Publications by authors named "Y Toyokawa"

Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers isolated a yeast mutant (K7-V7) with a specific amino acid change that increased valine accumulation, resulting in higher production of fruity aromas in sake.
  • * The findings suggest that the modified yeast strain K7-V7 can produce sake with significantly enhanced levels of aroma compounds, paving the way for creating unique flavor profiles in sake brewing.
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We isolated a new strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 35a14, from banana stems in Okinawa. This strain did not belong to any industrial yeast groups in a phylogenetic tree and produced high levels of alcohol. Furthermore, awamori, an Okinawa's traditional distilled alcoholic beverage, brewed with an l-leucine overproducing mutant derived from 35a14 showed a high concentration of isoamyl acetate.

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Branched-chain higher alcohols (BCHAs), or fusel alcohols, including isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol, and active amyl alcohol, are useful compounds in several industries. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can synthesize these compounds via the metabolic pathways of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Branched-chain amino acid aminotransaminases (BCATs) are the key enzymes for BCHA production via the Ehrlich pathway of BCAAs.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between mucosal cytokine levels and clinical relapse in ulcerative colitis patients who initially presented with complete mucosal healing (Mayo endoscopic subscore of 0).
  • A total of 55 patients were enrolled, and their rectal mucosa was analyzed for various cytokines to determine which might predict relapses.
  • Results showed that several cytokines, especially interleukin-8, were significantly elevated in patients who experienced relapse, indicating its potential as a predictor for future clinical issues.
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Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (BCAT) catalyzes bidirectional transamination in the cell between branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; valine, leucine, and isoleucine) and branched-chain α-keto acids (BCKAs; α-ketoisovalerate, α-ketoisocaproate, and α-keto-β-methylvalerate). Eukaryotic cells contain two types of paralogous BCATs: mitochondrial BCAT (BCATm) and cytosolic BCAT (BCATc). Both isozymes have identical enzymatic functions, so they have long been considered to perform similar physiological functions in the cells.

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