Two new furostanol saponins were isolated from the shoots of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.). One with a bitter taste was identified as 25S-furost-5-ene-3β, 22, 26-triol-3-O-(2, 4-di-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and the other with no bitter taste was 25S-furost-5-ene-3β, 22, 26-triol-3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranoside]-26-O-β-n-glucopyranoside on the basis of spectral data and chemical and enzymatic degradation.

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Among the bacteria isolated from the polluted water and the viscid sludges in the factories manufacturing sweet potato starch, the eight strains were capable of producing a new series of viscous acidic polysaccharides in high yields from starchy materials.
These strains, C-1_??_C-8, being considered to belong to the same species, the strain C-8 was designated to a representative strain. The strains were the coryneform bacteria showing snapping cell division, and having lysine as a principal amino acid in cell wall and a high GC content in DNA.
The chemical compositions of the polysaccharides produced were estimated to be Man:Gal:Glc:GlcUA:pyruvic acid=1:1:1_??_1.7:2.1_??_3.7:1_??_1.7, differing in ratios of glucose and especially of acidic moieties among the strains.

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A strain of Penicillium ochro-chloron having a highly tolerance to copper has a similar tolerance to zinc, manganese, iron, lead and cadmium; but has sensitivity to mercury, nickel and cobalt.
The cellular contents of copper and zinc in the fungus leveled off in the cases of media containing higher concentrations of copper and zinc. These constant uptakes were particular characteristics with copper and zinc, whereas they were not observed with nickel and cobalt.
Marked reduction of the cellular contents of potassium and magnesium was observed in the cases of higher concentrations of copper and zinc in the media.

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Wheat flour soluble protein isolated after incubating flour in a solution containing small amounts of sodium chloride and “Kanseki, ” alkali carbonate, pH 9.5, showed a different electrophoretic pattern from that of wheat flour incubated in only sodium chloride-containing solution, pH 5.8, though their yields were nearly the same. However, upon reduction with mercaptoethanol, both soluble proteins gave the same electrophoretic pattern. Some components of wheat flour globulin fraction were considered to be most responsible to the change in electrophoretical properties. This change of soluble protein of wheat flour is discussed in connection with characteristic properties of the dough prepared by using “Kansui, ” a solution containing “Kanseki.”

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Activities of hydroxypyruvate reductase, malate lyase, isocitrate lyase and hexose phosphate synthase were found in methanol-grown Streptomyces sp. No. 239. The presence of two C₁-compound assimilation pathways, the serine and the pentose monophosphate pathways, should be possible in the organism. During the growth on methanol, the maximum activity of hydroxypyruvate reductase was observed at the early stage of growth phase, while a great activity of hexose phosphate synthase appeared at the middle of logarithmic phase. Sulfanilamide (1mM) elongated the lag period of the organism. It seems that the serine pathway actually operates, especially at the early stage of growth phase, and that at the active logarithmic phase, the carbon flow into cellular constituents from methanol mainly occurs via the pentose monophosphate pathway.
The activity of hexose phosphate synthase which catalyzed condensation of formaldehyde with ribulose 5-phosphate was separated into 3-hexulose phosphate synthase and phospho-3-hexuloisomerase by an isoelectric focusing electrophoretic technique.

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Radio-resistant red pigmented micrococci were propagated from radurized sawdust culture media of mushroom subjected to from 1.0 to 2.0 Mrad and stored for one month at 20°C. Three strains, H 48, H 54 and H 55, were isolated from different samples of sawdust media. Many of the characteristics of strains H 54 and H 55 were the same as those of Micrococcus radiodurans R₁ isolated by Anderson et al. On the contrary, strain H 48 had some distinct characteristics such as small cell size, nitrate-reducing property, requirement of riboflavin with thiamine for growth and salt-torelance. The GC content of the DNA of these strains ranged from 65 to 67 moles %, and their cell wall peptidglycan contained ornithine type subunit to warrant their description as the species of Micrococcus radiodurans.
The resistances to gamma-radiation of these isolates were the same as that of strain R₁. However, the shape of survival curves differed among the strains. The curves of H 54 and H 55 were sigmoidal like that of strain R₁, but that of H 48 was roughly exponential. The D₁₀ values of these strains incubated at 30°C for 40 hr ranged from 190 to 300 krad in 0.067M phosphate buffer.

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A time-course experiment related to the incorporation of palmitic acid-1-¹⁴C was performed in growing rats fed a 5 or 20 protein calories percent (PC %) diet containing purified whole egg protein.
No difference was observed with time in the conversion of palmitic acid-1-¹⁴C to respiratory CO₂. Radioactivity present in liver triglycerides (TG) was higher and disappeared more slowly with time in the 5 PC % group than in the 20 PC % group. Conversely, significantly lower radioactivity appeared in serum TG of the 5 PC % group than in that of the 20 PC % group. A marked decrease of serum TG level was observed in the 5 PC % group, which was attributable to a reduced concentration of TG in serum very low density lipoprotein.
From the results obtained, a decreased transport of TG from the liver to blood was considered to be a factor responsible for the liver lipid accumulation in rats fed the low protein diet.

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Five γ-glutamylpeptides were isolated from the L-glutamic acid fermentation broths using Corynebacterium glutamicum, and were identified as γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamic acid, γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamine, γ-L-glutamyl-L-valine, γ-L-glutamyl-L-leucine, and γ-L-glutamyl-γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamic acid, respectively. γ-L-Glutamyl-L-glutamine and the tripeptide are new compounds found in fermentation. It was suggested that these peptides were synthesized by the bacteria. The studies on the crystallization of L-glutamic acid revealed that γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamic acid was the essential compound that affected the crystallization. More than 0.5% existence of the peptide lowered the crystallization rate, and more than 1.0% existence caused the change of morphological tendency of the crystallization, α-form to β-form. The other peptides did not show any actions to the crystallization by themselves, but when they coexisted with γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamic acid, they enhanced the action of the peptide.

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Fungicidal constituents against Rhizoctonia solani and Alternalia mali were isolated from Kuntan (calcined rice chaff) smoke. The fungicidal constituents were phenolics (o, m and p-cresol, 4-ethylphenol, 2, 3, 6-trimethylphenol, 4-n-propylphenol, 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, 4-n-propyl-2-methoxyphenol and 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) and α, β-unsaturated-γ-butyro-lactones (2-methyl-4-hydroxy-2-hexenoic acid lactone and 2-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-pentenoic acid lactone). The anti-pathogenic nature of Kuntan may be due in part to the fungicidal constituents isolated from Kuntan smoke.

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Methyl 3-methyl-7β-benzamido-3-cephem-4-carboxylate (1) and t-butyl 3, 4_??_-dimethyl-7β-pivalamido-7α-methylthio-2-cephem-4-carboxylate (7) were treated with triphenylmethyl tetrafluoroborate. 1 gave mainly 2-phenyl-4-triphenylmethyl-2-oxazolin-5-one (2), (Z)-methyl 2-formamido-3-methyl-4-triphenylmethylthio-2-butenoate (3), 2-triphenylmethyl benzoylglycine (4) and bis ((Z)-3-formamido-3-methoxycarbonyl-2-methyl-2-propene) disulfide (5). 7 gave methyl triphenylmethyl sulfide (8), 2-t-butyl-4-triphenylmethyl-4-methylthio-2-oxazolin-5-one (9) and 4-t-butoxycarbonyl-4, 5-dimethyl-4H-1, 3-thiazine (10). This reveals that triphenylmethyl cation cleaves the C₆-C₇ and N₅-C₈ bonds of cephem derivatives.

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The photodecomposition of O-ethyl S, S-diphenyl phosphorodithiolate (edifenphos) under laboratory ultraviolet light was investigated by using the ³⁵S-labeled compound. Under catalysis by ultraviolet light, edifenphos was hydrolyzed to O-ethyl S-phenyl hydrogen phosphorothiolate, S-phenyl dihydrogen phosphorothiolate, ethyl dihydrogen phosphate and finally phosphoric acid. The main step of the photodecomposition was cleavage of the P-S bond at the initial stage of irradiation. On irradiation in film and aqueous solution, phenylthio radicals attributed to the cleavage of the P-S linkage were immediately oxidized to form benzensulfonic acid and sulfuric acid. In hexane solution, some phenylthio radicals reacted to give diphenyl disulfide, diphenyl sulfide, 1-methylpentyl benzenesulfinate and 1-methylpentyl benzenesulfonate.

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The hydroxyprolyl tri and tetraarabinosides were isolated from a cell wall preparation of cultured tobacco cells by alkali hydrolysis, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The structures of the two hydroxyproline-arabinosides (Ara₃-Hyp and Ara₄-Hyp) were determined by analysis of controlled Smith-degradation products, and measurements of PMR spectra and optical rotation to be β-L-Araf-(1→2)-β-L-Araf-(1→2)-β-L-Araf-(1→4)-Hyp and β-L-Araf-(1-→3)-β-L-Araf-(1→2)-β-L-Araf-(1→2)-β-L-Araf-(1→4)-Hyp, respectively.

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Polydispersity and heterogeneity of the soluble glycoprotein isolated from bovine milk fat globule membrane were demonstrated by means of isoelectric focusing and irnmunoelectrophoresis.
The soluble glycoprotein showed a polydispersity on isoelectrofocusing gels, and its isoelectric pH ranged from 4.4 to 5.7. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the polydispersed glycoprotein fractions separated by the isoelectric focusing suggested that the polydispersity was caused by various stages of intermolecular association of the constituent polypeptides.
Immunoelectrophoretic experiments showed that there were at least four different antigenic compounds. The appearance of the major precipitin lines suggested the polydispersity of the glycoprotein.
These results indicate that the soluble glycoprotein from milk fat globule membrane is not homogeneous although an apparent homogeneity was observed in some ordinary physicochemical analyses.

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A cold-sensitive mutant defective in chromosome segregation, cs2-68, has been isolated from E. coli after NTG mutagenesis. When an exponentially growing culture of cs2-68 at 37°C was shifted to 20°C, the number of viable cells increased 3.2_??_4.0-fold in about 6 hr and gradually decreased thereafter. During the incubation at 20°C, most of the cells formed filaments and lost colony forming ability at the same time. A big nuclear mass in the central region of the filamentous cell at 20°C was observed by Giemsa staining. Macromolecular syntheses of cs2-68 including DNA, RNA and protein proceeded at a normal rate at 20°C. The number of viable cells of cs2-68 increased exponentially at 30° and 37°C but not at 20° or 25°C. When the portion of the culture of stationary phase at 37°C was introduced into the fresh medium and incubated at 20°C, the increase of viable cells was only 1.7_??_1.9-fold. The mutation has been mapped between approximately 70 and 80min on E. coli genetic map, a previously undescribed region involved in chromosome segregation.

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The culture of cold-sensitive division mutant, cs 2-29 consists of many normal cells and some filaments at 37°C. When an exponentially growing culture of cs 2-29 at 37°C was shifted to 20°C, the number of viable cells increased about 1.5-fold and the cells formed multinucleated filaments lacking septa. After the increase in optical density terminated at 20°C, normal cells separated from the end of filaments and the number of colony formers gradually increased. The number of viable cells of cs 2-29 increased normally at 25°, 30° and 37°C but not at 20°C in NBT medium.
When chloramphenicol was added to the culture simultaneously with the temperature shift to 37°C after 6 hr of incubation at 20°C, the filamentous cells of cs 2-29 failed to divide. Strain cs 2-29 could divide at 20°C in NBT medium containing D-pantoyl lactone and also in semi-synthetic medium supplemented with sodium acetate as a carbon source.
The mutant accepted both chromosomal and plasmid markers at reduced frequencies. The cs gene has been located between metE and rha, a previously undescribed region involved in septation. The mutated gene in this strain was designated as fcsA. The decrease of conjugation ability of cs 2-29 appears to be co-transducible with the cs gene.

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A thiaisoleucine-resistant mutant, ASAT-372, derived from a threonine producer of Corynebacterium glutamicum, KY 10501, produced 5mg/ml each of L-isoleucine and L-threonine. L-Isoleucine productivity of ASAT-372 was improved stepwise, with concurrent decrease in threonine production, by successively endowing it with resistivity to such substances as ethionine, 4-azaleucine and α-aminobutyric acid. The mutant strain finally selected, RAM-83, produced 9.7mg/ml of L-isoleucine with a medium containing 10% (as sugar) molasses.
L-Isoleucine production was significantly affected by the concentration of ammonium sulfate in the fermentation medium. At 4% ammonium sulfate L-isoleucine production was enhanced whereas L-threonine production was suppressed. At 2% ammonium sulfate L-threonine production was stimulated while L-isoleucine production decreased.

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Experiments were carried out to establish a new method for the preparation of protein from single cell microbes combining an Impact-Cell-Mill (ICM) method with a technics of wet spun fiber formation, and also were studied on the relationship among viscoelastic properties, preparations and the spinnabilities.
The obtained results were as follows:
1) ICM method was superior to alkaline extraction method both in separation and yield respectively.
2) Yeast off-flavour of SCP prepared by ICM method was markedly decreased by employing a hot ethanol treatment. Dynamic modulus (G') of SCP caused an increase and a shift to high frequency side (ω) by employing a hot ethanol treatment, and the purity of SCP was improved by removing lipid and carbohydrate with present method.
3) SCP prepared by ICM method was found inferior to casein phase separation and spinnability. But its rheological properties and spinnabilities could be changed with the hot ethanol treatment. Present SCP showed a higher value in recovery and good coloring as a spun-fiber, but a decrease in nucleic acid contents by the spinning process. The dope in which nucleic acid content was markedly decreased showed good spinnability.

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A polar radiation degradation product (RDP) isolated from β-carotene exposed to gamma rays (1 Mrad) exhibited labilizing action on rat liver lysosomes. This was observed to be concentration dependent as revealed by the proportionate increase in the free activities of acid ribonuclease and aryl sulphatase. When polar products obtained from irradiated vitamin A and β-carotene were compared with respect to their lysosome disrupting properties, it was found that the products of vitamin A accomplished the release of enzymes more readily than the compound derived from β-carotene. The observed differences in the extent of lysosome labilization, Rf value and absorption maximum suggested that the RDP derived from β-carotene is different from its vitamin A counterparts.

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The chemical modifications of the lipase of Humicola lanuginosa by various reagents were investigated in the presence of urea. It was found that the lipase was completely inactivated by the addition of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in both the presence or absence of urea. According to the change of UV-spectra at 280nm and 260nm, it was confirmed that tryptophan residues of the Humicola lipase were specifically oxidized by N-bromourea which was produced by the reaction of NBS with urea. The lipase activity disappeared completely along with the oxidation of two of the three tryptophan residues in the lipase molecule.

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Reaction of malonylhydrazide with different isothiocyanates yields corresponding histhiosemicarbazides which are transformed into bis [5-mercapto-4-aryl-1, 2, 4-triazol-3-yl] methane, bis [5-arylamino-1, 3, 4-oxadiazol-2-yl] methane and bis [5-arylamino-1, 3, 4-thiadiazol-2-yl] methane under different reaction conditions. Mercapto compounds react with alkyl halides, and give the corresponding sulphides, some of the sulphides are converted into sulphones with aqueous potassium permanganate. Some of the compounds are evaluated as pesticides.

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Model systems of D-glucose and ammonia with metal ions, oxygen, antioxidants, and sodium hydroxide were reacted at 100°C (solution temp.) for 2_??_18 hr to investigate pyrazine formation pathways. Pyrazines identified in these model systems were unsubstituted-, 2-methyl-, 2, 5-dimethyl-, 2, 6-dimethyl-, 2-ethyl-, 2, 3-dimethyl-, 2-ethyl-5-methyl-, 2-ethyl-6-methyl-, 2, 3, 5-trimethyl-, 2-ethyl-3-methyl-, 2-vinyl-, 2-ethyl-3, 5-dimethyl-, 2-ethyl-3, 6-dimethyl- and ethyl vinyl-. Results show that a-amino carbonyl compounds acted as inter-mediates to form various pyrazines. For example, 2-methylpyrazine may be formed from the condensation of α-amino-α-hydroxy acetaldehyde and α-amino acetone following the elimination of a water molecule.
We propose that the formation of a pyrazine ring from dihydropyrazine is due to the dehydration of hydroxy dihydropyrazine rather than the dehydrogenation of dihydropyrazine. This explains the formation of an alkyl group (e. g., an ethyl group) from the sugar moiety.
We propose ten α-amino carbonyl intermediates from the alkylpyrazines which we obtained, and their formation schemes are discussed.

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Ribonucleotide anhydrides have been prepared from corresponding ribonucleoside 5'-S-methyl phosphorothiolates by demethylthiolation with iodine in dry pyridine at room temperature in the presence of appropriate phosphates such as inorganic orthophosphate, inorganic pyrophosphate or glucose 1-phosphate. Thus synthesis of ribonucleotide anhydrides have been achieved and three ribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates (ATP, CTP and UTP), three ribonucleoside 5'-diphosphates (ADP, CDP and UDP) and a pyrophosphate coenzyme (UDPG) have been synthesized and isolated as lithium salts by charcoal treatment followed by ion exchange chromatography.

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New antimetabolite N-1409, an antagonist of L-threonine was isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces. Taxonornical study on the producing strain made it a new species and named Streptomyces plumbeus n. sp. Sakai et Park after its leaden color of matured aerial mycelium.
N-1409 substance was isolated as colorless needles, mp 218_??_220°C. Its molecular formula C₁₂H₂₁N₄O₈P•3/2 H₂O was determined by elementary analysis and alkali titration. On acid hydrolysis, L-alanine, L-aspartic acid and a new phosphorus containing amino acid were obtained.

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Methylisocitrate lyase catalyzing the cleavage of threo-D_s-2-methylisocitrate into pyruvate and succinate was purified about 60-fold from cell free extracts of Candida lipolytica. The purified enzyme required a divalent cation and a sulfhydryl compound for maximum activity. Sulfhydryl reagents strongly inhibited enzyme activity. The molecular weight was estimated to be about 1.2×10⁵ by gel filtration. The enzyme was specific for threo-D_s-2-methylisocitrate (Km=7.7×10^-4M) and did not catalyze the cleavage of threo-DL-isocitrate. Attempts to detect condensation between pyruvate and succinate by the preparation were unsuccessful. The enzyme was activated by NAD but noncompetitively inhibited by NADH and NADPH: these results support the idea that this enzyme is also a regulatory enzyme of the methylcitric acid cycle concerning the oxidation of propionate to pyruvate.

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A survey of plant growth regulators in seeds of Cucurbita pepo L. led to the isolation of three new gibberellins A₃₉, A₄₈ and A₄₉, a new kaurenolide, and six plant growth regulators (a new compound named cucurbic acid, cucurbic acid glucoside, methyl cucurbate glucoside, (+)-abscisic acid, 9, 10-dihydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid and its methyl ester) together with three abscisic acid-related compounds [(+)-2-trans-abscisic acid, (+)-dehydrovomifoliol and (+)-vomifoliol].

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The structures of three new gibberellins A₃₉, A₄₈ and A₄₉, and a new kaurenolide, isolated from seeds of Cucurbita pepo L., were elucidated. The structures of GA₃₉, GA₄₈ and GA₄₉ were shown to be ent-3α, 12β-dihydroxygibberell-16-ene-7, 19, 20-trioic acid (1), ent-2α, 3α, 10, 12α-tetrahydroxy-20-norgibberell-16-ene-7, 19-dioic acid 19, 10-lactone (5) and the epimer at C-12 of GA₄₈ (8), respectively. The kaurenolide was shown to have the structure: ent-6β, 7α, 12β-trihydroxykaur-16-en-19-oic acid 19, 6-lactone (14).

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Structures of five plant growth inhibitors isolated from seeds of Cucurbita pepo L. were elucidated, and shown to be 9, 10-dihydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid (1), its methyl ester (2), (1S, 2S, 3S)-3-hydroxy-2-(2'-cis-pentenyl)-cyclopentane-l-acetic acid (3, named cucurbic acid), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcucurbic acid (4) and methyl 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcucurbate (5).

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Effect of N^ε-dansyl-L-lysine [N^ε-(5-dimethylaminonaphthalenesulfonyl)-L-lysine] on amino acid transport across the brush border of isolated rat small intestine was investigated. N^ε-Dansy-L-lysine was not actively accumulated nor transmurally transported by the intestinal tissue; nonetheless, it competitively inhibited the basic amino acid transport with a Ki of about 0.4mM for L-lysine, but entirely not the neutral amino acid transport. The inhibition was relatively independent of extracellular Na⁺ The minimal dependence on Na⁺ parallels with the least Na⁺ dependence of lysine transport among various amino acid transport systems, suggesting the inhibition competes for a step involved in a heteroexchange process mediating the greater portion of lysine transport. The results provided a basis for a potential use of N^ε-dansyl-L-lysine as a fluorescent probe in delineating its interaction with basic amino acid transport system in the small intestine.

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The active insecticidal principles in the heartwood of Juniperus recurva were found to be thujopsene and 8-cedren-13-ol. Additional 12 sesquiterpenes were also detected in the neutral fraction of ether extracts.

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