Molecular characterization of γ gliadin from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Subsp. Durum ((Desf.) Husn.)

The gluten quality is one of the main factors affecting the quality of durum wheat. It depends primarily on its storage proteins composition (glutenins and gliadins). In order to set up and initiate a technological quality improvement program of durum wheat we have conducted a prospection of the different protein sequences of gliadin in different databases for Triticum, then the filtration steps and assembly by appropriate software have been conducted to reduce the number of redundant sequences. On the other hand, we have isolated a gene from Iride "Gli-A1" encoding a γ-gliadin protein associated with gluten strength and viscoelasticity of the dough, we performed an in silico molecular and structural analysis in order to define its putative functional properties. The latter could be a valuable candidate as molecular marker for selecting high nutritive value of durum wheat and/or for genetic improvement of durum wheat quality.Keywords: in silico; Storage Proteins; Gliadin; Triticum ; wheat; technological qualit

Simplified determination of lipophilic metabolites of nonylphenol ethoxylates: method development and application in aqueous samples from Buenos Aires, Argentina

In the present work we have developed an analytical methodology for the determination of nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylates (NP1EO and NP2EO) in water samples. The applicability of this methodology was proved by means of the analysis of environmentally relevant aqueous samples from Buenos Aires. This constitutes a starting point for a rigorous assessment of the incidence of NPnEO surfactants in Argentina, as only very few, qualitative or semi-quantitative data on the occurrence of these compounds in local systems were available up to this time. Enrichment of the analytes was carried out by solid-phase extraction on a C-18 sorbent, followed by elution with ethyl acetate. Normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography on an amino-silica column and fluorescence detection at excitation-emission wavelengths of 230-300 nm were employed for separation and quantification of the analytes. Confirmation of peak assignment in selected real samples was performed by off-line coupling HPLC with GC-MS analysis. A non-polar GC capillary column was used, and a characteristic peak pattern was obtained for the alkyl chain isomers of each ethoxylated homologue and NP. GC-MS analyses yielded in all cases purity levels higher than 80% for the HPLC collected fractions. The elevated concentrations found for the estrogenic metabolites of NPnEO are in accordance with an unrestricted use of this class of non-ionic surfactants in the country

Comparative Genetic Analysis of Durum Wheat Landraces and Cultivars Widespread in Tunisia

The durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) landraces constitute a useful natural germplasm to increase the genetic diversity in the modern durum cultivars. The Tunisian durum germplasm constitutes 28 accessions conserved in Genebank of Tunisia, which are still unexplored. In this study, a comparative genetic analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between the Tunisian durum lines and the modern cultivars and detect divergent loci involved in breeding history. The genetic diversity analyses carried out using nine morphological descriptors and the 25K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array allowed us to distinguish two groups of Tunisian landraces and one of durum cultivars. The analysis of molecular variance and diversity indices confirmed the genetic variability among the groups. A total of 529 SNP loci were divergent between Tunisian durum landraces and modern cultivars. Candidate genes related to plant and spike architecture, including FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT-B1), zinc finger CONSTANS, and AP2/EREBPs transcription factors, were identified. In addition, divergent genes involved in grain composition and biotic stress nucleotide-binding site and leucine-reach repeats proteins and disease resistance proteins (NBS-LRR and RPM) were found, suggesting that the Tunisian durum germplasm may represent an important source of favorable alleles to be used in future durum breeding programs for developing well-adapted and resilient cultivars