Abstract: The present invention generally relates to materials and methods for exploiting glycosyltransferase reversibility for nucleotide diphosphate (NDP) sugar synthesis. The present invention provides engineered glycosyltransferase enzymes characterized by improved reaction reversibility and expanded sugar donor specificity as compared to corresponding non-mutated glycosyltransferase enzymes. Such reagents provide advantageous routes to NDP sugars for subsequent use in a variety of biomedical applications, including enzymatic and chemoenzymatic glycorandomization.

Abstract: Modified DNA polymerases have an affinity for DNA such that the polymerase has an ability to incorporate one or more nucleotides into a plurality of separate DNA templates in each reaction cycle. The polymerases are capable of forming an increased number of productive polymerase-DNA complexes in each reaction cycle. The modified polymerases may be used in a number of DNA sequencing applications, especially in the context of clustered arrays.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an isolated DNA molecule encoding a fagopyritol synthase. A method for producing a fagopyritol, an insulin mediator, an insulin mediator analogue, an insulin mediator homologue, or an insulin mediator inhibitor is also described. The method includes providing a fagopyritol synthase, providing a substrate comprising a galactosyl donor and a galactosyl acceptor, and combining the fagopyritol synthase with the substrate under conditions effective produce a fagopyritol, an insulin mediator, an insulin mediator analogue, an insulin mediator homologue, or an insulin mediator inhibitor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a variant archaeal DNA polymerase having a modified amino acid sequence of a wild-type amino acid sequence, the modified sequence being in the amino-terminal amino acids that comprise a uracil-binding pocket in the wild-type polymerase whereby the variant polymerase has reduced affinity for uracil than the wild-type polymerase. Such variant polymerases may be usefully employed in biological assay systems such as the polymerase chain reaction.

Abstract: A method for detecting a mutation related to the gene encoding OAS1. This and other disclosed mutations correlate with resistance of humans to viral infection including hepatitis C. Also provided is a therapeutic agent consisting of a protein or polypeptide encoded by the mutated gene, or a polynucleotide encoding the protein or polypeptide. Inhibitors of human OAS1, including antisense oligonucleotides, methods, and compositions specific for human OAS1, are also provided.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of removing nucleic acid contamination from reverse transcription reactions and hot-start PCR, wherein said hot-start PCR is a barrier hot-start PCR set up and/or involves a hot-start DNA polymerase, which methods comprise use of a DNase that is substantially irreversibly inactivated by heating at a temperature of about 50° C. for 5 minutes, and that is substantially specific for double stranded DNA. The invention further provides a DNase that is substantially irreversibly inactivated by heating at a temperature of about 50° C. for 5 minutes, and that is substantially specific for double stranded DNA, nucleic acids encoding said DNase and kits or compositions comprising said DNase or said nucleic acid.

Abstract: Disclosed is a T7 RNA polymerase mutant having improved thermal stability and/or specific activity in comparison with wild-type T7-like bacteriophage RNA polymerase, wherein at least one amino acid residue corresponding to at least one of the amino acid residues selected from the group at least consisting of glutamine at position 768, lysine at position 179 and valine at position 685 of the amino acid sequence that composes wild-type T7 RNA polymerase shown in SEQ ID NO: 6, is substituted with another amino acid.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a mutant thermostable ligase having substantially higher fidelity than either T4 ligase or Thermus thermophilus ligase. The ligase of the present invention is a mutant of a wild-type thermostable ligase having a histidine adjacent a KXDG motif, where the mutant thermostable ligase has a mutation in its amino sequence where the histidine adjacent the KXDG motif in the wild-type thermostable ligase is replaced with an arginine, and wherein X is any amino acid. The DNA molecule encoding this enzyme as well as expression systems and host cells containing it are also disclosed. The thermostable ligase of the present invention is useful in carrying out a ligase detection reaction process and a ligase chain reaction process.

Abstract: Modified DNase polypeptides and methods of their use are provided.

Abstract: A novel gene encoding P. pastoris orotate-phosphoribosyl transferase (URA5) is disclosed. Methods for producing and selecting yeast strains capable of stable genetic integration of heterologous sequences into the host genome are also provided.

Abstract: This invention provides for methods of sequencing and performing polymerase reactions using an improved generation of nucleic acid polymerases. The improvement is the fusion of a sequence-non-specific nucleic-acid-binding domain to the enzyme in a manner that enhances the processivity of the polymerase.

Abstract: The present invention provides an L-aminoacylase which is able to produce L-tert-leucine being useful as an intermediate for pharmaceuticals. A protein which is characterized in being represented by any of the following (a) to (d): (a) a protein coded by a gene consisting of a nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No: 1; (b) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No: 2; (c) a protein coded by a polynucleotide which hybridizes under a stringent condition with a nucleic acid sequence which is complementary to the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No: 1 and having an L-succinylaminoacylase activity; and (d) a protein which consists of an amino acid sequence where one or several amino acid (s) is/are substituted, deleted, inserted and/or added in the protein consisting of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No: 2 and has an L-succinylaminoacylase activity.

Abstract: A method of obtaining DNA amplification of a nucleic acid target from a volume of whole blood comprising performing DNA amplification in a PCR assay mixture with a blood-resistant polymerase.

Abstract: The invention relates to a variant of a parent Termamyl-like alpha-amylase, comprising mutations in two, three, four, five or six regions/positions. The variants have increased stability at high temperatures (relative to the parent). The invention also relates to a DNA construct comprising a DNA sequence encoding an alpha-amylase variant of the invention, a recombinant expression vector which carries a DNA construct of the invention, a cell which is transformed with a DNA construct of the invention, the use of an alpha-amylase variant of the invention for washing and/or dishwashing, textile desizing, starch liquefaction, a detergent additive comprising an alpha-amylase variant of the invention, a manual or automatic dishwashing detergent composition comprising an alpha-amylase variant of the invention, a method for generating a variant of a parent Termamyl-like alpha-amylase, which variant exhibits increased.

Abstract: The invention relates to modified polymerase enzymes which exhibit improved incorporation of nucleotide analogues bearing substituents at the 3? position of the sugar moiety that are larger in size than the naturally occurring 3? hydroxyl group. Also described are methods of using the polymerases to incorporate nucleotides into polynucleotides, particularly in the context of DNA sequencing.

Abstract: Disclosed are rationally-designed, non-naturally-occurring meganucleases in which a pair of enzyme subunits having specificity for different recognition sequence half-sites are joined into a single polypeptide to form a functional heterodimer with a non-palindromic recognition sequence. The invention also relates to methods of producing such meganucleases, and methods of producing recombinant nucleic acids and organisms using such meganucleases.

Abstract: This invention provides Sso7-polymerase conjugates that exhibit improved activity in a polymerase reaction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing fermentation product from various carbon sources containing glycerol using Corynebacteria. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for producing fermentation product from carbon sources containing glycerol or a part of glycerol with high yield and high productivity, by fermenting Corynebacteria introduced with the foreign gene glpDFK facilitating the use of glycerol and accumulating industrially useful amino acids in the culture medium.

Abstract: Provided are compositions comprising recombinant DNA polymerases that include amino acid substitutions, insertions, deletions and/or heterologous or exogenous features that confer modified properties upon the polymerase for enhanced single molecule sequencing. Such properties can include reduced reaction rates at one or more steps of the polymerase kinetic cycle, increased closed polymerase/DNA complex stability, enhanced metal ion coordination, reduced exonuclease activity, decreased branching fractions, and the like. Polymerases that exhibit branching fractions that are less than the branching fractions of the polymerases from which they were derived, or branching fractions that are less than about 25% for a phosphate-labeled nucleotide analog, are also provided. Also provided are nucleic acids which encode the polymerases with the aforementioned phenotypes, as well as methods of using such polymerases to make a DNA or to sequence a DNA template.

Abstract: The invention provides gene-targeted non-human animals comprising a genetically modified 11?HSD1 gene encodes a mutant 11?HSD1 polypeptide which is modulated by human 11?HSD1 modulating compounds. The invention further provides cells expressing mutant 11?HSD1 and cells isolated from gene-targeted animals, which cells produce a mutant 11?HSD1. The invention further provides methods of identifying agents that modulate 11?HSD1 activity, and are useful to treat 11?HSD1-related metabolic disorders.