Abstract: A polypeptide having an ?-agarase activity, a gene encoding the polypeptide, a method for producing the polypeptide by genetic engineering and a method for producing an agarooligosaccharide using the polypeptide.

Abstract: A Nucleotide useful for detecting a base substitution in a gene, a method for detecting a base substitution in a gene using said Nucleotide, and a kit for the same.

Abstract: A polypeptide having an ?-agarase activity, a gene encoding the polypeptide, a method for producing the polypeptide by genetic engineering and a method for producing an agarooligosaccharide using the polypeptide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent and prophylactic agent for a disease accompanying an abnormality in an amount of insulin or insulin response, an agent for an insulin-mimetic action, a food, beverage and feed for treating a preventing a disease accompanying an abnormality in an amount of insulin or insulin response, an agent for enhancing glucose uptake into a cell, and an agent for inducing differentiation into an adipocyte, characterized in that each comprises as an effective ingredient a processed product derived from at least one plant selected from the group consisting of (a) a plant belonging to Tiliaceae, (b) a plant belonging to Zingiberaceae, (c) a plant belonging to Compositae, (d) a plant belonging to Liliaceae, and (e) a plant belonging to Polygonaceae.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a medicament, a food, a beverage or a feed, each comprising as an effective ingredient a compound having an enhancing action for NGF production, which is effective for a treatment, an amelioration of symptom, prevention or the like of a disease requiring enhancement of NGF production, wherein the compound has a coumarin and/or chroman backbone. Since no toxicity is especially found in the effective ingredient of the present invention, and there is no risk of incidence of adverse actions, the treatment or the like of the above disease can be safely and appropriately carried out.

Abstract: Accurate and highly reproducible means of detecting a base substitution mutation (for example, SNP), an insertion mutation or a deletion mutation with the use of a nucleic acid sample in a trace amount and a method of typing gene polymorphisms using the means.

Abstract: A method of transferring a mutation into the base sequence of a target nucleic acid characterized by comprising the step of preparing a DNA having a reversed repetitive sequence wherein the base sequence of the DNA having the reversed repetitive sequence is homologous with the target nucleic acid and has a base sequence containing the mutation to be transferred into the target nucleic acid, and the step of transferring the DNA having the reversed repetitive sequence into cells; and a kit for the method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a medicament, a food, a beverage or a feed, each comprising as an effective ingredient a compound having an enhancing action for NGF production, which is effective for a treatment, an amelioration of symptom, prevention or the like of a disease requiring enhancement of NGF production, wherein the compound has a coumarin and/or chroman backbone. Since no toxicity is especially found in the effective ingredient of the present invention, and there is no risk of incidence of adverse actions, the treatment or the like of the above disease can be safely and appropriately carried out.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition for enhancing growth factor production, comprising a plant-derived enhancer for growth factor production; a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease requiring enhancement of growth factor production and a food, beverage or feed for enhancing growth factor production, each comprising the above composition. In addition, the present invention relates to a functional food, beverage or feed excellent in health enhancement.

Abstract: Methods of amplifying a target nucleic acid whereby the target nucleic acid is amplified in the presence of a deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate, a DNA polymerase having strand displacement activity, at least one chimeric oligonucleotide primer, at least one upstream block oligonucleotide and a RNase H; wherein the chimeric oligonucleotide primer contains a ribonucleotide positioned at the 3?-terminus; wherein the upstream block oligonucleotide is capable of annealing to a region 3? to a portion in the nucleic acid as the template to which the chimeric oligonucleotide primer anneals; and compositions and kits thereof.

Abstract: To find a substance which has a skin cosmeticizing effect such as prevention of skin aging, amelioriation of sensitive skin, or antipruritic action, and can serve as an effective ingredient for a hair-care product, thereby providing cosmetics comprising the effective ingredient. Concretely, there are provided cosmetics characterized in that the cosmetics comprise as an effective ingredient a compound selected from a fucoidan, a degradation product thereof, a sulfated monosaccharide or a salt thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease requiring enhancement of bone morphogenetic protein production or promotion of osteogenesis; an agent for enhancement of bone morphogenetic protein production or an agent for promotion of osteogenesis, a food, beverage or feed for enhancement of bone mornhogenetic protein production or promotion of osteogenesis, characterized in that each comprises as an effective ingredient at least one compound selected from the group consisting of (a) an acidic saccharide, (b) a polyacrylic acid, (c) chlorogenic acid and (d) an oxidation processed product of chlorogenic acid, or an extract derived from algae.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease requiring promotion of osteogenesis or enhancement of bone morphogenetic protein production, an agent for promotion of osteogenesis or an agent for enhancement of bone morphogenetic protein production, and a food, beverage or feed for promotion of osteogenesis or enhancement of bone morphogenetic protein production, characterized in that each comprises as an effective ingredient a processed product derived from a plant. Also, the present invention relates to a method for measuring an enhancing action for bone morphogenetic protein production, a method for screening a substance having an enhancing action for bone morphogenetic protein production, and a method for preparing a substance having an enhancing action for bone morphogenetic protein production, each method using a specified cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease accompanying an abnormality in an amount of insulin or insulin response, an insulin-mimetic action agent, a food, beverage, or feed for treating or preventing a disease accompanying an abnormality in an amount of insulin or insulin response, an agent for enhancement of glucose uptake into a cell, and an agent for induction of an adipocyte differentiation, each comprising as an effective ingredient a processed product derived from a plant belonging to Umbelliferae.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel chalcone compound represented by the following general formula: wherein R1 and R2 are taken together with the carbon atom to which they are bound, respectively, to form a hydroxydimethyl hexane ring, or where R1 is a hydroxyl group, R2 is an isohexenyl group, a derivative thereof, or a salt thereof. Also, the present invention relates to a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease requiring neuronal protection, suppression for nitrogen monoxide (NO) production, inhibition for aldose reductase or suppression for interleukin production, and a food, beverage or feed for treatment or prevention of the above-mentioned disease, characterized in that each comprises the above-mentioned compound as an effective ingredient.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent or prophylactic agent for a disease requiring enhancement of nerve growth factor (NGF) production upon treatment or prevention, an enhancing agent for nerve growth factor production, and a food, beverage or feed for enhancing nerve growth factor production, characterized in that each comprises as an effective ingredient a compound selected from the group consisting of soyasaponin compounds, soyasapogenin compounds, glycyrrhizin and salts thereof. In addition, the present invention relates to a novel soyasaponin compound and a novel soyasapogenin compound, having an action for enhancement of NGF production.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparing a cytotoxic lymphocyte characterized in that the method comprises the step of carrying out at least one of induction, maintenance and expansion of a cytotoxic lymphocyte in the presence of fibronectin, a fragment thereof or a mixture thereof.

Abstract: A convenient and effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence characterized by effecting a DNA synthesis reaction in the presence of chimeric oligonucleotide primers; a method for supplying a large amount of DNA amplification fragments; an effective method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by combining the above method with another nucleic acid sequence amplification method; a method for detecting a nucleic acid sequence for detecting or quantitating a microorganism such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus or a yeast; and a method for detecting a DNA amplification fragment obtained by the above method in situ.

Abstract: A gene encoding a polypeptide having an activity of digesting sulfated fucogalactan which is useful in sugar chain engineering reagents, analyzing the structures of sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharides and preparing degraded products of the polysaccharides; a genetic engineering process for producing the polypeptide; and the polypeptide obtained by the process.