A microbiological process for the preparation of amides from the corresponding nitriles by enzymatic hydrolysis with nitrile hydratase enzyme from a bacterial strain of Rhodococcus biphenylivorans species is described.

Hopanoids, hopanoids-producing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and related formulations, systems and methods are described herein. In particular, hopanoids alone or in combination with hopanoid-producing nitrogen-fixing bacteria can be used as biofertilizer to stimulate plant growth and yield with enhanced tolerance to diverse stresses found in plant-microbe symbiotic microenvironments.

The present invention relates to a method for producing an amide compound from a nitrile compound in the presence of a biocatalyst having nitrile hydratase activity, wherein the amide compound is efficiently produced by suppressing a deactivation of the biocatalyst, and improving the rate of conversion reaction from the nitrile compound to the amide compound.

A mutant nitrile hydratase that is derived from Pseudonocardia thermophila and has an subunit and a subunit, wherein a specific amino acid residue has been substituted for the amino acid residue in at least one position selected from the group consisting of the 40th and 43rd residues from the N terminal of the subunit, and the 205th, 206th, and 215th residues from the N terminal of the subunit.

Provided is an improved nitrile hydratase with improved catalytic activity. Also provided are DNA for coding the improved nitrile hydratase, a recombinant vector that contains the DNA, a transformant that contains the recombinant vector, nitrile hydratase acquired from a culture of the transformant, and a method for producing the nitrile hydratase. Also provided is a method for producing an amide compound that uses the culture or a processed product of the culture. The improved nitrile hydratase contains an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 50 (GX.sub.1X.sub.2X.sub.3X.sub.4DX.sub.5X.sub.6R) in a beta subunit, and is characterized in that X.sub.4 is an amino acid selected from a group comprising cysteine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, asparagine, proline, glutamine, serine and threonine.

A method for preparing an aqueous polyacrylamide solution is disclosed. The method comprises:hydrating acrylonitrile in water in presence of a biocatalyst capable of converting acrylonitrile to acrylamide so as to obtain an acrylamide solution,directly polymerizing the acrylamide solution so as to obtain a polyacrylamide gel, anddirectly dissolving the polyacrylamide gel by addition of water so as to obtain an aqueous polyacrylamide solution.

Provided are methods and compositions for inhibiting seed germination. The methods comprise exposing a seed to a composition comprising one or more enzymes, one or more bacteria, and/or an enzymatic extract, wherein the one or more enzymes, one or more bacteria, and/or the enzymatic extract isolated from one or more bacteria are exposed to seed in a quantity sufficient to inhibit seed germination.

A bacterial strain of Rhodococcus biphenylivorans named Palladio 22 and registered at the BCCM-LMG Bacteria Collection under registration number LMG P-29520. A method is provided for the production of acrylamide following hydration of acrylonitrile using a biomass of the bacterial strain.

Hopanoids, hopanoids-producing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and related formulations, systems and methods are described herein. In particular, hopanoids alone or in combination with hopanoid-producing nitrogen-fixing bacteria can be used as biofertilizer to stimulate plant growth and yield with enhanced tolerance to diverse stresses found in plant-microbe symbiotic microenvironments.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a polyacrylamide solution having increased viscosity. In particular, the present invention is related to the separation of a biocatalyst from an aqueous acrylamide solution prepared utilizing the biocatalyst prior to polymerization of the aqueous acrylamide solution to polyacrylamide. A polyacrylamide solution having in creased viscosity is well suited to be used in tertiary oil recovery. Accordingly, the present application provides means and methods to crucially improve the quality of polyacrylamide solutions for use in tertiary oil recovery.