Azusa Shibazaki

Ceratinadins A-C, new bromotyrosine alkaloids from an Okinawan marine sponge Pseudoceratina sp.

Three new bromotyrosine alkaloids, ceratinadins A-C (1-3), were isolated from an Okinawan marine sponge Pseudoceratina sp. and the structures of 1-3 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Ceratinadin A (1) was a novel bromotyrosine alkaloid possessing an N-imidazolyl-quinolinone moiety. Ceratinadins A (1) and B (2) showed antifungal activity.

Petiolins J-M, prenylated acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum pseudopetiolatum var. kiusianum

Four new prenylated acylphloroglucinols, petiolins J-M (1-4), were isolated from aerial parts of Hypericum pseudopetiolatum var. kiusianum, and the structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data and a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Petiolin J (1) exhibited antimicrobial activity.

Yojironins E–I, prenylated acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum yojiroanum

Five new prenylated acylphloroglucinols, yojironins E-Ι (1-5), were isolated from the whole plants of Hypericum yojiroanum. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data. Yojironin E (1) exhibited antimicrobial activity against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Streptomyces coacervatus sp. nov., isolated from the intestinal tract of Armadillidium vulgare

A Gram-staining-positive bacterium, designated AS-0823(T), which formed spiral spore chains on the aerial mycelium, was isolated from the intestinal tract of Armadillidium vulgare, a small terrestrial crustacean commonly found on the ground around houses in Japan. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the isolate belonged to the genus Streptomyces and was most closely related to Streptomyces longisporus ISP 5166(T) (98.6 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Streptomyces curacoi NBRC 12761(T) (98.4 %) and Streptomyces griseoruber NBRC 12873(T) (98.4 %). The affiliation of strain AS-0823(T) to the genus Streptomyces was supported by chemotaxonomic data: iso-C(16 : 0), anteiso-C(15 : 0), C(16 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) as the major cellular fatty acids, ll-diaminopimelic acid as the characteristic diamino acid in the peptidoglycan and the absence of mycolic acids. DNA-DNA hybridization and physiological and biochemical analysis supported the differentiation of strain AS-0823(T) from S. longisporus JCM 4395(T). Therefore, strain AS-0823(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Streptomyces coacervatus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AS-0823(T) ( = IFM 11055(T)  = DSM 41983(T)  = JCM 17138(T)).

Lectin-microarray technique for glycomic profiling of fungal cell surfaces.

Lectin microarrays are rows of lectins with different carbohydrate-binding specificities spotted on surfaces of glass slides. Lectin microarray technique enables glycomic analyses of carbohydrate composition of fungal cell walls. We will describe an application of the technique in analyzing cell surface glycome of yeast-form fungal cells in the living state. The analysis reveals genus- and species-dependent complex cell surface carbohydrate structures of fungi, and enabled us, therefore, to suggest that cell walls of yeast cells, which have been considered to have relatively simple structures, actually have a more complex structure containing galactose and fucose. This shows that the technique can be used to find new insights into the study of phylogenetic relations and into the classification of cells in the fungal kingdom based on cell wall glycome.

Profiling the Cell Surface Glycome of Five Fungi Using Lectin Microarray

Fungal surface glycans play roles in cell protection and interaction. Our knowledge of fungal glycans, however, is limited to model yeasts and a few medically/industrially important fungi. We evaluated the usefulness of a lectin microarray in analysis of live cell surface glycans and then applied the technique to glycome of varieties of yeast-form fungi from various phyla and subphyla. We found glycan profiles are different among and within taxonomic groups. For example, Saccharomycotina were classified into two groups, one bound to mannose-specific lectins and the other bound to galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectins. In Basidiomycota, Pucciniomycotina yeasts were distinguished from other subphylum members in binding to fucose-specific lectins. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publishers online edition of Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry to view the free supplemental file.