The Moss Leptodictyum riparium Counteracts Severe Cadmium Stress by Activation of Glutathione Transferase and Phytochelatin Synthase, but Slightly by Phytochelatins.

In the present work, we investigated the response to Cd in Leptodictyum riparium, a cosmopolitan moss (Bryophyta) that can accumulate higher amounts of metals than other plants, even angiosperms, with absence or slight apparent damage. High-performance liquid chromatography followed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry of extracts from L. riparium gametophytes, exposed to 0, 36 and 360 µM Cd for 7 days, revealed the presence of γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-EC), reduced glutathione (GSH), and traces of phytochelatins. The increase in Cd concentrations progressively augmented reactive oxygen species levels, with activation of both antioxidant (catalase and superoxide dismutase) and detoxifying (glutathione-S-transferase) enzymes. After Cd treatment, cytosolic and vacuolar localization of thiol peptides was performed by means of the fluorescent dye monochlorobimane and subsequent observation with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The cytosolic fluorescence observed with the highest Cd concentrations was also consistent with the formation of γ-EC-bimane in the cytosol, possibly catalyzed by the peptidase activity of the L. riparium phytochelatin synthase. On the whole, activation of phytochelatin synthase and glutathione-S-transferase, but minimally phytochelatin synthesis, play a role to counteract Cd toxicity in L. riparium, in this manner minimizing the cellular damage caused by the metal. This study strengthens previous investigations on the L. riparium ability to efficiently hinder metal pollution, hinting at a potential use for biomonitoring and phytoremediation purposes.

Phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity in four Italian traditional maize (Zea mays L.) varieties.

Flours of four pigmented (from orange to red and dark red) local Italian corns, studied for their soluble, soluble conjugate, and insoluble-bound phenols and flavonoids, showed a prevalence of the insoluble-bound fraction (70-80%). Correlations were found between the flours antioxidant capacity, measured with CUPRAC, FRAP, and DPPH methods, and soluble phenols and flavonoids content. A correlation was also found between ascorbic acid content and flours antioxidant power. Anthocyanins were present in small amounts in the red/dark red seeds; however, acid-alcohol assays and spectral analyses of pericarp extracts indicated the presence of red-brick phlobaphenes in these varieties. Spectrophotometrically quantified total carotenoids were significantly higher in one of the local varieties (Nano); RP-HPLC analyses indicated that the local varieties contained significantly higher amounts of zeaxanthin and ß-carotene, and lower amounts of lutein, than a commercial line. Among local varieties, Nano expressed the highest levels of zeaxanthin, ß-carotene, and ß-cryptoxanthin.

Root protein profiles of two citrus rootstocks grown under iron sufficiency/deficiency conditions.

Two citrus rootstocks, one sensitive to iron deficiency (Swingle Citrumelo (SCO)) and the other tolerant (Carrizo Citrange, (CC)), were studied to characterize variation in their root protein profile induced by iron-deficient conditions. Plants of both rootstocks were grown in two different soils, one volcanic (v) and the other calcareous (c), containing 0% and 10% active Lime, respectively. To evaluate the effects of the calcareous soil on the protein accumulation of both rootstocks, the root protein profiles (SCc vs. SCv and CCc vs. CCv) were characterized by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, thus obtaining, for the first time, a reference map of this previously uncharacterized proteome. A total of 219 spots, significantly changed in abundance, were analyzed by high-performance Liquid chromatography nano electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The identified proteins were classified according to their putative function and known biosynthetic pathways. Principal component analysis, comparing the four sets of data, indicated that each group clustered together with low variance and that CCv and CCc data sets were well differentiated, whereas SCv and SCc were similar.

Proteolytic enzymes in storage protein mobilization and cell death of the megagametophyte of Araucaria bidwillii Hook. post-germinated seeds.

In the present manuscript, we report on the proteolytic enzymes acting in the Araucaria bidwillii megagametophyte throughout seed germination. At seed maturity the megagametophyte contains a bulk of reserves for the growing embryo, thus representing the major storage tissue of the bunya pine seed. Soon after seed germination the megagametophyte undergoes storage protein mobilization, degenerating as a no longer needed tissue by the late germinative stages. By using in-solution and in-gel assays, and mass spectrometric analyses we detected exopeptidases and proteinases differently active in this tissue at selected germinative stages, and obtained preliminary data on the nature of an endopeptidase active at the late stages. Early germination stages were characterized by aminopeptidase and aspartic, metallo and cysteine proteinase activities; carboxypeptidases and serine proteinases became highly active by the late stages. Partial sequencing of a protein responsible for late stage serine peptidase activity sensitive to the caspase-6 inhibitor, showed a set of amino acid sequences with various degrees of identity with various plant subtilisin-like serine proteinases. The participation of the early stage proteases in the storage protein mobilization and the involvement of the late stage proteases in the megagametophyte cell death are proposed and discussed.

Macro-grazer herbivory regulates seagrass response to pulse and press nutrient loading.

Coastal ecosystems are exposed to multiple stressors. Predicting their outcomes is complicated by variations in their temporal regimes. Here, by means of a 16-month experiment, we investigated tolerance and resistance traits of Posidonia oceanica to herbivore damage under different regimes of nutrient loading. Chronic and pulse nutrient supply were combined with simulated fish herbivory, treated as a pulse stressor. At ambient nutrient levels, P. oceanica could cope with severe herbivory, likely through an increase in photosynthetic activity. Elevated nutrient levels, regardless of the temporal regime, negatively affected plant growth and increased leaf nutritional quality. This ultimately resulted in a reduction of plant biomass that was particularly severe under chronic fertilization. Our results suggest that both chronic and pulse nutrient loadings increase plant palatability to macro-grazers. Strategies for seagrass management should not be exclusively applied in areas exposed to chronic fertilization since even short-term nutrient pulses could alter seagrass meadows.

Simplified electrophoretic assay for human salivary alpha-amylase inhibitor detection in cereal seed flours.

Alpha-amylase inhibitors are antinutritional proteins largely found in cereal seeds. An in-gel assay was developed that allowed the rapid screening of these compounds in complex seed extracts. The assay was based on the electrophoretic separation of the extract proteins on starch-containing gels, followed by the detection of alpha-amylase-inhibiting proteins after incubation of the gel in an alpha-amylase solution; inhibitors were revealed by a staining method based on iodine binding to nondigested starch. The one-dimensional method can be useful to test inhibitory activity of purified proteins or to assay fractions recovered during a purification procedure. A two-dimensional (IEF x PAGE) non-denaturing system with second-dimension separation on starch-PAGE was also developed; the technique allowed the screening of complex protein mixtures for multiple inhibitory proteins. The newly developed assay method was used to test the presence of inhibitory activity in a crude extract from wheat flour, and it was validated by comparing in-gel and in-solution assays of commercially available alpha-amylase inhibitors.

Dimeric inhibitors of human salivary alpha-amylase from emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) seeds.

The proteins belonging to the cereal trypsin/alpha-amylase inhibitor family are abundant water/salt-soluble flour proteins active against alpha-amylases from several seed parasites and pests and inactive against endogenous alpha-amylases. Three alpha-amylase inhibitor families have been described in cereals that vary in size and are differently expressed among Triticeae seeds. The present work investigates the presence of human salivary alpha-amylase inhibitors in emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) flour. The isolation was obtained by a series of chromatography steps, and the purification progress was monitored through the inhibition of human salivary alpha-amylase activity. The purified fraction was subjected to protein sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS) of the tryptic digests obtained after the sample separation on 2-DE. MSMS data indicated that the emmer alpha-amylase inhibitory fraction was composed of two newly identified proteins [emmer dimeric inhibitor 1 (EDI-1) and emmer dimeric inhibitor 2 (EDI-2)] sharing very high identity levels with related proteins from Triticum aestivum.

Nutrient Loading Fosters Seagrass Productivity Under Ocean Acidification.

The effects of climate change are likely to be dependent on local settings. Nonetheless, the compounded effects of global and regional stressors remain poorly understood. Here, we used CO2 vents to assess how the effects of ocean acidification on the seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, and the associated epiphytic community can be modified by enhanced nutrient loading. P. oceanica at ambient and low pH sites was exposed to three nutrient levels for 16 months. The response of P. oceanica to experimental conditions was assessed by combining analyses of gene expression, plant growth, photosynthetic pigments and epiphyte loading. At low pH, nutrient addition fostered plant growth and the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments. Overexpression of nitrogen transporter genes following nutrient additions at low pH suggests enhanced nutrient uptake by the plant. In addition, enhanced nutrient levels reduced the expression of selected antioxidant genes in plants exposed to low pH and increased epiphyte cover at both ambient and low pH. Our results show that the effects of ocean acidification on P. oceanica depend upon local nutrient concentration. More generally, our findings suggest that taking into account local environmental settings will be crucial to advance our understanding of the effects of global stressors on marine systems.

Tetraploid and hexaploid wheats express identical isoforms of nsLTP1.

Nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins (nsLTPs) have been recognized as allergens in several plant species among which are cereals important in human nutrition. In this report, we purified a 9600 +/- 1 Da protein from both soft wheat and farro bran. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed that these proteins are identical, belong to the nsLTP1 class, and have high sequence homology with nsLTP1 isolated from other cereal species. Their identification was further supported by the ability of the soft wheat nsLTP1 to transfer pyrene-labeled lipids between donor and acceptor membranes. The results are discussed in view of the increasing diffusion on the markets of bran-rich products.

NsLTP1 and NsLTP2 isoforms in soft wheat (Triticum aestivum Cv. Centauro) and farro (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) bran.

Isoforms of nonspecific lipid-transfer protein 1 (nsLTP1) and nonspecific lipid-transfer protein 2 (nsLTP2) were investigated in bran tissues isolated from caryopses of two cereal crops quite relevant for the Italian market, the cultivar Centauro of soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Italian emmer or farro (Triticum dicoccon Schrank). By sequential separation of the bran extracts on cation-exchange and gel filtration chromatographies, fractions containing only proteins belonging to the nsLTP1 and nsLTP2 classes were obtained. The proteins were roughly identified by SDS-PAGE and by immunoreactions in Western blotting experiments. By MALDI-MS and RP-HPLC/ESI-MS analyses we were able to show the presence of several LTP1 and LTP2 isoforms in the investigated species. Bioinformatic searches based on the determined Mr indicated that (i) two nsLTP1s already identified in T. aestivum have Mr and number of Cys residues identical to that of a 9.6 kDa protein present both in soft wheat cv. Centauro and in farro; (ii) two isoforms of nsLTP2 detected in T. aestivum have the same Mr and number of Cys residues of two 7 kDa proteins found in Centauro; and (iii) a nsLTP1 detected in Ambrosia artemisiifolia has Mr and number of Cys residues coincident to that of a 9.9 kDa protein found both in soft wheat cv. Centauro and in farro.

Effects of gamma-irradiation on the free radical and antioxidant contents in nine aromatic herbs and spices.

Nine spice and aromatic herb samples (i.e., basil, bird pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and sage) were gamma-irradiated at a dose of 10 kGy according to commercial practices. The effects of the disinfection treatment on the content of organic radicals and some nutrients (namely, vitamin C and carotenoids) in the samples were investigated by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Irradiation resulted in a general increase of quinone radical content in all of the investigated samples, as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The fate of these radicals after storage for 3 months was also investigated. The cellulose radical was clearly observed in a few samples. Significant losses of total ascorbate were found for black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, and sage, whereas a significant decrease of carotenoids content was observed for cinnamon, oregano, parsley, rosemary, bird pepper, and sage.

Antioxidants, free radicals, storage proteins, puroindolines, and proteolytic activities in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) seeds during accelerated aging.

Seeds of bread wheat were incubated at 40 degrees C and 100% relative humidity for 0, 3, 4, 6, and 10 days. The effects of accelerated aging on seed germinability and some biochemical properties of flour (carotenoid, free radical, and protein contents and proteolytic activity) and gluten (free radical content and flexibility) were investigated. Seed germinability decreased during aging, resulting in seed death after 10 days. A progressive decrease of carotenoid content, in particular, lutein, was observed, prolonging the incubation, whereas the free radical content increased in both flour and gluten. A degradation of soluble and storage proteins was found, associated with a marked increase of proteolytic activity and a loss of viscoelastic properties of gluten. On the contrary, puroindolines were quite resistant to the treatment. The results are discussed in comparison with those previously obtained during accelerated aging of durum wheat seeds.

Antioxidants, free radicals, storage proteins, and proteolytic activities in wheat (Triticum durum) seeds during accelerated aging.

Accelerated aging was performed by incubation of wheat seeds at 40 degrees C and 100% relative humidity for 3, 4, 6, 10, and 14 days. The effects of the treatment on seed germinability and on several biochemical characteristics of flour (carotenoids, free radical and protein contents, and proteolytic activity) and gluten (free radical content and flexibility) were evaluated. A decrease of germinability was found during aging, the germination being completely inhibited after 14 days. The lutein content decreased gradually, without going to zero, while that of free radicals increased. A reduction of soluble proteins and a degradation of glutenins and gliadins were observed, associated with a substantial increase of protease activity and a decrease in gluten flexibility. The results were discussed in reference to those previously obtained by natural aging of wheat seeds of the same species and cultivar.

MS-based characterization of α(s2)-casein isoforms in donkey's milk.

The primary structure of four α(s2)-casein (CN) isoforms, present as minor components in the dephosphorylated CN fraction of a milk sample collected in Eastern Sicily from an individual donkey belonging to the Ragusano breed at middle lactation stage, was determined, using the known donkey's α(s2)-CN (GenBank Acc. No. CAV00691; M(r) 26,028 Da) as reference. Proteins, with experimentally measured M(r) of 25,429, 21,939, 25,203 and 21,713 Da, were isolated by the combined use of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The major spot of each gel, corresponding to a single protein, was digested by trypsin, α-chymotrypsin and endoproteinase Glu-C. The resulting peptide mixtures were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and capillary RP-HPLC/nano-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, and the data obtained were used for the sequence determination. The isoforms are produced from differential splicing events involving exons 4, 5 and 6 and parts of the exon 17.

Investigation on cell death in the megagametophyte of Araucaria bidwillii Hook. post-germinated seeds.

The megagametophyte of the Araucaria bidwillii seed is a storage tissue that surrounds and feeds the embryo. When all its reserves are mobilized, the megagametophyte degenerates as a no longer needed tissue. In this work we present a biochemical and a cytological characterization of the megagametophyte cell death. The TUNEL assay showed progressive DNA fragmentation throughout the post-germinative stages, while DNA electrophoretic analysis highlighted a smear as the predominant pattern of DNA degradation and internucleosomal DNA cleavage only for a minority of cells at late post-germinative stages. Cytological investigations at these stages detected profound changes in the size and morphology of the megagametophyte nuclei. By using in vitro assays, we were able to show a substantial increase in proteolytic activities, including caspase-like protease activities during the megagametophyte degeneration. Among the caspase-like enzymes, caspase 6- and 1-like proteases appeared to be the most active in the megagametophyte with a preference for acidic pH. On the basis of our results, we propose that the major pathway of cell death in the Araucaria bidwillii megagametophyte is necrosis; however, we do not exclude that some cells undergo developmental programmed cell death.