Provided herein are methods of diagnosing or monitoring the treatment of abnormal glycan accumulation or a disorder associated with abnormal glycan accumulation.

Provided herein are methods of diagnosing or monitoring the treatment of abnormal glycan accumulation or a disorder associated with abnormal glycan accumulation.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods and compositions for determining enzyme kinetic parameters (e.g., Vmax, Km, and specific activity, etc.) indicative of clinically relevant properties of glucocerebrosidase using a physiologically relevant substrate, in particular, a substrate that is representative of substrates that typically accumulate in patients suffering from Gaucher disease such as glucosylceramide. Thus, the present invention is particularly useful to measure a kinetic parameter relating to the activity of glucocerebrosidase in a drug substance, drug product, and stability sample for enzyme replacement therapy.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods and compositions for determining enzyme kinetic parameters (e.g., Vmax, Km, and specific activity, etc.) indicative of clinically relevant properties of glucocerebrosidase using a physiologically relevant substrate, in particular, a substrate that is representative of substrates that typically accumulate in patients suffering from Gaucher disease such as glucosylceramide. Thus, the present invention is particularly useful to measure a kinetic parameter relating to the activity of glucocerebrosidase in a drug substance, drug product, and stability sample for enzyme replacement therapy.

The present invention provides a novel nucleic acid molecule that can be used for detection of -amylase. The -amylase-binding nucleic acid molecule of the present invention is characterized in that it binds to -amylase with a dissociation constant of 17 nM or less, and preferably includes a polynucleotide consisting of any of base sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 22, for example. According to the nucleic acid molecule of the present invention, it is possible to detect -amylase in saliva.

The present invention provides a novel nucleic acid molecule that can be used for detection of -amylase. The -amylase-binding nucleic acid molecule of the present invention is characterized in that it binds to -amylase with a dissociation constant of 17 nM or less, and preferably includes a polynucleotide consisting of any of base sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 22, for example. According to the nucleic acid molecule of the present invention, it is possible to detect -amylase in saliva.

Lipogenic yeasts bioengineered to overexpress genes for lipid production, and methods of use thereof. The yeasts are modified to express, constitutively express, or overexpress an acetyl-CoA carboxylase, an alpha-amylase, an ATP citrate lyase, a diacylglycerol acyltransferase, a fatty acid synthase, a glycerol kinase, a 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a malic enzyme, a fatty acyl-CoA reductase, a delta-9 acyl-CoA desaturase, a glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, a lysophosphatidate acyltransferase, a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, a beta-glucosidase, a hexose transporter, a glycerol transporter, a glycoside hydrolase enzyme, an auxiliary activity family 9 enzyme, or combinations thereof. The yeasts in some cases are also modified to reduce or ablate activity of certain proteins. The methods include cultivating the yeast to convert low value soluble organic stillage byproducts into lipids suitable for biodiesel production and other higher value uses.

There is provided a method of analyzing a biological sample component that allows easy and accurate quantification and counting of any of a plasma component and a blood cell component in a trace and unknown amount of a whole blood sample collected from a finger, for example. The method of the present invention is a method of analyzing a biological sample component in a trace amount of blood, comprising analyzing a diluent buffer into which the blood has been mixed and an internal standard substance and/or an external standard substance contained in the diluent buffer, calculating a dilution ratio, and analyzing a biological component in a plasma or serum component in the blood.

There is provided a method of analyzing a biological sample component that allows easy and accurate quantification and counting of any of a plasma component and a blood cell component in a trace and unknown amount of a whole blood sample collected from a finger, for example. The method of the present invention is a method of analyzing a biological sample component in a trace amount of blood, comprising analyzing a diluent buffer into which the blood has been mixed and an internal standard substance and/or an external standard substance contained in the diluent buffer, calculating a dilution ratio, and analyzing a biological component in a plasma or serum component in the blood.

Methods are disclosed for distinguishing and identifying plants by measuring partial hydrolysis of polysaccharides on account of polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme activity at pre-determined incubation times and temperatures. Methods also are disclosed for identifying the source organism of a heterologous polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme in a plant by measuring partial hydrolysis of polysaccharides on account of polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme activity at pre-determined incubation times and temperatures. The reaction mixture has unique chemical and physical properties that can be used to construct viscosity curves for measuring polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme activity. The viscosity curves can be compared among plants to distinguish or identify the plants from one another. Likewise, viscosity curves can be compared among source organisms to identify the source organism of the heterologous polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzyme in the plant.