The chlorophyll precursors protochlorophyllide and chlorophyllide were identified in purified envelope membranes from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts. This was shown after pigment separation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using specific fluorescence detection for these compounds. Protochlorophyllide and chlorophyllide concentrations in envelope membranes were in the r...

Retinal rod and cone pigments consist of an apoprotein, opsin, covalently linked to a chromophore, 11-cis retinal. Here we demonstrate that the formation of the covalent bond between opsin and 11-cis retinal is reversible in darkness in amphibian red cones, but essentially irreversible in red rods. This dissociation, apparently a general property of cone pigments, results in a surprisingly larg...

Microarray hybridization was used to assess acclimation responses to four UV regimes by near isogenic maize (Zea mays) lines varying in flavonoid content. We found that 355 of the 2,500 cDNAs tested were regulated by UV radiation in at least one genotype. Among these, 232 transcripts are assigned putative functions, whereas 123 encode unknown proteins. UV-B increased expression of stress respon...

Justicia spicigera (muicle) is a plant that has been used from the pre-Hispanic era to contemporary times in Mexico. It has been used in the traditional medicine for healing diseases such as dysentery, diabetes, leukemia, and anemia, just to mention some human disorders. It has been used for obtaining indigo dye after making extraction with water to be used for coloring of baskets, crafts, and ...

Resource partitioning and utilisation of phytodetritus by the abyssal mud-ingesting seastars Styracaster chuni and Hyphalaster inermis were investigated using pigment biomarker analysis. The chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment composition of the stomach content was examined using high-pressure liquid chromatography. No significant differences were observed between the composition of pigments in ...

Anthocyanins are a group of phenolic compounds responsible for red, blue and violet colouration of many fruits, vegetables and flowers. The high content of these pigments is important as it influences directly their health promoting properties as well as the sensory quality of the product; however they are prone to degradation by, inter alia, elevated temperature and tissue enzymes. The traditi...