Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an enzyme preparation which is excellent in stability in blood (blood residence) and in transfer to a target organ (targeting property), and can be used effectively in enzyme replacement therapy or the like. This problem is solved by a lipid vesicle composition wherein vesicles composed of a lipid bilayer membrane are encapsulating an enzyme, the composition being capable of retaining stably the activity of the enzyme even outside the stable pH range of the enzyme.

Abstract: A process for producing a lysosomal enzyme having a mannose-6-phosphate-containing acidic sugar chain, wherein the process comprising: culturing in a medium yeast cells obtained by introducing a lysosomal enzyme gene into a sugar chain biosynthetic enzyme gene mutant strain of yeast, collecting a lysosomal enzyme having a phosphate-containing sugar chain from the culture, and then treating the enzyme with ?-mannosidase; and pharmaceutical compositions for treatment of human lysosomal enzyme deficiencies produced by the process. The genetic engineering technique using the yeast according to the present invention allows large-amount and high-purity production of a glycoprotein having a phosphate-containing acidic sugar chain which can serve as a labeling marker for transporting into lysosomes in cells of mammals such as human. The glycoprotein having a phosphate-containing acidic sugar chain according to the invention may be utilized as a drug effective in treatment of human lysosomal enzyme deficiencies, etc.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gene derived from a novel fulminant hepatitis C virus strain, an HCV replicon RNA with a high replication efficiency obtained using the gene, and an HCV replicon-replicating cell transfected with the replicon RNA. When the HCV replicon RNA and the HCV replicon-replicating cell of the present invention are used, HCV proteins can be continuously produced in a large amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for replicating efficiently an RNA containing fulllength HCV genomic sequence and a method for producing HCV virus particles containing fulllength HCV replicon RNA or fulllength HCV genomic RNA by using a cell culture system. Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing hepatitis C virus particles which comprises culturing a cell, into which a replicon RNA comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising a fulllength genomic RNA sequence of hepatitis C virus of the genotype 2a, at least one selectable marker gene and/or at least one reporter gene and at least one IRES sequence or the fulllength genomic RNA of hepatitis C virus of the genotype 2a is introduced, and generating virus particles in the culture medium. Still further the present invention relates also to a hepatitis C vaccine and an antibody against hepatitis C virus particles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a replicon RNA comprising a nucleotide sequence at least containing the 5? untranslated region, the nucleotide sequence encoding NS3 protein, NS4A protein, NS4B protein, NS5A protein and NS5B protein, and the 3? untranslated region on the genomic RNA of hepatitis C virus of genotype 2a.

Abstract: A system for observing the behaviors of mitochondria during ontogeny and the dynamics of mitochondria in various tissues during pathological development is provided. A pCAGGS expression vector containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene and a transgenic animal characterized by expressing GFP specifically in mitochondria are provided.

Abstract: A method of inhibiting the replication ability of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) is provided. An oligoribonucleotide or a peptide nucleic acid which sequence-specifically binds to the HCV-RNA, and a therapeutic agent for hepatitis C which contains any of these components as an active ingredient are provided.