THE JOURNAL OF VITAMINOLOGY
Online ISSN : 2185-2553
Print ISSN : 0022-5398
Volume 3, Issue 1
Displaying 1-12 of 12 articles from this issue
  • SHIGEO HORIE
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 1-12
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    1. Using commercial dry yeast, Goodhart's method was reinvestigated, and a revised manometric method for the estimation of cocarboxylase was described.
    2. Main revises were as follows: The amount of the thiamine added, the phosphate buffer concentration, and the substrate concentration were increased, whereas the concentration of etiozymase was decreased.
    3. The improved method was found to be far more sensitive than the original method. The amount of 0.04 to 1.0γ of cocarboxylase could be determined accurately.
    4. This method is not always applicable directly to tissue extracts, especially when glucose is present in the sample. But, for investigating the synthesis and degradation of cocarboxylase in the purified enzyme systems, this method will be useful and have sufficient sensitivity and accuracy.
    5. The mechanism of the increase in sensitivity was studied.
    It was proved more directly that thiamine prevented the decomposition of cocarboxylase.
    6. The phosphate buffer concentration is a very important factor. When the phosphate concentration was increased, and the osmotic pressure reached nearly isotonic, the static denaturation of etiozymase was prevented. However, the osmotic factor was only a part of the effect of phosphate.
    7. As another function of phosphate it was assumed that phosphate retarded the dynamic denaturation which took place only when etiozymase was actively catalyzing the reaction.
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  • TOSHIO TAKAI, MAKOTO MINO, SEIICHI KISHI
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 13-23
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    1. Various methods have been advanced for diagnosing the degree of vitamin A deficiency clinically. It was found that the method of loading with vitamin A, followed by measuring the fecal vitamin for determining the saturation of the vitamin is without value. The method of measuring the vitamin A content of the blood is therefore preferable.
    2. For diagnosing vitamin A deficiency from the plasma vitamin level, the determination of the total vitamin is significant but that of the free form is more significant. The determination of the esterified form is of no significance since it remains unchanged in deficiency.
    3. In some cases of nephritis, nephrosis and the diseases suggesting hepatic dysfunction the blood total vitamin A level rises, the ratio of the free/esterified showing a characteristic change. Such exception must be taken into consideration.
    4. The plasma vitamin A levels in 49 apparently healthy subjects were determined. The total vitamin A was 140.3±35.9, the free form 116.6±35.2 and the esterified form 23.7±11.0 I. U./100ml, hardly dependent of age; 82.6per cent of the total vitamin A is in the free form and 17.4 per cent in the esterified form.
    5. Determination of the plasma vitamin A level, below which can be considered a deficiency, is a difficult problem and must await further investigation. However, when the total vitamin A level drops below 90 I. U./100ml and the free form below 70 I. U. 100ml, there is clearly a vitamin A deficiency, supplementation of vitamin A being urgently required.
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  • V. SYNTHESIS OF NIACIN
    KENZO NAGAYAMA, AKIJI FUJITA
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 24-29
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A human adult being used as a test subject, an ordinary, meat and vegetable diets were given respectively and the urinary and fecal niacin was estimated and the difference of the vitamin ingested from those excreted was assumed to the vitamin synthesized by the intestinal bacteria. A switch from an ordinary to a meat diet resulted in a little increase in urinary niacin but in a reduction both in the fecal niacin and in the niacin synthesized. On the contrary, a switch from an ordinary to a vegetable diet resulted in a marked increase in the niacin content of the urine and stool as well as the niacin synthesized. When cellulose was added to either a meat diet or a vegetable one, a marked rise occurred in the niacin synthesized. Furthermore, the amount of MNA and MCP excreted in urine was determined besides niacin, and it was found that the former two altered roughly in parallel with the latter, the former two being always higher. After ingesting cellulose the urinary excretion of the metabolites rose markedly, indicating a ready absorbability of the vitamin from the intestine. Taking the metabolites into consideration, the amount of niacin synthesized by intestinal bacteria after ingesting cellulose amounted to as high as 55-58mg per day.
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  • III. ON A REACTION PRODUCT PRODUCED BY THE REACTION BETWEEN THIAMINE AND RUTIN
    EIICHI HASEGAWA, TOMOSABURO TAMAKI, TAKAHISA TANAKA, AKIJI FUJITA
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 30-38
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The reaction of thiamine with rutin was investigated and the reaction product was isolated in a crystalline form. This product is as active as thiamine to love-birds. It is reduced by cysteine to thiamine in vitro. By hydrolysis 2 methyl 4 amino 5 amino-methylpyrimidine is formed, which was isolated and identified. Following administration to rats, a marked rise in urinary thiamine excretion was observed. From these facts it was presumed that the reaction product is a new derivative belonging to a disulfide type of thiamine. It was tentatively called “rutinothiamine”. Its possible structure was discussed.
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  • WAICHI YONEZAWA, FUJIYA AOKI, MINORU OTA, KOEI NISHIO, KOICHI MATSUMOT ...
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 39-42
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    From the above findings, it is obvious that the new fungus is closely related to Trichosporon cutaneum but differs in some respects, namely, in the assimilation of ethanol, splitting of arbutin and the type of giant colony. Further, production of much thiaminase are the most specific points of this new fungus.
    Japan Vitamin B Research Committee (December 8, 1956) decided to designate this new species of fungus as Trichosporon aneurinolyticum Yonezawa et Aoki.
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  • KIKU MURATA, REIKO TAKEUCHI
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 43-49
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The experiment on the factors of reducting or hydrolysing disulfide forms of thiamine or O, S-diacylthiamines and on thiamine-destroying activity of thiaminase solutions of fern, shell-fish, Bacillus thiaminolyticus Matsukawa et Misawa and Bacillus aneurinolyticus Kimura et Aoyama, showed that thermostable and enzymatic, reductive and hydrolytic factors exist in the enzyme solutions, and that disulfide forms of thiamine and O, S-diacylthiamines are at the first step reduced or hydrolysed, followed by decomposition by thiaminase.
    The decomposition percentages of thiamine disulfide forms of thiamine and O, S-diacylthiamines in the enzyme solutions were compared and thiamine disulfide were found to be more resistant. Diacetylthiamine is considerably decomposed by the solution of fern and shell-fish containing thiaminase I, but remained intact with bacterial enzyme solution containing either thiaminase I or II. Dibenzoylthiamine, however, is generally scarcely destroyed by all these enzyme preparations.
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  • TOSHIO MUTO, YOSHIKAZU SAHASHI
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 50-55
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: July 01, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    1. Biosynthesis of vitamin B12 by aged cell homogenate of B12-nonproducing microbe was tested, and it was found by bioautography that the in vitro formation of vitamin B12 from cobalt-porphyrin and 5, 6-dimethylbenzimidazole was always positive.
    2. Further evidence was obtained by using Co60-labeled Co-porphyrin, and biosynthesis of Co60-labeled vitamin B12 was confirmed by radioautography.
    3. From these findings it is concluded that cobalt-porphyrin may be available for the formation of vitamin B12 in vitro by the intracellular enzyme of an Euglena strain which is ordinarily an nonproducer of vitamin B12.
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  • YOSHIKAZU SAHASHI, TOSHIO MUTO, NOBUO SENO, TAKAO SUZUKI, TADASHI HIRA ...
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 56-60
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    1. The possibility of the importance of cobalt-porphyrin on the growth of vitamin B12-producing strains was suggested by the observations of a marked and constant increase in Streptomyces olivaceus PD 61, goat-gastric Infusoria and Actinomycetes in cows on chlorophyll-containing ration.
    2. The biosynthesis of vitamin B12 by vitamin B12-forming organisms seems to be concerned with cobalt-porphyrin rather than 5, 6-dimethylbenzimidazole.
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  • MASAYA ARAKI, SHINTO CHIN, KEIKA RYO
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 61-67
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A histochemical fluorescence-microscopic detection method of vitamin D was deviced and using this method the histological distribution picture of vitamin D in each organ was examined and from these hostological pictures the absorption, storage and excretion of vitamin D were discussed.
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  • KOZO YAMADA, SHUNJI SAWAKI, SUMIHIKO HAYAMI
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 68-72
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    It is considered that cycloserine inhibits the vitamin B6-enzyme system in bacteria by forming a complex with vitamin B6.
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  • KOZO YAMADA, SHUNJI SAWAKI, SUMIHIKO HAYAMI
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 73-76
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    It was demonstrated by radioautography that the sulfur of methionine was incorporated into thiamine.
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  • NOBUHIKO KATUNUMA, TORU SHODA, HIROKO NODA
    1957 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 77-85
    Published: 1957
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    1. The pathway of folic acid biosynthesis by the enzyme extracted from Mycobacterium avium is found to be the following: PABA and L-glutamate couple together to form p-aminobenzoylglutamate, which is then coupled with xanthopterin to form folic acid.
    2. From the experiments using the resin-treated enzyme which is almost free from coenzymes, the coupling reaction of PABA and L-glutamate, a kind of peptide formation, requires ATP, CoA and Mg++ as cofactors, whereby pyrophosphoric acid and AMP are liberated equimolecularly.
    3. The amount of p-aminobenzoyl hydroxamate formed in this reaction is not reduced even when CoA is removed by resin treatment. It was presumed from this and other reasons that p-aminobenzoyl-AMP and p-aminobenzoyl-CoA are the active intermediates of PABA.
    4. A new method was devised for estimating folic acid alone applying the microbioassay using Streptocuccus faecalis to a fraction of Amberlite IR-4B. Using this method, folic acid was found to be synthesized from p-aminobenzoyl glutamate and xanthopterin.
    5. The synthesizing enzyme of this step was found to be able to be divided into active apo-enzymes and co-enzymes by treatment with Amberlite IRA-400.
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