{"title":"PNGase activity and free N-glycans in phloem fluid prepared from Nerium oleander (oleander tree).","authors":"Fuki Otaguro, Yoshinobu Kimura, Megumi Maeda","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf038","DOIUrl":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Free N-glycans (FNGs) occur ubiquitously in growing plants. Recently, it was reported that these FNGs interact with auxin. In this study, we investigated whether PNGase activity responsible for producing the FNGs occurs in the extracellular fluid, where auxin is present during its polar transfer. Here, we report the occurrences of PNGase activity and FNGs in the phloem fluid.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":"872-875"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143708676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yifeng Gong, Norapat Klinkaewboonwong, Risa Hayashi, Yan Zhou, Ikuhisa Nishida, Rei Saito, Tetsuya Goshima, Tomoyuki Nishi, Daisuke Watanabe, Dai Hirata, Takeshi Akao, Yoshikazu Ohya
{"title":"Combinatory breeding of sake yeast strains with mutations that enhance Ginjo aroma production.","authors":"Yifeng Gong, Norapat Klinkaewboonwong, Risa Hayashi, Yan Zhou, Ikuhisa Nishida, Rei Saito, Tetsuya Goshima, Tomoyuki Nishi, Daisuke Watanabe, Dai Hirata, Takeshi Akao, Yoshikazu Ohya","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf029","DOIUrl":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Isoamyl acetate and ethyl caproate are the primary aroma compounds responsible for the fruity fragrance characteristic of Ginjo sake. Simultaneous high-level production of both compounds is crucial to achieving a balanced aroma and complex flavor. Isoamyl acetate is predominantly produced by hda1∆/hda1∆ and LEU4(G516S)/LEU4(G516S), while ethyl caproate is produced in high quantities by FAS2(G1250S)/FAS2(G1250S). In this study, to maximize the production of both aroma compounds, genome editing was employed to generate sake yeast strains combining these mutations. After small-scale fermentation tests were conducted to evaluate the production of aroma compounds, we found that the isoamyl acetate-enhancing effect of hda1∆/hda1∆ was almost completely masked by FAS2(G1250S)/FAS2(G1250S). In contrast, the effects of LEU4(G516S)/LEU4(G516S) were not entirely masked by FAS2(G1250S)/FAS2(G1250S), resulting in 2.4- and 5.4-fold greater production of isoamyl acetate and ethyl caproate, respectively. This study highlights the utility of genome editing in the combinatorial breeding of sake yeast.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":"910-917"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143647042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"T7 expression system in Bacillus subtilis utilizing the rhiL promoter responsive to pectin and glucose.","authors":"Yuna Kuwahara, Kazutake Hirooka","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf035","DOIUrl":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We developed a T7 expression system in Bacillus subtilis, incorporating the rhiL promoter responsive to pectin and glucose to control the T7 RNA polymerase gene (T7 pol). Using the egfp reporter gene encoding a mutated green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the T7 promoter in a multicopy plasmid, we demonstrated that the EGFP expression was robustly induced by pectin and effectively repressed by glucose. These non-toxic and highly soluble effector compounds facilitate homogeneous expression control and large-scale protein production. The modified system, in which the Shine-Dalgarno sequence upstream of T7 pol was replaced with a highly efficient one from the ylbP gene, achieved a 6.1-fold increase in the maximum expression level upon induction while maintaining tight glucose-mediated repression. Moreover, the modified system's applicability to extracellular protein production was validated by the secretory production of B. subtilis cellulase EglS induced by pectin.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":"862-871"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143647120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthesis of homocarnosine for applications in bioactive peptide and functional food studies.","authors":"Tomoka Nagao, Kanako Sato, Takeshi Arima, Takumi Komaru, Sudathip Sae-Tan, Masubon Thongngam, Hisato Kuniyoshi, Makoto Hirayama, Yoshiaki Nakamura, Akiko Koi, Jun-Ichi Kakimura, Hitoshi Fujitaka, Ruge Cao, Noriyuki Yanaka, Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Homocarnosine is a brain-specific dipeptide composed of γ-aminobutyric acid and L-histidine. In contrast to its well-known analog carnosine, homocarnosine is under-explored and non-commercially available. Here, we report an in-house and practical procedure for solid-phase synthesis of homocarnosine yielding a purity of > 95%. Applications of the synthesized homocarnosine in in vitro assays exhibited antioxidant and muscle-fiber-cell viability activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144109616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evidence that abscisic acid mediates gene activation under dehydrating conditions in pearl millet.","authors":"Maimuna Qazi, Kota Kambara, Shashi Kumar Gupta, Tetsuo Takano, Daisuke Tsugama","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus) is a drought-tolerant cereal crop. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were previously identified from multiple independent RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses of transcriptomes in dehydrated pearl millet plants. However, because such DEGs and their promoters were rarely compared between those independent analyses, upstream regulators of such transcriptomic changes remain unclear. Here, motifs in promoters of 68 sets of DEGs from publicly available 135 RNA-Seq data from unstressed and dehydrated leaves and roots were detected, which revealed that the majority of the sets of promoters of genes upregulated by such stresses contain abscisic acid (ABA) response elements. Genes potentially regulating ABA biosynthesis and signaling under such conditions were narrowed down by further analyzing the above data and newly obtained RNA-Seq data from ABA-treated plants and by reverse transcription-PCR. These results underscore the importance of ABA in pearl millet dehydration responses and the usefulness of promoter analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144109663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deficiency of BTB and CNC Homology 1 promotes colon tumorigenesis by enhancing intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in mice.","authors":"Karen Kanamaru, Jun Tanikawa, Tomohisa Takagi, Akihiko Muto, Kazuhiko Igarashi, Yuji Naito, Yasuki Higashimura","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf073","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intestinal epithelial cells serve as the frontline of host defense and function as a physical barrier. BTB and CNC homology 1 (Bach1) is a transcriptional repressor involved in gastrointestinal physiology, but its role in epithelial proliferation and colorectal tumorigenesis remains unclear. This study demonstrates that Bach1 deficiency promotes colonic epithelial proliferation and enhances colorectal tumorigenesis. In Bach1-deficient (Bach1-/-) mice, structural analysis revealed elongation of villi in the small intestine and pronounced changes in the colon, with increased Ki67+ and BrdU+ cells indicating hyperproliferation. In HT-29 colon cancer cells, BACH1 knockdown accelerated cell cycle progression by reducing G0/G1-phase cells and increasing S-phase and G2/M-phase cells, accompanied by upregulation of cell cycle-related genes. Additionally, in an azoxymethane-induced colorectal carcinogenesis model, Bach1-/- mice exhibited a significant increase in aberrant crypt foci formation. These findings suggest that Bach1 deficiency contributes to colorectal tumorigenesis by promoting epithelial hyperproliferation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144101385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Noriyuki Iwabuchi, Yuki Tsuchiya, Tomoko Aizawa-Urai, Jun Ogihara
{"title":"Induced Heat Resistance in Rhodococcus Strains via Alkane Phase Translocation in Aqueous-Alkane Two-phase Cultures.","authors":"Noriyuki Iwabuchi, Yuki Tsuchiya, Tomoko Aizawa-Urai, Jun Ogihara","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We reported previously that approximately 70% of Rhodococcus strains translocate and grow well in the alkane phase of a two-phase aqueous-alkane culture. In addition, we recently demonstrated that Rhodococcus strains are capable of growth in alkanes and that they utilize the dissolved oxygen present in the alkane phase. In this study, we observed that some of the cells remained viable even after boiling, suggesting that cells translocated into the alkane phase exhibit increased heat resistance. To clarify this phenomenon, we assessed the heat-resistance of rhodococcal cells. Findings showed that the cells that translocated into alkanes were capable of growth on agar plates even after heat treatment. LIVE/DEAD staining confirmed that a subset of the cells survived heat treatment, whereas those grown without alkanes did not exhibit this response. These results suggest that rhodococcal cells grown in the presence of alkanes became more heat-resistant than those grown without hydrophobic liquids.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144075720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancement of carbohydrate metabolism by probiotic and prebiotic intake promotes short-chain fatty acid production in the gut microbiome: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial.","authors":"Yuhei Baba, Daisuke Tsuge, Ryo Aoki","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are thought to be a key factor in the health benefits of prebiotics and probiotics. This study investigated the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis GCL2505 and inulin (BL+IN) on fecal SCFAs and gut microbial composition and function. A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover study was conducted with 120 participants. Two weeks of BL+IN intake significantly increased acetate, propionate, and butyrate concentrations and Bifidobacterium abundance compared to placebo. Functional analysis of the gut metagenome showed enrichment of genes associated with carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, suggesting an enhanced capacity for SCFA production. A responder was defined as a participant with increased fecal SCFAs after BL+IN consumption. Responder metagenomes exhibited greater enrichment of genes involved in SCFA production and carbohydrate metabolism. In conclusion, short-term BL+IN ingestion may benefit healthy adults by increasing fecal SCFAs through influencing the composition and functional activation of SCFA-associated pathways in the gut microbiome.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144075656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yoshimi Yamakami, Kyoko Morino, Robert A Kanaly, Raku Irie, Masato Oikawa, Yuki Takauji, Kensuke Miki, Mohammad Nazir Hossain, Dai Ayusawa, Michihiko Fujii
{"title":"1,6-Digalloyl glucose in Emblica officinalis increases the proliferation of human keratinocytes and fibroblasts with upregulated expression of periostin.","authors":"Yoshimi Yamakami, Kyoko Morino, Robert A Kanaly, Raku Irie, Masato Oikawa, Yuki Takauji, Kensuke Miki, Mohammad Nazir Hossain, Dai Ayusawa, Michihiko Fujii","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Keratinocytes and fibroblasts are the major cell types in the epidermis and the dermis, respectively. Since both cells play important roles in wound healing, compounds that regulate their proliferation are expected to be beneficial to epidermal health. We have previously shown that the extract of Emblica officinalis, which is a well-known herb in Ayurvedic traditional medicine, increases the proliferation of keratinocytes. Here we purified a compound that increased cell proliferation from E. officinalis extract. Through liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and NMR techniques, the compound was determined to be 1,6-digalloyl glucose. Consistent with this, tannic acid, a type of polygalloyl glucose, also increased cell proliferation. We further found that E. officinalis extract increased the proliferation of fibroblasts as well and showed that it increased cell proliferation at least partly through upregulating the expression of periostin. These findings revealed the mechanism by which E. officinalis extract regulates cell proliferation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143979261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improved emulsifying property and reduced immunogenicity of β-lactoglobulin by conjugation with carboxymethyl cellulose of different molecular weight.","authors":"Moeko Ono, Tadashi Yoshida, Makoto Hattori","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbaf069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbaf069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>β-Lactoglobulin (BLG) was conjugated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide to improve its function. Three CMCs differing in molecular weight (1, 90 and 700 kDa) were used to investigate the effect of molecular weight of conjugated saccharide on the degree of functional changes. Reaction ratio was amino groups of BLG:carboxy groups of CMC:EDC = 1:3.5:20 (molar ratio). Conjugation was confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Composition of the BLG-low molecular weight (LMW) CMC, BLG-middle molecular weight (MMW) CMC and BLG-high molecular weight (HMW) CMC was BLG:CMC = 1:1.26, 1:1.30, and 1:1.26 (weight ratio) respectively. Emulsifying property of BLG in the acidic pH range and in the presence of NaCl was much improved by conjugation with CMC and the conjugation with HMW CMC was particularly effective. Immunogenicity of BLG was reduced by conjugation with CMC. In particular, conjugation with MMW CMC was effective and brought about not only quantitative but also qualitative improvements.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143972912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}