Hisashi Murasawa

Production of menaquinone (vitamin K2)-7 by Bacillus subtilis.

Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is a highly bioactive homologue of vitamin K. We obtained a diphenylamine-resistant mutant strain D200-41 from Bacillus subtilis strain MH-1 which was isolated from fermented soybeans, natto. The mutant strain exhibited decreased production of MK-6. Using strain D200-41, efficient production of MK-7 was achieved. We found that, compared with an agitated and aerated culture, production of MK-7 was increased by static culture. The sporulation of the cells progressed more slowly in a static culture than in an agitated culture. The maximum concentration of MK reached about 60 mg/l in a medium containing 10% soybean extract, 5% glycerol, 0.5% yeast extract and 0.05% K2HPO4 (pH 7.3) when D200-41 cells as well as MH-1 cells were statically cultured at 45 degrees C for 5 d after being cultured with shaking at 37 degrees C for 1 d.

Enhanced Antiviral Activity of Soybean β-Conglycinin-Derived Peptides by Acylation with Saturated Fatty Acids

Peptide mixtures prepared from soybean β-conglycinin (7S-peptides) were acylated with saturated fatty acids of different chain length (6C-18C) in order to improve their antiviral activity against Feline calicivirus (FCV) strain F9 which is a typical norovirus surrogate. Among the fatty acids varieties, it was revealed that 7S-peptides acylated with myristic and palmitic acids potently inhibited FCV replication. Myristorylation and palmitoylation of 7S-peptides kept host cells viability at 91.51% and 98.90%, respectively. The infectivity of FCV on Crandell-Reese feline kidney cells was further determined after exposure of initial titer of 10(6.47) TCID₅₀/mL. Myristoylated and palmitoylated 7S-peptides significantly (P < 0.006) reduced FCV infectivity as compared to native 7S-peptides. Native 7S-peptides showed 25% FCV inhibitory activity while myristoylated and palmitoylated 7S-peptides exhibited 98.59% and 99.98% reduction in FCV infectivity, respectively. Myristoylated and palmitoylated 7S-peptides demonstrated higher anti-FCV activity in a wide range of concentration with complete reduction at 25 μg/mL. Surface hydrophobicity was significantly (P < 0.05) increased after attachment of long hydrocarbon fatty acids to 7S-peptides as supported by changes in fluorescence intensity. Enzymatic hydrolysis together with acylation will give an insight into surface and physiological functional lipopeptides derived from soy β-conglycinin.

Development of natto with germination-defective mutants of Bacillus subtilis (natto)

The effects of cortex-lysis related genes with the pdaA, sleB, and cwlD mutations of Bacillus subtilis (natto) NAFM5 on sporulation and germination were investigated. Single or double mutations did not prevent normal sporulation, but did affect germination. Germination was severely inhibited by the double mutation of sleB and cwlD. The quality of natto made with the sleB cwlD double mutant was tested, and the amounts of glutamic acid and ammonia were very similar to those in the wild type. The possibility of industrial development of natto containing a reduced number of viable spores is presented.

Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Kori-Tofu Protein and Its High-Molecular-Weight Fraction Content

The serum total cholesterol concentration was significantly lower in the kori-tofu feeding group than in the soy protein isolate (SPI) group, except on the 28th day of the experiment. The high-molecular-weight fraction (HMF) content of the kori-tofu protein was significantly higher than that of SPI. This difference in the HMF content may have influenced the cholesterol-lowering effect of the protein.