Abstract: The invention provides an agent for treating depression, which contains N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating depression, which contains an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a carrier acceptable as a medicament.

Abstract: The invention provides an agent containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine for protecting a glucose-sensitive cell from glucose toxicity due to high glucose concentration; a pharmaceutical composition for protecting a glucose-sensitive cell from glucose toxicity due to high glucose concentration, containing an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; use of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine in producing a medicament for protecting a glucose-sensitive cell from glucose toxicity due to high glucose concentration; and a method of protecting a glucose-sensitive cell from glucose toxicity due to high glucose concentration, including administering an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine to a subject in need thereof. The glucose-sensitive cell is selected from the group consisting of a nerve cell, a renal cell and a vascular endothelial cell.

Abstract: The invention provides an agent for treating depression, which contains N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating depression, which contains an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a carrier acceptable as a medicament.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing an orexin neuron by culturing a pluripotent stem cell or a neural progenitor cell in the presence of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and optionally in the presence of at least one inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a Sirtuin 1 inhibitor and an O-linked ?-N-acetylglucosamine transferase inhibitor. The invention also provides a therapeutic agent for narcolepsy or eating disorders, such as anorexia, containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, which is based on the induction of orexin neuron in vivo.

Abstract: Provided are effective and highly safe agents, medicaments and the like for ameliorating various disorders caused by brain hypofunction. Also provided is a preventing or ameliorating agent for brain hypofunction containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a pharmaceutical composition for preventing, ameliorating or treating disorders due to brain hypofunction, containing an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and a food comprising N-acetyl-D-mannosamine added thereto.

Abstract: Provided are effective and highly safe agents, medicaments and the like for ameliorating various disorders caused by brain hypofunction. Also provided is a preventing or ameliorating agent for brain hypofunction containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a pharmaceutical composition for preventing, ameliorating or treating disorders due to brain hypofunction, containing an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and a food comprising N-acetyl-D-mannosamine added thereto.

Abstract: Provided are effective and highly safe agents, medicaments and the like for ameliorating various disorders caused by brain hypofunction. Also provided is a preventing or ameliorating agent for brain hypofunction containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a pharmaceutical composition for preventing, ameliorating or treating disorders due to brain hypofunction, containing an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and a food comprising N-acetyl-D-mannosamine added thereto.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing an orexin neuron by culturing a pluripotent stem cell or a neural progenitor cell in the presence of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and optionally in the presence of at least one inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a Sirtuin 1 inhibitor and an O-linked ?-N-acetylglucosamine transferase inhibitor. The invention also provides a therapeutic agent for narcolepsy or eating disorders, such as anorexia, containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, which is based on the induction of orexin neuron in vivo.

Abstract: Provided are effective and highly safe agents, medicaments and the like for ameliorating various disorders caused by brain hypofunction. Also provided is a preventing or ameliorating agent for brain hypofunction containing N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a pharmaceutical composition for preventing, ameliorating or treating disorders due to brain hypofunction, containing an effective amount of N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and a food comprising N-acetyl-D-mannosamine added thereto.

Abstract: To measure the methylation degree of a genomic DNA simply and correctly as well as exhaustively, there is provided a method for amplifying a DNA fragment, characterized by comprising the following steps (1) to (5): (1) digesting a sample double-stranded DNA with a first restriction enzyme; (2) adding a double-stranded DNA fragment consisting of a first oligonucleotide and a second oligonucleotide to a restriction enzyme cleavage end of the double-stranded DNA fragment produced in step (1) to obtain a DNA fragment; (3) digesting the DNA fragment obtained in step (2) with a second restriction enzyme; (4) allowing the double-stranded DNA fragment produced in step (3) to coexist with a third oligonucleotide and a fourth oligonucleotide in the presence of a ligase; and (5) heating the double-stranded DNA fragment obtained in step (4), thereby dissociating the double-stranded DNA fragment and then performing a polymerase chain reaction to selectively amplify a DNA fragment having the cleavage end of the first rest

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of preparing an anti-methylated DNA antibody, comprising a step of administering to an animal an oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing a methylated cytosine(s) and an oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing no methylated cytosine. The antibody prepared by this method is capable of detecting a DNA containing a methylated cytosine(s) in a state close to the state of a biological component.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a demethylation method that, from among multiple methylated regions present in the genome DNA of a living cell, can demethylate a specified methylated region only without influencing the other methylated regions, and to achieve the object, a target methylated region present in either a sense or antisense DNA chain in genome DNA of a living cell is demethylated, by artificially generating in the living cell the following (a) RNA comprising a base sequence equivalent to the base sequence of a region comprising all or part of the target methylated region in the DNA chain where the target methylated region is present, or (b) RNA comprising a base sequence equivalent to the base sequence of a region comprising a region neighboring the target methylated region in the DNA chain where the target methylated region is present.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of identifying a cell, tissue or nucleus, comprising collecting information on the methylation pattern of DNA isolated from the cell, tissue or nucleus and analyzing the resultant information.