Tridec-1-ene-3,5,7,9,11-pentayne,an Ovicidal Substance from Xanthium canadense

Pyridoxamine (pyridoxine) 5′-phosphate oxidase (EC. 1.4.3.5) has been purified from dry baker’s yeast to an apparent homogeneity on a polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis in the presence of 10 µm of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride throughout purification.

1) The purified enzyme, obtained as holo-flavoprotein, has a specific activity of 27µmol/mg/hr for pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate at 37°C, and a ratio of pyridoxine 5′-phosphate oxidase to pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate oxidase is approximately 0.25 at a substrate concentration of 285 µm. Km values for both substrates are 18 µm for pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate and 2.7 µm for pyridoxine 5′-phosphate, respectively.

2) The enzyme can easily oxidize pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate, but when pyridoxamine and pyridoxine 5′-phosphate are coexisted in a reaction mixture the enzyme activity is markedly suppressed much beyond the values expected from its high affinity (low Km) and low V_max for the latter substrate.

3) Optimum temperature for both substrates is approximately 45°C, and optimum pH is near 9 for pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate and 8 for pyridoxine 5′-phosphate.

4) From the data obtained, the mechanism of regulation of this enzyme in production of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate and a reasonable substrate for the enzyme in vivo are discussed.     

Preparation of Enzymes Required for Enzymatic Quantification of 5-Keto-D-gluconate and 2-Keto-D-gluconate

For easy measurement of 5-keto D-gluconate (5KGA) and 2-keto D-gluconate (2KGA), two enzymes, 5KGA reductase (5KGR) and 2KGA reductase (2KGR) are useful. The gene for 5KGR has been reported, and a corresponding gene was found in the genome of Gluconobacter oxydans 621H and was identified as GOX2187. On the other hand, the gene for 2KGR was identified in this study as GOX0417 from the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the partially purified enzyme. Several plasmids were constructed to express GOX2187 and GOX0417, and the final constructed plasmids showed good expression of 5KGR and 2KGR in Escherichia coli. From the two E. coli transformants, large amounts of each enzyme were easily prepared after one column chromatography, and the preparation was ready to use for quantification of 5KGA or 2KGA.     

Substrate Specificity of Thermostable D-Alanine-D-alanine ligase from Thermotoga maritima ATCC 43589

D-Alanine-D-alanine ligase (Ddl) and its mutants maintain the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, and the substrate specificity of Ddls partially affects the resistance mechanism of vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Through investigation of Ddls, Ddl from Thermotoga maritima ATCC 43589 showed novel characteristics, vis. thermostability up to 90 °C and broad substrate specificity toward 15 D-amino acids, particularly D-alanine, D-cysteine, and D-serine, in that order.     

Main Polyol Dehydrogenase of Gluconobacter suboxydans IFO 3255, Membrane-bound D-Sorbitol Dehydrogenase,That Needs Product of Upstream Gene,sldB, for Activity

The D-sorbitol dehydrogenase gene, sldA, and an upstream gene, sldB, encoding a hydrophobic polypeptide, SldB, of Gluconobacter suboxydans IFO 3255 were disrupted in a check of their biological functions. The bacterial cells with the sldA gene disrupted did not produce L-sorbose by oxidation of D-sorbitol in resting-cell reactions at pHs 4.5 and 7.0, indicating that the dehydrogenase was the main D-sorbitol-oxidizing enzyme in this bacterium. The cells did not produce D-fructose from D-mannitol or dihydroxyacetone from glycerol. The disruption of the sldB gene resulted in undetectable oxidation of D-sorbitol, D-mannitol, or glycerol, although the cells produced the dehydrogenase. The cells with the sldB gene disrupted produced more of what might be signal-unprocessed SldA than the wild-type cells did. SldB may be a chaperone-like component that assists signal processing and folding of the SldA polypeptide to form active D-sorbitol dehydrogenase.     

Practical Synthesis of the Disaccharide Epitope,D-Galactopyranosyl-α-1,3-D- galactopyranose,by using 1,2;5,6-Di-O-cyclohexylidene-α-D-galactofuranose as the Glycosyl Acceptor

D-Galactosyl-α-1,3-D-galactopyranose (1) was chemically prepared in a good yield by coupling phenyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (5) or 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-α-D-galactopyranosyl bromide (8) with 1,2:5,6-di-O-cyclohexylidene-α-D-galactofuranose (3) with subsequent de-O-benzylation and de-O-cyclohexylidenation of the resulting protected α-1,3-disaccharide.     

Relation of Cheddar Cheese Ripening to Bacterial Lipolysis

This investigation was undertaken to find the relationship between fat hydrolysis and lipolytic activities of lactic acid bacteria participated in Cheddar cheese ripening. Increases in titratable acidities due to lactic fermentation were completed at early stage of ripening. Ripening indices (ratio of water-soluble nitrogen to total nitrogen) increased rapidly until 90 days and thereafter gradually up to 150 days. Considerable amounts of free fatty acids were released from cheese fat throughout the ripening period. Cheese bacteria were enumerated on the media of tomato-glucose-agar and acetate-agar. About 70% of bacteria isolated from cheese at age of 150 days were classified into Lactobacillus casei and L. plantarum. Lipolytic activities of lactobacilli isolated were detected definitely on double-layered agar plates containing Victoria blue-stained olive oil. Lipase activities were determined in cheese extracts during ripening.     

Inducibility of Rat Liver Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes as an Index of Food-Screeing for Safety Assessment

D-Lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) from Pediococcus pentosaceus ATCC 25745 was found to produce D-3-phenyllactic acid from phenylpyruvate. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were pH 5.5 and 45 °C. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K _m), turnover number (k _cat), and catalytic efficiency (k _cat?K _m) values for the substrate phenylpyruvate were estimated to be 1.73 mmol/L, 173 s^?1, and 100 (mmol/L)^?1 s^?1 respectively.     

ESR Studies on Lipid-protein Interaction in Gluten

The interaction of protein with lipid in wheat gluten has been studied by electron spin resonance (ESR). The gluten in the flour suspension was spin-labeled with a fatty acid spin label (N-oxyl-4,4'-dimethyloxazolidine derivative of 5-ketostearic acid) and washed out from the flour. The ESR spectra of the spin label incorporated in gluten exhibited clearly separated parallel and perpendicular hyperfine splittings. The orientation of the gluten lipid and its fluidity showed temperature dependence. Phase transition was observed at 25°C. Compared with gluten, vesicles of the lipids extracted from flour were found to be in a less oriented, highly fluid state, and with much lower activation energy for rotational viscosity, while the reconstituted gluten, which was prepared by mixing purified gluten protein and the extracted lipids, had a lipid environment similar to that of gluten. The results indicate that the lipid was immobilized in the gluten matrix by strong interaction with protein.     

Structure of DNA in Spores of Bacillus cereus

The structure of DNA extracted from dormant and germinating spores of B. cereus T was investigated using circular dichroism and other methods. No significant differences between DNAs extracted from vegetative cells and from spores of various stages could be found by analyses of CD spectra, CsCl density gradient centrifugation, melting profiles and template activity. All the DNA preparations were in B conformation and had the same density (1.695), Tm (83°C) and template activity in the reaction of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. An abnormal DNA fraction of high density which was formerly found in B. cereus spores or a stable DNA complex with protein and/or RNA was not detected in the present extracts of spores. Preliminary X-ray analyses of intact spores indicate that the structure of DNA in spores is not so different from B form.     

Purification and Properties of Two Chitinases from Streptomyces sp. J-13-3

Two chitinases (Chi-A and Chi-B) purified from Streptomyces sp. J-13-3 had the same molecular weights (31,000) and enzymatic properties (optimum pH and temperature of pH 6.0 and 45°C) but had significantly different isoelectric points (3.9 for Chi-A, 3.5 for Chi-B). Chi-A and -B had identical N-terminal amino acid sequences (ADXAAAWNASSVYTGGGSASYNGHN), similar amino acid compositions, and immunological cross-reactivities. A concomitant decrease of Chi-A and increase of Chi-B was observed in their productions during cultivation.     

Identity of Brusatol and Yatansin,An Antidysentric Agent

In order to develop a fermentation process for lactase (β-d-galactosidase) production, we selected an excellent lactase producer, Kluyveromyces lactis. KY5466, from our yeast culture collection. Some of its mutant derivatives which formed a blue pigment from 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-d-galactoside in the presence of glucose and those which assimilated phenyl-β-d-galactoside as a carbon source produced 2 to 2.7 times as much lactase as the parent strain. In the late stage of cultivation, the lactase activity decreased to zero for all strains tested soon after the complete consumption of sugar. This phenomenon was found to be correlated with a decrease in the efficiency of protein extraction from the cells. The maximal amount of lactase produced reached 155 units per ml at 48 hr in a 5-1 jar fermentor culture with sugar feeding.     

Regioselectivity in β-Galactosidase-catalyzed Transglycosylation for the Enzymatic Assembly of D-Galactosyl-D-mannose

The regioselectivity of β-galactosidase derived from Bacillus circulans ATCC 31382 (β-1,3-galactosidase) in transgalactosylation reactions using D-mannose as an acceptor was investigated. This D-mannose associated regioselectivity was found to be different from reactions using either GlcNAc or GalNAc as acceptors, not only for β-1,3-galactosidase but also for β-galactosidases of different origins. The relative hydrolysis rate of Galβ-pNP and D-galactosyl-D-mannoses, of various linkages, was also measured in the presence of β-1,3-galactosidase and was found to correlate well with the ratio of disaccharides formed by transglycosylation. The unexpected regioselectivity using D-mannose can therefore be explained by an anomalous specificity in the hydrolysis reaction. By utilizing the identified characteristics of both regioselectivity and hydrolysis specificity using D-mannose, an efficient method for enzymatic synthesis of β-1,3-, β-1,4- and β-1,6-linked D-galactosyl-D-mannose was subsequently established.     

Syntheses of dl-N-Demethylvariotinyl 2-Pyrrolidonide (dl-Demethylvariotin), 2-Piperidonide,and ε-Caprolactamide

The syntheses of three dl-demethylvariotins are described.     

Structural Analysis of the Fundamental Polymer of the Sheath Constructed by Sphaerotilus natans

The sheath of Sphaerotilus natans is composed of cysteine-rich peptide and polysaccharide moieties. The polysaccharide was prepared by treating the sheath with hydrazine, and was determined to be a mucopolysaccharide containing β-D-GlcA, β-D-Glc, α-D-GalN, and β-D-GalN. To elucidate the structure of the peptide, the sheath was labeled with a thiol-selective fluorogenic reagent, 4-(aminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole. Enantiomeric determination of the S-derivatized Cys in the fluorescent sheath suggested that it contained L-Cys mainly. Fluorescent cysteinylglycine was detected in the partial acid hydrolysate of the fluorescent sheath. The sheath-degrading enzyme secreted by Paenibacillus koleovorans produced a fluorescent disaccharide-dipeptide composed of GalN, Gly, and N-acetylated Cys from the fluorescent sheath. The disaccharide and dipeptide moieties were found to be connected by an amide bond. Based on these results, the sheath was deduced to be formed by association of a mucopolysaccharide modified with N-acetyl-L-cysteinylglycine.     

Structure-Based Modification of D-Alanine-D-Alanine Ligase from Thermotoga maritima ATCC 43589 for Depsipeptide Synthesis

Depsipeptides are peptide-like polymers consisting of amino acids and hydroxy acids, and are expected to be new functional materials for drug-delivery systems and polymer science. In our previous study, D-alanyl-D-lactate, a type of depsipeptide, was enzymatically synthesized using D-alanine-D-alanine ligase from Thermotoga maritima ATCC 43589 (TmDdl) by Y207F substitution. Thereafter, in this study, further mutagenesis was introduced, based on structural comparison between TmDdl and a well-characterized D-alanine-D-alanine ligase from Escherichia coli. The S137A/Y207F mutant showed higher D-alanyl-D-lactate and lower D-alanyl-D-alanine synthesizing activity than the Y207F mutant. This suggests that substitution at the S137 residue contributes to product selectivity. Saturated mutagenesis on S137 revealed that the S137G/Y207F mutant showed the highest D-alanyl-D-lactate synthesizing activity. Moreover, the mutant showed broad substrate specificity toward D-amino acid and recognized D-lactate and D,L-isoserine as substrates. On the basis of these characteristics, various depsipeptides can be produced using S137G/Y207F-replaced TmDdl.     

Strategy and Design of Novel Reagents for the Fluorometric Analysis of Biomolecules

This article covers molecular designs to develop several new fluorometric reagents and their applications to increase the sensitivities up to the picomole level using HPLC for the measurement of biomolecules. The methods were designed to demonstrate the physiological activities, for example (1) N-(9-acridinyl)maleimide (NAM) for the measurement of SH, –S–S–, and sulfite such as cysteine, (2) diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP) for the hydroperoxides in lipids, serum, tissues, and foodstuffs, (3) 9-bromomethylacridine (9-BrMA), (4) 2-(anthracene-2,3-dicarboxylimide)ethyltrifluoromethane sulfonate (AE-OTf) for carboxylic acids, and (5) The chiral fluorometric labelling reagent (S)-( + )-2-tert-butyl-2-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-4-carboxylic acid (TBMB) to identify the chiralities of amino acids, sugars, and mono- and diacylglycerols.     

Genetic Engineering of Candida utilis Yeast for Efficient Production of L-Lactic Acid

Polylactic acid is receiving increasing attention as a renewable alternative for conventional petroleum-based plastics. In the present study, we constructed a metabolically-engineered Candida utilis strain that produces L-lactic acid with the highest efficiency yet reported in yeasts. Initially, the gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase (CuPDC1) was identified, followed by four CuPDC1 disruption events in order to obtain a null mutant that produced little ethanol (a by-product of L-lactic acid). Two copies of the L-lactate dehydrogenase (L-LDH) gene derived from Bos taurus under the control of the CuPDC1 promoter were then integrated into the genome of the CuPdc1-null deletant. The resulting strain produced 103.3 g/l of L-lactic acid from 108.7 g/l of glucose in 33 h, representing a 95.1% conversion. The maximum production rate of L-lactic acid was 4.9 g/l/h. The optical purity of the L-lactic acid was found to be more than 99.9% e.e.     

Production of l-allose and d-talose from l-psicose and d-tagatose by l-ribose isomerase

l-ribose isomerase (L-RI) from Cellulomonas parahominis MB426 can convert l-psicose and d-tagatose to l-allose and d-talose, respectively. Partially purified recombinant L-RI from Escherichia coli JM109 was immobilized on DIAION HPA25L resin and then utilized to produce l-allose and d-talose. Conversion reaction was performed with the reaction mixture containing 10% l-psicose or d-tagatose and immobilized L-RI at 40 °C. At equilibrium state, the yield of l-allose and d-talose was 35.0% and 13.0%, respectively. Immobilized enzyme could convert l-psicose to l-allose without remarkable decrease in the enzyme activity over 7 times use and d-tagatose to d-talose over 37 times use. After separation and concentration, the mixture solution of l-allose and d-talose was concentrated up to 70% and crystallized by keeping at 4 °C. l-Allose and d-talose crystals were collected from the syrup by filtration. The final yield was 23.0% l-allose and 7.30% d-talose that were obtained from l-psicose and d-tagatose, respectively.     

Enzymatic Quantification of L-Tartrate in Wines and Grapes by Using the Secondary Activity of D-Malate Dehydrogenase

L-Tartrate in wines and grapes was enzymatically quantified by using the secondary activity of D-malate dehydrogenase (D-MDH). NADH formed by the D-MDH reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically. Under the optimal conditions, L-tartrate (a 1.0 mM sample solution) was fully oxidized by D-MDH in 30 min. A linear relationship was obtained between the absorbance difference and the L-tartrate concentration in the range of a 0.02-1.0 mM sample solution with a correlation coefficient of 0.9991. The relative standard deviation from ten measurements was 1.71% at the 1.0 mM sample solution level. The proposed method was compared with HPLC, and the values determined by both methods were in good agreement.     

Physicochemical Studies on Sulfated Polysaccharides Extracted from Seaweeds at Various Temperatures

Sulfated polysaccharides (SPS) were extracted from three species of seaweeds of Ulvacea (Ulva pertusa, Ulva conglobata and Entromorpha prolifera) for 4 hr at various temperatures and their physicochemical properties were studied using viscometric and equilibrium sedimentation measurements in order to determine the optimum extracting condition.

Sulfated polysaccharides extracted at various temperatures from the seaweed of U. pertusa had the same physicochemical properties, while the larger molecular components of SPS was not extracted from U. conglobata and E. prolifera, at the low temperature of 30~40°C. This was confirmed by analyses of their viscosity and molecular weight and by gel filtration chromatography, in which each SPS showed two or three peaks.

The larger molecular component of SPS could be extracted at the high temperature of 80~90°C in the thermostable form.