scholarly journals Competition for S-containing amino acids between rhizosphere microorganisms and plant roots: the role of cysteine in plant S acquisition

Author(s):  
Qingxu Ma ◽  
Paul W. Hill ◽  
David R. Chadwick ◽  
Lianghuan Wu ◽  
Davey L. Jones

AbstractPlant S deficiency is common, but the role of S-containing amino acids such as cysteine in plant S uptake is unknown. We applied 14C-, 35S-, 13C-, and 15N-labelled cysteine to wheat and oilseed rape rhizospheres and traced the plants’ elemental uptake. Both plants absorbed 0.37–0.81% of intact cysteine after 6 h with no further increase after 24 h. They absorbed 1.6–11.5% 35S and 12.3–7.6% 15N from cysteine after 24 h and utilised SO42− as their main S source (75.5–86.4%). Added and naturally occurring cysteine-S contributed 5.6 and 1.1% of total S uptake by wheat and oilseed rape, respectively. Cysteine and inorganic S derived from cysteine contributed 24.5 and 13.6% of uptake for wheat and oilseed rape, respectively, after 24 h. Oilseed rape absorbed ~10-fold more S from cysteine and SO42− than did wheat. The highest absorption of free cysteine should be in the organic-rich soil patches. Soil microorganisms rapidly decomposed cysteine (t1/2 = 1.37 h), and roots absorbed mineralised inorganic N and S. After 15 min, 11.7–14.3% of the 35S-cysteine was retained in the microbial biomass, while 30.2–36.7% of the SO42− was released, suggesting that rapid microbial S immobilisation occurs after cysteine addition. Plants acquire N and S from cysteine via unidirectional soil-to-root nutrient flow, and cysteine is an important S source for plants.

1995 ◽  
Vol 181 (4) ◽  
pp. 1345-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Guo ◽  
Y Wu ◽  
M Zhao ◽  
X P Kong ◽  
Y Liu

Costimulatory molecules B7 and B7-2 interact with T cell surface receptors CD28/CTLA4 and deliver a costimulatory signal essential for T cell growth. However, the structure basis of this interaction is not known. B7 and B7-2 are members of immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily and their extracellular portion consists of an IgV- and IgC-like domain. Here we report that a naturally occurring, alternatively spliced form of B7 reveals that exon 3-encoded IgC domain is essential for CD28/CTLA4 binding. Mutational analysis of B7 demonstrates a critical role of several amino acids around loops between strands B and C and D and E, for binding CTLA4/CD28. These amino acids are clustered to form a single binding site centered at 201Y. A comparison of the effects of mutations on the binding of CD28 and CTLA4 reveals that CD28 and CTLA4 binds to the same site on B7. These results have important implications on the role of CTLA4 and CD28 in T cell costimulation. The structure of the CD28/CTLA4-binding site also provides valuable information for immune intervention targeted at the B7/B7-2-CD28/CTLA4 interactions.


1992 ◽  
Vol 292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Pachter ◽  
Peter D. Haaland ◽  
Robert L. Crane ◽  
W. Wade Adams

AbstractMolecular simulations that predict the molecular mechanical response of alpha-helical biopolymers with a reinforcing intra-molecular hydrogen bonding network, viz,, a ‘spring-like’ behavior, are presented in this study. Mechanical properties of extended biopolymer strands based on naturally occurring amino acids, namely poly(L-A1a) and for comparison poly(LGlu), versus synthetic PPTA containing an amide bond, are compared to those assuming alpha-helical structures. Thus, the pivotal role of such motifs in biological systems utilizing superior compressive mechanical properties can be inferred.


Author(s):  
David R. Veblen

Extended defects and interfaces control many processes in rock-forming minerals, from chemical reactions to rock deformation. In many cases, it is not the average structure of a defect or interface that is most important, but rather the structure of defect terminations or offsets in an interface. One of the major thrusts of high-resolution electron microscopy in the earth sciences has been to identify the role of defect fine structures in reactions and to determine the structures of such features. This paper will review studies using HREM and image simulations to determine the structures of defects in silicate and oxide minerals and present several examples of the role of defects in mineral chemical reactions. In some cases, the geological occurrence can be used to constrain the diffusional properties of defects.The simplest reactions in minerals involve exsolution (precipitation) of one mineral from another with a similar crystal structure, and pyroxenes (single-chain silicates) provide a good example. Although conventional TEM studies have led to a basic understanding of this sort of phase separation in pyroxenes via spinodal decomposition or nucleation and growth, HREM has provided a much more detailed appreciation of the processes involved.


1981 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Ashy ◽  
Abd El-Galil ◽  
M. Khalil ◽  
Abou-Zeid A. Abou-Zeid
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 923-929
Author(s):  
Gaurav Pandey ◽  
Prem Prakash Das ◽  
Vibin Ramakrishnan

Background: RADA-4 (Ac-RADARADARADARADA-NH2) is the most extensively studied and marketed self-assembling peptide, forming hydrogel, used to create defined threedimensional microenvironments for cell culture applications. Objectives: In this work, we use various biophysical techniques to investigate the length dependency of RADA aggregation and assembly. Methods: We synthesized a series of RADA-N peptides, N ranging from 1 to 4, resulting in four peptides having 4, 8, 12, and 16 amino acids in their sequence. Through a combination of various biophysical methods including thioflavin T fluorescence assay, static right angle light scattering assay, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), electron microscopy, CD, and IR spectroscopy, we have examined the role of chain-length on the self-assembly of RADA peptide. Results: Our observations show that the aggregation of ionic, charge-complementary RADA motifcontaining peptides is length-dependent, with N less than 3 are not forming spontaneous selfassemblies. Conclusion: The six biophysical experiments discussed in this paper validate the significance of chain-length on the epitaxial growth of RADA peptide self-assembly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 581-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambreen Fatima ◽  
Yasir Hasan Siddique

Flavonoids are naturally occurring plant polyphenols found universally in all fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. They have emerged as a promising candidate in the formulation of treatment strategies for various neurodegenerative disorders. The use of flavonoid rich plant extracts and food in dietary supplementation have shown favourable outcomes. The present review describes the types, properties and metabolism of flavonoids. Neuroprotective role of various flavonoids and the possible mechanism of action in the brain against the neurodegeneration have been described in detail with special emphasis on the tangeritin.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Lalrinzuali Sailo ◽  
◽  
Meesala Krishna Murthy ◽  
Khandayataray Pratima ◽  
Vikas Kumar Roy ◽  
...  

Monosodium glutamate is naturally available non-essential amino acids, which found in naturally occurring foods and used as flavour enhancer worldwide. Monosodium glutamate is believed to be linked with diverse health problems. The aim of the study was toxic effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the protective role of L-carnitine, light on the available literature from last 25 years about diverse toxicity studies which had been carried out on animal and human models. Google scholar, NCBI, PUBMED, EMBASE, Wangfang databases, and Web of Science databases were used to retrieve the available studies. MSG was linked with deleterious effects particularly in animals including induction of obesity, diabetes, hepatotoxic, neurotoxic and genotoxic effects showed in Literature. Few reports revealed increased hunger, food intake, and obesity in human subjects due to MSG consumption. Hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, and genotoxic effects of monosodium glutamate on humans carried out very limitedly. High consumption of monosodium glutamate may be linked with harmful health effects showed in available literatures. So, it is recommended to use common salt instead of MSG. Furthermore, intensive research is required to explore monosodium glutamate–related molecular and metabolic mechanisms. L-carnitine can protect from Hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, renal impairment and genotoxic effects functionally, biochemically and histopathologically with a corresponding reduction of oxidative stress.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S42-S42
Author(s):  
Kohei Sugihara ◽  
Nobuhiko Kamada

Abstract Background Recent accumulating evidence suggests that amino acids have crucial roles in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), amino acid metabolism is changed in both host and the gut microbiota. Among amino acids, L-serine plays a central role in several metabolic processes that are essential for the growth and survival of both mammalian and bacterial cells. However, the role of L-serine in intestinal homeostasis and IBD remains incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary L-serine on intestinal inflammation in a murine model of colitis. Methods Specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice were fed either a control diet (amino acid-based diet) or an L-serine-deficient diet (SDD). Colitis was induced by the treatment of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The gut microbiome was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. We also evaluate the effect of dietary L-serine in germ-free mice and gnotobiotic mice that were colonized by a consortium of non-mucolytic bacterial strains or the consortium plus mucolytic bacterial strains. Results We found that the SDD exacerbated experimental colitis in SPF mice. However, the severity of colitis in SDD-fed mice was comparable to control diet-fed mice in germ-free condition, suggesting that the gut microbiota is required for exacerbation of colitis caused by the restriction of dietary L-serine. The gut microbiome analysis revealed that dietary L-serine restriction fosters the blooms of a mucus-degrading bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and adherent-invasive Escherichia coli in the inflamed gut. Consistent with the expansion of mucolytic bacteria, SDD-fed mice showed a loss of the intestinal mucus layer. Dysfunction of the mucus barrier resulted in increased intestinal permeability, thereby leading to bacterial translocation to the intestinal mucosa, which subsequently increased the severity of colitis. The increased intestinal permeability and subsequent bacterial translocation were observed in SDD-fed gnotobiotic mice that colonized by mucolytic bacteria. In contrast, dietary L-serine restriction did not alter intestinal barrier integrity in gnotobiotic mice that colonized only by non-mucolytic bacteria. Conclusion Our results suggest that dietary L-serine regulates the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier during inflammation by limiting the expansion of mucus degrading bacteria.


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