A dgkA homolog was cloned from the Staphylococcus aureus genome and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified
DgkA homolog encoded by the cloned gene revealed undecaprenol (UOH) kinase activity. A deletion mutant of dgkA
homolog was constructed to examine the undecaprenyl phosphate (UP) metabolism in S. aureus. Cellular levels of
UOH and UP were determined using cells grown in the medium containing 14C-labeled and 3H-labeled
mevalonolactone by measuring the radioactivities in UOH and UP that were extracted from cells and separated by
thin-layer chromatography. The relative UOH level in the deletion mutant was significantly higher than that in the
parental strain both in the exponential growth phase and in the stationary phase. Conversion of UOH accumulated in
the stationary phase to UP in the recultivated cells occurred not only in the parental strain but also in the deletion
mutant.
We studied the effects of a dietary supplement (JUNSAICOMACHI) containing water shield
extract and sake cake dry powder on the skin condition of 28 healthy adult females. The
analysis by visual analogue score revealed that continued intake of JUNSAIKOMACHI for 14
days markedly improved “dry skin” and “makeup finishing”, and after 28 days improved 9
symptoms including “dull skin” compared with the subjects’ skin conditions before the trial.