Exploring the proteomic characteristics of the Escherichia coli B and K-12 strains in different cellular compartments
Mee-Jung Han

Enhancement of 5-keto-d-gluconate production by a recombinant Gluconobacter oxydans using a dissolved oxygen control strategy
Jianfeng Yuan, Mianbin Wu, Jianping Lin, Lirong Yang

Improvement of ethanol production by recombinant expression of pyruvate decarboxylase in the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete sordida YK-624
Jianqiao Wang, Sho Hirabayashi, Toshio Mori, Hirokazu Kawagishi, Hirofumi Hirai

Highlights

・Recombinant PDC gene was stably expressed by GP7.
・PDC gene expression of GP7 improved PDC productivity and ethanol production.
・The direct production of ethanol from wood was improved by using GP7.

Microbial production of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid by Δ5-desaturase gene-disruptants of Mortierella alpina 1S-4
Hiroshi Kikukawa, Eiji Sakuradani, Akinori Ando, Tomoyo Okuda, Sakayu Shimizu, Jun Ogawa

Characterization and expression of the antifungal protein from Monascus pilosus and its distribution among various Monascus species
Ching-Yu Tu, Yu-Pei Chen, Ming-Chen Yu, Ing-Er Hwang, Dai-Ying Wu, Li-Ling Liaw

Highlights

・The antifungal activity from Monascus pilosus was against 15 fungal pathogens.
・We have purified and verified the antifungal protein designated as MAFP1.
・The mafp1 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli.
・The distribution of mafp1 gene was recognized among various Monascus spp.

Overexpressing enzymes of the Ehrlich pathway and deleting genes of the competing pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for increasing 2-phenylethanol production from glucose
Li Shen, Yuya Nishimura, Fumio Matsuda, Jun Ishii, Akihiko Kondo

Rapamycin-induced oligomer formation system of FRB–FKBP fusion proteins
Tomonao Inobe, Nobuyuki Nukina

Highlights

・Fusion proteins containing FRB and FKBP formed oligomers on adding rapamycin.
・Various oligomers were generated by adjusting the configuration of fusion proteins.
・FRB–FKBP fusion protein without a linker (FR–FK) specifically formed a tetramer.
・Proteins fused to FR–FK also formed a tetramer.

Characterization of a trehalose-degrading enzyme from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Jeong Hyun Moon, Whiso Lee, Jihee Park, Kyoung-Hwa Choi, Jaeho Cha

Highlights

・We identified the trehalose-degrading activity from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.
・We identified the trehalose-degrading enzyme as a trehalase and purified.
・Trehalase was highly specific for trehalose and inhibited by glucose.
・Trehalase from S. acidocaldarius is the most thermostable trehalase reported so far.
・Trehalase we characterized is the first trehalase characterized in the archaeal kingdom.

Maximum-biomass prediction of homofermentative Lactobacillus
Shumao Cui, Jianxin Zhao, Xiaoming Liu, Yong Q. Chen, Hao Zhang, Wei Chen

Development of flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain GYK-10 for the selective fermentation of glucose/fructose in sugar mills
Taku Kato, Satoshi Ohara, Yasuhiro Fukushima, Akira Sugimoto, Takayuki Masuda, Takaomi Yasuhara, Hiromi Yamagishi

Experimental evolution and gene knockout studies reveal AcrA-mediated isobutanol tolerance in Ralstonia eutropha
Amanda C. Bernardi, Claudia S. Gai, Jingnan Lu, Anthony J. Sinskey, Christopher J. Brigham

The relationship between rice protein composition and nitrogen compounds in sake
Masaki Okuda, Minami Miyamoto, Midori Joyo, Kei Takahashi, Nami Goto-Yamamoto, Shuichi Iida, Takuro Ishii

Quantification of coffee blends for authentication of Asian palm civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) via metabolomics: A proof of concept
Udi Jumhawan, Sastia Prama Putri, Yusianto, Takeshi Bamba, Eiichiro Fukusaki

Enhanced denitrification of Pseudomonas stutzeri by a bioelectrochemical system assisted with solid-phase humin
Zhixing Xiao, Takanori Awata, Dongdong Zhang, Chunfang Zhang, Zhiling Li, Arata Katayama

Highlights

・Denitrification of Pseudomonas stutzeri was enhanced electrochemically by solid-phase humin.
・Solid-phase humin mediated electron transfer to non-electrotrophic P. stutzeri.
・Solid-phase humin enhanced all reducing reactions from nitrate to nitrogen gas.
・Non-reduced (intact) humin contained reducing capacity.

Characterization of Fe (III)-reducing enrichment culture and isolation of Fe (III)-reducing bacterium Enterobacter sp. L6 from marine sediment
Hongyan Liu, Hongyu Wang

Changes in bacterial community structure in a full-scale membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment
Kurumi Hashimoto, Hirofumi Tsutsui, Kazuki Takada, Hiroshi Hamada, Kousuke Sakai, Daisuke Inoue, Kazunari Sei, Satoshi Soda, Kyoko Yamashita, Koji Tsuji, Toshikazu Hashimoto, Michihiko Ike

Highlights

・The membrane bioreactor (MBR) bacterial community was studied.
・T-RFLP analysis targeting 16S rRNA gene was used for phylogenetic characterization.
・The carbon utilization potential was measured for metabolic characterization.
・The CAS kept the bacterial community with phylogenetic and metabolic stability.
・The MBR formed a bacterial community having phylogenetic and metabolic flexibility.

Simultaneous production of l-lactic acid with high optical activity and a soil amendment with food waste that demonstrates plant growth promoting activity
Vichien Kitpreechavanich, Arisa Hayami, Anfal Talek, Clament Fui Seung Chin, Yukihiro Tashiro, Kenji Sakai

Highlights

・A concept for production of optically active l-LA and functional compost is proposed.
・Highly optically active l-LA was obtained from food waste via anaerobic fermentation.
・Anaerobically-fermented MKR compost using KBKU21 promotes higher plant growth.
・Simultaneous production of l-LA and compost minimizes greenhouse gas mitigation.

Web application for genetic modification flux with database to estimate metabolic fluxes of genetic mutants
Noorlin Mohd Ali, Ryo Tsuboi, Yuta Matsumoto, Daisuke Koishi, Kentaro Inoue, Kazuhiro Maeda, Hiroyuki Kurata

Metabolic analysis of antibody producing Chinese hamster ovary cell culture under different stresses conditions
Md. Bahadur Badsha, Hiroyuki Kurata, Masayoshi Onitsuka, Takushi Oga, Takeshi Omasa

Highlights

・Addition of trehalose or NaCl suppressed cell growth, but enhanced antibody production.
・The dynamics of extra- and intracellular metabolome was closely related to biological functions.
・Reporter metabolites are identified whose concentrations greatly change between the NaCl and trehalose cultures.
・Critical metabolites that directly relate to cellular phenotypes are identified in the NaCl and trehalose cultures.
・Antibody production mechanisms are suggested to be complicated.

Preparation of Quenchbodies by protein transamination reaction
Jinhua Dong, Hee-Jin Jeong, Hiroshi Ueda