Characterization of a novel hydroxynitrile lyase from Nandina domestica Thunb.

The leaves of Nandina domestica Thunb. exhibited high hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) activity in (R)-mandelonitrile synthesis. The specific activity of young leaves was significantly higher than that of mature leaves.

Isolation and characterization of racemase from Ensifer sp. 23-3 that acts on α-aminolactams and α-amino acid amides.

Limited information is available on α-amino-ε-caprolactam (ACL) racemase (ACLR), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme that acts on ACL and α-amino acid amides. In the present study, eight bacterial strains with the ability to racemize α-amino-ε-caprolactam were isolated and one of them was identified as Ensifer sp. strain 23-3.

A novel S-enantioselective amidase acting on 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanamide from Arthrobacter sp. S-2.

A novel S-enantioselective amidase acting on 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanamide was purified from Arthrobacter sp. S-2. The enzyme acted S-enantioselectively on 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanamide to yield (S)-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanoic acid.

Formal synthesis of (+)-madindoline A, a potent IL-6 inhibitor, utilizing enzymatic discrimination of quaternary carbon.

A formal synthesis of (+)-madindoline A was achieved. The Sunazuka's key intermediate, (4R,5S)-(-)-3-butyl-4-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)-5-methoxycarbonyl-2,5-dimethyl-2-cyclopentenone, was synthesized from easily available (2S,3S)-3-acetoxy-2-ethenyl-2-methylcyclopentanone. The starting material was reliably supplied by a chemo-enzymatic procedure in enantiomerically pure form.

Trans fatty acid intake and serum cholesterol levels in young Japanese women.

There are very limited data concerning the influence of low-level trans fatty acid (TFA) intake on blood lipid levels. In this study, correlation of total and diene TFA intake with serum cholesterol levels was studied in young Japanese women. The mean intakes of total and diene TFAs were 0.

Synthesis of (R)-β-nitro alcohols catalyzed by R-selective hydroxynitrile lyase from Arabidopsis thaliana in the aqueous-organic biphasic system.

Both enantiomers of β-nitro alcohols are versatile chiral building blocks. However, their synthesis using enzymes as catalysts has received little attention, with the exception of (S)-β-nitro alcohols produced in a reaction catalyzed by an S-selective hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) from Hevea brasiliensis (HbHNL). An R-selective HNL containing an α/β-hydrolase fold from the noncyanogenic plant Arabidopsis thaliana (AtHNL) accepts nitromethane (MeNO₂) as a donor in a reaction with aromatic aldehydes to yield (R)-β-nitro alcohols (Henry reaction; nitro aldol reaction).

S-selective hydroxynitrile lyase from a plant Baliospermum montanum: molecular characterization of recombinant enzyme.

A novel S-hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) was purified from leaves of a plant, Baliospermum montanum, by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatographies. Full-length cDNA and genomic DNA were cloned and sequenced. The latter contained two introns and one ORF encoding a 263-residue protein (subunit: 29.

A Simple Enzymatic Method for Production of a Wide Variety of D-Amino Acids Using L-Amino Acid Oxidase from Rhodococcus sp. AIU Z-35-1.

A simple enzymatic method for production of a wide variety of D-amino acids was developed by kinetic resolution of DL-amino acids using L-amino acid oxidase (L-AAO) with broad substrate specificity from Rhodococcus sp. AIU Z-35-1. The optimum pH of the L-AAO reaction was classified into three groups depending on the L-amino acids as substrate, and their respective activities between pH 5.

RCAI-8, 9, 18, 19, and 49-52, conformationally restricted analogues of KRN7000 with an azetidine or a pyrrolidine ring: Their synthesis and bioactivity for mouse natural killer T cells to produce cytokines.

Conformationally restricted analogues of KRN7000, an alpha-d-galactosyl ceramide, were synthesized to examine their bioactivity for mouse natural killer (NK) T cells to produce cytokines. RCAI-8, 9, 51, and 52 are the analogues with a pyrrolidine ring, and RCAI-18, 19, 49, and 50 are those with an azetidine ring. RCAI-18 was shown to be a potent inducer of cytokine production by mouse NKT cells, while RCAI-51 was a moderately active inducer.

Access to enantiomerically pure intermediates for (-)-geosmin synthesis starting from (4aS,5S)-4,4a,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-5-hydroxy-4a-methylnaphthalen-2(3H)-one.

Enantiomerically pure key intermediates for the synthesis of the natural enantiomer of geosmin were synthesized from (4aS,5S)-4,4a,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-5-hydroxy-4a-methylnaphthalen-2(3H)-one.