Fatty acyl-CoA reductases of birds

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Birds clean and lubricate their feathers with waxes that are produced in the uropygial gland, a holocrine gland located on their back above the tail. The type and the composition of the secreted wax esters are dependent on the bird species, for instance the wax ester secretion of goose contains branched-chain fatty acids and unbranched fatty alcohols, whereas that of barn owl contains fatty acids and alcohols both of which are branched. Alcohol-forming fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FAR) catalyze the reduction of activated acyl groups to fatty alcohols that can be esterified with acyl-CoA thioesters forming wax esters.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>cDNA sequences encoding fatty acyl-CoA reductases were cloned from the uropygial glands of barn owl (<it>Tyto alba</it>), domestic chicken (<it>Gallus gallus domesticus</it>) and domestic goose (<it>Anser anser domesticus</it>). Heterologous expression in <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>showed that they encode membrane associated enzymes which catalyze a NADPH dependent reduction of acyl-CoA thioesters to fatty alcohols. By feeding studies of transgenic yeast cultures and <it>in vitro </it>enzyme assays with membrane fractions of transgenic yeast cells two groups of isozymes with different properties were identified, termed FAR1 and FAR2. The FAR1 group mainly synthesized 1-hexadecanol and accepted substrates in the range between 14 and 18 carbon atoms, whereas the FAR2 group preferred stearoyl-CoA and accepted substrates between 16 and 20 carbon atoms. Expression studies with tissues of domestic chicken indicated that FAR transcripts were not restricted to the uropygial gland.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data of our study suggest that the identified and characterized avian FAR isozymes, FAR1 and FAR2, can be involved in wax ester biosynthesis and in other pathways like ether lipid synthesis.</p

Dosage differences in 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes modulate wheat root growth

Wheat, an essential crop for global food security, is well adapted to a wide variety of soils. However, the gene networks shaping different root architectures remain poorly understood. We report here that dosage differences in a cluster of monocot-specific 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes from subfamily III (OPRIII) modulate key differences in wheat root architecture, which are associated with grain yield under water-limited conditions. Wheat plants with loss-of-function mutations in OPRIII show longer seminal roots, whereas increased OPRIII dosage or transgenic over-expression result in reduced seminal root growth, precocious development of lateral roots and increased jasmonic acid (JA and JA-Ile). Pharmacological inhibition of JA-biosynthesis abolishes root length differences, consistent with a JA-mediated mechanism. Transcriptome analyses of transgenic and wild-type lines show significant enriched JA-biosynthetic and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways, which parallel changes in ROS distribution. OPRIII genes provide a useful entry point to engineer root architecture in wheat and other cereals.Fil: Gabay, Gilad. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Hanchao. University of California at Davis; Estados Unidos. University Of Haifa; IsraelFil: Zhang, Junli. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Moriconi, Jorge Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Burguener, Germán Federico. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Gualano, Leonardo David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Howell, Tyson. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Lukaszewski, Adam. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Staskawicz, Brian. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Cho, Myeong-Je. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Tanaka, Jaclyn. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Fahima, Tzion. University Of Haifa; IsraelFil: Ke, Haiyan. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Dehesh, Katayoon. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Guo-Liang. Fudan University; ChinaFil: Gou, Jin Ying. Beijing Key Laboratory Of Crop Genetic Improvement; China. Fudan University; ChinaFil: Hamberg, Mats. Karolinska Huddinge Hospital. Karolinska Institutet; SueciaFil: Santa Maria, Guillermo Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Dubcovsky, Jorge. University of California at Davis; Estados Unidos. Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Estados Unido

Implementation of a proof-of-concept mobile web OS architecture

Today it is possible to always carry around a computer with an available network connection. These computers can be mobile phones or other handheld devices with data processing and bandwidth performance comparable to a desktop computer. This combined with the spreading of network connections makes it possible to think in new paths when developing network-based applications. Such applications can be referred to as two-tiers, and they often reside on different operating systems giving the software developer multiple aspects to consider with environments, network dependency and programming languages. This thesis investigates how a proof-of-concept mobile Web OS architecture can be implemented. To oppose the constant network dependency an offline mode is being tested with support from Google Gears. The architecture should deploy client-side applications automatically, without the client needing to download and install them separately. The conclusion is that an offline mode is possible for Web applications with support from the Google Gears browser plugin (the same feature that can be found in the drafts of the forthcoming HTML5). It is also proven that applications can be automatically deployed on the client when they are made available on the server.Validerat; 20101217 (root

Implementation of a proof-of-concept mobile web OS architecture

Today it is possible to always carry around a computer with an available network connection. These computers can be mobile phones or other handheld devices with data processing and bandwidth performance comparable to a desktop computer. This combined with the spreading of network connections makes it possible to think in new paths when developing network-based applications. Such applications can be referred to as two-tiers, and they often reside on different operating systems giving the software developer multiple aspects to consider with environments, network dependency and programming languages. This thesis investigates how a proof-of-concept mobile Web OS architecture can be implemented. To oppose the constant network dependency an offline mode is being tested with support from Google Gears. The architecture should deploy client-side applications automatically, without the client needing to download and install them separately. The conclusion is that an offline mode is possible for Web applications with support from the Google Gears browser plugin (the same feature that can be found in the drafts of the forthcoming HTML5). It is also proven that applications can be automatically deployed on the client when they are made available on the server.Validerat; 20101217 (root

Oxylipins in moss development and defense

Oxylipins are oxygenated fatty acids that participate in plant development and defense against pathogen infection, insects, and wounding. Initial oxygenation of substrate fatty acids is mainly catalyzed by lipoxygenases (LOXs) and α-dioxygenases but can also take place non-enzymatically by autoxidation or singlet oxygen-dependent reactions. The resulting hydroperoxides are further metabolized by secondary enzymes to produce a large variety of compounds, including the hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and short-chain green leaf volatiles. In flowering plants, which lack arachidonic acid, oxylipins are produced mainly from oxidation of polyunsaturated C18 fatty acids, notably linolenic and linoleic acids. Algae and mosses in addition possess polyunsaturated C20 fatty acids including arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids, which can also be oxidized by LOXs and transformed into bioactive compounds. Mosses are phylogenetically placed between unicellular green algae and flowering plants, allowing evolutionary studies of the different oxylipin pathways. During the last years the moss Physcomitrella patens has become an attractive model plant for understanding oxylipin biosynthesis and diversity. In addition to the advantageous evolutionary position, functional studies of the different oxylipin-forming enzymes can be performed in this moss by targeted gene disruption or single point mutations by means of homologous recombination. Biochemical characterization of several oxylipin-producing enzymes and oxylipin profiling in P. patens reveal the presence of a wider range of oxylipins compared to flowering plants, including C18 as well as C20-derived oxylipins. Surprisingly, one of the most active oxylipins in plants, JA, is not synthesized in this moss. In this review, we present an overview of oxylipins produced in mosses and discuss the current knowledge related to the involvement of oxylipin-producing enzymes and their products in moss development and defense.This work was supported by Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANII), grant FCE2011_6095, and Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas (PEDECIBA) Uruguay, the Swedish Research Council Grant 2011-5803 (to MH), and grant BIO2012-33954 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Compuestos antimicrobianos, uso y método para inducir resistencia a infecciones de bacterias en plantas

Referencia OEPM: P9901440.-- Fecha de solicitud: 29/06/1999.-- Titulares: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto Karolinska.La proteína PIOX actúa como α-dioxigenasa, catalizando la incorporación de O2 molecular sobre diversos ácidos grasos. Se ha procedido a caracterizar la reacción enzimática catalizada por esta proteína y a determinar la estructura de los productos enzimáticos sintetizados a partir de diversos substratos que forman parte de la presente invención. La caracterización realizada permite proponer que los compuestos generados por la acción de la proteína PIOX participarán en la defensa vegetal actuando como moléculas señalizadoras, involucradas en la activación de genes específicos de importancia para la defensa, o bien ejerciendo un efecto tóxico directo sobre los patógenos.Peer reviewe