Abstract: Disclosed is a biodegradable chelating agent which comprises a compound of the following formula [1] and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of aspartic acid, maleic acid, acrylic acid, malic acid, glycine, glycolic acid, iminodiacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, &agr;-alanine, &bgr;-alanine, iminodipropionic acid, fumaric acid, a synthetic starting amino acid and a synthetic intermediate amino acid and a salt thereof in an amount of 8% by weight or less based on the compound of the formula [1]: 1

Abstract: The present specification relates to a DNA comprising a nucleotide sequence coding for a polypeptide having ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid:ethylenediamine lyase activity, the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 which may have a deletion, substitution or addition of at least one amino acid; a recombinant plasmid containing the DNA; a host transformed with the recombinant plasmid; and a method for producing a diaminoalkylene-N,N′-disuccinic acid using the transformed host. The present specification also relates to a polypeptide having ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid:ethylenediamine lyase activity which has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 that may have a deletion, substitution or addition of at least one amino acid.

Abstract: A detergent composition comprising an alkaline metal hydroxide, an alkaline metal salt of L-aspartic-N,N-diacetic acid, optionally a scale inhibitor and/or an alkaline metal salt of gluconic acid. This detergent composition is used for removing soils, stains and other contaminants adhering to or deposited on the surfaces of glass, plastics, metals, etc., specifically the hard surfaces of, for example, containers for foodstuffs such as drinks and process foods, container boxes, piping of food production equipment, tanks, sterilizing plates, plate heat exchangers, filling machines and the like, by such means as soaking the parts to be cleaned in a cleaning solution, circulating a cleaning solution in the facilities to be cleaned, or spraying a cleaning solution over the surfaces to be cleaned. This detergent composition has excellent cleaning performance and excellent biodegradability.

Abstract: The invention relates to a DNA coding for a polypeptide having nitrilase activity with an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:1. As compared with conventional processes, the hydrolysis of nitriles by a nitrilase gene cloned by genetic recombination is expected to drastically improve the catalytic ability of microorganisms because they can be engineered to contain multiple copies of the same gene.

Abstract: A detergent composition comprising an alkaline metal hydroxide, an alkaline metal salt of L-aspartic-N,N-diacetic acid, optionally a scale inhibitor and/or an alkaline metal salt of gluconic acid. This detergent composition is used for removing soils, stains and other contaminants adhering to or deposited on the surfaces of glass, plastics, metals, etc., specifically the hard surfaces of, for example, containers for foodstuffs such as drinks and process foods, container boxes, piping of food production equipment, tanks, sterilizing plates, plate heat exchangers, filling machines and the like, by such means as soaking the parts to be cleaned in a cleaning solution, circulating a cleaning solution in the facilities to be cleaned, or spraying a cleaning solution over the surfaces to be cleaned. This detergent composition has excellent cleaning performance and excellent biodegradability.

Abstract: The invention relates to a regulatory factor substantially containing an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1 and having the action of activating a nitrilase gene promoter, a regulatory factor gene containing DNA coding substantially for said regulatory factor, a recombinant plasmid containing said regulatory factor gene, a nitrilase gene containing a promoter region and a DNA region capable of replicating in a microorganism belonging to the genus Rhodococcus, and a transformant transformed with said recombinant plasmid.

Abstract: A composition for forming a conductivity imparting agent comprising:(a) 0.1 to 20 parts by weight of sulfonated polyaniline having a content of a sulfonic acid group of 20 to 80% with respect to an aromatic ring of the sulfonated polyaniline;(b) 100 parts by weight of a solvent;(c) 0.01 to 10 parts by weight of an amine and/or quaternary ammonium salt; and(d) 0.001 to 100 parts by weight of at least one kind of a sulfonic acid group-containing component selected from the following (A) and (B);(A) compounds having a sulfonic acid group; and(B) polymers having a sulfonic acid group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gene derived from Pseudomonas chlororaphis B23 strain which encodes a polypeptide having nitrile hydratase activity being capable of hydrating nitriles to amides. The invention also relates to a recombinant DNA containing the gene, and a transformant transformed with the recombinant DNA. The present invention further relates to a method of producing nitrile hydratase using the transformant and of amides using nitrile hydratase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a DNA derived from microorganisms of the genus Rhodococcus and conferring kanamycin resistance on hosts with a DNA sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of Sequence No. 1 or a polypeptide containing a partial sequence thereof. The kanamycin resistance gene of the present invention is useful to construct vectors for microorganisms of the genus Rhodococcus, particularly vectors for self-cloning of Rhodococcus rhodochrous.

Abstract: A composition for irradiation with an ionizing radiation, characterized by comprising: (a) 0.01 to 30 parts by weight of a soluble aniline polymer which comprises one or both of the repeating units represented by the following general formulae (1) and (2), said repeating units being included at least 80% of the total repeating units, possesses a weight average molecular weight of not less than 10,000, and is solid at room temperature; and (b) 100 parts by weight of a solvent, ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 to R.sup.4 represent an electron-donating group, Y.sup.1 to Y.sup.4 represent --SO.sub.3 -- or --COO--, and M.sup.1 to M.sup.4 represent a hydrogen ion, an ammonium ion, an a1kyl ammonium ion with 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an aromatic ammonium ion, or a quaternary ion of an aromatic heterocyclic ring.

Abstract: A process for producing an .alpha.-hydroxy acid or an .alpha.-hydroxyamide which comprises treating an aldehyde and prussic acid or an .alpha.-hydroxynitrile with a microorganism having nitrilase or nitrile hydratase activity in an aqueous medium and maintaining the aldehyde concentration and/or the .alpha.-hydroxynitrile concentration in the reaction mixture within a predetermined range. Also disclosed is a process for producing an .alpha.-hydroxy acid or an .alpha.-hydroxyamide from an aldehyde and prussic acid with a microorganism in an aqueous medium, which comprises maintaining the cyanogen concentration in the reaction mixture within a predetermined range and supplying the aldehyde to the reaction mixture at a predetermined ratio to the prussic acid.

Abstract: The present invention has disclosed the amino acid sequence and nucleotide sequence of the .alpha.- and .beta.-subunits of two types of nitrile hydratase derived from Rhodococcus rhodochrous J-1. The DNA fragment encoding nitrile hydratase is inserted into an expression vector and the recombinant vector is used for transformation. The transformant contains multiple copies of the gene and can produce much higher level of nitrile hydratase compared with conventionally used microorganisms.

Abstract: A reaction system, wherein a cyanohydrin is converted into an optically active .alpha.-hydroxy acid or .alpha.-hydroxyamide via a treatment with a microorganism, is provided with an automatic cyanohydrin controller comprising a cyano ion detector, a regulator and a cyanohydrin supplier linked thereto. The reaction is performed while automatically controlling the cyanohydrin concentration.Thus cyanohydrin can be supplied under automatic control at a relatively low and constant concentration on the basis of its consumption ratio. The reaction rate of the catalyst can be continuously regarded as the rate-limiting factor. As a result, a decrease in the enzymatic activity during the reaction can be suppressed and an optically active .alpha.-hydroxy acid or .alpha.-hydroxyamide can be efficiently obtained at a high yield.

Abstract: The present invention has disclosed the amino acid sequence and nucleotide sequence of the .alpha.- and .beta.-subunits of two types of nitrile hydratase derived from Rhodococcus rhodochrous J-1. The DNA fragment encoding nitrile hydratase is inserted into an expression vector and the recombinant vector is used for transformation. The transformant contains multiple copies of the gene and can produce much higher level of nitrile hydratase compared with conventionally used microorganisms.

Abstract: A composition for forming an electrically conductive layer which is used in patterning of a resist with electric charge beam, which comprises:(a) 0.1 to 20 parts by weight of sulfonated polyanilines with a sulfonic group content ranging from 20 to 80% based on the aromatic ring, the sulfonated polyaniline having a weight average molecular weight of 500 to 100,000 and a molecular weight dispersion of not more than 5,(b) 100 parts by weight of a solvent, and(c) 0.01 to 30 parts by weight of amines and/or quaternary ammonium salts,and if desired, it further comprises 0 to 200 parts by weight of the following substance(s) (A) and/or (B) as component (d):(A) a high molecular weight compound soluble in the aforesaid solvent (b),(B) a surface active agent.

Abstract: A biological process for predominantly producing an optically active .alpha.-hydroxycarboxylic acid having a phenyl group directly from a racemic .alpha.-hydroxynitrile or a mixture of an aldehyde corresponding to the nitrile and prussic acid as a substrate is disclosed, comprising reacting a microorganism belonging to the genus Rhodococcus, Alcaligenes, Brevibacterium or Pseudomonas with the substrate in a neutral to basic aqueous medium. A desired optically active .alpha.-hydroxycarboxylic acid having a phenyl group can be obtained quantitatively at a high optical purity.

Abstract: A method of producing an optically active amino acid is disclosed which comprises converting a mixture of an amino group-containing compound, e.g., an alkanediamine, and fumaric acid into an optically active amino acid by the action of a microorganism. The method is useful in industrially producing an optically active amino acid from the inexpensive starting materials, i.e., fumaric acid and an amino compound, under mild conditions of ordinary temperature and ordinary pressure.

Abstract: Cells having enzyme activity, and the enzyme activity thereof, are preserved for a prolonged period of time, as a suspension of microbial cells or as a suspension of immobilized cells in particles, in an aqueous medium that is a neutral or weakly basic aqueous solution of inorganic salts, having a molarity ranging from 100 mM to the saturation concentration of the inorganic salts. Preferably, the microbial cells are cells containing the enzyme, nitrile hydratase or nitrilase, such as Gordona terrae or Rhodococcus rhodochrous, and the inorganic salts are phosphates, borates, sulfates, sulfites or hydrochlorides. The present invention provides an industrially useful method for preserving a large quantity of cells or immobilized cells in particles having nitrile hydratase or nitrilase enzyme activity for a prolonged period of time (e.g., 300 days) without cell lysis or enzyme deterioration even at room temperature.

Abstract: The specification relates to circular plasmids derived from microorganisms of the genus Rhodococcus, which have sizes of about 3.6 kb and restriction site numbers of BamHI:1, BglII:1, ClaI:1, PstI:1, PvuII:2 and SacI:1. The circular plasmids of the present invention are useful as vectors in industrially useful host-vector systems.

Abstract: A soluble aniline conducting polymer characterized in that said conductive polymer comprises as a repeating unit an alkoxyl group-substituted aminobenzenesulfonic acid, its alkali metal salts, ammonium salts and/or substituted ammonium salts, and is a solid having a weight average molecular weight of about 1900 or more at room temperature, a conductive composition and electric conductor comprising the same, and a method for producing a soluble aniline conducting polymer having a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 t 3,240,000 characterized by polymerizing at least one compound (1) selected from the group consisting of an acidic group-substituted aniline, its alkali metal salts, ammonium salts and substituted ammonium salts in a solution containing a basic compound (2) using an oxidizing agent.