Manometric experiments of tetrathionate oxidation were conducted with crude extracts of T. thiooxidans. Tetrathionate was first enzymatically dismutated to trithionate and pen-tathionate, and the tri- and pentathionate formed were further oxidized to elemental sulfur and sulfate, in which one mole of oxygen was required for the conversion of tetrathionate of two moles.
α, α'-Dipyridyl, nitroso-R salt and orthophenanthroline at a concentration of 7.5×10^-3M showed completely inhibitory effects for the enzymic dismutation. The dismutation was accelerated by either ferrous, nickel or cobalt ion, but was strongly inhibited by cupric ion.

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Cane molasses, major by-product of the cane sugar industry, has found use as a cattle feed and also as a raw material resource for the production of alcohol, yeast, and other fermentation products. However, for the development of new or improved use of molasses, more complete knowledge of the chemical composition of cane molasses is desirable. Although a number of papers have been published on the constituents of molasses, few reports are available that summarize the knowledge of the nucleic acid components of molasses.
An extensive study on the isolation and identification of the nucleic acid components has been made, employing both ion-exchange and gas-liquid chromatographies. Cane molasses has been found to contain cytidine, uridine, adenosine, adenine, inosine, guanosine, guanine, 5'-inosinic, guanylic, and adenylic acids. The presence of cytosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine and thymine also were inferred from the gas chromatograms.

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The lipids in rice bran lipoprotein were separated and their qualitative and quantita-tive analyses were carried out by column, thin-layer, gas-liquid, and paper chromato-graphic methods. More than twenty lipid components were detected, of which triglycerides and glycolipids were found to be the major components. Considerable amounts of free fatty acids were also found. The glycolipids were composed of mono- and digalactosyl glycerides, sterol glycosides and their esters, probably phytocerebrosides, and other un-known glycolipids. Phospholipids were present as the minor components of rice bran lipoprotein. The presence of oryzanols in the lipoprotein was observed.

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The enzymatic production of L-aspartic acid from maleic acid with cell suspensions of Alcaligenes faecalis 5-24, isolated from solid by the authors, was investigated.
The optimum conditions of this reaction and some cultural conditions which influenced on the ability of the cells to catalyze the above reaction were mainly studied.
The cells grown on maleic acid as a sole source of carbon showed exclusively the strong ability. The cells grown on a carbon source other than maleic acid showed no activity of this reaction.
It was concluded that an inducibles enzyme whose formation was stimulated by the presence of maleic acid might be involved in the reaction for the production of L-aspartic acid from maleic acid.

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It was found that malonic acid was replaceable for maleic acid which played an induc-tive role for the formation of the enzyme system concerned with the reaction of L-aspartic acid production from maleic acid.
The cells grown in the medium containing malonic acid showed a stronger activity of the above reaction than the cells grown on maleic acid. The induction effect of malonic acid was remarkable when the organism was cultured in an acid medium. Whereas, con-sumption of C¹⁴-malonic acid in the medium by the organism was not observed at all in any pH milieu even where the formation of the enzyme system essential for the reaction was fully conducted. It indicated that malonic acid penetrated preferentially in acid milieu into the cells was a non-metabolic inducer like thiomethyl-β-D-galactoside in β-galactosidase system and that permeability barrier might exist in the organism.
The formation of cis-trans isomerase which catalyzed the conversion of maleic acid to fumaric acid was much stimulated by the addition of either malonic acid or maleic acid. From these results, it was concluded that L-aspartic acid was produced from maleic acid and ammonium ion by both actions of the inducible cis-trans isomerase and the constitu-tive aspartase.

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The extracellular lipase from Candida paralipolytica required bile salts as the essential activator in the reaction mixture emulsified by polyvinyl alcohol. It has been found that some anionic surfactants can be used as the activator. The effect of bile salts and anionic surfactants on lipase activity has been studied in detail. Some cationic and non-ionic surfactants were not the activator but the inhibitor of the lipase.

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A general assay method for nucleotide pyrophosphorylases has been investigated. The principle of the method is based on the measurement of consumption rate of 5-phos-phoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) during the enzyme reaction. In the method, an enzyme preparation for sample was incubated in a reaction mixture containing a purine or pyri-midine base and PRPP for a certain time, and the amounts of PRPP before and after the reaction were determined. The amount of PRPP was determined by an enzymatic method using orotidine-5'-monophosphate (5'-OMP) pyrophosphorylase and 5'-OMP de-carboxylase. Nucleotide pyrophosphorylase activity corresponding to each purine or pyri-midine base was determined from the amount of PRPP consumed per unit time.
The present method is generally applicable for determining activities of any kind of nucleotide pyrophosphorylases, and does not need any tedious separation procedure in all cases. Therefore, comparing with the conventional assay methods for nucleotide pyrophos-phorylase activities, this method can be said to be much simpler and reliable. As an application of the present method, activities of several nucleotide pyrophosphorylases in Micrococcus glutamicus have been determined.

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Ethanol (1:1) extract of defatted soybean flour was fractionated systematically and the resulting phonolic acid fraction was investigated. This fraction had strong phenol-like flavor and contained at least seven phenolic acids including syringic, vanillic, ferulic, gentisic, salicylic, p-coumaric, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids. The main component among these was syringic acid, which was isolated as 3, 5-dinitrobenzoate.
In addition, two isomers of chlorogenic acids, presumably isochlorogenic and chloro-genic acids approximately in a ratio of 1:10, were found in this extract. These substances have sour, bitter and astringent flavors.

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A simple and stereospecific method has been developed for the synthesis of cis-jasmone. 3-Methyl-2-cyclopentenone (V) was condensed with cis-2-pentenyl chloride, which was prepared from propargyl alcohol, by means of sodium amide in liquid ammonia to yield stereochemically pure cis-jasmone (VIb) in 39_??_40% yield. By the similar direct alkyla-tion, trans-jasmone (VIc) and dihydrojasmone (VIa) were also synthesized in moderate yields.

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The solbilities of L-basic amino acids in the type of free, monohydro-chloride and dihydrochloride in water were determined, and the results were formulated as follows.
L-Arginine: log S=0.9770+0.01345t (t is from 0°_??_70°C)
L-Histidine: log S=0.3627+0.00905t (t is from 0°_??_70°C)
L-Arginine monohydrochloride: log S=1.6532+0.01301t (t is from 0°_??_70°C)
L-Lysine monohydrochloride dihydrate: log S=1.6990+0.01294t (t is from 0°_??_55°C)
L-Lysine monohydrochloride monohydrate: log S=1.7404+0.01256t (t is from 55°_??_70°C)
L-Lysine dihydrochloride: log S=2.2138+0.00409t (t is from 0°_??_70°C)
L-Histidine dihydrochloride: log S=1.9085+0.00265t (t is from 0°_??_70°C)
Three component systems (basic amino acid, hydrochloric acid, water) were studied and the solubilities in mixed solution system of alcohol-water were also investigated.

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Conversion of desthiobiotin to biotin by various kinds of microorganisms such as molds, Streptomyces, bacteria and yeasts was studied. The results described in the present paper showed that various kinds of microorganisms converted desthiobiotin to biotin during the cultivation of these microorganisms.
The conversion product from desthiobiotin by these microorganisms was chromatogra-phically identified as biotin. The relationship between the producibilities of desthiobiotin and biotin from pimelic acid, and biotin synthesis from desthiobiotin was also presented.

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Of the crystalline acid-protease from Paecilo-myces varioti BAINIER TPR-220, the chemical and physical properties were studied.
1. The sedimentation coefficient was 2.75×10^-3 (s₁₅), molecular weight 37, 500, isoelectric point at pH 3.8, and maximal absorption of ultraviolet spectrum at 280mμ.
2. The enzyme protein was consisted of 340 residues of amino acids, including 1 resi-due of cysteine and no cystine. Total number of acidic amino acid residues is greater than that of basic ones.
3. Determinations of N- and C-terminal amino acids were carried out.

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Antiphage sera were produced in rabbits against the HM-phages of Clostridium sac-charoperbutylacetonicum; on the basis of cross-neutralization experiments with homologous and heterologous antisera, the twelve HM-phages were classified into three serological groups, termed I, II and III. Group I contained seven phages, i. e., HM 1, HM 2, HM 8, HM 9, HM 10, HM 11 and HM 12. Group II contained four phages, i. e., HM 3, HM 4, HM 5 and HM 6, and group III one phage, i. e., HM 7. This classification was in accord with morphological one that was reported in the preceding paper. By using the K value of antisera, the degree of serological relatedness among the phages within groups I and II was demonstrated. On the bases of serological similarities and of dis-similarities in host-rang specificity, the phages of groups I and II are considered as host range mutants derived from an identical ancestor, HM 1 and HM 3, respectively.

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A polyuronide, main component of the water extract of achine of Ficus awkeotsang MAKINO (on-gyo-tye), was purified by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The polyuronide (Fraction IB) is homogeneous electrophoretically and consists mainly of galacturonic acid. Optical rotation of Fraction IB is [α]²⁶D=+294.7 and content of methoxyl group is trace. In periodate oxidation of Fraction IB, molar ratio of galacturonic acid residue and periodate consumption was 1, and formic acid formation was very small. Periodate oxidation product of Fraction IB was oxidized further with bromine and the resulted substance was hydrolyzed. In the hydrolyzate, presence of large amount of tartaric and glyoxylic acids and small amount of tartronic acid were detected by paper chromatography. Reduced viscosity of aquous solution of Fraction IB increased with decreasing of the concentration of Fraction IB solution. From these results, it was deduced that Fraction IB has a linear structure of 1→4 linkage of D-galacturonic acid, probably α-linkage.

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