Chemical changes during the production of thermo-treated beech wood

Thermal treatments of beech wood with different temperature loads on the wood cause characteristic changes in the chemical composition. The determination of specific changes was carried out by means of suitable methods, both wet chemical and instrumental analyses. It could be confirmed that in addition to the degradation of polyoses, lignin, known as the thermally most stable compound, shows significant thermal alterations too.     

Zur Wirkung des Entwicklungshemmers Dimilin auf Gespinstmotten (Yponomeuta ssp.) und ihre Parasiten

Effect of Dimilin prohibiting the moulting of insects on larvae of Yponomeuta ssp. and their parasites Field and laboratory studies made in 1974 showed that Dimilin [1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)uera] prohibited the moulting ofYponomeuta larvae and caused 100% mortality of L₁-L₃ at a concentrration of 0.06 ppb. Compared with this the L₄ and L₅ were very less susceptible.All of the pupae growing out of L₅ treated with Dimilin in the field died. But from these puape a considerable number of parasitic Hymenoptera and Diptera emerged, in the course of which the spectrum of species emerging, from treated and unterated hosts was nearly the same one.     

Proteolytic activity in some Patagonian plants from Argentina

Six Patagonian plants were screened for proteolytic activity: Colliguaja integerrima, Euphorbia collina, E. peplus and Stillingia patagonica (Euphorbiaceae), Philibertia gilliesii (Asclepiadaceae) and Grindelia chiloensis (Asteraceae). P. gilliesii extracts showed the highest specific activity, followed by S. patagonica and E. collina. Proteolytic activity was unnoticeable in the other three species studied. Inhibition assays revealed that P. gilliesii and S. patagonica extracts contain cysteine-type peptidases and that in E. collina serine-type peptidases are present.     

Temporal sequence of cell wall disassembly events in developing fruits. 2. Analysis of blueberry (Vaccinium species)

Softening and pathogen susceptibility are the major factors limiting the marketing of blueberries as fresh fruits, and these traits are associated with fruit cell wall structure. However, few studies that characterize wall modifications occurring during development and ripening have been reported for this fruit. In this study the ripening-associated modifications of blueberry fruit cell walls (composition, pectin and hemicellulose solubilization, and depolymerization) at five stages of ripeness have been analyzed. Xylose was found to be the most abundant noncellulosic neutral sugar associated with fruit walls, and the observed high Xyl/Glc ratio suggested that xylans, which are usually a minor hemicellulosic fruit wall component, are abundant in blueberry. The pectic matrix showed increased solubilization at early and intermediate stages of ripening, but no changes were detected in late ripening. Furthermore, little reduction in pectin polymer size occurred during blueberry ripening. In contrast, hemicellulose levels decreased as ripening progressed, and a clear depolymerization of these components was observed. A model for cell wall degradation in this fruit is discussed.     

Celiac-related properties of chemically and enzymatically modified gluten proteins

The effects of chemical (acid-heating treatment) and enzymatic (microbial transglutaminase, TGase) modification (deamidation) of gluten proteins on their physicochemical and celiac disease-related properties were studied. Ammonia release, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and sample solubility analyses were employed to check the extent of gluten modification. Among different treatments achieved, the acid-heating treatment performed at 90 degrees C for 3 h induced gluten deamidation, paralleling an increase of gluten solubility without relevant proteolysis. Changes in the immunoreactivity of celiac IgA anti-gliadin antibodies (AGAs) to modified gluten proteins were detected by using a competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Chemical deamidation by acid-heating treatment of gluten lowered IgA-AGA immunoreactivity. IgA-AGA immunoreactivity to gliadins was increased when they were submitted to TGase-catalyzed deamidation. The acid-heating treatment of gluten reduced its cytotoxic activity on human colon adenocarcinoma LoVo cell line. These results showed that chemical deamidation of gluten may be envisaged as a way to lower the potential risk for celiac people due to widespread use of gluten as a food additive.     

Comparison of sarcoplasmic proteomes between two groups of pig muscles selected for shear force of cooked meat

Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to compare Longissimus sarcoplasmic protein abundance between two groups (tough meat and tender meat), defined on the basis of extreme Warner-Bratzler shear force values measured on cooked pork. Fourteen protein spots differed in quantity (P<0.05) between the two groups and were identified. Adypocyte fatty acid binding protein and acyl-CoA binding protein involved in lipid traffic and in the control of gene expression regulating cell proliferation and differentiation, and Enoyl-CoA hydratase, aldose reductase and triosephosphate isomerase indirectly related to lipid metabolism were overrepresented in the tender group. The tender group was further characterized by increased levels of proteins involved in protein folding and polymerization (initiation factor elf-3beta, chaperonin subunit 2, profilin II). The results suggest that the lower post-cooking shear force could at least in part be related to muscle adipogenetic and/or myogenetic status of which the possible underlying mechanisms are discussed.     

Manipulation of host hepatocytes by the malaria parasite for delivery into liver sinusoids

The merozoite stage of the malaria parasite that infects erythrocytes and causes the symptoms of the disease is initially formed inside host hepatocytes. However, the mechanism by which hepatic merozoites reach blood vessels (sinusoids) in the liver and escape the host immune system before invading erythrocytes remains unknown. Here, we show that parasites induce the death and the detachment of their host hepatocytes, followed by the budding of parasite-filled vesicles (merosomes) into the sinusoid lumen. Parasites simultaneously inhibit the exposure of phosphatidylserine on the outer leaflet of host plasma membranes, which act as "eat me" signals to phagocytes. Thus, the hepatocyte-derived merosomes appear to ensure both the migration of parasites into the bloodstream and their protection from host immunity.     

Exogenous induction of cerebral beta-amyloidogenesis is governed by agent and host

Protein aggregation is an established pathogenic mechanism in Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about the initiation of this process in vivo. Intracerebral injection of dilute, amyloid-beta (Abeta)-containing brain extracts from humans with Alzheimer's disease or beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice induced cerebral beta-amyloidosis and associated pathology in APP transgenic mice in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The seeding activity of brain extracts was reduced or abolished by Abeta immunodepletion, protein denaturation, or by Abeta immunization of the host. The phenotype of the exogenously induced amyloidosis depended on both the host and the source of the agent, suggesting the existence of polymorphic Abeta strains with varying biological activities reminiscent of prion strains.