Clostridium thermocellum CelJ is a modular enzyme containing a family 30 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) and a family 9 catalytic module at its N-terminal moiety. To investigate the functions of the CBM and the catalytic module, truncated derivatives of CelJ were constructed and characterized. Isothermal titration calorimetric studies showed that the association constants (K a ) of the CBM polypeptide (CBM30) for the binding of cellopentaose and cellohexaose were 1.2 ؋ 10 4 and 6.4 ؋ 10 4 M ؊1 , respectively, and that the binding of CBM30 to these ligands is enthalpically driven. Qualitative analyses showed that CBM30 had strong affinity for cellulose and ␤-1,3-1,4-mixed glucan such as barley ␤-glucan and lichenan. Analyses of the hydrolytic action of the enzyme comprising the CBM and the catalytic module showed that the enzyme is a processive endoglucanse with strong activity towards carboxymethylcellulose, barley ␤-glucan and lichenan. By contrast, the catalytic module polypeptide devoid of the CBM showed negligible activity toward these substrates. These observations suggest that the CBM is extremely important not only because it mediates the binding of the enzyme to the substrates but also because it participates in the catalytic function of the enzyme or contributes to maintaining the correct tertiary structure of the family 9 catalytic module for expressing enzyme activity.

Clostridium stercorarium Xyn10B is a modular enzyme comprising two family-22 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), a family-10 catalytic module of glycoside hydrolases, a family-9 CBM, and two S-layer homologous modules consecutively from the N-terminus. To investigate the role of the family-22 CBMs, truncated proteins were constructed: a recombinant catalytic module polypeptide (rCD), a CBM polypeptide composed of two family-22 CBMs (rCBM) and a polypeptide composed of the family-22 CBMs and the catalytic module (rCBM-CD). We found that rCBM-CD was highly active toward L L-1,3-1,4-glucan; however, rCD was negligibly active toward the same substrate. The V max /K m value of rCBM-CD for L L-1,3-1,4-glucan was 7.8 times larger than that for oat-spelt xylan, indicating that rCBM-CD should be speci¢ed as a L L-1,3-1,4-glucanase rather than a xylanase despite the fact that family-10 catalytic modules are well-known xylanase modules. These results indicate that the family-22 CBMs in rCBM-CD are essential for hydrolysis of L L-1,3-1,4-glucan.

A family 22 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM22) from Clostridium stercorarium Xylanase10B raised the optimum temperature of the xylanase, but in the remaining activity of heating test, apparently the catalytic module alone showed higher remaining activity. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that CBM22 conferred resistance to thermal unfolding of the enzyme and prevented the enzyme from refolding after thermal unfolding.

Clostridium stercorarium Xyn10B having hydrolytic activities on xylan and -1,3-1,4-gllucan is a modular enzyme composed of two family-22 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), a family-10 catalytic module of the glycoside hydrolases, a family-9 CBM, and two S-layer homologous modules, consecutively from the N-terminus. We investigated the function of family-9 and family-22 CBMs in a modular enzyme by comparing the enzymatic properties of a truncated enzyme composed of two family-22 CBMs and the catalytic module (rCBM22-CM), an enzyme composed of the catalytic module and family-9 CBM (rCM-CBM9), an enzyme composed of two family-22 CBMs, the catalytic module, and family-9 CBM (rCBM22-CM-CBM9), and the catalytic module polypeptide (rCM). Although the addition of family-9 CBM to rCM and rCBM22-CM did not significantly change catalytic activity toward xylan and -1,3-1,4-glucan, the addition of family-22 CBM to rCM and rCM-CBM9 drastically enhanced catalytic activity toward xylan and especially -1,3-1,4-glucan. Furthermore, the addition of family-22 CBM to rCM and rCM-CBM9 shifted the optimum temperature from 65 C to 75 C, but that of family-9 CBM to rCM and rCBM22-CM did not affect the optimum temperature. These facts suggest that the enzyme properties of Xyn10B were mainly dependent on the presence of the family-22 CBMs but not family-9 CBM.

Genetially modified organisms (GMOs) were explored in food samples obtained from November 2000 to March 2003 in the Tokyo area by using PCR and real-time PCR techniques. The existence of Roundup Ready Soybean (RRS) was surveyed in processed foods derived from soybeans, such as tofu, boiled soybean, kinako, nama-age, abura-age, natto, miso, soymilk and yuba. RRS was detected in 3 of 37 tofu, 2 of 3 nama-age, 2 of 3 yuba and 3 of 3 abura-age samples. The CBH351 in 70 processed corn foods, NewLeaf Plus and NewLeaf Y in 50 processed potato foods, and 55-1 papaya in 16 papayas were surveyed. These GMOs were not detected among the samples. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of RRS and genetically modified (GM) corn were performed in soybean, corn and semi-processed corn products such as corn meal, corn flour and corn grits. RRS was detected in 42 of 178 soybean samples, and the amount of RRS in RRS-positive samples was determined. The content was in the range of 0.1ῌ1.4ῐ in identitypreserved soybeans (non-GMO), and 49.8ῌ78.8ῐ in non-segregated soybeans. On the other hand, GM corns were detected in 8 of 26 samples. The amount of GM corn in GM corn-positive samples was in the range of 0.1ῌ2.0ῐ.