Abstract: To provide a microorganism or a plant transformed with a ?-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene and/or ?-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212. The ?-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene and ?-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene produced by Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 each have a high activity compared with those of known enzymes, and therefore microorganisms transformed with the genes encoding these enzymes can efficiently produce astaxanthin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preparing a hybrid gene. The method includes a step of amplifying a P450 gene fragment contained in a sample using primers designed on the basis of regions of a plurality of P450 in which amino acid sequences are highly conserved and a step of preparing the hybrid gene using the amplified fragments and a known P450 gene. The method includes no culturing step or a step of normalizing extracted DNAs and is useful in isolating a P450 gene from various microbial resources. The present invention further provides a fused cytochrome P450 monooxygenase containing a peptide which is linked to the C-terminus of a P450 protein with a linker portion disposed therebetween and which has the same function as that of a reductase domain contained in a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase originating from Rhodococcus sp. strain NCIMB 9784.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a novel chemical substance capable of inducing morphogenesis, promoting growth of marine foliate green alga that use the microorganisms, and a culturing media for alga containing these novel chemical substances.

Abstract: This invention provides a recombinant protein expression system using a host and cell-free translation system, and is capable of universally expressing a large amount of any protein as soluble protein, while preventing toxicity in hosts, formation of inclusion bodies, and decomposition with proteases. Such may be achieved by expressing the desired protein as a fusion protein with chaperonins, such as about 60 kDa molecular chaperones, 60 kDa heat shock proteins, or thermosomes, and accommodating the desired protein inside of a stereostructure of a chaperonin. The present invention provides a process for producing a protein, which comprises transcribing and translating a gene containing a gene encoding the linked chaperonin subunits and a gene encoding a desired protein thereby synthesizing a fusion protein having the desired protein linked via a peptide linkage to the linked chaperonin subunits.

Abstract: The present invention provides a Brevundimonas sp. strain SD212-derived peptide having ?-ionone ring-2-hydroxylase activity and a gene encoding the same, to thereby make it possible to produce rare carotenoids in which a hydroxyl group is introduced at the position 2 (2?) carbon in their ?-ionone ring in large quantities. The present invention also provides a novel gene encoding an enzyme which introduces a hydroxyl group at the position 3 (3?) carbon in the ?-ionone ring of carotenoids, and a novel gene encoding a geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel endogenous compound 2-amino-3-[2-(&agr;-mannopyranosyl)indole-3-yl]propionic acid; to a method for testing a biological function by quantitating 2-amino-3-[2-(&agr;-mannopyranosyl)indole-3-yl]propionic acid in a collected biological sample and determining the biological function based on the quantitated values; to an antibody specifically reactive with 2-amino-3-[2-(&agr;-mannopyranosyl)indole-3-yl]propionic acid; to a hybridoma that produces the antibody; to a method for immunologically quantitating 2-amino-3-[2-(&agr;-mannopyranosyl)indole-3-yl]propionic acid in a sample by using the antibody; and to a process for producing a 2-amino-3-[2-(&agr;-mannopyranosyl)indole-3-yl]propionic acid derivative.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following DNA strands relating to the synthesis of keto group-containing xanthophylls such as astaxanthin and the like, and the techniques relating to the production of xanthophylls by genetic engineering:A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of a .beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of a 3-hydroxy-.beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for adding a hydroxyl group to the 3-carbon of a 4-keto-.beta.-ionone ring.It is possible to produce a variety of xanthophylls such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin and the like by introducing the DNA strands into an appropriate microorganism such as Escherichia coli and the like.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following DNA strands relating to the synthesis of keto group-containing xanthophylls such as astaxanthin and the like, and the techniques relating to the production of xanthophylls by genetic engineering:A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptides having and enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of a .beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of a 3-hydroxy-.beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for adding a hydroxyl group to the 3-carbon of a 4-keto-.beta.-ionone ring.It is possible to produce a variety of xanthophylls such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin and the like by introducing the DNA strands into an appropriate microorganism such as Escherichia coli and the like.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following DNA strands relating to the synthesis of keto group-containing xanthophylls such as astaxanthin and the like, and the techniques relating to the production of xanthophylls by genetic engineering:A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of .beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for converting a methylene group at the 4-position of a 3-hydroxy-.beta.-ionone ring into a keto group.A DNA strand having a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide having an enzyme activity for adding a hydroxyl group to the 3-carbon of a 4-keto-.beta.-ionone ring.It is possible to produce a variety of xanthophylls such as canthaxanthin, astaxanthin and the like by introducing the DNA strands into an appropriate microorganism such as Escherichia coli and the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an underwater anti-fouling composition which contains at least one indole compound represented by the Formula (1) which serves as an underwater anti-fouling agent: ##STR1## wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl and phenyl; and wherein X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4, X.sup.5 and X.sup.6 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, nitro, cyano, cyano lower alkyl, halogenated lower alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, aralkyl, aralkyloxy, lower alkoxycarbonyl, aliphatic lower acyl, aliphatic lower acyloxy, lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl, aromatic acyl, lower-cycloalkylamino-lower alkyl, nitrovinyl, pyridyl lower alkyl, carbamoyl lower alkyl, carbamoyl, diallylamino lower alkyl and di-lower-alkylamino-lower alkyl.