Microbial Oxidation of Cephalosporins to Cephalosporin Sulfoxides

The highest inhibition rate of conidial germination of Pyricularia oryzae was shown by extracts of rice plant leaves inoculated by a pathogen after treatment with probenazole, a rice blast controlling agent. Four anti-conidial germination substances were isolated from these extracts. Substances A, C and D inhibited the germination of the conidia at concentrations between 100 and 200 mcg/ml, and substance B caused morphological changes in the germination tubes of the conidia with a little inhibition of germination. These substances were differentiated from momilactone A, B and the degraded or metabolized products of probenazole. Besides anti-conidial germination activity, they showed antimicrobial activities against several kinds of phytopathogenic bacteria of fungi on agar plates by diffusion method.     

Preparation and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Maltosyl-α-cyclodextrin

Maltosyl-α-cyclodextrin (6-α-maltosylcyclomaltohexaose, M-CD) was prepared from maltose and α-cyclodextrin by the reverse action of Bacillus pullulanase, and the action of α-amylases on this dextrin was examined. Among α-amylases tested, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris α-amylase (TVA) and Taka-amylase A (TAA) were found to attack the M-CD. Their action pattern on M-CD was studied. These α-amylases cleaved, first the cyclodextrin ring of M-CD, and the branched octasaccharides formed were immediately degraded to form glucose, branched tetraose, or pentaose, though the action pattern was different for TVA and TAA. In addition, TAA also split M-CD into glucose and glucosyl-α-cyclodextrin. Fission products at various stages of the reaction were separated and analyzed by paper chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, their structures were analyzed, and the degradation pattern of M-CD was found.     

Purification and Some Properties of β-Xylosidase from Emericella nidulans

β-Xylosidase was purified 662 fold from a culture filtrate by ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Biogel P-100, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. With isoelectric focusing, the purified β-xylosidase found to be homogeneous on SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated by gel filtration to be 240,000, and 116,000 by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified β-xylosidase had an isoelectric point at pH 3.25, and contained 4% carbohydrate residue. The optimum pH was found to be in the range of 4.5 ~ 5, and the optimum temperature was 55°C. The enzyme activity was inhibited by Hg^{2 +}, SDS, and N-bromosuccinimide at a concentration of 1 × 10^?3 m, and also p-chloromercuribenzoate at a concentration of 1 × 10^?4m. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed phenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 302.6 sec^?1),β-nitrophenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 438.9 sec^?1), o-nitrophenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 431.0 sec^?1), p-chlorophenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 207.9 sec^?1), o-chlorophenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 211.8 sec^?1), β-methylphenyl β-d-xyloside k_o = 96.5 sec^?1), o-methylphenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 83.1 sec^?1), p-methoxyphenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o = 99.3 sec^?1), o-methoxyphenyl β-d-xyloside (k_o= 100.0 sec^?1), xylobiose (k_o = 992A sec^?1), xylotriose (k_o = 1321.9 sec^?1), xylotetraose (k_o = 7S9.1 sec^?1) and xylopentaose (k_o = 508.0 sec^?1). On enzymic hydrolysis of phenyl β-d-xyloside, the reaction product was found to be β-d-xylose with retention of the configuration. The purified β-xylosidase was practically free of a-xylosidase and β-glucosidase activities.     

Extracellular Accumulation of Phospholipids,UDP-N-Acetylhexosamine Derivatives and L-Glutamic Acid by Penicillin-treated Corynebacterium alkanolyticum

The addition of penicillin to cells of Corynebacterium alkanolyticum No. 314 growing on n-paraffins medium caused the simultaneous excretion of phospholipids, UDP-N-acetylhexosamine derivatives and L-glutamic acid.

Among many antibiotics which inhibit cell wall synthesis, only the inhibitors of peptideglycan transpeptidase such as penicillin G and cephaloridine were effective for inducing the excretion of phospholipids, UDP-N-acetylhexosamine derivatives and L-glutamic acid, while the others promoted only the excretion of UDP-N-acetylhexosamine derivatives.

From the close relationship between the excretion of L-glutamic acid and the excretion of phospholipids, it was suggested that the action of penicillins and cephalosporins on the cell membrane resulted in the excretion of L-glutamic acid.     

Comparison of Extracellular Polysaccharide Produced by Pullularia pullulans with Polysaccharides in the Cells and Cell Wall

The purified swep hydrolase appeared homogeneous on SDS disc electrophoresis, and the molecular weights of the enzyme and the subunit were 280,000 and 70,000, respectively. The isoelectric point of this enzyme was pH 4.8.     

Structural Uniformity of Pullulan Produced by Several Strains of Pullularia pullulans

Extracellular polysaccharides produced by 3 strains of Pullularia pullulans were fractionated by treating with cetyl trimethyl ammonium hydroxide into soluble and insoluble fractions, and the structure of the former fraction, i.e., pullulan, was studied. The yield and the ratio of 2 fractions varied widely according to the strains. But the structure of pullulan was found to be uniform irrespective of the strains used. All 3 samples of pullulan gave only glucose on complete acid hydrolysis, and 93~95% maltotriose and 5~7% maltotetraose after isoamylase (pullulanase) action. The ratio of α-1,4- to α-1,6-glucosidic linkages calculated from periodate oxidation data coincided very well with the value expected from the ratio of maltotriose to maltotetraose units. An evidence for the complete absence of branch structure in pullulan was presented from the results of hydrolysis by pullulan 4-glucanohydrolase.     

A passive integrated transponder tag implanted by a new alternative surgical method: effects on the oriental weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) and application in a small irrigation system

We validated the effects of a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging process on the oriental weather loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the effects of PIT tagging on fish survival, growth, wound healing, and tag omission. Two tagging protocols, standard syringe injection versus insertion through a small hole pierced by a fine needle-shaped awl, were compared using a 12.5 × 2.07 mm² tag. A control group was also included. In comparison with the awl technique, syringe injection heightened the mortality of the loach and delayed healing of the wound caused by tag insertion. No effects of either PIT tagging method were detected on the growth of surviving loach. We also field-tested similarly tagged populations within a river-based irrigation system of Sado Island, Japan. Two different sized tags (long, 12.5 × 2.07 mm²; short, 8.5 × 2.12 mm²) were compared by using antenna loggers which detected fish movement through gates and automatically logged tagged fish’s tag IDs and timestamps. By comparing logged data and actual fish collection surveys both below and above the gates, 77% and 30% of actual loach movements were confirmed to have been successfully logged for the long and short tags, respectively. The awl insertion technique with the longer tag is therefore recommended for use in similar studies of smaller fish species.     

Compilation of Japanese fisheries statistics for the Japanese eel, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla japonica</Emphasis>, since 1894: a historical dataset for stock assessment

Fishery sustainability and the extinction risk of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, are of global concern. The landings of the Japanese eel in Japan comprise a large part of the landings in East Asia. This study provides a compiled dataset of the annual fisheries statistics of the Japanese eel in Japan for stock assessment. The Japanese government has been recording Japanese eel statistics annually since 1984 in five series of annual reports by conducting systematic questionnaire surveys of fisheries managers and associations; however, most of these data are stored in analog format. The key variables in the dataset include the harvest weight of eels, the harvest weight and number of seeds for aquaculture, the number of eels stocked, and the number of management entities engaged in the eel fishery. The levels of spatial aggregation of the variables include the site (river and lake), prefecture, inland and coastal waters, and total in Japan. We also incorporated location data (latitude and longitude) of the site and prefecture into the dataset. Eel harvest includes primarily yellow eels (late juvenile stage) and silver eels (mature stage). Seed harvest in inland waters includes glass eels (intermediate stage between leptocephalus and elver) and elvers (early juvenile stage). Seed harvest from coastal waters comprises glass eels. This dataset provides information to assess long-term trends in the Japanese eel population.