Low protein

About: Low protein is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 213225 citations.

Changes in Bone Turnover in Young Women Consuming Different Levels of Dietary Protein

Abstract: Although high protein diets are known to increase urinary calcium excretion and induce negative calcium balance, the impact of dietary protein on bone turnover and fractures is controversial. We therefore evaluated the effect of dietary protein on markers of bone turnover in 16 healthy young women. The experiment consisted of 2 weeks of a well balanced diet containing moderate amounts of calcium, sodium, and protein followed by 4 days of an experimental diet containing one of three levels of protein (low, medium, or high). On day 4, serum and urinary calcium, serum PTH, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, serum osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and urinary N-telopeptide excretion were measured. Urinary calcium excretion was significantly higher on the high than on the low protein diet. Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurred on the low protein diet. Urinary N-telopeptide excretion was significantly greater during the high protein than during the low protein intake (48.2 +/- 7.2 vs. 32.7 +/- 5.3 nM bone collagen equivalents/mM creatinine; P < 0.05). There was no increase in osteocalcin or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase when comparing the low to the high diet, suggesting that bone resorption was increased without a compensatory increase in bone formation. Our data suggest that at high levels of dietary protein, at least a portion of the increase in urinary calcium reflects increased bone resorption.

High-Yield Expression of Heterologous [FeFe] Hydrogenases in Escherichia coli

Abstract: Background The realization of hydrogenase-based technologies for renewable H2 production is presently limited by the need for scalable and high-yielding methods to supply active hydrogenases and their required maturases. Principal Findings In this report, we describe an improved Escherichia coli-based expression system capable of producing 8–30 mg of purified, active [FeFe] hydrogenase per liter of culture, volumetric yields at least 10-fold greater than previously reported. Specifically, we overcame two problems associated with other in vivo production methods: low protein yields and ineffective hydrogenase maturation. The addition of glucose to the growth medium enhances anaerobic metabolism and growth during hydrogenase expression, which substantially increases total yields. Also, we combine iron and cysteine supplementation with the use of an E. coli strain upregulated for iron-sulfur cluster protein accumulation. These measures dramatically improve in vivo hydrogenase activation. Two hydrogenases, HydA1 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and HydA (CpI) from Clostridium pasteurianum, were produced with this improved system and subsequently purified. Biophysical characterization and FTIR spectroscopic analysis of these enzymes indicate that they harbor the H-cluster and catalyze H2 evolution with rates comparable to those of enzymes isolated from their respective native organisms. Significance The production system we describe will facilitate basic hydrogenase investigations as well as the development of new technologies that utilize these prolific H2-producing enzymes. These methods can also be extended for producing and studying a variety of oxygen-sensitive iron-sulfur proteins as well as other proteins requiring anoxic environments.

Biotransformation of Citrus By-Products into Value Added Products

Abstract: Citrus by-products are the processing wastes generated after citrus juice extraction and constitute about 50 % of fresh fruit weight. This solid residue comprised of peel (flavedo and albedo), pulp (juice sac residue), rag (membranes and cores) and seeds. The disposal of the fresh peels is becoming a major problem to many factories. Usually, citrus juice industries dry the residue and it is either sold as raw material for pectin extraction or pelletized for animal feeding, though none of these processes is very profitable. This residual material is a poor animal feed supplement because of its extremely low protein content and high amount of sugar. The application of agroindustrial by-products in bioprocesses offers a wide range of alternative substrates, thus helping solve pollution problems related to their disposal. This article reviews attempts that have been made to use citrus by-products to generate several value-added products, such as essential oils, pectin, enzymes, single cell protein, natural antioxidants, ethanol, organic acids, and prebiotics.