Abstract: As a method for producing a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester using a biocatalyst, a method for producing a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester, including a step of allowing an alcohol or phenol to act on 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA in the presence of alcohol acyltransferase to produce a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester is provided.

Abstract: As a method for producing a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester using a biocatalyst, a method for producing a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester, including a step of allowing an alcohol or phenol to act on 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA in the presence of alcohol acyltransferase to produce a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid ester is provided.

Abstract: A method for producing an active-form mutant enzyme, by specifying a protein of which a native form exhibits an enzyme activity but which has 10% or less enzyme activity of the native form when a gene of the protein is expressed to provide an inactive-form enzyme; determining a sequence conservation of amino acid residues in an amino acid sequence of the inactive-form enzyme and specifying amino acid residue(s) for which sequence conservation in the inactive-form enzyme is lower than sequence conservation of other amino acid(s) of the same residue; preparing a gene having a base sequence that codes for the amino acid sequence of the inactive-form enzyme in which at least one said specified amino acid residue is substituted by another amino acid with a higher sequence conservation; and expressing the gene to obtain an enzyme that exhibits an enzyme activity of the native form protein.

Abstract: Provided are a method for obtaining an HNL gene and HNL derived from a millipede other than Chamberlinius hualienensis, and preparing a practically useable amount of HNL; and a method for producing optically active cyanohydrin using this HNL. A method for producing a millipede-derived HNL gene. A method that includes the selection of a gene having a base sequence that encodes a conserved amino acid sequence TAX1DIX2G (SEQ ID NO: 15) or VPNGDKIH (SEQ ID NO: 16) of millipede-derived HNL from genes present in an organism belonging to the Diplopoda. A protein having an amino acid sequence of any of (1)-(3) and having HNL activity. (1) An amino acid sequence listed in any of SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 83, 85, 87, or 89; (2) an amino acid sequence having amino acids deleted, substituted, and/or added in an amino acid sequence of (1); or (3) an amino acid sequence having 90% or greater identity to an amino acid sequence of (1).

Abstract: A method for expressing, as a soluble protein or an active-form mutant enzyme, an enzyme that cannot be expressed as a soluble protein or an active-form enzyme in a heterologous expression system or that is obtained in a minute amount even when an active-form enzyme is expressed, the method including a technique for selecting an effective mutation site and a mutated amino acid. A new active-form mutant enzyme is also disclosed. The method involves: specifying an insoluble protein or an inactive-form enzyme; specifying a hydrophilic amino acid in a hydrophobic domain and/or a hydrophobic amino acid in a hydrophilic domain of an ?-helix structure portion of the insoluble protein or the inactive-form enzyme and preparing a gene that codes for an amino acid sequence in which a substitution is made to the hydrophilic amino acid in the hydrophobic domain and/or the hydrophobic amino acid in the hydrophilic domain.

Abstract: The invention provides a method capable of conveniently producing an intricate and fine resist pattern. The invention also provides a fiber containing a positive-type or negative-type photosensitive material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for quantifying L-tryptophan involving a step for mixing a specimen, L-tryptophan oxidase, and water, a step for allowing the obtained reaction solution to stand a predetermined period of time in the presence of oxygen, and a step for measuring the reaction product resulting from action of enzymes present in the reaction solution after allowing to stand. Also disclosed are a kit used to quantify the L-tryptophan containing L-tryptophan oxidase, and an enzyme sensor using the L-tryptophan oxidase. This method, kit and enzyme sensor use an L-tryptophan-specific enzyme, so are capable of quantifying L-tryptophan even in the presence of other amino acids.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol with high optical purity and high yield by having at least one kind of microorganism, which is selected from the group consisting of Hansenula polymorpha, Pichia anomala, Candida parapsilosis, Candida mycoderma, Pichia naganishii, Candida saitoana, Cryptococcus curvatus, Saturnospora dispora, Saccharomyces bayanus and Pichia membranaefaciens, act on 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. Since microorganisms found in nature are made to act in a natural state, the problems to be raised when a transformant or the like is used can be avoided in this method. Consequently, the method can be easily put in industrial practice.

Abstract: A piezoelectric ceramic contains as a main component an oxide which is represented by the general formula: sA1B1O3-t(Bi.A2)TiO3-(1-s-t)BaMO3 (where A1 is at least one element selected from among alkali metals; B1 is at least one element selected from among transition metal elements and contains Nb; A2 is at least one element selected from among alkali metals; and M is at least one element selected from the 4A group and contains Zr). In the general formula, s and t satisfy 0.905?s?0.918, 0.005?t?0.02, and a piezoelectric constant d33(25) at 25° C. and a piezoelectric constant d33(200) at 200° C. satisfy the relationship (d33(25)?d33(200)/d33(25)?0.13.

Abstract: A method for analyzing L-threonine contained in an specimen, which includes the steps of mixing a sample containing the specimen with an L-threonine dehydrogenase derived from Cupriavidus necator and a coenzyme NAD+ and analyzing the amount of NADH or 2-amino-3-oxobutyric acid after a predetermined period; an L-threonine dehydrogenase derived from Cupriavidus necator, which is a novel L-threonine dehydrogenase (TDH; EC 1.1.1.103) and can be utilized in the above-mentioned analysis method; a method for preparing a gene or the like to be used in the preparation of the enzyme, or a method for preparing the enzyme; an L-threonine analysis kit which includes (A) the L-threonine dehydrogenase and (B) a coenzyme NAD+; an enzyme preparation for use in the analysis of L-threonine, which includes the L-threonine dehydrogenase contained in a buffer solution; and an enzyme sensor utilizing the L-threonine dehydrogenase.

Abstract: Provided is a new method for producing a glucuronide, having excellent productivity and being replaceable with a method using Saccharomyces pombe, and to provide a new means used in this production method. Disclosed are: a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and a gene coding for a UDP-glucose transferase are inserted in a manner such that said genes can be expressed; a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a cytochrome P450 gene is further inserted in a manner such that said gene can be expressed; and a method for producing a glucaronide that includes culturing transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of glucose and a substance to be conjugated, generating the glucuronide of the aforementioned substance to be conjugated.

Abstract: A chip useful for treating cells and the like which has a mechanism and a structure wherein the size of a hole pattern is arbitrarily changed so that cells can easily move in and get out from the hole in scattering or collecting cells but can hardly get out from the hole during washing or antigen-stimulation. The chip comprises a crosslinked product of a temperature-responsive polymer as a constituting member and being provided with a film having a hole pattern on the surface of a baseboard. A method of producing the chip comprises applying a composition containing a crosslinkable temperature-responsive polymer on the surface of a baseboard to thereby form a coating film, crosslinking the coating film to thereby form the crosslinked product as described above and then forming a hole pattern on the coating film of the crosslinked product.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for quantifying L-tryptophan involving a step for mixing a specimen, L-tryptophan oxidase, and water, a step for allowing the obtained reaction solution to stand a predetermined period of time in the presence of oxygen, and a step for measuring the reaction product resulting from action of enzymes present in the reaction solution after allowing to stand. The L-tryptophan oxidase has a given amino acid sequence and has oxidase activity that generates hydrogen peroxide and ammonia by acting on the L-tryptophan in the presence of oxygen and water. The oxidase activity of the L-tryptophan oxidase on the L-phenylalanine is in the range of 0-3% of the oxidase activity thereof on the L-tryptophan, and the L-tryptophan oxidase does not have oxidase activity on protein-constituting amino acids other than L-tryptophan and L-phenylalanine. Also disclosed are a kit used to quantify the L-tryptophan containing L-tryptophan oxidase, and an enzyme sensor using the L-tryptophan oxidase.

Abstract: A method of producing a microproduct comprises: providing a resin composition including 30 to 90 wt % of a polypropylene-based resin and 10 to 70 wt % of a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer shown by “X-Y” (X represents a polymer block immiscible with the polypropylene-based resin, Y represents an elastomeric polymer block of a conjugated diene that's miscible with the polypropylene-based resin after hydrogenation); attaching a silicon stamper to a mold cavity of an injection molding machine, the silicon stamper having micromachined features formed by etching the surface of a silicon plate; and precisely transferring the micromachined features of the silicon stamper to the resin composition by injecting the resin composition into the mold cavity, a resulting molded surface having recesses and/or protrusions that are 0.3 to 200 ?m deep or tall and 0.3 to 100 ?m wide.

Abstract: Provided is a new method for producing a glucuronide, having excellent productivity and being replaceable with a method using Saccharomyces pombe, and to provide a new means used in this production method. Disclosed are: a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and a gene coding for a UDP-glucose transferase are inserted in a manner such that said genes can be expressed; a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a cytochrome P450 gene is further inserted in a manner such that said gene can be expressed; and a method for producing a glucaronide that includes culturing transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of glucose and a substance to be conjugated, generating the glucuronide of the aforementioned substance to be conjugated.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing (S)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol with high optical purity and high yield by having at least one kind of microorganism, which is selected from the group consisting of Hansenula polymorpha, Pichia anomala, Candida parapsilosis, Candida mycoderma, Pichia naganishii, Candida saitoana, Cryptococcus curvatus, Saturnospora dispora, Saccharomyces bayanus and Pichia membranaefaciens, act on 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. Since microorganisms found in nature are made to act in a natural state, the problems to be raised when a transformant or the like is used can be avoided in this method. Consequently, the method can be easily put in industrial practice.

Abstract: Provided are a method and means permitting the simultaneous measurement of the reactive properties of more than 10,000 of antigen-stimulated lymphocytes being held on a chip and the separate determination of the states of individual cells. A microwell array comprises multiple wells and a coating layer on one of the principal surfaces of a base member, the wells being of a size permitting the entry of only a single cell into each well. A coating layer of a substance capable of binding to a substance produced by the cells contained in the wells is present on the principal surface around the wells.

Abstract: A bonded structure formed by bonding a first structure and a second structure at opposed bonding surfaces to form a microstructure or the like. At least one of the first structure and the second structure is formed of a resin composition including a polypropylene resin and a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the following general formula X-Y (X is a polymer block immiscible with the polypropylene resin, and Y is a conjugated diene elastomer polymer block). The bonding surfaces are bonded by heating an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound or a mixture prepared by adding a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the general formula X-Y to an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound applied to the bonding surface.

Abstract: A bonded structure formed by bonding a first structure and a second structure at opposed bonding surfaces to form a microstructure or the like. At least one of the first structure and the second structure is formed of a resin composition including a polypropylene resin and a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the following general formula X-Y (X is a polymer block immiscible with the polypropylene resin, and Y is a conjugated diene elastomer polymer block). The bonding surfaces are bonded by heating an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound or a mixture prepared by adding a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the general formula X-Y to an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound applied to the bonding surface.

Abstract: A bonded structure formed by bonding a first structure and a second structure at opposed bonding surfaces to form a microstructure or the like. At least one of the first structure and the second structure is formed of a resin composition including a polypropylene resin and a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the following general formula X-Y (X is a polymer block immiscible with the polypropylene resin, and Y is a conjugated diene elastomer polymer block). The bonding surfaces are bonded by heating an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound or a mixture prepared by adding a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer of the general formula X-Y to an alkoxysilane or alkylsilane compound applied to the bonding surface.