Abstract: A method for producing 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde from glycerin in high conversion ratio is provided. The method is characterized by comprising a step of dehydrating glycerin using a microbial cell and/or a treated microbial cell containing diol dehydratase and/or glycerol dehydratase, and optionally diol dehydratase reactivating factor and/or glycerol dehydratase reactivating factor, under conditions so as to give a value (X/Y2) calculated by dividing a catalytic amount [X (U/g glycerin)] of diol dehydratase and/or glycerol dehydratase by square of glycerin concentration [Y (g/100 ml)] within a range of 10 to 8,000, to produce 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde.

Abstract: This invention is intended to improve the efficiency of producing 1,3-propanediol from glycerol and to provide an industrially effective process for producing the same. Such process involves the use of a transformant comprising the gene encoding the large subunit of glycerol dehydratase and/or diol dehydratase, the gene encoding the medium subunit thereof, and the gene encoding the small subunit thereof, the gene encoding the large subunit of the reactivation factor for glycerol dehydratase and/or the reactivation factor for diol dehydratase and the gene encoding the small subunit thereof, the gene encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase, and the gene encoding 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase and/or the gene encoding propanol dehydrogenase.

Abstract: A novel hydrophobic vitamin B.sub.12 derivative represented by the formula: ##STR1## wherein R represents an alkyl group having 2 to 17 carbon atoms, and X represents a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group or a 5'-deoxyadenosyl group. Since the derivative is hydrophobic, it can be taken up by an organism by thermodynamic diffusion, a passive transport, without an active transport.

Abstract: Vitamin B.sub.12 compounds, salts and pharmaceutical compositions containing said compounds represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein L, a ligand to the cobalt of the corrin ring, is selected from the group consisting of a cyano or adenosyl group, B is an imidazole group or a 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole group, and R is a straight alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, are disclosed. Methods for preparing compounds of Formula (I) as well as methods for using the compounds in in vitro assays, in cell growth studies and in in vivo studies using transplanted murine tumor cells are disclosed.