α-Aminoisobutyric Acid as the Constituent Amino Acid of Protein

α-Aminoisobutyric acid is the only tertiary amino acid which is reported to occur in the proteins. Nevertheless, this amino acid has not been yet isolated from the proteins. Recently we succeeded in isolating this amino acid as white prismy crystalline substance from both acid and pepsin hydrolysate of horse hind leg muscle proteins, and this crystal was identified to be α-amino-isobutyric acid by elementary analysis, properties of this derivates, etc.     

Effects of Alloxan Diabetes and Hypophysectomy on Growth,and Plasma and Liver Free Amino Acids of Rats Fed Excess Glycine Diets

Three chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) were purified from yam, Dioscorea opposita THUMB, by fractionation with ammonium sulfate, chromatographies on DEAE-Cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex A-50, chromatofocusing and gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-60. The purified enzymes (E-l, E-2 and E-3) showed single bands on sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the molecular weights were estimated to be 33,500. The pIs were 4.05 (E-l), 4.0 (E-2) and 3.8 (E-3). All enzymes were glycoproteins and the neutral sugar contents were 3.6% (E-l), 3.6 (E-2) and 0.9% (E-3). The N-terminal amino acids of E-l and E-3 were the same and determined to be histidine. All enzymes hydrolyzed glycolchitin, but not p-nitrophenyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucopyranoside or Micrococcus lysodeikticus cell walls. E-l and E-3 were stable in the pH range of 5 ~ 11, and below 60°C. These enzymes showed two optimum pHs around 3.5 and 8.0 or 8.5 with glycolchitin as substrate.     

Influence of Forced-Feeding of Individual Essential Amino Acids on the Activities of All Urea Cycle Enzymes in Rat Liver

The response of all urea cycle enzymes, i.e. carbamyl phosphate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamylase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase, has been determined in the liver of protein-depleted young rats which were forcibly fed individual essential l-amino acids along with or without caloric sources. The feeding of individual amino acids produced different effects on the level of each of the enzymes, and generally the response of carbamyl phosphate synthetase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase was greater than that of ornithine transcarbamylase. Of all the essential amino acids tested tryptophan was most effective on the elevation of these enzymes. Several amino acids, phenylalanine, leucine, threonine and methionine had also somewhat effect on the increase of some enzyme activities, but other amino acids had little or no effect on the response of these enzymes. On the contrary, histidine and lysine caused appreciable decrease of arginase activity. These enzyme activities in rats fed tryptophan alone were extremely higher than those of animals fed it along with caloric sources. The response level of the enzymes was essentially dependent on the tryptophan content in diets under the proper conditions. Tryptophan feeding did not produce any increase in both levels of urine and plasma urea despite the elevation of all urea cycle enzyme activities occured.     

Supplemental Effects of Arginine and Methionine on Growth,and on Formations of Urea and Creatine of Adrenalectomized Rats Fed High Glycine Diets

The effects of adrenalectomy on growth, some enzyme activities in the liver and kidney, and urinary excretion of urea, creatinine and creatine were investigated in rats fed the 10% casein diets containing 7% glycine with or without l-arginine and l-methionine (10C, 10C7G and 10C7ArgMet).

Body weight gains of the intact 10C and 10C7GArgMet groups were almost same as the corresponding adrenalectomized groups. The body weight of the adrenalectomized 10C7G group was extremely decreased though that of the intact 10C7G group was maintained almost constant; but the decrease was recovered by the administration of hydrocortisone. The activities of liver arginase and carbamylphosphate synthetase were not affected by those diets. Liver serine dehydratase and ornithine δ-aminotransferase activities were increased in the intact 10C7G and 10C7GArgMet groups, but these increases were depressed by adrenalectomy. Glutamate-pyruvate transminase activities in the liver of intact 10C7G and 10C7GArgMet groups were also enhanced, but were extremely decreased in the corresponding adrenalectomized groups. Kidney transamidinase activity was not affected by adrenalectomy. The amount of urinary excreted urea was almost unchanged by adrenalectomy, but was increased by hydrocortisone administration. The amounts of excreted creatine of the adrenalectomized groups were generally larger than the corresponding intact groups, but slightly decreased by the administration of hydrocortisone. The amount of excreted creatinine was not generally affected by adrenalectomy.     

Glycine-U-14C Metabolism in Young Rats Fed the 10% Casein Diets Containing Excess Glycine

Nine hours after rats fed ad libitum for 14 days a 10% caein diet (10C), a 10% casein diet containing 7% glycine (10C7G) and a 10% casein diet containing 7% glycine with 1.4% l-arginine HCI and 0.9% l-methionine (10C7GArgMet) were force-fed 10 ml of each diet suspension containing 5 μCi of glycine-U-¹⁴C per 100 g of body weight, the radioactivity recoveries of ¹⁴C in expired CO₂, tissue components and urine were determined.

The radioactivity recovery of ¹⁴C in the expired C0₂ of the 10C7G group was generally higher than that of the 10C7GArgMet group, and those of both groups would have been much higher than that of the 10C group unless the isotope had been diluted. The amount of expiratory ¹⁴C of rats fed a 25 % casein diet containing 7% glycine was not different from that of the 10C7G group. The recovery of ¹⁴C in the trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble fraction of muscle of the 10C7G and the 10C7GArgMet groups were greater than that of the 10C group, but there was no difference between the 10C7G and the 10C7GArgMet groups. The recoveries of ¹⁴C in the TCA soluble fraction and protein of plasma and liver, and the muscle protein were negligible in all the groups. The amount of glycine-¹⁴C incorporated into the carcass lipids of the 10C7GArgMet group was larger than that of other groups. Those in the carcass lipids of the 10C7G and the 10C7GArgMet groups would have been much higher than that of the 10C group unless the dilution of the isotope had taken place. The recoveries of ¹⁴C in the liver and muscle glycogen, and liver lipids were remarkably small in all the groups. From the above results, it was suggested that the degradation of glycine-¹⁴C to expiratory CO₂ was not accelerated, but the rate of incorporation of the isotope into carcass lipids was increased by the supplementation of l-arginine and l-methionine to the 10C7G diet as compared with that of rats fed the 10C7G diet.     

Biosynthesis of Cercosporin

¹³C NMR spectra were measured for 19 pyrethroids and their related compounds including allethrin, tetramethrin, resmethrin, furamethrin, phenothrin and permethrin. Complete assignment of chemical shifts was accomplished by relative spectral pattern, single-frequency off-resonance decoupling, benzene substituent effects, proton selective decoupling and use of shift reagents. The use of shift reagent was found to be especially efficient for assignment of ¹³C resonances. In the case of allethrin, the splittings of some resonance peaks were observed originating from diastereomerism.     

A Study on 5′-Nucleotides in D2O Solution by Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Nucleotides, 5′-AMP, 5′-GMP, 5′-UMP, 5′-CMP and 5′-TMP, in D₂O solution have been investigated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The concentration and the pD dependences of the proton chemical shifts of the nucleotides have been examined in detail. These results indicate that intermolecular association of vertical stacking of the base rings and intramolecular association between base protons and ionized phosphate group occur in solution. The effects of the temperature and lithium ion on 5′-AMP and 5′-UMP have been also investigated. The increase of temperature causes to reduce the intramolecular association for 5′-UMP and the both intra- and intermolecular association for 5′-AMP. Lithium ion reduces the intramolecular association for both 5′-AMP and 5′-UMP, and at the same time promotes the intermolecular one for the former. This can be interpreted by the ion-pair formation of lithium ion with the ionized phosphate group.     

Taxonomic Characterization and Experimental Host Ranges of Four Newly Recorded Species of Alternaria from Japan

Alternaria fungi are important plant pathogens. Here, we identified three species new to the Japanese mycoflora: Alternaria celosiae, Alternaria crassa and Alternaria petroselini. We proposed a new name for A. celosiae (E.G. Simmons & Holcomb) Lawrence, Park & Pryor, a later homonym of A. celosiae (Tassi) O. S?vul. To characterize these and a fourth morphological taxon, Alternaria alstroemeriae, which was recently added to Japan's mycoflora, an integrated species concept was tested. We determined the host range of each isolate using inoculation tests and analysed its phylogenetic position using sequences of the internal transcribed spacer rDNA. The pathogenicity of our A. alstroemeriae isolate was strictly limited to Alstroemeria sp. (Alstroemeriaceae), but the species was phylogenetically indistinguishable from other small‐spored Alternaria. Alternaria celosiae on Celosia argentea var. plumosa (Amaranthaceae) was also pathogenic to Amaranthus tricolor, to Alternanthera paronychioides and weakly to Gomphrena globosa (all Amaranthaceae) and formed a clade with the former Nimbya celosiae. Alternaria crassa on Datura stramonium (Solanaceae) was also pathogenic to Brugmansia × candida and Capsicum annuum in Solanaceae, but not to other confamilial plants; phylogenetically it belonged to a clade of large‐spored species with filamentous beaks. Morphological similarity, phylogenetic relationship and experimental host range suggested that A. crassa, Alternaria capsici and Alternaria daturicola were conspecific. Alternaria petroselini on Petroselinum crispum (Apiaceae) was pathogenic to five species in the tribe Apieae as well as representatives of Bupleureae, Coriandreae, Seliaeae and Scandiceae in Apiaceae. Both phylogeny and morphology suggested conspecificity between A. petroselini and Alternaria selini.