Antibiotics production by an actinomycete isolated from the termite gut.

As well as the search for new antibiotics, a new resource or strains for the known antibiotics is also important. Microbial symbionts in the gut of termites could be regarded as one of the feasible resource for such purpose. In this study, antibiotic-producing actinomycetes were screened from symbionts of the termite gut.

Optimized culture conditions for the efficient production of porcine adenylate kinase in recombinant Escherichia coli.

Temperature shift cultivations with amino acid supplementation were optimized to produce porcine adenylate kinase (ADK) in recombinant Escherichia coli harboring a pUC-based recombinant plasmid under the control of the trp promoter. With regard to temperature control, the culture condition was initially maintained at 35 degrees C for cellular growth, but ADK expression was suppressed until the late logarithmic growth phase; subsequently, a temperature shift was applied (from 35 degrees C to 42 degrees C), which resulted in maximal ADK production. In addition, supplementation of amino acids, especially valine and leucine, during the temperature shift stimulated ADK expression from 3.

Stereospecific degradation of phenylsuccinate by actinomycetes.

Racemic phenylsuccinate was stereospecifically degraded by the actinomycetes PS9 and PS17 isolated from soil obtained from Okinawa Island, Japan. Strain PS9, identified as a Citricoccus sp., preferentially degraded the R-form, while strain PS17, identified as a Microbacterium sp.

Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis coupled with microchip electrophoresis for high-resolution identification of Monascus strains.

Monascus fungi are commonly used for a variety of food products in Asia, and are also known to produce some biologically active compounds. Since the use of Monascus is expected to increase in food industries, strain-level identification and management of Monascus will be needed in the near future. In the present study, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis coupled with microchip electrophoresis was applied for this purpose.

Red yeast rice fermentation by selected Monascus sp. with deep-red color, lovastatin production but no citrinin, and effect of temperature-shift cultivation on lovastatin production.

Monascus pilosus NBRC4520 was selected for functional fermented food inoculation for its high lovastatin and low citrinin production with a deep-red color. For koji (mold rice) with high lovastatin production, separation of the growth phase and lovastatin production phase by shifting the temperature from 30 to 23 degrees C increased lovastatin production by nearly 20 times compared to temperature-constant cultivation. In addition, citrinin was not produced even in the lovastatin production phase, although the pigment was increased.

Biodegradation of thiodiglycol, a hydrolyzate of the chemical weapon Yperite, by benzothiophene-desulfurizing bacteria.

Microbial degradation of thiodiglycol (bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfide, TDG) with petroleum-desulfurizing soil bacteria was examined. Among the bacteria tested, several strains belonging to the genera Rhodococcus and Gordonia grew on TDG as the sole sulfur source. The selected strain Rhodococcus sp.