Cell Wall Material (cell + wall_material)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Cell wall polysaccharides of bush butter (Dacryodes edulis (G Don) HJ Lam) fruit pulp and their evolution during ripening

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 8 2001
Crépin Ella Missang
Abstract Cell wall material was isolated as alcohol-insoluble solids (AIS) from bush butter endocarp tissue at different stages of ripeness. AIS were then extracted with 0.05,M CDTA followed by increasing concentrations of KOH (0.05, 1 and 4,M respectively). The chemical extractions solubilised a total of 51.6,60.6% of AIS, the yields of CDTA extracts accounting for approximately 9.6,12.2% of AIS. The extracts as well as the residues were analysed for their sugar composition and protein and starch contents. CDTA extracted the bulk of uronic acid in AIS, but the uronic acid content (after dialysis) of these extracts showed a significant decrease as the fruits ripened (from 439 to 252,mg,g,1 between the first and the last degree of ripeness). Analysis of the CDTA extracts by anion exchange and size exclusion chromatography showed a gradual appearance of new pectic populations at low degrees of methylation and low molecular weights, indicating that CDTA-soluble pectins are demethylated and depolymerised during ripening. The dilute alkali (0.05,M KOH) extracts were essentially composed of proteins in addition to a minor quantity of pectin. The 1,M KOH and principally 4,M KOH treatments led to the extraction of hemicelluloses, mainly xyloglucan-like and mannan-like polymers. These extracts also contained substantial amounts of protein and starch. No variation related to the degree of ripeness was visible in the sugar composition of the alkali extracts. The molecular weight distribution of the hemicelluloses did not change with the degree of ripeness. The final residues accounted for 21.4,27.3% of AIS and were mostly composed of glucose (827,908,mg,g,1). All these results suggested that only CDTA-soluble pectins were involved in bush butter fruit softening. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Improved 2-DE of microorganisms after acidic extraction

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 8 2006
Ben R. Herbert Professor
Abstract 2-DE separations of protein extracts sometimes have problems with poor resolution and streaking. This problem is particularly apparent with microorganisms, most notably those with a large cell wall. Here we describe a novel, rapid protocol for the extraction of microorganisms in acidic conditions, leading to increased resolution and 2-D gel quality. The efficiency of the protocol is demonstrated with extracts of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis; fungus, Trichoderma harzianum and yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We also demonstrate using a membrane centrifugal filtration, that large acidic molecules in excess of 100,kDa, probably including cell wall material, are responsible for the separation difficulties. A range of acidic extraction conditions were investigated, and it was found that optimal extraction is achieved using an extraction solution acidified to pH,3 by 80,mM citric acid. These findings have significant implications for the proteomic study of many medically, agriculturally and environmentally significant microorganisms, as the cell walls of these organisms are often considerably more complex than many commonly studied laboratory strains. [source]


A Novel Process for the Recovery of Polyphenols from Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) Pomace

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005
Dietmar Kammerer
ABSTRACT: A novel process for enzyme-assisted extraction of polyphenols from winery by-products was established on a pilot-plant scale. Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of grape skins, that is, selection of pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, enzyme-substrate ratio, and time-temperature regime of enzymatic treatment, was conducted on a laboratory scale. Enzyme activities were monitored by viscosity measurement of resuspended grape pomace and by quantification of oligomeric pectin and cellulose degradation products released from cell wall material. Optimal conditions were obtained with 5000 ppm (based on dry matter) of a pectinolytic and 2500 ppm of a cellulolytic enzyme preparation, respectively, at 50°C, which were also applied in pilot-plant scale experiments. Concomitant determination of individual polyphenolics demonstrated a significantly improved yield for most compounds when compared with experiments without enzyme addition. Recovery rates were comparable to those obtained when grape pomace was extracted using sulfite. Pre-extraction of the pomace with hot water followed by treatment with cell wall degrading enzymes even increased yields of phenolic compounds. Only some quercetin glycosides and malvidin coumaroylglucoside were partly hydrolyzed due to enzyme side activities. This new process may provide a valuable alternative to the application of sulfite, which is considered crucial in food processing. [source]


Ultrastructural and Immunocytochemical Studies on Effects of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus , Infection on Fusarium Head Blight, Caused by Fusarium graminearum, in Wheat Plants

JOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
Y. Liu
Abstract The interactions between barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, were studied in the two winter wheat cultivars (cvs.), Agent (susceptible to FHB) and Petrus (moderately resistant to FHB), using ultrastructural and immunocytochemical methods. Infections of wheat plants of both cvs. by BYDV increased susceptibility to FHB. BYDV infection caused numerous cytological changes in lemma tissue of both cvs. such as formation of vesicles in the cytoplasm, degradation of fine structures of chloroplasts of both cvs. and accumulation of large starch grains in the chloroplasts. Electron microscopical studies showed that the development of F. graminearum on spike surfaces was not affected in BYDV-infected plants. After penetration and intercellular growth in lemma tissue, defence responses to Fusarium infections were markedly reduced in BYDV-diseased plants compared to the tissue of virus-free plants. At sites of contact of fungal cells with host tissue, depositions of cell wall material were distinctly less pronounced than in tissues of virus-free plants of cv. Petrus. Detection of , -1,3-glucanases and chitinases in lemma tissue of cv. Agent revealed no appreciably increased accumulation of both defence enzymes in F. graminearum -infected virus-free and BYDV-infected tissues compared to the non-infected control tissue. On the other hand, in cv. Petrus, infection with F. graminearum induced a markedly enhanced activity of both enzymes 3 days after inoculation. The increase of both enzyme activities was less pronounced in BYDV-infected plants than in tissue exclusively infected with F. graminearum. Cytological studies suggest that in contrast to the susceptible cv. Agent postinfectional defence responses may play still an important role in the resistance of the moderately resistant cv. Petrus to FHB. [source]


INFLUENCE OF CELL SIZE AND CELL WALL VOLUME FRACTION ON FAILURE PROPERTIES OF POTATO AND CARROT TISSUE

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 1 2005
ARTUR ZDUNEK
ABSTRACT This article presents the influence of cell size and cell wall volume fraction on the failure parameters of potato tuber and carrot tissue. Confocal scanning laser microscope was used for obtaining images of the cell structure of the tissues. The mean cell face area and the cell wall volume fraction obtained from the images was compared with work to failure, failure stress, failure strain and secant modulus obtained in a compression test of potato and carrot tissue at two strain rates. Bigger cells and less amount of cell wall material weakened the tissue, which was visible as a linear decrease in the parameters: work to failure, failure stress and failure strain. There were differences between potato and carrot in the secant modulus. For carrot, the secant modulus changed with microstructural parameters, whereas for potato, the secant modulus did not depend on these values. The strain rate decreases all the failure properties for potato. For carrot, only the work to failure was affected by the strain rate. [source]


RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRIMARY PLANT CELL WALL ARCHITECTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES FOR ONION BULB SCALE EPIDERMAL CELLS

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 6 2004
DAVID G. HEPWORTH
ABSTRACT This article investigates onion epidermal tissue (Allium cepa) using a combination of mechanical testing, microscopy and modeling and relates tissue mechanical properties to the known structure of the cell walls. Onion epidermal tissue has a simple, regular structure of elongated cells, which have been used to enable the contributions to mechanical properties of cell walls and of higher order structures to be separated and analyzed. Two models of wall behavior were used to explore how Poisson's ratio of cell walls parallel to the plane of the epidermal surface may vary with applied strain. In the first model, cellulose microfibrils can be reorientated in an unrestricted way with the result that the cell wall volume decreases. In the second model the volume of the cell wall remains constant, which controls the reorientation of microfibrils, hence the Poisson's ratio. Measurements made from uniaxially stretched cells show that the data most closely fits model I, therefore, it is concluded that the bulk of the matrix has little influence on the observed mechanical properties (at a test rate of 1 mm/min), allowing cellulose microfibrils to reorient through the matrix in an unrestricted way during uniaxial tests. In its mechanical attributes the primary cell wall resembles more a knitted cloth than a semisolid composite material. When biaxial stretching is applied to tissue, so that there is no re-orientation of microfibrils, the cell wall material is still able to reach surprisingly large elastic strains of up to 12.5% and no plastic deformation was recorded. Current theory suggests that cellulose microfibrils can stretch elastically by a maximum of 7%, therefore further work is required to identify mechanisms that could account for the extra elastic strain. [source]


Changes in the pectic fraction of bush butter (Dacryodes edulis (G Don) HJ Lam) fruit pulp during ripening

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 8 2001
Crépin Ella Missang
Abstract CDTA-soluble polysaccharides were extracted from cell wall material (prepared as alcohol-insoluble solids) of bush butter fruit endocarp tissue at three stages of ripeness. The amount of soluble pectins remained constant but they underwent a gradual depolymerisation during ripening. The CDTA extracts were fractionated by anion exchange and the subfractions were analysed for their sugar composition and molecular weight distribution. For all degrees of ripeness the extracts were composed of three minor peaks and two major peaks. The minor peaks appeared to be composed of xyloglucan and mannan-type polymers for the first peak and arabinogalactan-type polymers for the other two peaks. The two main peaks were retained on the column. The first was exclusively composed of homogalacturonan polymers and the second contained principally highly branched rhamnogalacturonan polymers. During ripening, both homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan populations were modified. Modifications in the rhamnogalacturonan fraction were principally marked by the accumulation of low-molecular-weight rhamnoglacturonan polymers in the course of ripening. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Preparation of microparticulate ,-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for use in immune potentiation

LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
K.W. Hunter Jr
Aims: To develop a method for the preparation of an immunologically active, homogeneous, nonaggregated, microparticulate ,-glucan-containing material from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods and Results: Using a combination of sonication and spray-drying, a homogeneous preparation of 1,2-µ diameter ,-glucan-containing particles was made from alkali- and acid-insoluble yeast cell wall material. This microparticulate ,-glucan remained in suspension longer and, following oral administration at 0·1 mg kg,1 for 14 d, enhanced phagocytosis of mouse peritoneal macrophages significantly better than did aggregated ,-glucan particles. Conclusions: A new sonication and spray-drying method can be employed to overcome the problem of aggregation of ,-glucan microparticles in aqueous media. Significance and Impact of the Study: A microparticulate form of ,-glucan that remains in suspension longer for pharmaceutical applications and has superior immune potentiation characteristics has been developed. [source]


Characterization of nonderivatized plant cell walls using high-resolution solution-state NMR spectroscopy,

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008
Daniel J. Yelle
Abstract A recently described plant cell wall dissolution system has been modified to use perdeuterated solvents to allow direct in-NMR-tube dissolution and high-resolution solution-state NMR of the whole cell wall without derivatization. Finely ground cell wall material dissolves in a solvent system containing dimethylsulfoxide- d6 and 1-methylimidazole- d6 in a ratio of 4:1 (v/v), keeping wood component structures mainly intact in their near-native state. Two-dimensional NMR experiments, using gradient-HSQC (heteronuclear single quantum coherence) 1-bond 13C1H correlation spectroscopy, on nonderivatized cell wall material from a representative gymnosperm pinus taeda (loblolly pine), an angiosperm Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen), and a herbaceous plant Hibiscus cannabinus (kenaf) demonstrate the efficacy of the system. We describe a method to synthesize 1-methylimidazole- d6 with a high degree of perdeuteration, thus allowing cell wall dissolution and NMR characterization of nonderivatized plant cell wall structures. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The digestive tract and life history of small mammals

MAMMAL REVIEW, Issue 2 2002
PETER LANGER
ABSTRACT The type of food, differentiation of the large intestine and stomach, and methane production, as well as life history data, are considered in Insectivora, Rodentia and Lagomorpha. When food containing plant cell wall material is eaten, there is either a differentiation of the stomach or the large intestine. In animals with low body mass and little differentiation of the gastrointestinal tract, methane production is low, but structures essential for microbial digestion of plant cell wall material, such as haustration of the colon or formation of a caecum, can be found in many methane-producers. Animals with a body mass < 500 g and a weaning time < 20 days are non-producers of methane. Establishment of a balanced microbial population in the gastrointestinal tract requires some time. Many non-producers of methane wean their young in < 10 days, but many producers need > 50 days for the weaning process. Caviomorpha, Thryonomyidae and Hystricidae seem to have ,opened the door' to the use of low quality food by microbial fermentation, but some of them have to ,pay' for this extension of the food range by an extended weaning period, which also means an extended dependency on the mother. [source]


Kin1 is a plasma membrane-associated kinase that regulates the cell surface in fission yeast

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Angela Cadou
Summary Cell morphogenesis is a complex process that depends on cytoskeleton and membrane organization, intracellular signalling and vesicular trafficking. The rod shape of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the availability of powerful genetic tools make this species an excellent model to study cell morphology. Here we have investigated the function of the conserved Kin1 kinase. Kin1-GFP associates dynamically with the plasma membrane at sites of active cell surface remodelling and is present in the membrane fraction. Kin1, null cells show severe defects in cell wall structure and are unable to maintain a rod shape. To explore Kin1 primary function, we constructed an ATP analogue-sensitive allele kin1-as1. Kin1 inhibition primarily promotes delocalization of plasma membrane-associated markers of actively growing cell surface regions. Kin1 itself is depolarized and its mobility is strongly reduced. Subsequently, amorphous cell wall material accumulates at the cell surface, a phenotype that is dependent on vesicular trafficking, and the cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is activated. Deletion of cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase components reduces kin1, hypersensitivity to stresses such as those induced by Calcofluor white and SDS. We propose that Kin1 is required for a tight link between the plasma membrane and the cell wall. [source]


The PAK family kinase Cla4 is required for budding and morphogenesis in Ustilago maydis

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
Leonora Leveleki
Summary The phytopathogenic basidiomycete Ustilago maydis displays a dimorphic switch between budding growth of haploid cells and filamentous growth of the dikaryon. In a screen for mutants affected in morphogenesis and cytokinesis, we identified the serine/threonine protein kinase Cla4, a member of the family of p21-activated kinases (PAKs). Cells, in which cla4 has been deleted, are viable but they are unable to bud properly. Instead, cla4 mutant cells grow as branched septate hyphae and divide by contraction and fission at septal cross walls. Delocalized deposition of chitinous cell wall material along the cell surface is observed in cla4 mutant cells. Deletion of the Cdc42/Rac1 interaction domain (CRIB) results in a constitutive active Cla4 kinase, whose expression is lethal for the cell. cla4 mutant cells are unable to induce pathogenic development in plants and to display filamentous growth in a mating reaction, although they are still able to secrete pheromone and to undergo cell fusion with wild-type cells. We propose that Cla4 is involved in the regulation of cell polarity during budding and filamentation. [source]


Turgor pressure, membrane tension and the control of exocytosis in higher plants

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 9 2000
Wieland Fricke
ABSTRACT Both turgor pressure and differences in membrane tension are capable of providing an energy input into exocytosis, the process of fusion of Golgi vesicles with the cell membrane in plants. It is shown that the contribution of turgor pressure is much larger than that of membrane tension, so that the exocytotic process is not likely on thermodynamic grounds to be reversible unless another source of energy is made available. However, recycling of membrane material as flattened, empty vesicles is energetically possible and is likely to be favoured when the magnitude of membrane tension in the cell membrane is low. Thus the outward flows of membrane and cell wall material are in principle linked to turgor, whereas membrane tension influences the inward flow of membrane material. [source]


Review: Condensed tannin and grape cell wall interactions and their impact on tannin extractability into wine

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010
R.L. HANLIN
Abstract It has been suggested that tannin extraction from grape berries into wine is limited by tannin binding to cell walls. Here we review the current state of knowledge and identify gaps in research that would enable characterisation of these interactions. Such characterisation could improve tannin extraction management in winemaking. The work identified in this review supports the hypothesis that tannin,cell wall interactions are formed by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with the binding capacity of the cell walls influenced by tannin and polysaccharide structure and composition. Cell wall changes during berry development may increase the tannin-binding capacity of cell walls, while tannin structure may also influence its affinity for cell wall material. This review also identifies the need to investigate cultural and environmental factors that affect tannin and polysaccharide composition, to characterise the tannin-binding capacity of cell walls and to develop methods for assessing tannin-binding capacity of fruit prior to harvest. It is envisaged that a detailed understanding of tannin interactions with other components in the grape would lead to a predictive model for extractability of condensed tannins into wine. [source]


Comparative anatomy and systematics of Catasetinae (Orchidaceae)

BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001
WILLIAM LOUIS STERN FLS
Catasetinae consist of five genera of pseudobulbous Orchidaceae of the Neotropics. Anatomy is characterized by sunken, three-celled foliar hairs, mostly tetracytic stomatal apparatuses, superficial stomata, homogeneous mesophyll, foliar fibre bundles, collateral vascular bundles in a single row, xylem and phloem sclerenchyma associated with vascular bundles in leaves, conical, and rough-surfaced silica bodies adjacent to vascular bundle sclerenchyma; epidermal cells of pseudobulbs with heavily thickened outer walls, pseudobulb ground tissue of assimilatory and water-storage cells, scattered vascular bundles in pseudobulbs, and sclerenchyma and stegmata associated only with phloem of pseudobulbs; roots with thin-walled velamen cells and tenuous spirals of cell wall material, distinctive epivelamen cells, thin-walled exodermal cells and vascular tissue embedded in parenchyma. Except for mucilaginous idioblasts that occur in Mormodes and Cycnoches, there are few outstanding anatomical differences among the five genera. Thus, there are few anatomical characteristics of phylogenetic value. The monophyly of Catasetinae is supported by the presence of sunken foliar hairs. Our results support a close relationship between Clowesia and Catasetum, and between Mormodes and Cycnoches. Among the outgroups Pteroglossaspis is especially distinctive. [source]


Identification and functional analysis of the gene for type I myosin in fission yeast

GENES TO CELLS, Issue 3 2001
Mika Toya
Background Type I myosin is highly conserved among eukaryotes, and apparently plays important roles in a number of cellular processes. In the budding yeast, two myosin I species have been identified and their role in F-actin assembly has been inferred. Results We cloned the fission yeast myo1 gene, which apparently encoded a myosin I protein. Disruption of myo1 was not lethal, but it caused growth retardation at high and low temperatures, sensitivity to a high concentration of KCl, and aberrance in cell morphology associated with an abnormal distribution of F-actin patches. An abnormal deposition of cell wall materials was also seen. Homothallic myo1, cells could mate, but heterothallic myo1, cells were poor in conjugation. Myo1p was necessary for the encapsulation of spores. The tail domain of Myo1p was pivotal for its function. Calmodulin could bind to Myo1p through the IQ domain at the neck. Conclusions Myo1p appears to control the redistribution of F-actin patches during the cell cycle. Loss of Myo1p function is likely to slow down the actin assembly/disassembly process, which results in a failure of the actin cycle to catch up with other events in both the mitotic and meiotic cell cycles, including extension of the conjugation tubes. [source]


Ferulic acid: pharmaceutical functions, preparation and applications in foods

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2004
Shiyi Ou
Abstract Ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid), an effective component of Chinese medicine herbs such as Angelica sinensis, Cimicifuga heracleifolia and Lignsticum chuangxiong, is a ubiquitous phenolic acid in the plant kingdom. It is mainly conjugated with mono- and oligosaccharides, polyamines, lipids and polysaccharides and seldom occurs in a free state in plants. Ferulic acid is a phenolic acid of low toxicity; it can be absorbed and easily metabolized in the human body. Ferulic acid has been reported to have many physiological functions, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombosis, and anti-cancer activities. It also protects against coronary disease, lowers cholesterol and increases sperm viability. Because of these properties and its low toxicity, ferulic acid is now widely used in the food and cosmetic industries. It is used as the raw material for the production of vanillin and preservatives, as a cross-linking agent for the preparation of food gels and edible films, and as an ingredient in sports foods and skin protection agents. Ferulic acid can be prepared by chemical synthesis and through biological transformation. As polysaccharide ferulate is a natural and abundant source of ferulic acid, preparation of ferulic acid from plant cell wall materials will be a prospective pathway. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source]