Understanding storage starch biosynthesis in plants: a means to quality improvement

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 1167-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Tetlow

The many varied uses of starch in food and industrial applications often requires an understanding of its physicochemical properties and the detailed variations in granule structure that underpin these properties. The ability to manipulate storage starch structures depends on understanding the biosynthetic pathway, and in particular, how the many components of the pathway are coordinated and regulated. This article presents a current overview of starch structure and the known enzymes involved in the synthesis of the granule, with an emphasis on how current knowledge on the regulation of the pathway in cereals and other crops may be applied to the production of different functional starches.

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Tetlow

AbstractStarch is globally important as a source of food and, in addition, has a wide range of industrial applications. Much of this agriculturally produced starch is synthesized in developing seeds, where its biological function is to provide energy for seedling establishment. Storage starch in developing seeds is synthesized in heterotrophic plastids called amyloplasts and is distinct from the transient synthesis of starch in chloroplasts. This article reviews our current understanding of storage starch biosynthesis occurring in these organelles and discusses recent advances in research in this field. The review discusses starch structure and granule initiation, emerging ideas on the evolution of the pathway, the enzymes of starch synthesis, and the post-translational modification and regulation of key enzymes of amylopectin biosynthesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 7011
Author(s):  
Ian J. Tetlow ◽  
Eric Bertoft

Starch is a water-insoluble polymer of glucose synthesized as discrete granules inside the stroma of plastids in plant cells. Starch reserves provide a source of carbohydrate for immediate growth and development, and act as long term carbon stores in endosperms and seed tissues for growth of the next generation, making starch of huge agricultural importance. The starch granule has a highly complex hierarchical structure arising from the combined actions of a large array of enzymes as well as physicochemical self-assembly mechanisms. Understanding the precise nature of granule architecture, and how both biological and abiotic factors determine this structure is of both fundamental and practical importance. This review outlines current knowledge of granule architecture and the starch biosynthesis pathway in relation to the building block-backbone model of starch structure. We highlight the gaps in our knowledge in relation to our understanding of the structure and synthesis of starch, and argue that the building block-backbone model takes accurate account of both structural and biochemical data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 660-662
Author(s):  
Eduardo ORREGO-GONZÁLEZ ◽  
Ana PERALTA-GARCÍA ◽  
Leonardo PALACIOS-SÁNCHEZ

ABSTRACT Epilepsy is one of the most dreaded and terrifying human afflictions. One of the many names it has received was Sacred Disease, during Greek times. Heracles served as a source of the divine connotation that epilepsy received in ancient times, as he was one of the most important demigods in Greek mythology. However, several authors have attributed Heracles’ actions to a seizure, including Hippocrates, who described the sacred disease on his “Corpus Hippocraticum.” This paper reviewed some of the publications on the myth and content of the text of Hippocrates, in relation to the current knowledge of the disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2457
Author(s):  
Birgit J. Gerecke ◽  
Rolf Engberding

Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) has gained increasing attention over the past twenty years, but in daily clinical practice NCCM is still rarely considered. So far, there are no generally accepted diagnostic criteria and some groups even refuse to acknowledge it as a distinct cardiomyopathy, and grade it as a variant of dilated cardiomyopathy or a morphological trait of different conditions. A wide range of morphological variants have been observed even in healthy persons, suggesting that pathologic remodeling and physiologic adaptation have to be differentiated in cases where this spongy myocardial pattern is encountered. Recent studies have uncovered numerous new pathogenetic and pathophysiologic aspects of this elusive cardiomyopathy, but a current summary and evaluation of clinical patient management are still lacking, especially to avoid mis- and overdiagnosis. Addressing this issue, this article provides an up to date overview of the current knowledge in classification, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations and diagnostic evaluation, including genetic testing, treatment and prognosis of NCCM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Zhang ◽  
Pengfu Liu ◽  
Weike Su ◽  
Huawei Zhang ◽  
Wenqian Xu ◽  
...  

AbstractTrans-4-hydroxy-l-proline is an important amino acid that is widely used in medicinal and industrial applications, particularly as a valuable chiral building block for the organic synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Traditionally, trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline is produced by the acidic hydrolysis of collagen, but this process has serious drawbacks, such as low productivity, a complex process and heavy environmental pollution. Presently, trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline is mainly produced via fermentative production by microorganisms. Some recently published advances in metabolic engineering have been used to effectively construct microbial cell factories that have improved the trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline biosynthetic pathway. To probe the potential of microorganisms for trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline production, new strategies and tools must be proposed. In this review, we provide a comprehensive understanding of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, including its biosynthetic pathway, proline hydroxylases and production by metabolic engineering, with a focus on improving its production.


Author(s):  
Raffaele Ciardiello ◽  
Andrea Tridello ◽  
Luca Goglio ◽  
Giovanni Belingardi

In the last decades, the use of adhesives has rapidly increased in many industrial fields. Adhesive joints are often preferred to traditional fasteners due to the many advantages that they offer. For instance, adhesive joints show a better stress distribution compared to the traditional fasteners and high mechanical properties under different loading conditions. Furthermore, they are usually preferred for joining components made of different materials. A wide variety of adhesives is currently available: thermoset adhesives are generally employed for structural joints but recently there has been a significant increment in the use of thermoplastic adhesives, in particular of the hot-melt adhesives (HMAs). HMAs permit to bond a large number of materials, including metal and plastics (e.g., polypropylene, PP), which can be hardly bonded with traditional adhesives. Furthermore, HMAs are characterized by a short open time and, therefore, permit for a quick and easy assembly process since they can be easily spread on the adherend surfaces by means of a hot-melt gun and they offer the opportunity of an ease disassembling process for repair and recycle. For all these reasons, HMAs are employed in many industrial applications and are currently used also for bonding polypropylene and polyolefin piping systems. In the present paper, the dynamic response of single lap joints (SLJ) obtained by bonding together with a polyolefin HMA two polypropylene substrates was experimentally assessed. Quasi-static tests and dynamic tests were carried out to investigate the strain rate effect: dynamic tests were carried out with a modified instrumented impact pendulum. Relevant changes in the joint performance have been put in evidence. Failure modes were finally analysed and compared. A change in the failure mode is experimentally found: in quasi-static tests SLJ failed due to a cohesive failure of the adhesive, whereas in dynamic tests the SLJ failed due to an interfacial failure, with a low energy absorption.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 12824
Author(s):  
Weixin Liu ◽  
Yi Feng ◽  
Suhang Yu ◽  
Zhengqi Fan ◽  
Xinlei Li ◽  
...  

Flavonoids are an important class of secondary metabolites widely found in plants, contributing to plant growth and development and having prominent applications in food and medicine. The biosynthesis of flavonoids has long been the focus of intense research in plant biology. Flavonoids are derived from the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, and have a basic structure that comprises a C15 benzene ring structure of C6-C3-C6. Over recent decades, a considerable number of studies have been directed at elucidating the mechanisms involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in plants. In this review, we systematically summarize the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. We further assemble an exhaustive map of flavonoid biosynthesis in plants comprising eight branches (stilbene, aurone, flavone, isoflavone, flavonol, phlobaphene, proanthocyanidin, and anthocyanin biosynthesis) and four important intermediate metabolites (chalcone, flavanone, dihydroflavonol, and leucoanthocyanidin). This review affords a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding flavonoid biosynthesis, and provides the theoretical basis for further elucidating the pathways involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, which will aid in better understanding their functions and potential uses.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Calabretta ◽  
Carmelo Carlo-Stella

The CD38 antigen is expressed in several hematological malignancies, and the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies Daratumumab and Isatuximab have an established role in the therapy of multiple myeloma. However, data on the therapeutic utility of CD38 targeting in other lymphoid malignancies are limited. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the prognostic significance of CD38 expression is well accepted, and preclinical studies on the use of Daratumumab in monotherapy or combination therapy have demonstrated considerable efficacy. In other lymphoproliferative disorders, preclinical and clinical data have not been as compelling; however, CD38 overexpression likely contributes to resistance to checkpoint inhibitors, prompting numerous clinical trials in Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma to investigate whether blocking CD38 enhances the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors. Furthermore, due to its widespread expression in hematological tumors, CD38 represents an attractive target for cellular therapies such as CAR-T cells. The present review discusses current knowledge of CD38 expression and its implications in various lymphoid malignancies. Furthermore, it addresses current and future therapeutic perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the significance of CD38 interaction with immune cells of the tumor microenvironment. Lastly, results of ongoing studies using anti-CD38 antibodies will be reviewed.


Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carvalho Lemos ◽  
Reimer ◽  
Wormit

Fruits and vegetables are an important supplier of biological active substances, such as vitamins and secondary metabolites (SM) for human nutrition, but also for further industrial applications. Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is grown and consumed all over the world as a fresh vegetable or dried as a spice. It is also used as a coloring agent, as well for medical purposes. Pepper fruits are considered as an attractive source of health-related compounds, but other organs like the leaves and stem also contain considerable amounts of antioxidants, e.g., phenolic compounds. This indicates potential for valorization of residual biomass from horticultural production by using innovative bioeconomic concepts. Herein, we present an overview about the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds, with a special focus on flavonoids and their regulation in pepper, the current knowledge of amounts and distribution of these valuable substances, as well as possible strategies for: (1) increasing flavonoid contents in pepper, (2) improving the nutritional value of fruits, and (3) new concepts for utilization of residual biomass from horticultural production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-300
Author(s):  
Carol Ireland ◽  
Rebecca Ozanne ◽  
Jane Ireland

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the current knowledge in regard to females who engage in sexually harmful behaviour (HSB). Design/methodology/approach This is a brief paper, reviewing current literature. Findings This paper argues the continual limitations in fully understanding this population. However, it suggests the importance of progressing to discuss patterns of offending as opposed to typologies. Practical implications This argues the importance of effective formulation and consideration of patterns when understanding HSB in females. Originality/value This is a current brief review of the literature, summarising key thinking in this area, and some suggested ways forward for further progression.


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