[KETTLING, Ulrich, HESSE, Oliver, SCHOLZ, Peter, GRITZAN, Uwe, ZEIDLER, Georg, KALMBACH, Rolf, KOLTERMANN, André, HAUPTS, Ulrich, RARBACH, Markus, TEBBE, Jan, VOTSMEIER, Christian, SCHEIDIG, Andreas, COCO, Wayne M., DA SILVA, Antonio] Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;c/o Direvo Biotech AG Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln The present invention is directed to specific proteases, fragments and derivatives thereof that specifically inactivate tumour necrosis factor-alpha, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical and diag nostic compositions comprising such a protease. The proteases of the invention are useful for the treatment of clinical conditions resulting from the detrimental activity of tumour necrosis factor. The invention further relates to nucleotide sequences thereof encoding the protease, as well as vectors and hosts containing such sequences.

[LEUTHNER, Birgitta, KENSCH, Oliver, KOCH, Nadine, BEISTER, Ute, COCO, Wayne, SCHEIDIG, Andreas, RARBACH, Markus, KETTLING, Ulrich, HAUPTS, Ulrich] Nattermannallee 1 50829 Köln;Hauptstr. 116 40764 Langenfeld;Aschenputtelweg 5 50127 Bergheim;Königstrasse 39 50321 Brühl;Bismarckstrasse 61 70197 Stuttgart;Johannes-Dech-Str. 36 50737 Köln;Leostr. 62 50823 Köln;Sylvensteinstrasse 10 81369 München;Wilhelm-Leibl-Str. 8 50259 Pulheim;Dhünner Aue 35 51519 Odenthal The present invention provides an insertion, deletion and/or substitution mutein of wild-type Trichoderma reesei -mannanase having enhanced thermostability, proteolytic stability, specific activity and/or stability at low pH, a nucleic acid molecule encoding said mannanase mutein, a composition comprising said mannanase mutein; a method for its prepation, and its use for food and feed processing, for coffee extraction and the processing of coffee waste, as a supplement to food and feed, for enzyme aided bleaching of paper pulps, as bleaching and/or desizing agent in textile industry, for oil and gas well stimulation by hydraulic fracturing, as detergent, for removal of biofilms and in delivery systems, or for the processing of renewable resources intended for the production of biological fuels.

[KOHL, Andreas, UNTERSTRASSER, Isabel, RARBACH, Markus, KOLTERMANN, Andre, REISINGER, Christoph, BRÜCK, Thomas, KETTLING, Ulrich, HREGGVIDSSON, Gudmundur Oli, FRIDJONSSON, Olafur Hedinn] Lenbachplatz 6 80333 München;Klingerstrasse 14 81369 München;Thomas-Schuster-Str. 5 83253 Rimsting;Sylvensteinstrasse 10 81369 München;Wenzberg 6 82057 Icking;Fürstenackerstr. 38 81477 München;Hacker Str. 6 82067 Ebenhausen;c/o Staffelseestraße 6 81477 München;Thorsgata 17 IS-101 Reykjavik;Storagerdi 34 IS-108 Reykjavik The present invention relates to polypeptides having xylanase activity and nucleic acid sequences encoding such polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid constructs as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides. One specific application of the xylanase is the selective hydrolysis of pentose sugar components of hemicelluiose-containing plant biomass. The nucleotide sequence may be used for the production of the xylanase or optimized mutants thereof.

[Andre Koltermann, Ulrich Kettling, Thomas Bruck, Markus Rarbach] DE Icking The invention concerns a method for the enzymatic treatment of raw polymeric feedstock comprising the following steps: (a) preferably separation of soluble components from the raw polymeric feedstock, (b) treating the raw polymeric feedstock with an enzyme system in order to liberate defined soluble monomeric or oligomeric building blocks from the insoluble raw polymeric feedstock; and (c) separating the defined monomeric or oligomeric building blocks produced in step b) from the remainder of the raw polymeric feedstock. Preferably, the enzyme system used in step b) contains not more than 50%, preferably not more than 20%, more preferably not more than 10%, more preferably not more than 5%, more preferably not more than 2%, more preferably not more than 1% of other enzyme activities apart from the enzyme activity resulting in liberation of said defined monomeric or oligomeric building blocks from the raw polymeric feedstock according to step b). Further aspects of the invention concern the use of “less pure” and thus less costly enzyme systems in subsequent enzymatic treatment steps and methods for determining the optimum sequence of enzymatic treatment steps by analysis of the raw polymeric feedstock used.

[Markus Rarbach, Ulrich Kettling, Jens Stephan, Andre Koltermann] DE Koln The invention relates to microstructures and the use thereof for the directed evolution of biomolecules.

[KOLTERMANN, Andre, RARBACH, Markus, BRÜCK, Thomas, GERLACH, Jochen, UNTERSTRAßER, Isabel, KOHL, Andreas, DRAGOVIC, Zdravko, KETTLING, Ulrich] Lenbachplatz 6 80333 München;Mittenwalder Str. 4 82057 Icking;c/o Süd-Chemie AG Staffelseestraße 6 81477 München;Hacker Str. 6 82067 Ebenhausen;Agnes-Bernauerstr. 123 80687 München;Thomas-Schuster-Str. 5 83253 Rimsting;Klingerstr. 14 81369 München;Gräfelfingerstr. 72 81375 München;c/o Süd-Chemie AG Staffelseestraße 6 81477 München The invention is directed to a liquefied sugar beet and/or sugar cane biomass material as well as production methods and uses thereof. The liquefied biomass is storage stable and can be used for the production of a product resulting from fermentation.

[KOLTERMANN, Andre, KETTLING, Ulrich, BRÜCK, Thomas, RARBACH, Markus] Lenbachplatz 6 80333 München;Mittenwalder Str. 4 82057 Icking;Wormser Str. 1 80797 München;Hacker Str. 6 82067 Ebenhausen;Sylvensteinstrasse 10 81369 München The invention concerns a method for the enzymatic treatment of raw polymeric feedstock comprising the following steps: (a) preferably separation of soluble components from the raw polymeric feedstock, (b) treating the raw polymeric feedstock with an enzyme system in order to liberate defined soluble monomeric or oligomeric building blocks from the insoluble raw polymeric feedstock; and (c) separating the defined monomeric or oligomeric building blocks produced in step b) from the remainder of the raw polymeric feedstock. Preferably, the enzyme system used in step b) contains not more than 50%, preferably not more than 20%, more preferably not more than 10%, more preferably not more than 5%, more preferably not more than 2%, more preferably not more than 1 % of other enzyme activities apart from the enzyme activity resulting in liberation of said defined monomeric or oligomeric building blocks from the raw polymeric feedstock according to step b). Further aspects of the invention concern the use of 'less pure' and thus less costly enzyme systems in subsequent enzymatic treatment steps and methods for determining the optimum sequence of enzymatic treatment steps by analysis of the raw polymeric feedstock used.

[Andreas Kohl, Isabel Unterstrasser, Markus Rarbach, Andre Koltermann, Christoph Reisinger, Thomas Brück, Ulrich Kettling, Gudmundur O. Hreggvidsson, Olafur H. Fridjonsson] DE München The present invention relates to polypeptides having xylanase activity and nucleic acid sequences encoding such polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid constructs as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides. One specific application of the xylanase is the selective hydrolysis of pentose sugar components of hemicellulose-containing plant biomass. The nucleotide sequence may be used for the production of the xylanase or optimized mutants thereof.

[KETTLING, Ulrich, REISINGER, Christoph, BRÜCK, Thomas, KOLTERMANN, Andre, GERLACH, Jochen, UNTERSTRASSER, Isabel, RÖCHER, Lutz, RARBACH, Markus, CLAREN, Jörg, KOHL, Andreas, PIECK, Jan Carsten, SCHLOSSER, Dominik] Lenbachplatz 6 80333 München;c/o Süd-Chemie AG Staffelseestraße 6 81477 München;Fürstenackerstrasse 38 81477 München;Hackerstr. 6 82067 Ebenhausen;Mittenwalder Str. 4 82057 Icking;Agnes-Bernauer-Str. 123 80687 München;Thomas-Schuster-Str. 5 83253 Rimsting;Welfenstr. 15 81541 München;Sylvensteinstr. 10 81369 München;Füssener Str. 18 81476 München;Klingerstr. 14 81369 München;Aindorferstr. 80 80689 München;Hofmannstr. 43 81379 München The invention discloses cellulase enzymes with optimized properties for processing of cellulose- and lignocellulose-containing substrates. In particular, cellobiohydrolase enzymes with preferred characteristics are disclosed. The present invention provides fusion, insertion, deletion and/or substitution variants of such enzymes. Enzyme variants have enhanced thermostability, proteolytic stability, specific activity and/or stability at extreme pH. Nucleic acid molecules encoding said enzymes, a composition comprising said enzymes, a method for preparation, and the use for cellulose processing and/or for the production of biofuels are disclosed.

[Andre Koltermann, Markus Rarbach, Thomas Bruck, Jochen Gerlach, Isabel Unterstrasser, Andreas Kohl, Zdravko Dragovic, Ulrich Kettling] DE Icking The invention is directed to a liquefied sugar beet and/or sugar cane biomass material as well as production methods and uses thereof. The liquefied biomass is storage stable and can be used for the production of a product resulting from fermentation.