Modern methods of plant analysis
01 Jan 1964-
About: The article was published on 1964-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 1991 citations till now.
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28 Nov 2003
TL;DR: It is concluded that metabolic NMR has a continuing role to play in the development of a quantitative understanding of plant metabolism and in the characterization of metabolic phenotypes.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract Analytical methods for probing plant metabolism are taking on new significance in the era of functional genomics and metabolic engineering. Among the available methods, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a technique that can provide insights into the integration and regulation of plant metabolism through a combination of in vivo and in vitro measurements. Thus NMR can be used to identify, quantify, and localize metabolites, to define the intracellular environment, and to explore pathways and their operation. We review these applications and their significance from a metabolic perspective. Topics of current interest include applications of NMR to metabolic flux analysis, metabolite profiling, and metabolite imaging. These and other areas are discussed in relation to NMR investigations of intermediary carbon and nitrogen metabolism. We conclude that metabolic NMR has a continuing role to play in the development of a quantitative understanding of plant metabolism and in the character...
167 citations
167 citations
TL;DR: Suggestions for a mechanism for citrate utilization and a convincing explanation for the strong reduction of both citrate and cytoplasmatic acidity that takes place in citrus fruit flesh during development and ripening are provided.
Abstract: Microarrays of cDNA have been used to examine expression changes of 7000 genes during development and ripening of the fruit flesh of self-incompatible Citrus clementina, a non-climateric species. The data indicated that 2243 putative unigenes showed significant expression changes. Functional classification revealed that genes encoding for regulatory proteins were significantly overrepresented in the up-regulated gene clusters. The transcriptomic study together with the analyses of selected metabolites highlighted key physiological processes occurring during citrus fruit development and ripening such as water accumulation, carbohydrate build-up, acid reduction, pigment substitutions (carotenoid accumulation and chlorophyll decreases) and ascorbic acid diminution. Often, the combined analyses strongly suggested prevalence of specific metabolic alternatives. This observation has been exemplified with the proposal for a mechanism for citrate utilization, a process of much importance in citrus industry. Microarray data validated by real-time RT-PCR suggested that citrate was sequentially metabolyzed to isocitrate, 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate. Thereafter, glutamate was both utilized for glutamine production and catabolyzed through the gamma-aminobutirate (GABA) shunt (GABA → succinate semialdehyde → succinate). This last observation appears to be of special relevance since it links the proton consuming reaction glutamate + H+→ GABA + CO2 with high acid levels. GG-MS determinations showed that glutamate was constant while GABA levels decreased at ripening in agreement with a feasible activation of the GABA shunt during acid catabolism. This suggestion provides a convincing explanation for the strong reduction of both citrate and cytoplasmatic acidity that takes place in citrus fruit flesh during development and ripening.
167 citations
TL;DR: UGT85H2 has higher specificity for flavonol than for isoflavone, and substrate docking combined with enzyme activity assay and kinetic analysis provided structural insights into this substrate specificity and preference.
166 citations
166 citations
References
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01 Jan 1963
TL;DR: In this article, a physiologischer Vorgang auf eine enzymatische Wirkung zuruckgefuhrt werden (vgl. S. 301), besteht die folgende Aufgabe darin, Naheres uber die Eigenschaften des beteiligten Enzyms zu ermitteln.
Abstract: Kann ein physiologischer Vorgang auf eine enzymatische Wirkung zuruckgefuhrt werden (vgl. S. 301), so besteht die folgende Aufgabe darin, Naheres uber die Eigenschaften des beteiligten Enzyms zu ermitteln. Hierzu gehoren die Bestimmung der Reaktions- und Substratspezifitat sowie die Ermittlung der Bedingungen, unter denen eine optimale Wirkung des Enzyms gegeben ist. Wesentlich zur Charakterisierung ist ferner die Untersuchung der Stabilitat des Enzyms und dabei insbesondere die Feststellung, ob es sich um ein Ferment handelt, das zur vollen Aktivitat dialysable Cofaktoren benotigt. Falls diese Frage bejaht wird, ist auch die Bestimmung der unerlaslichen Cofaktoren anzuschliesen. Uberdies bietet auch der Nachweis der Lokalisation des Enzyms in der Zelle (oder im Zellverband) eine entscheidende Moglichkeit zur Charakterisierung des Fermentes. Hinzu kommt schlieslich noch die Untersuchung der Wirkung einzelner Inhibitoren1 auf das Enzym, die zu weitgehender Klarung des Reaktionsmechanismus beitragen kann und eine Abgrenzung der Eigenschaften des untersuchten Fermentes gegenuber ahnlichen Enzymen erlaubt.
2 citations
01 Jan 1962
TL;DR: Optical rotation has been found to be one of the most convenient methods of following the denaturation of proteins and rotatory dispersion is capable of providing information on the folding of the polypeptide chain in proteins and the changes accompanying denaturation.
Abstract: Optical rotation has been found to be one of the most convenient methods of following the denaturation of proteins. Generally speaking denaturation can be defined as a process or sequence of processes in which the spatial arrangement of the polypeptide chains within the molecule is changed from that typical of the native protein to a more disordered arrangement (Kauzmann 1959). The terms “configuration”, “conformation” and “state of folding” are widely used for spatial arrangement. It is probably best to follow the suggestion of Blout (1960) and restrict the use of “configuration” to its original sense, i.e. the spatial arrangement around an asymmetric carbon atom, and to use “conformation” for the shape of the molecule in its entirety. The properties discussed in the previous Chapter i.e., viscosity, diffusion, sedimentation, and light scattering — can all furnish information on the overall shape of proteins or other macromolecules and changes in this shape with environment. Thus Doty, Bradbury and Holtzer (1956) were able to show using these methods, together with streaming birefringence, that poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate could exist in two conformations, the α-helix and the solvated randomly coiled form, depending on the solvent. The change from α-helix to random coil was accompanied by marked changes in the optical rotatory properties of the polypeptides. It is to be expected that an α-helical structure should contribute to the rotatory power of a polypeptide since helices are asymmetric and not superimposable on their mirror images. The work on polypeptides has shown that rotatory dispersion is capable of providing information on the folding of the polypeptide chain in proteins and the changes accompanying denaturation.
1 citations