Corn (Zea mays) as a Nutrient Source and Diet: A Review

Maize is also known as corn; it is a cereal. It is a member of Poaceae family which is a grass family. Maize originated 55 to 70 million year ago in central America. By seeing phylogenetic tree of grass species related to maize, it can be conclude that there is no direct ancestor of maize. The closest ancestor of maize are teosintes. Maize contains many phytochemical-like phystosterols, carotenoids and many other phenolic compounds. Maize also helps while reliving anti-HIV activity; this takes place due to the presence of Galanthus Nivalis Agglutinin (GNA) lectin. Maize is the great source of essential fatty assets. The maize cob and the root leaves of it are used to treat problem related to bladder, Nausea, vomiting. The endosperm of maize contains an alcohol solution prolamine called Zein, Which has a great role in pharmaceutical industry. Maize also contains resistant starch which reduces cancer-cecal, atherosclerosis and obesity related issues.

Istraživanje korištenja, gospodarenja i zaštite prirodnih dobara u zakonom zaštićenim područjima

Ovo istraživanje potaknuto je istraživačkim pitanjem postoje li neki konkretni problemi pri provođenju Zakona o zaštiti prirode i Plana upravljanja u samom Parku prirode Medvednica, koji je ujedno sastavni dio ekološke mreže Natura 2000. U radu su prikazani su rezultati istraživanja stavova predstavnika Javne ustanove PP Medvednica te su anketirani stanovnici rubnih zona PP Medvednica vezano uz tematiku korištenja i gospodarenja prostorom u zakonom zaštićenom području. Rezultati su pokazali da postoje problemi u PP od kojih je najvažniji problem odlaganje otpada i veliki broj posjetitelja koji se ne ponašaju u skladu s pravilima ponašanja u zaštićenom području. Kao najveće prednosti PP Medvednica navodi se da je to prostor za odmor i rekreaciju te predstavlja "pluća" grada Zagreba. Sadržaj koji najviše privlače stanovništvo rubnih zona jesu raznolikost biljnog i životinjskog svijeta te mir i tišina, čist zrak. Od biljaka sezonski se sakupljaju uglavnom plodovi (kesten, kupina i šumska jagoda) te gljive. Najčešće spominjane zaštićene biljne vrste jesu: Taxus baccata, Galanthus nivalis, Ilex aquifolium i Primula auricula i njih se ne sakuplja. Zaključujemo da su ispitanici dobro upoznati sa sadašnjim stanjem i aktualnim problemima, te smatraju da bi bilo nužno poduzeti bolju kontrolu unutar područja PP Medvednica.

De novo transcriptome analysis and comparative expression profiling of genes associated with the taste-modifying protein neoculin in Curculigo latifolia and Curculigo capitulata fruits

Background Curculigo latifolia is a perennial plant endogenous to Southeast Asia whose fruits contain the taste-modifying protein neoculin, which binds to sweet receptors and makes sour fruits taste sweet. Although similar to snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) agglutinin (GNA), which contains mannose-binding sites in its sequence and 3D structure, neoculin lacks such sites and has no lectin activity. Whether the fruits of C. latifolia and other Curculigo plants contain neoculin and/or GNA family members was unclear. Results Through de novo RNA-seq assembly of the fruits of C. latifolia and the related C. capitulata and detailed analysis of the expression patterns of neoculin and neoculin-like genes in both species, we assembled 85,697 transcripts from C. latifolia and 76,775 from C. capitulata using Trinity and annotated them using public databases. We identified 70,371 unigenes in C. latifolia and 63,704 in C. capitulata. In total, 38.6% of unigenes from C. latifolia and 42.6% from C. capitulata shared high similarity between the two species. We identified ten neoculin-related transcripts in C. latifolia and 15 in C. capitulata, encoding both the basic and acidic subunits of neoculin in both plants. We aligned these 25 transcripts and generated a phylogenetic tree. Many orthologs in the two species shared high similarity, despite the low number of common genes, suggesting that these genes likely existed before the two species diverged. The relative expression levels of these genes differed considerably between the two species: the transcripts per million (TPM) values of neoculin genes were 60 times higher in C. latifolia than in C. capitulata, whereas those of GNA family members were 15,000 times lower in C. latifolia than in C. capitulata. Conclusions The genetic diversity of neoculin-related genes strongly suggests that neoculin genes underwent duplication during evolution. The marked differences in their expression profiles between C. latifolia and C. capitulata may be due to mutations in regions involved in transcriptional regulation. Comprehensive analysis of the genes expressed in the fruits of these two Curculigo species helped elucidate the origin of neoculin at the molecular level.

To Care or Not to Care? Which Factors Influence the Distribution of Early-Flowering Geophytes at the Vienna Central Cemetery (Austria)

Cemeteries not only serve as burial sites but also as a habitat for many animal and plant species, as the specific management of cemeteries creates conditions that hardly exist anywhere else. So-called stinzen plants are those plant species that show a connection to old garden cultures and need precisely these conditions. Many stinzen plants are early-flowering geophytes. We examined which factors influence the distribution and abundance (=cover values) of early-flowering geophytes at the largest cemetery in Austria, the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, and tried to identify such stinzen populations. In spring 2020, we performed two vegetation surveys in 143 plots and recorded the occurrence and abundance (in %) of early-flowering geophytes. Then, we collected four variables for each plot: (1) cemetery type (architectural cemetery, park cemetery, and memorial), (2) care intensity, (3) type of use (path between graves, abandoned graves, free space between road and grave, and open meadow area with adjacent graves), and (4) distance to the next path. We recorded a total of nine different early-flowering geophyte species. All nine species were found on plots with very low care intensity. Only two species were found on paths between graves. Six species are listed as threatened on Vienna’s Red Data List. Two species, Eranthis hyemalis and Galanthus nivalis, are ornamental plants. Plots in the park cemetery have significantly lower average cover values of early-flowering geophytes than plots in the other two cemetery types. This can be explained by high maintenance measures and increased visitor pressure due to its location. Additionally, the data revealed that high care intensity seems to harm early-flowering geophytes. This study showed that cemeteries are refugia for protected species in urban areas and should, therefore, be considered in urban nature conservations.

An evaluation of the conservation status of the forest vegetation of the Volyn Upland, Ukraine

The current conservation status of the rare vascular plant species and rare forest communities of the Volyn Upland (Ukraine) was characterized and analyzed. We found 14 rare plant species belonging to the Red Data Book of Ukraine in this territory (Lycopodium annotium L., Allium ursinum L., Cephalanthera longifolia (L.) Fritsch, Cephalanthera rubra (L.) Rich., Cypripedium calceolus L., Epipactis atrorubens (Hoffm.) Schult., E. helleborine (L.) Crantz, Lilium martagon L., Listera ovata (L.) R. Br., Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich., Platanthera bifolia (L.) Rich., P. chlorantha (Cust.) Reichenb., Galanthus nivalis L., Carex umbrosa Host) and 28 locally rare species preserved within the Volyn, Rivne and Lviv regions. The major threats for these species were indicated. Four rare associations, according to the Green Data Book of Ukraine, were studied in the Volyn Upland (Carpineto (betuli)–Quercetum (roboris) hederosum (helicis), Carpineto (betuli)–Fraxineto (excelsioris)–Quercetum (roboris) alliosum (ursini), Tilieto (cordatae)–Carpineto (betuli)–Quercetum (roboris) alliosum (ursini) and Pinetum (sylvestris) caricosum (humilis)) and their structure, main features and status were characterized in detail. The importance of further research, and the development of recommendations for the conservation and continued preservation of these forest ecosystems of the Volyn Upland was highlighted.

De novo transcriptome analysis and comparative expression profiling of genes associated with the taste-modifying protein neoculin in Curculigo latifolia and Curculigo capitulata fruits

Background Curculigo latifolia is a perennial plant endogenous to Southeast Asia whose fruits contain the taste-modifying protein neoculin, which binds to sweet receptors and makes sour fruits taste sweet. Although similar to snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) agglutinin (GNA), which contains mannose-binding sites in its sequence and 3D structure, neoculin lacks such sites and has no lectin activity. Whether the fruits of C. latifolia and other Curculigo plants contain neoculin and/or GNA family members was unclear. Results Through de novo RNA-seq assembly of the fruits of C. latifolia and the related C. capitulata and detailed analysis of the expression patterns of neoculin and neoculin-like genes in both species, we assembled 85,697 transcripts from C. latifolia and 76,775 from C. capitulata using Trinity and annotated them using public databases. We identified 70,371 unigenes in C. latifolia and 63,704 in C. capitulata. In total, 38.6% of unigenes from C. latifolia and 42.6% from C. capitulata shared high similarity between the two species. We identified ten neoculin-related transcripts in C. latifolia and 15 in C. capitulata, encoding both the basic and acidic subunits of neoculin in both plants. We aligned these 25 transcripts and generated a phylogenetic tree. Many orthologs in the two species shared high similarity, despite the low number of common genes, suggesting that these genes likely existed before the two species diverged. The relative expression levels of these genes differed considerably between the two species: the transcripts per million (TPM) values of neoculin genes were 60 times higher in C. latifolia than in C. capitulata, whereas those of GNA family members were 15,000 times lower in C. latifolia than in C. capitulata. Conclusions The genetic diversity of neoculin-related genes strongly suggests that neoculin genes underwent duplication during evolution. The marked differences in their expression profiles between C. latifolia and C. capitulata may be due to mutations in regions involved in transcriptional regulation. Comprehensive analysis of the genes expressed in the fruits of these two Curculigo species helped elucidate the origin of neoculin at the molecular level.

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 5

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: saprotrophic fungi Psathyrella typhae, Stropharia halophila, mosses Bryum klingraeffii and Buxbaumia viridis, liverwort Scapania gymnostomophila, fern Matteuccia struthiopteris, monocots Galanthus nivalis, Listera ovata, and Ophrys apifera, and dicots Astragalus dasyanthus and Paeonia officinalis subsp. banatica.