Capsinoids which were found recently in non-pungent pepper show the same biological effects as capsaicinoid including anticancer and anti-obesity. A precursor of capsaicinoids, vanillyl alcohol, is known to be produced by mutations in the p-aminotransferase (pAMT) gene. In the previous study, we showed that capsinoid production is also controlled by the capsaicin synthase (CS) gene. However correlation between the CS gene expression and capsinoids contents has not been fully understood. This study was conducted to elucidate correlation between the expression level of CS gene and capsinoids contents. Through germplasm screening, we identified one C. chinese pepper cultivar, SNU11-001, which contained capsinoids as much as C. annuum ‘CH-19 Sweet’. SNU11-001 was crossed with five Capsicum cultivars (ECW, Takanotsume, Yuwolcho, Habanero and Jolokia) containing different levels of capsaicin, ‘ECW’ is non-pungent pepper line, and ‘Takanotsume’ and ‘Yuwolcho’ have mild pungency, and ‘Habanero’ and ‘Jolokia’ is known to be included in the most pungent pepper lines. When we analyzed the expression of CS and pAMT genes using the six Capsicum cultivars, the expression levels of CS were higher in pungent Capsicum cultivars. To test whether the expression levels of CS also control capsinoids contents, we will analyze several F2 populations derived from crosses between SNU11-001 and Capsicum cultivars containing different levels of capsaicin.

This study was performed to investigate the nutritional conditions controlling keratinase activity in Bacillus megaterium F7-1. B. megaterium F7-1 produced keratinase using chicken feather as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Addition of the feather medium with glucose enhanced keratinase production (68.9 U/ml), compared to control without glucose (63.2 U/ml). The synthesis of keratinase was repressed by addition of NH4Cl in B. megaterium F7-1. The highest keratinase production (70.9 U/ml) was obtained with the feather medium containing glucose and MgSO4·7H2O. Keratinase was produced in the absence of feather (4.9 U/ml), indicating its constitutive synthesis. Feather degradation resulted in free SH group formation. B. megaterium F7-1 effectively degraded chicken feather meal (86%), whereas duck feather, human nail, human hair and sheep wool displayed relatively low degradation rates (8-34%).