Abstract: A method for screening an active ingredient of a saltiness enhancer, the screening method including the following steps: (i) a step for determining whether a test substance is a compound capable of promoting functional expression of the TMC4 gene or TMC4 protein; and (ii) a step for selecting, as an active ingredient of a saltiness enhancer, a test substance that has been determined in step (i) to be a compound capable of promoting functional expression of the TMC4 gene or TMC4 protein.

Abstract: A method for screening an active ingredient of a saltiness enhancer, the screening method including the following steps: (i) a step for determining whether a test substance is a compound capable of promoting functional expression of the TMC4 gene or TMC4 protein; and (ii) a step for selecting, as an active ingredient of a saltiness enhancer, a test substance that has been determined in step (i) to be a compound capable of promoting functional expression of the TMC4 gene or TMC4 protein.

Abstract: [Problem] Under an underwater environment containing a high concentration of carbon dioxide having an anesthetic effect, prolonged anesthesia is performed on fish and shellfish in a safe and practically simple manner. [Solution Means] Fine bubbles containing gaseous oxygen are brought into contact with the surface of a gill epithelial cell membrane of fish and shellfish to produce a partial pressure difference between [gaseous oxygen partial pressure]?[gill capillary dissolved oxygen partial pressure] exceeding a partial pressure difference between [water dissolved oxygen partial pressure]?[gill capillary dissolved oxygen partial pressure], and thus the amount of oxygen taken by a gill thin plate capillary is remarkably increased. Thereby, respiratory failure which is caused under a spontaneous respiratory movement suppressed by anesthesia is avoided, and thus it is possible to perform prolonged carbon dioxide anesthesia under a water temperature (around 20° C.) at which normal fish and shellfish are treated.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel salty taste-enhancing agent and production method therefor, and salty taste-enhancing method for a food and beverage. As means for achieving such object, provided is a salty taste-enhancing agent.

Abstract: Provided are: an NAS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NBS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NAS; an NBS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NAS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NBS; a dimer comprising a combination of the NAS variant and the NBS variant; a recombinant vector containing a gene encoding the NAS variant and a gene encoding the NBS variant; and a transformant containing the vector.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polypeptide shown in the following in (A), and a protein dimer neoculin comprising the polypeptide Neoculin Acidic Subunit (NAS) and the polypeptide Neoculin Basic Subunit (NBS) and having a taste-modifying activity: (A) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.2 in the sequence listing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polypeptide shown below in (A) or (B), a protein dimer neoculin comprising the polypeptide Neoculin Acidic Subunit (NAS) and the polypeptide Neoculin Basic Subunit (NBS) and having a taste-modifying activity: (A) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.2 in the sequence listing; (B) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with the substitution, deletion, insertion, addition or inversion of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO. 2 in the sequence listing, which polypeptide can form the neoculin dimer having a taste-modifying activity together with the polypeptide NBS.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to discover a substance with sweetness independent of pH and to provide a novel composition with sweetness characterized by containing the substance. Provided are: an NAS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NBS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NAS; an NBS variant characterized by having sweetness independent of pH in the case of combination with a polypeptide NAS variant by causing substitution mutation or deletion mutation in one or several amino acids out of the amino acid residues constituting a polypeptide NBS; a diner comprising a combination of the NAS variant and the NBS variant; a recombinant vector containing a gene encoding the NAS variant and a gene encoding the NBS variant; and a transformant containing the vector.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to find a substance with a better taste-modifying function and determine the structure of the taste-modifying substance, as well as to elucidate the structure thereof at a gene level and determine the primary structure of the substance and obtain the gene encoding the substance. Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel taste-modifying composition characteristically containing the taste-modifying substance. Specifically, the invention provides the polypeptide shown below in (A) or (B), a protein dimer neoculin comprising the polypeptide NAS and the polypeptide NBS and having a taste-modifying activity: (A) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.2 in the sequence listing; (B) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with the substitution, deletion, insertion, addition or inversion of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO.