2 research outputs found
Type I Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase (MtDGAT1) from Macadamia tetraphylla: Cloning, Characterization, and Impact of Its Heterologous Expression on Triacylglycerol Composition in Yeast
Acyltransferase
enzymes have been reported as useful biotechnological
tools in order to increase oil yield and modify fatty acid composition. Macadamia species are able to accumulate unusually
high levels of palmitoleic acid that besides oleic acid amounts to
over 80% of monounsaturated fatty acids in the seed oil. In this work,
a gene encoding a type 1 acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1)
was cloned from M. tetraphylla. DGAT
activity of the protein encoded by <i>MtDGAT1</i> was confirmed
by heterologous expression in a yeast mutant. Fatty acid composition
of triacylglycerols synthesized by MtDGAT1 was compared to that of
DGAT1 enzymes from Arabidopsis and Echium, with the results suggesting a substrate preference
for monounsaturated over polyunsaturated fatty acids. Characteristics
of MtDGAT1 may contribute to biochemical mechanisms determining the
particular fatty acid composition of Macadamia oil and also indicate the possibility of using this enzyme in biotechnological
approaches where a reduction of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the
oil is desired
β‑Cyclodextrin-Bearing Gold Glyconanoparticles for the Development of Site Specific Drug Delivery Systems
Three novel gold nanoparticles containing
multiple long, flexible
linkers decorated with lactose, β-cyclodextrin, and both simultaneously
have been prepared. The interaction of such nanoparticles with β-d-galactose-recognizing lectins peanut agglutinin (PNA) and
human galectin-3 (Gal-3) was demonstrated by UV–vis studies.
Gal-3 is well-known to be overexpressed in several human tumors and
can act as a biorecognizable target. This technique also allowed us
to estimate their loading capability toward the anticancer drug methotrexate
(MTX). Both results make these glyconanoparticles potential site-specific
delivery systems for anticancer drugs