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Shizuoka `M6-Ol33, lapan (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate yvas foulld to be the most efuctive scavenger among tea catechins for the superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical. Examinatien of the scayenging effects ef tea catechins and their glucosides on superoxide anioll showed that the presence of at least an ortho-dihydroxyl group in the B ring and a galloyl moiety at the 3 position was important in maintaining the effectiveness ef the radical scavenging ability. Stoichiometric factors of tea catechins were estimated to be 2 for (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, 5 for (-)epigallocatechin, 7 for (-)-epicatechin gallate, and 10 for (-)-epigalloeatechin gallate.

A comparison of 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequences was made among type strains of 69 Bacillus species approved in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology (IJSB) until 1998. The results suggested that 5Ј end region (approx. 275 bp) was the hypervariant region (HV region) in the gene and was highly specific for each type strain. Furthermore, a sequence analysis of the HV region of Bacillus strains revealed that this region was highly conserved within the species. These results indicate that the HV region is a useful index for the identification or grouping of Bacillus species.

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A thermo-acidophilic gram-positive bacterium, strain CP-1T, which grows aerobically at 35-65 degrees C (optimum 55-60 degrees C) and at pH 3.5-6.0 (optimum pH 4.5-5.0), was isolated from a herbal tea made from the dried flowers of hibiscus. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this bacterium was clearly distinguishable from previously described species of the genera Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Strain CP-1T had unique omega-cycloheptane fatty acids as the major membrane lipid component, a characteristic which is peculiar to Alicyclobacillus cycloheptanicus. However, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain CP-1T were different from those of the type strain of A. cycloheptanicus. DNA-DNA hybridization between the type strains of Alicyclobacillus species and Sulfobacillus disulfidooxidans was <20%, indicating that strain CP-1T represents a distinct species. On the basis of these results, the name Alicyclobacillus herbarius is proposed for this organism. The type strain is strain CP-1T (= DSM 13609T = IAM 14883T = NRIC 0477T).

No abstract

Alicyclobacillus pomorum sp. nov., a novel thermo-acidophilic, endospore-forming bacterium that does not possess v-alicyclic fatty acids, and emended description of the genus Alicyclobacillus Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1, Yayoi 1-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, JapanA thermo-acidophilic endospore-forming bacterium was isolated from a mixed fruit juice. The organism, strain 3A T , was rod-shaped, grew aerobically at 30-60 6C (optimum 45-50 6C),

Tea catechins, such as (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), have been shown to effectively enhance immune activity and prevent cancer, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Green tea catechins are instead converted to catechin metabolites in the intestine. Here, we show that these green tea catechin metabolites enhance CD4(+) T cell activity as well as natural killer (NK) cell activity. Our data suggest that the absence of a 4'-hydroxyl on this phenyl group (B ring) is important for the effect on immune activity. In particular, 5-(3',5'-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone (EGC-M5), a major metabolite of EGCG, not only increased the activity of CD4(+) T cells but also enhanced the cytotoxic activity of NK cells in vivo. These data suggest that EGC-M5 might show immunostimulatory activity.