Vitamin requirements for the growth of the acetic acid bacteria were investigated extensively on u taxonomical viewpoint and the following new findings were pointed out. Neither Acetobacter nor Intermediate strain required vitamin for the growth.
Gluconobacter required generally pantothenic acid. And some strains belonging to it did moreover somewhat of thiamine, nicotinic acid and p-aminobenzoic acid, although there was a difference of requirements between strains even in the same species. Riboflavin, pyridoxine, vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, biotin and inositol were unnecessary for the growth of the acetic acid bacteria. A taxonomical division of the acetic acid bacteria based on the vitamin requirements agreed well with that on basis of the oxidative activities for carbohydrates.

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Mucopolysaccharides were isolated from both human and cow colostrums. Each of the fractionated mucopolysaccharides was considered to be homogeneous from behaviors in chromatography, electrophoresis and sedimentation pattern. The fractions isolated from human colostrum were found to contain 51.0_??_78.3% carbohydrates consisting of D-galactose, 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose, N-acetylneuraminic acid, L-fucose and D-glucose, and 31.6_??_11.0% peptides consisting of 16 kinds of amino acids. The sedimentation constants, s₂₀ w, of these fractions were in the range of 0.75 to 1.73 S. The fraction isolated from cow colostrum was found to contain 19.3% carbohydrates consisting of D-galactose, 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid, and 65.2% peptides or proteins consisting of 18 kinds of amino acids. The sedimentation constant, s₂₀ w, of the fraction was 3.68 S.

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An enzyme, which catalyzes the isomerization of D-glucose to D-fructose, has been found in a newly isolated bacterium which tentatively identified as Pacacolobacterum aerogenoides. The enzyme converts not only D-glucose but also D-mannose to D-fructose, and NAD and Mg⁺⁺ are required as cofactor for this isomerization. The properties of this enzyme were sum-marized as follows: (1) As a cofactor for the isomerization by this enzyme, NAD was absolutely necessary, whereas NADP, FMN and FAD were not. (2) The optimum pH was found to be at 7.5 and optinum temperature was at about 40°C. (3) The enzyme activity was markedly reduced by EDTA treatment and the reduced activity by EDTA was restored by the addition of Mg⁺⁺, Mn⁺⁺ or Co⁺⁺. (4) The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by monoiodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and Cu⁺⁺, however, the activity was recovered by adding cysteine or glutathione.

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The relation of the fatty liver with some enzyme activities concerning the amino acid metabolism was investigated. Fatty livers were produced by an amino acid imbalanced diet containing 8% of casein supplemented with 0.3% of DL-methionine (threonine deficient), and serine dehydrase (=threonine dehydrase=cystathionine synthetase), homoserine de-hydrase (=cystine splitting enzyme=cystathionase), and threonine aldolase activities were determined.
Under this condition, the threonine aldolase activity was hardly altered, but the serine dehydrase and the homoserine dehydrase activities were fairly variable. However, the variation of these enzyme activities did not seem to have appreciable relation with the fatty liver, but rather had a connexion with the dietary protein level or calory content.

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A herbicide, sodium pentachlorophenoxide (Na-PCP), used in Japan, is easily de-composed with sunlight after its application in the rice field. The photochemical reaction of Na-PCP in an aqueous solution on exposure to sunlight afforded numerous products which were mainly accompanied with chloranilic acid and a yellow compound (I). The chemical structure of the yellow compound I was established as being 3, 4, 5-trichloro-6-(2'-hydroxy-3', 4', 5', 6'-tetrachlorophenoxy)-o-benzoquinone by chemical and spectroscopic evidences.

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Minor decomposition products of sodium pentachlorophenoxide (Na-PCP) in an aqueous solution by sunlight have been isolated. Chemical structures of them are described, and infrared and ultraviolet spectra are presented in support of these stractures. These illustrate a new type of oxidative reaction of phenols.

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The mechanism of trans-N-ribosylation in Corynebacterium sepedonicum was investigated. Using the DEAE-cellulose colum chromatography, this enzyme activity was divided into two fractions. One cleaved uridine to uracil and ribose phosphate, and the other decom-posed inosine into hypoxanthine and ribose phosphate, in the presence of inorganic phos-phate. The ribose phosphate was isolated and crystallized.
Several analytical data indicated that the ribose phosphate was ribose-1-phosphate. These two enzyme fractions catalyzed the formation of nucleosides from ribose- I -phosphate and bases.
Most of bacteria, which had the activity to transfer N-ribosyl group between purine and pyrimidine, could synthesize the nucleoside from base and ribose-1-phosphate.

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A coupled enzyme system of orotidine-5'-phosphate pyrophosphorylase and orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase has been purified approximately 30-fold from cell-free extract of Micrococcus glutamicus 534 Co-147 by means of acid treatment and fractionations with ammonium sulfate and ethanol addition, and properties of the enzyme system have been studied.
Optima of pH, temperature and substrate concentrations for the activity of the purified enzyme system have been investigated, and compared with those of the same enzyme system from dried brewer's yeast. Furthermore, effects of various inhibitors on the enzyme activity have been examined and it has become evident that the enzyme system is completely in-activated by addition of chelating agent such as EDTA, and regenerated by further addi-tion of magnesium ion.

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The electronic structure of atropic acid and its β-alkyl and β, β-dimethyl derivatives is calculated by a molecular orbital method. Their plant growth activity is shown to be explained only by considering an electronic factor of the molecule derived by the calculation.

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“Isosclerotan”, a polysaccharide constituent extracted with a sodium hydroxide solution from sclerotia of Sclerotinia libertiana, could be purified by the successive precipitation with the followings; a mixture of copper sulfate and sodium hydroxide, ammonium sulfate, and ethyl alcohol. The preparation proved homogeneous by ultracentrifugal analysis. From sedimentation and viscosity measurements, the molecular weight of isosclerotan was calculated as 6.13×106, and as 1.60×105 after treatment with a dilute oxalic acid solution. Isosclerotan was scarecely soluble in cold water but soluble in hot water, yielding a highly viscous solution. It exhibited a low positive optical rotation, [α]²⁵D +23.0° (in water), and infrared spectrum had a sharp absorption at 890.898 cm^-1, which indicated the pre-valence of the β-glycosidic linkage in isosclerotan. Through degradation by acids and enzymes of isosclerotan, there were obtained various oligosaccharides containing β-1.3, β-1.4, and β-1.6 linkages. From results obtained by periodate oxidation and methylation, it is assumed that the polysaccharide involves the 1.3, 1.4, and 1.6 linkages in 47.7%, 16.6% and 35.7%, respectively, and a branching structure about 12.5%.

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Rats were divided into high protein diet and low protein diet fed groups. Their livers were removed, homogenized, and fractionated into nuclei, mitochondria, microsome and supernatant fraction.
Amount of total- and phospho-lipids in each fraction was measured, and simultaneously, total nitrogen was measured. Then, the ratio of total- and phospho-lipids to nitrogen was calculated. The influence of low protein diet on this calculated value was seen in the mitochondrial and supernatant fraction, but was not recognized in other fractions.
The relationship between this phenomenon and energy efficiency of diets was discussed.

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A new method for determining a small amount of polyethyleneglycol (mol. wt. about 4, 000) in feces or ingesta was described. The rates of flow and excretion along the swine digestive tract were compared between polyethyleneglycol and chromic oxide used as an indicator for digestion studies.
The former was removed from stomach more rapidly than the latter, and would be delayed in its passage along large intestine owing to absorption of water therein. There was a general agreement between the excretion variations of both indicators. Recoveries during feces collection periods were lower for polyethyleneglycol than for chromic oxide. However, there was no essential difference between both indicators in retention time in the digestive tract, calculated following the idea of Castle.

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1) Ophiobolosins A and B were isolated as new metabolites of Cochliobolus miyabeanus, the pathogenic fungus of the helminthosporium leaf spot disease of rice plants; the former from the mycelium cultured on the malt medium containing glucose and polypeptone, the latter also from the mycelium on Asada's medium which contained sucrose, potassium nitrate and biotin.
2) OA was identified as zizanin, an anti-biotic from Helminthosporium zizaniae, by optical rotation, IR, Mass and NMR spectra and mixed melting point. The new molecular formula, C₂₅, H₃₈O₄, is presented for this com-pound.
3) OB is a colorless prism from benzene and melts at 193_??_194°C with decomposition. The molecular formula, C₂₇, H_{42_??_6O}O₇, is presented for the compound.
4) Both ophiobolosins show the inhibiting effect on the growth of rice seeds at the concentration of 500 p.p.m. for coleoptiles and at 10 p.p.m. for roots. But OA has a promoting effect on the growth of coleoptiles at 10 p.p.m. OBA has no toxicity on them. Ophiobolosins has also an antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. at the concentration of 10_??_20 p.p.m. and OB showed a strong effect to Trichomonas vaginalis (minimum 5p.p.m.).

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The morphological properties of the twelve previously described HM-phages were examined by electron microscopy. Specimens were prepared by air-drying and shadowcasting method using purified phage suspensions. As a result, the HM-phages were classified into three morphologically distinct groups, 1, 11 and 111. Group 1 phages were HM 1, HM 2, HM 8, HM 9, HM 10, HM 11 and HM 12. These phages had a spherical head about 100mμ in diameter and a rudimentary tail. Group 11 phages were HM 3, HM 4, HM 5 and HM 6. These phages had a spherical head about 100mμ in diameter and a tail with contractile sheath, and the normal tail of these phages was about 100mμ in length, and the contracted sheath was about 50mμ in length, Group 111 phage was HM 7 alone. This phage had a spherical head about 120mμ in diameter and a relatively long tail about 350mμ in length.

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A precursor system for formation of streptomycin was investigated with a cell-free supernatant obtained from suspension of young mycelium of Streptomyces griseus in a non-growth medium containing only glucose and sodium chloride. When the supernatant was kept at a slightly alkaline condition for a day, a remarkable development of antibiotic potency was observed, while the supernatant itself had a very weak potency. It was made clear by column chromatography with Sephadex G-25, CM-cellulose and DEAE-cellulose that materials required for incearse of antibiotic potency in the supernatant consisted of a cationic component with low molecular weight and an anionic one with high molecular weight. Although each of the components showed little change in antibiotic potency, the mixture of them gave rise to a remarkable increase in antibiotic potency at a slightly alkaline condition. Thus, these two components were considered to construct the precursor system appearing in the supernatant and to be able to react in a cell-free state creating the antibiotic potency.
The optimum pH for the reaction occuring in the supernatant was about 9. This reaction was inhibited by phosphate or ethylenediaminetetraacetate, but not by arsenate. The precursor system was stable at and below 50°C.

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