Search

The assignment of the hydrogen bonded O–H stretch vibration in the proline matrix IR spectrum has sparked controversy. Employing constrained nuclear electronic orbital methods, we provide a clear assignment that the vibrational frequency drops to near 3000 cm−1 as a result of the interplay between electronic effects, nuclear quantum effects, and matrix effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a rare, lethal, early-onset liver cancer with a critical need for new therapeutics. The primary driver in FLC is the fusion oncoprotein, DNAJ-PKAc, which remains challenging to target therapeutically. It is critical, therefore, to expand understanding of the FLC molecular landscape to identify druggable pathways/targets. Here, we perform the most comprehensive integrative proteo-metabolomic analysis of FLC. We also conduct nutrient manipulation, respirometry analyses, as well as key loss-of-function assays in FLC tumor tissue slices from patients. We propose a model of cellular energetics in FLC pointing to proline anabolism being mediated by ornithine aminotransferase hyperactivity and ornithine transcarbamylase hypoactivity with serine and glutamine catabolism fueling the process. We highlight FLCs potential dependency on voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), a mitochondrial gatekeeper for anions including pyruvate. The metabolic rewiring in FLC that we propose in our model, with an emphasis on mitochondria, can be exploited for therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Paritaprevir is an orally bioavailable, macrocyclic drug used for treating chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Its structures have been elusive to the public until recently when one of the crystal forms is solved by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). In this work, the MicroED structures of two distinct polymorphic crystal forms of paritaprevir are reported from the same experiment. The different polymorphs show conformational changes in the macrocyclic core, as well as the cyclopropyl sulfonamide and methyl pyrazinamide substituents. Molecular docking shows that one of the conformations fits well into the active site pocket of the HCV non-structural 3/4A (NS3/4A) serine protease target, and can interact with the pocket and catalytic triad via hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds. These results can provide further insight for optimization of the binding of acyl sulfonamide inhibitors to the HCV NS3/4A serine protease. In addition, this also demonstrates the opportunity to derive different polymorphs and distinct macrocycle conformations from the same experiments using MicroED.

A clear understanding of real-world uptake of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 can inform treatment allocation strategies and improve interpretation of effectiveness studies. We used data from a large US healthcare system to describe nirmatrelvir-ritonavir dispenses among all SARS-CoV-2 positive patients aged ≥ 12 years meeting recommended National Institutes of Health treatment eligibility criteria for the study period between 1 January and 31 December, 2022. Overall, 10.9% (N = 34,791/319,900) of treatment eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir over the study period. Although uptake of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir increased over time, by the end of 2022, less than a quarter of treatment eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections had received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir. Across patient demographics, treatment was generally consistent with tiered treatment guidelines, with dispenses concentrated among patients aged ≥ 65 years (14,706/63,921; 23.0%), and with multiple comorbidities (10,989/54,431; 20.1%). However, neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status (upper third of neighborhood deprivation index [NDI]) had between 12% (95% CI: 7-18%) and 28% (25-32%) lower odds of treatment dispense over the time periods studied compared to the lower third of NDI distribution, even after accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics. A limited chart review (N = 40) confirmed that in some cases a decision not to treat was appropriate and aligned with national guidelines to use clinical judgement on a case-by-case basis. There is a need to enhance patient and provider awareness on the availability and benefits of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir for the treatment of COVID-19 illness.

OBJECTIVES: Although guidelines recommend antiviral therapy for outpatients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe conditions, such as older adults, many patients do not receive appropriate treatment. Little is known, however, about the physician factors associated with the prescription of guideline-recommended antiviral therapy for patients with COVID-19. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data including outpatient visits in primary care clinics in Japan from April to August 2023. PARTICIPANTS: We analysed 30 953 outpatients aged ≥65 years treated with COVID-19 (mean (SD) age, 75.0 (7.6) years; 17 652 women (57.0%)) in 1394 primary care clinics. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the prescription of guideline-recommended antivirals (ie, nirmatrelvir-ritonavir or molnupiravir), adjusted for patient characteristics, months of visits and regions. RESULTS: Antiviral prescriptions were concentrated among a small proportion of physicians; for example, the top 10% of physicians that had the largest number of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir prescriptions accounted for 92.4% of all nirmatrelvir-ritonavir prescriptions. After adjusting for potential confounders, physicians with higher patient volumes were more likely to prescribe guideline-recommended antivirals to their patients (adjusted OR (aOR) for high vs low volume, 1.76; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.38; adjusted p

The impact of climate change on agricultural production is apparent due to declining irrigation water availability vis-à-vis rising drought stress, particularly affecting summer crops. Growing evidence suggests that zinc (Zn) supplementation may serve as a potential drought stress management strategy in agriculture. Field studies were conducted using soybean (Glycine max var. Saba) as a model crop to test whether foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) or conventional Zn fertilizer (ZnSO4) would mitigate drought-related water stress and improve soybean yield. Each fertilizer was foliar applied twice at a two-week interval during the flowering stage. Experiments were concurrently conducted under non-drought conditions (70% field capacity) for comparison. Results showed drought significantly reduced relative water content, chlorophyll-a, and chlorophyll-b in untreated control plants by 35.7%, 47.7%, and 41.4%, respectively, compared to non-drought conditions (p < 0.05). Under drought conditions, ZnO-NPs (200 mg Zn/L) led to 33.1% and 20.7% increase in chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b levels, respectively, compared to ZnSO4 at 400 mg Zn/L. Likewise, catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities increased by 62.6%, 39.5% and 28.5%, respectively, with ZnO-NPs (200 mg Zn/L) under drought compared to non-drought conditions. Proline was significantly increased under drought but was remarkably suppressed (~ 54% lower) with ZnO-NPs (200 mg Zn/L) treatment. More importantly, the highest seed yield was observed with ZnO-NPs (200 mg Zn/L) treatment under drought (39% higher than untreated control) and non-drought (79.4% higher than control) conditions. Overall, the findings suggest that ZnO-NPs could promote seed yield in soybean under drought stress via increased antioxidant activities, increased relative water content, decreased stress-related proline content, and increased photosynthetic pigments. It is recommended that foliar application of 200 mg Zn/L as ZnO-NPs could serve as an effective drought stress management strategy to improve soybean yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of chelated fertilizers at specific concentrations could serve as an efficient method to mitigate the effects of drought stress in plants, considering it a global climatic issue. The objective of this study was to ascertain the influence of potassium and zinc chelate fertilizers on improving drought tolerance in quinoa plants. The experiment was conducted over two cropping years, 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. It followed a split-plot factorial design within a randomized complete block layout, in three replicates. The results indicated that the foliar application of the combined treatment of 50K + 50Zn significantly increased grain yield, particularly in the Q26 cultivar, under drought-stress conditions. However, the best harvest index was related to the Q26 cultivar under 100Zn application conditions. Nevertheless, the application of chelated fertilizers significantly enhanced these traits under stress compared to the non-application conditions. Furthermore, the content of glycine betaine and proline in the plant increased under the influence of 100K and 100Zn applications in the Q29 cultivar in 25% FC. Based on the obtained results for Catalase enzyme activity at 25% FC and in the presence of 100Zn foliar application and for Peroxidase at 25% FC and the presence of the combined 50K + 50Zn foliar application in the Q29 cultivar, the highest activity of these enzymes was observed. Consequently, considering the increased contents of glycine betaine and proline in the foliar application, as well as the enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes contributing to improved drought tolerance in these plants, the application of potassium and zinc chelates as fertilizers is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress significantly threatens plant ecosystems, particularly amid climate change. Understanding the mechanisms of plant resilience is essential for developing strategies to mitigate water scarcity effects on agroforestry. This study evaluated morphological, physiological and biochemical traits in Argania spinosa seedlings from four provenances (Berkane (BRK), Essaouira (ESS), Agadir (AGD) and Bouizakarne (BZK)) subjected to severe drought for three weeks. The results showed significant inter-provenance variation in the traits examined. Root dry biomass increased markedly across all provenances, with the highest increase observed in BZK (117.9%). Leaf water potential significantly decreased under drought stress, but relative water content (RWC) remained stable. Proline accumulation was significant in stressed seedlings, especially in ESS (163.4%), while total soluble sugars significantly increased only in BRK (26.6%). All provenances showed a significant reduction in chlorophyll a and b, except for BRK. Correlations among all studied traits varied significantly in both number and significance between drought stress and non-stress conditions. Canonical discriminant analysis revealed distinct separation among the provenances, indicating intra-species variability in drought responses. Key traits like dry biomass, collar diameter, basic leaf water potential, RWC and proline were identified as important indicators of drought tolerance, suggesting their utility in selecting the most resilient A. spinosa provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought, a prevalent environmental stressor, has had significant consequences on soybean (Glycine max L.), notably impeding its growth and production. Therefore, it is crucial to gain insight into the regulatory responses of soybean plants exposed to drought stress during soybean flowering in the field. In this study, the cultivar 'Liaodou 15' was performed light drought (LD, 24.3% soil moisture content), moderate drought (MD, 20.6% soil moisture content) and severe drought (SD, 16.9% soil moisture content) treatments at flowering stages of soybean and then rehydrated (30% soil moisture content) until harvest. The yield-related indicators were measured and revealed that MD and SD treatments significantly reduced 6.3% and 10.8% of the 100-grain weight. Soybean plants subjected to three drought stresses showed that net photosynthetic rates were 20.8%, 51.5% and 71.8% lower in LD, MD and SD than that of CK. The WUE increased by 31.8%, 31.5% and 18.8% under three drought stress treatments compared to CK. In addition, proline content was 25.94%, 41.01% and 65.43% greater than that of CK under three drought stress treatments. The trend of the MDA content was consistent with that of the proline content. SOD activity was significantly increasing by 10.86%, 46.73% and 14.54% under three drought stress treatments. The activity of CAT in the SD treatment increased by 49.28%. All the indices recovered after rehydration. Furthermore, 54,78 and 51 different expressed metabolomics (DEMs) were identified in the LDCK/LD, MDCK/MD and SDCK/SD groups, respectively. There were 1,211, 1,265 and 1,288 different expressed genes (DEGs) were upregulated and 1,003, 1,819 and 1,747 DEGs were downregulated. Finally, combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis suggested that 437 DEGs and 24 DEMs of LDCK/LD group, 741 DEGs and 35 DEMs of MDCK/MD group, 633 DEGs and 23 DEMs of SDCK/SD group, were highly positively correlated in soybean plants under drought stress. Drought stress induced the expression of the PAO1, PAO4, PAO5 and P5CS genes to promote the accumulation of spermidine and proline. Our study elucidates the responses of drought-stressed soybean plants in the field and provides a genetic basis for the breeding of drought-tolerant soybean plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on Salvia nemorosa L. were evaluated under NaCl stress. To this end, total soluble sugar content, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, total antioxidant capacity, H2O2 content, photosynthetic pigment content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, proline content, and enzymatic antioxidant activities were assessed. When the results for photosynthetic pigment content were evaluated, the highest levels of total carotenoid content, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b were obtained with NaCl + AgNP + MeJA treatment. Under NaCl stress, MDA and H2O2 levels increased, but they decreased when AgNP and MeJA were applied. All treatment groups had higher proline contents than the control group; the NaCl + AgNP + MeJA treatment group had the lowest content, while the NaCl treatment group had the highest. The combined elicitor treatment had little effect on total soluble sugar content. The combined elicitor treatment significantly increased total phenolic and flavonoid contents compared to separate applications. The most effective treatment for scavenging DPPH radicals was NaCl + MeJA, whereas the most effective treatment for scavenging CUPRAC and ABTS radicals was NaCl + MeJA + AgNP. Treatmentrelated variations were observed in enzyme activities; NaCl + MeJA + AgNP treatment caused the greatest increases in SOD, CAT, and APX activities, whereas NaCl + MeJA treatment resulted in the maximum GR activity. Compared to treatment with NaCl alone, the combined application of AgNP and MeJA improved some physiological and biochemical indices and increased plant resistance to salt stress. The synergistic impact of AgNP and MeJA on reducing the effects of salt stress in Salvia nemorosa L. suggests that these two compounds may strengthen plant resilience under adverse environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichoderma spp. is primarily applied to manage biotic stresses in plants. Still, they also can mitigate abiotic stresses by the stimulation of antioxidative protective mechanisms and enhanced synthesis of secondary metabolites. The study optimized the conditions to enhance peptaibol production by novel Trichoderma spp, characterized and quantified peptaibol- alamethicin using HPLC and LC MS–MS. The present study investigated these isolates efficacy in enhancing growth and the associated physio-biochemical changes in black pepper plants under moisture stress. Under in vitro conditions, out of 51 isolates studied, six isolates viz., T. asperellum (IISR NAIMCC 0049), T. erinaceum (IISR APT1), T. harzianum (IISR APT2), T. harzianum (IISR KL3), T. lixii (IISR KA15) and T. asperellum (IISR TN3) showed tolerance to low moisture levels (5, 10 and 20%) and higher temperatures (35 and 40 °C). In vivo evaluation on black pepper plants maintained under four different moisture levels (Field capacity [FC]; 75%, 50%, and 25%) showed that the plants inoculated with Trichoderma accumulated greater quantities of secondary metabolites viz., proline, phenols, MDA and soluble proteins at low moisture levels (50% and 25% FC). In the present study, plants inoculated with T. asperellum and T. harzianum showed significantly increased growth compared to uninoculated plants. The shortlisted Trichoderma isolates exhibited differences in peptaibol production and indicated that the peptide might be the key factor for their efficiency as biocontrol agents. The present study also demonstrated that Trichoderma isolates T. harzianum and T. asperellum (IISR APT2 & NAIMCC 0049) enhanced the drought-tolerant capabilities of black pepper by improving plant growth and secondary metabolite production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) is an intracellular amino-dipeptidase with physiological roles in the immune system, DNA repair and mitochondria homeostasis, while its deregulation is linked to cancer progression and immune-associated defects. Through its rare ability to cleave a peptide bond following the imino-acid proline, DPP9 acts as a molecular switch that regulates key proteins, such as the tumor-suppressor BRCA2. In this review we will discuss key concepts underlying the outcomes of protein processing by DPP9, including substrate turn-over by the N-degron pathway. Additionally, we will review non-enzymatic roles and the regulation of DPP9 by discussing the interactome of this protease, which includes SUMO1, Filamin A, NLRP1 and CARD8. • Only few proteases can hydrolyze a proline (Pro) containing peptide bond. • DPP9 is an amino dipeptidyl-peptidase that removes N-terminal Xaa-Pro/Ala. • DPP9 regulates pyroptosis, DNA repair, B-cell signaling, mitochondria import and more. • Substrates include the tumor suppressor BRCA2, tyrosine kinase Syk, Adenylate kinase2. • By processing its substrates DPP9 targets these proteins to the N-degron pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing levels of cadmium (Cd) pollution in agricultural soil reduces plant growth and yield. This study aims to determine the impact of green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on the physiochemical activities, nutrition, growth, and yield of Zea mays L. under Cd stress conditions. For this purpose, ZnO-NPs (450 ppm and 600 ppm) synthesized from Syzygium aromaticum were applied through foliar spray to Z. mays and also used as seed priming agents. A significant decline in plant height (35.24%), biomass production (43.86%), mineral content, gas exchange attributes, and yield (37.62%) was observed in Cd-spiked plants compared to the control. While, 450 ppm ZnO-NPs primed seed increased plant height (18.46%), total chlorophyll (80.07%), improved ascorbic acid (25.10%), DPPH activity (26.66%), and soil mineral uptake (Mg+2 (38.86%), K+ (27.83%), and Zn+2 (43.68%) as compared to plants only spiked with Cd. On the contrary, the foliar-applied 450 ppm ZnO-NPs increased plant height (8.22%), total chlorophyll content (73.59%), ascorbic acid (21.39%), and DPPH activity (17.61%) and yield parameters; cob diameter (19.45%), and kernels numbers 6.35% enhanced compared to plants that were spiked only with Cd. The findings of the current study pave the way for safer and more cost-effective crop production in Cd-stressed soils by using green synthesized NPs and provide deep insights into the underlying mechanisms of NPs treatment at the molecular level to provide compelling evidence for the use of NPs in improving plant growth and yield. NOVELTY STATEMENT: Novelty statement: Phyto zinc nanoparticles improve stress tolerance and growth of Zea mays under cadmium stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ECM synthesis poses significant demands for biomass generation with requirements different from cell proliferation. • With its high glycine and proline content, collagen synthesis imposes unique biosynthetic demands. • Pro-fibrotic signaling cascades mediate metabolic rewiring in activated fibroblasts. • Targeting the metabolic pathways supporting collagen synthesis provides opportunities for treating fibrotic conditions. • Nutrient availability influences metabolic pathways regulating collagen synthesis and creates new vulnerabilities. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is present in all tissues and crucial in maintaining normal tissue homeostasis and function. Defects in ECM synthesis and remodeling can lead to various diseases, while overproduction of ECM components can cause severe conditions like organ fibrosis and influence cancer progression and therapy resistance. Collagens are the most abundant core ECM proteins in physiological and pathological conditions and are predominantly synthesized by fibroblasts. Previous efforts to target aberrant collagen synthesis in fibroblasts by inhibiting pro-fibrotic signaling cascades have been ineffective. More recently, metabolic rewiring downstream of pro-fibrotic signaling has emerged as a critical regulator of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Here, we propose that targeting the metabolic pathways involved in ECM biomass generation provides a novel avenue for treating conditions characterized by excessive collagen accumulation. This review summarizes the unique metabolic challenges collagen synthesis imposes on fibroblasts and discusses how underlying metabolic networks could be exploited to create therapeutic opportunities in cancer and fibrotic disease. Finally, we provide a perspective on open questions in the field and how conceptual and technical advances will help address them to unlock novel metabolic vulnerabilities of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cut stem quality of Chrysanthemum varieties (Yellow Delight, Reagan Emperor, Reagan White, Shova and Punjab Shyamli) were evaluated in response to photoperiodic manipulations through Early planting (P1), Early planting with artificial short days (SDs) (P2) and Normal planting (P3). Cut stem length increased by 25.54% under P2 (79.77 cm) as compared to P3 (59.40 cm), whereas the number of flowers remained at par. Planting time and artificial SDs significantly influenced biochemical and morphological differentials. Membrane stability index (78.21), total soluble sugars (87.29 mg g−1 FW), total soluble proteins (90.85 mg g−1 FW), proline (17.57 mg g−1 FW) and peroxidase activity (16.37 Δ in absorbance min−1 g−1 FW) of Yellow Delight under P2 contributed to 1.39 times increase in its cut stem length over P3 and made it fit for P1 and P2 planting. Punjab Shyamli and Reagan Emperor exhibited luxuriant vegetative growth, whereas quality of Reagan White and Shova improved under P2. Principal component analysis revealed that days to bud initiation, days to flowering, peroxidase activity, membrane stability index, proline at bud initiation and cut stem length contributed significantly to variation (60.48%) among treatments. Moreover, cut stem length, correlated positively with days to bud initiation and flowering, TSS and peroxidase activity, leaf area and SLA, suggesting their importance in breeding for off-season flowering and quality enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron (B) is the most common trace element deficiency of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plantation in China. Whereas the narrow range of the deficiency and toxicity restrict the application of B, proline (Pro) mitigates many kinds of stress damage in plants, including B deficiency. How the pro-regulation of pro-metabolites affects plant growth, photosynthesis and leaf structure under boron (B) deficiency condition remains poorly understood. Here, this study investigates the effects of exogenous proline on the growth of Pro metabolites in cotton (E Kang 10) under B deficiency at different growth stages. We applied three Pro concentrations (0, 1.5 and 3 mg/L) with two B concentrations (0.1, 0.5 mg/L), with a total of six treatments. The addition of exogenous Pro at 1.5 mg/L significantly promoted the accumulation of B in leaves and increased the dry and fresh weight of various parts of the plant under low B stress. Additionally, the content of MDA was reduced, while the content of soluble protein increased in cotton plants under B0.1 treatment after the addition of Pro. Both 1.5 and 3 mg/L of Pro increased the ratio of chlorophyll a/b under B stress. In the late stage, the synthesis of Pro is mainly promoted by regulating the activities of Arg, P5CS, P5CR and ProDH. Under two B levels, the application of Pro significantly reduced the Pro content in roots at both growth stages, which was related to the decrease in Arg, Glu, GSA and P5CS activities. Additionally, exogenous applicable Pro has a better-alleviating effect on low B stress of cotton seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longevity of cut flowers is associated with various physio-biochemical traits. To extend vase life (VL) of cut flowers, a wide range of chemical-based preservatives solutions have been used, which raise the concerns of human health and environmental pollution. This study explored the potential of using ascorbic acid (AsA) to naturally extend the VL of cut sword lily (Gladiolus grandifloras) 'White Prosperity' flowers. Fresh spikes were placed in vase solutions containing 1, 2, 3 and 4% AsA solutions, denoted as AsA1, AsA2, AsA3 and AsA4, respectively, as well as distilled water (DsW) as control. The AsA solutions prolonged the VL from 5.75 to 12.5 days. The treatment AsA4 significantly improved the relative fresh weight, floret diameter, the number of open florets, and chlorophyll contents. Ascorbic acid decreased oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide) and boosted proline and total soluble proteins levels in cut sword lily, indicating a link with reduced water stress. AsA application improved phenols and sugars in the florets. Bacterial count was low in AsA-based vase solutions. Overall, AsA4 had the best performance with respect to VL and other associated traits. Given the encouraging outcomes of the ongoing research, AsA may be recommended as a viable postharvest treatment to extend the VL of sword lily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is an essential abiotic factor for seed imbibition process. Seeds of several Caatinga species have a physiological strategy known as seed hydration memory to mitigate the effects of irregular rainfall patterns in this environment. However, the mechanisms behind are not well understood. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of water memory in Sarcomphalus joazeiro seeds through ecophysiological, biochemical and anatomical analyzes. The seeds were subjected to different cycles (0, 1, 2, and 3) of hydration (12 h) and dehydration (48 h)-HD, or continuous hydration (CH) for 183 h. The seedlings obtained of these seeds were subjected to different water suspension cycles. Our results showed that seeds subjected to HD cycles had greater germinability, higher emergence speed index, lower T50 values, and accumulated higher proline content. Seedlings from the 0, 1, and 2 seed HD cycles showed decreased net carbon assimilation (A) only when subjected to severe stress after 21 days of water deficit compared to the daily irrigated plants. While in seeds exposed to 3-HD cycles after 21 days of water deficit A did not change compared to control. Our results evidenced that seeds subjected to 3-HD cycles conferred the plants a greater tolerance to water deficit, proving the existence of seed hydration memory in Sarcomphalus joazeiro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing and most widespread diseases worldwide. Approximately 90% of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes. In 2019, there were about 463 million diabetic patients worldwide. Inhibiting the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and α-glucosidase activity is an effective strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Currently, various anti-diabetic bioactive peptides have been isolated and identified. This review summarizes the preparation methods, structure-effect relationships, molecular binding sites, and effectiveness validation of DPP-IV and α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides in cellular and animal models. The analysis of peptides shows that the DPP-IV inhibitory peptides, containing 2-8 amino acids and having proline, leucine, and valine at their N-terminal and C-terminal, are the highly active peptides. The more active α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides contain 2-9 amino acids and have valine, isoleucine, and proline at the N-terminal and proline, alanine, and serine at the C-terminal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Fermentation Industries is the property of Food & Fermentation Industries and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Salinity is one of the most detrimental factors for the growth performance and productivity of crops worldwide. Therefore, understanding crop responses or growth potentials and their effectiveness in salinity mitigation is highly important for the selection of salinity-tolerant plant varieties. In this study, the effects of salinity at various stress levels (0 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM, and 150 mM NaCl) on the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of three soybean varieties ('Afigat', 'Gishama', and 'Pawi-2') were investigated. The results showed that salinity significantly reduced morphological traits including plant height, number of leaves per plant, stem thickness, shoot and root length, and fresh and dry weight. This reduction was more prominent in the 'Afigat' variety for all of these traits except shoot and root length. The concentrations of chlorophyll a and b decreased with increasing salinity. In addition, salinity significantly increased leaf electrolyte leakage (EL), lipid peroxidation, proline accumulation, and phenol and flavonoid content. The 'Pawi-2' variety was more tolerant than the other studied varieties in terms of membrane stability (less EL and a low malondialdehyde content) and proline, phenol, and flavonoid accumulation. Therefore, 'Pawi-2' may be considered as the most salt-tolerant variety in comparison with the other studied soybean varieties. Further complementary studies in field conditions including anatomical parameters are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWater deficit is the most common abiotic stress and at least 75% of corn fields in Iran are exposed to drought stress during different stages of growth. humic acid (HA) and nanosilver (NS) can help mitigate abiotic stresses in plants; especially drought stress. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of humic acid and nanosilver on the physiological traits and yield of corn during two crop years. Experimental treatments were including deficit irrigation (100%, 80%, 60% of crop water requirement (CWR)) and nanosilver (0 (NS0), 60 (NS60), 80 (NS80) and 100 (NS100) microliters/liter/ha) and humic acid (control (HA0), 500 (HA500) and 1000 (HA1000) g/ha). The highest amount of chlorophyll a, b and total in 100% CWR+NS60+HA1000 was obtained. The highest amount of proline in 60% CWR + NS60 +HA1000 as well as treatment NS0 +HA1000 were observed. In all irrigation levels, the application of NS100 has reduced chlorophyll a and total. The yield components were affected by HA and nanosilver foliar spraying. The highest grain yield was observed in 100% CWR with the application of NS60 +HA500 at the rate of 10,582 kg/ha. In conditions of 100% CWR, nanosilver concentrations had a positive effect on plant growth and yield, and with increasing stress, high concentrations of nanosilver had a negative effect on growth and yield, but with the combined application of nanosilver and HA, the effect of drought stress decreased, which indicates the positive effect of HA in improving plant growth and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to screen air pollution-induced stress in some plant species in the Sejzi industrial region (Isfahan, Iran). An assessment of APTI and other physiological and biochemical features of significant species in the area was conducted across three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. The physiological and biochemical factors of the following species were evaluated: Limonium persicum, Atriplex lentiformis, Nitraria schoberi, Haloxylon persicum, Tamarix hispida, Zygophyllum atriplicoides, Karelinia caspica, and Prosopis farcta. The physiological factors assessed included acidity and relative humidity content, while the biochemical factors assessed included proline, sugar, ascorbic acid, and total chlorophyll. Subsequently, a thorough evaluation was carried out on the species under investigation to ascertain their biomonitors' capabilities and APTI. The study findings indicated that the species P. farcta, N. schoberi, and K. caspica consistently had high APTI values during the spring, autumn, and summer seasons, classifying them as tolerant plant species. Conversely, the observed traits showed significant fluctuations across the seasons. The investigation's findings indicate that the species L. persicum, N. schoberi, and K. caspica exhibit higher annual averages of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid compared to other species. The examination of the annual variation in the tolerance levels of plant species to pollution ranked from highest to lowest was as follows: N. schoberi, P. farcta, K. caspica, Z. atriplicoides, H. persicum, T. hispida, L. persicum, and A. lentiformis. Moreover, based on the annual average, the primary determinants that impact the APTI in the species being studied include ascorbic acid (35%), leaf acidity (19%), total chlorophyll content (35%), and relative humidity content (69%). Furthermore, a distinct and significant correlation was found between proline and sugar levels and the annual APTI values. Additionally, the species P. farcta had the highest API compared to other species. The study revealed the high potential of some plant species against air pollution induced stress which can be used in air and dust pollution management in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell migration requires the constant modification of cellular shape by reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Fine-tuning of this process is critical to ensure new actin filaments are formed only at specific times and in defined regions of the cell. The Scar/WAVE complex is the main catalyst of pseudopod and lamellipodium formation during cell migration. It is a pentameric complex highly conserved through eukaryotic evolution and composed of Scar/WAVE, Abi, Nap1/NCKAP1, Pir121/CYFIP, and HSPC300/Brk1. Its function is usually attributed to activation of the Arp2/3 complex through Scar/WAVE's VCA domain, while other parts of the complex are expected to mediate spatial-temporal regulation and have no direct role in actin polymerization. Here, we show in both B16-F1 mouse melanoma and Dictyostelium discoideum cells that Scar/WAVE without its VCA domain still induces the formation of morphologically normal, actin-rich protrusions, extending at comparable speeds despite a drastic reduction of Arp2/3 recruitment. However, the proline-rich regions in Scar/WAVE and Abi subunits are essential, though either is sufficient for the generation of actin protrusions in B16-F1 cells. We further demonstrate that N-WASP can compensate for the absence of Scar/WAVE's VCA domain and induce lamellipodia formation, but it still requires an intact WAVE complex, even if without its VCA domain. We conclude that the Scar/WAVE complex does more than directly activating Arp2/3, with proline-rich domains playing a central role in promoting actin protrusions. This implies a broader function for the Scar/WAVE complex, concentrating and simultaneously activating many actin-regulating proteins as a lamellipodium-producing core. [Display omitted] • Scar/WAVE, without its VCA domain, promotes the formation of actin-rich protrusions • Scar/WAVEΔVCA's function is conserved in both B16-F1 and D. dictyostelium cells • At least one of the WRC's polyproline domains is required for actin protrusions • N-WASP compensates for the absence of WRC's VCA domain and promotes lamellipodia Buracco et al. show that the WRC, without its VCA domain, still promotes actin-rich protrusions. However, WRC's proline-rich regions and N-WASP are essential, with the latter compensating for the absence of Scar/WAVE's VCA domain. This proves that the WRC has a broader function than activating Arp2/3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate some physical properties and proline content of 95 different honey samples to reveal their characteristic features and evaluate their quality according to the Turkish Food Codex. The moisture content, which is highly important parameter in determining the shelf life of honeys, determined between 14.60% and 21.20% and these values were determined to be within the limits (<20%) except for four honey samples. The brix values of honey samples were examined between 77.23% and 83.60%, and they were found to be within the acceptable range. The other physical parameter, namely the electrical conductivity values of samples determined between 0.11 and 1.20 mS/cm. Proline, which is an important value in determining the type and maturity of honey and is the amino acid found in the highest amount in honey, should be above 300 mg/kg in honey, according to the communique. The proline amount of the honey samples examined varied between 281.61 and 2259.43 mg/kg. It was determined that the proline amount of two honey samples were below the limit. It was concluded that most of the tested samples were in compliance with the food codex in terms of quality standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drought is the foremost environmental restraint that effects the growth and yield of chickpea. The mechanism of response to drought differs with genotype and growth stages of individual crop species. The activation of antioxidant enzymes is an alternate defensive system against oxidative stress that ultimately decide development of putative drought tolerant mechanism. Methods: Eighty-three chickpea genotypes were grown under normal and drought stress conditions and leaf samples were used to estimate different biochemical parameters including total sugar, lipid peroxidation (MDA), chlorophyll, proline and protein along with estimation of activities of different antioxidant enzymes viz., catalase (CAT) (EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (EC 1.11.1.11), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POX). Result: Positively significant correlation was found among proline under control with proline underwent stress (r=0.441), MDA under stress with proline under control (r=0.365) and MDA under control (r=0.336) at 1% level of significance. Positively significant correlation was also investigated between SOD under stressed condition with SOD under control (r=0.665), POX (0.449) and APX under stress (0.423), CAT under control (0.471) and CAT under stress condition (0.374) at 1% probability level. Heatmaps along with dendrograms represented expression levels of different antioxidant enzymes activities that showed variations among different genotypes. In conclusion. total sugar, proline and Malondialdehyde, have been increased under drought stressed condition whilst total chlorophyll and protein were decreased. While antioxidant enzymes viz., POX, APX, CAT and SOD levels increased under drought stressed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We selected 46 core winter–spring wheat cultivars from China's main wheat-producing areas as experimental materials to clarify the differences in the physiological parameters of their cold resistance and provide a theoretical basis and high-quality germplasm for cold resistance breeding. We investigated differences in their cold resistance under field conditions for two consecutive years, and determined the physiological parameters of the cold resistance, yield, and quality indicators of different winter–spring wheat cultivars. Our results showed that the cold resistance of winter wheat cultivars was higher than that of spring wheat cultivars. The chlorophyll (Chl), soluble sugar (SS), soluble protein (SP), and free proline (Pro) contents of different winter–spring wheat cultivars were positively correlated with cold resistance, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content was negatively correlated with cold resistance. The five physiological parameters can be used as physiological indicators for the breeding of cold-resistant cultivars. The cold resistance, yield, and quality indicators of different spring and winter wheat cultivars were comprehensively evaluated by using the average membership value and comprehensive score. It was found that the average membership value and comprehensive score of winter wheat cultivars were higher than those of spring wheat cultivars. Through classification using the K-means method, the cold-resistant, high-yield, and high-quality cultivars were screened out, namely, Jimai23 (JM23), Jimai44 (JM44), Shannong57 (SN57), and Jinmai 919 (JM919). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], as a globally commercialized crop, is an important source of protein and oil for both humans and livestock. With more frequent extreme weather disasters, abiotic stress has become one of the critical factors restricting soybean production. Proline (Pro) is a well-known substance in plants that responds to abiotic stress. To identify potential effector genes involved in soybean resistance to abiotic stress, we focused on the pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH) which is a key enzyme in the degradation process of Pro. Through homologous sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree, and predicted expression, we chose GmP5CDH1 (Glyma.05G029200) for further research. Tissue-specific expression assay showed that GmP5CDH1 had higher expression levels in soybean seed and cotyledon development. Subcellular localization assay revealed that GmP5CDH1 was a nuclear-membrane-localized protein. As the result of the predicted cis-acting regulatory element indicates, the expression level of GmP5CDH1 was induced by low temperature, drought, salt stress, and ABA in soybean. Next, we constructed transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing GmP5CDH1. The results showed that GmP5CDH1 also strongly responded to exogenous Pro, and overcame the toxicity of abiotic stress on plants by regulating the endogenous concentration of Pro. The interaction between GmP5CDH1 and GmSAM1 was validated through yeast two-hybrid, LUC fluorescence complementary, and BIFC. In conclusion, overexpression of a soybean pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase GmP5CDH1 regulates the development of Arabidopsis thaliana by altering proline content dynamically under salt stress, especially improving the growth of plants under exogenous Pro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-Proline (Pro) is an essential amino acid additive in livestock and aquaculture feeds. Previously, we created a Pro overproducing Halomonas elongata HN6 by introducing an engineered salt-inducible Pro biosynthetic mCherry - proBm1AC operon and deleting a putA gene that encoded a Pro catabolic enzyme in the genome of H. elongata OUT30018. Here, we report a generation of a novel Pro overproducing H. elongata HN10 strain with improved salt tolerance and higher Pro yield by expressing the mCherry - proBm1AC operon and deleting the putA gene in the genome of a spontaneous mutant H. elongata Glutamic acid Over-Producing, which overproduces glutamic acid (Glu) that is a precursor for Pro biosynthesis. The optimal salt concentration for growth of H. elongata HN10 was found to be 7% to 8% w/v NaCl, and the average Pro yield of 166 mg/L was achieved when H. elongata HN10 was cultivated in M63 minimal medium containing 4% w/v glucose and 8% w/v NaCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Females suffer greater lifetime risk of stroke and greater morbidity and mortality from stroke compared with males. This study's objective was to identify differences in metabolomic profiling of females and males with stroke and which differences were associated with neurological outcome. Methods: Females and males with acute ischemic stroke enrolled in the Emergency Medicine Specimen Bank at a comprehensive stroke center provided whole blood samples upon arrival for mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the cohort. A linear regression model was fit for individual metabolites to determine differences in relative abundance between males and females while controlling for covariates (age, race/ethnicity, postmenopausal status, cardiovascular risk factors, depression, time between sample collection and last known well, and initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score). For each differentially expressed metabolite, a linear regression model was fit to determine the association between the metabolite and NIHSS at 24 hours after admission while controlling for the covariates and acute treatments. Results: After adjusting for covariates, eight metabolites differed in females and males with a stroke. These included amino acids or their metabolites (proline and tryptophan), nucleotides (guanosine diphosphate [GDP], and inosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate), citrate, dehydroascorbate, choline, and acylcarnitine-(5-OH). GDP and dehydroascorbate were significantly associated with 24-hour NIHSS (p = 0.0991). Conclusions: Few metabolites were differentially abundant in blood after a stroke when comparing females with males and controlling for confounders, but the interactions between biological sex and GDP, as well as biological sex and dehydroascorbate, were associated with 24-hour neurological function. This has important implications for future studies that evaluate the therapeutic potential of these metabolites in ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The present study investigated the phenolic profile, sugar composition and amino acid profile of lyophilised 10‐day‐old wheatgrass cultivated under varying temperature and photoperiod conditions. The targeted phenolic profile showed the abundant presence of chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic and p‐coumaric acid. The phenolic content varied with temperature and photoperiod conditions. The comprehensive sugar profile indicated the variation in the concentration of glucose with different growing conditions altered carbohydrate metabolism in wheatgrass. Similarly, the concentration of amino acids also varied with growing conditions. Notably, the concentration of proline, arginine and GABA in wheatgrass from all wheat varieties increased more prominently in photoperiod of 22 h and growth temperature of 22 °C in light and 17 °C in dark as a response of defence mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of exogenously applied ascorbic acid (AsA, 1 mM) and proline (Pro, 1 mM), were evaluated on the growth, nutritional behavior, some key biochemical attributes, oxidative damage indicators, osmolytes accumulation as well as antioxidant system in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum cv. Salammbô) grown in the presence of 100 mM NaCl. AsA or Pro supplementation ameliorated wheat seedlings' growth and increased parameters that were reduced by salinity. Relative water content, total chlorophyll, K+ and total carbohydrates contents as well as K+/Na+ ratio and root-to-shoot K+ translocation were significantly increased. Osmoprotectant contents were remarkably accumulated, whereas Na+ content and root-to-shoot Na+ translocation were significantly declined. Additionally, exogenous AsA or Pro application enhanced the antioxidant defense system components and insured better oxidative stress tolerance, as indicated by reduced H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation, resulting in an increased membrane stability index. Such effects were further enhanced following the simultaneous application of AsA and Pro, resulting in a better growth, as compared to single applications of these substances. Taken together, findings of this study provide strong arguments highlighting the potential synergy between exogenously applied AsA and Pro in mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress of wheat plants at the early seedling stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the drought tolerance capacity of different perennial genotypes of Moringa grafted onto the annual Moringa variety PKM 1. Conducted as a pot culture experiment at the TNAU Glasshouse, Coimbatore, during 2023-2024, the research used a Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) involving two types of grafts and PKM 1 un-grafted plants under three levels of field capacity 100%, 75%, and 50% FC. The graft combinations included PKM 1 grafted onto Moolanur Moringa and Karumbu Moringa rootstocks. Results indicated that grafted plants, especially PKM 1 grafted onto Karumbu Moringa, outperformed others in physiological, biochemical, and growth parameters under drought conditions. Enhanced gas exchange parameters in grafted plants suggested improved photosynthetic efficiency and drought tolerance The results indicated that PKM 1 grafted onto Karumbu Moringa exhibited the highest photosynthetic rate (9.46 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 at 50%) with superior transpiration (1.52 mmol H2O m-2 s-1 at 50%) and stomatal conductance (0.078mol H2O m-2 s-1 at 50%). In contrast, un-grafted PKM 1 showed the lowest photosynthetic rate, particularly at reduced field capacity (6.35 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 at 50%). Water use efficiency was highest in PKM 1 grafted onto Moolanur Moringa (6.10 µmol CO2 mmol-1 H2O at at 50% FC). Higher proline (75.63ug /g FW), soluble sugars (16.06µmol/g FW), and antioxidant enzyme catalase (0.489 units/min/g FW) and peroxidase (1.364units/min/g FW) in PKM 1 grafted onto Karumbu moringa at 50% FC indicated superior stress adaptation. These findings highlight the potential of drought-tolerant rootstocks in enhancing Moringa's resilience and productivity in water-limited environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to compare the physiological and biochemical behaviour of four varieties of Medicago sativa differing in origin: Tamacine (Algerian), Triade (Italian), Maxigrowth (American), and Zanandrea (Australian). These varieties were subjected to saline stress (100 mM L-1) for 45 days at the early flowering stage. The results show that salinity had a depressive effect on all four varieties, reducing both fresh and dry matter. A decrease of more than 15% in dry weight was observed in the Tamacine genotype, but this reduction was more pronounced in the Zanandrea genotype. A significant increase in proline and soluble sugars content was recorded in the leaves (p = 0.000) under saline stress. Tamacine appears to be the most resistant variety, demonstrating biochemical adaptation by accumulating more osmoprotectants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Xinyang Normal University Natural Science Edition is the property of Journal of Xinyang Normal University Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hazelnuts are glycophytic and sensitive plants to salt, especially to chloride ion. However, the genotypes might be different in responses to salt stress. This search attempted to understand the behavior of four hazelnut commercial widely grown cultivars ('Segorb', 'Ronde de Piemant', 'Fertile de Coutard' and 'Negret') under salinity stress. The experimental four-year-potted plants were treated with four levels of NaCl (0, 30, 60, and 90 mM). Variations were found in the values of morphological and physiological indicators between the studied cultivars. The 'Fertile de Coutard' leaves contained the lowest accumulation of sodium (0.48%) and chloride (1.1%) of dry weight (DW)), a high potassium content (1.4% DW), the smallest decrease of Fv/Fm (15.85% at 90 mM K+/Na+ ratio (2.91% DW), the lowest decrease in the relative water content (RWC) (22.5%), the highest proline content (4 μmol g−1) of fresh weight (FW), and a low amount of lipid peroxidation (0.6 μmol g−1 FW) compared to other cultivars. On the contrary, 'Segorb' contained the highest chloride content (1.63% DW), and recorded the greatest decrease of Fv/Fm (45.12% at 90 mM NaCl) and K+/Na+ ratio (1.45% DW). Changes in the expression rate of the studied transcription factors (TF) were observed. The drought-responsive element binding (DREB) transcript level significantly increased after 12 h in 'Fertile de Coutard', and 72 h in 'Segorb'. The APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) transcript abundance reached the highest level after 72 h of treatment in 'Fertile de Coutard', while it did not change in 'Segorb'. Thus, our results indicate that the 'Fertile de Coutard' has the greatest potential to resilient salinity stress among the studied cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress severely affects crop productivity and threatens food security. As current trends of global warming are predicted to exacerbate droughts, developing drought-resilient crops becomes urgent. Here, we used the drought-tolerant (BW35695) and drought-sensitive (BW4074) wheat varieties to investigate the physiological, biochemical, and leaf proteome responses underpinning drought tolerance. In response to drought, the tolerant variety had higher osmolyte accumulation and maintained higher leaf water content than the sensitive variety. BW35695 also had an enhanced antioxidant enzyme capacity and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in diminished membrane lipid damage, as reflected by malondialdehyde content. Proteomic analysis revealed that drought-induced differential expression of proteins involved in diverse biological processes in both wheat varieties, including primary and secondary metabolism, protein synthesis/folding/degradation, defense/ROS detoxification, energy, transcription, and cell structure. Notably, photosynthesis emerged as the most enriched biochemical process targeted for suppression in the drought-tolerant BW35695 wheat, but not in drought-sensitive BW4074, possibly as a survival strategy for averting cell damage inflicted by photosynthesis-derived ROS. Additionally, protein synthesis-related proteins were highly upregulated in BW35695, presumably to drive cell-wide stress-adaptive responses. The protein network identified here will be useful in further studies to understand the molecular basis for divergent drought response phenotypes in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity leads to significant ecological challenges for global farming production. Sustainable agriculture depends on developing strategies to overcome the impacts of drought on important crops, including soybean. In this present study, seven promising soybean genotypes were evaluated for their drought tolerance potential by exposing them to water deficit conditions. The control group was maintained at 100% field capacity (FC), while the drought-treated group was maintained at 50% FC on a volume/weight basis. This treatment was applied at the second trifoliate leaf stage and continued until maturity. Our results demonstrated that water shortage exerted negative impacts on soybean phenotypic traits, physiological and biochemical mechanisms, and yield output in comparison with normal conditions. Our results showed that genotype G00001 exhibited the highest leaf area plant−1 (483.70 cm2), photosynthetic attributes like stomatal conductance (gs) (0.15 mol H2O m−2 s−1) and photosynthetic rate (Pn) (13.73 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1), and xylem exudation rate (0.25 g h−1) under drought conditions. The G00001 genotype showed greater leaf greenness by preserving photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophylls (Chls) and carotenoids; 4.23 and 7.34 mg g−1 FW, respectively) in response to drought conditions. Soybean plants accumulated high levels of stress indicators like proline and malondialdehyde when subjected to drought stress. However, genotype G00001 displayed lower levels of proline (4.49 μg g−1 FW) and malondialdehyde (3.70 μmol g−1 FW), indicating that this genotype suffered from less oxidative stress induced by drought stress compared to the other investigated soybean genotypes. Eventually, the G00001 genotype had a greater yield in terms of seeds pod−1 (SP) (1.90) and 100-seed weight (HSW) (14.60 g) under drought conditions. On the other hand, BD2333 exhibited the largest decrease in plant height (37.10%), pod number plant−1 (85.90%), SP (56.20%), HSW (54.20%), gs (90.50%), Pn (71.00%), transpiration rate (59.40%), relative water content (34.40%), Chl a (79.50%), total Chls (72.70%), and carotenoids (56.70%), along with the maximum increase in water saturation deficit (290.40%) and malondialdehyde content (280.30%) under drought compared to control conditions, indicating its higher sensitivity to drought stress. Our findings suggest that G00001 is a promising candidate to consider for field trials and further evaluation of its molecular signature may help breeding other elite cultivars to develop drought-tolerant, high-yielding soybean varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat seedlings were hydroponically grown in Hoagland solution containing various levels of Se. Tolerance response to Se toxicity was investigated by determining the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), proline and chlorophyll content, the growth parameters, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The toxic level of Se treatment significantly retarded the seedling growth. A substantial amount of proline accumulation was also observed in response to toxic Se concentration, but it was more pronounced in putative-sensitive cultivars. Chlorophyll content significantly decreased in Se-intoxicated seedlings and increased at the lowest Se dose in both cultivars. Severe and mild chlorosis was observed in putative-sensitive and tolerant cultivars at the highest Se level. Alterations in the activities of glutathione reductase (GR, 1.6.4.2), glutathione S transferase (GST, 2.5.1.18), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX, 1.11.1.7), catalase (CAT, 1.11.1.6), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, 1.11.1.11) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) were determined. TBAR level did not significantly increase in putative tolerant cultivars as an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation. However, a significant increase was observed in putative-sensitive cultivars in response to higher selenium concentrations. In higher Se treatment groups, CAT and GST activities significantly increased in putative Se tolerant cultivars. However, excluding SOD, the activity of all the studied enzymes was increased considerably in putative-sensitive cultivars in a dose-dependent manner. Higher antioxidant enzyme activities and a substantial amount of proline accumulation did not significantly contribute to overcoming Se phytotoxicity in wheat seedlings grown in media supplemented with toxic selenium levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Bakanae disease is a significant rice disease widely distributed in rice-growing regions worldwide. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to assess the optimal concentrations of paclobutrazol (PBZ) as a treatment for rice grains (cv. Sakha 108) to control bakanae disease, also evaluating its impact on grain germination, seedling growth parameters as well as disease index. Paclobutrazol concentrations had no significant impact on seed germination, regardless of whether the seeds were incubated with Fusarium fujikuroi or not. Application of PBZ, either alone or in combination with fungal pathogens, negatively impacted the rice seedlings' height. Paclobutrazol at 25, 50 and 100 mg/L, combined with the fungal pathogen positively impacted root length. Paclobutrazol at 3 and 6 mg/L mitigated the adverse impact on chlorophyll pigments content in infected seedlings. The highest proline contents were achieved by 100 mg/L PBZ alone or in combination with fungal pathogens. It has been observed that the application of PBZ, either alone or in combination with a fungal pathogen, leads to the enhancement of catalase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase activities. The median lethal concentration of PBZ was 0.874 mg/L; applying low concentrations of paclobutrazol effectively increased the percentage of fungal growth suppression. Application of PBZ, at higher concentrations (50 and 100 mg/L), decreased infection percentage and disease severity index (DSI) significantly. These findings suggest that PBZ can be an effective treatment for controlling bakanae disease and enhancing resistance in rice plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chill-haze is a well-known concern for brewers and most commonly involves polyphenols that interact with proline-rich hordein proteins in beers. An effective haze-suppressing effect has previously been established by a proline-specific endoprotease (PEP). In the present study, the protease action of a new Trichoderma reesei expressed PEP enzyme, available as the product BCLEAR™ was studied by assessing its impact on colloidal as well as foam stability and gluten reduction in beer. All malt beers treated with the BCLEAR™ enzyme or beers produced using BCLEAR™ at low dosage levels during fermentation, showed improved colloidal and foam stability when compared to the benchmark PEP investigated. In addition, gluten reduction was investigated using the BCLEAR™ enzyme and was found to have a very good correlation with the observed haze reduction, suggesting that the PEP enzyme dosage can accurately be determined from the calculated gluten content of the given raw materials. Thus, for optimal PEP enzyme use, the brew processes may most efficiently be controlled by following the gluten content, which was demonstrated with use of Lateral Flow Device (LFD) analysis technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sorghum is a major staple crop in India and the fifth most important cereal globally. Drought significantly impacts sorghum production, reducing growth and yield. Developing drought-tolerant genotypes is crucial. This study evaluated drought tolerance in rabi sorghum genotypes based on biochemical and yield parameters during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 rabi seasons. Using a split-plot design with two replications, the study aimed to identify the best drought-tolerant genotype. Results showed that the BJV-44 genotype had the highest proline content, with 23.36 µmol/g fresh leaf weight under rainfed conditions at 90 days after sowing, compared to 14.70 µmol/g under irrigated conditions. Basavan Moti and M-35-1 genotypes followed with 20.50 µmol/g and 22.40 µmol/g, respectively, under rainfed conditions. Additionally, BJV-44 and M-35-1 exhibited the smallest decline in grain yield per plant under rainfed conditions (76.17 and 73.50 g plant-1, respectively) versus irrigated conditions (80.08 and 79.88 g plant-1, respectively). Conversely, M 148-138 and Tandur L showed the largest yield declines under rainfed conditions (44.36 and 40.04 g plant-1, respectively) compared to irrigated conditions (78.67 and 70.96 g plant-1, respectively). Out of 20 sorghum genotypes studied, M-35-1, BJV-44, Basavan Motti, DKS-35, SPV 486, Phule Anuradha, and Phule Vasudha exhibited superior biochemical and yield traits under rainfed conditions, demonstrating their drought tolerance and capacity to perform well with limited water availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Water shortage has become a global problem and has caused many problems in agriculture and food supply for the growing world. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as the fourth mostly-cultivated cereal, is one of the most strategic crop plants which is produced almost all over the world as a source of and important staple food and animal feed (Thabet et al., 2020). Food uncertainty is a comprehensive obstacle becomes more serious hazard all over the world in particular in developing countries for the sake of overpopulation and dwindling accessibility of croplands, water and other resources related to agricultural scopes. Water scarcity, results in plenty of disturbances in plant functions like cell division and elongation, water and nutrients relations, photosynthesis, enzymes activity, stomata movement, assimilate partitioning, respiration, oxidative damage, growth, and productivity, as several types of researches show that water shortage in the soil cause many disorders in plant tissues, which in turn leads to a punctual diminish in the photosynthesis rate (Todorova et al., 2022). In such a trouble circumstances, most of the plants are not capable to absorb abundant water, which is required for optimized growth (Danish et al., 2020). Materials and methods: To investigate the impact of different irrigation regimes as well as foliar application of methyl jasmonate on growh, physiological and biochemical characteristics of barley varieties, an experimental research using factorial split plot design in 3 replications was carried out in experimental farm of the faculty of agriculture at the University of Zanjan in 2021-2022 cultivation season. In this experiment, irrigation regimes as the main factor, including complete irrigation as the control, withholding water in flowering stage, withholding water in grain filling period and complete dry farming, varieties as the secondary factor including Bahman, Sahand, Jolgeh, Abidar as well as Ansar, and foliar application of methyl jasmonate including without spraying (control) and spraying 50 μmol of methyl jasmonate were investigated. Results showed that the effect of irrigation regime had significant impact on almost all of the characteristics except chlorophyll a/b. Results and discussion: Varieties showed considerable difference from the aspect of height, concentration of soluble sugar and grain yield. Effect of Methyl jasmonate on the relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugar content, proline content, Malondialdehyde (MDA) and grain yield was significant. The highest grain yield (4762 kg ha-1) was detected when variety of Jolgeh was irrigated normally and was sprayed by 50 μmol of Methyl jasmonate and the lowest grain yield (432 kg ha-1) was seen when variety of Bahman was dry-farmed without foliar application of methyl jasmonate. Conclusion: The current study illustrated that barley can be grown in drought stress conditions if the right management is set on its cultivation. Methyl jasmonate showed a significant impact on the growth characteristics, biochemical and physiological attributes of the barley, despite the fact that drought had substantial adverse effects on the studied parameters of barley. However, drought resulted in different properties in barley varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salt stress is a prominent abiotic stressor that imposes constraints on grain yield and quality across various crops, including wheat (Triticum aestivum). This study focused on assessing the genetic diversity of 20 wheat genotypes categorized as tolerant, moderately tolerant, and sensitive with three genotypes of unknown tolerance. To address salinity stress-related problems, different morpho-physiological, osmoprotectant, biochemical, yield, and grain quality-related parameters were analyzed under control (pH 8.0, EC 3.9) and saline-sodic (pH 9.4, EC 4.02) conditions in field. Results: Findings revealed noteworthy variations among the genotypes in response to salinity stress. Greater accumulation of Na+ and lower K+ content were observed in response to salt stress in the sensitive varieties HD1941 and K9162. Proline, a stress indicator, exhibited significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater accumulation in response to salinity stress, particularly in the tolerant cultivars KRL210 and KH65. Salt stress induced the most significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in spike length, thousand-grain weight, and hectolitre weight coupled with increased protein content in sensitive varieties, resulting in diminished yield. Conclusion: Correlation analysis of parameters under salinity stress showed that SOD, proline, and K+ contents can be used as the most efficient screening criteria for salinity stress during early developmental stages. Principal component analysis revealed that DBW187, DBW303, and DBW222 varieties were tolerant to salinity stress and exhibited an effective antioxidant system against salinity. This study will facilitate salt-tolerant wheat breeding in terms of the identification of tolerant lines by screening for limited traits in a wide range of germplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generic model of elastin–like polypeptides (ELP) is derived that includes proline isomerization (ProI). As a case study, conformational transition of a –[valine–proline–glycine–valine–glycine]– sequence is investigated in aqueous ethanol mixtures. While the non–bonded interactions are based on the Lennard–Jones (LJ) parameters, the effect of ProI is incorporated by tuning the intramolecular 3– and 4–body interactions known from the underlying all–atom simulations into the generic model. One of the key advantages of such a minimalistic model is that it readily decouples the effects of geometry and the monomer–solvent interactions due to the presence of ProI, thus gives a clearer microscopic picture that is otherwise rather nontrivial within the all–atom setups. These results are consistent with the available all–atom and experimental data. The model derived here may pave the way to investigate large scale self–assembly of ELPs or biomimetic polymers in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to investigate the efficacy of putrescine (PUT) treatment (0, 1, 2, and 4 mM) on improving morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of Zinnia elegans "State Fair" flowers under salt stress (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl). The experiment was designed in a factorial setting under completely randomized design with 4 replications. The results showed that by increasing the salt stress intensity, the stress index (SSI) increased while morphological traits such as plant height decreased. PUT treatments effectively recovered the decrease in plant height and flower quality compared to the not-treated plants. Treatment by PUT 2 mM under 50 and 100 mM salt stress levels reduced the SSI by 28 and 35%, respectively, and increased plant height by 20 and 27% compared to untreated plants (PUT 0 mM). 2 mM PUT treatment also had the greatest effect on increasing fresh and dry biomass, number and surface area of leaves, flower diameter, internodal length, leaf relative water content, protein contents, total chlorophyll contents, carotenoids, leaf potassium (K+) content, and K+/Na+ ratio in treated plants compared to untreated control plants. The treatment of 2 mM PUT decreased the electrolyte leakage, leaf sodium (Na+) content, H2O2, malondialdehyde, and proline content. Furthermore, PUT treatments increased the activity of defense-related enzymes including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL), and reduced the abscisic acid (ABA) content while increased the level of gibberellin (GA) content compared to untreated samples under all different levels of salinity stress. In this research, enhancing the plant's antioxidant system, increasing K+ absorption, K+/Na+ ratio, and reducing the ABA/GA ratio are likely the most important mechanisms of PUT treatment, which improved growth, and maintained the visual quality of zinnia flowers under salt stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High GABA levels and its conversion to succinate via the GABA shunt are known to be associated with abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in plants. The exact mode of action is still under debate and it is not yet clear whether GABA is a common component of the plant stress defense process or not. We hypothesized that if it is a common route for stress tolerance, activation of GABA-shunt by a biotic stressor might also function in increased abiotic stress tolerance. To test this, Brassica napus plants treated with Flagellin-22 (Flg-22) were exposed to drought stress and the differences in GABA levels along with GABA-shunt components (biosynthetic and catabolic enzyme activities) in the leaf and root samples were compared. In order to provide a better outlook, MYC2, MPK6 and ZAT12, expression profiles were also analyzed since these genes were recently proposed to function in abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. Results: Briefly, we found that Flg treatment increased drought stress tolerance in B. napus via GABA-shunt and the MAPK cascade was involved while the onset was different between leaves and roots. Flg treatment promoted GABA biosynthesis with increased GABA content and GAD activity in the leaves. Better performance of the Flg treated plants under drought stress might be dependent on the activation of GABA-shunt which provides succinate to TCA since GABA-T and SSADH activities were highly induced in the leaves and roots. In the transcript analysis, Flg + drought stressed groups had higher MYC2 transcript abundances correlated well with the GABA content and GABA-shunt while, MPK6 expression was induced only in the roots of the Flg + drought stressed groups. ZAT12 was also induced both in leaves and roots as a result of Flg-22 treatment. However, correlation with GABA and GABA-shunt could be proposed only in Flg + drought stressed group. Conclusion: We provided solid data on how GABA-shunt and Fgl-22 are interacting against abiotic stress in leaf and root tissues. Fgl-22 induced ETI activated GABA-shunt with a plausible cross talk between MYC2 and ZAT12 transcription factors for drought stress tolerance in B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Indonesian Fisheries Processing Journal / Jurnal Pengolahan Hasil Perikanan Indonesia is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)