Quantification of chirality based on electric toroidal monopole.

Chirality ubiquitously appears in nature; however, its quantification remains obscure owing to the lack of microscopic description at the quantum-mechanical level. We propose a way of evaluating chirality in terms of the electric toroidal monopole, a practical entity of time-reversal even pseudoscalar (parity-odd) objects reflecting relevant electronic wave functions. For this purpose, we analyze a twisted methane molecule at the quantum-mechanical level, showing that the electric toroidal monopoles become a quantitative indicator for chirality. In the twisted methane, we clarify that the handedness of chirality corresponds to the sign of the expectation value of the electric toroidal monopole and that the most important ingredient is the modulation of the spin-dependent imaginary hopping between the hydrogen atoms, while the relativistic spin-orbit coupling within the carbon atom is irrelevant for chirality.

Dr. Kiyoshi Shiga: discoverer of the dysentery bacillus.

The clinical manifestations of dysentery have been described for centuries, and the prototypic bacterial agent, Shigella dysenteriae, was identified 100 years ago. In the English language there has been remarkably little written about Dr. Kiyoshi Shiga, discoverer of the dysentery bacillus. We submit a brief biography of Dr. Shiga and the circumstances leading to his discovery, which proved the bacterial etiology of nonamebic dysentery.

Improvement of spectrometer energy resolution for high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy.

For high-energy-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation, the energy resolution of a commercial compact photoelectron spectrometer (hemispherical concentric spectrometer) was improved by reducing the size of the entrance and detector slits and optimizing the operation conditions of the lens voltage. Under the optimized conditions, ray-tracing simulations show that severe spectral intensity decreases can be avoided. An energy resolution of 6.2 meV and a resolving power of 8100 at a kinetic energy of 50 eV were experimentally obtained.

Real-time analysis for MBE by time-resolved core-level photoelectron spectroscopy.

A system has been developed for the real-time analysis of surface reactions during molecular beam epitaxial growth which uses photoelectron spectroscopy with VUV light taken from synchrotron radiation. This system consists of a synchrotron radiation beamline and growth/analysis apparatus in which photoelectron spectroscopy is performed with sub-second time resolution. In this system, photoelectron spectra are measured in sequence by a 'non-scanning' measurement method that enables the acquisition of snapshot photoelectron spectra using a multi-channel detector. This non-scanning measurement method was enabled by equipping an electric field correction grid. This system was used to monitor the photoelectron spectra of a GaSb(001) surface.

Screening for new antitrichomonal substances of microbial origin and antitrichomonal activity of trichostatin A.

In vitro and in vivo screening methods for new antitrichomonal substances were established. Primary screening is based on in vitro antitrichomonal activities of culture broths of actinomycetes isolated from soil. With secondary screening, after crude materials obtained from the cultured broths were administered orally to mice, excretion of antitrichomonal activity into urine was examined. Tertiary screening was done by examining therapeutic activity for experimental trichomoniasis in mice with Trichomonas foetus. Using the screening systems, a new antibiotic (setamycin)-producing strain was picked out among about six thousands soil isolates, and the therapeutic efficacy of KM-3851, which was identified as trichostatin A, was found. It was active against T. foetus both in vitro and in vivo.

Clostomicins, new antibiotics produced by Micromonospora echinospora subsp. armeniaca subsp. nov. I. Production, isolation, and physico-chemical and biological properties.

A soil isolate named as Micromonospora echinospora subsp. armeniaca subsp. nov. KMR-593 was found to produce at least five related antibiotics, clostomicins, active against Gram-positive bacteria including anaerobes. From the physico-chemical properties, one of these components was identified with lipiarmycin and others were found to be new antibiotics. Each component includes two chlorine atoms and the molecular weights of A and B2, C, and D are 1,058, 1,042 and 1,056, respectively. The structural differences were characterized by NMR analyses.

Lustromycin, a new antibiotic produced by Streptomyces sp.

A new antibiotic, lustromycin, was isolated from the cultured broth of Streptomyces sp. SK-1071. It exhibits selective antibacterial activity against anaerobic bacteria including Clostridium sp. The molecular formula C32H38O13 as determined by high resolution mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis and the NMR spectrum suggest structural resemblance of this antibiotic to luminamicin, an anti-anaerobic antibiotic reported previously.

Phosalacine, a new herbicidal antibiotic containing phosphinothricin. Fermentation, isolation, biological activity and mechanism of action.

Phosalacine, a new herbicidal antibiotic containing phosphinothricin was isolated from the culture filtrate of a soil isolate Kitasatosporia phosalacinea KA-338. It was a water soluble, amphoteric compound obtained as an amorphous powder (C14H28N3O6P, MW 365). The antibiotic exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and some fungi on a minimal medium and the activity was reversed by L-glutamine. It also showed herbicidal activity against alfalfa. It is suggested that phosalacine was decomposed to provide phosphinothricin after its incorporation into microbial or plant cells, and exhibited the antimicrobial and herbicidal activities by inhibiting glutamine synthetase with phosphinothricin although phosalacine itself hardly inhibited the enzyme.

Takaokamycin, a new peptide antibiotic produced by Streptomyces sp.

A new peptide antibiotic named takaokamycin was isolated from a fermentation broth of Streptomyces sp. AC-1978, a soil isolate. It exhibits antibacterial activity against some Gram-positive bacteria. The molecular weight was found to be 1,130 on the basis of elemental analysis, FD-mass spectrum and 1H and 13C NMR. Acid hydrolysate of takaokamycin contains isoleucine, threonine and unidentified amino acids.

Studies on bacterial cell wall inhibitors. X. Properties of phosph-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide-transferase in peptidoglycan synthesis of Bacillus megaterium and its inhibition by amphomycin.

The phospho-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide-transferase from Bacillus megaterium KM was characterized by the transfer reaction. The particulate enzyme preparation had the activity to transfer phospho-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide from UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide to undecaprenoid-1-ol-phosphate. The optimum pH for activity was about 8.5. The reaction required the presence of Mg2+ and an SH-protector. With 25 mm Mg2+ the maximum activity was observed. The reaction was reversible and so the addition of UMP decreased the formation of undecaprenoid-1-ol-diphospho-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide. Amphomycin inhibited non-competitively the transferase for the substrate UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide.

Virantmycin, a new antiviral antibiotic produced by a strain of Streptomyces.

Virantmycin, a novel chlorine-containing antiviral antibiotic, has been isolated from Streptomyces nitrosporeus No. AM-2722. The active substance in culture broth is isolated as colorless needles by solvent extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography on silicic acid. The molecular formula is C19H26NO3Cl (molecular weight 351) from the elemental analysis and mass spectrum. The antibiotic possesses antifungal activity and potent inhibitory activity against various RNA and DNA viruses.

Setamycin, a new antibiotic.

A new antibiotic, setamycin, was extracted from the mycelia of a rare actinomycete strain KM-6054. The antibiotic, the molecular formula of which was found to be C42H61NO12 (tentative), is a yellow powder showing activity against some fungi, trichomonads and weakly against Gram-positive bacteria.

The site of inhibition of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis by azureomycin B, a new antibiotic.

Azureomycin B (10 micrograms/ml), a new antibiotic from Pseudonocardia azurea nov. sp., caused the accumulation of lipid intermediate and inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis in an invitro system using a particulate fraction from Bacillus megaterium KM with UDP-MurNAc-[3H]pentapeptide and cold UDP-GlcNac or cold UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide and UDP-[3H]GlcNAc as substrates. At higher concentrations of azureomycin B (over 100 microgram/ml), lipid intermediate accumulation was also inhibited. When particulate fraction from Escherichia coli Y-10 and UDP-[14C[GlcNAc and cold UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide were used, accumulation of lipid intermediate and inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis were also observed. These results indicate that the primary target of azureomycin B is the transfer of the disaccharide peptide unit (GlcNAc-MurNAc-pentapeptide) from lipid-bound precursor to acceptor.

Studies on bacterial cell wall inhibitors. VIII. Mode of action of a new antibiotic, azureomycin B, in Bacillus cereus T.

Azureomycin B, a new antibiotic which contains sugar, amino acid and phenol moieties and inhibits Gram-positive bacteria, was found to be a specific inhibitor of peptidoglycan synthesis in bacteria. The antibiotic lysed growing cells of Bacillus cereus T at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml but did not affect resting cells. Microscopical observation revealed swelling and lysis of the bacterial rods when treated with azureomycin B. The incorporation of [3H]diaminopimelic acid or [14C]glucosamine into acid-insoluble fraction of growing cells of Bacillus cereus T was strongly inhibited in the presence of azureomycin B, but that of [14C]leucine, [3H]thymidine or [3H]uridine were not, at least until 5 minutes after the beginning of the incubation. The antibiotic caused accumulation of a nucleotide precursor in the cells which was identified as UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu-meso-Dpm-D-Ala-D-Ala. Thus the site of action was suggested to lie between this nucleotide and peptidoglycan in the pathway of peptidoglycan synthesis.