A new serine protease family with elastase activity is produced by bacteria.

We found an elastolytic activity in the culture supernatant of sp. P-3, and the corresponding enzyme (streptomycetes elastase, SEL) was purified to apparent homogeneity from the culture supernatant. The molecular mass of purified SEL was approximately 18 kDa as judged by SDS-PAGE analysis and gel-filtration chromatography.

l-Lysine production independent of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway by Corynebacterium glutamicum with the Streptococcus mutans gapN gene.

We have recently developed a Corynebacterium glutamicum strain that generates NADPH via the glycolytic pathway by replacing endogenous NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapA) with a nonphosphorylating NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapN) from Streptococcus mutans. Strain RE2, a suppressor mutant spontaneously isolated for its improved growth on glucose from the engineered strain, was proven to be a high-potential host for l-lysine production (Takeno et al., 2010).

Development of fatty acid-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum strains.

To date, no information has been made available on the genetic traits that lead to increased carbon flow into the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway of Corynebacterium glutamicum. To develop basic technologies for engineering, we employed an approach that begins by isolating a fatty acid-secreting mutant without depending on mutagenic treatment. This was followed by genome analysis to characterize its genetic background.

Conjugates of an abscisic acid derivative and phenolic glucosides, and a new sesquiterpene glucoside from Lindera strychnifolia.

Three conjugates of the abscisic acid derivative (2Z,4E)-5-[(1S,3S,5R,8S)-3,8-dihydroxy-1,5-dimethyl-7-oxo-6-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-8-yl]-3-methylpenta-2,4-dienoic acid and phenolic glucosides (1-3), and an eremophilane-type sesquiterpene glucoside (4), along with ten known compounds, were isolated from the roots of Lindera strychnifolia.