Abstract: Object of the present invention is to provide an intestinal immune-enhancing agent that can sufficiently increase IgA in the intestinal tract with a low dose while maintaining an increased amount of IgA for an extended period of time. Provided is an intestinal immune-enhancing agent containing a cellulose acetate that has a total degree of acetyl substitution from 0.4 to 1.1.

Abstract: Object of the present invention is to provide an intestinal immune-enhancing agent that can sufficiently increase IgA in the intestinal tract with a low dose while maintaining an increased amount of IgA for an extended period of time. Provided is an intestinal immune-enhancing agent containing a cellulose acetate that has a total degree of acetyl substitution from 0.4 to 1.1.

Abstract: Object of the present invention is to provide an intestinal immune-enhancing agent that can sufficiently increase IgA in the intestinal tract with a low dose while maintaining an increased amount of IgA for an extended period of time. Provided is an intestinal immune-enhancing agent containing a cellulose acetate that has a total degree of acetyl substitution from 0.4 to 1.1.

Abstract: The present inventors constructed a transformation system which uses as a host the Kocuria rhizophila NBRC 103217 strain which can maintain its cellular structure in various organic solvents and shows little protein leakage. As a result, by developing novel shuttle vectors derived from Kocuria varians NBRC 15358, the present inventors successfully induced the expression of a foreign protein in microorganisms belonging to the genus Kocuria which can maintain their cellular structure in non-aqueous systems and show little protein leakage.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a nitrile hydratase capable of producing 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyroamide. The present invention provides a novel nitrile hydratase producing ?-hydroxyamide using, ?-hydroxnitrile as the substrate, and the encoding DNA thereof. The enzyme can be obtained from Rhodococcus sp. Further, the enzymatic activity of the enzyme can he maintained stably during the reaction. The present invention provides a method for producing amide compounds, the method comprising the step of reacting this enzyme to nitrile compounds. According to the present invention, from hydroxy nitrile compounds, corresponding amide compounds can be produced biochemically without reducing the enzyme activity of nitrile hydratase.

Abstract: D-aminoacylase derived from fungi is provided. The fungi capable of producing D-aminoacylase include those belonging to the genus Hypomyces, Fusarium, Auricularia, Pythium, and Menisporopsis. The fungal D-aminoacylase is useful for efficiently producing D-amino acids from N-acetyl-D-amino acids.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel D-aminoacylase, as well as method for producing a D-amino acid using the same. In order to achieve the above objective, the present inventors have succeeded in purifying heat-stable D-aminoacylase from microorganisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces by combining various purification methods. Furthermore, the present inventors found that the purified heat-stable D-aminoacylase is useful in industrial production of D-amino acids. By utilizing the heat-stable D-aminoacylase, it is possible to readily and efficiently produce the corresponding D-amino acids from N-acetyl-DL-amino acids (for example, N-acetyl-DL-methionine, N-acetyl-DL-valine, N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan, N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-DL-alanine, N-acetyl-DL-leucine, and so on).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing amide compounds using hydroxyl nitrile compounds and microorganisms and/or enzymatically active material having cyanide-resistant nitrile hydratase activity, e.g., Rhodococcus equi XL-l. Furthermore, the amide compounds can be produced while the enzymatic activity of this microorganism can be stably maintained during the reaction.

Abstract: The present invention provides the D-aminoacylase-encoding gene derived from Hypomyces mycophilus, a filamentous fungus, the polypeptide encoded by the gene, and the homologues thereof. The D-aminoacylase of the present invention is capable of producing D-tryptophan from N-acetyl-D-tryptophan. D-tryptophan is useful as a medicinal raw material or the like.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a nitrile hydratase capable of producing 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyroamide. The present invention provides a novel nitrile hydratase producing &agr;-hydroxyamide using, &agr;-hydroxnitrile as the substrate, and the encoding DNA thereof. The enzyme can be obtained from Rhodococcus sp. Further, the enzymatic activity of the enzyme can he maintained stably during the reaction. The present invention provides a method for producing amide compounds, the method comprising the step of reacting this enzyme to nitrile compounds. According to the present invention, from hydroxy nitrile compounds, corresponding amide compounds can be produced biochemically without reducing the enzyme activity of nitrile hydratase.

Abstract: The present invention provides the D-aminoacylase-encoding gene derived from Hypomyces mycophilus, a filamentous fungus, the polypeptide encoded by the gene, and the homologues thereof. The D-aminoacylase of the present invention is capable of producing D-tryptophan from N-acetyl-D-tryptophan. D-tryptophan is useful as a medicinal raw material or the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides the D-aminoacylase-encoding gene derived from Hypomyces mycophilus, a filamentous fungus, the polypeptide encoded by the gene, and the homologues thereof. The D-aminoacylase of the present invention is capable of producing D-tryptophan from N-acetyl-D-tryptophan. D-tryptophan is useful as a medicinal raw material or the like.

Abstract: A nitrile compound having a complicated structure (e.g., 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyronitrile) is converted into an amide compound with high production efficiency, by using a novel microorganism of which the gene 16S rRNA has a specific base sequence. As the microorganism, Rhodococcus sp. Cr4 strain and Rhodococcus sp. Am8 strain or the like is employed.

Abstract: A method for racemizing with N-acylamino acid racemase (NAAR) derived from Sebekia benihana and a method for producing optically active amino acids using the racemaization method are provided. The racemase of the present invention can efficiently catalyze the racemization of acylamino acid substrates including N-acylalanine, N-acylaspartic acid, N-acylleucine, and N-acylvaline. Furthermore, this method can be applied to efficient production of optically active amino acids, which are useful, for example, as medicinal raw materials.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel D-aminoacylase, as well as method for producing a D-amino acid using the same. In order to achieve the above objective , the present inventors have succeeded in purifying heat-stable D-aminoacylase from microorganisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces by combining various purification methods. Furthermore, the present inventors found that the purified heat-stable D-aminoacylase is useful in industrial production of D-amino acids. By utilizing the heat-stable D-aminoacylase, it is possible to readily and efficiently produce the corresponding D-amino acids from N-acetyl-DL-amino acids (for example, N-acetyl-DL-methionine, N-acetyl-DL-valine, N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan, N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-DL-alanine, N-acetyl-DL-leucine, and so on).

Abstract: D-aminoacylase derived from fungi is provided. The fungi capable of producing D-aminoacylase include those belonging to the genus Hypomyces, Fusarium, Auricularia, Pythium, and Menisporopsis. The fungal D-aminoacylase is useful for efficiently producing D-amino acids from N-acetyl-D-amino acids.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel D-aminoacylase, as well as method for producing a D-amino acid using the same. In order to achieve the above objective, the present inventors have succeeded in purifying heat-stable D-aminoacylase from microorganisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces by combining various purification methods. Furthermore, the present inventors found that the purified heat-stable D-aminoacylase is useful in industrial production of D-amino acids. By utilizing the heat-stable D-aminoacylase, it is possible to readily and efficiently produce the corresponding D-amino acids from N-acetyl-DL-amino acids (for example, N-acetyl-DL-methionine, N-acetyl-DL-valine, N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan, N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-DL-alanine, N-acetyl-DL-leucine, and so on).

Abstract: An (R)-2-amino-1-phenylethanol derivative shown by the general formula (IIa) 1

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel D-aminoacylase, as well as method for producing a D-amino acid using the same. In order to achieve the above objective, the present inventors have succeeded in purifying heat-stable D-aminoacylase from microorganisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces by combining various purification methods. Furthermore, the present inventors found that the purified heat-stable D-aminoacylase is useful in industrial production of D-amino acids. By utilizing the heat-stable D-aminoacylase, it is possible to readily and efficiently produce the corresponding D-amino acids from N-acetyl-DL-amino acids (for example, N-acetyl-DL-methionine, N-acetyl-DL-valine, N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan, N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-DL-alanine, N-acetyl-DL-leucine, and so on).

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a method for producing amide compounds.