Identification of a hydrolyzable tannin, oenothein B, as an aluminum-detoxifying ligand in a highly aluminum-resistant tree, Eucalyptus camaldulensis.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a tree species in the Myrtaceae that exhibits extremely high resistance to aluminum (Al). To explore a novel mechanism of Al resistance in plants, we examined the Al-binding ligands in roots and their role in Al resistance of E. camaldulensis. We identified a novel type of Al-binding ligand, oenothein B, which is a dimeric hydrolyzable tannin with many adjacent phenolic hydroxyl groups. Oenothein B was isolated from root extracts of E. camaldulensis by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry analyses. Oenothein B formed water-soluble or -insoluble complexes with Al depending on the ratio of oenothein B to Al and could bind at least four Al ions per molecule. In a bioassay using Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), Al-induced inhibition of root elongation was completely alleviated by treatment with exogenous oenothein B, which indicated the capability of oenothein B to detoxify Al. In roots of E. camaldulensis, Al exposure enhanced the accumulation of oenothein B, especially in EDTA-extractable forms, which likely formed complexes with Al. Oenothein B was localized mostly in the root symplast, in which a considerable amount of Al accumulated. In contrast, oenothein B was not detected in three Al-sensitive species, comprising the Myrtaceae tree Melaleuca bracteata, Populus nigra, and Arabidopsis. Oenothein B content in roots of five tree species was correlated with their Al resistance. Taken together, these results suggest that internal detoxification of Al by the formation of complexes with oenothein B in roots likely contributes to the high Al resistance of E. camaldulensis.

Identification of three alcohol dehydrogenase genes involved in the stereospecific catabolism of arylglycerol-beta-aryl ether by Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6.

Degradation of arylglycerol-beta-aryl ether is the most important process in bacterial lignin catabolism. Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6 degrades guaiacylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether (GGE) to alpha-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-beta-hydroxypropiovanillone (MPHPV), and then the ether linkage of MPHPV is cleaved to generate alpha-glutathionyl-beta-hydroxypropiovanillone (GS-HPV) and guaiacol. We have characterized three enantioselective glutathione S-transferase genes, including two genes that are involved in the ether cleavage of two enantiomers of MPHPV and one gene that is involved in the elimination of glutathione from a GS-HPV enantiomer. However, the first step in the degradation of four different GGE stereoisomers has not been characterized. In this study, three alcohol dehydrogenase genes, ligL, ligN, and ligO, which conferred GGE transformation activity in Escherichia coli, were isolated from SYK-6 and characterized, in addition to the previously cloned ligD gene. The levels of amino acid sequence identity of the four GGE dehydrogenases, which belong to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family, ranged from 32% to 39%. Each gene was expressed in E. coli, and the stereospecificities of the gene products with the four GGE stereoisomers were determined by using chiral high-performance liquid chromatography with recently synthesized authentic enantiopure GGE stereoisomers. LigD and LigO converted (alphaR,betaS)-GGE and (alphaR,betaR)-GGE into (betaS)-MPHPV and (betaR)-MPHPV, respectively, while LigL and LigN transformed (alphaS,betaR)-GGE and (alphaS,betaS)-GGE to (betaR)-MPHPV and (betaS)-MPHPV, respectively. Disruption of the genes indicated that ligD is essential for the degradation of (alphaR,betaS)-GGE and (alphaR,betaR)-GGE and that both ligL and ligN contribute to the degradation of the two other GGE stereoisomers.

Microbial conversion of glucose to a novel chemical building block, 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid.

2-Pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) is a catabolic intermediate in Sphingobium sp. SYK-6 (previously characterized as Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6), which is a degrader of lignin-derived aromatic compounds. Recently, PDC has been also characterized as a novel starting material for several potentially useful synthetic polymers. In a previous study, we constructed a biosynthetic system in which PDC was generated efficiently from a chemically synthesized compound, protocatechuate. In order to develop an alternative system for production of PDC, we tried to generate it from glucose, which is a low-cost sugar that can be obtained from abundant cellulosic wastes and biomass crops. We designed a metabolic bypass to PDC from the shikimate pathway in recombinant Escherichia coli cells. PDC accumulated in the medium of recombinant E. coli cells that had been transformed with genes isolated from Emericella niger, E. coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Sphingobium sp. SYK-6. The yield of PDC depended on the combination of genes that we introduced into the cells and on the specific of host strain. Under optimal conditions, the yield and titer of PDC were, respectively, 17.3% and 0.35 mg/l when the concentration of glucose was 2 g/l and the culture volume was 50 ml. Our results open up the possibility of novel utilization of biomass as the source of a useful chemical building block.

Antioxidants from steamed used tea leaves and their reaction behavior.

The most efficient steaming conditions below 200 degrees C for extracting antioxidants from used tea leaves and their reaction behavior during the steaming treatment were investigated. The antioxidative activity of the steamed extracts increased with increasing steaming temperature, and the yield of the ethyl acetate extract fraction from each steamed extract showing the greatest antioxidative activity also increased. Caffeine, (-)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-gallocatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-catechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-gallocatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid were identified from the ethyl acetate extract fraction. Quantitative analyses demonstrated that the catechins with a 2,3-cis configuration decreased with increasing steaming temperature, whereas the corresponding epimers at the C-2 position increased. Each pair of epimers showed similar antioxidative activity to each other, indicating that the epimerization reaction did not contribute to the improved antioxidative activity. It is concluded from these results that the improvement in antioxidative activity at higher steaming temperatures was due to the increased yield of catechins and other antioxidants.

Structure-activity relationships of triterpenoid saponins on fruiting body induction in Pleurotus ostreatus.

To elucidate the structure-activity relationships of saponin on fruiting body induction in Pleurotus ostreatus, monodesmosidic saponins comprising a triterpenoid and glucose residues were synthesized. Betulin, a triterpenoid present in Birch bark, was used as the aglycon. The fruiting body induction activity increased with the number of glucose residues, from one to four. The most active betulinic saponin was betulin-3-yl beta-D-(4-O-beta-D-maltotriosyl)-glucoside.

Efficient production of 2-pyrone 4,6-dicarboxylic acid as a novel polymer-based material from protocatechuate by microbial function.

Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6, which can degrade various low molecular weight compounds derived from plant polyphenols such as lignin, lignan, and tannin, metabolizes these substances via 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC). We focused on this metabolic intermediate as a potential raw material for novel, bio-based polymers. We cloned the ligAB and ligC genes of SYK-6, which respectively encode protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase and 4-carboxy-2-hydroxymuconate-6-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, into a broad host range plasmid vector, pKT230MC. The resulting plasmid, pDVABC, was introduced into the PpY1100 strain of Pseudomonas putida, and we found that PDC could be stably produced from protocatechuate and accumulated. In addition, we examined the efficiency of production of PDC from protocatechuate on a 5-L scale in a Luria-Bertani medium containing 100 mM glucose and determined that PDC was stably produced from protocatechuate to yield 10 g/L or more.

3-O-alkyl-D-glucose derivatives induce fruit bodies of Pleurotus ostreatus.

Amphipathic glucose derivatives 3-O-octyl- and 3-O-decyl-D-glucose were synthesized, and the ability to induce fruit bodies on Pleurotus ostreatus was examined. Surfactants such as CHAPS, CHAPSO, MEGA-8, MEGA-9, and MEGA-10 were also assayed. The result was that both glucose derivatives could stimulate fruiting on P. ostreatus, while none of the surfactants assayed in this study stimulated the fruiting of P. ostreatus. These results suggest that sugar moiety is necessary for amphipathic compounds to work as a fruiting signal for P. ostreatus.

Facile Synthesis and NO-Generating Property of 4H-[1,2,5]Oxadiazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-5,7-dione 1-Oxides.

4H-[1,2,5]Oxadiazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-5,7-dione 1-oxides (2) are conveniently prepared in high yields by the oxidative intramolecular cyclization of 6-amino-5-nitro-1H-pyrimidine-2,4-diones (1) employing iodosylbenzene diacetate as an oxidant in the presence of lithium hydride. The generation of nitric oxide (NO) and NO-related species from 2 occurs in the presence of thiols such as N-acetylcysteamine, cysteine, and glutathione under physiological conditions. The evidence for the NO generation derives from mechanistic interpretations for the reaction of 2 with thiols and other chemical observations.