Increased carvone production in Escherichia coli by balancing limonene conversion enzyme expression via targeted quantification concatamer proteome analysis.

(-)-Carvone is a monoterpenoid with a spearmint flavor. A sustainable biotechnological production process for (-)-carvone is desirable. Although all enzymes in (-)-carvone biosynthesis have been functionally expressed in Escherichia coli independently, the yield was low in previous studies.

Enzyme modification using mutation site prediction method for enhancing the regioselectivity of substrate reaction sites.

Enzymes with low regioselectivity of substrate reaction sites may produce multiple products from a single substrate. When a target product is produced industrially using these enzymes, the production of non-target products (byproducts) causes adverse effects such as increased processing costs for purification and the amount of raw material. Thus it is required the development of modified enzymes to reduce the amount of byproducts' production.

Identification and characterization of (+)-α-bisabolol and 7-epi-silphiperfol-5-ene synthases from Artemisia abrotanum.

Triquinane is a type of sesquiterpenoid with a unique structure that contains a fused tricyclopentane ring and exhibits a wide range of bioactivities. Like other sesquiterpenoids, the first committed step in triquinane-type sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis is the cyclization of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), a common precursor of all sesquiterpenoids, catalyzed by sesquiterpene synthase. Artemisia abrotanum L.

Functional Analysis of Amorpha-4,11-Diene Synthase (ADS) Homologs from Non-Artemisinin-Producing Artemisia Species: The Discovery of Novel Koidzumiol and (+)-α-Bisabolol Synthases.

The production of artemisinin, the most effective antimalarial compound, is limited to Artemisia annua. Enzymes involved in artemisinin biosynthesis include amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS), amorpha-4,11-diene 12-monooxygenase (CYP71AV1) and artemisinic aldehyde Δ(11)13 reductase (DBR2). Although artemisinin and its specific intermediates are not detected in other Artemisia species, we reported previously that CYP71AV1 and DBR2 homologs were expressed in some non-artemisinin-producing Artemisia plants.

Combinatorial biosynthesis of legume natural and rare triterpenoids in engineered yeast.

Triterpenoid saponins are a diverse group of specialized (secondary) metabolites with many biological properties. The model legume Medicago truncatula has an interesting profile of triterpenoid saponins from which sapogenins are differentiated into hemolytic and non-hemolytic types according to the position of their functional groups and hemolytic properties. Gene co-expression analysis confirmed the presence of candidate P450s whose gene expression correlated highly with that of β-amyrin synthase (bAS).

Development of Capsicum EST-SSR markers for species identification and in silico mapping onto the tomato genome sequence.

Capsicum spp. are widely cultivated for use as vegetables and spices. The Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Japan, has stocks of approximately 800 lines of Capsicum spp.

Comparative functional analysis of CYP71AV1 natural variants reveals an important residue for the successive oxidation of amorpha-4,11-diene.

Artemisinin is an antimalarial sesquiterpenoid isolated from the aerial parts of the plant Artemisia annua. CYP71AV1, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase was identified in the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway. CYP71AV1 catalyzes three successive oxidation steps at the C12 position of amorpha-4,11-diene to produce artemisinic acid.

Individualizing Japan: searching for its origin in first modernity.

Since the mid-1990s Japanese society has entered a period of major change. The previous patterns of social order and social integration have collapsed, and it has become increasingly difficult to envision a stable life course for oneself. The 'secure' foundation has been weakening and anxiety has spread at an accelerated pace.

Dihydrocoronatine, promising candidate for a chemical probe to study coronatine-, jasmonoid- and octadecanoid-binding protein.

Coronatine (1), its synthetic analogs (6-13) and jasmonic acid induced various volatiles in rice leaves. In the range of 0.01-0.