Abstract: We have identified by molecular cloning a protease which originates from the larvae of Lucilia sericata and which was termed debrilase due to its activities useful for debridement of wounds.

Abstract: The invention relates to a use of surface active hydrophobins for applications in pharmaceutical technology, in particular as excipients for galenic use. Provided is a method for either admixture of hydrophobins to galenic compositions or for treating the surface of pharmaceutical forms with a hydrophobin-containing solution to modify the pharmaceutical properties of the galenic form. In a preferred embodiment of the invention hydrophobins are used to improve the properties of a pharmaceutical composition, e.g. to act as a surfactant or to increase resistance to disintegration of the galenic forms to achieve a retarded drug release. The galenic form to be modified by the use of surface active proteins as excipients can be capsules, tablets, pills, microparticles, vesicles, and suppositories, although further galenic forms are envisioned.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for the isolation and/or purification of nucleic acid molecules suitable to bind and/or inactivate inhibitors of the activity of reagents or enzymes used for DNA manipulation and to separate a plurality of nucleic acid molecules with respect to their size. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for the isolation of a nucleic acid molecule comprising applying a sample to the device of the invention wherein said nucleic acid molecule preferably represents a fraction of the metagenome of a given habitat. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for the generation of at least one gene library comprising nucleic acid molecules isolated by the method of the invention and to a nucleic acid molecule isolated by the method of the invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to novel polypeptides which have the biological activity of an NAD- or NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. The invention furthermore relates to nucleic acids encoding said polypeptides, to nonhuman hosts or host cells and to reaction systems which may be used for preparing desired products. The polypeptides of the invention are preferably used in the preparation, starting from aldehydes or ketones, of primary and enantiomerically pure secondary alcohols which may serve as intermediates for medicaments. Alternatively, the polypeptides of the invention may also be employed in the reverse reaction, i.e. the oxidation of alcohols with the formation of aldehydes or ketones.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polynucleotide or a pair of polynucleotides encoding an enzyme having nitrile hydratase (NHase) [E.C. 4.2.1.84] activity. Furthermore, a vector and a host comprising the disclosed polynucleotide or pair of polynucleotides and methods for the production of the same are provided. Moreover, the invention relates to a pair of polypeptides or a fusion protein having NHase activity, an antibody specifically binding to the pair of polypeptides or fusion protein, a primer or probe, which specifically hybridizes under stringent conditions to the disclosed polynucleotide or either one of the pair of polynucleotides, a composition comprising the polynucleotide or pair of polynucleotides, the pair of polypeptides or fusion protein, the antibody and/or one or more primers or probes of the invention and a method for the production of amides comprising the enantioselective conversion of nitrites.

Abstract: A method for the determination of the responsiveness of an individual to mistletoe lectin or to (an) mistletoe lectin single chain(s), wherein the expression of a membrane-bound receptor for mistletoe lectin is characteristic of a corresponding responsiveness.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polynucleotide encoding an enzyme having carboxylesterase [E.C. 3.1.1.

Abstract: The invention relates to biocatalysts showing alcohol dehydrogenase activity obtainable from Rhodococcus ruber, their preparation, their use in the oxidation of secondary alcohols and/or the reduction of ketones, as well as nucleic acids coding for these alcohol dehydrogenases and microorganisms transformed with nucleic acids coding for these biocatalysts and their use for producing the biocatalyst or oxidizing secondary alcohols and/or reducing ketones.

Abstract: The invention relates to a new glycosyl hydrolases with an amyloltic activity and nucleic acids coding for said gylcosyl hydrolases, A PCR-based method for identifying and preparing new gylcosyl hydrolases from metagenome DNA and several possible technical uses for such glycosyl hydrolases with an amylolytic activity. Washing and cleaning products containing such enzymes, and methods and possible uses corresponding thereto are particularly interesting.

Abstract: The invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding preproproteins having after maturation the biological activity of the mistletoe lectin dimer, to vectors comprising these nucleic acid molecules, to hosts transformed with said vectors and to polypeptides and/or polypeptide dimers which are encoded by these nucleic acid molecules. The polypeptides and/or polypeptide dimers of the invention are widely therapeutically applicable. Thus, the present invention further relates to immunotoxins as well as to pharmaceutical compositions that contain the polypeptides and/or the polypeptide dimers of the invention. Additionally, the invention relates to diagnostic compositions comprising the nucleic acid molecules of the invention, the polypeptides and/or the polypeptide dimers of the invention and/or primers which hybridize specifically to the nucleic acid molecules of the invention.