen with cysteine dioxygenase in the absence of a reducing agent, (b) subsequently reacting the resultant specimen of (a) with a reducing agent and the enzyme which is capable of forming hydrogen sulfide both from homocysteine and from cysteine, and (c) measuring the concentration of the hydrogen sulfide thus obtained to determine the homocysteine concentration in the biological specimen; and a reagent for such a quantitative determination of homocysteine.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for quantitatively determining a reducing substance, which comprises reacting a reducing substance in a test specimen with iron (III) ions, reacting iron (II) ions formed by reduction of the iron (III) ions or residual iron (III) ions with a metal indicator which is capable of reacting specifically with the iron (II) ions or the residual iron (III) ions to undergo color development, and carrying out quantitative determination by measuring the degree of color development, wherein a chelating agent which is specific to copper ions is added to the test specimen before the reaction of the reducing substance with the iron (III) ions; and a reagent used for it.

Abstract: A method of lipid assay characterized by assaying the lipids contained in a blood component in the presence of an organic silicon compound. The method can cause specific conditions for direct methods while satisfying requirements such as no influence on precision of assay, no burden on assay apparatus, and easy availability.

Abstract: A compound represented by the following formula (I): wherein R1 and R2 represent amino groups that substitute at adjacent positions on the phenyl ring, provided that either of R1 and R2 represents a mono(C1-6 alkyl)-substituted amino group and the other represents an unsubstituted amino group; and R3 and R4 independently represent hydrogen atom or an acyl group, and an agent for measurement of nitrogen monoxide which comprises said compound.

Abstract: Compounds useful as agents for measurement of singlet oxygen, which are represented by the following general formula (I): wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, or a C1-6alkoxyl group, R7 and R8 independently represent a C1-4alkyl group, and R9 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-12 alkanoyl group, or acetoxymethyl group, or salts thereof.

Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (IA) or a salt thereof useful as a fluorescent probe for zinc: wherein R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen atom or a group represented by formula (A), wherein X1, X2, X3, and X4 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a 2-pyridylmethyl group, or a protective group for an amino group, and m and n represent 0 or 1 provided that R1 and R2 do not simultaneously represent hydrogen atoms; R3 and R4 represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; and R5 and R6 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkylcarbonyl group, or an alkylcarbonyloxymethyl group, and R7 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.