When Color Really Matters: Horticultural Performance and Functional Quality of High-Lycopene Tomatoes

Introgression of spontaneous or induced mutations has been used to increase the levels and diversify the profile of antioxidants in many fruits including tomato. The high-pigment (hp) and old-gold (og) alleles exemplify this approach as attractive genetic resources suitable to inbred elite high-lycopene (HLY) tomato lines with improved color and nutritional attributes. Although several studies have been published on HLY tomatoes, a systematic analysis of the information on their agronomic performances, processing features, and functional quality is lacking, leaving room for the assumption of their poor competitiveness with conventional tomato cultivars and limiting their agricultural diffusion. Therefore, the aim of this study is to critically review the most important agronomic, horticultural, and functional traits of HLY tomatoes, as well as the advances in some emerging (pre)industrial applications. Field experiments performed in different countries showed that most available HLY lines are productive, vigorous, with excellent foliage cover and with morphologically acceptable fruit. Tomato yield of HLY genotypes ranged from ～30 to ～178 t/ha exceeding, in some trials, that of highly productive cultivars. Red-ripe fruits of most HLY lines showed commercially suitable soluble solids and titratable acidity, in addition to increased levels of lycopene (up to 440 mg/kg fw) and other bioactive phytochemicals (mainly flavonoids and vitamin C) compared to their near isogenic conventional counterparts. Innovative (pre)industrial uses of HLY tomato include the following: (1) production of HLY sauces, juices, and powders; (2) supercritical-CO₂ extraction of lycopene containing oleoresins; and (3) preparation of lycopene rich micro- and nano-carriers with improved stability and specific tissue delivery. In turn, the use of these innovative high-quality ingredients in the formulation of lycopene fortified foods, cosmetic products, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals has been proposed as the basis of a novel highly profitable tomato product chain.     

Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids Act as Inhibitors of the Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Activity

Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to play a protective role in a wide range of diseases characterized by an increased metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity. The recent finding that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids exert an anti-inflammatory effect in periodontal diseases has stimulated the present study, designed to determine whether such properties derive from a direct inhibitory action of these compounds on the activity of MMPs. To this issue, we investigated the effect exerted by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, two enzymes that actively participate to the destruction of the organic matrix of dentin following demineralization operated by bacteria acids. Data obtained (both in vitro and on ex-vivo teeth) reveal that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids inhibit the proteolytic activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, two enzymes present in dentin. This observation is of interest since it assigns to these compounds a key role as MMPs inhibitors, and stimulates further study to better define their therapeutic potentialities in carious decay.     

The chemotaxis-like Che1 pathway has an indirect role in adhesive cell properties of Azospirillum brasilense

The Azospirillum brasilense chemotaxis-like Che1 signal transduction pathway was recently shown to modulate changes in adhesive cell surface properties that, in turn, affect cell-to-cell aggregation and flocculation behaviors rather than flagellar-mediated chemotaxis. Attachment to surfaces and root colonization may be functions related to flocculation. Here, the conditions under which A. brasilense wild-type Sp7 and che1 mutant strains attach to abiotic and biotic surfaces were examined using in vitro attachment and biofilm assays combined with atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy. The nitrogen source available for growth is found to be a major modulator of surface attachment by A. brasilense and could be promoted in vitro by lectins, suggesting that it depends on interaction with surface-exposed residues within the extracellular matrix of cells. However, Che1-dependent signaling is shown to contribute indirectly to surface attachment, indicating that distinct mechanisms are likely underlying flocculation and attachment to surfaces in A. brasilense.     

The effects of ATP and sodium chloride on the cytochrome c-cardiolipin interaction: the contrasting behavior of the horse heart and yeast proteins

In cells a portion of cytochrome c (cyt c) (15–20%) is tightly bound to cardiolipin (CL), one of the phospholipids constituting the mitochondrial membrane. The CL-bound protein, which has nonnative tertiary structure, altered heme pocket, and disrupted Fe(III)-M80 axial bond, is thought to play a role in the apoptotic process. This has attracted considerable interest in order to clarify the mechanisms governing the cyt c–CL interaction. Herein we have investigated the binding reaction of CL with the c-type cytochromes from horse heart and yeast. Although the two proteins possess a similar tertiary architecture, yeast cyt c displays lower stability and, contrary to the equine protein, it does not bind ATP and lacks pro-apoptotic activity. The study has been performed in the absence and in the presence of ATP and NaCl, two compounds that influence the (horse cyt c)-CL binding process and, thus, the pro-apoptotic activity of the protein. The two proteins behave differently: while CL interaction with horse cyt c is strongly influenced by the two effectors, no effect is observed for yeast cyt c. It is noteworthy that NaCl induces dissociation of the (horse cyt c)–CL complex but has no influence on that of yeast cyt c. The differences found for the two proteins highlight that specific structural factors, such as the different local structure conformation of the regions involved in the interactions with either CL or ATP, can significantly affect the behavior of cyt c in its reaction with liposomes and the subsequent pro-apoptotic action of the protein.     

Lack of selective killing by steroids in normal and malignant cells

Using a colony formation assay, the cytotoxic effects of steroids and an anit-steroid on an established human breast tumor line and two human diploid fibroblast strains were studied. Experiments involving 17 a-estradiol, 17 β-estradiol, dexamethasone, cortisone, dihydrotestosterone, and the anti-estrogen Tamoxifen showed no killing at concentrations below 10^–7M following a 24-hour exposure to these agents. A maximum of 80% killing was observed at 10^–5M with dexamethasone in one fibroblast strain and at the same dose of 17 β-estradiol in the breast tumor line. The extent of killing observed is insufficient to account for many of the clinical remissions observed with steroid therapy. The data also suggest that at therapeutic doses, there is no selective killing of malignant cells by these agents.     

Glucomannan-synthase activity in differentiating cells of Pinus sylvestris L.

Particulate membrane preparations have been isolated from cambial cells, and from differentiating and differentiated xylem cells of the main stem of pine trees. These preparations synthesise a 14 glucomannan from guanosine 5-diphosphate-mannose. The polysaccharide and the synthase have been characterized and the K_m and V_max for the synthase determined as 85 M and 52.9 M·min^-1, respectively. The enzymic activity was inhibited by the addition of guanosine 5-diphosphate-D-glucose so that the presence of an epimerase on the particulate fraction in conjunction with the synthase probably allowed the heteropolymer to be formed with the optimal ratio of the concentrations of the nucleoside-diphosphate sugar donors. No evidence for a polyprenyl-phosphate derivative as an intermediate during the polymer synthesis was obtained. Part of the control mechanism for the deposition of the large amounts of the glucomannan during the secondary thickening of the tracheids of the vascular system is by an increase in the amount of synthase activity at the endomembrane system of the cells. This probably occurs by an increase in the amount of enzyme which is modulated by gene regulation during differentiation.Abbreviations GDP guanosine 5-diphosphate - GLC gasliquid chromatography     

Scapharca inæquivalvis Tetrameric Hemoglobin A and B Genes: Evidence for a Minigene

Vertebrate and many invertebrate globin genes have a three-exon/two-intron organization, with introns in highly conserved positions. According to the ``intron early' hypothesis, introns are the vestigial segments which flank previously independent coding sequences, thus providing evidence for the assembly of the ancient proteins by ``exon shuffling.' In this paper, we report the analysis of the genes of the bivalve mollusk Scapharca inaequivalvis tetrameric hemoglobin (HbII), which support this hypothesis, at least for the hemoglobin genes. We show the existence of ``minigenes' in the IIA and IIB globin genes, spanning part of the first and second introns, ``in frame' with the heme-binding domain coded by the second exon. Further support for the exon shuffling hypothesis can be found in the degree of identity of the ``new' translated sequences with those flanking the central protein domain of some invertebrate hemoglobins. Received: 31 July 1997 / Accepted: 12 December 1997