Abstract: A biodegradable biopolymer material consists of silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm; silk fibroin from wild silkworm; a composite material comprising silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm and silk fibroin from wild silkworm; or a composite material comprising either silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm or silk fibroin from wild silkworm and at least one secondary substance selected from the group consisting of cellulose, chitin, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, keratin from wool and polyvinyl alcohol. The material may be prepared by, for instance, casting an aqueous solution of domesticated silkworm silk fibroin on the surface of a substrate and then cast drying the applied solution. The biodegradable biopolymer material is effectively used as, for instance, a metal ion-adsorbing material, a sustained release substrate for a useful substance such as a medicine, a biological cell-growth substrate and a biodegradable water-absorbing material.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a base sequence determination program, a base sequence determination device, and a base sequence determination method capable of constructing the whole genome sequence from an enormous amount of short base sequences of approximately several tens-base-long without referring to existing base sequences. In the invention, base sequences of two kinds of parent lineages carrying a genetic mutation and base sequences of a plurality of descending progenies of the generation after segregation are each analyzed, and segregation at a polymorphic site is referred to as an index of connection of the base sequences, and fragments of the base sequences are connected while verifying the validity of the segregation.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide methods for accumulating in rice seeds a partial peptide of a mite antigen protein comprising several T cell epitopes, or a mite antigen peptide that has been modified to not form a conformation to be recognized as an antigen, and plants which have accumulated these peptides. To achieve the above objective, the present inventors have tried to generate seeds (rice) of rice plants that have accumulated mite antigen peptide variants. As a result, the present inventors developed genetically modified rice plants which express and accumulate these mite antigen peptide variants, and demonstrated their effect on asthma, in particular, by orally feeding mice with these variants to induce immunological tolerance, thereby completing the present invention.

Abstract: To investigate the function of ZPT2-3, petunia transformants overexpressing the ZPT2-3 gene under the control of the CamV 35S promoter were generated to investigate the presence or absence of tolerance against desiccation stress treatment. Surprisingly, petunia plant transformants showed significant tolerance against desiccation as compared to the wild type plants. In addition, neither growth abnormality nor morphological abnormality was observed in petunia plants, and thus overexpression of the ZPT2-3 gene was revealed to have no adverse effects on plant growth.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rice catalase B promoter for inducing expression specifically in at least one site of roots and stem apices. By using this promoter, it is possible to synthesize a resistance substance against nematodes or soil pathogens in roots; synthesize a substance promoting the development of roots in the roots; produce a gene recombinant plant in which expression of a selective marker in the redifferentiated plant body is limited to roots when the plant is young, so as to suppress the expression when the plant is matured; or the like. Further, the capability of expression in stem apices can be used to develop a technique for suppress gene expression in vigorously proliferating cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for identifying animal species, said method comprises a step of amplifying a DNA fragment by PCR using a DNA in a sample as a template and animal-specific DNA sequences as a primer pair, wherein the animal-specific DNA sequences are derived from a ATP synthase subunit 8 gene or a region proximal thereto of a mitochondrial genome; and a step of detecting the amplified DNA fragment.

Abstract: A plant which expresses a large amount of ubiquinone-10 and a method for producing ubiquinone-10 using the plant are provided. A dietary supplement, a food and a food additive which contains ubiquinone-10 produced by the plant or the method are provided. The plant is produced by transformation using an expression cassette in which a decaprenyl diphosphate synthase gene is operatively linked with a mitochondrial targeting sequence.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide promoters having seed-specific promoter activity, and methods of expressing foreign proteins in seeds. The present inventors isolated the promoter of ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase which is expressed in rice seeds, constructed binary vectors in which the ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase promoter is inserted upstream of the GUS reporter gene, and transformed rice using the Agrobacterium method. GUS expression level was used as an index to examine the site of expression, the expression pattern during seed maturation, and the level of expression in seeds for the ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase promoter. Expression was found in the embryo during early stage of maturation and in the entire seed during maturation. Expression in late stage of maturation in embryo was very high.

Abstract: The present inventors identified RSIS, and succeeded in suppressing the expression of a target gene by linking RSIS between the region from the promoter to mRNA 5? end sequence of a target gene and a terminator sequence including the 3?UTR after the stop codon. Furthermore, the inventors demonstrated that the expression of two different genes could be suppressed at the same time in cells where a promoter was active, by using the promoter and terminator derived from different genes, and a portion of the mRNA of each gene.

Abstract: To provide a microorganism and an ingredient thereof that contribute to prevention and treatment of immune diseases including allergy, autoimmune diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g., large-intestinal ulcer), a method of effectively selecting the microorganism, and a method of efficiently inducing immunoregulatory cells that play an important role on maintaining immunological homeostasis using the microorganism or the ingredient thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of producing transgenic plants having resistance to blast fungus and/or leaf-blight bacteria by transforming the plants with a DNA encoding a protein that induces hypersensitive reaction-like lesion mimic, and transgenic plants, plant cells, seed and progeny having resistance to blast fungus and/or leaf-blight bacteria.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide promoters having seed-specific promoter activity, and methods of expressing foreign proteins in seeds. In particular, a seed specific promoter from the rice glutelin GluB-4 gene is disclosed. The present inventors isolated the promoters of a number of genes that are expressed in rice seeds, constructed binary vectors in which each promoter is inserted upstream of the GUS reporter gene, and transformed rice using the Agrobacterium method. The inventors then used GUS expression level as an index to examine the site of expression, the expression pattern during seed maturation, and the level of expression in seeds for each promoter. They thus discovered promoters with activity specific to a particular site in seeds, and with higher activity than constitutive promoters and known seed-specific promoters.

Abstract: The present inventors succeeded in cloning a rice stress-responsive gene, RSI1. They discovered that stress-responsive plants can be generated by using the isolated gene, or genes functionally equivalent thereto. The present invention is useful in fields such as plant breeding.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a promoter from the rice 10 kDa Prolaminin gene having seed-specific promoter activity, and methods of expressing foreign proteins in seeds. The present inventors isolated the promoters of a number of genes that are expressed in rice seeds, constructed binary vectors in which each promoter is inserted upstream of the GUS reporter gene, and transformed rice using the Agrobacterium method. The inventors then used GUS expression level as an index to examine the site of expression, the expression pattern during seed maturation, and the level of expression in seeds for each promoter. They thus discovered promoters with activity specific to a particular site in seeds, and with higher activity than constitutive promoters and known seed-specific promoters.

Abstract: The present inventors succeeded in isolating the rice field resistance gene pi21 by linkage analysis, and found that field resistance to blast in plants could be modified by introducing or controlling the expression of the gene. Thus, it became possible to efficiently confer plants with field resistance. It also became possible to select, at an early stage, rice plants having field resistance to blast. Moreover, by changing the tissue specificity of expression and the expression level of the gene involved in field resistance, varieties having resistance as well as high practical use can be grown.

Abstract: Rice phyC mutants were isolated using a mutant panel isolation method. When the mutants were grown under long-day photoperiodic conditions, it was found that they flowered (exposed their panicles (heads)) about one week earlier than the control rice. The results indicate that suppression of PHYC gene expression can promote plant flowering under long-day conditions. Utilization of the PHYC gene for promoting plant flowering will contribute substantially to breed improvement, for example, by facilitating the creation of useful agricultural crops and decorative plants that have a new characteristic adaptable for other cultivation areas and times. The rice phyC mutants described herein, which promote flowering under long-day conditions, will be highly prized as a new early-harvest rice cultivar.

Abstract: Provided is a method of transforming a monocotyledon by using agrobacterium. There is provided a method of transforming a monocotyledon by using agrobacterium containing a desired recombinant gene. This transforming method comprises the steps of sowing a culture medium containing a plant growth factor with a monocotyledonous seed, conducting culturing for 1 to 3 days so as to effect germination and infecting the seed with agrobacterium. This method makes it feasible to rapidly transform monocotyledons, including a rice plant.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide polynucleotides encoding insect desiccation resistance proteins, and uses thereof. cDNA libraries were produced from Polypedilum vanderplanki larvae in a desiccated state, a P. vanderplanki EST database was constructed, and genes encoding LEA proteins were isolated. This resulted in the successful isolation of three types of novel gene encoding LEA-like proteins (PvLEA1, PvLEA2, and PvLEA3.) When secondary structure predictions and motif searches were performed on the proteins deduced from each of the genes, all three proteins had ?-helix-rich structures and LEA_4 motifs, which are characteristic of LEA proteins. Moreover, the recombinant proteins synthesized from PvLEA1, 2 and 3 genes were heat soluble even when boiling, so that PvLEA1, 2 and 3 proteins have highly hydrophilic property as well as plant LEA proteins. Therefore, the three isolated genes were found to be novel P. vanderplanki-derived LEA genes.

Abstract: Using crossbred segregating populations of two-rowed and six-rowed barley cultivars, the row type of individual plants was precisely determined. The results indicate that row type is controlled by a single gene. In addition, it was discovered that molecular markers linked with this gene could be used to identify whether a test barley or related Triticeae plant is two-rowed or six-rowed. Furthermore, molecular markers can be used to identify Fusarium head blight resistance, which is linked with the two-rowed or six-rowed gene.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for producing a dielectric substance having excellent dielectric properties and being biodegradable, such method comprising subjecting silk protein to molding.