Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing carnitine comprising contacting, in a reaction medium, carnitinamide with (A) an amidase capable of hydrolyzing carnitinamide to form carnitine or (B) a microorganism containing said amidase, carnitinamide hydrolase and a method for producing same.

Abstract: A substantially dry, particulate polyacrylamide composition having reduced acrylamide monomer content is made by mixing amidase with coarse aqueous gel polymer particles, absorbing the amidase into the particles and subsequently drying the particles.

Abstract: Different from conventional uricase products, the uricase of the present invention has outstandingly high thermal stability and is active in a wide range of pH from 5 to 10 for the oxidative decomposition of uric acid undertaken in clinical analysis. The uricase of the invention is produced microbiologically by a thermophilic microorganism belonging to the genus of Bacillus and especially named as Bacillus sp. TB-90 which is a novel species distinguishable from any of the microorganisms belonging to the genus of Bacillus.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparation of L-.alpha.-amino acid and D-.alpha.-amino acid amide from DL-.alpha.-amino-acid amide by contacting the DL-.alpha.-amino acid amide in an aqueous solution with an .alpha.-amino acid amidase containing preparation obtained from a culture of Pseudomonas putida in the presence of traces of bivalent metal ions as activator, characterized in that the aqueous solution also contains a potassium salt selected from the group consisting of potassium sulphate and potassium chloride.The invention further relates to a process for the preparation of L-.alpha.-amino acid and D-.alpha.- amino acid amide starting from the corresponding aldehyde, potassium cyanide and ammoniumsulphate, subsequent treatment with a ketone and potassiumhydroxide and finally subjecting to enzymatic hydrolysis with a preparation obtained from Pseudomonas putida.

Abstract: A microbiologically produced .alpha.-acetylamino cinnamic acid acylase and a method for its production from Brevibacterium species NCIB 12246 or NCIB 12247. The new enzyme can be used as constituent of a coupled enzyme system for enzymatic conversions which run via the intermediary stage .alpha.-imino-.beta.-phenylpropionic acid or phenylpyruvic acid.

Abstract: A method is described for producing acrylamide from acrylonitrile by the action of a microorganism having nitrilase activity in an aqueous medium, which comprises conducting the reaction in the presence of an alkali metal sulfate at an ionic activity of from 0.004 to 0.01 mole per liter while controlling the pH of said aqueous medium within a range of from 7 to 9 with an alkali hydroxide.

Abstract: Process for preparing D-2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyramide and/or L-2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, wherein an aqueous solution of DL-2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyramide is contacted with a preparation containing an aminoacyl amidase which has been obtained from a culture of Mycobacterium neoaurum and in that subsequently D-2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyramide and/or L-2-amino-2,3-dimethyl-butyric acid is (are) recovered from the resulting hydrolysis mixture. The compound D-2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyramide is novel.

Abstract: A water-in-oil emulsion, the aqueous phase of which contains Amidase. An improved method of treating water-in-oil emulsions of acrylamide polymers with Amidase to reduce the acrylamide content thereof which comprises adding the Amidase in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion.

Abstract: A process for preparing a 7-aminocephalosporanic acid compound which comprises treating a cephalosporin C compound with an enzyme-producing microorganism belonging to the genus Pseudomonas or a material obtained by subjecting the microorganism to chemical and/or physical treatment. A direct hydrolysis of the cephalosporin C compound into the 7-aminocephalosporanic acid compound and D-.alpha.-aminoadipic acid can be attained by the microorganism or material.

Abstract: Different from conventional urease products, the urease of the present invention has excellent stability, and has a smaller Km value. The urease of this invention is produced microbiologically by a thermophilic microorganism belonging to the genus of Bacillus and especially named as Bacillus sp. TB-90 which is a novel species distinguishable from any of the microorganisms belonging to the genus of Bacillus.

Abstract: L-aminoacylases S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 derived from actinomycetes and having physicochemical characteristics such that it is a L-aminoacylase which acts on a N-acyl-L-amino acid to give a L-amino acid, its substrate profile is wide, and it acts not only on a N-acyl derivative of a natural L-amino acid, but also on a N-acyl derivative of a synthetic L-amino acid, while it does not act on a N-acyl-D-amino acid, a DL-N-acetyl-.alpha.methylbenzylamine and a N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, etc.

Abstract: A water-in-oil emulsion, the aqueous phase of which contains Amidase. An improved method of treating water-in-oil emulsions of acrylamide polymers with Amidase to reduce the acrylamide content thereof which comprises adding the Amidase in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion.

Abstract: Secretin, which cannot be prepared directly by genetic engineering because of its carboxylic acid carboxyl-terminus, can be obtained by preparing secretylglycine by genetic engineering and then obtaining secretin therefrom by enzymatic conversion of the terminal glycine radical. The gene for the secretylglycine is synthesized chemically from smaller single-stranded units which are linked enzymatically to give the complete gene, incorporated into a suitable vector and amplified therein, after which the peptide is isolated directly or as a fusion protein and, after cyanogen bromide cleavage, is converted enzymatically into secretin.

Abstract: Peptidyl-glycine .alpha.-amidating monooxygenase is an enzyme extractable from medullary thyroid carcinoma cell lines and tissue samples, having a molecular mass of about 60,000 to 65,000 daltons. It has been purified so as to exhibit a single, homogeneous, well-defined band using electrophoretic procedures performed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, and has a specific enzymatic activity of at least 50 mU per mg protein. The free or immobilized enzyme, in the presence of Cu.sup.+2 ions, ascorbate, and oxygen, can be used to prepare an .alpha.-amidated protein from a polypeptide substrate possessing a carboxyl-terminal glycine residue. The purified enzyme can be used as an antigen in order to produce enzyme-specific monoclonal antibodies, and can provide the information necessary to design and construct prokaryotes or other appropriate unicellular organisms or host cells isolated from multicellular organisms which possess peptidyl-glycine .alpha.-amidating capability.

Abstract: Process for the enzymatic hydrolysis of a D-.alpha.-amino-acid amide to the corresponding D-.alpha.-amino-acid, wherein an aqueous solution of the D-.alpha.-amino-acid amide is contacted with an aminoacylamidase-containing preparation obtained from a culture of Rhodococcus erythropolis or a mutant thereof and the D-.alpha.-amino-acid is subsequently recovered from the hydrolysate obtained.

Abstract: An improved method for reducing the acrylamide present water-in-oil emulsions of acrylamide polymers with amidase which comprises adding the amidase to the water-in-oil emulsion of the acrylamide polymer upon completion of its polymerization and then subjecting the thus treated water-in-oil emulsion to one or more of the following steps:(a) pH adjustment(b) heating(c) inert gas sparging(d) adding a chemical reducing agent.

Abstract: The invention describes a process for preparing peptides. More particularly, a process for preparing L-.alpha.-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 lower alkyl ester is described and claimed by enzymatic hydrolysis of a suitable N-acyl-derivative.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the determination of N-carbamoylsarcosine, wherein a sample solution containing N-carbamoylsarcosine is reacted with N-carbamoylsarcosine-amidohydrolase to give sarcosine, which is then determined.The present invention also provides the enzyme N-carbamoylsarcosine-amidohydrolase, a process for obtaining it and a reagent containing it.

Abstract: In a process for hydrating a nitrile having 2 to 4 carbon atoms by a microbiological treatment to convert the nitrile into the corresponding amide, it is possible to biologically prepare the corresponding amide effectively by utilizing a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas which is capable of hydrating the nitrile to convert the same into the corresponding amide. In particular, it is possible to obtain acrylamides which are highly useful polymers by the very simple and energy-saving process in accordance with the present invention.

Abstract: Aminoacylase is isolated from mammal kidneys by comminuting and homogenizing mammal kidney in water, centrifuging to form an aqueous extract, heating the aqueous extract at 60.degree. to 80.degree. C. for 5 to 15 minutes, centrifuging, adding a salt such as ammonium sulfate to the resultant supernatant, centrifuging to separate solids, dissolving the solids in water, dialyzing and recovering active aminoacylase from the dialyzed solution. The process produces aminoacylase with high specific activity and the process requires fewer purification steps. The aminoacylase obtained may be utilized directly without any subsequent purification to produce immonobilized aminoacylase. Immobilization can be carried out by covalent bonding of the aminoacylase to a partially hydrolyzed Akrilex P type acryl amide-N,N'-methylene-bis(arylamide) copolymer. The recovered aminoacylase can be subjected to two chromatographic purification steps to produce a very pure aminoacylase.

Abstract: A novel enzyme, amidohydrolase, having the ability to depantothenylate antibiotic OA-6129A represented by the following formula ##STR1## but no substantial ability to deacetylate antibiotic PS-5 represented by the following formula ##STR2##

Abstract: A process for the production of an aryl acylamidase enzyme involves culturing bacteria of one of the strains Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 39005 (or suitable mutants or variants thereof) or Pseudomonas putida ATCC 39004 (or suitable mutants or variants thereof) in a culture medium in which the bacterial strains produce aryl acylamidase and collecting the enzyme containing material, generally the cell material. Preferably the resulting cells are then disrupted, especially by enzymatic treatment, and the aryl acylamidase is separated from the other unwanted substances, generally the other cell constituents.Preferably the culture medium contains N-acylaniline, especially N-acetyl aniline. The N-acylaniline may form part of a complex or defined salts medium.

Abstract: In a method of preparing the enzyme, urease, from jack beans, wherein the jack beans are reduced to a fine particle size and the fine particles so reduced constitute urease, the fine jack-bean particles thereafter irradiated for a period of time, the irradiated jack beans then recovered and employed as a source of urease enzyme, the improvement which comprises: irradiating the whole jack beans prior to any size reduction of the seeds of the jack beans, to provide a urease derived from the white seeds of the irradiated whole jack beans having an improved activity level.

Abstract: This invention relates to two new antibiotics, desacetyl 890A.sub.1 and desacetyl 890A.sub.3, active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, which are produced by treating 890A.sub.1 and 890A.sub.3, respectively, with an N-acetylthienamycin amidohydrolase produced by a soil microorganism isolated by enrichment techniques. This invention also relates to the process whereby N-acetylated structures of the thienamycin class of antibiotics such as N-acetyl thienamycin can be enzymatically deacetylated.

Abstract: This invention relates to the new antibiotic, desacetyl 890A.sub.10, active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, which is produced by treating 890A.sub.10 with an N-acetyl-890A.sub.10 amidohydrolase produced by a soil microorganism isolated by enrichment techniques. This invention also relates to the process by which 890A.sub.10 is enzymatically deacetylated.