Abstract: The present invention provides an extremely useful and novel ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase having an optimum reaction pH in a neutral to alkaline range, and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of binding a protein to a carrier in such a way that the protein is not impaired in its function but can be allowed to act more efficiently than when it is bound directly. The method of the present invention for binding a protein to a carrier comprises: preparing a biotin-bound carrier; preparing a fusion protein having the protein bound to a tamavidin; and binding the protein to the carrier via tamavidin-biotin bonds.

Abstract: The present invention provides an extremely useful and novel ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase having an optimum reaction pH in a neutral to alkaline range, and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a modified biotin-binding protein. The modified biotin-binding protein of the present invention includes an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, an amino acid sequence having one to several amino acid mutations in the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, or an amino acid sequence having 80% or more identity to the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, and having a biotin-binding activity, wherein at least one residue selected from the group consisting of: 1) an arginine residue at position 104 of SEQ ID NO: 2; 2) a lysine residue at position 141 of SEQ ID NO: 2; 3) a lysine residue at position 26 of SEQ ID NO: 2; and 4) a lysine residue at position 73 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is replaced with an acidic amino acid residue or a neutral amino acid residue.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide novel vectors for plant transformation. The vectors of the present invention are cosmid vectors having a full length of 15 kb or less characterized in that: 1) they contain an origin of replication of an IncP plasmid, but do not contain any origin of replication of other plasmid groups; 2) they contain the trfA1 gene of an IncP plasmid; 3) they contain an oriT of an IncP plasmid; 4) they contain the incC1 gene of an IncP plasmid; 5) they contain a cos site of lambda phage and the cos site is located outside the T-DNA; 6) they contain a drug resistance gene expressed in E.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modified biotin-binding protein comprising an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or its modified sequence and having a biotin-binding activity and replacement selected from the group consisting of: 1) replacement of the 36th serine residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with an amino acid residue that does not form a hydrogen bond; 2) replacement of the 80th tryptophan residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a hydrophilic amino acid residue; 3) replacement of the 116th aspartic acid residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with an amino acid residue that does not form a hydrogen bond; 4) replacement of the 46th proline residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a threonine, serine, or tyrosine residue and replacement of the 78th threonine residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with an amino acid residue that does not form a hydrogen bond; 5) replacement of the 46th proline residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a threonine, serine, or tyrosine residue and replacement of the 116th aspartic acid residue of SEQ ID NO: 2 with an amino acid that

Abstract: The present invention provides an extremely useful and novel ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase having an optimum reaction pH in a neutral to alkaline range, and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase having high productivity and/or high activity, and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention also provides a microorganism producing the sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting an antibody against a small protein encoded by the intermediate stage transcript of HHV-6 (SITH-1) in a biological sample. The method of the present invention comprises: 1) providing the SITH-1 protein; 2) binding the SITH-1 protein provided in step 1) to a carrier; and 3) contacting the biological sample with the SITH-1 protein-bound carrier prepared in step 2) to detect the SITH-1 protein antibody.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting a substance in a biological sample, a carrier for using in the method, and a kit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel ?-galactoside-?2,3-sialyltransferase and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention also provides a microorganism producing the sialyltransferase, as well as a method for producing the sialyltransferase using such a microorganism. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,3-sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a method for preparing a sialylsugar chain, which uses the sialyltransferase of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting a substance in a biological sample, a carrier for using in the method, and a kit.

Abstract: Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides and recombinant DNA constructs useful for conferring drought tolerance, compositions (such as plants or seeds) comprising these recombinant DNA constructs, and methods utilizing these recombinant DNA constructs. The recombinant DNA construct comprises a polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter that is functional in a plant, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a DTP21 polypeptide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a modified biotin-binding protein. The modified biotin-binding protein of the present invention includes an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, an amino acid sequence having one to several amino acid mutations in the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, or an amino acid sequence having 80% or more identity to the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2, and having a biotin-binding activity, wherein at least one residue selected from the group consisting of: 1) an arginine residue at position 104 of SEQ ID NO: 2; 2) a lysine residue at position 141 of SEQ ID NO: 2; 3) a lysine residue at position 26 of SEQ ID NO: 2; and 4) a lysine residue at position 73 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is replaced with an acidic amino acid residue or a neutral amino acid residue.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for selecting genomic DNA fragments which are useful for providing a plant with an agriculturally advantageous improvement. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of: 1) preparing genomic DNA from a plant, which is then cloned into a cloning vector to form a genomic DNA library; 2) introducing a genomic fragment from each of the genomic clones constituting the genomic DNA library separately into a plant to produce transgenic plants; 3) cultivating the transgenic plants or progeny thereof to select a plant exhibiting an agriculturally advantageous phenotypic variation; and 4) selecting the genomic DNA fragment, which was introduced in step (2) into the plant selected in step (3), as a purposed genomic DNA fragment.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel ?-galactoside-?2,3-sialyltransferase and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention also provides a microorganism producing the sialyltransferase, as well as a method for producing the sialyltransferase using such a microorganism. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,3-sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a method for preparing a sialylsugar chain, which uses the sialyltransferase of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase having high productivity and/or high activity, and a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase. The present invention also provides a microorganism producing the sialyltransferase. The present invention further provides a vector carrying a nucleic acid encoding the sialyltransferase, and a host cell transformed with the vector, as well as a method for producing a recombinant ?-galactoside-?2,6-sialyltransferase.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to search and identify novel antifungal proteins capable of inhibiting the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms including Magnaporthe grisea and Rhizoctonia solani causing two major rice diseases at relatively low concentrations, and further to clone a gene for said protein. The present invention provides an antifungal protein which can be obtained from fraction(s) precipitated by ammonium sulfate precipitation using an aqueous extract from Pleurotus cornucopiae, wherein said protein has an antifungal activity against at least rice blast, and exhibits existence of a component having a molecular weight of about 15 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE method; a gene encoding said protein and uses thereof.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to search and identify novel antifungal proteins capable of inhibiting the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms including Magnaporthe grisea and Rhizoctonia solani causing two major rice diseases at relatively low concentrations, and further to clone a gene for said protein. The present invention provides an antifungal protein which can be obtained from fraction(s) precipitated by ammonium sulfate precipitation using an aqueous extract from Pleurotus cornucopiae, wherein said protein has an antifungal activity against at least rice blast, and exhibits existence of a component having a molecular weight of about 15 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE method; a gene encoding said protein and uses thereof.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method that can increase readily a virus or viral vector concentration in a solution having a low concentration and a kit for performing the method. Conventional methods require complicated operations, expensive equipment, or highly trained experts for efficiently concentrating viruses from low-concentration virus solutions. The method of the present invention can concentrate viral vectors readily while maintaining infection abilities of the viral vectors, and thus it can be used as a safe and simple technique for concentrating a vector useful in the field of a genetic therapy or a vaccine therapy using a viral vector.