Anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of reduced-calorie blueberry jams fortified with green tea or pine bark extracts

In this study, addition of green tea or pine bark extracts, a rich sources of phenolic antioxidants, were tested in reduced-calorie blueberry jams regarding their effect on the anthocyanin content, polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. The results obtained during investigation demonstrated that the addition of green tea or pine bark extracts had influence not only on the total phenol content in fortified jams but also on the anthocyanin content. Addition of both extracts resulted in higher anthocyanin content. The anthocyanin content in reduced-calorie blueberry jam without an addition of extracts was 137 mg/100 g, while in samples with an addition of green tea or pine bark extracts was 146 and 154 mg/100 g, respectively. During 12 months of storage degradation of anthocyanins occurred and difference between the samples with an addition of extracts and without was not so pronounced as immediately after the preparation of jam samples. Fortification of reduced-calorie blueberry jam with extracts, rich in antioxidants, could be used as protection tool against thermal degradation of anthocyanins

Maize genome sequencing by methylation filtrations

Gene enrichment strategies offer an alternative to sequencing large and repetitive genomes such as that of maize. We report the generation and analysis of nearly 100,000 undermethylated (or methylation filtration) maize sequences. Comparison with the rice genome reveals that methylation filtration results in a more comprehensive representation of maize genes than those that result from expressed sequence tags or transposon insertion sites sequences. About 7% of the repetitive DNA is unmethylated and thus selected in our libraries, but potentially active transposons and unmethylated organelle genomes can be identified. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction can be used to finish the maize transcriptome

A Survey of Canine Expressed Sequence Tags and a Display of Their Annotations Through a Flexible Web-Based Interface

We have initially sequenced approximately 8,000 canine expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from several complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries: testes, whole brain, and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Analysis of these sequences shows that they provide partial sequence information for about 5%-10% of the canine genes. An analysis pipeline has been created to cluster the ESTs and to map individual ESTs as well as clustered ESTs to both the human genome and the human proteome. Gene ontology (GO) terms have been assigned to the ESTs and clusters based on their top matches to the International Protein Index (IPI) set of human proteins. The data generated is stored in a MySQL relational database for analysis and display. A Web-based Perl script has been written to display the analyzed data to the scientific community

Genome-wide in situ exon capture for selective resequencing

Increasingly powerful sequencing technologies are ushering in an era of personal genome sequences and raising the possibility of using such information to guide medical decisions. Genome resequencing also promises to accelerate the identification of disease-associated mutations. Roughly 98% of the human genome is composed of repeats and intergenic or non-protein-coding sequences. Thus, it is crucial to focus resequencing on high-value genomic regions. Protein-coding exons represent one such type of high-value target. We have developed a method of using flexible, high-density microarrays to capture any desired fraction of the human genome, in this case corresponding to more than 200,000 protein-coding exons. Depending on the precise protocol, up to 55-85% of the captured fragments are associated with targeted regions and up to 98% of intended exons can be recovered. This methodology provides an adaptable route toward rapid and efficient resequencing of any sizeable, non-repeat portion of the human genome

A resource for large-scale RNA-interference-based screens in mammals

Gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) in mammalian cells using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) has become a valuable genetic tool. Here, we report the construction and application of a shRNA expression library targeting 9,610 human and 5,563 mouse genes. This library is presently composed of about 28,000 sequence-verified shRNA expression cassettes contained within multi-functional vectors, which permit shRNA cassettes to be packaged in retroviruses, tracked in mixed cell populations by means of DNA 'bar codes', and shuttled to customized vectors by bacterial mating. In order to validate the library, we used a genetic screen designed to report defects in human proteasome function. Our results suggest that our large-scale RNAi library can be used in specific, genetic applications in mammals, and will become a valuable resource for gene analysis and discovery