Characterization of saponins and phenolic compounds: antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase in different varieties of colored quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd)

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the contents of saponins and phenolic compounds in relation to their antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition activity of 7 colored quinoa varieties. The total saponin content was significantly different among 7 varieties and ranged from 7.51 to 12.12 mg OAE/g DW. Darker quinoa had a higher content of phenolic compounds, as well as higher flavonoids and antioxidant activity than that of light varieties. Nine individual phenolic compounds were detected in free and bound form, with gallic acid and ferulic acid representing the major compounds. The free and bound phenolic compounds (gallic acid and ferulic acid in particular) exhibited high linear correlation with their corresponding antioxidant values. In addition, the free phenolic extracts from colored quinoa exhibited higher inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase than the bound phenolic extracts. These findings imply that colored quinoa with abundant bioactive phytochemicals could be an important natural source for preparing functional food.     

Stage specific requirement of Gfrα1 in the ureteric epithelium during kidney development

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) binds a coreceptor GDNF family receptor α1 (GFRα1) and forms a signaling complex with the receptor tyrosine kinase RET. GDNF-GFRα1-RET signaling activates cellular pathways that are required for normal induction of the ureteric bud (UB) from the Wolffian duct (WD). Failure of UB formation results in bilateral renal agenesis and perinatal lethality. Gfrα1 is expressed in both the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of the developing kidney while Ret expression is specific to the epithelium. The biological importance of Gfrα1’s wider tissue expression and its role in later kidney development are unclear. We discovered that conditional loss of Gfrα1 in the WD epithelium prior to UB branching is sufficient to cause renal agenesis. This finding indicates that Gfrα1 expressed in the nonepithelial structures cannot compensate for this loss. To determine Gfrα1’s role in branching morphogenesis after UB induction we used an inducible Gfrα1-specific Cre-deletor strain and deleted Gfrα1 from the majority of UB tip cells post UB induction in vivo and in explant kidney cultures. We report that Gfrα1 excision from the epithelia compartment after UB induction caused a modest reduction in branching morphogenesis. The loss of Gfrα1 from UB-tip cells resulted in reduced cell proliferation and decreased activated ERK (pERK). Further, cells without Gfrα1 expression are able to populate the branching UB tips. These findings delineate previously unclear biological roles of Gfrα1 in the urinary tract and demonstrate its cell-type and stage-specific requirements in kidney development.     

金黄色葡萄球菌组分疫苗研究进展

临床上,耐药性的金黄色葡萄球菌日益增多,极其耐药的菌株甚至获得了超级耐药细菌的称谓,难以找到有效的抗菌素控制其感染,因而研制有效的疫苗来防治金黄色葡萄球菌感染显得更加重要。对研制开发的金黄色葡萄球菌荚膜多糖疫苗、纤维粘连结合蛋白疫苗、RNAⅢ激活蛋白疫苗以及核酸疫苗等进行了综述。     

小麦旗叶高纯度质膜的提取及蛋白质组学双向电泳体系的建立

以生长到Feekes 8.5时期小麦旗叶为试验材料,通过差速离心结合两相法提取 并纯化质膜蛋白,进而在裂解液选择、SDS-PAGE胶浓度及蛋白质上样量等方面对质膜蛋白质双向电泳体系进行了优化.结果表明,采用6.4% PEG 3 350/Dextran T-500 (W/W)两相体系可以获得纯度高达87.9%质膜微囊. 经TCA-丙酮法裂解蛋白,以12% SDS-PAGE分离胶对900 μg质膜蛋白进行双向电泳,在2-DE图谱上可分辨出173个蛋白点. 建立了一套用于小麦旗叶高纯度质膜的提取方法及其蛋白质组学双向电泳体系.     

组蛋白激活拟南芥CDPK催化CaMBP10的体外磷酸化反应

植物转脂蛋白 (plant lipid transfer proteins, LTPs) 是高等植物中广泛存在的多基因编码的小分子碱性蛋白. 本研究室已经证明白菜和豌豆LTPs可分别被内源胞浆可溶性和膜结合钙依赖性蛋白激酶 (calcium-dependent protein kinase, CDPK) 磷酸化. 为深入研究CDPK对白菜钙调素结合蛋白10 (calmodulin-binding protein-10, CaMBP10) 的磷酸化性质及特征, 本文从拟南芥可溶性蛋白粗提物中检测到1个分子量约为54 kD的CDPK对CaMBP10有磷酸化作用. 研究表明, 组蛋白可增强 CDPK对CaMBP10的磷酸化活性, 促进磷酸化进程. 而且组蛋白和Ca2+对CDPK具有协同调节效应, 二者共同作用时比Ca2+单独作用时, 激酶的活力增强约12倍. 此外, 不同组蛋白对CDPK的激活能力不同, 组蛋白1对该激酶活性的激活能力要比组蛋白3高约8倍.     

Drosophila ref(2)P is required for the parkin-mediated suppression of mitochondrial dysfunction in pink1 mutants

Autophagy is a critical regulator of organellar homeostasis, particularly of mitochondria. Upon the loss of membrane potential, dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively removed by autophagy through recruitment of the E3 ligase Parkin by the PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and subsequent ubiquitination of mitochondrial membrane proteins. Mammalian sequestrome-1 (p62/SQSTM1) is an autophagy adaptor, which has been proposed to shuttle ubiquitinated cargo for autophagic degradation downstream of Parkin. Here, we show that loss of ref(2)P, the Drosophila orthologue of mammalian P62, results in abnormalities, including mitochondrial defects and an accumulation of mitochondrial DNA with heteroplasmic mutations, correlated with locomotor defects. Furthermore, we show that expression of Ref(2)P is able to ameliorate the defects caused by loss of Pink1 and that this depends on the presence of functional Parkin. Finally, we show that both the PB1 and UBA domains of Ref(2)P are crucial for mitochondrial clustering. We conclude that Ref(2)P is a crucial downstream effector of a pathway involving Pink1 and Parkin and is responsible for the maintenance of a viable pool of cellular mitochondria by promoting their aggregation and autophagic clearance.     

Matrix effects during monitoring of antibody and host cell proteins using attenuated total reflection spectroscopy

Production of recombinant proteins, e.g. antibodies, requires constant real‐time monitoring to optimize yield and quality attributes and to respond to changing production conditions, such as host cell protein (HCP) titers. To date, this monitoring of mammalian cell culture‐based processes is done using laborious and time consuming enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), two‐dimensional sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and chromatography‐based systems. Measurements are usually performed off‐line, requiring regular sample withdrawal associated with increased contamination risk. As information is obtained retrospectively, the reaction time to adapt to process changes is too long, leading to lower yield and higher costs. To address the resulting demand for continuous online‐monitoring systems, we present a feasibility study using attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (ATR) to monitor mAb and HCP levels of NS0 cell culture in situ, taking matrix effects into account. Fifty‐six NS0 cell culture samples were treated with polyelectrolytes for semi‐selective protein precipitation. Additionally, part of the samples was subjected to filtration prior to analysis, to change the background matrix and evaluate effects on chemometric quantification models. General models to quantify HCP and mAb in both filtered and unfiltered matrix showed lower prediction accuracy compared to models designed for a specific matrix. HCP quantification in the range of 2,000–55,000 ng mL^?1 using specific models was accurate for most samples, with results within the accepted limit of an ELISA assay. In contrast, mAb prediction was less accurate, predicting mAb in the range of 0.2–1.7 g L^?1. As some samples deviated substantially from reference values, further investigations elucidating the suitability of ATR for monitoring are required. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2013     

Induction of β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase in Vigna aconitifolia inoculated with Macrophomina phaseolina

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are induced in response to pathogen attack. In the present study, the induction of PR proteins in response to the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina was investigated in 15-day- and 1-month-old plants of Vigna aconitifolia with resistant and susceptible cultivars. Inoculation of the fungal pathogen resulted in the enzyme activity gradually increased throughout the experimental period of 168 h compared to control. However, the activation of β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase was more rapid and to a greater extent in the resistant FMM-96 cultivar as compared to susceptible RM0-40 and CZM-3 cultivars. Furthermore, the western blot analysis revealed the presence of 33- and 30-kDa bands of β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase in induced moth bean plants, respectively. The possible implications of these findings as part of the general defense response of moth bean plants against the fungal pathogen (M. phaseolina) have been discussed.     

Oxalic acid-induced resistance to Rhizoctonia solani in rice is associated with induction of phenolics,peroxidase and pathogenesis-related proteins

Abstract

Oxalic acid (1 mM) when applied as a foliar spray to rice plants induced resistance to challenge infection with Rhizoctonia solani, the rice sheath blight pathogen. Maximum reduction in sheath blight incidence was observed when the plants were sprayed with oxalic acid three days before inoculation with the fungus. The biochemical alterations in rice plants treated with oxalic acid was also investigated. When rice plants were treated with oxalic acid, a two-fold increase in phenolic content in leaf sheaths was recorded three days after treatment. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and peroxidase activities increased significantly starting from two days after treatment. Peroxidase (PO) isozyme analysis indicated that PO-3 and PO-4 were induced two days after treatment with oxalic acid. Western blot analysis revealed that two chitinases (28 and 35 kDa) and two β-1,3-glucanases (30 and 32 kDa) were strongly induced in rice sheaths four to six days after treatment with oxalic acid. Immunoblot analysis of protein extracts from oxalic acid-treated plants demonstrated the induction of a 23 kDa thaumatin-like protein (TLP) cross-reacting with bean TLP antibody. These results suggest that the enhanced activities of defense enzymes and defense-related compounds in oxalic acid-treated rice plants may contribute to resistance against R. solani.