Abstract: The inventors realized that the diversity generated by conventional methods may be limited by steric hindrance between amino acid residues in the three-dimensional structures of the resulting polypeptides. The steric hindrance may occur between amino acid residues at widely different positions in the amino acid sequences, e.g. between residues in two different domains of the 3D structure, and resulting polypeptides which include such steric hindrance may never be observed in the conventional recombination methods because they may be expressed in poor yields or may have poor activity or stability. The inventors developed a method to identify and alleviate such steric hindrance in the resulting polypeptides. In an alignment of the three-dimensional structures, steric hindrance is indicated when residues from two different structures are located within a certain distance.

Abstract: A process for damaging and maintaining damage to the nucleic acids of pathogens such as white blood cells, bacteria and viruses which may be contained in blood or blood components. This process comprises adding to the blood or blood component containing pathogens an effective amount of riboflavin, and exposing the fluid to light of an appropriate wavelength to damage the nucleic acid of the pathogen and to substantially maintain the damage to the pathogenic nucleic acids to allow for subsequent transfusion into a recipient.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gene construct which is capable of achieving efficient production of an antimicrobial peptide in a microorganism, and a method for efficient mass production and separation of an antimicrobial peptide using the same. The gene construct of the present invention has a translationally coupled configuration of two independent and separate cistrons which encode an acidic peptide and a basic antimicrobial peptide, each having an opposite charge, under the control of a single promoter. The translationally coupled acidic peptide and basic antimicrobial peptide undergo charge-charge interaction simultaneously with expression thereof to neutralize the potential cytotoxicity of the antimicrobial peptide, resulting in prevention of antimicrobial peptide-mediated killing of host microorganisms. In addition, a conjugate of the acidic peptide and the antimicrobial peptide can be separated without chemical or enzymatic treatment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to molecules and molecular complexes which comprise the active site binding pockets of JNK3 or close structural homologues of the active site binding pockets.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a crystal structure of PRL-1 (Phospatase of Regenerating Liver) protein and a method of crystallization thereof. It has been found that the PRL-1 protein has a tertiary structure having 5 strands of beta-sheet surrounded by 6 alpha-helices and well-arranged active site with closed P-loop, and monomers form a trimer through farnesylation site in the C-terminus of said protein. Thus intra-cellular migration and membrane localization can be achieved. The said crystal structure of PRL-1 protein of the present invention is very useful for the development the agent which inhibits carcinogenesis and metastasis of the cancer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an amide hydrolase which is with excellent thermostability and stereoselectively hydrolyzes an ?-amino acid amide; a gene encoding the enzyme protein; a novel recombinant vector containing the gene; a transformant containing the recombinant vector; and a process for producing an L-?-amino acid using the transformant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polypeptides that have an activity corresponding to at least one activity of the SEC61 polypeptide, polynucleotides encoding these polypeptides and the use thereof in the preparation of host cells suitable for production of a polypeptide of interest. Such host cells may have an increased capacity to secrete a polypeptide of interest.

Abstract: The invention provides crystalline O-methyltransferases and isolated non-native O-methyltransferases as well as sets of their structural coordinates. Also provided are methods of predicting the activity or substrate specificity of putative O-methyl-transferases, methods of identifying potential substrates of O-methyltransferases, and methods of identifying potential inhibitors of methyltransferases.

Abstract: The invention discloses the cloning, expression and uses of a chimeric fusion protein with superior chaperone and folding activities compared to the wild type chaperones. This invention relates to a chimeric fusion protein encoded by a recombinant DNA molecule comprising nucleotide sequences coding for a polypeptide binding segment of a non-human chaperone protein and nucleotide sequences coding for an FK506 binding protein (FKBP) or an FK506-binding-protein-like domain (FKBP-like domain).

Abstract: The invention relates to proton-translocating retinal proteins which exhibit a photocycle which is retarded as compared with the wild type and whose all-trans retinal contents in the light-adapted and dark-adapted states do not differ from each other by more than 10%. The invention furthermore relates to a photochromic composition and to the use of the proton-translocating retinal proteins and the photochromic composition.

Abstract: Recently, the development of inducible expression systems has involved exploitation of the p-cym operon from Pseudomonas putida. Disclosed herein are novel expression systems and components thereof, which involve the development of a CymR variant with reverse DNA binding activity, such that they exhibit increased affinity for DNA in a presence rather than an absence of an effector molecule such as cumene or an equivalent thereof. Also disclosed are the CymR variant, fusion proteins incorporating such a variant, and its use in the control and expression of polynucleotides. The CymR variant comprises a 142Glu to 142Gly single point mutation of wild type CymR.

Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having branching enzyme activity and isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.

Abstract: To provide a method of arranging ferritin by which a high rate of the number of the molecular film spots on which sole ferritin molecule was arranged in effect, with respect to total number of the molecular film spots provided for arranging ferritin (sole arrangement rate) is achieved is objected to. Specifically, in Fer8 ferritin having a sequence excluding 7 amino acids of from the second to the eighth, from an amino acid sequence (Fer0 sequence) translated from a naturally occurring DNA sequence, lysine at position 91 is substituted with glutamic acid.

Abstract: A protein having luciferase activity and at least 60% similarity to luciferase from Photinus pyralis, Luciola mingrelica, Luciola cruciata or Luciola lateralis.

Abstract: There are provided trehalose transporter gene and a method of introducing trehalose into cells by using the gene. Candidates for the trehalose transporter genes were searched in P. vanderplanki EST, resulting in being obtained cDNA designated as Tret1. Tret1 encodes a 504 amino acid protein with 12 trans-membrane structures. Tret1 expression was induced by desiccation stress and predominant in the fat body. Functional expression of TRET1 in Xenopus oocytes showed that transport activity was specific for trehalose and independent of extracellular pH and electrochemical membrane potential. The direction of transport of TRET1 was reversible depending on the concentration gradient of trehalose. Apparent Km and Vmax of TRET1 for trehalose were extraordinarily high values. These results indicate that TRET1 is a facilitated, high-capacity trehalose-specific transporter. Tret1 is widespread in insects. Furthermore, TRET1 conferred trehalose permeability upon cells including those of vertebrates as well as insects.

Abstract: Method of preventing bacteriophage infection of bacterial cultures comprising modified strains, wherein the cultures are completely resistant to bacteriophage attack and have retained their capability of being metabolically active. The method is useful in the manufacturing of food products, feed products or useful metabolite products.

Abstract: Isolated nucleic acid molecules, which encode novel metabolic regulatory proteins from Corynebacterium glutamicum are described. These nucleic acid molecules are involved in the biosynthesis of a fine chemical, e.g., methionine biosynthesis. The invention also provides antisense nucleic acid molecules, recombinant expression vectors containing metabolic regulatory nucleic acid molecules, and host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced. The invention still further provides methods of producing methionine from microorganisms, e.g., C. glutamicum, which involve culturing recombinant microorganisms which overexpress or underexpress at least one metabolic regulatory molecule of the invention under conditions such that methionine is produced. Also featured are methods of producing a fine chemical, e.g., methionine, which involve culturing recombinant microorganisms having selected metabolic regulatory genes deleted or mutated under conditions such that the fine chemical, e.g.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and crystals of the carboxyltransferase (CT) domain (the C-terminal ˜90 kDa fragment) of various acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) proteins, including yeast, mouse and human ACCs. Further, the present invention provides methods for identifying and designing compounds that can modulate ACC activity. These methods are based, in part, on the X-ray crystallographic structures of the CT domain of yeast ACC, either alone or bound to acetyl-CoA or a CT inhibitor, such as haloxyfop or diclofop or CP-640186. Thus, the present invention relates to the crystal structures of the carboxyltransferase (“CT”) domain of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (“ACC”), and to the use of these structures in the design of anti-obesity compounds, anti-diabetes compounds, antibiotic compounds, herbicide compounds, and in the design of herbicide resistant plants.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present application, a polypeptide capable of binding to a sugar chain is disclosed, particularly a high-mannose-type sugar chain bound to an antibody, more preferably a sugar chain bound to a chicken antibody. Also disclosed is a method for the purification of an antibody (specifically a chicken antibody) as a representative application of the polypeptide. Further disclosed is means for the purification. The polypeptide, BML-17, is a novel lectin made of 168 amino acid residues isolated from Bryopsis maxima. By using BML-17, it becomes possible to purify an antibody (e.g., a chicken antibody) readily and with high efficiency.

Abstract: A method of identifying a compound capable of correcting an impaired enzymatic activity of a mutant glucocerebrosidase molecule, the method comprising: (a) obtaining a first set of structure coordinates, the first set of structure coordinates defining a 3D structure of a glucocerebrosidase molecule capable of displaying normal enzymatic activity or a portion thereof; (b) computationally generating using the first set of structure coordinates a second set of structure coordinates, the second set of structure coordinates defining a predicted 3D structure of the mutant glucocerebrosidase molecule or a portion thereof; and (c) computationally identifying, using the second set of structure coordinates, a compound capable of interacting with the mutant glucocerebrosidase molecule in such a way as to correct the impaired enzymatic activity thereof, thereby identifying the compound capable of correcting the impaired enzymatic activity of the mutant glucocerebrosidase molecule.