Mutational property of newly identified mutagen l-glutamic acid γ-hydrazide in Escherichia coli.

We previously found that an l-glutamine analog l-glutamic acid γ-hydrazide has high mutagenic activity through the high-throughput laboratory evolution of Escherichia coli. In this study, mutagenicity and mutational property of l-glutamic acid γ-hydrazide were examined by the Ames test and mutation accumulation experiments using E. coli.

Comparative Analysis of the Umami Taste Receptor Gene in Mustelidae.

Pseudogenization of the umami taste receptor gene has been reported more commonly in aquatic than terrestrial mammals. We hypothesized that the more species are adapted to the aquatic environment, the less important a role the umami taste detection plays. To test this hypothesis, we focused on the Mustelidae family because their habitat and feeding ecology are highly diverse.