Aspects of the present disclosure are drawn to methods of improving the expression of secreted cuproenzymes from host cells by manipulating the expression level of one or more proteins involved in copper transport in the host cell, e.g., membrane-bound copper transporting ATPases and soluble copper transporters. The present disclosure also provides compositions containing such improved host cells as well as products derived from the improved host cells that contain one or more cuproenzymes of interest.

Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and recombinant DNA constructs, suppression DNA constructs and CRISPR/Cas9 DNA constructs are provided. Compositions (such as plants or seeds) with modified expression or activity of the isolated polypeptides are obtained by transforming the regenerable plant cell with a suppression DNA construct or CRISPR/Cas construct. The plants with improving drought tolerance are obtained by decreasing the expression or activity of the isolated polynucleotide.

Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and recombinant DNA constructs, suppression DNA constructs and CRISPR/Cas9 DNA constructs are provided. Compositions (such as plants or seeds) with modified expression or activity of the isolated polypeptides are obtained by transforming the regenerable plant cell with a suppression DNA construct or CRISPR/Cas construct. The plants with improving drought tolerance are obtained by decreasing the expression or activity of the isolated polynucleotide.

Provided are: a method for stabilizing an ascorbic acid oxidase; a method for preserving an ascorbic acid oxidase; and a stabilized composition of an ascorbic acid oxidase. A method for stabilizing an ascorbic acid oxidase and a method for preserving an ascorbic acid oxidase, each of the methods comprising allowing an ascorbic acid oxidase to coexist with nitrous acid or a salt thereof, or a nitrous acid ester in an aqueous medium; and a stabilized composition of an ascorbic acid oxidase, which comprises an ascorbic acid oxidase being allowed to coexist with nitrous acid or a salt thereof, or a nitrous acid ester in an aqueous medium. The method for stabilizing an ascorbic acid oxidase, the method for preserving an ascorbic acid oxidase, and the stabilized composition of an ascorbic acid oxidase according to the present invention are useful for clinical diagnosis and the like.

A reagent composition for use as a first reagent composition in a method of quantifying a small dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) in a sample, the method including causing the first reagent composition to react to the sample, and after the causing the first reagent composition to react to the sample, causing a second reagent composition for quantifying the sdLDL-C to react, thereby quantifying cholesterol in a remaining lipoprotein, the reagent composition includes a nonionic surfactant and has cholesterol esterase activity, cholesterol oxidase activity, and sphingomyelinase activity, and a contact angle between the reagent composition and a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) base material is equal to or more than 63.0 and equal to or less than 67.0.

The present invention is directed to method of determining whether a subject is at risk of developing insulin resistance, particularly for advance alert of T2D and or CVD onset in obese and non-obese subject, by detecting the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) present in an urine sample (uBCAAs) of the subjects. The present invention also relates to a method for determining the need of a dietary/nutritional supplement for a subject involving said uBCAAs biomarkers. Finally, the invention is directed to kit comprising the biochemical network allowing the uBCAAs detection and process for the preparation of said biochemical networks as diagnostic biomarker.