Purification and immunocytochemical localization of kafirins inSorghum bicolor (L. Moench) endosperm

Summary Kafirins are the storage proteins of sorghum and are found in protein bodies in the seed endosperm. They have been classified as -, -, and -kafirins according to differences in molecular weight, solubility, and structure. The kafirins were purified, amino acid composition was determined, and immunolocalization methods were used to determine the organization of the protein bodies and distribution of kafirins throughout the endosperm. All three groups of kafirins were low in lysine. -Kafirins and -kafirins were relatively high in cysteine, and -kafirins were relatively high in methionine. Transmission electron microscopy showed that protein bodies in the peripheral endosperm were spheroid with concentric rings and few darkly stained inclusions. In contrast, protein bodies of the central endosperm were irregularly shaped with a higher proportion of darkly stained material. The light staining regions of the protein bodies are composed primarily of -kafirins with minor portions of - and -kafirins. The dark staining regions, however, are composed primarily of - and -kafirins. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that protein bodies in the peripheral endosperm contain predominantly a-kafirin with minor amounts of - and -kafirin. Central endosperm protein bodies are also predominantly -kafirin, but have a higher proportion of -kafirin and -kafirin than the peripheral endosperm protein bodies.Abbreviations GAR-HRP Goat anti-rabbit horseradish peroxidase - IgG immunoglobulin G - 2-ME 2-mercaptoethanol - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - TBS Tris buffer saline - TBS-T Tris buffer saline with Tween - TBS-T-B Tris buffer saline with Tween and bovine serum albumin - TCA trichloroacetic acid - UV ultraviolet     

ArchbotLit—the archaeobotanical literature database: an update of the search engine for literature on archaeological remains of cultivated plants since 1981

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - The online Archaeobotanical Literature Database (ArchbotLit) is an important tool for getting targeted access to archaeobotanical publications. It offers the...     

Human�Cenvironment interactions in mountain rainforests: archaeobotanical evidence from central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Palaeoecology may contribute to the debate on nature conservation and the preservation of cultural heritage. Here we present two palaeo-records from the Lore Lindu Biosphere Reserve and National Park in central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The park comprises one of the largest remaining and most biodiverse mountain forests of Sulawesi. Outstanding megalithic sites reveal long-term human impact on the area. Thus, modern vegetation composition within the park has been determined by complex site histories, natural and anthropogenic. Palaeo-records from sites between 1,000 and 1,400 m a.s.l. demonstrate that human activity as well as climate variations have to be considered as the main drivers of vegetation changes in the region for the last 2,000 years. Human impact is reflected by large amounts of charred fragments in the pollen records plus low values of arboreal pollen resulting from forest clearance. The stratigraphy of one of the pollen records shows effects of a general cooling trend during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Biomass loss due to the conversion of lower montane rainforest to grassland has reduced the carbon storage potential in the area of the Lore Lindu Park. Recommendations for conservation policy that may be made from the environmental history within the biosphere reserve thus include the consideration of human influence in easily accessible areas, particularly in face of recent settlement intensification.     

Crop growing and gathering in the northern German Neolithic: a review supplemented by new results

New archaeobotanical results from 15 Neolithic sites in northern Germany are presented in a review of the Neolithic plant economy in northern and north-western Europe. Available archaeobotanical data from north-western Europe are evaluated and compared with our new results. In the whole region, barley and emmer were the main crops. Regional and diachronic differences are observed in the cultivation of einkorn, spelt and naked wheat. For oil plants and pulses only rare information from macro remains is available, as we mainly deal with charred material. It is noticeable that gathered plants played an important role in the Funnel Beaker economy. Plant choice, especially the relevance of cultivated versus gathered plants is discussed, based on new and existing data. Based on a structural comparison of charred plant assemblages from domestic sites and tombs, we develop a research hypothesis that settlement finds provide insight into production and consumption of food from crops, while tombs mainly yield evidence of plants gathered in the wild or in semi-wild areas in the vicinity of former settlements. Therefore, we suggest a model of different purposes and meanings of plants, depending on whether primarily an economic or a social/ritual sphere is regarded. But, for all evaluations and interpretations, it is essential to consider the taphonomic processes and conditions. Therefore, further research is necessary to verify our hypothesis, which derives from first insights into new material.     

Holocene history of environment and human impact on two islands in the Ostholstein lakeland area, Northern Germany

Holocene sediment cores from contemporary terrestrialised kettle holes on two islands in the Ostholstein lakeland area, Northern Germany, were investigated by palaeoenvironmental methods. Records from such isolated locations, such as these island mires, are an important source of information on small-scale vegetation changes. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and macrofossils were used to reveal anthropogenic impact as well as lake level fluctuations. Changes in the peat decomposition and the ratio of organic to minerogenic content in the sediment facilitated correlation with past ground water table levels and accordingly with former lake levels. The palynological surveys indicate that human impact on the islands expanded in prehistoric times during phases of low lake levels or periods of stable hydrological conditions. The first distinct low level is recorded between ca. 8210 and 7740?cal.?yr b.p. Another major low level period was detected for the time span from approximately 5290 to 4600?cal.?yr b.p. After a subsequent period with a wetter climate, indicated by rising and fluctuating lake levels culminating at ca. 2420 to 2180?cal.?yr b.p., a third lowering occurred until about 660?cal.?yr b.p. This period was interrupted by minor fluctuations in lake levels from ca. 1770 to 1630?cal.?yr b.p. and from ca. 1370 to 1010?cal.?yr b.p.     

Isolation and Characterization of Microorganisms Associated with the Traditional Sorghum Fermentation for Production of Sudanese Kisra

Sorghum flour obtained from Sudan was mixed with water in a 1:2 (wt/vol) ratio and fermented at 30°C for 24 h. The bacterial populations increased with fermentation time and reached a plateau at approximately 18 h. At the end of 24 h, sorghum batter pH had dropped from 5.95 to 3.95 and the batter had a lactic acid content of 0.80%. The microbial population during the 24 h of fermentation consisted of bacteria (Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus confusus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus sp., Erwinia ananas, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter cloacae), yeasts (Candida intermedia and Debaryomyces hansenii), and molds (Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., and Rhizopus sp.). P. pentosaceus was the dominant microorganism at the end of the 24-h fermentation. When three consecutive fermentations using an inoculum from the previous fermentation were carried out, the bacterial population increase plateaued at 9 h. The microbial populations in these fermentations were dominated by P. pentosaceus.     

Bronze Age crop processing evidence in the phytolith assemblages from the ditch and fen around Fondo Paviani,northern Italy

The Terramare civilization (ca. 1650–1150 cal bce) on the Po plain in northern Italy is considered to have been an agrarian society typical of the European Bronze Age, with a subsistence economy based on arable and livestock farming, and which showed some innovations such as the introduction of millets as cultivars. Some questions are still open concerning the agricultural system, the food and non-food uses of plant resources and the organization of labour at these sites. In this paper, for the first time, phytolith analysis has been integrated with more standard archaeobotanical methods applied to material from the long-lasting settlement of Fondo Paviani, Verona. The aim of the study was to use phytoliths as a tool to investigate the cereal economy in order to detect different grass subfamilies and possibly provide hints about local crop processing activities. For this purpose, two contexts, a shallow ditch at the edge of the site that had been filled with domestic waste and a near-site fen with natural infilling, have been the objects of a multi-proxy inter-disciplinary investigation. This includes the analyses of phytoliths, pollen, NPP, sediment texture and micromorphology. The phytolith record shows remains of panicoid as well as pooid grasses, including chaff material with frequent traces of threshing that indicate the processing of cereals at the site and the possible use of chopped straw as fodder. The comparison of different kinds of evidence strengthens the interpretation and offers a new perspective on the application of phytolith analysis to Bronze Age northern Italy.