{"title":"Gene identification of L-alanine-3-formylquinuclidine aminotransferase from Brevibacterium aurantiacum NBRC 12171.","authors":"Yuki Okumura, Hiroyuki Jomen, Michiki Takeuchi, Shoko Kozono, Ryotaro Hara, Tomotsune Onaga, Tetsuji Noda, Seiichiro Matsumoto, Makoto Ueda, Jun Ogawa","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Quinuclidine derivatives are promising pharmaceutical agents. Herein, we screened for microorganisms capable of converting 3-formylquinuclidine and found that Brevibacterium aurantiacum NBRC 12171 converted 3-formylquinuclidine into quinuclidin-3-ylmethanamine. Through enzyme purification and the heterologous expression of candidate genes, the L-alanine-3-formylquinuclidine aminotransferase gene was identified. Using purified recombinant L-alanine-3-formylquinuclidine aminotransferase, we identified L-alanine as an amino donor for the conversion of 3-formylquinuclidine to quinuclidin-3-ylmethanamine. These findings provide a potential biocatalytic approach for the sustainable production of quinuclidine-based pharmaceutical building blocks.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149036384","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":"Biochemical analysis of catalytic and disease-associated residues in mouse Golgi-resident 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphate (PAP) phosphatase BPNT2/gPAPP.","authors":"Ryota Urushihara, Yasuhisa Maruno, Saki Maruoka, Moe Tsuruta, Ryotaro Matsuzaki, Etsuko Nishimoto, Takamasa Teramoto, Yoshimitsu Kakuta","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag144","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Golgi-resident 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphate (PAP) phosphatase BPNT2/gPAPP plays an essential role in maintaining sulfation homeostasis, but its biochemical characterization has been limited by the difficulty of in vitro analyses. Here, we established a stable expression and activity assay system using a Trigger factor-fused BPNT2 construct. Using this system, we performed AlphaFold 3-guided mutational analyses. The predicted model and mutational analyses showed that several acidic residues are required for efficient PAP phosphatase activity, likely through their contribution to Mg²⁺ coordination. In addition, T177 was suggested to help maintain an active-site geometry that could accommodate a catalytic water molecule. Conservation analysis and lithium inhibition supported the idea that BPNT2 shares a conserved Mg²⁺-dependent catalytic framework with related PAP phosphatases. Disease-associated variants D175N and T181P showed substantially reduced activity, possibly due to impaired Mg2+ coordination and local structural distortion. These findings provide a biochemical framework for understanding BPNT2 function in Golgi sulfation regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149036439","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}
Tomoyuki Nishi, Ikuhisa Nishida, Takeshi Akao, Dai Hirata
{"title":"Isolation of a malic acid-overproducing sake yeast that does not possess the known mutations causing high-malic acid-production.","authors":"Tomoyuki Nishi, Ikuhisa Nishida, Takeshi Akao, Dai Hirata","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag142","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malic acid is an organic acid that contributes to the refreshing taste of sake. Sake yeast strains with high-malic acid-productivity have been bred, and numerous mutations causing high-malic acid-production have been identified. Here, we spontaneously isolated a high-malic acid-producing mutant among the selected 2-deoxyglucose resistants, that does not possess the known mutations causing high-malic acid-production from the original sake yeast.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011881","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":"Selective curing of the endogenous plasmid pSF3 encoding organophosphorus hydrolase in Sphingobium fuliginis ATCC 27551.","authors":"Satoshi Ishikawa, Natsumi Ishikawa, Satoshi Onodera, Yuji Kikuchi, Kazuyoshi Kawahara","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sphingobium fuliginis ATCC 27551 degrades organophosphorus pollutants by organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) encoded on a plasmid pSF3. The replacement plasmid with the same replication-associated genes was used to cure pSF3. By the selection of antibiotic resistance, pSF3 was eliminated without changing other plasmids. The cured strain would be useful to construct a strain capable of large-scale production of OPH.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148975814","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}
Md Sajjad Hossain, Tokio Takahashi, Sho Ogasawara, Mario Shibata, Tomoaki Hagiwara
{"title":"Elucidating causes of fouling of canned black coffee manufacturing equipment.","authors":"Md Sajjad Hossain, Tokio Takahashi, Sho Ogasawara, Mario Shibata, Tomoaki Hagiwara","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag138","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fouling of processing equipment remains a crucial challenge in canned black coffee manufacturing. In this study, a small flow-type heat exchanger was developed to simulate stain formation on stainless steel surfaces. Effects of coffee pH (5.4-6.6) and processing temperatures (30-85°C) on deposition behavior were examined. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the stain consisted mainly of calcium phytate. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was used to quantify calcium phytate deposition, which varied significantly with temperature and pH. Deposition was markedly higher at pH 5.7 (85°C) and pH 6.2 (60°C), whereas no detectable deposition was observed at pH 5.5 and 30°C. The non-monotonic dependence on pH and temperature suggested that fouling was governed by a balance between surface-mediated nucleation and growth of calcium phytate crystals and bulk crystallization followed by crystal deposition. These findings provided a mechanistic basis for fouling control in coffee and other phytate-containing food processing systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148966356","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":"The Digestive Fate and Intestinal Transport Pathway of Parvalbumin Underlying Its Strong Allergenicity.","authors":"Nobuhiro Sudo, Ga-Hyun Joe, Hiroki Saeki, Kazuhiko Watanabe, Yutaka Shimizu","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parvalbumin, the major fish allergen, exhibits allergenicity, yet its digestive and absorptive behavior in vivo remains poorly understood. This study evaluated digestion-dependent changes in IgE reactivity and the in vivo behavior of parvalbumin from salmon, flounder, and herring. In vitro, parvalbumin was rapidly cleaved by pepsin-trypsin, but the resulting low-molecular-weight fragments retained substantial IgE reactivity. In mice, orally administered parvalbumin was also digested in the gastrointestinal tract, although part of the protein persisted in the small intestine for extended periods. Notably, parvalbumin traversed the cytoplasm of intestinal epithelial cells and rapidly appeared in the venous bloodstream, indicating transcellular absorption. These findings were consistent across the three species, suggesting that the persistence of parvalbumin's IgE reactivity despite extensive digestive fragmentation, together with its sustained intestinal uptake, is associated with its strong allergenic potential. This study provides key insights into the mechanisms linking digestive and absorptive processes to parvalbumin allergenicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962941","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":"Heating duration alters the low-molecular-weight compound profile of fish muscle, with pyruvic acid as a potential marker of thermal history.","authors":"Ayumi Furuta, Ryu Sugimasab, Miyu Saba, Shota Tanimoto, Ryota Mabuchi","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolic profiling to assess the effects of heating duration on low-molecular-weight compound profiles in fish muscle from yellowtail, chum salmon, Alaska pollock, and Pacific herring and to identify species-independent heating history markers. Heated samples were analyzed by GC-MS, followed by compound annotation and semi-quantification. Orthogonal partial least squares regression analysis indicated that heating and extended heating altered the low-molecular-weight compound profiles of fish muscle. Pyruvic acid and glycolic acid, which showed high variable importance in prediction scores, were identified as candidate heating history markers. Quantitative analysis showed that both compounds increased with heating duration. Notably, pyruvic acid showed coefficients of determination to be ≥ 0.8 for all four fish species, supporting its potential as an effective species-independent marker of fish muscle heating history.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148954732","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":"Exploratory analysis of the associations of short-chain fatty acids and their related factors with growth performance in growing pigs using a Bayesian network.","authors":"Toru Takahashi, Takamitsu Tsukahara, Hiroto Miura, Takahiro Kawase, Shin-Ichi Nakamura, Shozo Tomonaga, Kikuto Fukuta, Ryo Inoue","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We suggested the causal relationships between daily weight gains (DG) and feed conversion ratios (FCR) of growing pigs, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations in digesta and blood, and SCFA-related factors such as intestinal morphology, SCFA transporters and tight junction (TJ) proteins. Twelve pigs were divided into 5% of rapeseed meal-, beet pulp- or starch-supplemented groups, kept for 21 days, and dissected. Bayesian network showed that factors affecting DG were expressions of sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter 1, claudin-1, and Zonula occludens-1 in cecal mucosa, monocarboxylate transporter 1 and occludin in ileal mucosa, and SCFA concentrations in abdominal aortas. Factors affecting FCR were type of diet, villous height in ileum, SCFA concentrations in ileal veins and cecal digesta. Greater DG may be associated with stimulation of SCFA transportation and regulation of TJ functions, whereas reduced FCR appears to be linked to villous elongation and stimulation of SCFA production in the intestine.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148917938","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":"Capric Acid Attenuates Palmitate-Induced Lipotoxicity and Metabolic Dysfunction in Skeletal Muscle Cells.","authors":"Kenjiro Furusho, Wakako Tawara, Shunsuke Amagaya, Ayumu Kojima, Risa Mukai, Atsushi Kuno, Azusa Tomioka, Shinji Okada, Tsukasa Mori, Nobuhiro Zaima, Naoko Goto-Inoue","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Skeletal muscle insulin resistance and atrophy are associated with lipid overload and lipotoxicity. The effects of medium-chain fatty acids on skeletal muscle lipotoxicity are unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of capric acid (C10) on palmitate-induced dysfunction in C2C12 myotubes by evaluating their morphology, lipid accumulation, contractile activity, and insulin signaling, and performing lipidomic and proteomic analyses. Palmitate increased lipid droplet accumulation, impaired myotube integrity and contractility, and reduced insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation. Concurrent C10 treatment suppressed lipid accumulation and restored myotube morphology, contractile activity, and insulin responsiveness. Lipidomic analyses revealed that C10 reduced palmitate-containing ceramide and triacylglycerol species while increasing C10-containing triacylglycerols. Proteomics revealed the enrichment of cytoskeletal, motor protein, glycolytic, and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways and downregulation of diabetic cardiomyopathy-related pathways. Furthermore, C10 pre-treatment partially protected against palmitate-induced dysfunction. These findings suggest that C10 attenuates palmitate-induced muscle dysfunction by promoting lipid, metabolic, and structural remodeling.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148917845","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":"Preventive intervention with prebiotic resistant maltodextrin mitigates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in female mice.","authors":"Kyoka Yamazaki, Akane Kanasaki, Machiko Kitagawa, Yusuke Sone, Yuka Kishimoto","doi":"10.1093/bbb/zbag134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbag134","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammatory bowel disease with a rising global prevalence, may be alleviated by short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from dietary fiber fermentation. Additionally, preventive fiber intake, rather than therapeutic, reportedly attenuates clinical and inflammatory markers of experimental colitis. To investigate the effects of preventive intake of resistant maltodextrin (RMD), a soluble dietary fiber, on colitis, female C57BL/6 mice received 6% RMD for 28 days before dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) administration. RMD mitigated colitis, as evaluated by reducing disease activity index (DAI), body weight loss, colon shortening. It increased SCFAs, particularly butyrate, before DSS treatment, with butyrate showing a negative correlation trend with DAI and a positive correlation with colon length. RMD tended to increase Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans, known to decrease in active UC, after DSS treatment, which was negatively correlated with DAI. Taken together, preventive RMD intake may attenuate experimental colitis, possibly through increased butyrate and F. saccharivorans.</p>","PeriodicalId":9175,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910877","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}