Plant sterols: Diversity, biosynthesis, and physiological functions

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Sterols, which are isoprenoid derivatives, are structural components of biological membranes. Special attention is now being given not only to their structure and function, but also to their regulatory roles in plants. Plant sterols have diverse composition; they exist as free sterols, sterol esters with higher fatty acids, sterol glycosides, and acylsterol glycosides, which are absent in animal cells. This diversity of types of phytosterols determines a wide spectrum of functions they play in plant life. Sterols are precursors of a group of plant hormones, the brassinosteroids, which regulate plant growth and development. Furthermore, sterols participate in transmembrane signal transduction by forming lipid microdomains. The predominant sterols in plants are β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols differ in the presence of a methyl or an ethyl group in the side chain at the 24th carbon atom and are named methylsterols or ethylsterols, respectively. The balance between 24-methylsterols and 24-ethylsterols is specific for individual plant species. The present review focuses on the key stages of plant sterol biosynthesis that determine the ratios between the different types of sterols, and the crosstalk between the sterol and sphingolipid pathways. The main enzymes involved in plant sterol biosynthesis are 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, C24-sterol methyltransferase, and C22-sterol desaturase. These enzymes are responsible for maintaining the optimal balance between sterols. Regulation of the ratios between the different types of sterols and sterols/sphingolipids can be of crucial importance in the responses of plants to stresses

Characterization of the homeologous genes of C24-sterol methyltransferase in Triticum aestivum L.

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Three homeologous copies of the TaSMT1 gene for C24-sterol methyltransferase, which are located on chromosomes A, B, and D of Triticum aestivum hexaploid genome, were discovered. The bioinformatic analysis of the structure of these genes and sequencing de novo promoter sequences revealed differential expression of homeologous TaSMT1 genes in leaves and roots of wheat seedlings under normal conditions and in stress

English and Russian somatic phraseological units: Differentiating outcomes

© BEIESP. This paper deals with the outcomes of a comparative analysis of English and Russian somatic phraseological units, namely the lexical, structural and semantic levels have been involved; the total number of somatic phraseological units is more than 300 units. Somatic phraseological units (further as PhUs) represent a wide group in any language. The lexical and semantic group of somatic PhUs is regarded an independent subsystem within Phraseology of any language. This system is comprised of PhUs whose key constituent parts include human body part names (from Greek soma means human body or a body part). It should be noted that the most frequent PhUs include somatisms. This circumstance can hardly be explained by interlinguistic reasons only. The somatic components correspond both to sensual (eye) and logic (head) level of knowledge and a criterion of its validity-practice (hand). PhUs with somatisms in their structure appeared in different languages at different time due to the development of the language, culture, social and political contacts of the nation with other nations. However, PhUs with somatisms have some general basis for the use of any human body parts, to express physical and psychological states, feeling and emotions of people. Somatic PhUs belong to a highly-frequent zone of lexical structure, to its oldest, primordial, and socially significant part. As a rule, they are polysemantic words, their separate transferred meaning to a greater or lesser extent are noticeable in phraseological meanings of separate PhUs. Nevertheless, the main, primary and direct meanings (of a body part) play the decisive role in the formation and use of any somatic PhUs

English and Russian somatic phraseological units: Differentiating outcomes

© BEIESP. This paper deals with the outcomes of a comparative analysis of English and Russian somatic phraseological units, namely the lexical, structural and semantic levels have been involved; the total number of somatic phraseological units is more than 300 units. Somatic phraseological units (further as PhUs) represent a wide group in any language. The lexical and semantic group of somatic PhUs is regarded an independent subsystem within Phraseology of any language. This system is comprised of PhUs whose key constituent parts include human body part names (from Greek soma means human body or a body part). It should be noted that the most frequent PhUs include somatisms. This circumstance can hardly be explained by interlinguistic reasons only. The somatic components correspond both to sensual (eye) and logic (head) level of knowledge and a criterion of its validity-practice (hand). PhUs with somatisms in their structure appeared in different languages at different time due to the development of the language, culture, social and political contacts of the nation with other nations. However, PhUs with somatisms have some general basis for the use of any human body parts, to express physical and psychological states, feeling and emotions of people. Somatic PhUs belong to a highly-frequent zone of lexical structure, to its oldest, primordial, and socially significant part. As a rule, they are polysemantic words, their separate transferred meaning to a greater or lesser extent are noticeable in phraseological meanings of separate PhUs. Nevertheless, the main, primary and direct meanings (of a body part) play the decisive role in the formation and use of any somatic PhUs

Characterization of the homeologous genes of C24-sterol methyltransferase in Triticum aestivum L.

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Three homeologous copies of the TaSMT1 gene for C24-sterol methyltransferase, which are located on chromosomes A, B, and D of Triticum aestivum hexaploid genome, were discovered. The bioinformatic analysis of the structure of these genes and sequencing de novo promoter sequences revealed differential expression of homeologous TaSMT1 genes in leaves and roots of wheat seedlings under normal conditions and in stress

Plant sterols: Diversity, biosynthesis, and physiological functions

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Sterols, which are isoprenoid derivatives, are structural components of biological membranes. Special attention is now being given not only to their structure and function, but also to their regulatory roles in plants. Plant sterols have diverse composition; they exist as free sterols, sterol esters with higher fatty acids, sterol glycosides, and acylsterol glycosides, which are absent in animal cells. This diversity of types of phytosterols determines a wide spectrum of functions they play in plant life. Sterols are precursors of a group of plant hormones, the brassinosteroids, which regulate plant growth and development. Furthermore, sterols participate in transmembrane signal transduction by forming lipid microdomains. The predominant sterols in plants are β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols differ in the presence of a methyl or an ethyl group in the side chain at the 24th carbon atom and are named methylsterols or ethylsterols, respectively. The balance between 24-methylsterols and 24-ethylsterols is specific for individual plant species. The present review focuses on the key stages of plant sterol biosynthesis that determine the ratios between the different types of sterols, and the crosstalk between the sterol and sphingolipid pathways. The main enzymes involved in plant sterol biosynthesis are 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, C24-sterol methyltransferase, and C22-sterol desaturase. These enzymes are responsible for maintaining the optimal balance between sterols. Regulation of the ratios between the different types of sterols and sterols/sphingolipids can be of crucial importance in the responses of plants to stresses

Characterization of the homeologous genes of C24-sterol methyltransferase in Triticum aestivum L.

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Three homeologous copies of the TaSMT1 gene for C24-sterol methyltransferase, which are located on chromosomes A, B, and D of Triticum aestivum hexaploid genome, were discovered. The bioinformatic analysis of the structure of these genes and sequencing de novo promoter sequences revealed differential expression of homeologous TaSMT1 genes in leaves and roots of wheat seedlings under normal conditions and in stress

Plant sterols: Diversity, biosynthesis, and physiological functions

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Sterols, which are isoprenoid derivatives, are structural components of biological membranes. Special attention is now being given not only to their structure and function, but also to their regulatory roles in plants. Plant sterols have diverse composition; they exist as free sterols, sterol esters with higher fatty acids, sterol glycosides, and acylsterol glycosides, which are absent in animal cells. This diversity of types of phytosterols determines a wide spectrum of functions they play in plant life. Sterols are precursors of a group of plant hormones, the brassinosteroids, which regulate plant growth and development. Furthermore, sterols participate in transmembrane signal transduction by forming lipid microdomains. The predominant sterols in plants are β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols differ in the presence of a methyl or an ethyl group in the side chain at the 24th carbon atom and are named methylsterols or ethylsterols, respectively. The balance between 24-methylsterols and 24-ethylsterols is specific for individual plant species. The present review focuses on the key stages of plant sterol biosynthesis that determine the ratios between the different types of sterols, and the crosstalk between the sterol and sphingolipid pathways. The main enzymes involved in plant sterol biosynthesis are 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, C24-sterol methyltransferase, and C22-sterol desaturase. These enzymes are responsible for maintaining the optimal balance between sterols. Regulation of the ratios between the different types of sterols and sterols/sphingolipids can be of crucial importance in the responses of plants to stresses

Plant sterols: Diversity, biosynthesis, and physiological functions

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Sterols, which are isoprenoid derivatives, are structural components of biological membranes. Special attention is now being given not only to their structure and function, but also to their regulatory roles in plants. Plant sterols have diverse composition; they exist as free sterols, sterol esters with higher fatty acids, sterol glycosides, and acylsterol glycosides, which are absent in animal cells. This diversity of types of phytosterols determines a wide spectrum of functions they play in plant life. Sterols are precursors of a group of plant hormones, the brassinosteroids, which regulate plant growth and development. Furthermore, sterols participate in transmembrane signal transduction by forming lipid microdomains. The predominant sterols in plants are β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols differ in the presence of a methyl or an ethyl group in the side chain at the 24th carbon atom and are named methylsterols or ethylsterols, respectively. The balance between 24-methylsterols and 24-ethylsterols is specific for individual plant species. The present review focuses on the key stages of plant sterol biosynthesis that determine the ratios between the different types of sterols, and the crosstalk between the sterol and sphingolipid pathways. The main enzymes involved in plant sterol biosynthesis are 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, C24-sterol methyltransferase, and C22-sterol desaturase. These enzymes are responsible for maintaining the optimal balance between sterols. Regulation of the ratios between the different types of sterols and sterols/sphingolipids can be of crucial importance in the responses of plants to stresses

Characterization of the homeologous genes of C24-sterol methyltransferase in Triticum aestivum L.

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Three homeologous copies of the TaSMT1 gene for C24-sterol methyltransferase, which are located on chromosomes A, B, and D of Triticum aestivum hexaploid genome, were discovered. The bioinformatic analysis of the structure of these genes and sequencing de novo promoter sequences revealed differential expression of homeologous TaSMT1 genes in leaves and roots of wheat seedlings under normal conditions and in stress