Rubisco large subunit methyltransferase (PsLSMT) is a SET domain protein responsible for the trimethylation of Lys-14 in the large subunit of Rubisco. The polypeptide substrate specificity determinants for pea Rubisco large subunit methyltransferase were investigated using a fusion protein construct between the first 23 amino acids from the large subunit of Rubisco and human carbonic anhydrase ...

BACKGROUND It is not known whether the protective effects of antioxidants on cataract observed in experimental animals are relevant to age-related opacities in humans. OBJECTIVE The relations of serum carotenoids and tocopherols to the incidence of age-related nuclear cataract were investigated in a random sample of 400 adults, 50-86 y of age, in the Beaver Dam Eye Study. DESIGN Nuclear opa...

Interest in the role of vitamin E in disease prevention has encouraged the search for reliable indices of vitamin E status. Most studies in human subjects make use of static markers, usually alpha-tocopherol concentrations in plasma or serum. Plasma or serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations of < 11.6, 11.6-16.2, and > 16.2 mumol/l are normally regarded as indicating deficient, low and acceptable...

The objective of this study was to determine the composition and content of sesamin and desmethyl tocopherols such as alpha-tocopherol (alphaT), delta-tocopherol (deltaT) and gamma-tocopherol (gammaT) in seeds of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) for 11 genotypes conserved in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Plant Genetic Resources Conservati...

Vitamin E family constitutes of tocopherol and tocotrienol. Each form has several isomers: alpha,beta, gamma, delta, desmo and didesmo. Although tocopherol is known much earlier, tocotrienol has been discovered more recently.Tocotrienol has higher antioxidant potential than tocopherol. Research shows that tocotrienol can inhibit the induced oxidative damage to lipids and proteins. Cholesterol b...

Figure 1. Structures of the various tocopherol and tocotrienol vitamers. Introduction There are eight vitamers of vitamin E (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherols and the corresponding tocotrienols) (Figure 1), differing in their biological activity and distribution in foods. Most often vitamin E’s role is usually associated with its antioxidant activity. For example, α-tocopherol is a w...

Background: Aging is associated with attenuation of immune responses. Studies show that old people are vulnerable to infectious diseases such as influenza. α-Tocopherol as an immunomodulator affects immune responses. In the present study, the effect of α-tocopherol, on lymphocyte responses i.e. interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)  in elde...

BACKGROUND Some evidence indicates that a low selenium intake may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the association of plasma selenium concentration with subsequent prostate cancer risk and to examine this association by stage and grade of disease and other factors. DESIGN A nested case-control study was performed amo...

BACKGROUND Increased intake of carotenoids and vitamin E may protect against myocardial infarction (MI). However, prospective data on blood levels of carotenoids other than beta-carotene and vitamin E (tocopherol) and risk of MI are sparse. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a prospective, nested case-control analysis among male physicians without prior history of cardiovascular disease who wer...

In order to study the interaction of glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E under hyperoxia (95 % oxygen) and hyperbaric oxygen (2.5 atmospheric pressure), 20 days old male Guinea pigs were fed with basal vitamin C free diet, while receiving a vitamin C supplement of either high concentration (50 mg/day) or low concentration (1 mg/day) for two weeks. Animals were than exposed to hyperoxia and hyp...