Abstract: Provided is a new method for producing a glucuronide, having excellent productivity and being replaceable with a method using Saccharomyces pombe, and to provide a new means used in this production method. Disclosed are: a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and a gene coding for a UDP-glucose transferase are inserted in a manner such that said genes can be expressed; a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a cytochrome P450 gene is further inserted in a manner such that said gene can be expressed; and a method for producing a glucaronide that includes culturing transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of glucose and a substance to be conjugated, generating the glucuronide of the aforementioned substance to be conjugated.

Abstract: Provided is a new method for producing a glucuronide, having excellent productivity and being replaceable with a method using Saccharomyces pombe, and to provide a new means used in this production method. Disclosed are: a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and a gene coding for a UDP-glucose transferase are inserted in a manner such that said genes can be expressed; a transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae wherein a gene coding for a cytochrome P450 gene is further inserted in a manner such that said gene can be expressed; and a method for producing a glucaronide that includes culturing transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of glucose and a substance to be conjugated, generating the glucuronide of the aforementioned substance to be conjugated.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for evaluation of the safety of a chemical compound, which includes the steps of: (a) reacting a chemical compound with recombinant yeast cells expressing, or in other words producing, human cytochrome P450 molecular species P450 1A2, P450 2C9, P450 2E1 and P450 3A4 together with a yeast NADPH-P450 reductase, which may be in the form of a fused enzyme with each of said human cytochrome P450 molecular species, or with the cell free extracts of the yeast cells; and (b) analyzing the resulting metabolite to determine the safety of the compound. According to this method, it can be determined whether a test compound will be converted into a carcinogenic or mutagenic form through the metabolism in the human liver, and whether the test compound or its metabolite has mutagenicity.

Abstract: The expression of mitochondrial P450 in yeast is disclosed. The mitochondrial P450 includes a chimeric P450 in which a signal sequence present at the N-terminus of a mammalian mitochondrial P450 has been substituted by a signal of a yeast mitochondrial protein and a chimeric P450 in which the latter signal has been further substituted by a targeting signal sequence to microsome.An expression plasmid for producing the enzyme in a large scale, a recombinant yeast strain carrying the expression plasmid, a process for producing the enzyme by the use of the recombinant yeast, and a process for producing 5.beta.-cholestane-3.alpha., 7.alpha., 12.alpha., 27-tetrol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D.sub.3 and 1.alpha.,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.sub.3 are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a chimeric enzyme gene which codes for a monooxygenase having both monooxygenase activity derived from cytochrome P-450 and reducing power supplying ability derived from NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase.The present invention further provides a yeast expression plasmid which contains said chimeric enzyme gene and expresses said monooxygenase gene; a transformed yeast strain which carries said yeast expression plasmid; a monooxygenase which has both the monooxygenase activity and the reducing power supplying ability as mentioned above; and a process for producing said monooxygenase.

Abstract: Transformed yeasts with yeast expression plasmid containing yeast alcohol dehydrogenase promoter and bovine adrenocortical cytochrome P-450.sub.17.alpha. cDNA, which produce bovine adrenocortical cytochrome P-450.sub.17.alpha., and processes for producing 17-hydroxypregnenolone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone which comprises 17-hydroxylating pregnenolone or progesterone to 17-hydroxypregnenolone or 17-hydroxyprogesterone, respectively, with the said transformed yeasts.

Abstract: An expression vector, a plasmid containing yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I promoter and terminator and the gene coding for the rat liver cytochrome P-450MC gene Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with the plasmid and process for preparing rat liver cytochrome P-450MC.