Search results for "Pound"

Gut microbiota of the pine weevil degrades conifer diterpenes and increases insect fitness

2017

AbstractThe pine weevil (Hylobius abietis), a major pest of conifer forests throughout Europe, feeds on the bark and cambium, tissues rich in terpenoid resins that are toxic to many insect herbivores. Here we report the ability of the pine weevil gut microbiota to degrade the diterpene acids of Norway spruce. The diterpene acid levels present in ingested bark were substantially reduced on passage through the pine weevil gut. This reduction was significantly less upon antibiotic treatment, and supplementing the diet with gut suspensions from untreated insects restored the ability to degrade diterpenes. In addition, cultured bacteria isolated from pine weevil guts were shown to degrade a Norw…

Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress Regulated by Histone Deacetylases

2017

In eukaryotic cells, histone acetylation and deacetylation play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Histone acetylation levels are modulated by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Recent studies indicate that HDACs play essential roles in the regulation of gene expression in plant response to environmental stress. In this review, we discussed the recent advance regarding the plant HDACs and their functions in the regulation of abiotic stress responses. The role of HDACs in autophagy was also discussed.

Selection of Lactobacillus strains to induce biological acidification in low acidity wines

2016

Abstract Because of global warming, wines are obtained nowadays with high pH values and low acidity. This results in wines with disturbed flavor and increased susceptibility of microbial spoilage. The aim of this work was the selection of Lactobacillus strains with ability to induce biological acidification in low acidity grape musts to obtain more acidic wines. A screening of Lactobacillus strains was carried out using several selection criteria. Lactobacillus strains that grew in must, carried out the malolactic fermentation, acidified grape must, synthesized lactic acid from sugars, and showed high resistance to lysozyme and sulfur dioxide were selected. Selected strains were characteriz…

2020

DnaK3, a highly conserved cyanobacterial chaperone of the Hsp70 family, binds to cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes, and an involvement of DnaK3 in the biogenesis of thylakoid membranes has been suggested. As shown here, light triggers synthesis of DnaK3 in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which links DnaK3 to the biogenesis of thylakoid membranes and to photosynthetic processes. In a DnaK3 depleted strain, the photosystem content is reduced and the photosystem II activity is impaired, whereas photosystem I is regular active. An impact of DnaK3 on the activity of other thylakoid membrane complexes involved in electron transfer is indicated. In conclusion, DnaK3 is a versatile …

In vitro bioactive properties of phlorotannins recovered from hydrothermal treatment of Sargassum muticum

2016

Abstract The present work addresses the potential of different adsorbents for the recovery of the phlorotannin fraction present in the liquid phase from the autohydrolysis of Sargassum muticum. Operating with the extract generated during autohydrolysis of alginate exhausted algae, the kinetics followed pseudo-second order and the equilibrium corresponded to Freundlich model. In batch configuration, up to 70% phlorotannins were adsorbed and up to 30% were desorbed with ethanolic solutions. Comparable performance was observed with the autohydrolysis extracts from the whole algae. The phloroglucinol content, the reducing and ABTS antiradical capacities of the desorbed product increased by 2–4 …

2020

Fucoxanthin and its derivatives are the main light-harvesting pigments in the photosynthetic apparatus of many chromalveolate algae and represent the most abundant carotenoids in the world's oceans, thus being major facilitators of marine primary production. A central step in fucoxanthin biosynthesis that has been elusive so far is the conversion of violaxanthin to neoxanthin. Here, we show that in chromalveolates, this reaction is catalyzed by violaxanthin de-epoxidase-like (VDL) proteins and that VDL is also involved in the formation of other light-harvesting carotenoids such as peridinin or vaucheriaxanthin. VDL is closely related to the photoprotective enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase t…

Polyamine Biosynthesis Engineering as a Tool to Improve Plant Resistance to Abiotic Stress

2015

Polyamines (PAs) are small polycationic molecules which are present in all living organisms. PAs have been involved in a wide array of metabolic plant processes, extending from development to stress protection. Most of this knowledge has been achieved through the observation of PA homeostasis and manipulation of plant PA levels mediated by different approaches. This chapter summarizes the approaches undertaken to demonstrate the relationship between PAs and the stress response and, in particular, how the genetic manipulation of polyamine levels has evolved in a useful tool for the enhancement of plant stress tolerance in many species, including crops. This chapter also includes the most rec…

Studying the Function of the Phosphorylated Pathway of Serine Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

2017

Photorespiration is an essential pathway in photosynthetic organisms and is particularly important to detoxify and recycle 2-phosphoglycolate (2-PG), a by-product of oxygenic photosynthesis. The enzymes that catalyze the reactions in the photorespiratory core cycle and closely associated pathways have been identified; however, open questions remain concerning the metabolic network in which photorespiration is embedded. The amino acid serine represents one of the major intermediates in the photorespiratory pathway and photorespiration is thought to be the major source of serine in plants. The restriction of photorespiration to autotrophic cells raises questions concerning the source of serin…

Alternative Splicing of the Basic Helix–Loop–Helix Transcription Factor Gene CmbHLH2 Affects Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Ray Florets of Chrysanthemum…

2021

Chrysanthemum is an important ornamental crop worldwide. Some white-flowered chrysanthemum cultivars produce red ray florets under natural cultivation conditions, but little is known about how this occurs. We compared the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic and transcription factor genes between white ray florets and those that turned red based on cultivation conditions to comprehend the underlying mechanism. Significant differences in the expression of CmbHLH2 were detected between the florets of different colors. CmbHLH2 generated two alternatively spliced transcripts, designated CmbHLH2Full and CmbHLH2Short. Compared with CmbHLH2Full, CmbHLH2Short encoded a truncated protein with only…

The In Vitro Interaction of 12-Oxophytodienoic Acid and Related Conjugated Carbonyl Compounds with Thiol Antioxidants

2021

α,β-unsaturated carbonyls interfere with numerous plant physiological processes. One mechanism of action is their reactivity toward thiols of metabolites like cysteine and glutathione (GSH). This work aimed at better understanding these interactions. Both 12-oxophytodienoic acid (12-OPDA) and abscisic acid (ABA) conjugated with cysteine. It was found that the reactivity of α,β-unsaturated carbonyls with GSH followed the sequence trans-2-hexenal &lt