Identification and expression profiling of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) polyamine oxidase genes in response to stimuli

Polyamine oxidases (PAOs) are known to be involved in either the terminal catabolism or the back conversion of polyamines, which affect a range of physiological processes, including growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, based on genome-wide analysis, we identified five putative PAO genes (LuPAO1 to LuPAO5) in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) that contain the amino-oxidase domain and FAD-binding-domain. The expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR revealed spatial variations in the expression of LuPAOs in different organs. In addition, the expression level of LuPAOs in the flax cell suspension culture was increased by treatment with methyl- jasmonate (MeJA) or pectin, but not with salicylic acid or chitosan. This indicates that LuPAOs might be involved in the MeJA-mediated biological activities. Taken together, our genome-wide analysis of PAO genes and expression profiling of these genes provide the first step toward the functional dissection of LuPAOs

Polyphenolic compounds, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of <i>Abeliophyllum distichum</i> Nakai extract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of crude methanolic extract of Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai, and those of its partitioned fractions, including hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous. The antioxidant activities were analyzed by DPPH free radical scavenging and oxygen radical antioxidant capacity assay. Results showed that the BuOH fraction possessed a strong antioxidant activity through a hydrogen atom transfer reaction-based mechanism and a single electron transfer reaction-based mechanism. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, the BuOH fraction of A. distichum methanol extract exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on the nitric oxide production and inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, including COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6, through the inhibition of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. In addition, the BuOH fraction inhibited the LPS-induced ROS level through the NADPH oxidase-independent mechanism. Furthermore, HPLC analysis identified chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, gentisic acid, rutin, ferulic acid, and quercetin, and suggested that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the BuOH fraction should be mediated by the presence of higher amounts of caffeic acid, rutin, and ferulic acid than other fractions. Taken together, these results suggest that A. distichum extract is a source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, and could be developed as a potential source for functional food and dietary health supplement

Optimum refractive index of poly-component particulate systems for measurement of particle size distribution by laser diffraction method analyzer

We suggest an empirical method to determine the optimum refractive index (RI) of a poly-component particulate system. RI is the ratio of the velocity of light (of specified wavelength) in air, to its velocity in the substance under examination. It may also be defined as the sine of the angle of incidence divided by the sine of the angle of refraction, as light passes from air into the substance. Materials properties affect the procedure depending on particle strength, wettability, and particle refractive index. Theoretically calculated and empirically measured values are compared. The method yields more accurate refractive index values for composite particulate systems of two and three components than well-known values. We tested the method using calcite and alumina and observed RI values of 1.510 for 1:1 calcite, 1.715 for 1:1 alumina, and 1.765 for 1:1:1 alumina. These values are within the ranges typically observed for calcite (1.480-1.650) and alumina (1.6704-1.7986). The method is especially useful when measuring the particle size distribution using laser diffraction and scattering. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.X11610sciescopu

<i>De novo</i> transcriptomic analysis to reveal functional genes involved in triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in <i>Oplopanax elatus</i> NAKAI

Oplopanax elatus is a valuable medicinal plant in the family Araliaceae that recommends itself as source of herbal preparations. Although, as in ginseng, triterpenoid saponins make up the major bioactive component of O. elatus, nothing is known about the genes that are involved in the biosynthesis of these complex compounds, as reflected also by a lack of genomic information in public databases. Using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology, we have therefore generated a transcriptome library of O. elatus from a pooled RNA sample from different organs. 208,959 unigenes were assembled from approximately 77 million high-quality reads, and 110,202 unigenes (52.7% of the unigenes) were annotated. In addition, 47,273 cDNA-derived SSRs in 38,446 unigenes were identified as potential molecular markers. Furthermore, 122 unigenes encoding 47 putative enzymes related to the biosynthesis of the backbone of triterpenoid saponins were identified by analyzing our library. The organ-specific expression of selected genes suggests that the leaves of O. elatus are the main site of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis. The transcriptome data reported here provides valuable and comprehensive information for further research into the metabolic pathways of O. elatus as well as into genetic variation in the Oplopanax genus.   The online version of this article (doi: 10.5073/JABFQ.2017.090.004) contains supplementary files

Variability of Polyphenolic Compounds and Biological Activities among Perilla frutescens var. crispa Genotypes

Perilla frutescens var. crispa (Pfc) of the family Lamiaceae is used as a medicinal plant due to its pharmacological properties. Although Pfc is an important resource for the medical nutrition industry, the variability in phytonutrients and biological activities among genotypes of Pfc is not well understood. The effects of genotype on the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activities, antimelanogenic principles, and anti-inflammatory effects of Pfc were determined using eight Pfc genotypes. Using HPLC analysis, we identified 30 polyphenolic compounds from Pfc, although variation was observed in the polyphenolic composition of Pfc genotypes. Pfc 5 exhibited antimelanogenic activity in B16F10 melanoma cells via inhibition of tyrosinase activity. In addition, Pfc 2 strongly inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production through translational downregulation of inducible NOS in RAW264 murine macrophages. Taken together, the results of our study reveal the significant impacts of genotype on phytonutrients and biological activities. This finding will assist in the breeding and genetic engineering of Pfc in order to meet future phytonutrition and health challenges

Optimal Surrogate Models for Predicting the Elastic Moduli of Metal–Organic Frameworks via Multiscale Features

Evaluating the mechanical stability of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is essential for their successful application in various fields. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop optimal machine learning (ML) models for predicting the bulk and shear moduli of MOFs. Considering the effects of global (such as porosity and topology) and local features (including metal nodes and organic linkers) on the mechanical stability of MOFs, we developed multiscale features that can incorporate both types of features. To this end, we first explored descriptors representing the global and local features of MOFs from data sets of previous studies in which elastic moduli were computed. We then assessed the performance of various combinations of these descriptors to determine the optimal multiscale features for predicting the elastic moduli. The optimal surrogate models trained using multiscale features exhibited R2 values of 0.868 and 0.824 for bulk and shear moduli, respectively. Furthermore, the surrogate models outperformed the prior benchmarks. Finally, through model interpretation, we discovered that for similar pore sizes, metal nodes are the most dominant factor affecting the mechanical properties of MOFs. We anticipate that our approach will be a valuable tool for future research on the discovery of mechanically robust MOFs for various industrial applications