On the Constituents of a Chinese Rose Oil

Improvements were found in the inosine productivity of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes KY 13714, which is an adenine leaky and 6-mercaptoguanine resistant mutant. A highly productive mutant, KY 13761, was selected after the addition of 6-methyIthiopurine resistance and guanine requiring character to KY 13714 and after repeating single colony isolation.

Culture conditions for the practical production of inosine were investigated using KY 13761. It was found that the concentrations of phosphate, magnesium, and adenine were important. Carbon sources and natural nutrients also showed profound effects on inosine accumulation. Especially, effective was the feeding of inverted molasses and urea for production of inosine. Under optimal conditions, 31 mg of inosine per ml was accumulated after 42 hr cultivation in a 5 liter jar fermenter at 32°C. A growth-associated type of accumulation was confirmed in inosine production with KY 13761.     

Mass Spectra of Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Foods

The absolute configurations of twelve α-aryl and α,β-diarylalkylamines were studied as N-acyl derivatives by circular dichroism (CD) measurements and by gas chromatography (GC).

The signs of Cotton effects for the S-configuration around 260 nm were positive and those around 210 nm were negative, although some exceptions were found due to the substituents on the benzene nuclei. In contrast, the GC behavior was considered less sensitive to the substituents on the benzene nuclei, and the elution orders were an R-before S-configuration consistently on a chiral OA-300 column. The absolute configurations of some amines were estimated in this study. GC as well as CD measurements could be a promising method for the assignment of the absolute configuration.     

玫瑰精油的提取和理化性质分析

采用水蒸汽蒸馏法从江西首次引种的大马士革玫瑰(Rose damascene Miller)花中提取获得精油,得率为0.023％.按照ISO 9842:2003玫瑰精油标准方法测定精油的物理指标和主要组分,结果表明:该精油为黄色液体,具有天然的玫瑰花香,其物理指标和特征组分的百分含量符合标准要求,且主要组分构成与标准中保加利亚玫瑰精油相似.气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)结合直观推导式演进特征投影法(HELP)分析江西大马士革玫瑰精油,共鉴定出73个组分,其中香质组分较为完整,高品质玫瑰精油的标识成分β-突厥烯酮也被检出.     

Metabolism of Sulfur Compounds in Bacillus subtilis during Sporulation

Metabolism of various sulfur compounds in Bacillus subtilis during growth and sporulation was investigated by use of tracer techniques, in an attempt to clarify the mechanism involved in the formation of cystine rich protein of the spore coat.

Methionine, homocysteine, cystathionine, cysteine and some inorganic sulfur compounds (sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate) were utilized by this organism as sulfur sources for its growth and sporulation. Biosynthesis of methionine from sulfate during growth was more or less inhibited by the addition of cysteine, homocysteine or cystathionine to the culture.

It is suggested from these results that in Bacillus subtilis methionine is synthesized from sulfate through cysteine, cystathionine and homocysteine as is the case in Salmonella or Neurospora. The results also suggest that the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids in Bacillus subtilis is strongly regulated by methionine and homocysteine.     

Oxidation of Inorganic Sulfur Compounds by Obligately Organotrophic Bacteria

New data obtained by the author and other researchers on two different groups of obligately heterotrophic bacteria capable of inorganic sulfur oxidation are reviewed. Among culturable marine and (halo)alkaliphilic heterotrophs oxidizing sulfur compounds (thiosulfate and, much less actively, elemental sulfur and sulfide) incompletely to tetrathionate, representatives of the gammaproteobacteria, especially from the Halomonas group, dominate. Some denitrifying species from this group are able to carry out anaerobic oxidation of thiosulfate and sulfide using nitrogen oxides as electron acceptors. Despite the low energy output of the reaction of thiosulfate oxidation to tetrathionate, it can be utilized for ATP synthesis by some tetrathionate-producing heterotrophs; however, this potential is not always realized during their growth. Another group of marine and (halo)alkaliphilic heterotrophic bacteria capable of complete oxidation of sulfur compounds to sulfate mostly includes representatives of the alphaproteobacteria which are most closely related to nonsulfur purple bacteria. They can oxidize sulfide (polysulfide), thiosulfate, and elemental sulfur via sulfite to sulfate but neither produce nor oxidize tetrathionate. All of the investigated sulfate-forming heterotrophic bacteria belong to lithoheterotrophs, being able to gain additional energy from the oxidation of sulfur compounds during heterotrophic growth on organic substrates. Some doubtful cases of heterotrophic sulfur oxidation described in the literature are also discussed.     

Studies on the Photolysis of Sulfur Containing Compounds in Foods

S-Alkyl-l-cysteines in aqueous solutions were exposed to sunlight in the absence and presence of riboflavin. Ammonia, carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde and alkyl mercaptans were detected in the solutions containing a small amount of riboflavin.     

Studies on the Photolysis of Sulfur Containing Compounds in Foods

The aqueous solutions of 2-alkyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids and mercaptals of l-cysteine were exposed to sunlight in the presence of a small amount of riboflavin. Hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide and carbonyl compounds were the photolysis products.

As for the carbonyl compounds, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were identified from thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and djenkolic acid, acetaldehyde from 2-methyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and l-cysteine-mercaptal of acetaldehyde, and acetaldehyde and n-butyraldehyde from 2-n-propyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and l-cysteine-mercaptal of n-butyraldehyde.     

Thermothrix thiopara: Growth and Metabolism of a Newly Isolated Thermophile Capable of Oxidizing Sulfur and Sulfur Compounds

Thermothrix thiopara is isolated from hot sulfur springs. It occurs in situ at a temperature of 72°C, a pH of 7.0, and an HS^- concentration of 17.4 μmol/liter (0.8 ppm). The organism was capable of autotrophic growth. Sulfite, sulfur, and polythionates were formed and subsequently degraded to sulfate during growth with thiosulfate as the sole energy source. Thiosulfate was oxidized by the polythionate pathway, and the stoichiometry of growth on thiosulfate was determined. The organism was also capable of heterotrophic growth in amino acids and simple sugars. A source of reduced sulfur (methionine, glutathione) was required for heterotrophic growth. Growth occurred aerobically or anaerobically with nitrate as a terminal oxidant. Both nitrous oxide and dinitrogen were produced. At 73°C the maximum autotrophic growth rate in batch culture using thiosulfate was 0.56 generation per h. Under the same conditions in continuous culture, washout occurred at a dilution rate of 0.3 to 0.4 per h, corresponding to a cellular growth rate of 0.43 to 0.58 generation per h. This was nearly three times the growth rate for Thiobacillus denitrificans. T. thiopara is gram negative. It was also found to be both lysozyme and penicillin susceptible. As a result, this organism cannot be considered an archaebacterium.     

Sulfur Compounds in RNA Fraction from Sporulating Cells of Bacillus subtilis

As we reported previously, in the sporulating cells of Bacillus subtilis about 20% of intracellular sulfur is found in the nucleic acid fraction. In the present work further characterization of sulfur compounds in this fraction was made using tracer technique and MAK column chromatography, and changes in pattern of the sulfur compounds during sporulation was observed.

It was found that the greater part of sulfur in the nucleic acid fraction was present as methionine and cysteine, which were associated with tRNA throughout the growth and sporulation. The amount of methionine as methionine tRNA was larger than that of cysteine as cysteine tRNA in the vegetative cells and vice versa in the sporulating cells.     

Thermophilic Biodesulfurization of Various Heterocyclic Sulfur Compounds and Crude Straight-Run Light Gas Oil Fraction by a Newly Isolated Strain Mycobacterium phlei WU-0103

Various heterocyclic sulfur compounds such as naphtho[2,1-b]thiophene (NTH) and benzo[b]thiophene (BTH) derivatives can be detected in diesel oil, in addition to dibenzothiophene (DBT) derivatives. Mycobacterium phlei WU-0103 was newly isolated as a bacterial strain capable of growing in a medium with NTH as the sulfur source at 50°C. M. phlei WU-0103 could degrade various heterocyclic sulfur compounds, not only NTH and its derivatives but also DBT, BTH, and their derivatives at 45°C. When M. phlei WU-0103 was cultivated with the heterocyclic sulfur compounds such as NTH, NTH 3,3-dioxide, DBT, BTH, and 4,6-dialkylDBTs as sulfur sources, monohydroxy compounds and sulfone compounds corresponding to starting heterocyclic sulfur compounds were detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis, suggesting the sulfur-specific desulfurization pathways for heterocyclic sulfur compounds. Moreover, total sulfur content in 12-fold-diluted crude straight-run light gas oil fraction was reduced from 1000 to 475 ppm S, with 52% reduction, by the biodesulfurization treatment at 45°C with growing cells of M. phlei WU-0103. Gas chromatography analysis with a flame photometric detector revealed that most of the resolvable peaks, such as those corresponding to alkylated derivatives of NTH, DBT, and BTH, disappeared after the biodesulfurization treatment. These results indicated that M. phlei WU-0103 may have a good potential as a biocatalyst for practical biodesulfurization of diesel oil.     

Reduction of Sulfur Compounds in the Sediments of a Eutrophic Lake Basin

Concentrations of various sulfur compounds (SO₄²⁻, H₂S, S⁰, acid-volatile sulfide, and total sulfur) were determined in the profundal sediments and overlying water column of a shallow eutrophic lake. Low concentrations of sulfate relative to those of acid-volatile sulfide and total sulfur and a decrease in total sulfur with sediment depth implied that the contribution of dissimilatory sulfur reduction to H₂S production was relatively minor. Addition of 1.0 mM Na₂³⁵SO₄ to upper sediments in laboratory experiments resulted in the production of H₂³⁵S with no apparent lag. Kinetic experiments with ³⁵S demonstrated an apparent K_m of 0.068 mmol of SO₄²⁻ reduced per liter of sediment per day, whereas tracer experiments with ³⁵S indicated an average turnover time of the sediment sulfate pool of 1.5 h. Total sulfate reduction in a sediment depth profile to 15 cm was 15.3 mmol of sulfate reduced per m² per day, which corresponds to a mineralization of 30% of the particulate organic matter entering the sediment. Reduction of ³⁵S⁰ occurred at a slower rate. These results demonstrated that high rates of sulfate reduction occur in these sediments despite low concentrations of oxidized inorganic compounds and that this reduction can be important in the anaerobic mineralization of organic carbon.     

Removal of Sulfur Compounds from Coal by the Thermophilic Organism Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

The thermophilic, reduced-sulfur, iron-oxidizing bacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius was used for the removal of sulfur compounds from coal. The inclusion of complex nutrients such as yeast extract and peptone, and chemical oxidizing agents, 0.01 M FeCl₃ into leaching medium, reduced the rate and the extent of sulfur removal from coal. The rate of sulfur removal by S. acidocaldarius was strongly dependent on the sulfur content of the coal and on the total external surface area of coal particles. Approximately 96% of inorganic sulfur was removed from a 5% slurry of coal which had an initial total sulfur content of 4% and an inorganic (pyritic S and sulfate) sulfur content of 2.1%. This resulted in removal of 50% of initial total sulfur present in coal.     

Promotion of Cocklebur Seed Germination by Allyl, Sulfur and Cyanogenic Compounds

The effects of allyl, sulfur and cyanogenic compounds on thegermination of upper cocklebur (Xanthium pennsylvanicum Wallr.)seeds were examined. Mercaptoethanol and methylmercaptan aswell as KCN, substrates for rßcyanoalanine synthase(CAS), and H₂S and thiocyanate, the products of the CAS catalyzingreaction, were effective in promoting germination, suggestingthe involvement of CAS in germination. Most of allyl compounds, especially allylthiourea, as well asethylene which activated CAS [Hasegawa et al. (1994) Physiol.Plant. 91: 141], promoted the germination in an abnormal typewhich occurred by the predominant growth of cotyledons as didC₂H₄ [Katoh and Esashi (1975) Plant Cell Physiol. 16: 687].However, they failed to activate CAS unlike ethylene, and toliberate free ethylene during an incubation period. It was thuspossible that an C₂H₄-like double bond within allyl compoundscan act to promote seed germination. (Received June 10, 1996; Accepted August 21, 1996)     

Isologous Oxygen,Sulfur, and Selenium Compounds as Probes of Acetylcholine Receptors

Evidence is presented that while the conformations of acetylcholine and acetylthiolcholine are different, acetylthiolcholine and acetylselenolcholine are structurally and conformationally very similar. Experiments with sulfur and selenium isologs of acetylcholine, choline, and local anesthetics suggest that the active sites of receptors of the electroplax and of electric eel acetylcholinesterase are different, but are compatible with the postulate that acetylcholine receptors of axonal and synaptic excitable membranes are similar.