Formation of Pungent Principles in Fruits of Sweet Pepper,Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum during Post-harvest Ripening under Continuous Light

Pungent principles (Capsaicinoid(s)) were found to be produced in fruits of sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum, during post-harvest ripening under continuous light. The initial formation was observed after 4 days’ ripening. After 7 days’ ripening, the capsaicinoids content in placenta increased to 12.9 μg per fruit, which was 2.5-fold of that in pericarp. No pungent principles were detected in fruits during ripening in the dark and in seeds under continuous light. In placenta, the formation of dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin which are the vanillylamides of saturated branched fatty acids was higher than that of capsaicin which is the vanillylamide of an unsaturated one. Remarkable formation and accumulation of carotenoid were also observed during post-harvest ripening under continuous light.     

Food Processing Characteristics of Soybean Proteins

Relation between sulfhydryl groups in soybean proteins and the physical properties of tofu was studied. Changes in the amount of sulfhydryl groups by heating or treatment with urea were more rapid in 11S protein as compared with 7S protein. Moreover, by changing the amount of sulfhydryl groups in proteins by N-ethylmaleimide, 2-mercapto-ethanol and dithiothreitol, the physical properties of tofu from 11S protein were more significantly effected than that from 7S protein. Namely, tofu-gel from 11S. protein got harder and stronger as the amount of sulfhydryl groups increased.

The results may suggest that tofu prepared from IIS protein has more disulfide bonds in its gel than that from 7S protein.     

Fatty Acid Metabolism in Microorganisms

The production of pimelic acid from azelaic acid by microorganisms was studied. About 100 strains of bacteria which were able to utilize azelaic acid as a sole carbon source were isolated from soil and other natural materials. Among these bacteria, several strains produced a large quantity of an organic acid (pimelic acid) from azelaic acid in their culture fluids during the cultivation. The acid was isolated from the culture fluid of strain A133 in crystalline form. The crystal was identified as pimelic acid by physicochemical and biological methods.

From the results of investigations on the morphological and physiological characters, the bacterial strain A133 was assumed to be Micrococcus sp.     

Extra tyrosine in the carbohydrate-binding module of Irpex lacteus Xyn10B enhances its cellulose-binding ability

The xylanase (Xyn10B) that strongly adsorbs on microcrystalline cellulose was isolated from Driselase. The Xyn10B contains a Carbohydrate-binding module family 1 (CBM1) (IrpCBM_Xyn10B) at N-terminus. The canonical essential aromatic residues required for cellulose binding were conserved in IrpCBM_Xyn10B; however, its adsorption ability was markedly higher than that typically observed for the CBM1 of an endoglucanase from Trametes hirsuta (ThCBM_EG1). An analysis of the CBM-GFP fusion proteins revealed that the binding capacity to cellulose (7.8 μmol/g) and distribution coefficient (2.0 L/μmol) of IrpCBM_Xyn10B-GFP were twofold higher than those of ThCBM_EG1-GFP (3.4 μmol/g and 1.2 L/μmol, respectively), used as a reference structure. Besides the canonical aromatic residues (W24-Y50-Y51) of typical CBM1-containing proteins, IrpCBM_Xyn10B had an additional aromatic residue (Y52). The mutation of Y52 to Ser (IrpCBM_Y52S-GFP) reduced these adsorption parameters to 4.4 μmol/g and 1.5 L/μmol, which were similar to those of ThCBM_EG1-GFP. These results indicate that Y52 plays a crucial role in strong cellulose binding.     

Colorimetric determination of fructose for the high-throughput microtiter plate assay of glucose isomerase

A colorimetric method for the reducing monosaccharide determination is optimized for the assay of glucose isomerase, which converts glucose (Glc) to fructose (Fru). Test solution was mixed with 20-fold volume of the 50 mM Na₂SiO₃, 600 mM Na₂MoO₄, and 0.95 M HCl aqueous solution (pH 4.5), in which a yellow molybdosilicate species was formed. The mixture was kept at 70 °C for 30 min. Test solution containing 10 mM level Fru gave a remarkable blue reaction mixture, in which the Mo(VI) species was reduced by Fru to form a blue molybdosilicate species. The blueness increased with the Fru concentration. Glc cannot render the reaction mixture blue as strong as Fru. Thus, the colorimetric method can be used advantageously for the determination of 10 mM level Fru in the Glc isomerase reaction mixture, even in the presence of 100 mM level Glc, and has been applied successfully to the microtiter plate assay of the enzyme.     

Effect of amines as activators on the alcohol-oxidizing activity of pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent quinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase

Pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent quinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenases (PQQ-ADH) require ammonia or primary amines as activators in in vitro assays with artificial electron acceptors. We found that PQQ-ADH from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (PpADH) was activated by various primary amines, di-methylamine, and tri-methylamine. The alcohol oxidation activity of PpADH was strongly enhanced and the affinity for substrates was also improved by pentylamine as an activator.     

Further Study on the Relation of Polyoxin Structure to Chitin Synthetase Inhibition

As a part of studies on the mechanism of action of antibiotics polyoxins, effects of various N-aminoacyl derivatives of polyoxin C and other polyoxins on chitin-UDP acetylglucosaminyl-transferase (EC 2.4.1.16, chitin synthetase) prepared from phytopathogenic fungus Piricularia oryzae were investigated. It was found that they inhibited the enzyme in competition with the substrate UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, Inhibitor constants, Ki, for these polyoxins were determined and the values of binding affinity, ?ΔG_bind of the inhibitors to the enzyme were calculated from the Ki values. In addition, by using these ?ΔG_bind values the values of partial binding affinity, ?Δg for the several atoms and atomic groups or the several moieties contained in the polyoxin J molecule were estimated. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the carbamoylpolyoxamic acid moiety of polyoxins helps to stabilize the polyoxin-enzyme complex through the contributions of its oxygen atom at C?1″, amino group at C?2″, hydroxyl groups at C?3″ and C?4″, aliphatic carbon chain and terminal carbamoyloxy group.

The results obtained by the kinetic investigation using various nucleotides and nucleotide sugars suggested that there was a specific binding site on the enzyme corresponding to the uridine moiety of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, and that the pyrimidine nucleoside moiety of polyoxins was also bound to this site.     

Studies on the Low Temperature Fermentation

An attempt has been made to isolate the bacteria capable of accumulating amino acids during the growth at low temperature from various natural sources. A psychrophilic strain P 145 forming glutamic acid at 5°C was obtained and identified as a Brevibacterium sp. The bacterium grew in the range of 0° to 37°C and exhibited the optimum growth at 15°C. The bacterium was defined as a facultative psychrophile.

The strain strictly required methionine only at above 28°C; below this temperature it grew normally without the amino acid. When methionine was added thiamine and biotin stimulated the growth of this strain at 28°C.

With the Brevibacterium sp. P 145 isolated from soil, the effect of incubation temperature on the extracellular amino acid accumulation has been examined from cultural and enzymological points of view. The strain was found to accumulate l-glutamic acid up to 5.88 mg/ml and l-alanine 0.38 mg/ml at 5°C, whereas it formed 0.21 mg/ml of l-glutamic acid and 2.54 mg/ml of l-alanine at 28°C.

The accumulation of l-alanine in the medium at 28°C seemed to be related to the thiamine requirement of the strain. In the case of thiamine deficiency, l-alanine was the main product in the culture at 28°C. When the incubation temperature was abruptly shifted from 28° to 5°C or from 5° to 28°C, the amino acid accumulation was also changed to that of the final temperature. l-Alanine dehydrogenase existed even in the cells grown at 5°C but was not active at this low temperature. These results were in accord with the informations obtained from cultural experiments.     

Fatty Acid Hydroxamate Formation by Intact Cells of Micrococcus sp.

When azelaic acid was used as a sole carbon source on the growth of Micrococcus sp. which was isolated from soil, intact cells of the organism catalyzed the enzymic condensation of fatty acids with hydroxylamine. Some of the characteristics of fatty acid hydroxamate formation were investigated.

The enzyme activity was tested with azelaic acid compared to other fatty acids. Azelylhydroxamate formation was activated with the addition of reduced glutathione or 2-mercaptoethanol. The reaction was inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB), ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA), NaF and benzoate.     

Transmission ratio distortion of molecular markers in a doubled haploid population originated from a natural hybrid between Osmunda japonica and O. lancea

In ferns, intra-gametophytic selfing occurs as a mode of reproduction where two gametes from the same gametophyte form a completely homozygous sporophyte. Intra-gametophytic selfing is considered to be prevented by lethal or deleterious recessive genes in several diploid species. In order to investigate the modes and tempo of selection acting different developmental stages, doubled haploids obtained from intra-gametophytic selfing within isolated gametophytes of a putative F1 hybrid between Osmunda japonica and O. lancea were analyzed with EST_derived molecular markers, and the distribution pattern of transmission ratio distortion (TRD) along linkage map was clarified. As the results, the markers with skewness were clustered in two linkage groups. For the two highly distorted regions, gametophytes and F2 population were also examined. The markers skewed towards O. japonica on a linkage group (LG_2) showed skewness also in gametophytes, and the TRD was generated in the process of spore formation or growth of gametophytes. Also, selection appeared to be operating in the gametophytic stage. The markers on other linkage group (LG_11) showed highest skewness towards O. lancea in doubled haploids, and it was suggested that the segregation of LG_11 were influenced by zygotic lethality or genotypic evaluation and that some deleterious recessive genes exist in LG_11 and reduce the viability of homozygotes with O. japonica alleles. It is very likely that a region of LG_11were responsible for the low frequencies of intra-gametophytic selfing in O. japonica.