The present invention relates to a method for isolating caspofungin and to a novel crystalline form of caspofungin diacetate thus obtained.

A method for crystallizing insulin or insulin analogs under alkaline conditions and purifying the insulin or insulin analog crystals by filtering through a filter and drying the insulin or insulin analog crystals captured on the filter to produce crystalline insulin or insulin analog crystal compositions is described. In particular aspects, the method may be used to crystalize insulin glargine.

Precipitation promoters, which are an organic compound having one or more linear aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having not less than 10 carbon atoms, wherein the aliphatic hydrocarbon group has not less than 20 carbon atoms in total are useful for precipitating an organic compound protected by an organic group having one or more aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having not less than 10 carbon atoms from a solvent.

Compositions and methods for the isolation of protein-nucleic acid complexes and microvesicles (collectively referred to as “bioparticles”) released by mammalian cells into body fluids or cell culture media are provided. Isolated bioparticles of the invention contain biological molecules that are useful as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers or for identification of therapeutic targets (e.g., disease or disorder-associated miRNAs). The isolation of biological molecules as described herein results in purification and concentration of the molecules. Methods for producing bio fluids that are free of detectable bioparticles, that are largely depleted of bioparticles, or that possess a reduced concentration of bioparticles compared to a bio fluid starting material (collectively termed “bioparticle-depleted”) are also provided. Isolation of bioparticle-depleted biofluid is useful, e.g., in experimental systems where it is desirable to use a biofluid that does not contain endogenous bioparticles, or has been substantially depleted of endogenous bioparticles, from the source material.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new application of an optical vortex.

For the object, a method for producing crystalline amino acid comprises a step of irradiating a saturated solution of amino acid with optical vortex, and depositing crystalline amino acid in the saturated solution of amino acid.

In the method, it is desirable that the amino acid contains at least one of alanine, arginine, asparagine, asparagine acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamine acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine, and derivative of them.

The present invention provides a method for obtaining a specifically-shaped crystal (specifically, spherocrystal) of a compound with good reproducibility. This method for producing a specifically-shaped crystal (specifically spherocrystal) of a compound comprises: (1) a step for preparing a supersaturated solution of a compound having a degree of supersaturation equal to or higher than a critical degree of supersaturation; and (2) a step for precipitating a specifically-shaped crystal (specifically spherocrystal) of a compound from the supersaturated solution.

Fermentative production of L-lysine using an L-lysine excreting bacterium of the species Corynebacterium glutamicum having a completely or partly deleted whiB4 gene is provided.

Electromagnetic waves are uniformly distributed on the light-receiving surface side by taking advantage of their property of being easily concentrated in sharp parts, and the front area (S.sub.A) on the emission surface side is made larger than the back area (S.sub.B) on the light-receiving surface side (S.sub.A/S.sub.B>1), thereby forming a more moderate electric field region. A reduced gold fine particle group (average particle size: 20 nm) was self-assembled on a transparent polyester resin film and half-submerged and fixed. This base material was repeatedly immersed in an electroless gold plating solution so that gold particles were deposited on the gold fine particles. 10 microliters of a protein solution was added dropwise to this nanostructured substrate, and crystallized by a hanging drop vapor diffusion method.

The invention is a high-throughput voltage screening crystallographic device and methodology that uses multiple micro wells and electric circuits capable of assaying different crystallization condition for the same or different proteins of interest at the same of different voltages under a humidity and temperature controlled environment. The protein is solubilized in a lipid matrix similar to the lipid composition of the protein in the native environment to ensure stability of the protein during crystallization. The invention provides a system and method where the protein is transferred to a lipid matrix that holds a resting membrane potential, which reduces the degree of conformational freedom of the protein. The invention overcomes the majority of the difficulties associated with vapor diffusion techniques and essentially reconstitutes the protein in its native lipid environment under “cuasi” physiological conditions.

Fermentative production of L-lysine using an L-lysine excreting bacterium of the species Corynebacterium glutamicum having a completely or partly deleted whiB4 gene is provided.