Isolation of a novel dehydrin gene from Codonopsis lanceolata and analysis of its response to abiotic stresses

Dehydrins (DHNs) compose a family of intrinsically unstructured proteins that have high water solubility and accumulate during late seed development at low temperature or in water-deficit conditions. They are believed to play a protective role in freezing and drought-tolerance in plants. A full-length cDNA encoding DHN (designated as ClDhn) was isolated from an oriental medicinal plant Codonopsis lanceolata, which has been used widely in Asia for its anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The full-length cDNA of ClDhn was 813 bp and contained a 477 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 159 amino acids. Deduced ClDhn protein had high similarities with other plant DHNs. RT-PCR analysis showed that different abiotic stresses such as salt, wounding, chilling and light, triggered a significant induction of ClDhn at different time points within 4-48 hrs post-treatment. This study revealed that ClDhn assisted C. lanceolata in becoming resistant to dehydration.     

Fe(III) complexes of d-glucose and d-fructose

Fe(III)-saccharide complexes of d-glucose and d-fructose have been synthesized from methanol using stoichiometric quantities of sodium salts of the corresponding saccharides. Both the compounds were isolated in the solid state and characterized by various analytical, spectroscopic, magnetic and cyclic voltammetric methods. Both the complexes were found to be stable, in solution, in the pH range 2.5–12.0.This paper is dedicated to Professor Richard H. Holm on his 60th birthday.     

13C-n.m.r. studies of the conformational changes in proline oligomers brought about by lithium and calcium salts

A detailed ¹³C-n.m.r. investigation has been carried out on the conformational changes in proline oligomers brought about by interaction with lithium and calcium perchlorates. Interaction of lithium and calcium salts with Piv-(Pro)_n-OMe, n = 2, 4 and 5 results in trans-cis isomerization. In the case of pentaproline, metal salts also give rise to other trans-isomers caused by the rotation about the C^αC(O) bond (Ψ, cis). Calcium salts seem to stabilize cis'-isomers and produce effects somewhat different from those of lithium salts.