This invention provides a novel protein deamidating enzyme. This protein deamidating enzyme includes a polypeptide containing an amino acid sequence shown in any of sequence numbers 1-11, or a subsequence thereof (the amino acid sequence of positions 338-515 in sequence number 1, positions 381-564 in sequence number 2, positions 122-309 in sequence number 4, positions 1-146 in sequence number 5, positions 19-235 in sequence number 6, positions 19-205 in sequence number 6, positions 10-303 in sequence number 7, positions 10-186 in sequence number 7, positions 162-426 in sequence number 9, or positions 162-341 in sequence number 9), a polypeptide which contains an amino acid sequence obtained by substituting, adding, inserting, or deleting one or multiple amino acids in the amino acid sequence in any of sequence numbers 1-11 or a subsequence thereof, and which has protein glutaminase activity, or a polypeptide which contains an amino acid sequence that has a 70% or higher sequence identity with an amino acid sequence shown in any of sequence number 1-11, or a subsequence thereof, and that has protein glutaminase activity.

The present disclosure provides novel endophyte strains or cultures thereof that have a symbiotic relationship with plants. The present disclosure further provides methods of improving seed vitality, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, plant health and yield under both stressed and unstressed environmental conditions, comprising inoculating a seed with the novel endophyte strains and cultivating a plant therefrom.

The process of making a biocomposite material utilize a bacterial species and a fungal species in an agricultural feedstock composed of a substrate of non-nutrient discrete particles and a nutrient material wherein the bacterial species imparts mechanical properties to the biocomposite material and the fungal species binds the biocomposite material. Both bacterium and fungus can be genetically engineered to produce desired properties within the microbial communities.

The present invention relates to a bacterial strain, Streptomyces psammoticus OMK-4, and a method for vanillin production by fermentation of the bacterial strain. The method of the fermentation includes the following steps: activating the strain, culturing the seed, fermenting, extracting and so on. This method using ferulic acid as one of the raw materials to produce vanillin through microbial fermentation is safe and environmentally friendly.

Plant parasitic nematode can infect crops and causes significant economic losses in agriculture. We developed methods and compositions comprising (a) an inoculant comprising Streptomyces lydicus, and (b) a chemical component comprising a 3,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-oxadiazole or a salt thereof, to reduce an effect of a plant parasitic nematode population on a plant or seed in soil.

The present invention relates to a recombinant microorganism expressing avermectin or analogs thereof and construction method thereof, and also relates to a method of producing avermectin or analogs thereof using the recombinant microorganism, and avermectin or analogs thereof obtained using the method. In addition, the present invention further relates to uses of the avermectin or analogs thereof as insecticides. Using the recombinant microorganism of the present invention to produce avermectin or analogs thereof has numerous advantages, for example comprising at least one of the following: good stability, high yield, simple process, environmentally friendly, and greatly saving of production costs.

Provided are: a method for producing a mycrosporine-like amino acid (MAA) that includes a step in which microbes are cultivated that produce MAA on the outside of bacterial cells, a step in which the bacterial cells and extracellular culture fluid are separated, and a step in which the MAA is recovered from the extracellular culture fluid; an MAA indicated by formula (1), an MAA produced using this method, or an ultraviolet-absorbing composition including the MAA indicated by formula (1); and a composition including the MAA produced using this method or the MAA indicated by formula (1), for preventing at least one symptom or disease selected from a group comprising acute skin reactions, aging of the skin, and skin cancer. ##STR00001##

A fermentation process is provided for the synthesis of Nigericin from Streptomyces sp. having accession number MCC 0151 and its isolation with high yield. A microbial inoculant composition is provided, comprising a biologically pure culture of Streptomyces sp. MCC 0151 for the exclusive production of Nigericin with high yield.

Compositions and methods for controlling a plant pest or for treating or preventing plant disease are provided. Such compositions and methods comprise a bacterial strain that controls one or more plant pests or that improves at least one agronomic trait of interest in a plant. The bacterial strain can be used as an inoculant for plants. Methods for controlling a plant pest, for growing a plant susceptible to a plant disease, and for controlling plant disease on a plant susceptible to the plant disease are provided. Methods for improving at least one agronomic trait of interest in a plant are also provided.

Disclosed herein are additives and additive blends, capable of enhancing the pesticidal effectiveness of pesticidal microorganisms, spraying liquids including such additives and additive blends and methods to protect plants or plant parts from fungal or bacterial attack using such spraying liquids.