The activation state of the chloroplast stromal enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase and ribulose-5-phosphate kinase was assayed by injecting the chloroplasts into an ...assay medium where the chloroplasts are immediately lysed and the enzymic assay is terminated 15–30 s later. (1) After the onset of illumination the activities of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase rise 20- and 30-fold, respectively, and rapidly decrease again when the light is turned off. The light activation of both enzymes shows a substrate requirement. The catalytic activity of the activated enzyme is dependent on the pH and the Mg
2+ concentration in the assay medium, with the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase more markedly affected. (2) The light activation of ribulose-5-phosphate kinase occurs even more rapidly than that of the other two enzymes and leads to about 10-fold activation. Moreover, the inactivated form of the enzyme, as extracted from chloroplasts in the dark, is strongly inhibited when ADP is added to the assay medium. (3) These data clearly indicate that chloroplasts have the ability to inactivate the three mentioned Calvin cycle enzymes virtually completely in the dark phase by a combined effect of changes of the reductive state of the electron-transport carrier on all three enzymes, changes of stromal Mg
2+ and pH on fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase and changes of stromal
ATP
ADP
ratios on ribulose-5-phosphate kinase.
The role of fructose 2,6 bisphosphate in partitioning of photosynthate between sucrose and starch has been studied in spinach (Spinacia oleracea U.S. hybrid 424). Spinach leaf material was pretreated ...to alter the sucrose content, so that the rate of starch synthesis could be varied. The level of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and other metabolites was then related to the accumulation of sucrose and the rate of starch synthesis. The results show that fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is involved in a sequence of events which provide a fine control of sucrose synthesis so that more photosynthate is diverted into starch in conditions when sucrose has accumulated to high levels in the leaf tissue. (a) As sucrose levels in the leaf rise, there is an accumulation of triose phosphates and hexose phosphates, implying an inhibition of sucrose phosphate synthase and cytosolic fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. (b) In these conditions, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate increases. (c) The increased fructose 2,6-bisphosphate can be accounted for by the increased fructose 6-phosphate in the leaf. (d) Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate inhibits the cytosolic fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase so more photosynthate is retained in the chloroplast, and converted to starch.
The occurrence of O2-insensitive photosynthesis at high quantum flux and moderate temperature in Spinacia oleracea was characterized by analytical gas exchange measurements on intact leaves. In ...addition photosynthetic metabolite pools were measured in leaves which had been rapidly frozen under defined gas conditions. Upon switching to low O2 in O2-insensitive conditions the ATP/ADP ratio fell dramatically within one minute. The P-glycerate pool increased over the same time. Ribulose bisphosphate initially declined, then increased and exceeded the pool size measured in air. The pools of hexose monophosphates and UDPglucose were higher at a partial pressure of O2 of 21 millibars than at 210 millibars. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the rate of sucrose synthesis limited the overall rate of assimilation under O2-insensitive conditions.
Background Whole genome transcriptomics analysis is a very powerful approach because it gives an overview of the activity of genes in certain cells or tissue types. However, biological interpretation ...of such results can be rather tedious. MapMan is a software tool that displays large datasets (e.g. gene expression data) onto diagrams of metabolic pathways or other processes and thus enables easier interpretation of results. The grapevine (Vitis vinifera) genome sequence has recently become available bringing a new dimension into associated research. Two microarray platforms were designed based on the TIGR Gene Index database and used in several physiological studies. Results To enable easy and effective visualization of those and further experiments, annotation of Vitis vinifera Gene Index (VvGI version 5) to MapMan ontology was set up. Due to specificities of grape physiology, we have created new pictorial representations focusing on three selected pathways: carotenoid pathway, terpenoid pathway and phenylpropanoid pathway, the products of these pathways being important for wine aroma, flavour and colour, as well as plant defence against pathogens. This new tool was validated on Affymetrix microarrays data obtained during berry ripening and it allowed the discovery of new aspects in process regulation. We here also present results on transcriptional profiling of grape plantlets after exposal to the fungal pathogen Eutypa lata using Operon microarrays including visualization of results with MapMan. The data show that the genes induced in infected plants, encode pathogenesis related proteins and enzymes of the flavonoid metabolism, which are well known as being responsive to fungal infection. Conclusion The extension of MapMan ontology to grapevine together with the newly constructed pictorial representations for carotenoid, terpenoid and phenylpropanoid metabolism provide an alternative approach to the analysis of grapevine gene expression experiments performed with Affymetrix or Operon microarrays. MapMan was first validated on an already published dataset and later used to obtain an overview of transcriptional changes in a susceptible grapevine – Eutypa lata interaction at the time of symptoms development, where we showed that the responsive genes belong to families known to be involved in the plant defence towards fungal infection (PR-proteins, enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway).
Activities of 28 enzymes from central carbon metabolism were measured in pericarp tissue of ripe tomato fruits from field trials with an introgression line (IL) population generated by introgressing ...segments of the genome of the wild relative Solanum pennellii (LA0716) into the modern tomato cultivar Solanum lycopersicum M82. Enzyme activities were determined using a robotized platform in optimized conditions, where the activities largely reflect the level of the corresponding proteins. Two experiments were analyzed from years with markedly different climate conditions. A total of 27 quantitative trait loci were shared in both experiments. Most resulted in increased enzyme activity when a portion of the S. lycopersicum genome was substituted with the corresponding portion of the genome of S. pennellii. This reflects the change in activity between the two parental genotypes. The mode of inheritance was studied in a heterozygote IL population. A similar proportion of quantitative trait loci (approximately 30%) showed additive, recessive, and dominant modes of inheritance, with only 5% showing overdominance. Comparison with the location of putative genes for the corresponding proteins indicates a large role of trans-regulatory mechanisms. These results point to the genetic control of individual enzyme activities being under the control of a complex program that is dominated by a network of trans-acting genes.
Central carbon metabolism (CCM) is a fundamental component of life. The participating genes and enzymes are thought to be structurally and functionally conserved across and within species. ...Association mapping utilizes a rich history of mutation and recombination to achieve high resolution mapping. Therefore, applying association mapping in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays), the most diverse model crop species, to study the genetics of CCM is a particularly attractive system. Methodology/Principal Findings We used a maize diversity panel to test the CCM functional conservation. We found heritable variation in enzyme activity for every enzyme tested. One of these enzymes was the NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH, E.C. 1.1.1.41), in which we identified a novel amino-acid substitution in a phylogenetically conserved site. Using candidate gene association mapping, we identified that this non-synonymous polymorphism was associated with IDH activity variation. The proposed mechanism for the IDH activity variation includes additional components regulating protein level. With the comparison of sequences from maize and teosinte (Zea mays ssp. Parviglumis), the maize wild ancestor, we found that some CCM genes had also been targeted for selection during maize domestication. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate the efficacy of association mapping for dissecting natural variation in primary metabolic pathways. The considerable genetic diversity observed in maize CCM genes underlies heritable phenotypic variation in enzyme activities and can be useful to identify putative functional sites.
The term endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is currently used to refer to cell populations which are quite dissimilar in terms of biological properties. This study provides a detailed molecular ...fingerprint for two EPC subtypes: early EPCs (eEPCs) and outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs).
Human blood-derived eEPCs and OECs were characterised by using genome-wide transcriptional profiling, 2D protein electrophoresis, and electron microscopy. Comparative analysis at the transcript and protein level included monocytes and mature endothelial cells as reference cell types.
Our data show that eEPCs and OECs have strikingly different gene expression signatures. Many highly expressed transcripts in eEPCs are haematopoietic specific (RUNX1, WAS, LYN) with links to immunity and inflammation (TLRs, CD14, HLAs), whereas many transcripts involved in vascular development and angiogenesis-related signalling pathways (Tie2, eNOS, Ephrins) are highly expressed in OECs. Comparative analysis with monocytes and mature endothelial cells clusters eEPCs with monocytes, while OECs segment with endothelial cells. Similarly, proteomic analysis revealed that 90% of spots identified by 2-D gel analysis are common between OECs and endothelial cells while eEPCs share 77% with monocytes. In line with the expression pattern of caveolins and cadherins identified by microarray analysis, ultrastructural evaluation highlighted the presence of caveolae and adherens junctions only in OECs.
This study provides evidence that eEPCs are haematopoietic cells with a molecular phenotype linked to monocytes; whereas OECs exhibit commitment to the endothelial lineage. These findings indicate that OECs might be an attractive cell candidate for inducing therapeutic angiogenesis, while eEPC should be used with caution because of their monocytic nature.
ObjectiveAlthough the Geboes score (GS) and modified Riley score (MRS) are commonly used to evaluate histological disease activity in UC, their operating properties are unknown. Accordingly, we ...developed an alternative instrument.DesignFour pathologists scored 48 UC colon biopsies using the GS, MRS and a visual analogue scale global rating. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for each index and individual index items were measured using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Items with high reliability were used to develop the Robarts histopathology index (RHI). The responsiveness/validity of the RHI and multiple histological, endoscopic and clinical outcome measures were evaluated by analyses of change scores, standardised effect size (SES) and Guyatt's responsiveness statistic (GRS) using data from a clinical trial of an effective therapy.ResultsInter-rater ICCs (95% CIs) for the total GS and MRS scores were 0.79 (0.63 to 0.87) and 0.80 (0.69 to 0.87). The correlation estimates between change scores in RHI and change score in GS and MRS were 0.75 (0.67 to 0.82) and 0.84 (0.79 to 0.88), respectively. The SES and GRS estimates for GS, MRS and RHI were: 1.87 (1.54 to 2.20) and 1.23 (0.97 to 1.50), 1.29 (1.02 to 1.56) and 0.88 (0.65 to 1.12), and 1.05 (0.79 to 1.30) and 0.88 (0.64 to 1.12), respectively.ConclusionsThe RHI is a new histopathological index with favourable operating properties.
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