Abstract: A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.

Abstract: A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.

Abstract: A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.

Abstract: A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.

Abstract: There are provided microorganisms, for example, Mortierella alpina, having a property of producing a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids as constituent fatty acids and extracellularly secreting the produced lipid encapsulated in lipid vesicles, methods of screening said microorganisms, as well as methods of efficiently producing a fatty acid-containing lipid using said microorganisms. Furthermore, there are provided lipid vesicles encapsulating a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids, and foods, cosmetics, and animal feeds comprising said lipid vesicles added thereto. Artificially treated microorganisms or microorganisms collected from nature are grown on a solid medium, and microbial strains that form lipid vesicles at the periphery of the colonies and/or microbial strains that, when cultured in a transparent liquid medium, make the culture liquid cloudy are selected.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of preparing 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate by reacting glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and acetaldehyde in the presence of either a microorganism itself which contains 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase but substantially no phosphates or the enzyme derived from the microorganism. The present invention also discloses a method of preparing 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate by reacting dihydroxyacetone phosphate and acetaldehyde in the presence of either a microorganism itself which contains 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase and triose-phosphate isomerase but substantially no phosphates or the enzymes derived from the microorganism.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of preparing 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate by reacting glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and acetaldehyde in the presence of either a microorganism itself which contains 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase but substantially no phosphatase or the enzyme derived from the microorganism. The present invention also discloses a method of preparing 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate by reacting dihydroxyacetone phosphate and acetaldehyde in the presence of either a microorganism itself which contains 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase and triose-phosphate isomerase but substantially no phosphatase or the enzymes derived from the microorganism.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polypeptide having an activity to asymmetrically reduce (3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanone to produce (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol isolated from a microorganism belonging to the genus Ogataea, a DNA encoding the polypeptide and a transformant that produces the polypeptide. The present invention moreover relates to a method of producing (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol utilizing the polypeptide or the transformant. Using the polypeptide or transformant of the present invention, optically active alcohols such as (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol and the like can be produced efficiently.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polypeptide having an activity to asymmetrically reduce (3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanone to produce (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol isolated from a microorganism belonging to the genus Ogataea, a DNA encoding the polypeptide and a transformant that produces the polypeptide. The present invention moreover relates to a method of producing (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol utilizing the polypeptide or the transformant. Using the polypeptide or transformant of the present invention, optically active alcohols such as (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol and the like can be produced efficiently.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polypeptide having an activity to asymmetrically reduce (3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanone to produce (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol isolated from a microorganism belonging to the genus Ogataea, a DNA encoding the polypeptide and a transformant that produces the polypeptide. The present invention moreover relates to a method of producing (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol utilizing the polypeptide or the transformant. Using the polypeptide or transformant of the present invention, optically active alcohols such as (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol and the like can be produced efficiently.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polypeptide having a wide substrate specificity and having a ?3 fatty acid desaturation activity, which makes efficiently unsaturated bond at ?3 position, and a polynucleotide coding for the same. By expressing the polypeptide in the organism, mass production of n-3 series PUFAs is enabled. Specifically, the polypeptide having a ?3 fatty acid desaturation activity and consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, a polynucleotide coding for a polypeptide having a ?3 fatty acid desaturation activity that consists of the base sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 3, and the like is useful for production of n-3 series fatty acids.

Abstract: A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an isolated DNA comprising a nucleotide sequence coding for an enzyme having enone reductase activity wherein the enzyme is characterized by the following physico-chemical properties: (a) molecular mass: 61,300±5,000 Da (estimated using gel filtration, consisting of one subunit); (b) co-factor: NADPH and NADH; (c) substrate specificity: active on ?,?-unsaturated ketons; (d) optimum temperature: 55-60° C. at pH 7.4; and (e) optimum pH: pH 4.5-8.5.

Abstract: A process for producing lipids containing arachidonic acid comprising culturing a microorganism in which ?3 desaturase activity has been decreased or is lacking at a temperature lower than the optimum growth temperature from the start of culturing or after culturing at the optimum growth temperature, said microorganism being obtained by the mutation treatment of a microorganism capable of producing arachidonic acid and belonging to the genus Mortierella and the like; and then recovering lipids containing arachidonic acid from the culture.

Abstract: It has been required to economically produce a large amount of optically active ?-lactone derivatives (for example, pantolactone), which are useful as intermediates in synthesizing useful substances such as pharmaceutical drugs. To achieve this object, it is advantageous to employ an enzymatic technique of asymmetric hydrolysis with a hydrolyzing enzyme lactonase. However, it remains troublesome to prepare the enzyme or utilize a microorganism capable of producing the enzyme. Also, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient and stable enzymatic activity in the case of using recombination techniques. In producing lactonase, which asymmetrically hydrolyzes a ?-lactone derivative such as racemic pantolactone selectively, by a recombination technique, both mature lactonase DNA and signal peptide region DNA are transferred into a host.

Abstract: A process for preparing lipids which contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and/or docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) is disclosed. The process includes the steps of cultivating in a medium a microorganism which belongs to the genus Ulkenia having the ability to produce DHA and/or DPA and recovering the lipids from the culture. The process may further include the step of separating DHA and/or DPA from the lipids.

Abstract: In a process for the production of diacylglycerol-containing fat/oil where the ratio of diacylglycerol to the total neutral lipid is more than 20% by weight and a polyunsaturated fatty acid is a constituting fatty acid, a process which is characterized in that a microbe being able to produce said fat/oil is incubated and, if desired, said fat/oil is collected.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polypeptide having an activity to asymmetrically reduce (3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanone to produce (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol isolated from a microorganism belonging to the genus Ogataea, a DNA encoding the polypeptide and a transformant that produces the polypeptide. The present invention moreover relates to a method of producing (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol utilizing the polypeptide or the transformant. Using the polypeptide or transformant of the present invention, optically active alcohols such as (2R,3S)-1-chloro-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-phenyl-2-butanol and the like can be produced efficiently.

Abstract: The invention provides a process, for producing fats or oils in which the rate of triglycerides constituted by the same polyunsaturated fatty acids linking to the three hydroxyl groups of glycerol is 20% or more by weight for the total triglycerides, which comprises culturing a microorganism capable of producing said fats or oils and if required recovering said fats or oils; fats or oils produced by this process; and a process for producing said fats or oils.

Abstract: A method of breeding a lipid-producing strain belonging to the genus Mortierella. According to the method of breeding a lipid-producing strain which involves an expression-inhibiting step of inhibiting the expression of a specific gene in the lipid-producing strain as described above, a lipid-producing strain belonging to the genus Mortierella can be efficiently and effectively bred.