scholarly journals Understanding Starch Structure: Recent Progress

Agronomy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bertoft

Starch is a major food supply for humanity. It is produced in seeds, rhizomes, roots and tubers in the form of semi-crystalline granules with unique properties for each plant. Though the size and morphology of the granules is specific for each plant species, their internal structures have remarkably similar architecture, consisting of growth rings, blocklets, and crystalline and amorphous lamellae. The basic components of starch granules are two polyglucans, namely amylose and amylopectin. The molecular structure of amylose is comparatively simple as it consists of glucose residues connected through α-(1,4)-linkages to long chains with a few α-(1,6)-branches. Amylopectin, which is the major component, has the same basic structure, but it has considerably shorter chains and a lot of α-(1,6)-branches. This results in a very complex, three-dimensional structure, the nature of which remains uncertain. Several models of the amylopectin structure have been suggested through the years, and in this review two models are described, namely the “cluster model” and the “building block backbone model”. The structure of the starch granules is discussed in light of both models.

MRS Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (29) ◽  
pp. 2155-2160
Author(s):  
Eri A. Takami ◽  
Folarin Erogbogbo

ABSTRACTLipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHN) have great potential as drug delivery devices for treatment of serious medical issues such as cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, and cancer. Nanoprecipitation is a commonly used method to synthesize LPHN in a low cost manner. However, this multi-step process proves to be difficult in consistently producing uniformly sized nanoparticles. Here we developed a microfluidic device that utilizes a three-channel pathway and mixer channel to synthesize uniformly sized LPHN in a controlled manner. Dynamic light scattering results of the microfluidic synthesized nanoparticles show decrease in diameter size from 140 nm to 40 nm as the Reynolds number of the channel inflow increases. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the size and morphology of the nanoparticles. Three dimensional structure of the LPHN were observed using atomic force microscopy. The production of higher quality nanoparticles using our microfluidics device can expedite the research and development process of drug delivering lipid polymer nanoparticles.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph E. Chapman

The importance of serial sections for the analysis of the morphology of fossil organisms has been stressed by a number of authors (e.g., Westbroek, 1967, 1969; Cooper, 1983; Sandy, 1986, this volume, Chapter 14) because they provide a way to visualize the three-dimensional structure, both internal and external, of specimens that cannot be studied in other ways. The importance of internal structures for the taxonomy of many groups (e.g., the brachidia of brachiopods; Westbroek et al., 1976; Cooper, 1983) makes the study of serial sections imperative in many cases for proper taxonomic identification.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Younes Hanifehpour ◽  
Jaber Dadashi ◽  
Babak Mirtamizdoust

In the present research, a sonochemical approach was applied to prepare new cadmium(II) coordination 2D polymer, [Cd(L)(NO2)2]n (L = 1,2-bis(1-(pyridin-3-yl)ethylidene)hydrazine) and structurally characterized with various spectroscopic techniques including XRD, elemental analysis, SEM, and IR spectroscopy. The coordination number of cadmium (II) ions is seven (CdN2O5) by two nitrogen atoms from two organic Schiff base ligand and five oxygen of nitrite anions. The 2D sheet structures ended by nitrite anions and the nitrite anion displayed the end-stop role. The comprehensive system showed a three-dimensional structure with several weak interactions. The high-intensity ultrasound is regarded as an easy, environmentally-friendly, and flexible synthetic instrument for the compounds of coordination. CdO NPs was obtained by thermolysing 1 at 180 °C with oleic acid (as a surfactant). Further, the size and morphology of the produced CdO nanoparticles were investigated through SEM.


Author(s):  
M. Boublik ◽  
W. Hellmann ◽  
F. Jenkins

The present knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of ribosomes is far too limited to enable a complete understanding of the various roles which ribosomes play in protein biosynthesis. The spatial arrangement of proteins and ribonuclec acids in ribosomes can be analysed in many ways. Determination of binding sites for individual proteins on ribonuclec acid and locations of the mutual positions of proteins on the ribosome using labeling with fluorescent dyes, cross-linking reagents, neutron-diffraction or antibodies against ribosomal proteins seem to be most successful approaches. Structure and function of ribosomes can be correlated be depleting the complete ribosomes of some proteins to the functionally inactive core and by subsequent partial reconstitution in order to regain active ribosomal particles.


Author(s):  
Robert Glaeser ◽  
Thomas Bauer ◽  
David Grano

In transmission electron microscopy, the 3-dimensional structure of an object is usually obtained in one of two ways. For objects which can be included in one specimen, as for example with elements included in freeze- dried whole mounts and examined with a high voltage microscope, stereo pairs can be obtained which exhibit the 3-D structure of the element. For objects which can not be included in one specimen, the 3-D shape is obtained by reconstruction from serial sections. However, without stereo imagery, only detail which remains constant within the thickness of the section can be used in the reconstruction; consequently, the choice is between a low resolution reconstruction using a few thick sections and a better resolution reconstruction using many thin sections, generally a tedious chore. This paper describes an approach to 3-D reconstruction which uses stereo images of serial thick sections to reconstruct an object including detail which changes within the depth of an individual thick section.


Author(s):  
T.D. Pollard ◽  
P. Maupin

In this paper we review some of the contributions that electron microscopy has made to the analysis of actin and myosin from nonmuscle cells. We place particular emphasis upon the limitations of the ultrastructural techniques used to study these cytoplasmic contractile proteins, because it is not widely recognized how difficult it is to preserve these elements of the cytoplasmic matrix for electron microscopy. The structure of actin filaments is well preserved for electron microscope observation by negative staining with uranyl acetate (Figure 1). In fact, to a resolution of about 3nm the three-dimensional structure of actin filaments determined by computer image processing of electron micrographs of negatively stained specimens (Moore et al., 1970) is indistinguishable from the structure revealed by X-ray diffraction of living muscle.


Author(s):  
J.L. Williams ◽  
K. Heathcote ◽  
E.J. Greer

High Voltage Electron Microscope already offers exciting experimental possibilities to Biologists and Materials Scientists because the increased specimen thickness allows direct observation of three dimensional structure and dynamic experiments on effectively bulk specimens. This microscope is designed to give maximum accessibility and space in the specimen region for the special stages which are required. At the same time it provides an ease of operation similar to a conventional instrument.


Author(s):  
G. E. Tyson ◽  
M. J. Song

Natural populations of the brine shrimp, Artemia, may possess spirochete- infected animals in low numbers. The ultrastructure of Artemia's spirochete has been described by conventional transmission electron microscopy. In infected shrimp, spirochetal cells were abundant in the blood and also occurred intra- and extracellularly in the three organs examined, i.e. the maxillary gland (segmental excretory organ), the integument, and certain muscles The efferent-tubule region of the maxillary gland possessed a distinctive lesion comprised of a group of spirochetes, together with numerous small vesicles, situated in a cave-like indentation of the base of the tubule epithelium. in some instances the basal lamina at a lesion site was clearly discontinuous. High-voltage electron microscopy has now been used to study lesions of the efferent tubule, with the aim of understanding better their three-dimensional structure.Tissue from one maxillary gland of an infected, adult, female brine shrimp was used for HVEM study.


Author(s):  
Jerome J. Paulin

Within the past decade it has become apparent that HVEM offers the biologist a means to explore the three-dimensional structure of cells and/or organelles. Stereo-imaging of thick sections (e.g. 0.25-10 μm) not only reveals anatomical features of cellular components, but also reduces errors of interpretation associated with overlap of structures seen in thick sections. Concomitant with stereo-imaging techniques conventional serial Sectioning methods developed with thin sections have been adopted to serial thick sections (≥ 0.25 μm). Three-dimensional reconstructions of the chondriome of several species of trypanosomatid flagellates have been made from tracings of mitochondrial profiles on cellulose acetate sheets. The sheets are flooded with acetone, gluing them together, and the model sawed from the composite and redrawn.The extensive mitochondrial reticulum can be seen in consecutive thick sections of (0.25 μm thick) Crithidia fasciculata (Figs. 1-2). Profiles of the mitochondrion are distinguishable from the anterior apex of the cell (small arrow, Fig. 1) to the posterior pole (small arrow, Fig. 2).


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