Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide NKT cell-activating agents, therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases (for example, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, encephalomyelitis, multiple sclerosis and human type I diabetes), and abortifacients. The medicinal compositions according to the present invention comprise &agr;-glycosylceramides of the following formula (I), or a salt or a solvate thereof as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A plastic container has a diamond like carbon film 20b formed on the inner surface of the container 20 made of plastic material 20a. The thickness of the diamond like carbon film 20b is within a range from 0.05 to 5 &mgr;m. The container 20 coated with the diamond like carbon film can be used for a returnable bottle for beverage.

Abstract: A glass coating agent is provided which is adapted for application onto the surface of a glass substrate and, upon heating, forms a metal oxide layer.

Abstract: There is proposed a silica gel for preventing the generation of haze in beer, a method of manufacturing the silica gel and a method of stabilization treatment of beer. The silica gel is provided with a specific surface area of 700-1000 m2/g, a pore volume of 1.1-1.6 ml/g and a average pore diameter of 6-10 nm, and has a relatively high adsorbability per unit weight. In the method of manufacturing the silica gel, the washed, hydrothermally treated, acid treated, ground and dried silica hydrogel is calcined at 400-800° C. for 10 seconds to 10 hours. A haze causing component can be removed from beer by contacting the silica gel with the beer and subsequently separating the silica gel from the beer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide compounds having potent antitumor activity.

Abstract: A composition for enhancing immunogenicity of tumor cells or pathogen-infected cells comprising a compound having an &agr;-glycosylceramide structure or a salt or solvate thereof is provided. Tumor cells of which immunogenicity is enhanced by the compound having an &agr;-glycosylceramide structure are useful for tumor therapy (cancer vaccine therapy).

Abstract: Provided is a method for inducing differentiation and/or promoting proliferation of regulatory T cells, which comprises allowing CD3 agonists and 4C8 antigen agonists to act on immunocytes expressing CD3 and 4C8 antigens.

Abstract: Finings comprising a silica sol which is added to beer during the lagering process have at least two peaks in the particle size distribution curve of the colloidal particles of said silica sol, of which particle diameters Dp and Dq are in the range of 20 nm Dp 40 nm and 150 nm Dq 600 nm, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel transgenic nonhuman mammals capable of producing human sequence antibodies, as well as methods of producing and using these antibodies.

Abstract: There is provided a substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers. There are also provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising as an active ingredient said substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers, and a food composition comprising said substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers, as well as uses of said substance.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing a plant with enhanced resistance to a pathogenic fungus, comprising transforming a plant with an expression vector comprising a DNA encoding a glucan elicitor receptor operably linked to a heterologous promoter, selecting a plant which has said DNA incorporated into a chromosome of said plant and which expresses said DNA, and recovering the selected plant. This invention also relates to a method for producing a progeny plant with resistance to a pathogenic fungus from said plant.

Abstract: This invention relates to a promoter for dihydroxyacetone synthase gene from Candida boidinii; an expression cassette or vector comprising the promoter and a heterologous gene; a transformant transformed with this vector; and a method for producing an expression product of the heterologous gene which comprises culturing the transformant to express the heterologous gene.

Abstract: A pharmacological composition including a component having pressure reductive activity obtained from Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii fruit body which is safe and cheap, harvested constantly year-round by artificial cultivation, with equal quality, and useful for prevention and/or amelioration of symptom of hypertension caused by angiotensin I converting enzyme or the like. The invention also includes foods or beverages containing the pharmacological compositions, and methods of preventing or treating hypertension by administration of the composition.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to improve the solubility of sphingoglycolipids having low solubility in water. Disclosed is a lyophilized composition comprising the &agr;-glycosylceramide represented by the following formula (A) or a salt thereof, a polyoxysorbitan fatty acid ester and disaccharide or monosaccharide, and preferably additional deoxycholic acid or histidine, and a process for preparing it: wherein R1 represents H or OH; X denotes an integer in the range of 7-25; R2 represents any one of the substituents —CH2(CH2)YCH3, —CH(OH)(CH2)YCH3, —CH(OH)(CH2)YCH(CH3)2, —CH═CH(CH2)YCH3, or —CH(OH)(CH2)YCH(CH3)CH2CH3, wherein Y denotes an integer in the range of 5-17; either one of R3 or R4 represents H, and the other represents H, OH, NH2 or NHCOCH3; either one of R5 or R6 represents H, and the other represents OH; either one of R7 or R8 represents H, and the other represents OH; R9 represents H, CH3 or CH2OH.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel transferase that acts on a saccharide, as a substrate, composed of at least three sugar units wherein at least three glucose residues on the reducing end are linked &agr;-1,4 so as to transfer the &agr;-1,4 lingages to a &agr;-1,&agr;-1 linkages; a process for producing the transferase; a gene coding for the same; and a process for producing an oligosaccharide by using the same.

Abstract: There is provided a substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers. There are also provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising as an active ingredient said substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers, and a food composition comprising said substance which was isolated from the germinated seed of a grass family plant and which contains proteins and insoluble dietary fibers, as well as uses of said substance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel enzyme having &bgr;1→4 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnT-IV) activity; a gene encoding the enzyme; a recombinant DNA comprising the gene; a host cell comprising the recombinant DNA; a method for producing an enzyme protein having GnT-IV activity comprising culturing the host cell in a medium; and a saccharide in which the sugar chain is modified using a GnT-IV. According to the present invention, a novel GnT-IV, a method for producing the enzyme and a gene coding for the enzyme are provided. With the GnT-IV of the present invention, it has become possible to produce a saccharide having a branching structure which could not be formed with conventional glycosyltransferases. Thus, the GnT-IV of the invention is useful not only for producing or improving glycoconjugate type pharmaceuticals, reagents and foods, but also for modifying the sugar chain structure of any biopolymer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for creating a plant having resistance to RNA viruses, comprising incorporating a DNA sequence encoding an animal cell-derived (2′-5′)oligoadenylate synthetase and a DNA sequence encoding an animal cell-derived ribonuclease L into a chromosome(s) of the plant and expressing the DNA sequences, as well as plants created by the above method. The present invention is widely applicable to the breeding of virus resistant plant varieties.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a plastic container coated with a diamond-like carbon film comprising; an outer electrode in which a chamber is formed, the shape of the chamber being comparable to an outline of the plastic container, the plastic container being received in the chamber, an inner surface of the chamber of the outer electrode being formed in the shape where the plastic container having a protrusion can be received within the chamber; an inner electrode inserted into the plastic container which is received within the chamber of the outer electrode; and an attaching member which has an inner surface, the shape of the inner surface being comparable to the outline of the plastic container, the attaching member covering an area where the protrusion is formed when the attaching member is attached to the plastic container, the attaching member being able to be received within the chamber of the outer electrode in company with the plastic container in state where the attaching member is

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a vector which can be integrated into a yeast chromosome in a high number of copies. Another object of the present invention is to provide a modified vector which can be integrated into the yeast chromosome in a high number of copies and of which expression units stably maintain on the chromosome. The vector according to the present invention comprises a marker gene for selecting transformants, a shortened promoter sequence which is operably linked to the marker gene and a sequence homologous to the chromosomal DNA of Candida utilis, and optionally a heterologous gene or a gene derived from C. utilis, wherein the vector is linearized by cleaving within said homologous DNA sequence or at both ends of the homologous DNA sequence with restriction enzymes, and wherein the heterologous gene or the gene derived from C. utilis can be integrated into the chromosomal DNA of C. utilis by homologous recombination.