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The enzyme-mediated grafting of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) onto chitosan and further crosslinking to agave inulin (agavin) has been successfully achieved in a mild and non-toxic two-step route. The resulting products were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Infra-red spectroscopies to assess the molecular structure. The study of acute oral toxicity in mice revealed no adverse short-term effects of consumption in the synthesized materials with non-toxicity evidence until 2000 mg/kg through an oral acute administration. Importantly, this study proves that the compound maintains the radical scavenging capacity of the phenolic antioxidant upon ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays with a measured half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the best case of 1.54 g/L based on inhibition of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt (ABTS). Additionally, the novel compound presented high prebiotic activities as ascertained in the presence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB).

A full-length cDNA encoding for 1-SST in Agave tequilana Weber var. azul. was isolated, cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The heterologous protein, with a molecular mass of 75 kDa, shows identity with different plant fructosyltransferases and invertases, which belong to the glycoside hydrolase 32 family. When sucrose was used as substrate, only the transference products 1-kestose and glucose were identified, while from 1-kestose, nystose and fructose were obtained as transference and hydrolysis products respectively, with sucrose as a secondary product. The enzyme has a low turnover number (260 min−1) at 30 °C, with optimal stability at 25 °C and pH 5.5. In order to identify the probable residues involved in the active site, a three-dimensional model was built using the fructan 1-exohydrolase IIa from Cichorium intybus (PDB entry 1st8) as template. This is the first report concerning cloning and expression of an Agave fructosyltransferase.

We have cloned two cDNAs, TaHSP101B and TaHSP101C , encoding two heat stress-inducible members of HSP101/ClpB family in bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum (L.) Moench .). Proteins encoded by these cDNAs are highly similar at the primary sequence level and diverged from the previously reported TaHSP101 (designated TaHSP101A) both in the consensus ATP/GTP-binding region II and in the carboxy terminal region. The HSP101 gene was determined to be a single copy gene or a member of a small gene family in hexaploid wheat. Messages encoding HSP101 proteins were inducible by heat stress treatments in both wheat leaves and roots. Accumulation of the TaHSP101C mRNA was less abundant than that of TaHSP101B mRNA. We are showing for the first time that in addition to heat stress, expression of HSP101 mRNAs in wheat leaves was induced by a 2-h dehydration and a treatment with 5×10 −5 M ABA, but not affected by chilling or wounding, indicating that HSP101 proteins may be involved in both heat and drought responses in wheat.

Transcription of heat shock genes is induced by exposure of cells to elevated temperatures or other stress conditions. In yeast, it is thought that induction of transcription is mediated by conversion of a DNA-bound transcriptionally inactive form of the heat shock transcription factor (HSTF) to a DNA-bound transcriptionally active form. We have identified domains in HSTF involved in transcriptional activation and in repression of transcriptional activation at nonshock temperatures. We present evidence that a temperature-regulated transcriptional activation domain exists in HSTF and that this domain is essential for survival of yeast cells at heat shock temperatures. We propose a model for temperature-regulated transcriptional activation by a derepression mechanism.

Examination of the proteins synthesized by isolated mitochondria, chloroplasts, or proplastids from maize tissues showed that a heat treatment at 40 degrees C does not induce or enhance the synthesis of any protein when compared to preparations treated at the control temperature of 28 degrees C. These observations are consistent with the results obtained by labeling proteins in vivo under sterile conditions. In vivo labeling in the presence of cycloheximide during heat shock showed no heat shock protein synthesis. Labeling in the presence of chloramphenicol during heat shock showed a similar heat shock protein pattern as in the absence of the inhibitor. It is concluded that maize organelles do not synthesize heat shock proteins and that, if present, they may be due to bacterial contamination.