Disclosed is a mussel adhesive protein including at least one photocaged 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine derivative residue including a protecting group on at least one hydroxyl residue of its catechol moiety. The photocaged 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine derivative residue replaces a naturally occurring amino acid and the protecting group can be cleaved from the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine derivative residue by irradiation with UV light.

Disclosed is a method for extracting useful substances from shrimp shells. The method comprises: crushing the shrimp shells, mixing the crushed shrimp shells and water, then heating same to 28° C.-35° C., adjusting the pH value to 6.8-7.5, preferably 6.8-7, then adding an alkaline protease and mixing same, heating same to 42° C.-48° C., performing constant-temperature enzymolysis for 50-70 min, and performing sieving to obtain an enzymatic hydrolysate and solid residues; performing centrifugal separation treatment on the enzymatic hydrolysate to obtain a shrimp protein deposit containing astaxanthin; mixing the shrimp protein deposit and water, performing heating while stirring, adjusting the pH value to 6.8-7.0, performing heating to 58° C.-60° C., adding vegetable oil, and performing emulsification for 50-70 min under stirring to obtain an emulsion; and performing centrifugation on the emulsion, and performing delamination to obtain astaxanthin-containing oil in an upper layer, water in a middle layer, and a shrimp protein in a lower layer. The method of the present invention uses waste biomass obtained after shrimps processed as a raw material, and can simultaneously extract several high-value substances, thereby not only improving the utilization rate of the raw material, but also shortening the production cycle; and no organic solvent is added, such that the method is clean, green and environmentally friendly.

This invention provides a nucleic acid that enables evaluation of various endocrine disrupting actions of a very small amount of endocrine disrupting chemicals with high sensitivity. Such nucleic acid comprises a total of 20 to 60 nucleotides comprising the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 and shows excellent responsiveness to various endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Proteins derived from secretory/excretory products of Lepeophtheirus salmonis, including recombinant proteins, DNA encoding the proteins, vaccines and antigens comprising the proteins or the DNA, and uses thereof for the prevention or treatment of sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis or Caligus rogercresseyi) in fish, and related methods of treatment.

Provided herein are agents, compositions, and methods useful for animal health, e.g., for altering the level, activity, or metabolism of one or more microorganisms resident in a host insect (e.g., arthropod, e.g., insect, e.g., pathogen vector), the alteration resulting in a decrease in the fitness of the host. The invention features a composition that includes an agent (e.g., phage, peptide, small molecule, antibiotic, or combinations thereof) that can alter the host's microbiota in a manner that is detrimental to the host. By disrupting microbial levels, microbial activity, microbial metabolism, or microbial diversity, the agents described herein may be used to decrease the fitness of a variety of insects that carry vector-borne pathogens that cause disease in animals.

A highly-sensitive-allergen-measurement method is provided. A method for detecting an allergen in a sample comprises treating the sample with a protease, and detecting the presence or absence of an allergen-derived polypeptide in the enzymatically treated sample by a chromatographic separation analysis, wherein the allergen is one or more members selected from the group consisting of buckwheat, crustacean, milk, egg and peanut.

The present invention relates to a targeting-type capsule for drug delivery systems. The present invention addresses the problem of providing a capsule for drug delivery systems by utilizing the reactivity of a thiol with an alkyl halide, wherein the capsule comprises a silole-containing carbosilane dendrimer and a labeling protein containing a target recognition site (e.g., green fluorescent protein), can include a biological polymer or another molecule therein, and can deliver the biological polymer or the like selectively into a target cell.

The β-glucan-binding protein contains an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1.

The present invention relates to insulin analogs, particularly insulin analogs having shortened B chains. The present invention also relates to the crystal structure of insulin from the venom of cone snails and to methods of using the crystal and related structural information to screen for and design insulin analogs that interact with or modulate the insulin receptor. The present invention also relates to therapeutic and prophylactic methods using insulin analogs.

Agents which inhibit Gads dimerization are provided. Accordingly there is provided an agent which inhibits Gads (SEQ ID NO: 1) dimerization, the agent interacting with a pharmacophore binding site comprising an amino acid selected from the group consisting of F55, P56, W58, F59, E61, G62, A84-F92, V107-N111, Y115, F116, L125 and N126 of SEQ ID NO: 1. Also provided an agent which inhibits Gads (SEQ ID NO: 1) dimerization, the agent interacting with a pharmacophore binding site comprising an amino acid sequence of an SH3 domain of SEQ ID NO: 1. Also provided are methods of inhibiting activation of a T cell and/or a mast cell and methods of treating or preventing a disease associated with activation of T cells or an allergic response.