Flavobacterium meningosepticum IFO 12535, a mena quinone (MK) producer, was mutagenized to improve productivity. A mutant, which was resistant to 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate (HNA), was found to produce MK more abundantly: 34mg/liter of culture broth and 5.5mg/g of dry cells. The mutant was less sensitive to inhibition by HNA on MK biosynthesis than the wild-type strain. MK was isolated from cells of the mutant and identified as MK-6 based on its physicochemical characteristics. Mutants, which were given each KCN resistance, aromatic amino acid auxotrophy and no carotenoid productivity, did not show further increase of productivity.

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The effect of dietary protein level on the transfer of α-tocopherol in blood to tissues including RBC was studied using rats. Thf first experiment comprised a 10% casein (low protein), 20% casein (normal) and 20% SPI (normal soybean protein) diet groups sup-plemented with 71.5mg of α-Toc/kg diet. In Exp. 2 the relationship of the tissue α-Toc level and protein level in diets, as shown by recovery fron vitamin E-deficient status after the administration of α-Toc for 3 days, wa checked by adjusting the protein level in diets to 10%, 20% and 40% casein. In Exp. 1 α-Toc in RBC decreased significantly in the 10% casein and 20% SPI groups compared to the 20% casein group. Moreover, α-Toy in kidney, lung and muscle decreased significantly in the 10% casein am 20% SPI groups. α-Toc in liver in the 20% SPI group decreased signifi-cantly compared to the 20% casein group. In Exp. 2 similar results wer observed (Table 4), but α-Toc in RBC showed only a tendency to decreas with the low protein diet. In Exp. 1 free cholesterol in RBC increase significantly in the 10% casein group compared with the other two groups.

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Regulatory effects of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃), 24, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃), parathyroid' hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) on BGP synthesis and/or secretion were studied using chick embryonic calvaria in vitro. BGP contents in calvaria and culture medium were determined by radioimmunoassay using antiserum to purified chick BGP. After 72 h culture, 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ (10^-10-10^-7M) increased the BGP content in culture medium signi-ficantly, and the effect was maximum at 10^-8M, while the BGP content in calvaria was not changed by 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃.24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ increased the BGP content both in medium at 10^-6M-10^-5M after 24h culture and in calvaria at 5×10^-7-10^-5M after 48h culture. PTH increased BGP contents both in calvaria after 72 h culture and medium at 1U/ml after 24h culture, while it decreased them at 5-10 U/ml after 24 h culture. CT (0.5-10U/ml) had no effect on BGP contents in calvaria and medium. 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃-induced increase of BGP in culture medium was observed from 24 to 72 h of culture and then reached a plateau at 120h of culture. 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃-induced increase in the BGP level in medium after 72h culture was 3-4 times the control value. On the other hand, the BGP content in calvaria was not affected by 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ until 72h of culture and then significantly increased at 120h. The addition of 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ (10^-8M), 24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ (10^-6M), and 1U PTH (and 1 U. CT added to those hormones) into culture medium of chick embryonic calvaria signi-ficantly increased BGP contents in calvaria and medium at 72h after culture. The effect of three hormones was not synergistic, but had a tendency to be greater than that of a single addition of 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃, 24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ or PTH.
Further addition of 1 U CT into culture medium did not affect the combined effects of 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃, 24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ and PTH except for the calcium content in calvaria. The addition of individual calcium-regulating hormones into culture medium of chick embryonic calvaria did not affect the calcium and phosphorus contents in calvaria, but the calcium content in calvaria was significantly increased by the addition of 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃, 24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃ and PTH to the culture medium.
Actinomycin D completely eliminated the 1, 25-(OH)₂-D₃-, 24, 25-(OH)₂-D₃- or PTH-induced increase in BGP, but had no appreciable effect on basal BGP production. These results support a model of transcriptional control for the action of those hormones on BGP synthesis.
These results suggest that the effects of calcium-regulating hormones on bone will be exerted via their actions on BGP synthesis and/or secretion, respectively.

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The effect of erythorbic acid (ErA) on ascorbic acid (AsA)content in the tissues of normal and AsA-deficient guinea pigs was studied. The animals were sacrificed at varying intervals during the experimental period, and the liver, adrenal glands, spleen and kidneys were removed. The amounts of AsA and ErA in the tissues were measured by HPLC. The content of AsA in the tissues of the animals administered both AsA and ErA was lower than that of the animals administered only AsA. But the disappearance rate of AsA from the tissues of the AsA-deficient animals was similar to that of the animals administered only ErA. The amount of AsA in the tissues of the animals administered both AsA and ErA during the repletion period was lower than that of the animals administered only AsA. These results suggest that ErA administration may affect the amount of AsA in the tissues by inhibiting its tissue uptake or its storage in the tissues, and not by accerelating the catabolism of AsA in the tissues.

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The antiscorbutic effect of dehydro-L-ascorbic acid (DAsA) was investigated in vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs. Male guinea pigs were fed vitamin C-deficient diets for 16 days to deplete body L-ascorbic acid (AsA) pools and then fed the deficient diet supplemented with DHA and/or AsA intraperitoneally for 14 days. During the repletion period, most of the animals injected with 0, 5mg DAsA/day developed scurvy, their body weights decreased and their mortality rate was higher than that of the other groups injected with 0.5mg AsA/day or 5mg DAsA/day. Injecting animals with 0.5mg AsA/day resulted in the disappearance of the typical scorbutic symptoms and regaining of body weight. These data indicate that DAsA has considerably less antiscorbutic activity than AsA in vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs.

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Vitamin D deficiency in cadmium-exposed rats was observ-ed along with enhanced tissue cadmium accumulation. In relation to the barrier function, the changes in the lipid composition have been studied in the intestinal brush border membranes prepared from rats raised on diets differing in vitamin D status in the absence or presence of cadmium. In an analysis of lipid composition, vitamin D₃ treatment resulted in an increase of phospholipid content, and cadmium ingestion resulted in a decrease of cholesterol and glycolipid contents in the duodenal brush border membranes. On the other hand, vitamin D₃ and cadmium showed no significant effect on the lipid composition of the jejunal brush border membranes.
Further analysis of the fatty acid composition in duodenal brush border membrane lipids showed that vitamin D₃ treatment led to an increase of the proportion of fatty acids (18:1 and 18:2 in the total and phospholipid fraction) and also shorter chain fatty acids in neutral lipid fractions in the absence of cadmium. However, vitamin D₃ treatment in the presence of cadmium led to a decrease of the proportion of fatty acid (18:2 in the total and phospholipid fraction) and also shorter chain fatty acids in neutral lipid fractions. Vitamin D-dependent alterations of the membranes might act as a barrier in cadmium-exposed rats.

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The food intake and serum cholesterol levels of 60 healthy, middle-aged inhabitants of Kobe city were surveyed from 1974 to 1981. We attempted to estimate the serum cholesterol level in which food consumption patterns (8-factor scores) were chosen as dietary indicators. Every two years, multiple regression analysis was applied cross-sectionally for males and females, using the eight factor scores as independent variables and the total serum cholesterol level as a dependent variable. The multiple regression coefficients based on the factors were significant for both males and females. Reproducibility of the standard partial regression coefficients, β, for females was also high. We obtained a formula for estimating serum cholesterol level based on the scores of Factor 1 (staple foods), F5 (prepared foods), F6 (traditional Japanese foods), F7 (vegetable oil) and F8 (nutrition-consciousness): multiple regression coefficient R=0.56 and coefficient of determination R²=0.31. The multiple regression equation indicated that serum cholesterol level increased with the combined effects of the uniformity of the food life, westernized-type food consumption, concern for nutrition and a relatively low intake of vegetable oil.

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This study was conducted to confirm that medium chain triglyceride (MCT) feeding itself would increase hepatic lipogenic enzyme activity without causing a lack of essential fatty acids (EFA) in the liver.
1. Male weaning rats were fed for 11 weeks on diets containing 2% corn oil and 13% various fats: MCT, corn oil, tripalmitin or beef tallow, respectively. MCT feeding was clearly shown to increase the activities of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) and malic enzyme (ME) in the liver.
2. Rats weighing 170g were pair-fed for 7 days on diets containing 15% MCT, 13% MCT+2% corn oil, 15% corn oil, and 2% corn oil and no fat (control groups), respectively, under a fixed level of carbohydrate (suc-rose). The addition of 2% corn oil to MCT (13%) did not depress these enzyme activities, even though supplementing the fat-free diet with 2% corn oil resulted in a significant decline in the activities.
3. When the rats recieved various amounts of MCT, the extent to which the degree of FAS and ME activities increased by MCT feeding depended on the amount of MCT in the dietary fat mixture with corn oil. Supplement of over 5% corn oil to MCT diets did not inhibit them sufficiently. In the liver lipids of animals fed MCT, there were no appearances of 20:3ω9 (5, 8, 11-eicosatrienoic acid), but the levels of mono-unsaturated fatty acids were increased by MCT feeding. The results suggest that MCT ingestion itself enhances lipogenic enzyme activity via some metabolic charge.

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In vivo studies in rats demonstrated that acute intragastric administration of ethanol (3g/kg BW) resulted in a reduced net absorption of fluid and calcium. Thirty minutes after an i.v. injection of 2μCi⁴⁵Ca, the gastrointestinal ⁴⁵Ca content in ethanol-treated rats was significantly higher than in controls indicating an increase in calcium secretion. The effect of ethanol on calcium movement was quantitated by measuring calcium fluxes across the in situ duodenal and ileal loops. Ethanol administration suppressed net duodenal calcium absorption by inhibiting the lumen to plasma flux of calcium. In contrast, ethanol enhanced plasma to lumen calcium flux in the ileum, resulting in net calcium secretion.

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The changes of magnesium utilization during pregnancy in rat and the influence of hydrocortisone acetate on it was studied. In the late days of gestation the Mg balance and magnesium content of bone increased significantly. This may be due to a greater requirement at this stage and to bone acting as a store for this cation. Hydrocortisone acetate at a dose of 4mg/100g body weight/day decreased the magnesium balance but did not modify the bone content of this mineral. The hormone had a catabolic effect on Longissimus dorsi muscle, producing a loss in mag-nesium. The effect is directly proportional to the duration of treatment.

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