Ko Imai

Corynebacterium terpenotabidum sp. nov., a bacterium capable of degrading squalene

The taxonomic status of Arthrobacter sp. Y-11T, which was described as a squalene-degrading bacterium, was investigated by chemotaxonomic and genetic methods. The strain possesses wall chemotype IV, MK-9(H2) as the predominant menaquinone, mycolic acids, and straight-chain, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with considerable amounts of tuberculostearic acid. The DNA G+C content is 67.5 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and quantitative DNA-DNA hybridization experiments provided strong evidence that strain Y-11T represents a new species within the genus Corynebacterium, for which the name Corynebacterium terpenotabidum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of C. terpenotabidum is strain Y-11T (= IFO 14764T).

Isolation and Taxonomie Characterization of Acid Urease-producing Bacteria

About 16,000 isolates from animal feces and intestines were assayed for the production of acid urease, and the 700 strains selected as producers were examined as to their taxonomic properties. Of these 700 strains, 370 belonged to the genus Streptococcus, 312 to the genus Lactobacillus, 9 to the genus Escherichia, 6 to the genus Staphylococcus, 2 to the genus Morganella and 1 to the genus Bifidobacterium. The majority of the streptococci were identified as Streptococcus mitior, the remainder being Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus faecium, Streptococcus avium and Streptococcus gallinarum. The majority of the lactobacilli were considered to be Lactobacillus reuteri or Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus animalis or Lactobacillus salivarius, the remainder being Lactobacillus ruminis, Lactobacillus viridescens, Lactobacillus vac- cinostercus and strains considered to be Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus crispatus or Lactobacillus gasseri.

Production of Idoheptulosan from Sedoheptulosan by Microorganisms

Abstract Microbial production of idoheptulosan has been established using a two-stage fermentation system. Sedoheptulosan was first converted to 5-ketosedoheptulosan by a strain of Agrobacterium , 449-1, in a medium containing sorbitol as the energy source. After 4 d of cultivation, sedoheptulosan (100 g/ l was almost completely converted to its 5-keto form. Many strains of Gluconobacter were also found to have the same oxidizing activity. Asymmetric reduction of 5-ketosedoheptulosan to idoheptulosan was performed with strains of Aureobacterium, Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, Micrococcus or soil isolates of coryneform bacteria. By incubating these bacteria with 5-ketosedoheptulosan in medium containing d -glucose as the hydrogen donor for reduction, 5-ketosedoheptulosan was converted specifically to idoheptulosan after 5 d. The overall yield of idoheptulosan was about 60% when soil isolate CF-987 was used. Other stereoisomers of idoheptulosan and other metabolites were not detected in the final broth of the strain.