About the Authors
- Yosuke Kikuchi
-
Affiliation Research Center for Basic Science, Research and Development, Quality Assurance Division, Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Fujimino-city, Saitama, Japan
- Ayami Kunitoh-Asari
-
Affiliation Research Center for Basic Science, Research and Development, Quality Assurance Division, Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Fujimino-city, Saitama, Japan
- Katsuyuki Hayakawa
-
Affiliation Research Center for Basic Science, Research and Development, Quality Assurance Division, Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Fujimino-city, Saitama, Japan
- Shinjiro Imai
-
Affiliations Research Center for Basic Science, Research and Development, Quality Assurance Division, Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Fujimino-city, Saitama, Japan, Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka-city, Shizuoka, Japan
- Kenji Kasuya
-
Affiliation Yeast Function Development Unit, Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd., Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Japan
- Kimio Abe
-
Affiliation Laboratory of Yeast and Fermentation Food Division, Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd., Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Yu Adachi
-
Affiliation Department of Immunology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Shin-ichi Fukudome
-
Affiliation Research Center for Basic Science, Research and Development, Quality Assurance Division, Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Fujimino-city, Saitama, Japan
- Yoshimasa Takahashi
-
Affiliation Department of Immunology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Satoshi Hachimura
-
* E-mail: ahachi@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Affiliation Research Center for Food Safety, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Competing Interests
Five authors are employed by Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., and two authors are employed by Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd. Dr. Hachimura, and Ms. Kunitoh-Asari, and Dr. Hayakawa have applied for patents for ‘effect of Lactobacillus plantarum AYA intake to enhances IgA secretion (P2008-201708A)’, and Dr. Hachimura, Mr. Kikuchi, Dr. Fukudome, Mr. Abe, and Mr. Kasuya have applied for patents for ‘effect of L.plantarum AYA intake to prevent influenza virus infection (P2013-53089A)’. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: YK AA KH SI SF YT SH. Performed the experiments: YK AA KK KA YA YT. Analyzed the data: YK AA YT SH. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: KK KA YT SH. Wrote the paper: YK SI YT SH.